chapter 56

the King and Queen

São Cristóvão Palace, home of the rulers of Brazil, was located several miles outside the city center on the top of a small hill. Builders were constantly at work on the palace and outbuildings, the subjects of countless renovations.

The captain of the guard and his mounted troop accompanied the elaborate carriage as it trundled along the paved road. The passengers traversed farmland and fruit groves before coming to the decorative portico that fronted the palace, a gift from the English Duke of Northumberland.

“What’s the bother, Yank?” William asked. “You look as though you’ve eaten rotten fish.” He had never seen the American so agitated. “You should be overjoyed that we’re not in some hellhole of a Brazilian prison,” the Brit reminded him, “instead, we’re in a charming coach on our way to the palace.”

“It’s probably nothing.”

“Come now, spit it out. You can trust me.”

Nate considered for a moment. “There’s more to this Lady Julia than meets the eye, Gunn.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve met her before.”

William laughed. “Next you’re going to tell me you slept with her.” William continued laughing, giving Nate the opportunity to join in.

Nate remained silent.

“No.” William was aghast. “It’s simply not possible, man. We’ve been in the bloody jungle for I don’t know how many months.” He looked at Nate. “Tell me you left matters on good terms.”

Nate grinned.

“Never mind,” William spoke quickly, “just tell me I have nothing to worry about.”

“You have nothing to worry about. Probably.”

William gave a hollow laugh. “Oh, yes, a double-dealing former flame who may or may not have an axe to grind. I’m sure with our luck, she’ll tell the queen to throw us a parade. They’ll build a statue and name a day for us.”

Inside the palace, servants took Cauã and Pax to the kitchen so the staff could fuss over the young boy and the dog. The British officer and the American were led down a long hall cushioned with a light-green carpet. At the end of the hall, they descended a winding staircase to a lower level, where they were shown to guest rooms next to each other. The tall, open windows in both allowed in the light and a fresh breeze. Lunch was brought, along with wash basins and linen towels.

William had just finished eating when a servant arrived and led him upstairs to meet the king and queen. He wasn’t surprised to be going alone. He figured the queen—or her husband—couldn’t be overly excited about seeing the American.

Once on the main floor he was led to a room used for informal functions. The light blue walls, white ceiling, and wide windows framed from the outside by a line of tall trees that shaded the side of the palace, created an airy atmosphere, while the sky-blue carpet underfoot, plush chairs, and cut flowers in tall vases made for a cozy room.

“Come in. Please make yourself comfortable,” the king said in English. He dismissed the guards and waved his hand toward a settee across from the couch on which he sat with the queen. A servant placed a silver tea service on a low table in front of them.

John said, “I understand you are Captain William Gunn of His Majesty’s Dragoon Guards. Carlota’s bodyguard, Julia, has told us of your most noble mission to bring, through great personal adversity, a secret offer of assistance from your king to General Bolívar. Your king must have great faith in you to trust you with such a mission.”

“Your Highnesses—” William began.

John interrupted, “First of all, William, we’ll have none of that in here. In this room, I am John and my wife is Carlota.”

Carlota poured tea, handed a cup to William, and said, “How on earth did that little Indian boy come to be with you?”

“His mother perished helping us to escape a difficult situation. I promised to keep him safe.”

“You certainly have no intention of taking him to England, do you? You’re welcome to leave him here at the palace. He will be well educated and cared for.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, I consider myself under an obligation. The boy will remain with my family as long as I draw breath.”

“Very well, William. I must compliment you on your loyalty. We so admire a man who keeps his word.” She smiled. “Especially to his last breath.”

John spoke again. “We have chosen to meet you in our family room because we consider England to be part of our family. Our two countries have always enjoyed a close relationship.”

Charmed by their familiarity, William was also wary. He had enough experience with nobility to know such magnanimity would last only so long as Nate and he agreed with them. He took their silence and expectant gazes as a cue to speak.

“Yes,” he began, very carefully, “a very close relationship. And it is the express wish of our king that this close connection continue. To be specific, the king would like to renew the Treaty of 1808.”

“That might very well happen,” said Carlota, “but there are strains on our empire of which you may not be aware.”

William was alert. “Strains?”

John replied, “The bankers and merchants in Portugal are insisting I return to Lisbon to endorse a constitution they have concocted in the name of enlightened liberalism. It may remove much of the absolute power of the monarch, but it is also a thin disguise to return Brazil to the dark ages of being a mere colony of Portugal.”

Carlota added passionately, “Brazilians have enjoyed free and open trade ever since John arrived here as regent. And my husband guaranteed these rights when he declared Brazil to be an equal partner in the Kingdom of Portugal. Now the Cortes wants to force Brazil back into colonyhood, excluding trade with anyone but Portugal. They also refuse to endorse John’s support of the abolition of slavery across Europe.”

“We desperately require British assistance,” John interjected, “so that I can resist the most extreme of these measures. So far, your British king insists his public is in no mood for any more war adventures. But I’m prepared to offer Great Britain very generous terms if your king can be persuaded to provide covert military aid to us. The main problem, you see, is that we have no champion in the British court to convince him to do this.”

“However, if your duke supported us,” Carlota said, “we believe your king would reconsider and send us British assistance. All we ask for is clandestine support, much like Britain is giving Bolívar.”

“And you somehow think I can help in this?” William was mystified at this totally unexpected turn of events.

Carlota and John traded glances, but it was the queen who spoke first. “Everyone has their spies, Captain Gunn.”

“Tell me if I have this correct,” William said. “You will consider renewing the treaty only if Britain secretly assists you in resisting the more extreme measures of the Cortes—measures which would return Brazil to its former status as a colony and deprive her people of the full rights of citizens.”

“William, William,” John said with a conciliatory tone, “you are being harsh. All we wish is for you to convince the duke to represent our interests to the king.”

William was frustrated. “You vastly overestimate my influence on the duke. Before my mission, I was merely one of his gardeners, and he has a multitude of those. His Grace rarely tipped his hat in passing. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be of much help even if I could approach the duke.”

Carlota and John shared a long glance; a current of understanding passed between them. She put her teacup on the table.

Emboldened by their overtures, William asked, “You would do me a great turn, personally, if any of your naturalists know of the presence of a black orchid in your country, or anywhere in your empire for that matter. It is of utmost importance to me, and more important for you, it is of importance to the duke as well.”

Carlota said, “I learned of your search from my companion. You were unsuccessful in finding your black orchid in the Amazon?”

“I’m afraid I never found the plant,” he lied. “Maybe it’s just a myth, like everyone says.”

“That’s truly a shame, to have traveled such a long way and come up empty-handed. We will make some inquiries. Is that satisfactory?”

“I would be most grateful, Your Majesty.”

“With your long absence,” she said, “your daughter’s health must weigh on you.”

“Time has always been my enemy,” he replied, shifting uneasily. “I must see my daughter. But there’s no ship leaving for home for at least six more weeks. If I could, I would have left yesterday.”

John said, “You don’t have to wait, Captain.”

“I don’t understand, Your Majesty. I was told the next ship to England wouldn’t leave for almost two months.”

“Perhaps merchant vessels. But a ship arrived here this morning. I believe you know her captain quite well: Darius Acton. He has orders to quietly transport the queen and myself to Portugal ahead of the rest of the royal court. But I’m certain he would be more than happy to afterward bring you back to your duke. You may want to take advantage of this opportunity, particularly if our inquiries regarding your plant are futile.”

William was speechless.

“We leave on the morning tide,” John continued, “so it’s best if you spend the night here, in the palace. There’s an official reception this evening, should you like to attend. There’ll be some interesting people there, including Captain Acton.”

William said, “I look forward to it.”

John said, “Perhaps as repayment for our arranging your swift passage home, you will at least consider stressing our need to your duke. You may exert more influence than you realize. Your reappearance alone will surprise many.”

It was Nate’s turn to be interviewed by the monarchs, but this time Julia was present as well. “Your Majesties,” Julia announced as Nate entered the room, “this is Mr. Nathanial Bidwell of the United States, also known as Yankee.”

Nate looked into the room before entering. Julia rolled her eyes. John, trying to put the man at ease, said warmly, “You’re here as our personal guest,” and indicated for the American to sit in a chair next to Julia.

Affecting a casual air, Nate made a small bow and took his seat.

“I believe you’re already acquainted with my bodyguard and companion, Julia Mendoza?” The queen indicated Julia with a nod of her head.

Nate’s eyes went wide, but the queen interjected before he could speak. “I understand your confusion,” Carlota said, “but please try to forgive us for our deception. We deemed it essential to forge a strong bond with General Bolívar, but it was critical we send the proper emissary. My bodyguard, Julia, who was raised in New Granada, volunteered. Because this was a secret assignment, she had to travel covertly and could not reveal her true identity to anyone but him.”

Nate nodded, pretending to understand. “I understand.”

Queen Carlota said, “The strong alliance she created with our new neighbors to the north made her absence easier to bear”—she smiled—“but only by a little. You see, she is also my closest female companion.”

Julia spoke, “I told King John and Queen Carlota about the fabled lost emerald of the Muzos, Yankee, and said that if anyone could find El Jefe, it was you.” She cocked her head and asked, “So, Nate, do you have El Jefe?”

He was surprised and wary at this line of questioning. “The prize was close, my lady, but El Jefe slipped through my fingers.” He was not going to mention Marquez.

“We would pay a great deal for such a gem,” the queen offered, testing him. “Traveling with such a treasure would be most dangerous for you, while a letter of credit in your name from the Brazilian king would be so much more secure.”

The veiled threat didn’t escape him. He said, “Your Majesties, I got there too late. That’s it. The emerald was gone.” He paused thoughtfully, then the penny dropped.

Julia manipulated me into chasing down the emerald for them! It had nothing to do with Bolívar’s regrets over my dismissal, it was all about my finding the emerald for her queen.

The threat was still unmistakable, so instead of venting his anger, Nate let out a deep breath and said, “What’s the rest of the plan?”

The king responded, “In Lisbon the Cortes, supported by the bankers and business interests, wishes to roll back my father’s democratic reforms and return Brazil to a land of destitute colonials. They also hope to block any efforts to end slavery.

“Events are moving most quickly, Mr. Bidwell. The queen and I intend to sail to Portugal tomorrow. But without outside support, I am afraid I will fail in preventing the return of Brazil to subjugation as colony. The only nation capable of lending the support we need is Great Britain, but all our formal overtures to the British monarch have been rejected.”

“What does the emerald have to do with all this?” Nate asked.

“We desperately need a powerful friend in Britain, someone who has the king’s ear, and his confidence. That person is the man who sent Captain Gunn on his mission to Bolívar, and that emerald is the key to getting his help.”

“The Duke of Devonshire,” Queen Carlota finished, “happens to be an avid gemologist and collector of precious stones. For such an incomparable gift,” she stressed, “the duke would have to at least consider intervening with the British king on our behalf.”

Nate said, “I’m sorry, but none of us win. As I just said, I simply don’t have it. There’s no one who wants that gem more than I do, but wishing it is not going to make it happen.”

“Just know that should you come by the emerald and see fit to entrust it to us, you would be ensuring the freedom of Brazil and the ban on slavery in a major portion of the world.”

The king drew up. “I will return to Portugal and do everything in my power to ensure Brazil remains a country free to determine her own future. Not unlike your own young country. The tides of freedom cannot be halted, Mr. Bidwell.”

“If you say so,” Nate replied.