Because of the appointment system, only visitors who had received invitations or made appointments could enter the Tuileries Palace at their scheduled times. That was why there was a registration office, and why Madame Duchâtel had worked there.
Now that she was gone, someone new had to take her place. Georgiana had Layla and one of Bertin's seamstresses handle it for the time being, intending to find a permanent replacement later.
As soon as day broke, Georgiana and Bertin began altering her clothes, which lacked any sense of fashion, much as Marie Antoinette and Bertin had once done. The difference was that Georgiana disliked Rococo. It was understandable for young girls to wear Rococo styles, but for a woman in her fifties to wear such dresses was simply a nightmare, even if she looked only twenty-something.
What Richard Edgeworth had said the previous night reminded her that she and Edgeworth were the same age.
She liked well-tailored coats and wanted neither lace trim nor ribbons. Bertin altered them according to her requests. This time, she had plenty of time, since Napoleon was recuperating and would remain in Ostend for at least a week.
Bertin also lived in the Hall of Victory. While they tried on clothes in the small sitting room, the other officials from France watched from the side. They flattered them attentively, yet none suggested having Bertin design clothes for the women in their families.
The morning passed quickly. At noon, after visiting Napoleoni, who still had a stomachache and could not eat, she went to Grégoire in the afternoon for a French lesson. It was really much like Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley's English lessons: they simply chatted, and Grégoire occasionally corrected her accent.
Belgium had long suffered from language disputes. It was mainly home to two