An Arabic proverb went like this: If there was a paradise on earth, Damascus must be part of it; if paradise was in the heavens, Damascus must stand as high as it.
While visiting the church where Saint Louis had held his wedding, the bishop brought out the vestments once worn by the pope when he had been stationed there. It was a magnificent robe made of Damascus brocade, and seeing it reminded Georgiana of that proverb.
The church had not suffered much damage during the French Revolution. When rioters had tried to rush in and loot it, the townspeople stopped them, and the vestment had thus escaped destruction. Other churches had not been so fortunate. The glass windows of one Gothic church had all been smashed.
Though Georgiana did not have an enormous personal allowance, she could dispose of the income from the Sèvres Porcelain Factory. In the interest of restoring cultural landmarks, she allocated funds to Sens and included the budget for rebuilding Alfort Veterinary Hospital. After a brief stop, they set out again for Troyes.
She had stayed up late the night before. Though sleep was not necessary for her, she still felt exhausted. The ancient Roman road remained level even after so many years, and she quickly fell asleep on the sofa.
"Why were you so polite to that man?" Polina suddenly asked just as Georgiana was about to drift off.
Georgiana knew nothing about military matters, but since Caesar valued that place so highly, if Napoleon ever lost, it might become a line of defense protecting Paris.
Georgiana thought.
Troyes was the place that truly lay on the Seine, and at Montereau-Fault-Yonne, the Seine joined the two rivers that met at Sens.
"Tributaries cannot be ignored either. Floods can come from anywhere," Georgiana told Polina.