#AdéleDuchâtel

[adelemadouce]

In a thousand Years

The Emperor was always a handsome man in appearance. He considered nakedness to be the most natural state (as a reminder of his admiration for Rousseau in his youth) and found it refreshing to be without clothes. He was attractive, even delicious, with his well-groomed, slim body, of which he was very proud of. And rightly so!

I was not a beauty when making love. My long limbs were simply impossible to control when I was in ecstasy. Eyes closed, mouth wide open, feet in the air, that was not a lovely look of a twenty-two-year-old! The Emperor, however, loved it. And nothing else mattered to me. Églée once explained to us that a beloved woman in bed is considered by her husband first as a whore and then as a saint. "Before he has you where he wants you, you are just a willing whore to him. But the moment he shoots his powder into you, you are an adorable saint to him!" Well, for the Emperor I was never a whore (I was his juicy peach!) but it actually happened that at the height of his pleasure he exclaimed: "...my sweet Adèle...I will make you a queen!...do you like that...a queen? Do you want that...I'll do it! I'll make you a queen!" When he was able to think clearly again, I gave him a mischievous smile. "What do you want to make of me, Sire?" But he didn't smile. "Exactly what I said!" There was no other person in the world who was capable of doing such a thing - making me a queen! But I had no ambition for a crown and I wanted him to know this. I caressed his lips with my finger. "Sire, I only want to stay your sweet Adèle!" We were lying naked in bed. The Emperor rested his head on his elbow and looked at me. "Don't you want to go down in the history books, Adèle? You are my love-interest...someday someone will know what we both did." I watched him as he tongued my right thimble. I thought that I had never seen a more beautiful Roman head than his. "I don't want to go down in the history books, Sire...and no one should ever find out about what happened between us. These moments belong to just the two of us!" He looked up at me from under his eyebrows. "You don't want people to talk about you in a thousand years? No?...maybe your modesty is a better philosophy of life! But not for me, that view comes too late. And I fear that everyone who crossed my path will find themselves in a history book, even those who don't deserve it!" He sucked my thimble again and while he was looking at me, he then said in a soft, dark voice: "...you are one of those who deserve it, Adèle... you give me something that no other woman has ever given me!" Oh, gloria, my heart rejoiced! It was the most beautiful thing he could have said to me! "My love for you has chosen me, Sire, to be incomparable! It's more than I ever wished for..." He bent his head towards my face, the tips of our tongues touching. "And I believe what you say, Adèle. You are honest, genuine, I love your naturalness... you don't have this need to please. The Empress is completely different...that's how she's always been. She wants to please me, at any cost! She is graceful... in bed, on the throne...she is always like a work of art. You, Adèle, are the most wonderful opposite of her, you are wild, passionately and...fidgety...in bed! You are honest, natural and still a little clumsy in love...ahhh, that really excites me! I'll teach you, ma douce,...and I'll be tough on you, you can be sure of that!" How did he know that I wanted this so much!!! He pinched my thimble and I squealed.

It was the first time that the Emperor opened up to me. He never spoke about his private life. When we talked, it was only about trivial things, or about me. Now he spoke for the first time about Joséphine and his marriage. "I think every day how wonderful it would be to have a child with the Empress. But she is forty-one now...I fear she can no longer have children." He paused, as if listening to himself. "Joséphine thinks it is my fault, but that is how true...I have already fathered a child!" What I heard was completely unexpected! He continued. "Four years ago I met a young countess in Italy...a beautiful girl. She had seen me on the first Italian campaign and had fallen madly in love with me. When we met again during the second campaign in Milan I took her into my bed and nine months later she gave birth to a girl, Faustina. My mother has seen the child, there is no doubt that it is mine!" It sounded sad, although it offered him such hopeful prospects. "And if you adopt the girl and marry her to a prince, Sire?" But the Emperor shook his head. "In my position that is not possible. For a dynasty, I need a legitimately conceived child, not a bastard! It may sound cruel, but that is how our world is." He looked at me sternly. "Adèle, where were you ten years ago? Why didn't you come into my life then?" Now he was digging into my past too. "Oh Sire, I was twelve then! What could you have done with me? I was not yet ready...for that." My hand was on his belly button and threatened to wander lower. "... but don't you know that a short time later I was already in your bed?" He tried not to show anything. "How can that be?" he asked. "When I was fourteen and came to Paris, Aunt Joséphine took me in...you know, rue Chantereine! You had just left for Italy. The first night I was allowed to sleep in Joséphine's bed, it was still warm...from General Bonaparte!" My hand wandered a lower. "Your little ass was already in my bed back then?" I pulled my hand away and grinned. "You naughty little beast!" the Emperor shouted laughing.

The art objects I had purchased had to arrived at the Allée des Veuves. Paintings of Scottish, Irish and Corsican landscapes. Beautiful vases, a tiger skin from India, Greek busts, of course also the great Macedonian! And all sorts of knick-knacks that we women like. But what made me most happy was the delivery of the little dancer figurine, my New Year's gift for the Emperor.

One afternoon, a few hours before the Emperor's arrival in the Allée des Veuves, the Grand Marshal picked me up in his black fiacre. Duroc wanted to take me to see the new furnishings in the house. I was happy to see him. "Well, Adèle...how do you like the house? Is everything to your satisfaction? Are there any suggestions for improvement?" I shook my head. "Oh Duroc, it's magical! I am deeply grateful, and so is the Emperor! I have some ideas though..." I thought of something else that I really liked. "Tell me what it is!" I took Duroc's hand and pulled him into a small salon that was not furnished. There was only a couch in it. "I would like to furnish an oriental room for the Emperor. Do you think he would like that?" Duroc had to smile. "You mean...a kind of harem?" Then he sighed. "The Emperor is familiar with Oriental customs, he has already been in a real harem when he was in Egypt. A copy of any kind of harem would perhaps be considered tasteless." Then Duroc looked straight at me. "Why don't you set up a small library for the Emperor? He would be very happy about it!" How glad I was to have Duroc. He knew the Emperor like no other! "Yes, a small library of Alexandria!" Duroc nodded. "With an oriental flair!" We got along just wonderfully. When we were back in the large salon, I poured Duroc a cognac. "There is something I need advice on, Duroc. Can I confide in you?" He took a small sip. "That's what I'm here for, Madame!" I sat down next to him. "It's about the Empress. She's trying to sound me out...wants to know if I'm in love and with whom. How should I behave?" Duroc looked at me for a long time and finally nodded. "That was to be feared, Adèle! I can only advise you to continue to behave inconspicuously. Don't give the Empress any reason to speculate. Because of her jealousy, the Empress sometimes sees ghosts where there are none. You only have to point this out to her discreetly and she will calm down." It seemed to be a tried and tested method of counteracting Joséphine's jealousy. Had the Emperor already had so many love affairs that his confidant Duroc was practiced in diverting his wife's suspicions? I knew he had a lot of affairs, but it was hard for me to deal with it properly, so I preferred to suppress it. "If there is any problem in this matter, please contact me, Adèle. The Emperor has instructed me to assist you in any case." I couldn't imagine Duroc preventing a marital crisis of the imperial couple that I had caused. "Do you think that could happen?" I asked cautiously. Before Duroc could answer, the front door opened.

The Grand Marshal stood up and took his bicorne under his arm. I left him standing, ran from the salon into the entrance hall and flew into the arms of the Emperor. He was wearing his black cloak as usual, and immediately dropped his hat to hug me. We kissed as passionately as if we hadn't seen each other for years. "My love...my darling!" I was a little breathless. He whispered something in my ear, I nodded vigorously. "So much!...so so much, yes!" He whispered something in my ear again that made me freeze with longing. The Emperor kissed me even harder, even wetter, even... Witnessing this spectacle was Duroc. Yes, he saw exactly what we were doing and I bet he saw our tongues! "It's good that you're here," said the Emperor, approaching the Grand Marshal with me in his arm. "...what did I hear? How long will the state banquet in the town hall last?" Duroc cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sire, the master of ceremonies estimated...six hours." I kept looking at the Emperor, I didn't want to miss a second of his sight. Duroc was nothing but air for me. The Emperor was annoyed, his expression grim. "Six hours...in ceremonial robes...with that feathered hat?! Six hours!...I can't even go piss with all that stuff on!" The Emperor looked at the Grand Marshal expectantly. "Sire, delegations from all arrondissements are coming..." Napoléon interrupted Duroc. "Six hours...good God!" But then he put his hand on Duroc's shoulder. "Well, it's not your fault. I'll just have to endure it!" He sighed deeply. "The ox is harnessed, now he must plow too!" He looked at me. Then he looked back at Duroc. "... but you'll allow me a small reward for this?! I demand two nights with Adèle!" Duroc's face showed relief. "The prospects for your wish are even better, Sire! I heart, that the Empress wishes to spend a few days in Malmaison in the near future. Orders have already given to heat the house!" I didn't know what that meant for me, but the Emperor grinned at Duroc. "Sounds excellent! Now go back to the palace, send me the fiacre at midnight!" Duroc clicked his heels together and bowed to the Emperor. When he had gone the Emperor put his arm around my waist. "So, now my sweet Adèle...let's take another close look at this mirror matter! You know what I mean, my lady?" I laughed. "Oh yes, Sire...I do!"