Chapter Summaries

Georgiana met Sieyès and Caprara as they argued over her guardianship and the agreement that could make her a vassal of the First Consul. While they waited for General Brune, she raised France’s failing harvest and agricultural loans, then left the conversation intending to ask about religious rituals.

• Georgiana received a bouquet from Sieyès, who arrived and declared that Caprara’s guardianship was invalid because he had exercised administrative duties through fraud.
• Caprara defended his guardianship, and Sieyès accused Georgiana and Caprara of helping the First Consul turn Madame de Maintenon's estate into a fief.
• Sieyès said he had come to discuss the Royalists and waited for General Brune, while Caprara questioned him about the attempted kidnapping of Georgiana.
• Georgiana changed the subject to Britain’s reply in the peace talks and warned that France needed to appoint agricultural inspectors before the planting season passed.
• Georgiana discussed agricultural loans, Chinese influence on French thought, and privileges with Sieyès and Caprara, then said she wanted to ask them about rituals.

Georgiana helped Napoleon bring Sieyès and Caprara together, then comforted Napoleon before his parliamentary debate and argued with him about marriage, children, and Josephine. The chapter left them physically reconciled but still divided over what Georgiana’s place in his life would be.

• Georgiana welcomed Brune and arranged for workers to typeset and copy the Church library’s books while Sieyès and Caprara departed on good terms.
• Napoleon visited Georgiana with Gaudin and admitted he was nervous about his speech at Luxembourg the next day.
• Georgiana comforted Napoleon and urged him to rest, then agreed to write to Mr. Jenner about vaccination.
• Napoleon warned Georgiana against letting religion or divination control her, and they discussed prophecy and her inability to bear children.
• Georgiana told Napoleon she wanted his child but would accept it if she could not conceive, and she confronted him about Josephine and his expectations of her.
• Napoleon called Georgiana unreasonable, she angrily challenged him, and she leapt onto his back as he turned away.

Georgiana waited anxiously as Napoleoni went to Luxembourg, while Gaudin explained the political trial and asked her to obtain Marat’s newspapers. After eight people were executed, Georgiana settled into a grand Paris suite, strengthened her precautions around correspondence, and spent her honeymoon in Paris.

• Georgiana stayed behind as Napoleoni traveled by carriage to Luxembourg, and Gaudin told her about forged royal letters and the First Consul’s aims for the trial.
• Gaudin asked Georgiana to find Marat’s newspapers, and she later received a complete set from Thomas Granet.
• Eight people were hanged at Orsay Wharf, then buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery without their bodies being displayed.
• Georgiana acquired a young steward and moved into a redesigned suite with dining rooms and a small theater.
• Georgiana agreed to obtain Revolutionary documents from the Navy and began using numbered stationery and keeping records of her letters.
• Georgiana spent her honeymoon in Paris, despite remembering that a gallows had stood at the site of her planned wedding ceremony.

Georgiana negotiated a compromise over the state banquet’s dessert after Hubert Lebeau objected to her choosing Carême’s Charlotte cake, while she and Bonaparte clashed over Paris, food, and his social conduct. At Madame Récamier’s salon, she confronted Bonaparte about his apparent flirtation with the hostess and warned him against drinking an unfamiliar cocktail before he led her away.

• Georgiana chose Antoine Carême’s French-style Charlotte cake for the state banquet, and Hubert Lebeau skipped work in protest.
• Georgiana and Bonaparte settled the dispute by agreeing that Hubert would make a large cake to be distributed to poor children in Josephine’s name after the banquet.
• Georgiana reflected on Parisian women’s protests over bread and food and worried about their safety amid the city’s unrest.
• Bonaparte took Georgiana to Madame Récamier’s salon, where she criticized the decor and food and asked whether he was involved with Madame Récamier.
• Georgiana stopped Bonaparte from drinking an unfamiliar green cocktail, then shared some of it with him after he teased her about being jealous.
• Bonaparte led Georgiana out of the salon without speaking to the hostess.

Georgiana grappled with jealousy over Madame Récamier and Napoleon while weighing financial schemes that could threaten her position. She approved Gaudin and Sophie's marriage, considered Levi Cohen’s financing proposal, and ended the chapter alone, reflecting on Napoleon and Lily as Carolan kept watch.

• Georgiana grew furious after learning about Madame Récamier’s closeness to Napoleon and kicked the chaise he had sent her.
• Gaudin reassured Georgiana that Napoleon and Madame Récamier had only an ordinary social relationship, then told her Levi Cohen wanted to discuss financing.
• Gaudin asked Georgiana to approve his marriage to Sophie, and she blessed them and promised two hundred thousand as settlement money.
• Georgiana warned Sophie that Gaudin’s smuggling could endanger them if Britain and France entered a trade war, then asked her to summon Gaston Martin.
• Georgiana remembered Napoleon’s dream of building a sugar factory in Frankfurt and told Carolan she feared he might destroy Paris, possibly with water.
• Carolan declined to return to her old life, and Georgiana lay on the chaise as pages turned and she drifted into darkness.

Georgiana discussed a proposed Frankfurt sugar refinery and a financial plan for farmers with Bonaparte, who visited her and pursued her affection. The chapter left Georgiana steering him toward the dining room while worrying about the stalled Treaty of Amiens and the consequences of her public claim that she could not bear children.

• Georgiana asked Bonaparte to bring her dahlias and candy, and told him she wanted to show children vaccination on Halloween.
• Georgiana explained that a Jewish family had offered links to the Prince of Wales and a smuggling operation, but said she wanted to establish a sugar refinery in Frankfurt instead.
• Bonaparte described a loan plan that charged seven percent interest and adjusted repayments according to harvests; Georgiana warned him not to bully farmers.
• Bonaparte asked Georgiana to compare herself with Pauline and debated human nature through Rousseau and Mandeville.
• Georgiana took Bonaparte by the collar and led him to the dining room, while reflecting on the Treaty of Amiens and her public claim that she could not bear children.

Georgiana and Napoleon argued over his plans, her freedom, and his possible future mistresses, while he urged her to prepare for danger and raise their child. After Napoleon revealed that his generals wanted to meet her, Georgiana went with him and tore the tricolor ribbon from her neck.

• Napoleon told Georgiana to flee to the Church if he ever failed to protect her, but she refused to abandon him or urge him to flee.
• Georgiana and Napoleon argued about his generosity, his agreement with the Church, and the risks of his pursuit of mercy.
• Napoleon described France’s financial and regional conditions, then teased Georgiana about meeting a blonde woman in Germany.
• Georgiana asked to go to the provinces and have her ankle shackles removed if Napoleon took another woman, and Napoleon angrily accused her of pretending to be kind.
• Georgiana cried and fought Napoleon, who restrained and mocked her before refusing to remove her shackles.
• Napoleon said the generals wanted to meet Georgiana, and she went with him after tearing off the tricolor ribbon and cursing the Statue of Liberty.

Georgiana attended a banquet with Napoleon and his generals, using her influence to raise complaints about army supply contracts while enduring the generals’ scrutiny. After Napoleon let her leave, Mr. Martin warned her that Jewish moneylenders in Lorraine were exploiting borrowers and should be kept out of agricultural loans.

• Georgiana observed Napoleon’s generals flattering him and offering to procure artworks for her.
• The generals watched Georgiana eat until Napoleon ordered them to begin their meal.
• Georgiana asked Napoleon to let Bonafoux transport grain from Spain, and the generals complained about the Army Provisions Bureau.
• The generals invited Napoleon to go hunting, and he later allowed Georgiana to leave after she showed little interest in their conversation.
• Mr. Martin warned Georgiana that Lorraine might become chaotic because Jewish lenders charged usurious rates and advised her to exclude them from agricultural loans.

Georgiana considered how usurious lending in Alsace and Lorraine, Madame de Staël’s defiance in Switzerland, and unrest in Brittany threatened Napoleon’s rule. She confronted Bonaparte about Switzerland and the lending crisis, then left to work on a solution.

• Georgiana worried that lenders in Alsace and Lorraine were exploiting farmers, women, soldiers, and miners, while she needed the Rothschild brothers’ connections to reach the British prince.
• She reflected on Madame de Staël’s life in Switzerland and Napoleon’s Act of Mediation, which the Swiss had defied by refusing his amnesty decree.
• Georgiana considered urging Bonaparte to use Provost Courts against Madame de Staël as unrest and raids continued in Brittany.
• Bonaparte asked why Georgiana was unhappy, and she raised the Swiss defiance and usurious lending with him and Masséna.
• Georgiana declined Bonaparte’s offer of help and left the officers’ club to work on a solution.

Georgiana wrestled with her influence in politics, marriage laws, and the persecution of Jews before asking Caprara for guidance. Their conversation challenged her assumptions and left her considering how to persuade usurers to change their contracts and behavior.

• Georgiana read Madame de Staël’s work on divorce and public opinion, then considered how to undermine Staël and Benjamin Constant through Staël’s Swedish husband, Staël Hussein.
• Georgiana worried that Monsieur Martin was targeting Strasbourg’s trade routes and Jews in Alsace, and she wept over the worsening political future.
• Georgiana asked Caprara what he thought of the Jews and argued that usury was obstructing her efforts to help people.
• Caprara warned Georgiana against judging only Jews and explained how exclusion, religious divisions, and the events at Versailles had shaped Madame de Staël’s reputation.
• Caprara proposed persuading usurers first and using force if necessary, then suggested changing their incentives so they would willingly abandon harmful contracts.
• Georgiana went to look for books as Caprara urged her to seek happiness through realizing her personal value.

Georgiana translated Cicero’s The Orator as a Christmas gift for Napoleoni while considering France’s finances, the Agricultural Credit Law, and the meaning of citizenship. She responded to Napoleoni’s longing with a handkerchief bearing her lip print and a note, then planned a pointed Christmas gift for the Prince of Wales.

• Georgiana recalled Switzerland’s history and her warm memories of an Alpine cabin with Napoleoni.
• Georgiana translated Cicero’s The Orator by hand as a Christmas present for Napoleoni.
• Georgiana reflected on Jacques Necker, the Rothschilds, and Carnot’s Agricultural Credit Law while wondering whether she could have a child in this world.
• Sophie delivered Napoleoni’s request for Georgiana’s lip print and his quotation from Shakespeare about possessing her in a dream.
• Georgiana sent Napoleoni a handkerchief with her lip print and a note about treating oneself kindly.
• Georgiana decided to send the Prince of Wales two Italian oil paintings as a return gift.

Georgiana learned that French bankers had changed their financing plan to government bonds, while Britain refused to expel royalist exiles, leaving Bonaparte angry and distrustful. She challenged him to reconsider his response, but their argument ended with his resolve to auction Egypt’s relics as state assets and provoke conflict.

• Vivand Denon guided Georgiana through the Louvre’s plans for lithographs and discussed his reverence for Napoleon and the Egyptian relics.
• Sophie and Gaudin took Georgiana to the Tuileries, where Gaudin told her bankers had shifted to government bonds and Britain would not expel exiles.
• Georgiana recognized the risks of France borrowing against future harvests and warned that financial collapse could bring down Napoleon’s government.
• Georgiana urged Bonaparte to think calmly about the exiles and warned that sending the Duke of Orleans to America could endanger him and provoke war.
• Bonaparte asked Georgiana whether he could trust her, then mocked her attachment to another man and defended his seizure of Egyptian antiquities.
• Bonaparte declared that the relics were state assets and that he intended to auction them, while Georgiana left the study in anger.

Georgiana met Granet at the Church of Our Lady of Victory, where they discussed France’s unstable currency, the war, and peace negotiations before reflecting on the people they cared about. Granet left after inviting her to walk with him, and Georgiana departed wondering about her feelings and the spy’s mission.

• Georgiana went to the Church of Our Lady of Victory instead of inventorying state-owned assets and recalled her past with the Duke of Orleans.
• Granet explained France’s mixed coinage, rising gold and silver prices, and the inflation caused by the Directory’s paper money.
• Georgiana and Granet argued over peace talks, the colonies, and whether France could cross the Channel, then Granet urged her to persuade the First Consul to let the exiles return.
• Georgiana told Granet she valued talent and courage in the men she had chosen, and he asked what kind of person she thought he was.
• Granet invited Georgiana to walk outside, but she refused because the First Consul would be unhappy; he left the church, and she followed after wondering about the spy and her own feelings.

Georgiana abandoned plans for agricultural loans after learning that France faced a poor harvest and Ouvrard had secretly profited from a Spanish silver-shipping deal. She reconciled with Napoleoni, discussed a moon-themed diplomatic ball, and was left wondering what inspired his sudden excitement as he hurried away.

• Cohen told Georgiana that Ouvrard had secretly arranged with Godoy to buy Spanish wheat and divert shipping fees, while Britain transported Spanish silver to the East Indies.
• Georgiana decided to abandon agricultural loans because next year's harvest was likely to fail and France would need to import grain.
• Georgiana visited Duroc in the Tuileries Palace and explained that her silver-satin, moon-themed ball would draw on the story of Princess Ahhotep.
• Napoleoni joined Georgiana, apologized over the agricultural loans, and she warned him about Ouvrard's profiteering and the danger of France's weak finances.
• Georgiana told Napoleoni about a prophecy of turmoil across Europe, but he reassured her and danced with her while they discussed the ball, Halloween, and Lucien's departure for Spain.
• After kissing Georgiana, Napoleoni suddenly exclaimed that he had an idea, thanked her, and hurried away without explaining himself.

At a peace celebration in Paris, Georgiana discussed trade, military costs, and political plans with Napoleon and British figures while preparing for future unrest. She ordered supplies for canned food and planned to leave Paris if hunger sparked violence, though the treaty and its consequences remained uncertain.

• Georgiana considered how shipping costs and a possible Suez Canal could reshape Britain’s trade and colonial calculations.
• At the Tuileries ball, Georgiana decorated the room with Egyptian artifacts while Napoleon’s Egyptologists captivated the guests, and Josephine resented being sidelined.
• Mr. Martin asked Georgiana whether Governor Jourdan could be replaced, while Napoleoni’s plan threatened exiles with confiscation if they did not return to France.
• Georgiana ordered iron sheets for canned goods and considered how to escape Paris if starving refugees turned against the authorities and wealthy households.
• Georgiana kept her broader plans to herself and doubted that the draft peace treaty’s apparent success could yet be trusted.

Georgiana and Napoleoni argued over their relationship, her fears, and his plans, before he asked her to stay with him and prepare to host British visitors in Paris. He left for the moment, and Georgiana agreed to show their guests around the city.

• Napoleoni gave Georgiana a sword set with part of the Regent Diamond and told her that Hortense had agreed to be inoculated with her on Halloween.
• Georgiana rejected his wedding ring and challenged his suspicions about Madame Récamier, while Napoleoni pressed her to confront him with the sword if she believed he threatened France's freedom.
• Georgiana told Napoleoni that memories of the September Massacres and Princess Lamballe frightened her, and asked him to make Josephine happy without abandoning his purpose of saving France.
• Georgiana said she was a sagae and offered to translate Cicero for Napoleoni as a Christmas gift, but he demanded that she not leave with Severus without first making him duel.
• Napoleoni asked Georgiana to return with him to the greenhouse next month and to show their British friends around Paris, and she agreed.

Georgiana entertained British visitors in Paris and proposed fox hunting as a diversion. A private exchange with Granet revealed that he knew about her relationship with Napoleon and asked whether she would accept the title of Countess of Aberdeen.

• Napoleon welcomed British guests at his birthday celebration, charming them with his friendly manner while Talleyrand drew their dislike.
• Georgiana hosted British visitors for lunch in the Champs-Élysées Park and suggested arranging a fox hunt for the young men.
• After lunch, Georgiana asked Granet and Brune about Napoleon’s hunting plans and whether their companions had hunted before.
• Granet questioned Georgiana about calling Napoleon “Sultan” and asked her to consider becoming the Countess of Aberdeen.
• Georgiana angrily rejected the idea of marrying three times, while Granet warned her that her conduct was improper and led her away from the others.

Georgiana discussed the railway dispute, Napoleon’s military plans, and the threat of famine-driven unrest with Granet. She considered borrowing French troops to protect British citizens, while Granet suggested evacuation, and their conversation ended with an uneasy exchange about spending Christmas together.

• Liverpool’s merchants turned to building a railway to challenge the canal companies’ monopoly and freight charges.
• Napoleon’s artillerymen benefited from Georgiana’s wooden railway invention, and railway proposals gave the French and British representatives room to negotiate over the textile industry.
• Granet told Georgiana that Napoleon had overlooked the fortresses at Ulm and Ingolstadt in the Pfullendorf Armistice, and Georgiana revealed she had heard that the Austrians planned to destroy Ulm’s supplies with explosives.
• Georgiana told Granet she had come to borrow French troops in case famine provoked riots against British citizens, and she described how hungry women had turned against Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution.
• Granet suggested evacuating British citizens instead, then proposed spending Christmas with Georgiana; she stopped smiling, and he laughed at his own joke.

Georgiana inspected a Paris market and discussed plans to protect British civilians and establish a settlement with Granet. Granet revealed his political troubles and said he might ally with Fawkes if conditions worsened.

• Georgiana recalled the women’s march on Versailles, the palace riots, and the royal family’s failed flight to Varennes while considering the danger to British residents in Paris.
• Georgiana inspected the market with Granet, confirmed that food supplies remained available, and proposed a British settlement for residents and future trade permits.
• Georgiana argued with Granet about compromise, India, and the possibility of Fawkes reforming the East India Company.
• Granet explained that the king had abandoned his government and that he might join forces with Fawkes if matters became worse.
• Granet asked how Georgiana knew the barracks near Versailles could house 25,000 men, and she told him that Napoleon had informed her.

Georgiana and Granet inspected the military camp near Sèvres Bridge, gathered chestnuts, and discussed Napoleon, their personal lives, and the possibility of friendship. They left the forest planning to return to Paris for dinner and the Orionids meteor shower, while Georgiana longed for chestnut cake.

• Georgiana and Granet visited the camp in Meudon Forest and roasted chestnuts by the pond with Brune and two plainclothes officers.
• Granet asked Georgiana how she would manage a royal household, and she said she would hire a strict housekeeper and reward diligent servants.
• Georgiana told Granet about the woman Mr. Smith remembered and asked him to keep her confidence; Granet offered his friendship.
• Georgiana suggested swans as a gift for Napoleon, and Granet said the British had already sent swans along with a Swan Princess.
• Georgiana and Granet agreed to keep a secret and hooked their little fingers, though she declined to call him William.
• Brune gave Georgiana a basket for chestnuts, and she thought about making chestnut cake as they prepared to return to Paris.