Chapter Summaries

Georgiana attended a lavish gathering at Bouchet Castle before the story recounted the upheavals in the Austrian Netherlands and Belgium under Habsburg and French rule. At the banquet, Mrs. Borski’s dramatic change in appearance left Georgiana regretting that she had given her the potion undiluted.

• Maria Christina and the Duke of Teschen built Laeken Castle after succeeding Alexander as governors of the Austrian Netherlands.
• Georgiana and her companions arrived by little train at the renovated Bouchet Castle, where Brussels’s nobles and prominent figures attended a banquet.
• A young boy joked that he was checking whether British people had upper lips, amusing Georgiana and the other guests.
• Charles-Francisco Jacquemin formed the Belgian Legion during the Peasants’ War, while French forces pursued his guerrillas and Lupe later succeeded the fallen commissioner Malamé.
• Mrs. Borski appeared transformed and far younger, prompting Georgiana to regret giving her the potion without diluting it.

Georgiana organized Christmas singing and aid for children affected by war, then inspected plans to turn a village near Metz into an industrial district. On the carriage ride back, she reflected on conscription and dreamed of an orphan asking to take food home.

• Georgiana had the children sing “Silent Night,” gave them Golden Bees, and discussed buying Christmas gifts for orphanages and families left behind by the war.
• Georgiana asked Fargeon to provide perfume for the ladies, then inspected the map for the planned industrial district near Metz village.
• Georgiana asked whether displaced villagers would receive compensation and required the post office to hire villagers from Metz who wanted work.
• Georgiana left Bouchet Castle with Chaptal, Edgeworth, and the rest of the entourage.
• Georgiana dozed in the carriage and dreamed of a hungry Hogwarts boy asking to take food home to his younger siblings.

Georgiana toured the Brussels Exhibition and Trade Center, bought gifts, and ordered Russian amethyst brooches for the ladies attending a banquet at Bouchet Castle. She planned to send Tsar Alexander the Great a sugar bowl filled with French beet-sugar candies for Christmas.

• Henry Joseph Langhenhoven welcomed Georgiana’s convoy to the Brussels Exhibition and Trade Center, where vendors displayed beer and other goods.
• Georgiana bought clothes and gifts at the exhibition, and Padma and the girls followed her example.
• Georgiana admired the amethyst lotus jewelry and ordered matching brooches for the banquet guests, specifying that they be made from Russian amethysts.
• Georgiana told Chaptal to seek Russian amethysts if Belgium had too few, so the gifts could be ready before Christmas.
• Georgiana rejected porcelain as a gift for Tsar Alexander the Great and decided to send him a sugar bowl filled with French beet-sugar candies.

Georgiana reflected on her unhappiness despite Bonaparte’s gifts and recalled the childhood peppermint Severus had given her. She attended the Royal Opera House with Padma and Richard Edgeworth’s party, where they were to see The Magic Flute.

• Georgiana considered the amethyst ring Bonaparte had given her and remembered that Severus’s peppermint had mattered more to her than gemstones.
• Padma offered to leave with Georgiana if she was unhappy, and Georgiana teased her about Harry inviting Parvati instead of her.
• Georgiana and Padma rode by carriage to the Royal Opera House, where Padma’s dance partner helped her out.
• Richard Edgeworth offered Georgiana his hand as she stepped from the carriage, accompanied by Francis and Maria Edgeworth.
• Georgiana led the group into the opera house, where The Magic Flute was scheduled to be performed.

Georgiana attended a performance of The Magic Flute, then met Bonaparte privately during intermission as he prepared to leave Brussels. They parted after she urged him to write and reminded him they would meet again at Compiègne.

• Georgiana watched the opera with Padma, Charles, Alice, and Richard Edgeworth, noticing Alice's fixed gaze on Padma and Charles.
• Three sopranos took turns singing the Queen of the Night's aria, while Edgeworth identified Labouchère in Borski's box.
• During intermission, Georgiana used a private passage to reach a lounge, where the theater manager told her someone had requested a meeting.
• Constant ushered Georgiana into a room with Bonaparte, who said he was leaving Brussels that night to say goodbye.
• Georgiana teased Bonaparte about piercing his ear and warned him not to pursue maids, then asked him to write to her and reminded him of their planned rendezvous at Compiègne.
• Bonaparte embraced and kissed Georgiana before they parted.

At the opera, Georgiana considered military routes, fortifications, and Jean d'Arcet’s gelatin-making method while Henry-Achilles Mont hoped to meet Napoleon about his reinforced-concrete designs. As she watched the second act, she reflected on Albus, the loss of her magical objects, and an unpredictable future, leaving her exhausted.

• Jean d'Arcet attended in Leblanc’s place and discussed gelatin, while Georgiana considered the dangers facing the roads near Valenciennes and Mons.
• Georgiana learned more about Henry-Achilles Mont, a Belgian architect who designed reinforced-concrete exhibition buildings and wanted to meet Napoleon.
• Georgiana returned to the opera for the second act and watched the heroine encounter the birdcatcher and search the sinister castle.
• When the prince found the old man beside a glowing Solar System lamp, Georgiana thought of Albus and the life he had spent apart from his lover.
• Georgiana noticed that her amethyst ring, snowflake earrings, and summoning ring were gone, and she wondered what the future might bring before deciding she needed sleep.

During an intermission at a performance of The Magic Flute, Georgiana was summoned from the lounge and presented to the gathering, where she glimpsed Sirius before Edgeworth led her toward Henry Petty. The chapter left her approaching Petty while wondering how long Napoleon’s protection would last.

• The narration recounted the 1793 siege of Valenciennes, the destruction of Brussels Avenue by the Batavian Legion, and Custine’s eventual execution after military defeats.
• Onstage, the bird catcher and princess escaped their pursuers, but Sarastro returned, punished a servant, and sent the prince and bird catcher to the Temple of Trials.
• During intermission, Georgiana noticed that Edgeworth had received a note, then left the lounge with Fiegel when he told her they had to go.
• Georgiana entered the crowded hall, saw Sirius briefly, and reflected on her isolation and uncertain future.
• Edgeworth told Georgiana that Lord Petty was waiting, and she discreetly followed him toward Henry Petty.

Georgiana and Henry Petty questioned each other about Napoleon’s destination, Britain’s interest in Toussaint Louverture, and the Louisiana Purchase as rumors of war spread. Georgiana left Henry with a guarded account of her feelings for Napoleon and asked him not to misrepresent their relationship in future books.

• Henry Petty asked Georgiana where Napoleon had gone, and she said he might have gone to Maastricht after seeing it on his itinerary.
• Georgiana told Henry Petty that Napoleon wanted her to protect Toussaint Louverture’s wife, and Henry explained Toussaint’s plans to break free of French control.
• Georgiana revealed that the Americans had offered to support France in a coming war if Napoleon sold Louisiana, but Henry Petty was unsurprised.
• Henry Petty told Georgiana that Napoleon expected her to make him love her, and she wondered whether his love was genuine or a disguise.
• Georgiana asked Henry Petty not to portray Napoleon as either devoted to one woman or heartless and promiscuous, and she said she loved devoted men.

Georgiana heard Henry Petty explain that a volatile lord had vanished to join Barry and Best in an attempt to assassinate Napoleon, and learned that Saint Merry was spying for Josephine. Farris Spavin then warned her that the Regent planned to demolish Charing Cross Street, threatening the entrance to the Wizarding World.

• Henry Petty told Georgiana that a lord had disappeared with Barry and Best on a mission to assassinate Napoleon, and warned her to hand them over if they were found.
• Henry Petty revealed that Saint Merry was Josephine's spy and urged Georgiana not to trust him, while she rejected the suggestion that she report Bonaparte's movements.
• Farris Spavin entered the lounge and stunned Henry Petty before telling Georgiana that the Regent planned to level Charing Cross Street.
• Georgiana asked who wanted the street demolished, and Spavin blamed the Regent and ideas learned from Europe.

Spaven warned Georgiana that the Regent’s new avenue could threaten the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, while Henry Petty proposed a scheme for Napoleon to fund French farmers. Georgiana left the lounge reflecting on her ties to Bonaparte and Severus, then faced a man pleading with her to show mercy to the assassins’ corpses.

• Spaven told Georgiana that the Regent’s planned avenue could leave the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley out of place, then woke Henry Petty and left.
• Henry Petty suggested Napoleon gather money from favored supporters and lend it to farmers through Lyon’s banks.
• Georgiana rejected Henry Petty’s reasoning about controlling people through rewards and left the lounge when the bell rang.
• Georgiana reflected on the Corn Laws, the risks facing her allies, and whether she should leave Severus for Bonaparte.
• A middle-aged man begged Georgiana not to treat the assassins’ corpses as she had, and the Imperial Guard dragged him away as the remaining onlookers hurried out.

Georgiana learned that the assassins were likely Imperial Guard soldiers and decided to issue an order about their disposal despite the danger of facing Napoleon’s wrath. As Edgeworth brought the men to sign it, Albus explained how love and changing loyalties had broken his Blood Pact with Gellert.

• Edgeworth told Georgiana that the assassins’ tattoos did not match those of bandits and that they might have come from the Imperial Guard.
• Georgiana questioned how the men had ended up in Belgium, while Edgeworth argued that cremation was safest and warned that a Bow Street Runner had informed the military.
• Georgiana reflected on the dangers of relying on men and compared love, coercion, and indifference through stories of Merope, Ron, and the Princess from The Magic Flute.
• Albus told Georgiana that Aberforth’s changed intentions had caused the spells to converge and broken the Blood Pact between him and Gellert.
• Georgiana ordered Edgeworth to bring the men over to sign her order, accepting that she might have to face Napoleon’s wrath alone.

White Shavit's history as a Bow Street Runner and his role as a special commissioner framed the chapter's account of missing lantern boys and manipulated investigations. After watching the opera, Georgiana decided to leave early, and Padma went with her.

• White Shavit's past as a Bow Street Runner was recounted, including his dismissal after a lantern boy informant disappeared and his later appointment as a French special commissioner.
• The opera's prince passed his trials but mistook the real princess for another illusion and remained silent as she left.
• Georgiana watched Sarastro leave the stage, then reflected on whether John Fielding could hear in a noisy theater.
• Georgiana told Edgeworth that she wanted to return early, asked Padma to join her, and left the box with Padma.

Georgiana and Padma discussed criminal evidence and courtroom procedures on their journey back, then encountered a woman who claimed robbers had attacked her. Georgiana brought the woman to the castle so the police could investigate without disturbing possible evidence.

• Georgiana reflected on the history of evidence law, including Sirius Black’s conviction and Bentham’s principle of non-exclusion.
• Georgiana and Padma discussed Padma’s date with Charles and how poorly they got along.
• The carriage stopped when a ragged woman emerged from the forest and begged for help.
• Georgiana told the dragon riders to hand the woman over to the Brussels police, but the woman clung to Fiegel and refused to let go.
• Georgiana ordered the woman brought along to the castle, explaining that bathing her could destroy evidence and that the castle offered protection from robbers.

Georgiana checked the castle’s defenses while Bertin warned that the frightened woman might be manipulating them. After a disturbing dream about a Sphinx and Josephine’s former husband, Georgiana woke to learn that Mr. Langfen Horn and the police had arrived.

• Georgiana gave Margarita and Layla calming cocoa, then checked the castle’s defenses while Edgeworth and Fiegel dealt with the woman.
• Georgiana found Padma and Bertin studying tea leaves, and both cups showed a wolf.
• Bertin warned Georgiana that the woman might be using a calculated story to gain access, citing Jeanne’s role in the Diamond Necklace Affair.
• Georgiana lay down in Padma’s room and dreamed of a Sphinx asking about Josephine’s former husband while someone pounded on a door.
• Georgiana woke in her own bedroom when a servant announced that Mr. Langfen Horn had arrived with the police.

Georgiana met Councilman Langenhoven, who presented a plan to repair Brussels Avenue and promote beet sugar factories in exchange for agricultural tariffs and the return of judicial authority to Belgium. Their discussion left Georgiana needing time to consider his conditions, while Henry reflected on Langenhoven’s brother.

• Georgiana changed into androgynous clothes and met Langenhoven at her home.
• Langenhoven proposed using postal fees to repair Brussels Avenue and raising pigs with beet pulp from sugar factories.
• Langenhoven argued that Belgium needed tariffs against Dutch meat imports to protect its farmers and prevent conditions like those in Saint Giles Parish.
• Langenhoven asked Georgiana not to treat Belgium as a colony and to return judicial authority to it, citing the document she had signed.
• Georgiana said she needed time to think about Langenhoven’s conditions, and Henry regretted taking his brother to gatherings where he took mysticism seriously.

Georgiana recalled her past choices and the danger of crossing boundaries, then abandoned her plan to ride out at night and wandered through the castle instead. Madame de La Rochefoucauld suggested the garden maze as a place to go.

• Langenhoven explained that Joannes and his family had studied medicine to address a hereditary illness, and Georgiana agreed to let the distressed woman stay until morning.
• Georgiana sent Madame de La Rochefoucauld to arrange for someone to watch the woman, then returned to her room.
• Georgiana reflected on Bentham’s ideas about pleasure and pain and remembered her attraction to someone who had betrayed her trust.
• Georgiana turned back from the stables, where she had intended to take a night ride, and wandered around the castle.
• Madame de La Rochefoucauld pointed out a garden maze outside, and Georgiana stopped to look at it.

Georgiana visited a military hospital and met White Shavit, a former Bow Street officer, hoping to learn why John Fielding had entrusted him with protecting a key witness. White agreed to tell her his story after she revealed what she called Bonaparte in private, then began recounting a grim case involving a man who hanged himself in prison.

• Georgiana attended a modest parade in Brussels and visited a military hospital prepared for the wounded of a coming war.
• A Belgian policeman brought White Shavit to meet Georgiana.
• Georgiana asked White about his background and his connection to John Fielding's key witness.
• White demanded to know what Georgiana called Bonaparte in private before he would explain his story.
• White began telling Georgiana about a man sentenced to three months in prison for stealing beef who later hanged himself.

Georgiana questioned White about the boy who had witnessed something and learned that he had died after falling into the water while White was away. After leaving White, she thought about Stanley’s dark glasses.

• White described prison torture and reform, including the treadmill, Bentham’s Panopticon, and the case of Edward Andrews.
• White connected judicial reform to Bonaparte’s efforts to keep the Rhine princes in line as conflict with Prussia loomed.
• Georgiana asked White about a child who had become a tainted witness, and White challenged her to ask France’s intelligence department.
• Georgiana told White she called the child Leon, and White whispered a secret in return.
• Georgiana asked how the boy died, and White said he had slipped into the water while White was away buying something.
• Georgiana left White and wondered whether Stanley had another pair of his dark glasses.

Georgiana considered how systems of surveillance and public anger could be manipulated, then questioned a document claiming Napoleon Bonaparte had punished corrupt tax officials in Valenciennes. She suspected Napoleon was not there, but concluded the confiscated funds could still pay for road repairs as the carriage continued through the mud.

• Georgiana shut the carriage door against the reporters and reflected on panopticons, witch trials, and the dangers of unchecked authority.
• Georgiana compared Grindelwald's Paris speech with his weaker performance at the Wizarding Confederation inauguration and considered how he had given discontented people a cause.
• Richard Edgeworth told Georgiana that Napoleon Bonaparte had exposed tax fraud in Valenciennes and handed her a ruling directing confiscated funds to public works.
• Georgiana read the ruling, doubted Napoleon had been in Valenciennes, and told Edgeworth that road repairs would still have funding.
• Georgiana asked Edgeworth whether the Irish had ever built a prison as the carriage rolled onward through the mud.

Georgiana considered the need for a new prison in Brussels after hearing about typhus deaths and overcrowding at Vilvoorde, while weighing its funding and the city’s defenses. She left the prison proposal for the people of Brussels or parliament to discuss and arrived at the Imperial Academy of Arts and Sciences.

• Simon Bernard delivered Napoleon’s letter, then headed for Vilvoorde, where the railway from Mechelen had its station.
• Georgiana regretted asking Edgeworth to have the Irish build prisons, but Edgeworth argued that typhus and overcrowding made a larger, better-ventilated prison necessary.
• Georgiana considered diverting Bonaparte’s 200,000 Francs to build a prison, but decided to leave the choice to Brussels’s people or parliament.
• Georgiana and Edgeworth discussed Napoleon’s possible movements and the challenges of defending Belgium against his style of warfare.
• Georgiana arrived at the Imperial Academy of Arts and Sciences and told Edgeworth to explain their discussion to Lupe.