Although no curfew had been imposed, after dark Milan's streets were already empty. There were not even streetlamps here; the streets lay in complete darkness.
Milan did in fact have a proper ambassador to Paris, Marescalchi, but he mainly handled commerce and economics. His deputy did not specialize in law or politics either; apparently, he was good at golf.
The bells of Milan Cathedral rang in the distance. The last time the South-of-the-Mountains Republic had been founded, Talleyrand had not gone about everywhere leaning on his cane. It was said that Milan's archbishop, Filippo Maria Visconti, had died of illness, so Talleyrand had gone to preside over the archbishop's funeral.
French bishops were appointed and paid by France. Italy had not yet signed a similar agreement, and besides, Catholicism in France was merely the religion of the majority, quite different from the situation in Italy.
The appointment of Milan's bishop would become a troublesome matter in the future, but it was not the most urgent issue at present. For now, neither the Church nor the old nobility such as the Viscontis had intervened. Only the "Patriots" were taking action.
Georgiana dug out the files in the carriage. The dancer Teresa Fogliati had been born into the upper ranks of the Habsburg bureaucracy. Her brothers were tax lawyers and government advisers, while her father had served as a tax official in Parma, Pavia, and Milan. From adolescence onward, she had displayed considerable talent for performance and dance. Besides her extraordinary beauty, she was also very young. Her husband, Angiolini, was a dancer and choreographer, the creator of pantomime ballet. After marrying him, she had toured European courts continuously, and later her husband became Vienna's court dance master.
She was a true "intermediary." So long as she was given expensive gifts—pure gold