The forest of Telferen, once the site of the hunting palace, was not only dense but full of game, including wolves. Yet whenever they saw humans on horseback, they ran far away.
People often assumed animals lacked intelligence, but they remembered the threat humans posed and did not approach easily.
Just as Georgiana was about to leave the castle, she encountered a bank clerk. He worked for Saihe, a major merchant from the Bordeaux region.
Saihe had once served as chairman of the Girondin Directory, yet unlike other Girondins such as Roland and Condorcet, he had not gone to the guillotine. He simply had not been elected to the National Convention again.
When Napoleon launched the Coup of 18 Brumaire, Saihe had chosen to support him. He had also joined this tour, though he spent most of his time socializing while subordinates handled matters such as accounting.
Lannes had been sent to Antwerp for embezzling Imperial Guard funds to decorate his new home. Bourrienne had similar problems and had been "exiled" to Sweden.
When Bourrienne had still been the First Consul's secretary, it had been easy for him to "borrow money." He only needed to cross a few exiles' names off the list. Some of them were people others did not want to see return, while others did not wish to come back by the stipulated final deadline. They could travel abroad rather than live in exile, and they could travel for as long as they wished. Once their journey ended, if they found their property occupied by others, they could recover it through legal proceedings. Exiles received a letter, much like a court summons, and had to respond.
With that money, Bourrienne invested in a Paris bank. Unfortunately, the bank had taken on several Army contracts, some involving Berthier.