Had the royal carriage not arrived so soon after, most people would have thought Drouet mad. But at the sight of so grand a coach, many began to wonder if Drouet really might be right.
The crowd soon became mob. Angry that their questions about the coach went unanswered, the people pressed closer. "Who would ride in such a coach these days ?" someone demanded. People began jeering and calling threats to the unseen riders inside.
All members of the royal family were forced to climb down from the coach.They were taken to the home of the lord mayor of Varennes. Frightened, the king still tried to pretend he was someone else. He said his name was Andre Durand. He introduced his wife and his sister as Madame Rochet and Baroness de Korff. His two children, the king said, were the children of the baroness.
Little time was wasted at the mayor's house. The revolutionary leaders stripped the king of his disguise. The king buried his face in his hands as one of the leaders pointed to him and said, "This man is not Durand. He is King Louis. Nor are the others who they say they are. They are the queen and members of the royal family."
These words had the force of a death sentence. The king and the royal family were placed under arrest. Their daring escape had failed. Although the king would never know it, the plan had almost worked. Even as the royal coach rumbled back to Paris under guard Bouille's troops were on their way to meet it outside of the town. But they were too late. This true story of what happened at Varennes two hundred years ago changed the history of France forever.