The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1722: Chapter 69: The Return of Louis Bonaparte (Part 2)

Compared to Dickens, who was concerned about Louis’s personal safety, Great Dumas’s grievances were mainly about Louis not informing him before the action: ”Why didn’t you tell me about this? Do you think I’m a coward? Afraid to join your action? Come on, Louis, I was already a political prisoner of the July Monarchy Government long before you! I can forgive you this time, but if there’s a next time, you must remember to notify me in advance.”

Louis did not expect his friends to be so supportive of his actions. Over the past year, he was either imprisoned in Alsace and Paris or exiled to America, while letters from relatives were mostly admonishments and criticisms.

His uncle and father, and even his elders, almost entirely did not support him.

The patriarch of the Bonaparte family, his uncle Joseph, sternly warned the rest of the restless juniors within the family at an internal meeting.

His uncle Lucien, who permanently resides in Rome, harshly scolded Louis in letters, while Louis’s father directly revoked his son’s annuity, coolly advising him to find a proper career in his correspondence.

Among the elders, only his mother, Lady Audence, stood firmly on his side.

Although Lady Audence was also worried about her son’s rash actions, upon learning of his arrest, she immediately burst with the same energy as when Louis participated in the Charcoal Party uprising and was deeply entrenched in the battlefield in 1831.

She first wrote to King Louis Philippe of France, requesting to allow her son to ”leave Europe freely so as not to become a captive to impulsive emotions because it’s difficult to resist impulses at his age.” Seeing that Louis Philippe did not reply, Lady Audence immediately set off from Switzerland to Paris, visiting several old friends, such as Duchess de La Rochefoucauld and Foreign Secretary, Privy Council Chief Mr. Molay, requesting them to petition the King to release her son.

Lady Audence expressed that as long as the French Government released Louis, she was willing to go into exile in America with her son.

No one knows whether Lady Audence’s activities played a role, or if the July Monarchy Government was intimidated by the collective protests from the Republican, Bonaparte Party, and even Orthodox Party newspapers against Louis’s imprisonment. In any case, they ultimately decided to expel Louis from the country, with the destination of exile chosen to be the much more favorable United States rather than the perilous French Guiana.

However, Louis was clearly dissatisfied with this arrangement. He insisted on being tried alongside his companions and prepared to deliver a Hastings-type speech in court to denounce the July Monarchy Government. Meanwhile, Louis also declared he would not accept the deportation, nor would he guarantee to the French Government that he would not return to France in the future.

However, this was precisely what King Louis Philippe feared, so although Louis was unwilling to make any promises, he was soon escorted to Lorient, where he boarded the Andromeda warship. Before he boarded, Louis Philippe sent the Mayor of Lorient with 16,000 Francs to him. But Louis was not grateful, as he believed the amount confiscated during his arrest far exceeded this sum.

Subsequently, Louis began his long journey at sea. He first encountered a storm at sea, followed by a period of calm days at the anchorage in Rio de Janeiro, then left Brazilian waters heading for the American coast, where he disembarked.

Though life at sea was boring, Louis got along well with the sailors and officers on board the Andromeda, even treating everyone to a farewell dinner before disembarking in New York.

New York, America, a foreign land, in theory, Louis should be utterly alone here.

Luckily, the Bonaparte family’s descendants were also distributed in America.

His uncle Mourel’s two sons, Achille Murat and Lucien Murat, along with his uncle Lucien Bonaparte’s son Pierre Bonaparte, all lived in America.

With the company of his cousins, Louis’s life in America was not too dull, though not particularly joyful either.

This experience allowed him to understand America, but he absolutely did not like this land, even publishing an article criticizing Americans for being too focused on material interests, which conflicted with his sense of knightly spirit.

Since arriving in America, Louis had been planning to return to Europe.

The biggest obstacle standing in his way was the spies sent by the French Government to monitor him.

If it were a typical novice, it would be difficult to identify which people in the vast sea of humans were spies sent by the Government. But Louis was no novice; as a former secretary to the Chief of the Greater London Police Intelligence Department, he was well-versed in the skills of identifying spies.

So, after planning carefully for a month, he successfully shook off the spies’ surveillance and boarded a ship bound for Britain.

For confidentiality, he sent different letters with varying content to many friends before boarding to confuse the French Government and avoid potential letter inspections by the United States Government.

From his appearance today when disembarking safely in Southampton, it was clear the plan had obviously worked well.

The three rode a carriage through the streets of Southampton, wheels creaked on the cobblestone road.

”Just there.” Great Dumas pointed with a cigar at a three-story building around the corner ahead, ”The Hound and Rose, this name is much more dignified than Liverpool’s Golden Lion.”

They pushed the door open and entered, the tavern bustling with noise, but the ground floor’s hall was divided into a private corner by screens.

As soon as they approached, Louis heard a clearly heated low-pitched quarrel coming from the other side.

”Palmerston, that bastard! How dare he use an old Fulton car to deceive Mr. Benjamin Disraeli! He even dared claim this car is robust and durable, best suited for a gentleman’s ride, he’s messing with me!”

”Well, it’s not entirely false. To be honest, Benjamin, this car indeed is robust and durable; having an old Fulton car is a standard for gentlemen in the Yorkshire countryside. As a child, my greatest dream was to own a carriage like this.”

”Your dream is an old Fulton? Are you mad? This car is generally used for hauling timber and transporting goods!”

”Do they use it for hauling timber in your place? Where I’m from, it’s generally used for carrying pigs; an old Fulton can fit eight or nine piglets.”

Louis was stunned by the dialogue, unclear whether it was an argument or a joke, his tension easing.

Before he could discern who was who, Dickens had already pulled aside the screen, interrupting the conversation with a cheerful face.

”It seems we arrived just in time.”

Sure enough, behind the screen, Arthur lay reclined in a leather chair, holding an unfinished glass of red wine in his hand, while across from him, the one gesturing with a half chicken leg was none other than Mr. Benjamin Disraeli, dressed in a sky-blue tailcoat and wearing an emerald brooch.

Both raised their heads almost simultaneously to look at the visitors.

Disraeli recognized Great Dumas first, a flash of displeasure on his face: ”You arrived early rather than at the right moment. You tell me, does a pig-hauling old Fulton suit an upper-class gentleman like me?”

”Benjamin, you can’t say that.” Louis stepped forward at this moment, took off his hat, and in a gentle tone with a hint of unease said, ”You must know, although the pig-hauling old Fulton isn’t very appealing, it’s at least robust and durable. And furthermore, pigs are actually the most politically symbolic creatures of this era.”