In Dante's Divine Comedy, Virgil served as his mentor and guide. Georgiana had no intention of letting the Corsican take on that role.
Yet it was undeniable that "dating" him in Paris was indeed unlike dating most people.
During the Venice Carnival, nobles dressed as commoners and commoners dressed as nobles all wore masks, gathering in the crowded, narrow streets to sing and dance. Paris's Saint-Laurent Market on the right bank of the Seine and Saint-Germain Market on the left bank had steadily declined after the French Revolution, so Temple Boulevard became an essential place for holiday celebrations and performances.
The heart of this boulevard lay between Porte Saint-Denis, Porte Saint-Martin, and Rue d'Angoulême. It was the true dividing line between eastern and western Paris. Normally, the aristocracy and property-owning classes did not wish to mingle too closely with Paris's ordinary citizens and lower classes, while the working class was equally unwilling to step into the wealthy districts still ruled by the old regime. On this road, people could truly feel the difference between two worlds.
Yet there were many theatres and stages on both sides of the road. Every evening, the various comedies performed along the boulevard invariably featured assassinations, poisonings, or stranglings. Some large theatres held more than three thousand people, while even smaller ones could seat five hundred. Before the ticket booths, ushers loudly announced the programme or advertised particular scenes, trying to draw the customers' attention. Thus, this main thoroughfare was also known as Crime Boulevard.
A horse-drawn rail carriage line had been built around this main road, running in a loop from the Bastille to Madeleine Church. Even the poor could spend only a few centimes to take a carriage home after enjoying the nightlife.
When Napoleon was young, he could not afford somewhere as