Inferno (20 page)

Renzi shook his head sorrowfully. ‘Darling, this affair is
at the highest level there can be. My wishes are not to be consulted in this, you see.'

‘Oh. When will you go at all?' she said, in a small voice.

‘The carriage is waiting.'

‘No!' she gasped.

‘For myself alone.'

‘Nicholas!'

‘You will follow later in the barouche.'

‘Wha—?'

‘I said, it is out of my hands, Cecilia. Your presence has been specifically desired and I could not refuse them.'

‘You're a perfectly horrid man, Farndon!'

‘Probably, dearest. But this time you'll be at my side in an occasion that I can say is of royal moment and of no hazard to be noticed.'

‘Where—'

He put his finger to her lips. ‘Later. Do direct our baggage be prepared for a court reception and audience in a land … said to be like our own climate. For only three weeks or so, shall we say? Oh, and your Hetty will no doubt be grateful for the airing. I must go now.'

A
s he mounted the steps in Whitehall, Renzi pondered where the assignment had to be. Sweden, Denmark and Portugal were the only nations not at war with England. With Portugal being of a warmer clime and Sweden an open ally, this left neutral Denmark.

‘My lord, so very kind in you to visit,' Congalton said, catching the eye of his clerk, who left, discreetly closing the door behind him.

‘So, Copenhagen,' Renzi said crisply. ‘To make a showing at King Christian's court as will convince him to turn his face against the blandishments of the Corsican.'

Congalton raised his eyebrows. ‘Quite. Yet a little more than that, was our thinking. First, a customary appraisal of the situation that faces you.'

It was delivered in the same dry, elegant tone as before. The critical juncture of events that, if left to ripen, would end with Bonaparte sealing the Baltic and therefore the continent as a whole. The frightful prospect of above a hundred sail-of-the-line moving on England.

‘There is then really no alternative to some form of action to break the building menace, save our treating for peace terms, which the prime minister has quite set his face against.'

‘An action against the kingdom of Denmark, which is steadfast in its neutrality? Surely not, sir.'

‘If we're not realists, my lord, we should not be in the business of meddling, but we are. Thus we recognise that, whatever the Danish might wish, their coercion into a league against us is not impossible. Recollect, they've done it before and, but for Admiral Nelson, we would be suffering now.'

‘Then what kind of action is contemplated, pray?'

Congalton gave a thin smile. ‘We require the Danes to make irrevocable pledge of the security of the Sound and therefore the Baltic.'

‘By an alliance or alignment of interests? I cannot think that likely, sir.'

‘Nevertheless, this is the only and final requirement of His Majesty's government. To this end a large fleet is assembled and will appear off Kronborg Castle to add weight to our request.'

‘A species of threat.'

‘Of persuasion.'

‘Sir, you well know that my previous appearing was at Constantinople where Admiral Duckworth's grand fleet promising a bombardment was singularly unsuccessful in its object of cajolery.'

‘The lesson was learned, my lord, do not doubt it. Therefore the fleet is equipped and stored for an expeditionary force of not less than twenty-five thousand troops, to be landed in siege of Copenhagen if all else fails.'

‘Good God! Against a neutral country? The consequences
to our standing and reputation in every chancellery in Europe will be incalculable.'

‘By this, you will now understand the extremity in which the government feels it has been placed. The gravity of the matter cannot be overestimated, sir.'

Renzi went cold. On the one hand it smacked of the kind of political gesture that had led to the dispatch of a fleet that had comprehensively ruined his mission to Constantinople. On the other it was difficult to see what alternative act could bring the necessary pressure to bear. ‘Diplomacy is futile?'

‘There has been nothing but prevarication. My lord, this is the last sanction and I cannot very well see how it may be avoided.'

‘And if the Danes resist?'

‘We fervently pray that they will see it in their best interest to comply with our request and enter pledge against our security.'

With growing unease, Renzi said carefully, ‘Then what is my mission, pray?'

‘This action has been suspended as of this date,' Congalton said, in an odd voice, ‘at the peculiar desire of the King. It is his wish that we attempt a final rapprochement but on an entirely different plane. A personal emissary under the seals of His Majesty is to go to the Danish court to seek audience and beg, as king to king, that a way must be found to avoid a confrontation.'

‘How can it work when—'

‘The emissary will get an honest hearing, I'd believe.'

‘I shall have the honour?'

Congalton nodded wordlessly.

‘And how long is it supposed that I have to extract a pledge?'

‘My lord, you will be the best judge of that. Shall we say that it will probably be to the point at which you consider further discussion meaningless?'

‘At which?'

‘You will have done your part and may withdraw.'

‘And then?'

‘Presumably a military posture will be suffered to go forward.'

His mission of personal emissary was a long shot, but worth taking if it in any way prevented a disastrous armed conclusion – and it would keep faith with the ageing King George, whom Renzi well respected. ‘I'd be obliged, sir, if you would be good enough to summarise the points upon which I might base my arguments.'

‘By all means, my lord.'

They were potent and several, but unspoken was the central dilemma: that the Danes were being intolerably torn between the two most powerful nations on the planet warring against each other and therefore would not dare to favour one above the other.

‘Then the entire affair reduces to just one objective: that Denmark is induced to offer an earnest of security that will satisfy.'

‘Quite.'

‘I cannot well see how this can be achieved.'

‘There is one alone that has sufficient merit, which can satisfy us in the particulars to allow our fleet to withdraw.'

‘An aligning? But that will—'

‘That the naval fleet of the kingdom of Denmark be temporarily placed in our custody for the period of this emergency.'

‘They will never allow it.'

‘There are several advantages, the chief of which is that Britain will be conciliated and will no longer threaten, and the other that without a fleet Denmark cannot enforce Bonaparte's will even if it wished, and therefore will no longer be of interest to him.'

‘So our fleet in the Sound is a
force majeure
to which Denmark may honourably yield.'

‘Indeed.'

It made sense, but depended on the Danes recognising their own best interests – and the manner in which it was offered.

‘I see. Then I am to go to Copenhagen to play the courtier.'

‘There are complications.'

Renzi sighed, then allowed a reluctant grin to show. ‘Say on, dear fellow. There always are in these affairs.'

‘Our own king's sister, the Danish king's consort, was caught in an illicit liaison with the court physician, one Struensee. He was barbarously executed while she was banished. You will not wish to make reference to her while you are there.'

‘Oh.'

‘And after you've paid your courtly duty to King Christian the Seventh you'll then be taking your leave and seeking out the true autocratic head of state who possesses all the powers you will need.'

‘Not the King?'

‘As to His Majesty, the King of Denmark and Norway, for some time he has been declared for all intents and purposes insane. You will not be desiring to discuss high strategy in his presence.'

Renzi waited.

‘Instead you will be seeking out Crown Prince Frederik who is de facto regent, possessing all kingly powers.'

‘Ah.'

‘He will not be in Copenhagen, rather in Kiel, well to the south, where he broods over his army, which faces the French multitudes across the border.'

‘Then their government – prime minister and cabinet or similar. If—'

‘You are not a representative of the British government in any capacity and will have no dealings with politicians or diplomats. You are an emissary of King George the Third and are above such creatures.'

‘Quite.'

‘Besides which there are none of that ilk. Denmark is autocratically governed from the King's own hand and does not trouble with parliaments.'

‘Um, yes.'

‘You may, however, be approached by one of the Bernstorff brothers.'

‘Who are?'

‘Joachim is a minister in Copenhagen, Christian the foreign minister, with the Crown Prince in Kiel. Both are of long standing and implacably loyal.'

‘Our own representation?'

‘One Benjamin Garlike, whom the Foreign Office suspects of weakness and is in the process of replacing.'

‘The French?'

‘Théodore Gobineau, Comte de Mirabeau – a tawdry Bonaparte confection only, for venal services rendered. Chargé d'affaires and irredeemably corrupt but beware – for some reason he has the ready ear of Bonaparte.'

‘Staff?'

‘Not so very many. The Danes won't allow it.'

‘Their position?'

‘Pressing strongly for Denmark to join the Continental Blockade, which is equally firmly resisted. I fancy, however, you will have no difficulties with them while Bonaparte still has business to conclude in east Prussia. Then it will be another matter – do observe that the window of opportunity is rapidly closing, sir.'

A
fter the grey bluster of the North Sea, the calm and glitter of the Kattegat was a welcome change. The ship loosed more sail for the quick run south between Sweden to the left and Denmark to the right, heading for where the entrance to the Baltic became the strategic narrows known as the Sound.

For centuries Denmark had levied toll on the flood of shipping that passed through the sea highway to Estonia, Prussia, Stockholm, the medieval Hanseatic states, St Petersburg and the realms of the Tsar of All the Russias.

At the most confined passage a great fortress ringed with guns dominated the waters – Kronborg, massive and brooding.

Scores of ships were undertaking the transit but all made due obeisance, their barque being no exception, striking topsails in salute and anchoring while the formalities of the Sound toll were set in train.

‘This, my dear, is your Denmark,' Renzi said, as the sights spread out before him.

On his arm, Cecilia looked up at him tenderly. ‘Darling, the very first time we've been together on – on an adventure!' she breathed.

Wide-eyed, Hetty stood respectfully at a distance and tried to take it all in. ‘I've never ventured out of England,' she cried. ‘I'm so excited.'

The master came up and removed his hat. ‘M' lord, I'm to step ashore and pay m' dues.'

‘So this is …?'

‘Helsingør, so please you, m' lord.' He added that they were still some twenty-five miles from Copenhagen.

Renzi touched Cecilia's hand. ‘Do look across and see what you will, my dear.'

She shaded her eyes. ‘Why, it's a little town, just tucked behind the point and in front there's a remarkable big square building with spires …'

‘Indeed. You're now looking into Elsinore – Shakespeare's
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
comes to mind. And your edifice is none other than the mighty castle and grim battlements of Kronborg, where it all took place.'