Georgiana asked Garrod, the steward, whether she could have a patch of land in the palace gardens. She planned to grow some sugar beets and raise a sheep or two.
He said nervously that he would need to ask for permission. Before long, he returned. There was a castle estate across the river, formerly owned by an Austrian councillor and now occupied by people from France. There was plenty of room there for her sheep and sugar beets.
In truth, Georgiana did not want to ruin such a beautiful garden. It was obvious the gardeners had poured considerable effort into tending it.
Then she put on men's clothes and went off to "pioneer" the land.
The witch's robes she had worn at Hogwarts had ended up covered in mud. As people who had been to Egypt put it, if the sight of the muddy Nile River was not discouraging enough, then seeing women wading through that mud, looking even filthier than you, would leave you with no other thoughts at all.
The clothes she had brought with her were all expensive, and who wore an evening gown to work the fields?
So she took a spade and left the palace on foot, walking to the castle estate across the river.
There was a farmers' market diagonally opposite the palace, right beside the river. At the docks, quite a few people were loading and unloading vegetables, meat, and fish. Vegetable sellers, housewives buying groceries, officials, and boatmen alike stared at her in stunned silence.
Though she had entered the city discreetly yesterday, it seemed they recognized her?
In any case, she arrived at the castle estate opposite without obstruction. Just as Garrod had said, it was vast, with many lawns and trees. She found an open patch not far from the