Napoleon's Egypt: Invading The Middle East - Reenactor.ru

194 NAPOLEON’S EGYPTpersuaded to give herself more importance and to attract the praise of hiscourtiers.”Bernoyer wrote that in November Fourès went on the mission as far as theport, but could not bring himself to abandon his wife and went AWOL so as toreturn to plead with her. He arrived at night at the house Captain Fromentshared with Bernoyer, so as not to be recognized. The distraught husband discoveredthat his wife had moved in with the commander in chief. He wantedone last chance to plead his case with his spouse. Bernoyer, touched at the man’sstate, offered to see Madame Mallet, an intimate friend of Pauline’s, after breakfast,in hopes that she would be willing to bring Pauline over to their quarters.Bernoyer did as he was asked the next morning, but later received a letter fromMadame Mallet that the mission had failed. Pauline refused to come, saying thatall ties between her and her husband had been broken and that she had foreseenwhere his overweening ambition would take the two of them. She maintainedthat the end of their relationship was his fault, since he had refused to listen toher. Fourès became hysterical, and Bernoyer said he was constrained to go seePauline himself, using his friendship with Eugène de Beauharnais to secure anentrée. She replied to his fears that Fourès would do something rash or evencommit suicide by saying that her resolve was unshakable. “Calm down. I knowmy husband well enough to be certain that he will not cause a scandal, nor willhe commit any crime. He cherishes life too much to sacrifice it so lightly. I havenothing else to say to him save that he should return to his post as soon as possible,since you know that Bonaparte wants to be obeyed, especially when his ordersconcern service to his army.” On hearing all this from Bernoyer later thatday, Fourès wanted to go to her in person, but the quartermaster dissuaded himand suggested that he simply return to France, where he could find many likableyoung women to replace his unfaithful wife.Fourès appears to have become reconciled to his loss and to have recoveredhis ambition after a momentary lapse into sentimentality that did not fool hisspouse. He no doubt realized the possibilities for career advancement that hisnew and personal, if awkward, relationship with Bonaparte might offer. On 17December, Bonaparte cut orders for Fourès, who had returned to Rosetta, dispatchinghim first to Alexandria where he would be provided a small ship. (Thedate of these orders is another argument against Bonaparte having first noticedPauline only on the first of that month.) The lieutenant would then proceed toMalta, to Italy, and ultimately to Paris. The memoirists say he was carrying dispatchesto Paul Barras and the Directory. Bonaparte continued, “You will stayeight to ten days in Paris, after which you will return with all due diligence, em-