"I heard you smoke too. Would you like one?" Cambacérès asked Georgiana.
She shook her head instinctively.
Cambacérès took out a silver cigar case and began smoking by himself.
"May I ask who said that 'not agreeing means refusing'?" Cambacérès asked.
"That wasn't what he said exactly," Georgiana said. "He used The Sorrows of Young Werther as an example: 'Even if Miss Lotte met a better match, she did not break off her original engagement. That differs from Roman Law's principle of choosing the better option to dissolve a contract.'"
"Then why did you interpret it that way?" Cambacérès asked.
"Based on French judicial principles, silence means refusal." She smiled. "This isn't courtship. In this case, silence speaks louder than words."
"Have you ever heard of implied confirmation?" Cambacérès said. "As long as someone voluntarily fulfills a debt of their own accord, it is equivalent to approving that debt."
"This is a sale, not a debt," Georgiana said.
"They can both be regarded as invalid contracts. In truth, refusing this sale would not cause us devastating losses. We merely lost in trade, Georgiana." Cambacérès took a puff of his cigar. "Do you remember the free port of Lisbon?"
She truly had forgotten about that.
"When the Treaty of Amiens was being signed, the terms changed from preserving Portugal's autonomy to preserving its territorial integrity. Britain would withdraw from Malta, and Malta would regain its autonomy. But Pete refused peace talks. Does he want to refuse again this time?" Cambacérès asked.
"The person speaking with me wasn't Pete," Georgiana said.
"Then do you think he was speaking for him?" Cambacérès asked.
Georgiana remained silent.
Cambacérès set his unfinished cigar on the tea table.
"At first, the Portuguese refused to let Britain lower the tariffs on our wine, believing it to be