The engine crew moved around the aircraft with measured speed. One man checked the fasteners along the engine cowling. Another crouched near the landing gear, inspecting the wheel assembly and brake linkage. Nicéphore stood near the left wing, speaking briefly with the pilot before stepping back.
The aircraft was now fully out on the field.
The propeller was still.
The machine sat low and compact against the open ground, but there was something in the way it held itself that made it feel less like a machine at rest and more like something waiting to be released.
Napoleon I kept his eyes on it.
"I only said what is already obvious," he said.
Napoleon II looked at him.
"That does not mean I want to hear it."
Napoleon I gave a faint smile.
"That sounds more like a son than an Emperor."
Napoleon II said nothing.
For a brief moment, neither did Murat.
