August 15 was Napoleone Bonaparte's birthday.
Although Leoncourt had left, his family had been kept by Georgiana's side to keep her company. This was Napoleon's usual style.
Madame Leoncourt and Alice did not know they had become hostages. They were still passing along messages from "outside."
The generals scrambled to hold a celebration for Napoleon. They had received reliable news that troops would soon be sent against the colonies.
In fact, Napoleon had not returned to the Grand Trianon for several days. He had been staying at Malmaison, where he usually arranged his military plans.
The men "outside" believed Napoleon could not keep bringing precious metals from the occupied territories into France. Spain's massive shipments of silver from the Americas into Europe had caused inflation. Silver coins had become worthless, and credit problems would follow. It was equally unpopular with the people in the occupied lands. As long as Georgiana could persuade him on this point, the men outside would handle everything else.
Monsieur Bonaparte seemed determined to turn the Grand Trianon into a Sudanese harem. Aside from heavy labor that absolutely required men, women were used everywhere women could be used. The number of maids in the palace had surged, and even the women coming and going from her quarters were ministers' female relatives.
If she let him carry out this arrangement to his heart's content, she would immediately jump from the bell tower of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. How could the matter Madame Leoncourt had just mentioned be something women could casually take part in?
Perhaps her expression had been too obvious. Alice immediately began talking about lending. After Lance had handled the procedures and contracts, he had handed the business to his younger sister to manage, while he himself went to the general staff to deal with