Andrea Penrose: The Cocoa Conspiracy

Tap, tap, tap. Ignoring her barb, the minister continued to drum his fingertips together in echo of the passing shower. After allowing the silence to stretch a little longer, he finally spoke. “You mean to tell me that Talleyrand and Wellington were the intended targets?”

“Yes,” replied Saybrook.

“And you think the assassination attempt was all part of a plot that indicates Napoleon is planning to break out of Elba and retake his throne?” Grentham’s inflection on the former Emperor’s name added an extra measure of sarcasm to his tone.

“Yes,” said the earl.

“I’ve heard no such whispers from my sources in Europe,” sneered the minister.

“It is not my problem that your sources have their heads wedged up their arses,” retorted Saybrook. “If they were so competent, you wouldn’t need me—or my wife—to clean up the mess they make of things.”

Grentham’s nostrils flared, but he was quick to cover his anger with a mocking smile. “In case you have forgotten, England has an official observer stationed on the island precisely to prevent the former Emperor’s escape. His monthly reports say that nothing is out of the ordinary.”

“Perhaps you ought to send in another set of eyes,” suggested Arianna. “As well as consider the purchase of a pair of spectacles to help sharpen your own vision.” She folded her hands in her lap. “Blindness is often a problem when a man approaches his dotage.”

“My friend Henning knows a very skilled lens maker,” offered Saybrook.

The minister’s face turned an ominous shade of puce. “Oh, yes, the two of you possess such a clever sense of humor. You are going to need it where you are going.”

“More threats?” Saybrook sounded bored.

A mocking smile. “Good heavens, no. Simply a statement of facts. The choice of what to do about them will, of course, be entirely up to you. But given your absurdly fierce sense of loyalty . . .”

Determined to end the verbal duel between the two men before it turned truly ugly, Arianna intervened. “Get to the point, sir.”

“The point?” Grentham’s gaze turned to her. “The point is, Mr. Henning’s nephew is in a British military prison in the Highlands. A rather cold, isolated place, with precious few comforts.” He made a low clucking noise. “Indeed, I’ve heard that few survive more than a short incarceration.”

“We heard he was already dead,” said Arianna quickly. “Killed by Rochemont’s henchmen for wishing to resign from the group.”

“As luck would have it, the lad was apprehended by my operatives, who were tipped off about a secret meeting. Unfortunately the others escaped, but thanks to me, young Mr. MacPhearson is still alive.” A deliberate pause. “For the moment.”

“You bastard,” growled Saybrook. “You know he’s innocent. The lad was but a pawn, manipulated by lies. He’s no threat to England.”

“What I know is that there is still a French spy loose within our government,” countered Grentham. “Root him out once and for all, and then we can negotiate.” A pause. “There is still the matter of Mellon’s reputation.”

“Just as there is the matter of yours.”

“True. But in this case I think I shall call your bluff. If you go public, I shall suffer some temporary embarrassment, but I daresay I shall survive. But Mellon would almost certainly be ruined.” Tap, tap, tap. “As for Henning, and his Scottish kin . . .”

The earl clenched his jaw. “The lad goes free now rather than later?”

The minister gave a tiny nod. “I’m willing to be magnanimous. That is, if you agree to pick up Renard’s trail in St. Andrews and follow it until you bring him to ground once and for all.”

Arianna met his gaze as Saybrook muttered a curt assent.

Fire and Ice.

“Pack plenty of warm clothing.” It was Grentham’s turn to toss out a taunt. “The north of Scotland is quite chilly at this time of year.”

Much of the action in this book takes place at the famous Congress of Vienna, which convened in the fall of 1814 in order to reorganize Europe after Napoleon’s exile to the isle of Elba. The gathering, an unprecedented convocation of rulers, influential diplomats and their entourages, was meant to be a grand ending and a grand beginning—the movers and shakers were looking to close the book on the strife and upheavals of the Napoleonic Wars and begin a new chapter of world peace. (In many ways, it was the precursor to the United Nations.) Countless books have been written on the complex negotiations and their ramifications—Henry Kissinger wrote his PhD thesis on the Congress—so I won’t attempt to delve into its nuances. Suffice it to say, it was an extraordinary attempt to consider a vast range of issues, both political and social, and to structure a “balance of power” to ensure that there would not be another world war. For those of you interested in an an overview of both the people and the politics, I highly recommend Vienna, 1814 by David King and Rites of Peace by Adam Zamoyski. In addition, Talleyrand , the classic biography by Duff Cooper, provides a fascinating look at the era.

Many real people play minor roles in the book, for the cast of colorful real-life characters at the Congress of Vienna makes truth appear stranger than fiction. Prince Metternich, the powerful Austrian Foreign Minister, was a savvy negotiator, a polished diplomat—and a rakish lady’s man. Prince Talleyrand, the worldly and sybaritic French Foreign Minister, was perhaps the most brilliant—and cunning—statesman of the era. He really did bring the famous chef Antoine Carême to Vienna with him, not only for his own pleasure but to butter up potential supporters of French interests over sumptuous dinners and desserts. (At one point he wrote to Paris and wryly said he needed more saucepans, not more secretaries.) And then there was Tsar Alexander I of Russia. It seems he was also determined to seduce every female within arm’s reach. One of my favorite anecdotes involves him seeing the wife of a prominent diplomat at a party. As she was alone, he sidled up and asked if he could occupy her husband’s place for the evening—to which she replied coolly, “Does Your Majesty take me for a province?”

I have tried to stay true to their character in my story, and all the descriptions of the parties and the Carrousel are based on actual events. However, I have taken a few liberties with history. The Duke of Wellington was indeed serving as Great Britain’s representation in Paris at the time, and later replaced Castlereagh as the head envoy at the Congress of Vienna. But my having him make a secret visit to confer with Prince Talleyrand in Vienna is pure fiction, as is my elaborate assassination plot and the chemical concoction discovered by Saybrook and Henning.

I hope you have enjoyed the history behind The Cocoa Conspiracy . For more fun facts and arcane trivia, please visit my Web site at www.andreapenrose.com. I love to hear from my readers and can be contacted at andrea@andreapenrose.com.