This is part of a series where we’re translating the memoirs of Napoleon’s last mistress (?), Countess Albine de Montholon. We’ve also been translating letters between Albine and her husband Charles after she left the island of Napoleon’s exile, St. Helena.
Before Albine left the island she was reported to have born a child that looked like Napoleon and it did not live long in her care after she left St. Helena. Every indication is that Albine was the dominant partner in her marriage with the alleged poisoner of Napoleon - her husband Charles de Montholon.
If her husband poisoned Napoleon, I cannot see any way she wasn’t in on it. We’re combing through this original source material to see if we can figure out what was really happening.
When we last left off, Napoleon was surprising the English seamen by not looking and acting like the monster they were expecting based on the lies they had been all told.
Albine writes:
At dinner, we played a game that could keep everyone busy: Macau, the twenty-one.
We sat around the table in the dining room which served as our living room. The conversation was established, and the Emperor was there. He was amiable and in complete freedom of spirit. He liked to tease people.
One day, among other things, he tormented the Duke de Rovigo about his fortune, which he said should be considerable.
The Duke maintained the opposite and became impatient with the Emperor's insistence, and we laughed at the debate. A great ease of conversation was established and everyone was perfectly relaxed. At dinner, the presence of the English officers required more reserve; but the conversation was none the less animated, and the questions which the Emperor made, both on the navy and on other objects, were always of great interest by the comparisons which he made with France and he thought it good that they made their observations to him on all subjects.
He didn't like to sit around at the table for long and got up first after dessert. The Grand Marshal and the Duke of Rovigo followed him on the bridge, while M. de Las-Cases and the others, Mme. Bertrand and I stayed longer.
After dinner, we were standing on the deck. The captain having seen that we, the ladies, preferred to be in the air than in our cabins, they had arranged on each side of the bridge for a space to be formed of pavilions of different colors; we spent most of the day there covered in the sun.
Mme. Bertrand, speaking English, often served as interpreter for the Emperor with those of the officers who did not speak French.
After a few days had passed, the English had already lost most of their prejudices against the Emperor. The officers of his suite dined with the English officers.
In the evening, we sometimes went for tea at their tables. The midshipmen performed in a play and to fulfill their roles, some had dressed as women.
We and the Emperor attended this spectacle on the 18th. A thick fog had caused the Ouessant’s recognition to be missed. The captain was very upset. This incident was unpleasant regarding circumstances relating to having the Emperor on board. A ship that we encountered learned where we were.
On the 23rd, we passed the Ouessant and at ten o'clock -
To be continued.
Cela fait partie d'une série où nous traduisons les mémoires de la dernière maîtresse (?) de Napoléon, la comtesse Albine de Montholon. Nous avons également traduit des lettres entre Albine et son mari Charles après avoir quitté l'île de Napoléon en exil, Sainte-Hélène.
Avant de quitter l'île, Albine aurait donné naissance à un enfant qui ressemblait à Napoléon et elle n'a pas vécu longtemps sous sa garde après avoir quitté Sainte-Hélène.
Tout indique que Albine était le partenaire dominant dans son mariage avec l'empoisonneur présumé de Napoléon - son mari Charles de Montholon.
Si son mari a empoisonné Napoléon, je ne vois pas comment elle n'y était pas en savoir de cette circonstance. Nous parcourons ce matériel source original pour voir si nous pouvons comprendre ce qui se passait réellement. Lorsque nous nous sommes arrêtés pour la dernière fois, Napoléon a surpris les marins anglais en ne ressemblant pas et en agissant comme le monstre qu'ils attendaient sur la base des mensonges qui leur avaient été racontés.
Albine écrit:
