In Guards We Trust Read online

  Chapter 11 – A night at the palace

  ‘Your majesty, Captain Anders of the royal guard has arrived from the Devil’s Orifice. He says it is most important that he be granted an immediate audience.’

  ‘Give me a moment to dry off,’ the king told the usher as he emerged from his morning bath. ‘Have him wait for me in the lounge. Send for the duke too. Whatever it is will undoubtedly also concern him.’

  ‘The duke has been summoned and will be here shortly, your majesty.’

  Minutes later, Captain Anders was shown into the Chamber of Knights where the King and the duke were seated.

  ‘Well, Captain, what urgent news do you bring?’ the king inquired after the conclusion of the obligatory courtesies.

  ‘Your majesty I regret to report that a Commander Alain Du Pont of the French republican army arrived at the checkpoint at the Devil’s Orifice, yesterday evening. He is accompanied by eighty French soldiers. They are presently all camped along the mountain path on the French side of the border, safely out of range of our cannons. He claims to be an envoy of the French republic. He requests that he and half of his men be permitted to enter Montuga through the border post in the pass. He also requests an urgent audience with your majesty. I explained that the border post was closed to all, but he persisted in hi request.’

  ‘Did he foreshadow the purpose of this audience?’

  ‘No, your majesty. But I imagine that they might be here to arrest the Marquis d’Artois.’

  ‘That is impossible. The Marquis d’Artois is not in the country. He is a friend of mine. If he were here, I would be aware of it. On what grounds do you suggest that this is a matter which concerns the Marquis?’

  ‘Your majesty, I am afraid that I have something to confess,’ the Captain stammered, his eyes darting continuously from his sovereign to his commanding officer and back. He proceeded to disclose the details regarding the previous occasion on which Alain Du Pont had turned up at the Montugan border in the Devil’s Orifice. ‘I am deeply sorry, your majesty, but as a father, I could not hand the Marquis and his son over to be slaughtered by the revolutionaries.’

  ‘Why did you not keep them in custody at the border post and send for instructions from me?’ inquired the duke angrily.

  ‘Leave him, your grace,’ the king ordered. ‘Although he could have sent for orders, he was in a difficult position.’ The king turned to the duke and added an aside: ‘Can you honestly say that in his position, you or I would not have done the same thing?’

  ‘That may be so, your majesty, but it remains that his decision has placed Montuga in a very serious position.’ The duke made a point of lowering his voice to avoid overtly disagreeing with the king in the presence of others. ‘I would respectfully suggest that if junior officers were permitted to operate independently of orders from their king and those of their commanding officer, there is no telling where it will all end.’

  ‘We shall have to see what Du Pont says when he arrives.’

  ‘As your majesty pleases. I suppose that the fate of the Captain should be determined once the full consequences of his actions become apparent,’ the duke suggested.

  ‘Yes. We can deal with the Captain later if necessary. I have little doubt though, that, as Lord Graveny warned, this visit will concern the refugees.’ The king turned to the Captain, and raised his voice. ‘Go up to the border post with seventy royal guards. Escort Commander Du Pont and half of his men into the kingdom and bring them here.’

  As soon as the Captain left, the king ordered the duke to arrange for a check post to be introduced at the harbour.

  ‘No one must be allowed to leave Montuga without certainty about their identity. This includes the Marquis.’

  ‘Your majesty?’ The duke’s face dropped as swiftly as his eyebrows moved upwards.

  ‘I have been given no choice. The French commander is asking me for permission to enter the country. He has instructions to seek an audience before me. This suggests that the French republic have elected to honour the treaty. If that be the case, France has probably decided that its best option to regain this kingdom is to rely upon a breach of the treaty or upon some hostile act. We must do nothing which may provoke France. If we are seen to do anything to facilitate the escape of any French refugees, it will be the end of this kingdom.’

  ‘Of course I understand, and agree, majesty,’ the duke said hesitantly. An awkward pause followed. ‘But surely we cannot be expected to anticipate French demands and accordingly we cannot be expected to introduce a check point prior to the delivery of a formal request from France for the handover of the refugees.’

  ‘Strictly speaking, that is correct, your grace. But I suspect that the French may be minded to contend that we have already breached the treaty by permitting the French refugees to enter Montuga in the first place. They may argue that the purpose of the arrival of the French entourage at our border was abundantly obvious to us, especially in the light of Du Pont’s earlier threat to return to Montuga for the Marquis. They could argue that Montuga’s failure to take steps to prevent the refugees from once again escaping from French justice in the given circumstances amounts to a breach.’ The king paused to cough. ‘But irrespective of French arguments, introducing the check point will enable me to show the French envoy that Montuga has taken positive steps to ensure its compliance with the treaty.’

  ‘Might I assume then, majesty, that if the French envoy provides us with a list of refugees hiding out in this kingdom, we will simply hand those refugees over to the French.’

  ‘Yes. If I have to choose between the citizens of another country and the survival of our kingdom, the choice before me as sovereign is self-evident. The fact that such a choice may be an agonizing one is part of the burden I bear as king.

  ‘Indeed your majesty.’ The duke seemed crestfallen. He recovered his composure quickly enough, though. ‘Do you wish me to round up any refugees we can find now?’

  ‘No. Let us first wait to see if the French are prepared to produce a list. I certainly do not intend assist them in their dirty work any more than is necessary.’

  ‘What of the Marquis d’Artois and his son. Does your majesty wish me to enquire as to their whereabouts so that your majesty might arrange to see them?’

  ‘Yes. Make discrete enquiries.’

  ‘Majesty, the Captain will take a day to make it to the border post. The French envoy and his party will only be able to make it here by tomorrow evening. We have at least until then to make our final decision.’

  ‘Your grace, the decision is not ours. It is mine and mine alone. And it is one which, to all intents and purposes, is already made. It is folly to hope that time will make a choice between the lesser of two evils any easier.’