The Queen looked surprised, but she thought for a moment, and then said:
“Napoleon has always been a great enemy of our family. Nevertheless, he has made Charles repeated promises to protect him, and I cannot believe he is now acting with such scandalous perfidy.”
The royal arrival at Bayonne was announced by a salute of 101 guns, the garrison lined the streets, and Charles, on dismounting from his carriage, showed his pleasure at the reception vouchsafed to him by talking even to those he did not know.
A shadow came over the King’s genial countenance when he saw Ferdinand standing with his brother at the foot of the staircase, and it was only the younger Prince who was given a cordial “Good-day” by the King, and who was embraced fondly by his mother. Although Ferdinand saw that he was ignored, he made a step forward to greet his parents. But Charles stopped, made a movement of indignation, and began mounting the stairs with a severe face. The Queen, however, who was behind, could not forget that she was a mother, and folded her treacherous son to her bosom.
Then the Princes repaired to their apartments, and their parents hastened to greet the exile Godoy with tears of joy.
The Emperor of the French lost no time in paying his respects to the royal travellers, but he did not ask them to dinner until the following day.
As Charles’s rheumatism gave him some difficulty in mounting the stairs of the imperial abode, he gladly accepted Napoleon’s arm, saying: “I have not the strength that I had. It has been all knocked out of me.”
“We will soon see about that,” returned the Emperor. “Lean on me, and I will find strength for both.”
Thereupon the King stopped, and said emphatically: “So I believe, and I base all my hopes upon you.”
On taking their seats at the table, Charles noticed the absence of Godoy, and he exclaimed with tender concern: “And Manuel? Where is Manuel?”