Rouen had once been the second-largest city in medieval France, and its prosperity and splendor did not pale in comparison to Paris.
Georgiana sat in the carriage, watching the scenery beyond the window. With Halloween approaching, the streets were full of "wizards," and perhaps real wizards were mixed in among them.
The tragic grandeur of Joan of Arc's execution could no longer be felt here. There was only a cloying sweetness in the air—the scent of desserts and crêpes.
Beneath the colorful medieval timber-framed buildings stood shops of every kind, with goods from all over the world gathered here.
The wheels rolled over the cobbled pavement with a faint tremor, reminding her of Marie Antoinette. Back then, David had sat in the prison cart carrying her away and painted her final portrait.
One evening, Duke Armand Louis de Gontaut of Lauzun attended a social function wearing a hat adorned with an egret feather. Marie Antoinette praised the feather on the duke's hat, and a lady immediately conveyed the queen's approval to him. The next day, that feather was placed on Marie Antoinette's table.
She was deeply embarrassed, yet worried about putting the duke in an awkward position. So Mary accepted the feather, but wore it only once and never wore it again. Yet this small matter became a rumor that spread throughout Paris: Marie Antoinette had accepted a gift from her lover.
Thus, "egret feather" became a term of mockery and appeared openly in poetry, while the Duke of Lauzun followed Lafayette to America.
After the American Revolutionary War ended, he returned to France and took part in the French Revolution. He was, in a sense, Marie Antoinette's mortal enemy, and did not join Lafayette's constitutional monarchist faction. Later, he became embroiled in factional संघर्ष and ultimately died on the