Napoleon and Josephine

Napoleon’s next command was in Egypt.  He had to leave Josephine behind but took with him her son Eugene who was now a young soldier... Eugene loved and admired his stepfather and Hortense, Josephine’s daughter, while initially disliking him, grew fond of him and treated him as a father...and he became very fond of her...
 
The Bonaparte family as a whole still disliked their Creole sister in law... and hoped that eventually she would slip up and Napoleon would divorce her.  Josephine had bought a chateau called Malmaison, just outside Paris... which she loved and spent a fortune on.  She adored flowers and gardens and wanted to make the garden a special place for growing roses.

Napoleon was still a devoted loving husband.  He tolerated Josephine’s socialising and spending and his only real grievance was that she had not had a child...  And she was 6 years his senior….so he was worried that there might not be any children.

She was continuing her affair with Hippolyte Charles who had left the army and made a fortune in somewhat dubious business dealings. She became increasingly indiscreet – seeing Charles at Malmaison  where they were almost living as husband and wife.  Finally rumours of the affair reached the British press and spread to Egypt.  Napoleon who was winning great victories in his campaign finally was told of his wife’s infidelity.   He was incredulous and then furious.  He told his aide that there would be a divorce...  He still had political ambitions as well as military ones and wanted to go home to France to end his marriage and pursue his political career.  However, it was not easy to break the British blockade and get back to France.  So initially he found himself a mistress, a French officer’s wife called Pauline Foures.   Pauline was a pretty blonde who had accompanied her husband to Egypt... some said she was disguised as a soldier.  Napoleon sent her husband on a mission and embarked on very public affair with her.   He hoped that she would become pregnant, but it didn’t happen and he said, annoyed that the “little fool didn’t know how to have a baby. "  However he was more interested in returning to France, and overthrowing the increasingly unpopular Directorate.  His affair with Pauline Foures was only a brief diversion