Inferno

Chapter 27

No. 10 Downing Street, London

‘Prime Minister, I must protest!’ the secretary of state for war said, as the Duke of Portland entered the Cabinet Room. ‘This news is of monumental importance and you’ve granted us but an hour to prepare for this meeting.’

‘As you say, Lord Castlereagh, the matter is of dire significance to the realm and therefore an early and sufficient response is required, I believe.’

‘All the same, sir, we cannot simply-’

‘Shall we move on, do you think?’ Canning’s sarcasm was not lost on Castlereagh, who shot the man a look of venom.

‘We shall leave aside our differences for now, gentlemen, and see if there’s something we might do.’ As Portland cautiously gathered his thoughts, his frail, aged figure was in stark contrast to the youth and vigour of those sitting around the table. ‘My own position is settled, I feel sorry to say,’ he said uncertainly.

He stared down at the table for so long that Canning interrupted heavily, ‘And pray what is that, my lord?’

Portland looked up, confused, then collected himself. ‘That is to say, there seems no other alternative before this government. Gentlemen, I desire your views on this: that we move to seek peace terms of the French.’

‘A surrender?’ blurted Canning. ‘Sir, you cannot be-’

‘Not a capitulation,’ the prime minister huffed. ‘Recognition of our powerlessness in this new order, to treat for the best terms we can. As we did in Amiens in the year two.’

‘A surrender!’ Canning breathed.

‘Not so, Foreign Secretary,’ Portland hissed. ‘We found peace before. We do so again!’

‘My lord,’ Canning ground out, ‘we’re now dealing with an emperor of limitless cupidity and ambition. Let loose from the continental prison we confined him to, he’s free to seize anything he fancies in this world, to-’

‘Thank you for your views, sir. Chancellor?’

Perceval looked up with a twisted smile. ‘Prime Minister, if you insist we go by the precedent of the Amiens Treaty, of a certainty in return for peace we must give up our conquests and probably our colonies into the bargain. Given that Bonaparte controls the entire continent, where are our markets? I fear this course will see us decay into a contemptible third-rate power with quite indecent haste.’

Canning burst out, ‘Enough of this craven talk! Our response is to strike a blow, hard and defiant, that shows Boney and the world that we’re not beat. We’ve still got the navy, for God’s sake!’

Portland looked imploringly at the first lord of the Admiralty. ‘Ah, it’s true, we’re lords of the sea. Unhappily, our Mr Bonaparte has learned the lesson of Trafalgar only too well and keeps his fleets in port. Without they come out, how is our great victory possible?’

‘Damn it all, there must be something!’

‘Secretary for War?’

Castlereagh responded instantly: ‘No one doubts that a gesture at this time is to be much applauded, but as we’ve heard, if the French fleet cannot be drawn, this implies we must go to them. Is anyone at this table seriously suggesting we should land our contemptible little army on the coasts of France to try conclusions with Napoleon’s crack divisions?’

That brought on a heated exchange, which Portland tried in vain to control, but the implication was becoming all too plain.

His Majesty’s Government had no answer to Napoleon Bonaparte’s master stroke.