Other dignitaries had come to the King's Library with the First Consul. To prepare for their visit, the library had been closed to the public for a day.
The "important people" were accompanied by the director. She stayed far behind the crowd, doing her best to pretend she did not know them.
Everyone knew who she was, yet no one said it aloud. They all went about their business. Apart from two young painters who were somewhat impatient to paint her portrait, everyone maintained the ordinary relationship of colleagues. Of course, there was no shortage of gossip behind her back.
That rash young man now carried himself with the bearing of a leader. In the twenty-first century, there might even have been photographers taking his picture. Since she was too far away, she could not hear what the director and Bonaparte were discussing. From the attendants' conversation, however, she learned that Bonaparte intended to expand the library.
The "King's Library" had undergone several expansions. A number of heavyweight architects had designed its central courtyard, gardens, reading rooms, and more. The new designer therefore had to incorporate the finest work of architects from every period, restoring the enormous and complex space into a unified whole without disrupting the overall structure. The new wing also had to house the artifacts, books, and manuscripts brought back from Egypt.
After more than a year of effort, those troops from the Egyptian expedition were finally coming home.
Besides that rival from his own time, Napoleon had another "archenemy"—General Sidney Smith. Originally a merchant, Smith had immediately boarded a small boat home upon hearing that the French Revolution had broken out, then joined Samuel Hood's fleet near Toulon.
When Toulon was on the verge of falling to Napoleon's artillery, he volunteered to lead small boats into