Georgiana opened a map of Paris and searched it until she found the so-called "Grande Jatte Island."
The place lay beyond the Wall of the Farmers-General, truly in the "suburbs." On the right bank of the Seine was the Bois de Boulogne, and within the forest she found Bagatelle Castle.
She asked the staff at the Seine Department administration about the castle. It had been built before the French Revolution as the result of a wager between Marie Antoinette and the Count of Artois. The entire castle had taken sixty-four days to build. Though famous for its small, exquisite design, that was still remarkably fast.
For French peasants, the corvée system was a calamity no less severe than natural disasters or war. When Louis XIV built Versailles, he conscripted labor without regard for busy or slack farming seasons. Every peasant had to work without pay for ten to thirty days each year, bringing their own animals, carts, and tools. Even if the worksite was close to home, laborers were forbidden from returning home on their own.
Georgiana sent someone to inspect the damage there, then took out other maps and had them piece together the entire Seine river system across the large table.
The Sharp system from Lille to Paris had been built along the main roads, while hydrological stations could be built along the banks of the Seine. In ordinary times, they could monitor water conditions; during special circumstances, they could transmit intelligence.
They did not need to be large. A mill would be enough, and nearby residents could be recruited as observers.
Besides building Versailles, Louis XIV had also loved building roads. They were indeed convenient, not to mention that they were part of Vauban's defensive line.
Behind her stood a porcelain clock, probably made in Limoges. A