Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 263 030 Just looking for relatives like this makes people feel shocked

Although it is December 1803, this is the tropics. Even in the northern hemisphere, the climate is unbearable, but Solovyov still wears an army uniform and wears a medal.

After all, he is here to "visit relatives". Since he has come all this way, he must maintain his dignity.

The Russian army does not have tropical uniforms that are suitable for this kind of weather. He made this outfit himself, so of course he can maintain his dignity and will not faint from the heat.

Mr. Henry de Rivery did not expect that there would be a visitor today. He only learned from the messenger that a Russian warship had docked in Martinique and was seeking supplies there.

"Pierre, the warships from Russia are really fresh."

"Yes, father, this is the first time that a Russian ship has come here. What are they going to do?"

"I don't know, but son. You have to learn how to run a plantation. I'm old, and this business will always belong to you and your sister."

In addition, in Martinique and Guadeloupe, their family has plantation industries and sugar factories, and they really need someone to run them.

The old man also wants to find a good husband for his daughter, so he is also looking for a suitable marriage partner.

He has 4 daughters and 1 son. Pierre de Rivery is the youngest child and his current designated heir.

Of the four daughters before, only the youngest daughter Alexandrine grew up safely and healthily. Two daughters died young, and the second daughter went missing after she went to sea from Nantes. No one knows whether she is alive or dead.

He is now in the plantation, slowly aging.

Such a stable life also makes him feel comfortable. As an advisor to the island parliament, as well as the mayor and militia commander of Le Robert, he is indeed a local head gentleman.

However, they were running plantations, so they were somewhat cruel to black slaves.

When Soloviev rode to the town, he could see many black slaves here. They were doing unskilled physical work, but some slave owners would still care about their personal property and let them eat better, but they would be whipped.

Anyone who praises slavery and serfdom will definitely be beaten.

However, Soloviev couldn't whip his friend Count Nesherrodi, who was a staunch supporter of serfdom and believed that serfdom was good for both landlords and serfs.

This time, he was able to come to the West Indies because he asked him to present the "special action plan" on his behalf, so the Tsar himself sent out the fleet.

There was another purpose, which was that Alexander knew that his father had an older illegitimate son, Semyon, who had been missing in the Caribbean for ten years. When he returned to Russia, he had uncertain instructions to search for him locally.

But there should be no result. Those who are missing in the shipwreck and whose bodies are not found, usually go to the sea to feed the fish. There is no other option.

And in the Caribbean, sharks are still very active.

When they came to the town government, someone came out to receive them.

"Sir, you are wearing a green military uniform. Which unit are you from?"

"I am a Russian soldier. Those who don't wear green military uniforms are cavalry hunters. I know that your first consul likes to wear this kind of clothes. And this is the pass issued to us by the governor of this island, Admiral de Joyce."

"So, Mr. Soloviev, what business do you have here?"

"Our fleet stopped in Martinique for supplies, and I happened to have relatives in Martinique. I came here to visit my relatives during the stopover."

"Oh? I don't know who you are looking for?"

"Mr. Henri Jacob du Buc de Rivery, doesn't it sound a little incredible?"

After Soloviev reported his name, he could see the other party's surprised expression, and a goose egg could be stuffed in his mouth.

What a big mouth, Solovyov thought, and the other party was already shocked enough.

"Are you related to the mayor? However, our mayor should not have any Russian relatives, and this island... Wait, your identity is fine, could it be that you remembered it wrong?"

"No, my stepmother told me that her father was called this, and he had plantations and sugar factories in the West Indies. I think you should have some knowledge of the plantations run by the French on the islands in the entire Caribbean Sea."

"Ah, that's right. Speaking of our mayor, the du Buc family that runs a sugar factory here is only in Martinique, and there are also plantations in Guadeloupe, but there are no other places."

"That's right, can you introduce me?"

Of course, seeing that he was wearing two medals, it was known that this Russian officer had some background, so the "civil servant" of the town hall took the group to the place.

He did not ask more questions, thinking that it was better to have less trouble than more, and not to cause unnecessary trouble. Besides, apart from the strong man who was more intimidating, the two officers looked respectable, and the little girl was a harmless cutie, so they were definitely not bad people.

Moreover, Mr. de Riviera was a respectable man, so there was definitely no problem.

"Sir, I brought you here, do you need to make an announcement?"

"Thank you. I think you can just send it here. There is no problem. You can go to do your serious work. What's more, we all speak French, so there is no need to worry about communication problems."

"Oh, that's right. I'll take my leave now."

When knocking on the door, you should also pay attention to the fact that most of the buildings here are built very solidly to prevent hurricanes.

"Really nice buildings." Solovyov still has some yearning for tropical life, but he also has to exclude mosquitoes that spread diseases and those poisonous insects and snakes. Speaking of the current level of technology, many diseases are a big problem.

After he knocked on the door a few times, two black people came to answer the door.

"Sir, what are you doing here?"

"I am here to visit the owner of this estate, Mr. de Riviera."

"Please wait a moment, I will report to the master."

"My friend, don't you want to know why I am here to visit?"

"Sir, you are well dressed, you look like an officer, and you look very kind, you don't look like a bad guy. Here, only the British and pirates are villains, and our master is a warm and hospitable person. Those who can visit him must not be bad people. That is the gentleman behind you."

"Ah, it doesn't matter, Belzoni is my follower, it doesn't matter. As for us coming here, we are also visiting relatives, relatives from Russia."

"Okay, gentlemen, wait here."

It is obvious that these blacks as servants are well trained and their nutrition is not bad. At least the master of this plantation can feed them.

However, Mr. Henry de Riviera is still a little curious about the visiting guests.

"Master, they claim to be from Russia."

"Father, this is a bit strange. We don't have any relatives in Russia. If they come from mainland France to visit relatives, it's not strange."

"Jacob, how many people are there?"

"Four people in total. The two leading officers are dressed very decently. There is also a little girl who looks like a maid. There is only a big man who is the follower of the leading officer. He looks like a dangerous person."

"The Russian warship docked today, and someone came here. I don't think it's a big deal. Invite them in and treat them well."

As for the tropical island, there are many local specialties when entertaining guests, including tropical fruits and sea fish and crabs caught nearby.

"Father, why don't you doubt it at all?"

"Ah, Pierre, a Russian warship just docked in the bay over in Fort de France this morning. They came here, which means they are familiar with the situation here. They must not be liars, and there are some reasons."

Mr. Henry de Rivery was a little helpless about his unenlightened son, but that was all he could do.

When these people came in, he also felt that the order was a bit strange.

"Hello, Mr. Henri de Rivery, I have no choice but to address you this way. I am Baron Mikhail Soloviev, Lieutenant Colonel of the Russian Guards, and an accompanying officer of the visiting Russian fleet. This one is my deputy, Captain Louis Buffon, who is French, but has been serving in Russia. As for the other two, they are my attendant Belzoni and the maid Adela. The question of address comes from my stepmother Amy de Rivery, who should now be called Baroness Soloviev"

Mr. de Rivery was also shocked when he heard it.

"My daughter is your stepmother? That sounds like a joke. My daughter disappeared at sea after sailing from Nantes."

"The story here is a bit complicated, sir. The ship sailing from Nantes was attacked by Barbary pirates in the waters near Morocco, and my young stepmother was abducted by pirates from Algiers. Later, when Admiral Ushakov was fighting pirates in the Mediterranean, he went ashore and rescued women from various countries, including many French people. My father was a widower at the time and was running a business in Crimea for his old boss. They met and fell in love with each other. If you don't believe it, there are keepsakes here, including portraits and letters."

"It's hard to believe, but what you said is very logical. Baron. "

"I was originally a military attaché at the embassy in Paris, but for some special reasons, I left my post and joined this fleet. Because the West Indies are too far away, we only plan to look for my mother's cousin in Paris, and the other relatives are all here."

"No wonder, the letter to Rose is understandable, but I have always been very puzzled that it is unclear whether Rose is dead or alive now. Judging from the way the Governor-General takes care of Rose's mother, it seems more like taking care of the mother of a colleague, not like after all, there are rumors that Madame de Beauharnais, that is, Rose, was executed with her husband. Such news has always been heard here. "

Now, it is Solovyov's turn to be surprised.

"You mean de Beauharnais?"

"Young man, you seem surprised, and so is your deputy. What's going on?"

"Which de Beauharnais?"

"Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais, the youngest son of the former governor, Marquis François de Beauharnais. This sounds more surprising than your saying that we are related. What's going on?"

"Shocked!"

Soloviev only said one word. This incident really shocked him, and he was even more surprised when he saw the expression of Duke Enghien.

It was really funny that a small Russian guards lieutenant colonel had a relationship with Napoleon in so many roundabout ways.

"Are you familiar with the Marquis's family?"

"Not really. Where did you get the news that Viscount de Beauharnais and his wife were guillotined together?"

"It was from the royalist newspaper. Although I am not keen on politics, what they claimed seems to be true. We are also distant relatives. Although I often visit each other due to my job, we have not discussed some things in detail."

"It seems that the royalists are spreading rumors! Madame de Beauharnais is still alive and has remarried to become the wife of the current First Consul."

This made the Duke of Enghien a little embarrassed. This kind of tabloid news was indeed a bit sensational and made him feel ashamed. After all, if the royalists were all at this level, he would have to rely on external forces to return to Paris.

"Interesting, we can't confirm the tragedy that happened in Paris, after all, many people were guillotined. How did you know?"

"I served in the Russian Embassy in Paris, and I met the First Consul and his wife at a reception. We also know his family situation roughly. Captain Buffon was also often in Paris. His father and Marquis de Beauharnais were acquaintances and could also serve as a witness."

"That's right, sir, we can also confirm this. Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais was unfortunately involved in a political struggle and was guillotined, but his wife survived."

Then, Mr. de Rivery was also able to confirm Josephine's past name, which made everything clear.

"This is really interesting. You were going to look for relatives in Paris, but the answer is here. Child, is my daughter okay?"

"Very good. She gave birth to two healthy children with my father, a girl named Paulina and a boy named Anton. When we set out, she was pregnant again."

"At your age, child, your father is really strong and healthy!"

Mr. de Riviera hasn't laughed so happily for a long time. Although it sounds tortuous, he can confirm his daughter's handwriting and the image in the portrait, which is correct.

"It's a pity that you can only stay here for a few days at most. Otherwise, I will also entertain you for half a year!"

The owner of the manor on the tropical island is probably so hospitable, and he immediately asked the servants at home to prepare a banquet.

"I haven't been so happy for a long time, old woman. Our daughter actually has such a bizarre experience. It's unexpected!"

This is enough to make the family of four in the manor happy for a while. They can actually get such unexpected good news.

Moreover, Mr. de Riviera had prepared a reply letter, saying that the return journey across the Atlantic would have to follow the ocean currents back from the north, and it was unlikely to go through this route.