Chapter Summaries

Georgiana reflected on fate, power, and the choices that had separated her from Lily and Snape while discussing Italian salons, art, and politics with Polina and Caroline. She decided to summon Bougainville and left open whether she would travel from Marseille to Corsica to inspect her family’s mulberry grove.

• Polina tasted Georgiana’s vermouth and rejected the idea of attending a literary salon.
• Georgiana recalled Denon’s connections in Venice, Cicognara’s plans for a sculpture competition, and Ney’s role in Switzerland.
• Georgiana considered how rulers and fate shaped people’s lives, and accepted that she had chosen a future apart from Lily and Snape.
• Georgiana ordered Polina to fetch Bougainville so she could ask him something.
• Georgiana considered studying mulberry cultivation in Piedmont and wondered whether she could travel to Corsica from Marseille.

Georgiana considered political and financial concerns while living in Murat’s home, then drank wine and confided in Polina about her frustrations. Bougainville arrived with news that Americans had discovered what appeared to be a real gold mine.

• Georgiana weighed plans for French roads and funding, including tolls, wine taxes, and the use of grape pomace for paint.
• Georgiana drank several glasses of wine and told Polina that she felt unlucky because she could never get what she wanted.
• Polina reassured Georgiana that Napoleon had not abandoned her and would return.
• Bougainville arrived dressed as an adventurer and told Georgiana that Americans had discovered a gold mine.

Bougainville considered the gold discovery and the political and military tensions shaping relations between France and Britain. Georgiana decided to send Eugene another letter by navy, while reflections on courage, suffering, and human limits continued.

• Conrad Reed's family discovered that the nugget he had found was gold and began mining near the creek.
• Bougainville learned that Britain had demanded an explanation from France and was withholding troop withdrawals, while Napoleon dismissed the dispute as minor.
• France prepared the Germinal franc, introducing a decimal currency system and restricting cash from leaving the country.
• Duncan fortified Île-de-France, while Britain and France maneuvered over Malta, Corfu, Egypt, and their wider interests.
• Georgiana decided to write Eugene another letter and have the navy deliver it.
• Pomona reflected on Dumbledore, Credence, Hector's shame-driven courage, and the limits of eliminating human suffering.

Georgiana struggled with war plans and diplomatic questions while trying to avoid taking part in the coming conflict. After Murat returned, she proposed developing trade through a coastal road and admitted her aims were to fight slavery and the Inquisition, leaving Bougainville to discuss the plan with him.

• Georgiana tried anise liquor with Cicognara and left with two unopened bottles.
• Georgiana declined Polina’s invitation to a Visconti family banquet and stayed at Murat’s residence with Dermide and Bougainville.
• Georgiana considered how France might find allies and prepare to seize Naples’s port, but resisted discussing war with Bougainville.
• Murat questioned Georgiana about Naples, and she proposed building a coastal road to promote trade and cotton growing.
• Georgiana told Murat she wanted strength to oppose slavery and the Inquisition, then asked Bougainville to discuss their conversation with him.

Pomona prepared the start-of-term feast and reflected on Remus Lupin, chocolate, and the dangers of mistaking strength for protection. In Milan, Georgiana tried to guide Dermide away from revenge and considered how France’s plans for Ancona might affect Murat’s departure.

• Pomona prepared Hall Chicken Pie, and Snape left her tarragon in a crystal vial.
• Georgiana watched Dermide sail a tiny boat and told him not to avenge his dead father.
• Dermide insisted Yellow Fever had killed his father, as his mother had told him.
• Bougainville reported that Murat would soon leave Milan, and Georgiana said there was no need for him to go.
• Georgiana explained Ancona’s history and political importance, then told Bougainville to read Dermide Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans.
• Georgiana left Dermide and went to the library.

Georgiana read an interview with Napoleon and reflected on peace, power, vengeance, and the treatment of the weak while Pomona refused the Fat Friar’s request to let Peeves attend the feast. The chapter ended as Senator Cicognara arrived at Georgiana’s home, where Polina was teaching Dermide to eat pasta.

• Pomona refused to let Peeves near the Great Hall after he had made a mess in the kitchen, and she avoided discussing Remus becoming a professor.
• Georgiana read the First Consul’s remarks about peace and considered how bullying, power, and fear shaped people and nations.
• Georgiana reflected on water rights and labor in qanat-irrigated villages, then recalled Albus’s advice to let go of hatred and the story of the Spartan king Agis.
• A guard announced that Senator Cicognara had arrived, and Georgiana told the household to admit him and ask whether he had eaten breakfast.
• Polina taught Dermide to eat pasta as tomato sauce covered the table.

Pomona listened as Dumbledore welcomed Hogwarts students and warned them about the Dementors guarding the school, while she reflected on old stories of monsters and sacrifice. In a separate thread, Georgiana joined Cicognara and Marquis Rowle to inspect Milan’s planned square, where talk of construction turned to refugees, war, and the city’s public needs.

• Sinistra and the Ancient Runes professor discussed the Dementors’ search of the Hogwarts Express and Remus’s role in stopping them, while Pomona watched Remus sit beside Snape.
• Dumbledore introduced Hagrid as the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher and warned the school that the Dementors stationed around Hogwarts were dangerous.
• Georgiana invited Cicognara to breakfast, and he agreed to accompany her and Dermide to see the progress on Milan’s Grand Place.
• Cicognara said he would go to Elba because he had heard of an unworked marble quarry, while Polina left and the adults discussed construction materials and civic projects.
• Cicognara told Georgiana he had gone to France to address the danger of refugees being expelled from Genoa, and she agreed to discuss the square after seeing it.

Georgiana visited a small church in Bonaparte City and reflected on the Fat Friar, whose image appeared in its reliefs as a local healer. Remembering Bonaparte’s wishes and the harm caused by her choices, she left determined to keep the Milan government from demolishing the church.

• Cicognara recalled how he and Smanchini had been trapped in Genoa during the war and later took different paths under Bonaparte.
• Cicognara led Georgiana and Marquis Rowle through Bonaparte City, where they stopped at a small Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Protasius.
• Georgiana studied the reliefs of the Fat Friar and learned from Cicognara that Milan considered him a local saint known for miraculous cures.
• Georgiana asked Cicognara to sing Bach’s Sweet Death in the church and reflected on Bonaparte’s wishes and her own past mistakes.
• Georgiana left the church after silently saying goodbye to Protasius and resolved to prevent the Milan government from demolishing it.

After leaving the church, Georgiana reflected on the Pantheon’s structure and the pain of loss, then discussed beauty, freedom, and safety with Cicognara and Rolbon. She ended the conversation by turning their attention back to the Pantheon as they walked through the muddy square.

• Georgiana considered how the Pantheon’s concrete rings held its dome in place and connected its ordered construction to the limits of magic and the experience of loss.
• Cicognara compared Georgiana’s beauty to Laocoön and Polina’s to Venus, while Rolbon described their relationship as one of mutual discipline.
• Georgiana insisted she had no reason to discipline Polina and rejected Cicognara and Rolbon’s assumptions about the two women.
• Cicognara told Georgiana that Madame de Staël had refused to marry William Pitt the Younger partly because Britain lacked sunshine, prompting Georgiana to think of Lily and her own preference for safety.
• Rolbon and Cicognara teased Georgiana about finding nourishment in love and politics, and she denied having commanded an army.
• Georgiana said she had been thinking about the Pantheon, and Cicognara invited Rolbon to discuss it as they continued wandering through the square.

Georgiana, Cicognara, and Rowlebon discussed honor, love, and the pain of unequal relationships while walking through a square. Georgiana then considered Bonaparte’s strategic choices, including whether he should have occupied Sicily instead of going to Egypt.

• The chapter described the Pantheon’s history, its rituals, and the moral customs that helped preserve its laws.
• The chapter recounted how Napoleon took the river god statue to Paris instead of the Torso, while renewed calls arose to transport the Torso.
• The chapter traced Monti’s relationships and political career, and contrasted Madame Roland’s and Madame de Staël’s views on women and marriage.
• Cicognara asked Georgiana whether Madame de Staël and her companion could talk, and Georgiana argued that love could lead people to abandon their principles.
• Rowlebon said Murat relied on people who could read maps, and Georgiana denied knowing anything about war.
• Georgiana reached the center of the square and wondered how events might have changed if Bonaparte had occupied Sicily rather than going to Egypt.

Georgiana waited for Polina to return after she lost money gambling and left with a much older Bolognese nobleman, while reflecting on the political and religious tensions surrounding Naples. Marquis Rolbon then told her that the First Consul had appointed a new ambassador to Turkey and urged her to turn her attention north.

• Georgiana returned to Murat's house and learned that Polina had gone out after losing 300,000 lira at the Visconti residence.
• Georgiana waited for Polina, worrying that she had left with a much older Bolognese nobleman and wondering whose carriage she had taken.
• Georgiana reflected on the Papal States, the Church's political authority, and the failed French-backed revolution in Naples.
• Marquis Rolbon brought Georgiana a letter announcing that the First Consul had appointed a new ambassador to Turkey.
• Marquis Rolbon told Georgiana to stop thinking about Naples and asked whether she remembered what the Treaty of Lunéville contained.

Georgiana discussed the Treaty of Lunéville, France’s diplomatic strategy, and possible plans involving the Ottomans with Rolbon. Unsure whether to contact William Pitt the Younger, she left Murat’s home for Marino Palace to look for Polina.

• Georgiana learned that Bonaparte’s inspection of Rhine fortresses had uncovered disputes over the Treaty of Lunéville’s terms.
• Georgiana became angry when Rolbon explained that France was reaffirming the Treaty of Campo Formio and discussed using the Ottoman Empire to counter Russian expansion.
• Rolbon told Georgiana that Napoleon needed peace and that she had a role in persuading people that love could bring miracles.
• Georgiana considered sending a letter to William Pitt the Younger, but she had not accepted his proposal and remained undecided.
• Georgiana left Murat’s home and went to Marino Palace to find Polina.

Georgiana arrived at Marino Palace and reviewed Milan’s police statements with Julian Ouvrard, weighing whom to release and discussing the people and political tensions surrounding the investigations. The chapter ended with Georgiana recalling Bonaparte’s question about wartime maritime law and reflecting on how war disrupted commerce and food supplies.

• Georgiana arrived at Marino Palace, where Julian Ouvrard asked her to review the police statements and decide who could be released.
• Julian stopped Feilier’s reading at Diane Maria Morgantini’s report and explained that she was a writer whose opera drew on the story of Cacus and that Astorre was courting her.
• Julian told Georgiana that Polina had spent the day with a man who had covered her lost money, and he raised concerns about unrest in Bologna and the formation of the gendarmerie.
• Georgiana said Denon’s explanations about Cicognara were convincing, ordered Magenta to handle correspondence and office work, and restricted Cicognara from leaving without authorization.
• Georgiana recalled Bonaparte asking why merchant ships could not be treated as floating land so maritime commerce could continue during war, and considered how confiscations and grain exports could worsen shortages.

Georgiana reflected on justice, loyalty, and the risks of political power while considering Cicognara’s confinement and the obligations she had accepted. She warned Bougainville against war with Britain, then invited Stanley to tea.

• Georgiana considered whether Cicognara could challenge his continued confinement by appealing to the presumption of innocence.
• Georgiana reflected on vows and loyalty, including her own responsibility after signing documents and deploying sixteen thousand Swiss troops.
• Georgiana wrote to Bougainville and told him not to go to war with Britain.
• Georgiana summoned Stanley and invited him to afternoon tea.

Georgiana considered the limits of legal proof and the consequences of vows and property claims while discussing public works and war with Stanley. Bougainville arrived breathless, saying he could not convey her orders, and Georgiana pressed Stanley for more information about Sir Malcolm.

• Georgiana reflected on the principle of least harm, the limits of tracing ownership, and how vows and contracts bound people in both magical and human societies.
• Georgiana asked Stanley about Sir John Malcolm, and Stanley described his work completing a reservoir in Hyderabad and his role as Mysore's representative.
• Stanley said the reservoir project counted among Georgiana's achievements and that her proposal could be negotiated, though Parliament might debate it for years.
• Georgiana warned that war was imminent and there was little time for debate.
• Bougainville arrived and told Georgiana he could not convey her orders.
• Georgiana asked Stanley what else Sir Malcolm had done, and Stanley paused to consider his answer.

Georgiana explained her support for Sir Malcolm’s approach to India and told Bougainville that her goal was to gain allies against the Russian Empire. She sent Stanley to search for Julius II’s papal bull and warned Bougainville to treat the monster they faced as a being that wanted to be human.

• Georgiana recalled John Malcolm’s career in India, where he learned diplomacy and soldiering and supported sharing power with local rulers.
• Georgiana told Bougainville that she agreed with Sir Malcolm: the First Consul wanted freedom of navigation, while she wanted allies against the Russian Empire.
• Georgiana warned Bougainville not to become too involved in naval affairs and told Stanley to ask Denon to find Julius II’s papal bull in the Louvre Museum library.
• Georgiana urged Bougainville to treat Pacific islanders respectfully and said their enemy was a monster that wanted to be human.
• Bougainville said his duty was to protect Georgiana and denied that events in Gibraltar concerned him.

Georgiana discussed the political uses of a papal bull with Bougainville and Denon, drawing on historical precedents and documents she had uncovered in the archives. She also worried that the Russian envoy promoting beet sugar had disappeared, and reflected on the dangers of rule under Paul I.

• Georgiana explained the history of Bulgaria’s imperial ambitions and how wars and Byzantine politics shaped its rise and decline.
• Georgiana asked Bougainville about naval command and discussed giving the British a papal bull that ranked European rulers by precedence.
• Georgiana told Bougainville that Julius II’s 1505 order placed England seventh, and argued that Britain might welcome the gift rather than resent it.
• Georgiana described archival evidence about the Knights Templar trials and inconsistencies in Galileo’s interrogation records.
• Stanley returned with Denon, and Georgiana invited him and Bougainville to discuss the proposed gift.
• Georgiana recalled that the envoy she had sent to promote beet sugar in Russia had vanished, then reflected on Paul I’s harsh rule.

Georgiana examined the treaties and competing claims over Parma, Louisiana, and Etruria, but could not resolve what France, Spain, and the other powers would accept. Julian Ouvrard arrived to take her to the waiting religious representatives from Milan, while the question of who could be released remained unsettled.

• Georgiana reviewed the history of Parma’s ownership and the treaties that transferred it to France, along with Spain’s claims to Louisiana and the debt it owed Napoleon.
• Georgiana asked Denon what would happen to Etruria, but Julian Ouvrard interrupted to announce that religious representatives from Milan had been waiting for her.
• Georgiana told Julian that the matter of who could be released had not yet been dealt with and admitted she had spent the afternoon confirming that she was an idiot.

Georgiana went with Julian to meet Gabrio, a Milanese cleric, after reflecting on church property, inheritance, and the limits of law. She tearfully asked Gabrio to defend her against rumors that she was a witch, leaving him to deal with her appeal.

• The chapter described Archbishop Visconti’s legacy and Smanchini’s plan to buy the church property, while recounting Gabrio’s past service to the Church and France.
• Georgiana considered how civil and canon law treated illegitimate children and inheritance, including the case of Tom Riddle.
• Julian opened the door and introduced Georgiana to Gabrio, who was looking toward the opera house.
• Georgiana burst into tears and told Gabrio that people were calling her a witch because they blamed her for an avalanche.
• Georgiana asked Gabrio to uphold justice for her, and Julian left them to talk while Gabrio regarded her as a difficult problem.

After speaking with the elder, Georgiana reflected on her circumstances and discussed the Church, Napoleon, and the army with Julian. Later, she argued with Murat over Naples and a detained French scientist before an unexpected letter arrived.

• Georgiana told Julian that people should face their circumstances and live as themselves, then argued that priests should not be made to serve in the army.
• Georgiana returned to Murat's home with Denon and Stanley, where she and Denon studied treaties while Polina and Caroline chatted.
• Murat arrived and insisted Naples should be used to station troops, while Georgiana argued that the French should move north and warned against attacking Naples.
• Murat brought up Déodat de Dolomieu, who remained imprisoned in Naples, and challenged Denon about his former subordinate.
• A Messenger delivered a letter to Georgiana, interrupting the argument.