This time the audience was clearly and vocally divided in its response and while some applauded Napoleon, still more shouted angrily, 'Shame! Shame!' Some waved their fists at Napoleon and he felt the thrill of danger as he calmly called for quiet so that he might continue.

'And now, it seems, Paoli intends to betray the friendship of France, to betray the principles of the revolution that have made us into free citizens, no longer to suffer the humiliation of being mere subjects of a pampered and venal king. At present we are a part of France and our affairs are governed by the will of the common people. But what if Paoli sells us into an alliance with the enemies of France? What will guarantee our liberty then?'

'Enough!' one of the members shouted, jumping to his feet and thrusting his finger at Napoleon. 'Shut your mouth, traitor! How dare you insult the hero of Corsica?'

'He is no longer our hero!' Napoleon shouted back. 'He is the victim of his own vanity! Paoli is no more a hero than King Louis, and I call upon all here to demand his arrest and trial as we demanded that of Louis!'

More of the club's members stood up to denounce Napoleon, and he tried to call for order, but in vain. The meeting room was in an uproar, with members shouting angrily at him, and also amongst themselves. The secretary of the club took hold of Napoleon's arm.

'I think you have said enough, Buona Parte.'

'I have not finished.'

'Yes you have,' the secretary replied firmly. 'Return to your seat!'

'No!'

The secretary clenched his teeth and thrust Napoleon away from the lectern, and was rewarded with a loud cheer but also catcalls from the audience. For an instant, Napoleon turned on the man, ready to fight him for possession of the stage, but then he was aware of the rage directed against him from the audience, some of whom were already starting towards the stage, ready to assist the secretary.

'This is an outrage!' Napoleon shouted at the secretary above the din. 'By what authority do you deny me the right to address these citizens? Does Paoli already rule Ajaccio?'

'Sit down!' shouted the secretary. 'Now!'

Hands grabbed at Napoleon, and before he could react, he was hauled off the platform and bodily thrust back into his seat. Immediately, he made to get up but Alessi held his arm. 'Don't! Not yet.Wait until hot heads have cooled down.Then you can try and repair the damage.'

Napoleon glared at him, but before he could respond, the next speaker, Pozzo di Borgo, had taken the lectern and was waving his arms to calm the audience down so that he could be heard. As the noise died away the new speaker looked at Napoleon and called out. 'I wish to place a new proposal in front of the club. That Napoleon Buona Parte be stripped of his rank in the Ajaccio volunteers!'

The hall erupted in a loud cheer of approval. Pozzo di Borgo smiled and then continued, 'Furthermore, that his membership of this club be revoked.'

Again more cheers, until a voice from the back of the hall called out, 'On what grounds? You cannot make such proposals without just cause.'

Many in the audience jeered and hissed, and the secretary banged his gavel. 'The citizen is right. There must be a full and proper debate of any proposal that censures a member of this club so severely. Is that acceptable to the proposer?'

Pozzo di Borgo grinned. 'Why not? I'm happy to give people a chance to speak. Before we dispose of Citizen Buona Parte!'

Napoleon clamped his mouth shut and stared back at the man, daring him to look away first. He was beyond anger. He was surprised at how calm he was.This fight was lost and he knew it. There was no point in continuing. What mattered now was surviving until he could exact his revenge, as the Corsican code of honour demanded.

Napoleon turned to Alessi. 'I'm leaving. I'll be back at my house.'

The shouts and cries of the members died away as Napoleon rose to his feet. They looked at him expectantly and then he bowed to them and said, as calmly as he could, 'Good night, gentlemen.' Then he walked steadily between the rows of chairs to the door and out into the reading room.

'Coward!' someone shouted, and others joined in with jeers and catcalls until the secretary's frantic hammering brought quiet again. As he made for the door leading into the street Napoleon heard the secretary calling out to the crowd in the meeting room.

'Citizens! We have a proposal before the house. Let us deal with it in a manner worthy of the Jacobin party!'

Chapter 69

When he reached the house, the absence of his family and the unaccustomed silence of its walls made him more determined than ever. He could not stay in Ajaccio. The rumour that the Paolists wanted to assassinate him was bad enough, but once the Jacobin Club turned on him Napoleon would be torn apart the moment he showed his face on the streets. He had arranged for a good horse to be saddled and ready to leave that night. It was tethered in the storage shed at the back of the house. All that remained was to pack essentials and go. Joseph had left a hundred gold louis from Uncle Luciano's chest and Napoleon shoved the leather purses in his saddlebag, on top of a few clothes, and his notebooks.

Just then he heard the front door crash open and footsteps thudded into the hall.

'Napoleon! Napoleon! Where are you!'

He recognised the voice with a wave of relief. 'Alessi! Just a moment!'

Napoleon quickly heaved the saddlebag onto his shoulder and hurried to the door. Alessi rushed to him and grabbed his arms. 'You have to go! Get out of Ajaccio tonight.'

'What happened?'

'They passed the proposal, then someone added a clause to condemn the Buona Parte family to perpetual execration and infamy – that was the phrase.You know what it means.They mean to kill you, and your family if they lay their hands on them.'

There were shouts in the street and the sound of footsteps echoing off the sides of buildings. Alessi started at the noise. 'They're already here!'

'Come! This way.' Napoleon grabbed Alessi and thrust him towards the cellar door. Napoleon closed it behind him and ran down the steep stairs. At the bottom he carefully took the candle and directed Alessi over to a small wooden door at the far end of the cellar. On the ground floor the front door burst open and several men entered the house, their footsteps pounding across the floorboards as they shouted for Napoleon in harsh, angry tones that left no doubt about their intentions. As Napoleon and Alessi hurried over the damp cellar floor, the candle flickered and went out.

'Keep going!' Napoleon whispered. 'It's straight ahead.'

Alessi stumbled on with Napoleon grasping his coat-tails to stay in touch. Just before he calculated they must be approaching the door Alessi suddenly pitched forward and something glass shattered on the floor.

'Hear that?' a muffled voice called out. 'Over here!'

The cellar door was wrenched open as Napoleon picked Alessi up and reached round him, fingers groping through the air until they made contact with the rough surface of the door. Footsteps thudded down on the creaking cellar stairs.

'It's pitch-black down here. Get some light!'

Napoleon's fingers slid down the wood to the latch and he lifted it.The metal was old and there was a protesting squeak from the hinges as the door swung inwards.

'There's someone in here!'

Beyond the door the ground rose steeply into the yard behind the house and Napoleon scrambled up after Alessi until they stood on the flagstones in the faint light of the stars. Napoleon pulled the other man across the yard to where an arch opened on to the street beyond. 'Go home.You've risked enough already.'

Alessi nodded and grasped Napoleon's hand. 'Good luck!'

Then he was gone, running off into the dark shadows of the street. Napoleon turned the other way, feeling his way along the wall. He smelled the horse and heard it champing before he found the bolt. Not wanting to give himself away again, he eased it aside and gently opened the door. The horse stirred uneasily in the darkness as Napoleon groped for the reins, undid them and led the horse out into the street. His first thought was to mount the animal and ride like the devil. But if the horse lost his footing on the street cobbles it could fall and injure itself, or, worse still, injure him.