musical talent, and how she could brush up her deportment and manners.
When Desiree, unsurprisingly, rebuked him for his unromantic tone, he
replied with a list of her shortcomings.
Yet the visits to her_ house from December 1794 onwards, while he was
preparing the Corsican expedition, obviously increased his ardour, for the
tone of his letters changes. 'You are always in my thoughts. I have never
doubted your love, my sweet Eugenie, how can you think I could ever
cease to love you?' The romance caught fire, and on 21 April 1795
Napoleon became engaged to Desiree. Although it has often been said
that Madame Clary opposed the match, there is no sign of this at this
stage, nor of Joseph's supposed objection on the grounds that one
Bonaparte in the family was enough. Since Desiree would bring in a
healthy dowry - up to 10o,ooo francs on some estimates - the marriage
made sense to the hardheaded Napoleon.
It is clear from subsequent events that at some time between 21 April
and his departure for Paris on 7 May Napoleon made Desiree his
mistress. When the guilt-ridden Napoleon admitted this on St Helena,
his confession was disregarded as the fantasy of a 'dirty old ma n', but to
construe his remarks in this way reveals an astoundingly superficial view
of his psychology. To take the virginity of a girl and then not marry her
was against his own old-fashioned code of honour - it was vastly different
in the case of experienced women - and he always felt guilt about this.
Why he did not marry her he scarcely knew at the conscious level and
continued to hark back to her wistful ly. But there are some important
clues to the relationship and its eventual failure in the outline for a novel
Napoleon wrote during the affair with Desiree, Clissold et Eugenie.
It is obvious that Eugenie is Desiree (Napoleon thought the name more
refined and dignified than the erotically charged 'Desiree') and that
Napoleon is Clissold. This is how he described hero and heroine:
Clissold was born for war. While still a child he knew the lives of all the
great captains. He meditated on military tactics at a time when other
boys of his age were at school or chasing girls. As soon as he was old
enough to shoulder arms, brilliant actions marked his every step. One
victory succeeded another and his name was as renowned among the
people as those of their dearest defenders ... Eugenic was sixteen years
old. She was gentle, good and vivacious, with pretty eyes and of
medium size. Without being ugly, she was not a beauty, but goodness,
sweetness and a lively tenderness were essential parts of her nature.Clissold is the Romantic hero, a loner who has reached high rank in the
army while still a young man, thus making him prey to insane jealousy