Charles IV eyed Joseph intently, his voice tinged with excitement, "Are you speaking off the cuff, or...?"
"It was Her Majesty the Queen who sent me to Madrid," Joseph said seriously.
Instantly, Charles became even more animated, his chest heaving dramatically as he fervently patted Joseph's shoulders, "France will always be Spain's dearest brother!"
Joseph then shared with him a vision of France and Spain hand in hand controlling the entire Iberian Peninsula—visions that filled Charles IV with such ardor that he was ready to lead his armies personally to drive the British out of Gibraltar and then sweep across to conquer Lisbon!
Joseph glanced at his eager expression and casually mentioned, "Once Gibraltar is reclaimed, Ceuta will be of no use to you. Perhaps, France could use it as a supply port."
