After the parade ended, Georgiana returned to Madame Récamier's home and received an unexpected letter.
It was from Napoleon's mother, Letizia. In it, she described Dermide's recent situation and discussed reducing both her and Georgiana's living expenses.
Letizia's allowance had risen to one million francs a month after Napoleon became First Consul, and Georgiana had no objection to that.
More than money, Georgiana worried about other matters. Letizia was now The Nun's protector, and there was no telling how much influence the people of the Church would have over her.
Thrift was a virtue, but if taken too far, Lyon's silk workers would have no work. The employment of tens of thousands would become a problem, and this was directly related to Napoleon's involvement in suppressing the Lyon workers' revolt.
To provide relief, Lyon's rulers at the time had once intended to borrow three million, not to distribute directly to those affected, but to put them to work. In the end, they failed to secure the loan, because the Assignat, a banknote-like currency issued at the time, was worthless. Even farmers would not accept it.
Lan Zhi said that the harvest of 1792 had actually been better than the year before, yet the food supply circulating on the market was still insufficient. It was not, as the revolutionaries claimed, an aristocratic conspiracy, but because farmers would not sell their grain. Paying workers with paper notes was useless, while coins were readily accepted, but exchanging paper currency for coin meant taking a loss.
As she wrote the letter, Georgiana encountered a problem. She did not know what to call Letizia.
Georgiana and Letizia were the same age. Napoleon was young enough to be her son.
She simply could not bring herself to call Letizia "Mother," while "Madame Bonaparte" did not seem