This is part of our series about Napoleon and Hortense through the eyes of Hortense’s reader, Mme. Cochelet.
When we last left off, Napoleon was providing festivities to raise moral but amputées present would work at cross purposes in this instance. Below we read of how the Duchess of Montebello convinced Marie Louise to cry to Napoleon in an effort to not become even more disliked regarding the dismissal of one of her household.
Mme. Cochelet writes:
[Hortense says she does not] want to put aside those who suffered injuries. The ball was sad, and, it must be said, the chamberlain was right.
The presence of all these mutilated youth reminded everyone of the innumerable sufferings and losses of the retreat from Russia.
The Count of Narbonne was an admirer of the beautiful Duchess of Bassano: her sixty years had made her lose nothing of her friendliness; but accustomed that we were in the tone of our time with a frankness without compliments, a little abrupt even, although always polite and respectful, the Count of Narbonne seemed to us too amiable, too gallant, too complimenting.
We weren't used to it and it seemed bland to us. But M. de Narbonne would compliment with such grace that His Majesty said that if the fashion for being too amiable had not passed, it would be he alone who should be taken as a model.
The Emperor had named him his aide-de-camp, which made us laugh a little, because we were not used to seeing an elderly man carrying powder among his aides-de-camp.
M. de Narbonne.
It was then said in the salons of Paris that M. de Talleyrand, piqued that M. de Narbonne, his protegé, would have obtained such a marked favor, without his having participated in it, would have said to the latter, when he came to tell him of his appointment: "Really! Have you been appointed as the Emperor's aide de camp. I thought it was a the position of page.”
He had, however, supported this Russian campaign with all the courage of a proven soldier and a constant gaiety (every morning, during the retreat, he was shaved and powdered in the frost.
Everyone was delighted with him and praised him highly. I do not know if it was because of his age that the Emperor feared exposing him again to the fatigues of war, or if it was this personal distinction and this perfect tone which made the Emperor find that he suited the Empress's knight of honor better than any other; but I have learned that he intended for him that place which the Count de Beauharnais then had, a man no doubt very excellent, but whom I have never seen his mouth open.
It is said that the Duchess of Montebello, lady-in-waiting of the Empress, represented to Marie-Louise that it was an injustice to move M. de Beauharnais, about whom we had nothing to reproach; that it would harm her, the Empress, that one would believe that she was sending him away from her because he was the relative of Empress Josephine.
Finally Marie-Louise complained about this change, and even shed a few tears, saying to the Emperor that she did not want M. de Narbonne near her. The Emperor said to her, “Come, come, console yourself; I don't really see what good is your M. de Beauharnais; but since you love him so much, keep him.”
One morning, February 14, 1813, it was quite cold; the Queen had her hair done as usual, in haste; they had placed on her head a garland of hydrangea flowers made of diamonds. This adornment had been given to her by her mother, as well as the court dress she put on that day: it was of pink crepe, all edged in full of large silver hydrangea flowers, and all the dress and the tail was garnished with a garland of artificial flowers, made up of roses and pansies. Despite the thinness, the pallor of the Queen,
To be continued.
Ceci fait partie de notre série sur Napoléon et Hortense à travers les yeux de la lectrice d'Hortense, Mme. Cochelet.
Lorsque nous nous sommes arrêtés pour la dernière fois, Napoléon fournissait des festivités pour élever le présent moral mais amputé qui fonctionnerait à contre-courant dans ce cas. Ci-dessous, nous lisons comment la duchesse de Montebello a convaincu Marie Louise de crier à Napoléon dans un effort pour ne pas être encore plus détesté concernant le licenciement de l'un de sa maison royal.
Mme Cochelet écrit:
