After Bessières escorted Georgiana and Polina to Lausanne and handed them over to the Chasseurs waiting there, he returned. Captain Delait of the Chasseurs was now responsible for their safety.
They were not staying in the city, but on a small hill outside Lausanne, where there was an estate belonging to Archduke Carl—or rather, a barracks. It was surrounded by forest, with only one road in and out, and a watchtower within the grounds.
From a certain perspective, it was the best place to admire the Alps, but the girls all agreed that staying by the lake would have been far more pleasant.
There was an artificial lake on the estate. Strategically speaking, it meant they would not have to worry about drinking water if they were ever besieged.
"How long are we staying here?" Polina asked Georgiana. From her expression, she did not want to remain even one extra day.
"Until the snow on the roads melts, I suppose," Georgiana said uncertainly.
"And when will that be?" Polina demanded at once.
"I do not think we need wait, ladies," Captain Delait said with a smile. "We can take the trade route."
"Where is it?" Georgiana immediately asked.
Delait had a Chasseur fetch a map, then spread it out and explained it to the ladies.
Geneva and Lausanne both lay beside a crescent-shaped lake. At the other end of that "crescent" stood the passes of the old trade routes. Cities such as Zurich and Basel had become so prosperous precisely because they lay along those routes.
Travel south along the Rhône River valley to Martigny, then go around a mountain to reach Bovernier. It had been extremely prosperous during the Middle Ages. Even after the Champagne Fairs declined, it remained famous for its dairy products.
Further east lay Sembrancher. The