The Rape Of Venice

Chapter 27

The Trap is Set

In the early hours of the morning Roger reached Mestre. It had been a long and tiring ride, but during it he had matured his plans and, although they entailed great risk to himself, he was now more than ever determined to go through with them.

The French Headquarters at Mestre was in a large villa on the outskirts of the town and, as one of the General-​in-​Chief's A.D.Cs, he had no difficulty in getting a shake down there for what remained of the night. Next morning he had himself ferried across the three mile wide stretch of shallow water to Venice and by half-​past nine was closeted with Villetard at the French Embassy.

When he had confirmed that Malderini was still in Venice and keeping the Embassy secretly informed about the anti-​French conspiracy, he asked, 'Is there any prospect of a rising taking place in the near future?'

'No, none,' Villetard replied. 'It could not possibly succeed, and they know that. They will do nothing until after the Peace, and then not for several months; anyway, until the greater part of the Army of Italy has returned to France and the garrison here been reduced to a token force.'

'If the City's independence were restored no garrison would be left here.'

Villetard shrugged. 'If it were, the conspiracy would no longer have an object, and Malderini have lost his chance of achieving his ambitions through having made use of it. But surely that is most unlikely? All the information that has reached me points to the Directory's insisting that the city should be incorporated into the Cisalpine Republic; and that it will be so is the opinion generally accepted by the people of Venice.'

'Then they put no trust in General Boneparte's promises that Venice shall survive as a City State?'

'No. Why should they? He has played ducks and drakes with all the other States of Northern Italy and altered the arrangements for their future from month to month, according to his whim. From the beginning he spoke fair words to the Serene Republic, yet acted towards it as a whip of scorpions. Why should he suddenly change his tune? What has he to gain by preserving a remnant of it? Those are the questions that the Venetians are asking themselves. Go into the cafes and a dozen times a day you will hear the question asked, “Will he make us citizens of his new Cisalpine Republic or, far worse, give us to the Austrians?” '

'Should he do the latter the prospects of the conspirators would be no better after the peace than before it; for 'tis certain that, as the French troops moved out, the Austrians would move in, and they would never reduce their garrison to so low a state that it would be overcome by a popular revolt.'

'True. The Venetians' only real hope of regaining their independence is that, having been made Cisalpines, they will succeed in breaking away after the French have gone.'

'They will be given one other.' Roger suddenly held Villetard's eyes with an intent glance. 'The General-​in-​Chief is coming here on a brief visit. If they captured him they might extort their own terms as a ransom.'

Villetard sat forward with a jerk. 'What! Surely you are not suggesting…'

This is no suggestion. It is a plan already agreed on. General Boneparte is anxious to exterminate this nest of vipers before the peace terms are declared, so that they will no longer be able to rouse the population in a revolt against them. Having calmly told this thumping lie, Roger produced his note of authority and went on.

Here is my warrant for requiring your assistance. There can be no risk of their attempting to assassinate him, because even a child would know that, did they succeed, we should burn the whole city about their ears. But, if they are secretly informed of his coming, and it is made apparently easy for them to kidnap him while he is here, it seems to me that they would hardly be likely to forgo such a temptation.'

The hotheads would jump at such a chance,' Villetard agreed, 'but I rather doubt if the more level-​headed would risk taking part in a gamble of that kind. After all, whatever they might force General Boneparte to sign as the price of his liberty would not be worth the paper it was printed on. The moment he was free he would not hesitate to repudiate it and, like as not, in one of his fine rages, turn his troops loose to sack the city.'

With a smile. Roger shook his head. "No. Malderini and his friends could do better than that. They could first demand from him a declaration restoring to the City of Venice her independence. Once that had been published, as though emanating from him at some headquarters on the mainland, it would be natural that the withdrawal of the French garrison should follow. They would make him sign another order to that effect and wait until there was not a single French soldier left in Venice before releasing him. If things had gone to that length, he could not repudiate his declaration and order the reoccupation of the city without suffering great loss of face; because his kidnappers would have warned him that, should he attempt to do so they would disclose the fact that he had been abducted and coerced. For it to become known that a General-​in-​Chief had allowed himself to be captured by a handful of civilians would make him the laughing-​stock of Europe. Can you see our little Boneparte putting himself in such a position?'

T certainly cannot."

'Then I wish you to see Malderini as soon as possible and instruct him to prepare his fellow conspirators to take part in a plot on those lines.'

'I take it you have no intention of allowing General Boneparte to be captured; but intend to ambush his would-​be kidnappers when they make their attempt."

'Exactly.'

'But how does Malderini come into this? He might be killed, or anyway would be among the captured. If General Boneparte decided to reward him afterwards for enabling us to bag these malcontents, by making him First Magistrate, all Venice would realise the truth that it was he who had betrayed his companions. In such a case his life would not be worth a month's purchase. It's certain that some relative of one of the men he had betrayed would assassinate him.'

'He will be killed, because I intend to kill him. But it will be for you to still his fears and flatter his ambitions. Tell him that there will be no shooting unless his friends shoot first, and that the strictest orders will be given that none of his party are to be fired upon unless they use a weapon. Tell him that he must make some excuse not to act as leader and spokesman, but keep in the background, where he should be safe even from a stray bullet. Tell him that all the others will be executed to ensure their silence about his having been one of them, and that he will be allowed to escape. No Venetian need ever know that he took part in the attempt. Finally, promise him on General Bonepart's behalf that, if all goes well, a clause shall be inserted in the peace treaty reviving the ancient office of Doge, and that he shall be installed in it.'

Villetard nodded. 'Yes. Given an assurance of such measures for his own protection both during and after the coup, I doubt if he could resist walking into so well-​baited a trap. I see one possibility, though, which might, temporarily at least, deprive you of your personal revenge.'

'What is it?'

'If he is not to act as leader, why should he go at all? Providing he gets his friends to make the attempt and furnishes us with full particulars of their arrangements, he will have played his part. To avoid all risk to himself he could pretend illness at the last moment as an excuse not to accompany them.'

'I had thought of that,' Roger smiled, 'so I intend to provide him with a special reason for being of the party; a reason which no normal illness would excuse in the eyes of his companions. Have you ever met his wife?'

'No. Few people have. He keeps her, as they term it in the East, in purdah. But I know her well by sight. Everybody does, because she makes such a distinctive figure. She is often to be seen accompanied by Malderini's lanky manservant walking in the city in the morning, and whenever the weather is clement she sits on the balcony of the Palace watching the traffic in the Grand Canal for an hour or two in the afternoon. Why do you ask?'

'Only because it is my intention to kidnap her.'

'How will that assist your plan?'

'Anything to do with the East holds a particular attraction for the General-​in-​Chief. His reason for coming to Venice is that I have told him about her and the idea of a tete-​a-​tete supper with an Indian Princess greatly appeals to him.'

Without the quiver of an eyelid, Roger went on to tell another thumping lie. 'It was that which led me to suggest to him that this secret visit of his would provide us with an excellent opportunity to ensnare the potential trouble-​makers of Venice. He approved my idea and has sent me to arrange matters.'

Villetard ran his finger down his long nose. 'You certainly have a fertile mind for such schemes, Citizen Breuc, and I am fortunate to have your co-​operation in clearing out these vipers. Have you worked out your plan in detail?'

Roger bowed. 'Thank you. Citizen Minister. Yes I take it you have plenty of people at your disposal who can put rumours into circulation?'

'Plenty. I often have to use such methods.'

'Then first I would like you to have it put about as soon as possible that General Boneparte is already in the city and has been living here for several days incognito, and that having on several occasions seen the Princess Sirisha he has expressed great interest in her, so that it gets to Malderini's ears and those of his fellow conspirators.'

'Yes. I will do that. What then?'

'I want you to find for me by tonight a suitable house for this tete-​a-​tete supper; so that I can make all arrangements there tomorrow. It will, of course, be during the supper that the kidnapping attempt will take place; so it must be one in which I can conceal a score of troops, yet have them handy. The difficulty is that it should be somewhere fairly isolated, in case shooting does occur; because in no circumstances can we have a night-​patrol arriving on the scene and discovering the General-​in-​Chief in such a situation.'

'I appreciate that,' Villetard nodded, 'and I think I know the very place to suit you. It is an island about three miles distant, called Portillo. On it there is a little casino, a charming place. Beautifully furnished. It was the property of the last French Ambassador here before the Revolution, so was taken over by us at the same time as the Embassy. Many of the Venetian nobles own such casinos and, as was the Ambassador's custom, use them for entertaining the ladies of the Opera.'

'Nothing could be better. Then today you will see Malderini and put to him this project for kidnapping General Boneparte. You will also get the rumours going about his being in the city and the interest he has expressed in the Princess. Tomorrow I shall require a few of the Embassy servants who can be relied on to keep their mouths shut to come out with me to Portillo and prepare the casino there for the General's reception. The following day I propose to kidnap the Princess and take her there. I shall do it publicly and in such a manner that everyone will know that she has been abducted by the French. If the rumours do their work, Malderini and his friends will believe that she had been carried off by Boneparte's orders. In consequence, he will not have the face to back out from accompanying them in a bid to kidnap the General and rescue her. Is that all clear?'

'Perfectly; but this business of kidnapping the Princess does raise one other point. Has it occurred to you that at times love can prove stronger than ambition? If Malderini believes that General Boneparte has seduced her, he might be filled with jealous rage to such a degree that he may attempt to kill him."

Roger smiled. 'Seductions usually take place after supper, not before; so he would expect to arrive on the scene in time to save her from the General or herself. But you have no need for anxiety on that score. I shall be there, and it is Malderini who is going to be killed.'

'Very well then. Everything shall be done as you wish it.'

I thank you, Citizen Minister. You will not, of course, disclose to Malderini until the last moment the place at which the General-​in-​Chief is to be on the night of the 14th. It is important, too, that he should not learn that I am back in Venice; otherwise, knowing my enmity to him, and that having been rescued by Madame Boneparte I must also be a friend of her husband's, he might suspect a trap. I must, therefore, go about my business here in some disguise. Have you anything to suggest?'

"Nothing could be simpler. The Venetians follow the strange custom of holding carnival for six months every year. They do not, of course, have their processions and actual fiesta until the last few weeks; but in this most licentious of cities a degree of licence has long been permitted from October 1st. From then on anyone who wishes may go about masked without question, which makes it easier to conduct clandestine love affairs. You have only to change that smart uniform for civilian clothes, wear a long cloak and a mask, and even if you came face to face with Malderini he would have no idea who you were.'

Everything having been, satisfactorily settled, as Roger had been riding for a good part of the night he said that he would like a few hours' sleep; so Villetard took him to the room he had previously occupied while at the Embassy, and promised to provide him later with a suitable costume in which to go out.

At three o'clock he was called by a valet who had brought up a variety of clothes for him to choose from. Instead of his military boots he donned buckled shoes and white stockings, with a pair of nankeen breeches to go above them, then selected a wine-​coloured tail-​coat that was a little large for him, but would serve well enough. The cloaks were light in weight but enormous garments that would wrap twice round a man, had to be kept from trailing on the ground and had deep double collars. The masks were grotesque, covering the whole face, and having long hideous noses. As the Venetian nobility had not yet taken to the fashions brought in by the Revolution, they still wore high-​sided, richly decorated tri-​corne hats, and the one that fitted Roger best was edged with ostrich feathers round its rim.

When he had finished dressing, carrying the cloak, mask and hat, he went down to dine with Villetard, who told him that as the season of masks now enabled anyone to come to the Embassy in daylight with no more risk of being recognised than at night, he was expecting Malderini at five o'clock. That suited Roger, as he had work to do and it gave him an excuse to make himself scarce immediately after the meal.

Having collected everything necessary from Villetard's secretary, he went up to his room, locked himself in and sat down to write a report for Mr. Pitt. He could send no piece of information that was of startling value but during the past six weeks he had acquired a great quantity of miscellaneous data about Boneparte, his political trickery, and the people round him, which would be read with much interest in Whitehall. His final page was on the present situation, and he said that, although he had been given to understand that Mr. Pitt favoured an independent Venice, his own conviction was that the future prospects of England could be better served if the city was handed over to the Austrians; and that, while he had no great hope of influencing events, even at the risk of his master's displeasure he intended to work for that end.

In it he had given no indication that he was on Boneparte's staff, or had been living at his headquarters, and he did not sign it; so if it was captured, even the similarity between the English and French versions of his name would not give a clue to the identity of the writer. Only his handwriting could give him away, and the odds against both the report falling into French hands and his writing being recognised were sufficiently long to be an acceptable risk; or at least one which he had to take in the service of his country.

When he had addressed and sealed the document, he wrapped a second parchment cover round it and, having sealed that too, wrote 'John Watson Esquire, Personal' on it. Then, putting the bulky package in an inner pocket, he buttoned his coat over it, put on his cloak and mask, and went downstairs.

The report had taken three hours to write, so it was now a quarter-​past eight o'clock. He was told that Villetard had gone out about an hour before and was not expected back until his usual hour for supper, which was half-​past ten. Roger told the doorkeeper that he had a mind to spend an hour in the Piazza San Marco, so one of the Embassy gondolas was whistled up to take him there. The weather, as is customary in Venice in October, was still mild; so a band was playing in the Piazza and the usual crowd sauntering, flirting, and exchanging greetings or gossip.

For half an hour he sat at a table outside Florian's, immune from recognition behind his hideous mask, sipping strong black coffee and a golden liqueur. Then he had a gondola take him to the first bridge over the Trovaso Canal. From there, on foot, he twisted his way back, temporarily losing his way twice, through a score of narrow turnings, until he reached the British Consulate. After he had pulled the bell it clanged hollowly, but before the clanging ceased the door was opened by the same footman who had answered it to him before. This time he did not tip the man. His richly feathered three-​cornered hat made that unnecessary. In Italian he brusquely demanded speech with the Consul.

The man bowed him into the low pillared hall, and asked him to be seated. Two minutes later Mr. Watson came out to him. For the servant's benefit, as he bowed he announced himself as the Marchese di Piomboli. Mr. Watson returned his bow and asked what he could do for him. As soon as the servant had gone, Roger removed his mask for a moment and said in a whisper, 'I am the Arab perfume seller. Can you get a despatch to London for me?'

The lanky, red-​haired Mr. Watson nodded and whispered back, 'I trust so. Our people are still getting through. If all goes well, it should be there in under three weeks.'

Roger quickly passed him the despatch, pressed his hand and turned towards the door. With no further word said, Mr Watson let him out. In a nearby canal he picked up a gondola and had it take him again to the San Marco. After strolling there for ten minutes he got another which took him back to the French Embassy. He had timed things excellently and arrived just as Villetard was sitting down to supper.

Over the meal, Roger learned to his delight that Malderini had swallowed the bait. He had gone home to summon the conspirators to a conference for that night, and had expressed no doubt about their being prepared to risk everything on this chance to secure Boneparte's person.

For them, the prospect of coercing him into signing documents upon which he would not be able to go back without looking a fool was far better than anything they could ever have hoped for. Malderini's knowledge that the General-​in-​Chief was already in the city, and the promise of information about a place at which he could easily be captured a few nights hence, they would believe to have been obtained by heavy bribery from an official at the French Embassy; so the principal matters for discussion at the conference would be, who should act as spokesman to General Boneparte in order to obtain his signature to the required documents, and where should they hold him prisoner while the orders extorted from him were being carried out.

Roger went to bed feeling soberly satisfied with the progress he had made to date. It was a great relief to have got his report off to Mr. Pitt, as there could be no telling when, if ever, he would be able to send another. But he kept on examining his plan from every angle, for one could never be quite sure that every possibility had been thought of, or that some unforeseen factor would not suddenly arise to throw everything out of gear. And he had one very serious cause for worry. Boneparte had stipulated 'no scandal', but to make certain of getting Malderini into the trap he had been compelled to have rumours circulated that the General was making a visit incognito to Venice, and take steps to ensure that when the Princess Sirisha was kidnapped his name should be linked with hers. To have used the authority Boneparte had given him over Villetard for his own ends, and entirely contrary to the General's interests, was a flagrant breach of trust. When the little Corsican learned about that, as he was bound to do, unless it could be justified by a motive that he would accept, he would fly into one of his terrible rages and Roger might find himself back in the Leads.

Another matter that worried Roger considerably was the fate of Malderini's co-​conspirators. The great majority of the Venetian upper class had conclusively proved themselves to be spineless decadents, but these people must surely be the exception to the rule. Some might be ambitious men, prepared to gamble their lives against a chance of power should they succeed in bringing about a restoration of the old regime; others, no doubt, were fanatics, egged on by their father-​confessors to strike a blow at the new government of atheists; but among them there must be a number of real patriots, and all of them must be accounted men of courage. That they, of all Venetians just because they had allowed themselves to be caught in the web of the treacherous Malderini, and because Roger, in the hope of serving his country and to revenge himself, had to smash it should be the ones who had to be sacrificed, seemed a gross injustice. He could see no way to avoid that and the thought of it plagued his conscience severely.

Yet, as so often happens, sleep brought a possible solution to the problem. Soon after waking next morning, an idea in connection with the carnival took form in his mind, and by developing it there seemed a chance that when Malderini's associates had served their purpose he might be able to save them from the worst consequences of their attempt upon Boneparte.

To put it in train, as soon as he had dressed and breakfasted, he donned his cloak and mask and went out shopping. His purchases consisted of one of the huge gold-​laced hats that Boneparte had taken to wearing and the smallest sizes available in the second-​hand shops of Hessian boots, white breeches and plain uniform coat, by which the General's figure had become so well known. To these he added a tricolour sash, white stock, spurs, cloak and one of the grotesque carnival masks.

With all these packed in two boxes, he returned to the Embassy where he found a small party ready to accompany him to Portillo. It consisted of Villetard's steward, Citizen Crozier, a valet, a porter and two cleaning women, all of whom, as was the case with the whole of the staff at the Embassy, were French. Roger transferred his packages to the six-​oared barge in which they were waiting, and it pulled away.

Leaving the Grand Canal it turned into the Canal San Felice, which led into the basin of the Misericordia on the northern waterfront of the city, then headed north through one of the pole marked channels across the open water. As Venice and its innumerable adjacent islands lie in a thirty-​mile long lagoon, they are protected from the rollers of the Adriatic and, being a fine sunny day, the inland sea was as smooth as a mill pond. A half-​mile out they passed the island of San Michele, the cemetery of Venice, above the walls of which the tall cypresses rose like green candles, then some distance farther on the much bigger island of Murano with its quite considerable town, famous for its centuries old glass factories. Beyond it. in the distance, lay another large but less populous island, Barano, and between them to either side were scattered a number of small islets. Crozier pointed out one of these to Roger as Portillo, and the barge's crew soon brought them to it.

The islet was about an acre in extent and the only building on it was the casino, a charming little one-​storeyed pavilion set picturesquely among cypress trees. They landed on a wide stone wharf and at Crozier's shout a bent old man, who was the caretaker, hobbled out to meet them. He let them in through the front door and Roger set about making a thorough inspection of the place.

It had only two main rooms, a salon and a bedroom; both were spacious and lofty. Beyond the former lay a kitchen and two small bedrooms for servants. To that side of the main building, a short distance from it, was a big woodshed well stocked with fuel, and on the other a boat-​house, in the rear part of which was stored garden furniture. Behind the casino, surrounded by cypresses, lay a small garden containing only some flowering shrubs and a few pieces of statuary. The furniture in the main rooms had been stacked in their centres under dust sheets and the place smelt musty from disuse; but, even so, Roger saw at a glance that when in proper order it made a perfect retreat for lovers.

All the windows were thrown open, and Crozier began to unpack, from hampers he had brought, bed-​linen, plate glasses and bottles; his men set about unstacking the furniture, and the women about their cleaning. Having satisfied himself that the place could be made entirely suitable for his purpose, Roger returned to the barge and had himself rowed the four miles into Mestre.

On landing he took off his mask, hired a carrotza to take him to the French headquarters just outside the town and introduced himself to the garrison Commander's adjutant. At that officer's desk he wrote a note for Bourrienne informing him that everything had been arranged for the visit of the General-​in-​Chief on the following night, and had it sent off by galloper.

As he watched the man go he realised that he had burnt his boats and that, although his own arrangements for trapping Malderini were well in train, that was by no means the case with the entertainment he had promised Boneparte; as he had yet to kidnap the Princess Sirisha. But to have done so before the day of the coup might have ruined his own plan, and if he had delayed in sending his despatch to Boneparte, there were no means of getting him to the rendezvous by the night of the 14th.

At the adjutant's invitation, he dined that afternoon in the mess, then had himself rowed back to Portillo. During his absence a most pleasing transformation had taken place. The big rooms had been thoroughly cleaned, the air scented, and the fine gilt and ormolu furniture of the period of Louis XV set out. As he looked at the magnificent bed, with its silk curtains falling gracefully from a coronet held by two gilded cupids, his imagination swiftly conjured up the images of the satin-​clad, powdered-​haired nobleman who must, in the past, have led beautiful women in crinolines and patches to give and, receive amorous joys in it. For a moment he wondered if the skinny, lank-​haired little Corsican would succeed, after the coup was over on the following night, in persuading the lovely Indian Princess to let him have his way with her there. But that was a matter for them.

An hour later all the preparations, except for the supper which must be brought next day, were completed; so the party returned to Venice, taking the old caretaker with them.

That evening Roger arranged through Villetard that next morning at nine o'clock a fast barge, with at least eight oarsmen, should be at the Embassy steps. It was to be manned by French sailors and carry six troopers, all picked men who could be relied on to keep their mouths shut and under orders to obey him without question.

Later that night, Villetard told him that he had again seen Malderini, and that his side of the affair was all in order. The hotheads among the conspirators had shown immediate enthusiasm at this chance to kidnap their great enemy, and even the more cautious had soon been persuaded that, if he could be coerced into ordering the evacuation of Venice by the French, the fact that a few civilians had done so would be sufficient hold over him to ensure that he did not rescind the order after they had released him.

They had decided to take him to one of the distant islands about twelve miles away at the south end of the lagoon, as from it he could not possibly escape, and that, too, would eliminate any risk of the French finding him should they institute a house-​to-​house search throughout the city. One of Malderini's lieutenants was a lawyer named Ottoboni, an inveterate talker, who also prided himself on his ability as a negotiator; so when Malderini expressed some misgivings about being capable of arguing such a forceful character as Boneparte into doing as they wished, the lawyer had promptly volunteered to handle that side of the business, which would leave the arch-​conspirator free to keep out of personal danger in the rear of the party.

Malderini had pressed Villetard to tell him whereabouts Boneparte was lodging in the city, so that the conspirators could make detailed plans for their coup. But Villetard had replied that he was actually in Mestre and coming over only from time to time. It was, however, certain that he would sup in Venice the following night, although where was not yet definitely settled. That would be known by about seven o'clock; so Malderini was to come to the Embassy shortly before half-​past, and Villetard would be able to give him full particulars of the General-​in-​Chief's plans for the evening.

By this arrangement, Roger reckoned that the kidnappers could not arrive at Portillo much before nine o'clock, by which time he expected to have Napoleon and Sirisha comfortably settled down at supper. Only one fence now remained to be got over the kidnapping of the Princess; but everything else had so far gone according to plan and, buoyed up by his natural optimism, Roger went cheerfully to bed.

Next morning, punctually at nine o'clock, he went out to the French-​manned barge, which had been brought to the Embassy under the command of a tough looking middle-​aged naval lieutenant named Bouvard. First, Roger made sure that its crew and the half-​dozen soldiers had been warned that they were to be engaged in a special undertaking and that in no circumstances were they to talk about it afterwards; then he explained what he intended to do. As he proceeded, broad grins spread over the faces of most of the men and a few began to mutter ribald comments; but he soon reduced them to order by saying that this was no affair of gallantry it was a step that had to be taken in the political interests of the Republic.

Having made certain that the Lieutenant fully understood what was required of him. he gave the order to cast off and had the barge rowed down the Grand Canal as far as the Canal de Duca, which was on the opposite side to the Malderini Palace and about two hundred yards below it. He then had the barge backed into the Duca Canal and made fast to one side of its entrance, so that all of it except its bow was concealed by the house on the corner. Climbing across the thwarts he settled down in the bow to keep watch on the Palace.

It was by then twenty-​past nine, and it had been the Princess Sirisha's custom to go out for her morning walk at about ten o'clock; so he had taken up his position to watch for her to come out of the Palace in ample time provided that she had not changed her habits. On that point Villetard had been unable to give him any information, and the possibility that she had made his wait an anxious one. Now that autumn was here, she might not go out for a walk every day, and he was working to a strict time-​table. To have abducted her the day before would have sprung his mine under Malderini too early and perhaps have provoked him into some act which would have upset everything previously agreed on; but Sirisha had to be given time to recover from the shock she would sustain, so must be carried off by midday at the latest. Fortunately it was again a lovely sunny day, so the prospect of her coming out seemed good; but Roger was uncomfortably aware that, should she fail to do so, he would have to go in and get her.

His uncertainty about how matters would develop made his forty-​minute wait seem very much longer, but at last the many bells of Venice chimed ten and he sat forward with renewed eagerness, his eyes riveted on the portico of the Palace two hundred yards away.

Five minutes passed, ten, but there were no signs of activity. The gondola was tied up to one of the mooring poles striped, like a gargantuan barber's pole, with the Malderini colours, but the gondoliers had not come out to it. On the other hand, the Princess had not come onto her balcony, which would have suggested that she meant to take the morning air up there instead of during a walk.

Suddenly the panic thought struck Roger that she might no longer be living in the Palace. Perhaps, by having those rumours spread about Boneparte's expressing an interest in her, he had overplayed his hand. It was just possible that Malderini had decided to remove her temporarily to some place where the General-​in-​Chief would see her no more and so be deprived of any opportunity of endeavouring to make her acquaintance. If so, he was in the very devil of a mess. The rage that Boneparte would fly into that evening when he learned that he had been brought all the way down to Venice for nothing was something that Roger did not care to dwell upon.

It looked now as if he would have to force his way into the Palace anyhow. If she was there, with six strong troopers to aid him he did not doubt his ability to carry her off. If she was not, then he would have to do his utmost to bribe or terrify the servants into telling him where she had been taken. The minutes, instead of dragging, were racing now, and he had just decided that, in case he had to go some distance to find her, he dare not put off raiding the Palace after half-​past, when the bells tolled the quarter. At that moment the gondoliers appeared, and the Princess and Pietro followed them out almost immediately afterwards.

Catching his breath with relief, Roger gave the word to untie the barge and scrambled back across the thwarts into its stern. He had no need to give any further orders; Lieutenant Bouvard knew what had to be done. The barge shot out from its lurking-​place and turned up the Grand Canal. Sirisha was just settling down in the cabin of the gondola. It pushed off and headed for the San Samuele steps opposite. By the time it reached mid-​canal, the barge was only twenty yards from it, coming on fast and heading for its beam. The gondoliers gave their recognised long-​drawn cries to take care. Seeing that no notice was being taken of them, they shouted frantic warnings. The barge held its course until six feet from the gondola, then Bouvard threw his tiller right over. The bow veered sharply round and struck the gondola hard just abaft its high key-​like prow. The shock caused the gondolier standing on its peak, with the boat-​hook ready in his hands to pull her into the steps, to lose his balance. Shouting vitriolic abuse at the clumsiness of Frenchmen, he went over backwards; his spate of words was suddenly cut off as his head went under water.

Next moment the two craft swung round side by side. The French sailors nearest the gondola seized it and held it. A soldier in the stern raised his musket and gave the gondolier holding the sweep a sharp prod with the end of its barrel; he too, went overboard. Roger and two more of the soldiers jumped into the gondola amidships. Pietro had been sitting just outside the cabin. He had had the sense to remain seated until after the shock, but now he was on his feet and had whipped a stiletto out from his waistband. One of the soldiers clubbed his musket and swiped sideways with it at Pietro's arm. With a howl of pain he dropped the long glittering blade. Roger was tempted to kill him, but decided to give him the benefit of a chance, because he had had the courage to show fight in defence of his master's wife. With all his force, he drove his fist into Pietro's stomach. Malderini's skull-​headed servitor doubled up and, his eyes starting from his head, collapsed backwards, heels over head, into the water. With not a breath of air left in his lungs, he might come up, or he might not. Roger wasted no time in waiting to see; he plunged into the cabin.

Sirisha had already risen, as far as its low roof would allow her to. She was crouching inside it with a terrified expression on her face. This was no time to offer any explanation. Roger seized her by the arm and dragged her into the well of the gondola. She began to scream, but he did not attempt to stop her. Picking her up bodily, he lurched back with her into the stern of the barge. The sailors let go the now empty gondola, thrust it off with their oars, and began to pull vigorously towards the entrance of the Canal Trovaso, which was on the same side as the Malderini Palace but a little farther down.

At that hour the Grand Canal was teeming with gondolas and provision boats. From fifty of them, at least, the occurrence must have been witnessed, or had their attention called to it by Sirisha's screams; but the barge was manned by French sailors and had French troops on board. The air was filled with curses and shouts of protest and abuse, but none of the Venetians dared to attempt to block its progress. Now, rowing all out, and in excellent rhythm, the crew of the barge sent it speeding round into the Canal Trovaso and along it to the bridge that spanned its far end, linking the Quai al Ponte Lungo with the Quai al Gesuati. There Roger had it pulled in at the steps and landed the six soldiers with orders to return direct to their barracks and remain there for twenty-​four hours. He had brought them only in case he had to raid the Palace, and now had no wish to let more people than was absolutely necessary into the secret of where he was taking the Princess.

Telling them that he would secure them all a month's exemption from fatigues, he waved them away. The barge pushed off, pulled out some distance from the wharf side, then headed west, towards the mainland. He had purposely left Venice from its south side to lessen the risk of chance observers getting any idea of its destination, although this meant a long row right round the city before it could head towards Portillo.

By this time Sirisha's screams for help had subsided into a tearful sobbing. Roger's cloak and mask had prevented her from even guessing who he might be and, as yet, he had had no time to talk to her. But now he took her hand, patted it, and whispered in Persian:

'You have nothing to fear. This is part of a plot to free you from your evil husband. This is no place to tell you of it; but I am an old friend and I swear that you can trust me.' As he spoke he lifted the side of his mask a little, so that she could glimpse his features.

When she did so, she gave a little gasp. 'I… I thought you dead! How…? Oh, I am glad. But I will be patient.'

It took two hours' steady rowing to reach Portillo. On their arrival there, Roger told Lieutenant Bouvard that his men were not to come near the casino, but could eat the rations with which they had come provided, and take it easy among the cypresses, until he should be ready, late in the afternoon, for them to take him back to Venice. Then, giving the Princess his arm, he escorted her up the steps to the casino.

The steward Crozier received them. He reported that in accordance with his instructions he had brought out an ample supply of food prepared by the Embassy chef that morning, then sent the barge back and remained alone there to serve it when required. Roger told him that they would like a light meal in about twenty minutes, dismissed him, led Sirisha to a couch, and sat down beside her.

Removing his mask, he said: 'Since you thought me dead, I had best explain how my lucky star averted your husband's design to have me shot. As we first met in England and I speak English perfectly, you naturally supposed me to be an Englishman; but I am not. At least, I am only half English by blood and, although I have a number of relatives and friends there, I have lived most of my life in France and regard myself as a Frenchman. Fortunately, among my French friends I can count General and Madame Boneparte. It was the latter's recognition of me on her most opportune arrival in Venice just as I was being marched off to be shot, that saved me and procured my release. I have since been made one of General Boneparte's aides-​de-​camp, and it is at his wish that I have brought you to this casino.'

Her eyes were round with astonishment. 'But… but I have never even set eyes on the General. And you said this was a plot to rid me of my husband.'

'It is.' Roger smiled. 'The two matters have a bearing on one another. Are you aware that Malderini is the head of a conspiracy to overthrow the French sponsored regime in Venice?'

'No. He tells me nothing. Of such things I know only what I read in the news-​sheets.'

'Well, that is the case; and for some time we have been anxious to nip this conspiracy in the bud before the conspirators can give us serious trouble. We have, therefore, laid a trap for them. Tonight, General Boneparte is coming here; they mean to attempt to kidnap him, but it is they who will be caught instead, and disposed of.'

'You mean that Malderini will be caught and… and killed?'

'Yes. I take it that you have not changed your mind about wishing for his death?'

'No, no! He is horrible, malefic, evil! I would have killed him myself a hundred times, had he not this terrible power over me that makes me helpless in his presence.'

'Then you may rest easy. Within six hours he will be dead. I intend to settle accounts with him myself.'

'Oh, if only I could believe it!' she burst out. 'To be free! To be free at last after all these years. But it won't happen. He'll find some way to prevent it. He'll know by now that you have carried me off. He'll follow me here.'

'He cannot. He can have no possible means of finding out where I have taken you.'

'He has! He will! He'll use his crystal to overlook me.'

'I do not believe it. At half-​past seven this evening, he will be told where you are, but not before. He should arrive here with his fellow-​conspirators about nine o'clock. By that time, this casino will be surrounded by guards and you will be supping in it with General Boneparte; so you will be absolutely safe, and I…'

'I don't understand,' she burst out again. 'Why should I sup with this great General? He means nothing to me or I to him.'

'I've had no chance yet to explain,' Roger said quickly. 'This is the way of it. General Boneparte is the bait in the trap to draw Malderini and his fellow-​conspirators to it. But I also had to dangle some bait to induce the General to come to Venice. You are that bait.'

'I! But why? I tell you he has never even seen me.'

'I am aware of that. But everything to do with the East holds an extraordinary fascination for him. He has never met an Indian lady of noble birth. I told him about you and suggested that I should arrange for you to sup together. The idea delighted him, and…'

She held up a slim coffee-​coloured hand. 'To sup. What do you mean by that? Although Malderini has kept me in purdah I am no longer a child. Speak plainly, please.'

Roger made a little bow. 'I am glad that you should wish me to. General Boneparte asked me your circumstances. I told him only that you were so jealously guarded that I thought it unlikely that you had had any lovers, but that you hated your husband and would not repulse him on that account. I promised that I would arrange for you to sup with him; but no more. Should you refuse to allow him to kiss more than the tips of your fingers, he will have no grounds for complaint against either of us.'

'He may endeavour to force me against my will. What then? Do you promise to come to my assistance?'

Again, Roger was entirely frank with her. 'This, Madame, is our programme. Unless Malderini delays for some reason, he and his friends will make their attempt to kidnap General Boneparte while you are supping with him. Under my orders the guards, who will have been disposed about the casino in an ambush, will suddenly appear on the scene and defeat the attempt. Having killed Malderini, I shall then convey the other prisoners under escort back to Venice, leaving you alone with the General.'

'Then it is your intention to leave me at his mercy.'

'Permit me to observe,' replied Roger quietly, 'that you are a well-​made woman, whereas he is much below the size of an average man. He is, in fact, shorter than yourself, although admittedly more muscular. Moreover, I am inclined to the belief that few men, large or small, derive much pleasure from taking a woman against her will. He has great personality. I should not be at all surprised if you find yourself strongly attracted to him. If so, well and good. If not, then you must risk the other thing, or accept the alternative.'

The alternative,' she repeated. 'What is that?"

Roger stood up. Why, that since I brought you here without your permission I am responsible for you. As I shall not be here at the time when General Boneparte might seek to take advantage of you, it is for me to prevent such a situation ever arising/

'What do you mean? I do not understand.'

'Simply that, should you not be prepared either to grant the General certain favours in the event of your finding him attractive, or repulse him if you do not, then I must take you back to the Malderini Palace this afternoon.'

No!' she exclaimed. 'No, no! Not that!'

He shrugged. 'The choice is yours, Princess. The role that I am playing at the moment is repugnant to me. But I'll not have it on my conscience that I acted the pimp for Bonepart to the extent of procuring a woman for him against her will. You are no child and, if you find his attentions distasteful, you should be capable of dealing with him. But either you face up to that as the price of being rid of the husband you hate before morning, or all I have done so far must go for nothing. I'll have to face the General's wrath when he finds I have disappointed him, and you will continue to be the slave of Malderini.'

She hesitated only an instant, then looked him squarely in the face. 'Nothing could equal the horrors to which he has subjected me. I would give myself to a sweeper rather than return to him.'

There is no question of your being called on to do anything so disagreeable,' Roger smiled. 'I cannot vouch for the attitude General Boneparte will adopt towards you, any more than I could vouch for the attitude you will adopt towards him. I had though, as a matter of fairness, to assure myself that you understood the most unpleasant turn that events might take. But the General is by no means lacking in chivalry, and if you play your cards skilfully the game should remain in your own hands. And now, I think we might partake of some refreshment.'

At his call, Crozier wheeled in a small two-​tier table loaded with all sorts of cold delicacies, fruit and wine. When he had withdrawn, Roger served the Princess and resumed the conversation in a lighter vein. He told her about Boneparte's background as a young man, and of his better side: of his care to spare his wife pain from knowledge of his infidelities, of his great generosity to his family who did little but cause him annoyance of his loyalty to his friends, his thoughtfulness for his servants, and that, while he would wither with his viperish tongue men of the first rank of whose actions he disapproved, he was invariably courteous to women.

When they had finished their meal, Roger suggested that she should spend the afternoon resting in the bedroom. Then he added that he had some work to do which would take him an hour or so, after which he must return to Venice; so he would not disturb her but take leave of her now.

Instantly, she became panic-​stricken and implored him to remain with her. Again she insisted that Malderini would use his crystal to find out where she was, and come out to the island to regain possession of her before Roger returned. In vain he tried to still her fears. He had intended to take the whole crew of the naval barge back to Venice and dismiss it there, so that none of them should become aware of Boneparte's visit to the casino. But now, feeling that it was just possible that there was some grounds for her fears, he decided to leave Lieutenant Bouvard and two of the sailors, as well as Crozier, as a guard; and on his promising to do that, she reluctantly agreed to his leaving her.

When he had seen her into the bedroom, in which everything necessary to a lady's toilette had been set out, he went round to the back of the boat-​house. The previous day he had left there the two parcels of clothes he had bought. Having unpacked them, he collected from the boats a number of cushions and, slitting them open, used the stuffing from them to stuff the stockings, breeches, coat and hat on a framework of sticks. When he had done, he had a quite unmistakable effigy of Boneparte wearing a carnival mask. Wrapping it up in the big cloak, he hid it behind some garden chairs, then went to summon the crew of the barge.

He told Bouvard that he was leaving him there with two men and that the three of them were each to patrol a third of the islet's coast until his return. In no circumstances was anyone to be allowed to land and, if anyone attempted to, they were to be shot on sight. He then put on his mask and had the remainder of the crew row him back to Venice.

At the Embassy steps he gave each of the crew five sequins, cautioned them against talking and sent them back to the dockyard. Villetard was in his office and greeted him with much concern. All Venice was talking of the Princess Sirisha's kidnapping and, owing to the rumours which had already been spread, assumed that it had been done on General Boneparte's orders. The resentment was intense, that he should abuse his power to have carried off in broad daylight a woman to wham he had taken a fancy, and Villetard made no secret of his opinion that, unless Roger had some means of justifying his act, the General-​in-​Chief's rage would be unbounded when he learned that he had been made the central figure of such a scandal.

Roger needed no telling about that. He knew that to be revenged on Malderini he had taken a terrible gamble, and that there was many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip. If a single hitch occurred in his intricate plans now, by midnight he would be dead, on his way back to the Leads, or flying for his life. But what gave him greater concern at the moment was what Villetard had to say of a call that Malderini had paid him an hour earlier.

Malderini's pudgy face had been quivering with anger as he had demanded to know why, when there were a thousand other beautiful women in Venice, General Boneparte should have shown such lack of decent feeling as to have carried off the wife of a man who was on the point of rendering France an important service.

In vain Villetard had attempted to soothe him by telling him that, for his own protection he had observed the strictest secrecy about his being a French agent; and that the General-​in-​Chief was as yet unaware that it was he who would lead the conspirators into the trap that night. Malderini had talked of cancelling all his arrangements and, instead, going in pursuit of his wife.

Greatly surprised that he might be able to so do, Villetard had asked how he had found out where she was. To that he had replied that he was not quite certain, but he was sure she had been taken to an island with a casino on it. He had seen her there in his crystal with a tall masked man. He had yet to discover which of the many islands with casinos on them it was; but another session with his crystal might reveal that to him.

Villetard had urged him most strongly not to ruin everything by acting precipitately, and argued that he had only to wait till evening to recover his wife unharmed, as it was certain that General Boneparte would return her to him when he knew" that it was to him they would owe the capture of the conspirators. Villetard had also pointed out that unless he did wait and carry things through as arranged, he might get himself killed by whoever was guarding his wife, and in any case lose his reward. Even so, he had gone off still in a high dudgeon and refusing to promise anything.

At this news, Roger's spirits sank to zero. Sirisha's worst fears had been realised and, crystal or no crystal, Malderini had now only to become aware of the fact that the French Embassy owned an island with a casino on it, to realise that she had been taken to Portillo. Roger thanked his stars that he had left Bouvard on guard there, but Malderini was as cunning as a serpent, so might think of some way to fool him. In any case, if Malderini's rage drove him to go out there within the next few hours, the whole plot would be blown sky high. It could only be hoped that the thought of losing his chance to become Doge would restrain him. In any case, there was nothing that Roger could do about it; so he took leave of Villetard and, once more a prey to acute anxiety, had himself rowed into Mestre.

For mid October the weather was very hot and it looked like thunder. Vaguely he noticed it and hoped that there would not be a downpour which would drench Boneparte and himself when they were rowed out to Portillo, but his mind was too full of other matters for him to think much about it.

He reached the headquarters outside Mestre soon after five o'clock and learned from the adjutant there that the General-​in-​Chief was expected at about six. He then asked for a guard of twenty picked men who could be relied on to preserve secrecy to act as escort to the General on an evening excursion. Half an hour later they were paraded for him and he spoke to each of them individually, first questioning them about their service, then telling them that the General's life would be in their hands; so they must obey any order given to them without a moment's hesitation. He then arranged for boats to be ready down at the wharf at seven o'clock to take the whole party to one of the islands in the lagoon, and sent the men on ahead to the wharf.

These final details had only just been settled when Boneparte's travelling carriage, escorted by a troop of cuirassiers, clattered into the yard. General Baraguay d'Hilliers received him, and he inspected the guard of honour, pausing here and there to speak to an old soldier and giving his ear a tweak. Then without a glance at Roger, he went inside with the General.

The handsome curly haired Junot was with him and, dropping behind, gave Roger a grin, winked and whispered, 'All well for this evening?'

Roger had good cause to fear that by this time all might be far from well, but he showed no sign of his anxiety and replied in a low voice, with a grin, 'Yes, the lady awaits his pleasure. What sort of a mood is the little man in?'

Junot pulled a face. 'Bad. The first snow was to be seen on the mountains up there this morning, and if we mean to break the armistice we are under obligation to give the Austrians twenty-​five days' notice. That would mean another campaign in deep snow and after the soft living the troops have had this past six months they're not up to it.'

'Then he's no alternative but to agree to a peace pretty quickly now.'

'That's just the rub. I think he'd give a lot to, but these damned Austrians have dug their toes in over Venice. A despatch reached Cobenzl last night. The Emperor has agreed everything except that he insists on being given the city.'

They went into the mess together, had a glass of wine and talked to the officers there for an hour while Boneparte was in d’Hilliers office shooting questions at him about the state of his Command. Shortly after seven the two Generals emerged. The guard presented arms, Boneparte gave a glance round, beckoned to Roger and strutted to his carriage. Roger and Junot followed him, got in, and took the seat opposite to him. As the carriage drove off, he frowned at Roger and said:

'Well?'

"All is arranged, mon General', smiled Roger, with a cheerfulness he was very far from feeling. 'The Princess Sirisha awaits you in a charming casino on one of the smaller islands named Portillo.'

'What! We are not going to Venice then?'

'No. I thought it unwise for you to take the risk of going into Venice in case you were recognised and attacked.'

'Nonsense. Who would wish to attack me? The Venetians have much to thank me for.'

Perhaps; but I learned from Villetard that some of them are showing base ingratitude, and even conspiring to overthrow the Republican regime you gave them.'

Boneparte grunted. 'A few malcontents. There are such in every city.'

'In any case, mon General, for you to spend the night on this island will be more discreet.'

'True. And that is important. I only hope this Princess proves up to my expectations. I am badly in need of a little relaxation.'

The drive to the wharf was a short one. A few minutes later the carriage pulled up and they descended from it. Twilight had fallen but there was still sufficient light to see some distance, and it was still hot and oppressive. The Embassy barge was drawn up at the bottom of some steps about thirty yards from where the coach had halted. In front and behind it were two other barges in which were seated the guard of twenty men that Roger had sent ahead. As the General-​in-​Chief appeared, a sharp order rang out, everyone in the barges stood up and came stiffly to attention.

Boneparte gave them a glance, halted, and swung round on Roger. 'What are those men of the Hundred and Thirty-​First doing in barges?'

'They are your escort, man General' replied Roger promptly.

Escort! I want no escort!'

Roger was as stricken as if he had had a heart attack. Before he had recovered sufficiently to speak, Bonepart went on peevishly:

'Do you think I want the whole Army of Italy to know how I am spending the night?'

'No,' Roger stammered. 'No. But you must have an escort you must.'

'Must! Who in thunder are you to tell me what I must or must not do? Tonight I need you. Tomorrow I shan't. On our return in the morning you will consider yourself under arrest.'

'Yes. Very well. As you wish.' Roger held up a "protesting hand. 'Do what you will with me in the morning. I don't care. But I implore you to take an escort tonight in case… in case,…'

'In case what?'

'Well, the Venetians. The conspirators I was speaking about in the coach. They might find out that you were on Portillo and try to kidnap or kill you.'

'Fiddlesticks! How can they find out? You are behaving like an old woman.'

'But… but…'

'Stop acting like a fool, Breuc. All the escort I require is yourself and my orderly sergeant. Dismiss those men in the barges at once, and take me to this island,'