The party was held in the gardens of Cicognara's estate, but the main attraction was indoors. Benjamin Franklin had invented a glass armonica, supposedly inspired by wine glasses at a party. Unlike other instruments, the glass armonica did not need to be struck. The player sat beside it as if at a piano, worked a foot pedal to make it rotate, then touched the rims of the glass bowls with wet fingers to produce sound.
After hearing it, Paganini praised it. "This is the sound of heaven."
For a violinist skilled at playing The Devil's Trill, that was praise indeed.
Besides Cicognara's friends from the art world, Aurelio, the Milan socialite Georgiana had only heard about that morning, had also come. He had brought several friends of his own, and the party was so lively that no one would have guessed Cicognara was still under house arrest.
Some said curiosity was the force that drove humanity forward.
But Georgiana felt far too many curious eyes watching her.
The whispers carried on the wind disturbed her soul, though she herself had once enjoyed "chatting" with people.
When everyone was talking about someone, would she seem unsociable if she did not join in?
Even though she had no interest in anyone's private life.
"Are you cold?"
Georgiana looked up and found Cicognara before her. He truly did not seem like the man the rumors described.
In fact, she was also curious why he had married such a woman.
But she restrained her curiosity and smiled at him.
"I'm not cold. Thank you for asking."
"But you do not seem to enjoy this party, at least not as much as Madame Murat." Cicognara looked at Caroline in the distance. Her loose gown concealed her figure as she moved through the gathering like a