Chapter Summaries

Georgiana reflected on political reforms, love, and the burdens she and Bonaparte carried as their relationship became a form of concealment. After Sieyès left, she admired her ceremonial sword and prepared to leave.

• Georgiana considered natural borders for Anglo-America and the history of constitutional oversight and ministerial responsibility.
• Georgiana reflected on hardship in France, Napoleon's wish to resign, and the limits of power and attachment.
• Georgiana recalled her past ideas about romance and her feelings for a half-blood Veela, while questioning the sacrifices love demanded.
• Georgiana thought about her uncertain future with Bonaparte and admired the ceremonial sword set with half of the Regent Diamond.
• Margarita told Georgiana the carriage was ready, and Georgiana sheathed the sword and concealed it beneath her cloak.

Georgiana visited Fargeon’s workshop and bought the Montgolfier brothers’ scented paper, then went to the British Embassy to carry out a carefully rehearsed task. She hesitated outside the consulate but entered after Matilda reported that the ambassador wished to see her.

• Georgiana found Fargeon’s apprentices, Michelle Montgolfier and Joseph, making scented paper and ordered all of their stock sent to the Jardin des Plantes.
• Georgiana asked Julian whether Talleyrand’s use of insider information to trade securities counted as corruption, and Julian argued that punishment depended on whether Talleyrand had acted against the state’s interests.
• Georgiana reflected on extradition and guarantees while waiting outside the consulate with Julian.
• Matilda entered the consulate, then returned to tell Georgiana that the ambassador wished to see her.
• Julian urged Georgiana to go in, and she entered the consulate with Matilda.

Georgiana met Sir Merry, who recounted how Portuguese authorities seized Dutch sailors in Macau and urged her to judge the competing claims about the spice trade for herself. As Captain Nightingale escorted her away, she asked Julian Ouvrard for writing materials so she could record what she had learned.

• Georgiana told Sir Merry she had little time, and he described Jacob van Neck’s voyage to Macau and the disappearance of twenty-one sailors who went ashore.
• Sir Merry explained that Portuguese authorities had captured the sailors, executed seventeen, and intended to send four skilled survivors to Goa.
• Georgiana asked whether Sir Merry would accept the proposed terms, and he questioned her ties to the Earl while discussing Dutch efforts to monopolize nutmeg.
• Sir Merry urged Georgiana to investigate the spice trade herself and said British ships had not brought the man back from Cayenne.
• Captain Nightingale escorted Georgiana out, and she asked Julian Ouvrard for pen and paper as the carriage began moving.

Georgiana stood outside Saint-Sulpice Church with Julian Ouvrard, thinking about Paris, politics, and the freedom to choose one’s own happiness. She left Julian to greet Catherina and make plans for an outing.

• Georgiana looked up at the Sharp system on Saint-Sulpice Church and reflected on the French East India Company, spice-trading voyages, and European politics.
• Georgiana took Julian Ouvrard’s fountain pen and asked why there was no fountain in the square, imagining it as a new starting point for Paris.
• Georgiana asked Julian whether they were going to Rome, and he told her they could go if she wanted.
• Catherina called to Georgiana from a carriage, and Georgiana waved back at her.
• Georgiana told Julian that someone had demanded she be given a handsome husband, then embraced Catherina and began making plans with her.

Georgiana bought a magical onyx cup at a charity bazaar and took it to the library, where Julian Ouvrard confronted her about the handsome man he thought she was pursuing. She told him the man was the Earl of Aberdeen and reaffirmed that she wanted a monogamous family life but would not marry again.

• Georgiana and Catherina attended a charity bazaar and found an onyx cup engraved with Anubis and constellations.
• Georgiana asked Catherina to buy the cup, then took it to the library and sensed its rhythmic magic.
• Julian Ouvrard confronted Georgiana, jealous over the handsome man he believed she was going to marry.
• Georgiana told Julian that the man was the Earl of Aberdeen and that he had Josephine, his Clove Crown.
• Georgiana said she still yearned for a monogamous family life but would not marry a third time, then left shouting “Murder!”

Georgiana researched sea routes and hazards for her journey, then wrote a letter to Bonaparte and entrusted it to Aligi. She continued choosing books for the voyage and thought about how Polina might get along with Catherina.

• Georgiana studied a Caribbean chart and gathered books about possible routes out through the Florida Strait and Caribbean passages.
• Aligi introduced himself as Napoleon’s cousin and said he would escort Georgiana and Pauline; he explained that a bullet meant for Napoleon had left a scar on his neck.
• Georgiana asked Fargeon what he had told the First Consul, learned he had delivered her letter and mentioned the rose from the Sèvres house, and realized why Bonaparte had gone to Matilda’s salon.
• Georgiana wrote Bonaparte a letter explaining her earlier reply, added a warning about a sea monster near the Bahamas, and decorated and sealed the paper.
• Georgiana asked Aligi to deliver the letter to his cousin, then sorted books for the journey and wondered whether Polina and Catherina would get along.

Georgiana read about Trinidad and Tobago’s colonial history, from its neglected Spanish rule to the arrival of French and British settlers. Her reading was interrupted when Cambacérès arrived to ask her about the Louisiana Purchase, leaving them beginning a private conversation.

• Georgiana read an account of Trinidad and Tobago’s Indigenous peoples, Spanish rule, and the island’s long history of smuggling and neglect.
• The account described Trinidad’s cacao economy, Saint-Laurent’s proposal to attract French settlers, and the growing land disputes between British and French arrivals.
• In 1796, Governor Chacón prevented British and French forces from clashing in Port of Spain, but enslaved residents later displayed tricolor flags and were suppressed.
• Matilda told Georgiana that Second Consul Cambacérès had arrived, and he was led to Georgiana’s study.
• Cambacérès told Georgiana that he wanted to ask her about the Louisiana Purchase, and she asked Matilda to prepare coffee.

Georgiana, Cambacérès, and Julian debated whether France should sell or lease the territory east of the Missouri River to the Americans. Cambacérès left Georgiana with a French Republic pass and financial support arranged, while the proposed deal remained unresolved.

• Cambacérès explained that France could absorb its trade losses and asked whether Georgiana thought the sale should be changed into a lease.
• Georgiana, Cambacérès, and Julian discussed the risks of leasing the land and whether American settlers would respect legal ownership.
• Julian said the men would study Georgiana’s proposal and report back after Joseph departed once the ice melted.
• Cambacérès gave Georgiana a pass bearing the French Republic’s seal and told her to contact her private accountant for expenses.
• Julian reminded Georgiana that Augustine was her accountant and assured her that Napoleon would protect her and Polina.
• Georgiana returned to the library with Julian to continue reviewing the contract.

Georgiana reflected on romance, loss, and the political and financial complications of trade while Julian Ouvrard offered her a cigarette. She rejected the illusion of his affection, dismissed him, and ended the chapter alone and calm in the study.

• Georgiana accepted a cigarette from Julian Ouvrard and blew smoke in his face as he watched her with a lovestruck smile.
• Georgiana considered Julian’s feelings and decided not to disturb his romantic fantasy because she could not return his love and he was not eager to marry.
• Georgiana weighed the difficulties of free ports, smuggling, and financing the purchase of Louisiana, including the complications of using tobacco as collateral.
• Georgiana tore the garnet beads from her neck and told Julian she wanted a new necklace because red and green looked terrible together.
• Julian left the study, and Georgiana reflected on Danton’s grief for Gabriel before looking out at the blue sky, tranquil and alone.

Georgiana chose jewelry and asked Nidor to find the person who knew about a mysterious blue-violet stone. When she visited a mansion in the Marais District, the First Consul asked whether she liked it and invited her to dance, leaving her to follow him upstairs.

• Georgiana changed her gemstone choice to yellow-green tourmaline, then asked Nidor to bring the person who had identified a blue-violet stone as zoisite.
• Aligi and Bougainville told Georgiana that the anti-smuggling bureau and navy would clear smuggling dens in Dieppe, but she gave Bougainville surveying and charting tasks and asked him to escort her to Italy.
• Georgiana went with Aligi, Bougainville, and Julian Ouvrard to inspect the former hotel in the Marais District.
• The First Consul appeared on the mansion’s second floor and asked Georgiana whether she liked the house; she said she did, and he invited her to dance.
• Georgiana told him she had taken the Black Swan Necklace to be repaired, and he said he did not mind before leading her upstairs.

Georgiana and Bonaparte discussed Louisiana, Italy, and her plans for Paris while she warned him about the dangers of endless war. The chapter ended with Georgiana singing to him and promising to visit their family’s mulberry grove in Corsica.

• Bonaparte told Georgiana he would neither invest in nor lease Louisiana, and that he would not withdraw troops from Naples unless Britain left Malta.
• Georgiana asked to move the Greenwich meridian to Paris and build a Four-Point Fountain, and Bonaparte said he had already sent Bougainville to work on it.
• Georgiana recited Achilles’ complaint about the unequal rewards of war and warned Bonaparte about his fatal weakness.
• Georgiana asked whether Bonaparte would destroy Italy if she or Polina died, and he said he did not want her to leave or smile at anyone else.
• Bonaparte asked Georgiana to sing, and she sang a Mediterranean tune before promising to see their family’s mulberry grove in Corsica.

Georgiana considered how to shape her new residence and named it Vulcan, then heard reports of Murat’s spending and political remarks in Italy. The chapter left her preparing to discuss the situation further while asking for a dining room to be arranged.

• Georgiana watched Chevigny dance and reflected on the need to hire an architect to make the former hotel feel like a home.
• Georgiana rejected the proposed name Hunting Palace and chose Vulcan for the new residence, explaining that it honored the god of making things.
• Bonaparte kissed Georgiana and left, after which she asked Arrighi and the others what was happening in Italy.
• Arrighi explained that Murat had angered Melzi through extravagant spending, demands for respect, and remarks suggesting Piedmont should be annexed by France.
• Georgiana recalled that Tuscany had been exchanged with Spain for Louisiana, and Julian urged her to sit down.
• Georgiana asked Chevigny’s husband to arrange a dining room so they could continue their discussion around a table.

Georgiana oversaw plans for her new residence while reflecting on her precarious position, Napoleon’s power, and the political tensions surrounding France and Britain. She ended alone in the hotel, wondering why the knight who had taken the Vanishing Cabinet to London had not returned, though she admitted his absence might be for the best.

• Cherellier presented prepared design drawings after Georgiana decided to redecorate her residence at Burgundy Castle.
• Murat and Caroline congratulated Louis and Hortense on their marriage, and Napoleon objected to their plan to hold a religious ceremony at Bonaparte’s former residence.
• Aligi and Napoleon’s aides found Saint-Eustache Church intact enough to repair for Hortense and Louis’s religious wedding.
• Georgiana chose medieval armor for Vulcan Palace’s decoration and then left the renovations to others.
• Georgiana considered Napoleon’s eventual fall, British and French political affairs, and her uncertain future.
• Georgiana looked out at the courtyard statue, crushed a cigarette beneath her foot, and wondered about the absent knight who had taken the Vanishing Cabinet to London.

Georgiana considered how different tables represented hierarchy and unity, then discussed moderation and justice with Julian. Their conversation turned to Bonaparte’s views on war and the declining morale at Gibraltar before Georgiana left to meet Percier and Fontaine.

• Georgiana had a round table and a long table placed on the dance floor, explaining that she would use the long table during war and the round table in peacetime.
• Georgiana urged Julian to dilute his wine, using Saint Louis and the symbolism of moderation as her argument.
• Aligi arrived and invited Georgiana and Julian to afternoon tea, but Julian questioned him about Bonaparte’s intentions and the danger of anarchy.
• Bougainville described Governor Charles Omaha’s military history and the low morale of the Gibraltar garrison, while Aligi said he understood Bonaparte’s meaning.
• Matilda told Georgiana that Percier and Fontaine had arrived, and Georgiana instructed Aligi to have afternoon tea brought to the dance floor before leaving to meet the designers.

Georgiana chose designs for Vulcan Palace and received a key to the Bonapartes’ old house in Ajaccio from Joseph, who also asked her to recommend someone to accompany him to America. After reading Talleyrand’s warning about Napoleon’s anger and Georgiana’s haste, she left with Joseph to visit Pauline immediately.

• Georgiana reviewed designs with Percier and Fontaine, selected a study and a concert pavilion, and asked them to keep her private quarters simple.
• Joseph gave Georgiana the key to the Bonapartes’ old house in Ajaccio and told her Pauline had remained at home since Leclerc’s death.
• Joseph asked Georgiana to recommend someone to accompany Ledrell on his trip to America.
• Georgiana read Talleyrand’s letter, which warned her not to rush important matters or send Napoleon’s will.
• Georgiana asked whether Dermide was still with Letizia, then arranged a carriage and left with Joseph to see Pauline.

Georgiana visited the grieving Pauline and found Dermide healthy, then agreed to take Madame Mishlov with her on the trip to Italy. The chapter ended with Georgiana taking Dermide out to play and wondering whether there was a nearby park.

• Georgiana visited Pauline and was relieved to see that Dermide was healthy.
• Pauline invited Georgiana and Joseph to dinner, then complained about Caroline's luxurious life.
• Madame Mishlov asked Georgiana to take her along to Italy, and Georgiana agreed.
• Georgiana decided she might get Pauline a carriage for the journey after they landed at Pisa.
• Georgiana took Dermide out to play and wondered whether there was a park nearby.

Georgiana took Dermide to the Élysée Palace gardens, where Granville Sharp rescued her from a Cruciatus Curse and assured her she was not alone in the fight against slavery. Bougainville then summoned her to Napoleon, and Dermide made her promise to return before she left.

• Georgiana took Dermide to the gardens to escape the curious stares at Sharos Mansion, but the guarded grounds offered him little to play with.
• Georgiana collapsed after Peter Pettigrew's Cruciatus Curse struck her, and Granville Sharp revived her with smelling salts.
• Sharp introduced himself as head of the Sierra Leone Trading Company and told Georgiana she was not alone in opposing slavery.
• Georgiana told Dermide not to call her mother in front of Polina and said Leclerc would always be his father.
• Bougainville told Georgiana that Napoleon summoned her, and she left Dermide with the guards after he asked her to promise she would return.

Georgiana confronted Bonaparte over his suspicions and his plans to restore slavery, then left to seek Joseph Fouché. She and Bougainville headed toward the Louvre Museum after he said he had just seen him.

• Bougainville told Georgiana that Spain might try to retake Gibraltar and discussed Charles Bennett’s appointment as its new governor.
• Bonaparte demanded to know what Georgiana had told Julian Ouvrard, and she explained their conversation about wine and Saint Louis.
• Georgiana refused to preside over Vulcan and told Bonaparte she would not live with a slave owner.
• Bonaparte agreed to her objections, promised Chasseurs would protect her, and said the Mamluks believed he would send them back to Egypt.
• Georgiana left the meeting, asked Bougainville to take her to Joseph Fouché, and followed him toward the Louvre Museum.

The chapter traced Charles Bennet’s career from South Africa to Gibraltar and described the British naval mutinies of 1797. Georgiana then questioned why colonial governors were competing for Gibraltar and searched Paris for Joseph Fouché, who had disappeared.

• Charles Bennet served as governor of South Africa, where the Cape settlement expanded through farming and the pursuit of livestock and meat.
• Charles Bennet returned to London in 1794, later governed Gibraltar, and introduced 169 regulations there.
• The Nore Mutiny ended after Parliament passed the Mutiny Act, with twenty-nine representatives hanged and other participants punished or pardoned.
• After the Treaty of Amiens, Charles Bennet did not want to return to South Africa, while Georgiana wondered why two colonial governors wanted Gibraltar.
• Georgiana wrote to Bonaparte about the sea monster Lucas and searched with Bougainville for Joseph Fouché, who had vanished from the Tuileries Garden.

Georgiana visited the Louvre with Bougainville and reconsidered her plan to restrain Fouché, realizing that Napoleon’s growing power was the greater danger. After seeing a painting and a copy of Les Misérables, she refused to visit Fouché’s house and headed back.

• Georgiana and Bougainville walked through the Louvre as she recalled Richelieu’s handling of the Venetian diplomatic crisis and the limits France had faced under Louis XIII.
• Georgiana remembered a letter linking De La Porte and Talleyrand to plans to distribute ministerial posts, and concluded that Fouché’s presence near the Tuileries suggested he would return to power.
• Georgiana considered placing restraints on Fouché because of the secret police’s surveillance, but decided that Napoleon, not the chief of police, was the one who needed to be stopped.
• Georgiana noticed A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte and a copy of Les Misérables, then rejected Bougainville’s suggestion to visit Fouché’s house and turned back.