Georgiana had to spend quite some effort making Rochambeau understand that seizing Saint-Domingue and restoring slavery and the colonies were not the main objectives of this expedition.
He was a staunch supporter of the plantations and one of the tobacco merchants whose assets Napoleon had confiscated. The reason he had fought so desperately to distinguish himself during the hunt and was so eager to join the expedition was also for the sake of his family.
Georgiana arranged for one of his cousins' sons to work at Bernadotte's Sèvres Porcelain Factory. His youngest daughter, Michelle, remained by her side, while his eldest son would take up a position in the tobacco company once it was established.
She had wanted to place Michelle with Josephine, but anyone with eyes could see that Josephine had "fallen from favor." Later, Madame Lannes introduced the daughter of a minister named Paula. The girl was lively, young, and beautiful, but Georgiana did not particularly like her.
It was not until Madame Lannes promoted Phyllis, a niece of an Imperial Guard officer, that she was satisfied. The girl was obedient and not particularly pretty, but she was very efficient at her work.
She had not been like this before. At school, she had liked clever, quick-witted students too, but now she had changed.
A girl like Paula was a "threat" to her. She did not want her relationship with Josephine to become like that of Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette, with herself, the "chief mistress," becoming a target surrounded by young girls fighting and scheming for favor.
Napoleon's health really had deteriorated greatly after crossing the Alps twice and campaigning in Egypt. Now, he rode as little as possible and usually traveled by carriage.
Only two days after the memorial column was erected, they moved from