This letter by Hortense forms part of a series of letters she wrote to her brother. The previous letter was the moving account where she predicted that she would be with her brother when they both had grandchildren. This was sadly not to be. She continues that theme in this letter. The previous letters can be found here.
Dear Eugene,
This 30 Brumaire [year XIV, November 21, 1805].
How much your portrait pleased me, my dear Eugène! I will have the portrait of my grandchildren made for you, but, having not checked the day of our feast, they forgot to celebrate it. I'm glad you were celebrated. I'm sure it was from the bottom of their hearts, because you are well loved in Italy.
I don't know what the Emperor is going to do in Germany, but M. de Rémusat has come to get all of his coronation clothes. We talk a lot about peace. There is also talk of your marriage and then of you being made King of Italy. This is not news from Paris, but from M. de Talleyrand. The Emperor said to him one day when speaking to him of you: "How this young man has formed!" Now he is in a position to govern as well as I do.
Mme. de Cetto came to see me last Monday. She told me a lot about Princess Auguste and how happy she would make her husband, that she was sure she would be happy with you too, that if the Emperor still has the intention, the marriage would soon be accomplished.
She said this because she thought I should know it. I told her that if Auguste made you happy, I would love her with all my soul, that I knew that much was said about it and that I could not praise you more than to assure that, even not loving your wife, you would make her very happy. That's what I think.
Also, my dear Eugène, I asked Mme. de Cetto if the young person knows. She told me that she believed so, that when M. de Cetto had been in Bavaria, he had spoken of you in her presence and that she had become very red. Her brother, whom she loves very much, is delighted with you.
He does nothing but talk about you. Try to find this circumstance pleasing. Think about it a little. I hope that if you become the King of Italy, that it will not prevent you from coming often to Paris, because I would be cursing your royalty frequently. It is terrible, in our position, not to have a little ambition! We would often be very happy with things that cause us grief. Goodbye, my best friend, no matter what comes against us, we always love each other a lot and that is a comfort.
HORTENSE.
P.S. I send you something regarding the Cadiz fight (the battle of Trafalgar).
