Chapter 3513: Green Hills (I)
David's painting Napoleon Crossing the Alps also featured a horse. It was an Arabian horse Napoleon had bought in Egypt. It originally had an Arabic name that roughly meant "Dust Storm," but that name was far too common for a horse, like "Thunder" or "Star Chaser." This gray Arabian horse had not stood out much in Napoleon's stables. David had chosen it because it was Napoleon's mount during the Battle of Marengo, and it was later renamed "Marengo."
David's painting had, in truth, glorified Bonaparte too much, to the point that the man in it hardly resembled the real one.
Horse riding was a basic skill for aristocrats, even for young noblewomen raised according to proper etiquette. At this time, most of them still rode side-saddle in women's clothes, but Georgiana changed into men's attire and rode astride as they headed together to a fishing town by Lake Como.
There were indeed plenty of fresh fish early in the morning. Georgiana bought some at the market, then picked up a bouquet of roses at the town flower market. The other two bought a few things as well. Everyone liked people who were elegant and polite. Once they had finished shopping, they rode back to the villa.
Riding for a long time was actually very taxing and not much easier than walking, but it allowed them to travel much farther. They returned to Villa Melzi only slightly after lunchtime.
By then, General Ney had decided to return to France the next day. He gave Georgiana a "note" bearing his signature and seal. With it, she could seek out Devri, the current president of the Swiss Republic. He too had come from Louis XVI's Swiss Guard. He advocated moving Switzerland's capital from Bern to Fribourg and could