Chapter Summaries

Georgiana connected the key from the cavern beneath Venice to Portkeys and the Gate of Janus, then wondered whether Venice held answers about the diadem. The chapter ended with François Zabini revealing that he was a wizard and offering to get to know her.

• Georgiana recalled Venice's cavern, the key that could take her anywhere, and the renovation plan Grando had described.
• After hearing Paganini's violin, Georgiana realized a Portkey could explain how someone might return to a hidden place and wondered whether the key was part of Janus's face.
• Grindelwald urged Georgiana to think about the key, while Grando saw her speaking to someone who was not there.
• Georgiana rested by the fountain and saw Ravenclaw's Diadem in her reflection, recalling its link to Voldemort and Albania.
• François Zabini approached Georgiana, confirmed that he was a wizard, and said he wanted to get to know her.

Pomona visited Severus in his office, where he was preparing a potion for Dumbledore, while Georgiana considered Helena’s choices and spoke with François Zabini. The chapter left Georgiana weighing Zabini’s offer of an attendant knight and wondering whether Polyjuice Potion could alter a materialized ghost.

• Pomona found Barty Crouch Jr.’s flask in Severus’s office, and Severus said he was keeping it because Dumbledore had asked him to make a potion.
• Georgiana reflected on the history of the Milan plague, Bernini’s rise and fall, and Helena’s decision to refuse her mother and the Bloody Baron.
• Georgiana told François Zabini she did not want to speak with him and described herself as a half-blood Veela.
• Zabini offered to serve as Georgiana’s attendant knight, explaining that Lombardy custom treated such a knight as part of an aristocratic marriage contract.
• Grando brought Georgiana water, and she wondered where to find Polyjuice Potion and whether it could change a materialized ghost.

Georgiana reflected on the Philosopher’s Stone, her plan to disappear, and whether she could escape the past, while Dumbledore challenged her assumptions about love and her own nature. The carriage reached its destination, but Georgiana was left shaken by the conversation and Dumbledore vanished before she could answer him.

• Georgiana considered the Philosopher’s Stone’s power and questioned Dumbledore’s authority to destroy it.
• Georgiana planned to leave behind enough hair for Polyjuice Potion and make her double disappear as though she had never existed.
• Dumbledore discussed art and the book on the soul with Georgiana, then urged her not to give up so quickly.
• Dumbledore confronted Georgiana about love, her treatment of others, and whether she was truly different from them.
• Georgiana challenged Dumbledore, but he vanished before she could respond, and the carriage stopped as Caroline and Denon awoke.

Georgiana discovered that she and the others may have been drugged with water connected to a secret Eleusinian ritual at Cicognara’s party, and she feared Caroline might be in danger. After confronting Cicognara, she moved into Marino Palace and ordered everyone not to wake her unless the Austrians marched into Milan.

• Julian Ouvrard warned Georgiana that the water at Cicognara’s party might have been part of an Eleusinian rite, and Georgiana realized she had taken Caroline there without knowing what was planned.
• Georgiana checked on Caroline, who said the baby had stopped kicking, but the family doctor found both Caroline and the fetus healthy.
• Denon told Georgiana that he had drunk water mixed into wine, and Georgiana learned that Grando had brought her water from a stone basin in Cicognara’s garden.
• Georgiana traced the basin’s ancient Runes and returned to Cicognara’s estate, where she questioned him about the party and what the guests had been given to drink.
• Cicognara said the ritual had been a coincidence and denied giving Caroline anything unusual, while Georgiana threatened him and left for Marino Palace.
• Georgiana ordered that no one wake her unless the Austrians had marched into Milan.

Georgiana recovered in the infirmary after witnessing Caroline drink a Forgetfulness Potion, then reflected on memory, grief, and the myths of the underworld. A letter accused her of becoming bound by gilded chains, leaving her to wonder what jewels she possessed and how she had become constrained.

• Severus took Pomona away from the infirmary and explained that the Forgetfulness Potion could act as a kind of healing.
• Georgiana remembered Caroline spreading an argument after drinking something and regretted leaving her unprotected.
• Georgiana recalled Isidora’s belief that pain could be removed and thought about Persephone, Demeter, and the underworld.
• Feilier read Georgiana a letter from someone who envied her companions and asked what had bound her.
• Georgiana examined her ankle, remembered that its shackles had broken when she transformed into a swan, and wondered what jewels she had.

Severus questioned whether Lily had created the blood-related protection that kept Harry returning to his aunt’s house, while Pomona wondered what had upset him about her mentioning Lily’s pregnancy and James. Georgiana learned more about the Eleusinian Mysteries and Zabini’s proposal to become her attendant knight, then let Cicognara leave and chose to focus on worldly matters.

• Severus suspected that Albus Dumbledore, rather than Lily, had devised the protective spell requiring Harry to return to his aunt’s house each summer.
• Cicognara explained that initiates of the Eleusinian Lesser Mysteries entered a dark passage and prayed to be adopted by the goddess, while only the chosen could attend the Greater Mysteries.
• Georgiana asked Cicognara about Zabini and learned from him and Denon that an attendant knight could serve as a substitute husband and become part of her household.
• Cicognara linked the sudden disappearance of the house’s water to Demeter’s mythological drought, but said he could not guarantee the Mysteries were involved.
• Georgiana let Cicognara leave despite his having slipped out without permission, rejected the idea of provoking the ancient beings, and turned her attention away from breakfast and the sculpture competition.

Georgiana questioned Luigi about military customs and Napoleon before visiting Magenta, who was restless under house arrest and wanted to work outside. The chapter left Georgiana walking with Magenta and Luigi, uncertain how to manage the tense encounter.

• Georgiana asked Luigi about the training and duties of young knights, and he explained the customs he had witnessed in Milan.
• Georgiana asked Luigi whether he had arrested Magenta, and Luigi said Magenta had become a suspect after their delayed arrival.
• Georgiana asked Luigi why he had not left with Murat, and he said his mission was to escort her and Paulette back to France.
• Luigi told Georgiana that Napoleon's actions were meant to frighten people into communicating, while Georgiana doubted the plan would work.
• Georgiana and Luigi visited Magenta, who complained about being confined indoors and said he preferred working on site.
• Georgiana, Luigi, and Magenta went outside for a walk after Georgiana asked whether Magenta had a family.

Georgiana visited Magenta at his Italian villa, where he accused her of planning to send orphaned children into factories and condemned her efforts to improve the country. After Magenta left, Luigi asked whether she intended to suppress Piedmont and whether that was why she had sent Augereau to Turin.

• Georgiana asked Magenta why he had never considered marriage, and Luigi told a story about a French dragoon stranded without a proper pair of boots.
• As the mail coach arrived, Luigi explained how the army recruited orphans and discussed Napoleon's military customs with Georgiana.
• Magenta received a letter and angrily accused Georgiana of bringing Britain's poor relief system to Italy and endangering the children at a Pavia orphanage.
• Georgiana insisted she had never intended to send children to factories, but Magenta criticized her plans and compared hospitals to slaughterhouses before leaving.
• Georgiana told Luigi not to lie to her, and Luigi asked whether she planned to suppress Piedmont by sending Augereau to Turin.

Georgiana learned that Paris’s new slaughterhouse was designed as an Egyptian temple, prompting fears that Hathor’s bronze residence might be melted down. At Marino Palace, she accepted a Sardinian gift for the people of Nice and agreed to meet the Sardinian representatives after discussing the strained defenses there.

• Luigi told Georgiana that Paris’s new slaughterhouse had been built in the style of a temple to Apis and that stripped battlefield corpses had been sent to the forensic society.
• Georgiana worried that Hathor’s statue might be melted down, then refused to hear Luigi’s news about Piedmont.
• Julian gave Georgiana a black-figure vase from the Sardinian ambassador and showed her the Nice Defense Line map, explaining that its artillery batteries needed more men.
• Georgiana considered the limits of calling up reserves and the duties of citizens before deciding to give the vase to the people from Nice.
• Georgiana agreed to meet the Sardinians that afternoon and went to write a letter explaining her misunderstanding with Magenta.

Georgiana was confronted by Corolandi, a cavalry major who accused her of favoring the defense of Mont Cenis over Nice and warned that the old defensive line could not be dismantled. Left alone, she reflected on justice, war, power, and the slaughterhouse beside the music hall as she awaited news of Murat.

• At the Elysium music hall, Georgiana's maid Margarita explained that everyone knew about the dancing, while animals cried from the slaughterhouse across the street.
• Corolandi of the Auvare Cavalry Company entered Georgiana's room despite Mary's protests and challenged her over the priority given to Mont Cenis Pass instead of Nice.
• Georgiana denied that she had ranked Mont Cenis above Nice and said she had not expected General Augereau to summon Corolandi.
• Corolandi said the old defensive line could not be torn down for a new one and urged Georgiana to tell General Augereau to contact the garrison at Lyon.
• After Corolandi left, Georgiana sat alone, worried about Murat's whereabouts and contemplating justice, war, power, and the slaughterhouse beside the music hall.

Georgiana reviewed General Laubart’s plans and reflected on her unhappiness while waiting to meet Sardinia’s envoy. Stanley interrupted her imagined dancing and joined her, leaving her briefly able to enjoy the moment.

• General Laubart showed Georgiana plans for the Ligurian coastal road and Turin’s water supply system, then asked whether surplus caissons should go to Paris.
• After Laubart left, Georgiana considered Sardinia’s history and her own troubled thoughts about loyalty, honor, and happiness.
• Georgiana danced alone to imagined music and drew an amused crowd of onlookers.
• Stanley arrived to ask when Georgiana would meet Sardinia’s envoy, then took her by the waist and danced with her.

Georgiana and Stanley discussed Sardinia’s fears and Napoleon’s tactics after Bonaparte’s Carasco negotiations, while the chapter recounted Rome’s expansion, the Italian revolt, and Bonaparte’s campaigns. Stanley left Georgiana weighing whether to reassure the Sardinians or use their fear, while refusing to hand Lyon’s technical worker over to him.

• The chapter recounted how Rome’s Italian allies rebelled after being denied meaningful citizenship, then laid down their arms when Rome promised voting rights and ended the Social War.
• The narrative described the Roman theaters and seating divisions that marked status and citizenship, then turned to Talleyrand’s advice that Bonaparte stabilize France and preserve peace.
• Bonaparte split the Austro-Sardinian alliance, forced Sardinia to negotiate at Carasco, and used a threatened assault to secure fortresses and territory.
• Stanley told Georgiana that Sardinians feared a French invasion and asked whether she would calm their fears or exploit them.
• Georgiana refused to give Stanley Lyon’s technical worker, and Stanley said he had stayed for the unfolding political drama despite Talleyrand plundering his possessions.

Georgiana met two Sardinian envoys and warned them against entering conflicts without preparation, but their talk turned to military assistance and Turin. Marquis Rolbon arrived to take her away by carriage, leaving the envoys’ proposal unresolved.

• Georgiana entered the room and thanked the two Sardinian envoys for their gift.
• The older envoy said he had won a bet with Count Levier about whether Georgiana preferred Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome.
• Georgiana cited Denmark’s disastrous involvement in the Thirty Years’ War as a warning against joining conflicts rashly.
• Count Levier said General Augereau needed guards and claimed the Sardinians knew Turin’s situation best.
• Marquis Rolbon announced that a carriage was ready, and Georgiana left the envoys with him.

Georgiana arrived at Milan Cathedral, where the clergy and elders tested her over their charitable aid to wounded soldiers. She accepted Gabrio’s rosary and performed a solemn religious procession, leaving the people in the church impressed.

• Rolbon showed Georgiana portraits of Countess Antonietta Fagnani and Count Lambertenghi, and warned that Milan’s elders would question her about charity.
• Rolbon told Georgiana that the First Consul expected her to show presence as she arrived at the crowded cathedral.
• Gabrio greeted Georgiana outside the church, and she recalled that the clergy had protected wounded soldiers from Austrian and Russian forces.
• Georgiana accepted Gabrio’s amber rosary, formed a hand gesture representing the Trinity, and followed the priest carrying the censer.
• The congregation gasped at Georgiana’s gesture, and she judged herself a convincing actress.

Georgiana viewed paintings at a Milan chapel exhibition and spoke with Count Lamborghini about poverty, charity, and her proposal for relief. The count reassured her that others supported the cause and that she was not alone.

• Georgiana learned that Louis Daguerre’s painting changed appearance with the light, then agreed to meet him at a party.
• Catherina showed Georgiana a painting of Milan Cathedral made on silk, and Count Lamborghini joined them.
• Count Lamborghini explained the distinction between voluntary and involuntary poverty and argued that the Church should provide aid to people in need.
• Georgiana agreed with Count Lamborghini’s view that people in crisis should share food and receive help for both body and soul.
• Count Lamborghini told Georgiana that many people had come to support poor relief and reassured her that she was not alone.

Georgiana and Lamborghini discussed charitable institutions, public works, and the dangers of poor management while inspecting the Simplon project. Georgiana considered donating money to repair a small chapel but decided against rebuilding the Clock Tower.

• The chapter recounted Lamborghini’s Workers’ Home, his views on public works and food policy, and his earlier failed attempts to reform prisons.
• It described Milan Cathedral’s sale of sacred treasures and the disputed silver composition of the Lombardy Iron Crown’s nail.
• Georgiana’s shelter in Paris employed women who ran daycare classes, and their late-arrival rules gave Lamborghini ideas about managing workers.
• Lamborghini warned Georgiana that negligent managers could ruin charitable institutions and said he was more concerned about the sugar mill’s management than its profitability.
• Georgiana considered Bonaparte’s wish that she spend money and thought she could donate to repair a chapel, but not rebuild the Clock Tower.

Georgiana returned to Marino Palace, where Polina warned her about corruption tied to a mercury mine and criticized her behavior with Charles. Alone, Georgiana opened a letter from her brother and reflected on power and the way people could be treated like animals.

• After Mass, Georgiana crossed the square toward Marino Palace, followed by Catherina, while she wondered where Polina and Caroline were.
• Back in her room, Georgiana found Polina waiting with a letter from Georgiana’s brother and news that the British ambassador wanted to meet her.
• Polina told Georgiana that the Governor of Lombardy had been suspected of embezzling religious funds and that a contract involving Idrija’s mercury mine had enriched officials and suppliers.
• Polina questioned Georgiana about attending a gathering and warned her to make clear to Charles that her dance with another man meant nothing.
• After Polina left, Georgiana opened the letter and murmured that she should consider where her power came from.

Georgiana reflected on knowledge, power, immortality, and the duty to guide others as she considered Bonaparte’s requests and the unanswered letter before her. She ended by wondering whether the machine created by Vulcan Palace might be a monster, with no way to foresee what would happen.

• Bonaparte found Savoy armor for Vulcan and asked Georgiana to restore Turin’s steel industry.
• Georgiana recalled Bonaparte’s affection for Calypso’s Cave and weighed Penelope’s enduring love against the goddess’s immortal youth.
• Georgiana considered how teachers’ choices about passing on knowledge could lead to either good or tragedy, thinking of Tom Riddle, Isidora, and others.
• Georgiana questioned whether Vulcan Palace’s machine could be a monster and wished she could foresee the future.
• Georgiana admitted she did not know how to answer the letter before her.

Georgiana considered whether Sam could lawfully give away money acquired through wrongdoing, then reflected on politics, suffering, and the letter she had received. When Margarita brought her the Savoy helmet she had requested, Georgiana rejected it and left with her unfinished reply.

• Pomona questioned whether a monk should accept Sam's alms, and Georgiana considered Buddhist giving alongside canon and Roman law on ill-gotten wealth.
• Georgiana reflected on Murat's order to move the garrison, the dangers to trade, and Lambertenghi's question about whether she felt pitiful.
• Georgiana considered Odysseus, the Trojan War, and the prisoner who returned from Plato's cave as she thought about the letter.
• Margarita brought Georgiana the Savoy helmet, but Georgiana disdained it and left the bedroom carrying her written reply.

At a dinner party in Milan, Georgiana reflected on Harry’s inherited luck, the people around him, and the dangers of judging friendship by appearances. She met British ambassador Frederick Stibbert, who revealed that he knew one of her old aliases, before a commotion drew them toward a magic performance.

• Georgiana arrived after the dinner party had begun and saw Polina captivating the guests while others watched her critically.
• Georgiana noticed Countess Fagnari speaking with François Zabini and reflected on Mrs Zabini’s marriages and the dangers of staying silent about unsuitable matches.
• Georgiana met Frederick Stibbert, who spoke about his family, his museum, and the German wax figures in its cavalry display.
• Frederick asked whether Georgiana had collected Tuscany’s taxes and addressed her as Linda Smith, revealing that he had investigated her old alias.
• A loud commotion interrupted their conversation, and Georgiana invited Frederick to see someone performing magic.