Chapter Summaries

While under house arrest, Georgiana received a new personal guard, Lieutenant Mary-Thérèse Figueur, along with a necklace from Napoleon. Figueur said Napoleon could not visit Georgiana but would send her to Annecy if necessary, and Georgiana welcomed her into the household.

• Georgiana reflected on Talleyrand’s political rise, Napoleon’s circle, and her confinement in the Duke of Burgundy’s apartment.
• A maid told Georgiana that the president of the Sampigny Carriage Guild and a female dragoon wanted to see her, and Georgiana went downstairs to meet the dragoon.
• Mary-Thérèse Figueur introduced herself, presented a letter appointing her Georgiana’s personal guard, and gave her a necklace from Napoleon.
• Figueur told Georgiana that Napoleon loved her but could not visit, and that she should escort Georgiana to Annecy if needed.
• Georgiana asked whether Figueur would kill bandits for military merit, praised her answer, and invited her upstairs.

Georgiana learned that the First Consul’s government was preparing to crush resistance in Saint-Domingue, and Roederer urged her to support his strategy and remain in Paris. After he left, she decided to act rather than wait helplessly, taking his Champagne as a gift for a meeting.

• Matilda returned with information that returning noble exiles threatened the new owners of estates and mineral works.
• Roederer visited Georgiana with Champagne, spoke with Fiegel about his service as a dragoon, and warned that war with Britain could resume.
• Roederer told Georgiana that France might bombard communities supporting Saint-Domingue’s independence while granting local policing authority to those who submitted.
• Georgiana rejected Roederer’s arguments, began crying, and heard him urge her to stay in Paris instead of going to Annecy.
• Matilda comforted Georgiana, who ordered a carriage and picked up the Champagne to bring as a gift to a meeting.

Georgiana met Talleyrand to seek a way to prevent the crisis in Saint-Domingue from repeating Napoleoni's imprisonment. Talleyrand urged her to keep Toussaint Louverture alive and make him submit, leaving her wondering which Caribbean island Napoleon had meant.

• Georgiana traveled discreetly to Talleyrand's home with Matilda and Fiegel.
• Talleyrand explained that Toussaint Louverture's lifetime First Consulship challenged Napoleon and that only Toussaint and his constitution could resolve the crisis.
• Georgiana objected to letting Toussaint lead Europe, while Talleyrand urged her to keep him alive and make him submit.
• Talleyrand opposed paying the Duke of Orange compensation and selling Louisiana, then called Georgiana an angel of peace.
• After Talleyrand left, Georgiana recalled Napoleon's description of a cold, damp island and wondered if it was in the Caribbean.

Georgiana considered how to secure Saint-Domingue’s independence without restoring slavery or provoking another war, and drafted proposals for Napoleon’s chief of staff. Unable to find a trusted adviser to review them, she asked Lieutenant Fiegel to invite Lord Ledrell, leaving her unsure whether he would agree to come.

• Georgiana considered a proposal for French and Saint-Domingue warriors to settle the dispute, while recognizing the island’s economic and military vulnerabilities.
• She concluded that Saint-Domingue could not restore slavery or remain neutral between factions, and drafted recommendations for Napoleon’s government.
• Georgiana worried about political conflicts over steel, Paris, and her earlier dealings with both the French and British.
• Unable to find a suitable person to review her document, Georgiana called for Matilda and asked her to invite Lord Ledrell.
• Fiegel volunteered to go in his dragoon uniform with a Mamluk, while Matilda asked to accompany him and Georgiana worried Ledrell might refuse.

Georgiana’s political proposals offered Saint-Domingue citizenship, local judicial autonomy, and a representative duel, while Napoleon prepared France’s military and propaganda response. After Napoleon revealed that he had pushed her to surpass herself, the two argued about power, conscience, and happiness, and Georgiana bet that Louverture would accept the duel.

• Georgiana’s proposals framed Saint-Domingue as an inseparable part of France, promised its residents civic and economic rights, and called for elected judges and a fair duel between representatives.
• Georgiana arranged for military widows to reclaim pawned belongings without charge, and France sent military doctors, staff officers, and printing presses to Saint-Domingue.
• Napoleon told Georgiana that Louverture was cunning and said he had promoted Ledrell and Liancourt, prompting her to accuse him of setting her up and to challenge his disregard for others.
• Napoleon questioned whether he was human or a monster, and Georgiana refused to explain how to kill the Sphinx until he revealed where he had obtained the crocodile sculptures.
• Napoleon asked who should preside over a duel between himself and Georgiana’s husband, and Georgiana bet that Louverture would come to France and accept the duel.
• Georgiana demanded a change to divorce laws if she won, but Napoleon refused and asked her to sing.

Georgiana reflected on Napoleon’s coercive rule, France’s political and economic upheavals, and the danger of abandoning hope as she considered the crisis in Saint-Domingue. She prepared to meet Toussaint Louverture, whose choices could shape the futures of both the colony and France.

• Georgiana investigated French mill owners after discovering that French flour cost nearly twice as much as British flour.
• She considered how revolutionary confiscations, executions, and new tax systems had transformed Marseille and French society.
• She reflected on the Directory’s exclusion of the poor from education and relief, and on Sieyès’s decision to launch a coup as Napoleon returned from Egypt.
• Georgiana recognized that Napoleon’s effort to reclaim Saint-Domingue could threaten his rule, though French soldiers struggled to suppress the slaves.
• She hoped Toussaint Louverture would help secure a future for Saint-Domingue and France, and anticipated meeting him.

After receiving Josephine’s letter, Georgiana decided to protect Toussaint Louverture and raise funds for war-stricken cultivators. A dream and the golden balance helped her identify a crucial idea, and she summoned the First Consul to discuss it.

• Georgiana returned to the Duke of Burgundy’s residence and read Josephine’s letter, which offered help and warned her not to change her surname.
• Georgiana told Goebel that Toussaint Louverture must be protected and planned to house him and his attendants at Saint Luke Palace.
• Georgiana proposed creating the Agricultural Workers’ Alliance and organizing a fundraiser with bankers’ support.
• Georgiana fell asleep, dreamed of Bonaparte and a British merchant, then woke and recognized the significance of the golden balance on her desk.
• Georgiana sent an attendant to find out whether the First Consul was at the Tuileries Palace and ordered a Mamluk to make the summons ceremonial.

Georgiana presented Napoleon with a plan involving Toussaint Louverture, the slave trade, and France’s finances, then challenged him over slavery and his feelings for Josephine. Napoleon revealed that he was working on the Concordat of 1801 and arranged to see Georgiana the next night.

• Georgiana explained how Napoleon’s plans for Saint-Domingue and a Suez Canal could disrupt the slave trade and change the balance of power.
• Georgiana discussed France’s debt and financial policy with Napoleon, who was considering her report at the Tuileries Palace.
• Georgiana compared public belief about Severus and Lily to rumors about Josephine, and Napoleon said he was occupied with the Concordat of 1801.
• Napoleon asked whether Georgiana had foreseen his plans for Saint-Domingue, then admitted that he missed her.
• Georgiana confronted Napoleon about slavery, and he said he could not abolish it while many of his generals were slaveholders.
• Napoleon kissed Georgiana and told her he would visit the next night.

Georgiana discussed Paris’s troubles and Napoleon’s political and military policies with Goebel, while wrestling with her isolation and distrust of the First Consul. Goebel left after warning her not to trust him, and Georgiana was left questioning the costs of power and imagining the simpler life of a commoner.

• Georgiana asked Goebel about conditions in Paris, including bread prices and railways, and learned that Chevigny wanted to perform in her private theater.
• Goebel urged Georgiana to rebuild her social connections and questioned what she wanted regarding Napoleon and monarchy; she said she did not want him to wear a crown.
• Georgiana told Goebel to prepare for Napoleon’s visit, and Goebel described conflicts between constitutional and refractory clergy and Britain’s anger over French envoys to Egypt.
• Georgiana and Goebel argued about Napoleon’s cruelty, military discipline, and the people of Saint-Domingue and Poland.
• Goebel told Georgiana that she should not trust him and left, while Georgiana sat alone reflecting on the burdens of power and the appeal of ordinary life.

Georgiana confronted Napoleoni over the Cairo Revolt and slavery, urging him to change his policies. After he refused and left, she accepted life as a prisoner in Burgundy Residence’s tower.

• Davout gave Bailier, a Greek slave who spoke several languages, to Georgiana to serve as an interpreter and document keeper.
• Georgiana considered jumping from the tower and waited alone until Napoleoni came to see her.
• Georgiana condemned Napoleoni’s suppression of the Cairo Revolt and demanded justice, fair laws, and gradual emancipation in Saint-Domingue.
• Napoleoni said he would not visit her again and left after Georgiana asked him to take everyone away except Bailier.
• Georgiana decided to turn the tower into her Sage’s Tower, devote herself to studying, and sleep for a long time.

Georgiana discussed the crises surrounding Napoleon’s government with Goebel and Lance, including leaked news about Saint-Domingue and a rebellion in the Army of the West. She urged reconciliation with Saint-Domingue and emancipation for slaves who took up arms, then withdrew to her tower as the political and financial troubles continued.

• Georgiana reflected on her secluded life in Paris and the violence carried out by French forces in Egypt and Saint-Domingue.
• Goebel and Lance arrived with news that Swedish merchants had exposed plans concerning Saint-Domingue and that conspirators in the Army of the West had been arrested.
• Goebel reported that investigators were checking whether Bernadotte had ties to the conspiracy, while the government detained the Swedish merchants and debated its response.
• Georgiana told Goebel to urge Napoleon to reconcile with Saint-Domingue and free slaves who dared to take up arms.
• Georgiana dismissed concerns about bond speculation and the sale of Belgian state lands, then returned up the tower as Goebel and Lance left.

Belle read Georgiana an account of Sally, Leonard, and Master Jordan, prompting them to discuss courage, obedience, and the violence of slavery. Georgiana reflected on France’s control of Saint-Domingue and chose to arrange a performance by the young Mamluks while pursuing a neutral course of action.

• Belle read Georgiana an interview account in which Sally obeyed Master Jordan’s order to whip Mammy, then comforted her afterward.
• The account described Leonard defying Master Jordan, and Sally stepping between him and the gun before Jordan shot Leonard.
• Georgiana and Belle discussed Sally’s courage, the storyteller’s fear, Reynier, and the differences between French and English nobles.
• Georgiana reflected on France’s fading control of Saint-Domingue and on the challenges of banking, land sales, and peasant life.
• Georgiana instructed Belle to tell Matilda to prepare the cleared theater for Chevigny’s performance for the young Mamluks.

Georgiana recalled Napoleon’s abandonment of his soldiers and shared a quiet, intimate conversation with him about his mistakes, political upheaval, and the people affected by his rule. The chapter ended with Napoleon kissing her again as the silver cup fell to the floor.

• Georgiana dreamed of Napoleon’s retreat from the freezing soldiers, who were left hungry and abandoned.
• Georgiana watched Napoleon pour wine into her mouth and chose not to kill him, despite having the chance.
• Napoleon asked Georgiana whether he had been wrong, and she criticized his seizures of property and restoration of slavery while praising his effort to reconcile secular authority with the Church.
• Napoleon discussed Saint-Simon’s ideas, the upheaval against his rule, and his desire to reclaim Saint Barthélemy and handle its people leniently.
• Georgiana challenged Napoleon over his actions and asked who had encouraged him, but he dismissed the subject and kissed her as the silver cup fell.

Georgiana considered France’s trade policies, colonial conflicts, railway security, and Napoleon’s manipulative politics as Saint-Domingue sought a way to survive. The chapter ended with her concluding that the most reliable defense was self-reliance, while privately wishing Saint-Domingue luck.

• Leoncourt told Sir Merry and Lord Whitworth that Britain could profit from ending trade with Saint-Domingue by supplying sugar from its other colonies and from Louisiana.
• The chapter described how Saint-Domingue’s struggle inspired enslaved people in America and how American states disagreed over the slave trade.
• Georgiana and French officials faced difficulties funding railways and selling Belgian land, while Montalivet entrusted Leoncourt with administrative authority.
• Marmont dealt with the French Army’s artillery and transport problems as railways raised concerns about future invasions.
• Georgiana reviewed Napoleon’s forged identity papers, suspected that he had sent Bernadotte to Guadeloupe, and reflected on his willingness to change even his birthday for political advantage.
• Georgiana concluded that Saint-Domingue could not safely depend on others and had to rely on itself for lasting defense.

Georgiana reflected on Denmark’s troubled royal history and the political risks Napoleon faced in pressuring Sweden, then accompanied him on an incognito visit among workers. The chapter ended with Georgiana and Napoleon sharing a kiss and marveling at their love as if it were a dream.

• Georgiana considered Denmark’s history, including Christian VII’s illness, Struensee’s reforms and affair with Queen Caroline Matilda, and the coup that led to their downfall.
• Georgiana worried that Napoleon’s visits could lead to scandal and pregnancy, and urged Matilda to keep their relationship secret.
• Georgiana accompanied Napoleon and Duroc among workers and reflected on labor reforms, Napoleon’s public image, and the risks of pushing Sweden toward France’s enemies.
• Leon held Georgiana’s hand after speaking with the workers, kissed her in the street, and declared, “Long live France.”
• Georgiana told Leon that no one would believe her French lover was him, and they kissed again, calling their love like a dream.

Georgiana practiced metalworking with fire magic in her tower and learned that Saint Genevieve’s sarcophagus and Saint Martin’s Cloak had been found at Sorbonne University. After visiting the discovery site and speaking with Dugommier about slavery and Toussaint Louverture, she returned to her experiments without revealing what had happened there.

• Georgiana used fire magic to smelt iron and forged a sharp dagger, which Napoleon teased as a bread knife.
• Matilda told Georgiana that a carriage had arrived because Saint Genevieve’s stone sarcophagus had been found.
• General Alville took Georgiana, Matilda, Fiegel, and Bailier to Sorbonne University, where workers had uncovered the sarcophagus and Saint Martin’s Cloak.
• At the site, Dugommier warned Georgiana that abolishing slavery would sharply reduce sugar profits and said Toussaint Louverture was being brought to Paris.
• Napoleon entered the ruins with the Archbishop of Paris and the papal envoy, then had Fouché clear the onlookers.
• Georgiana returned to the tower and resumed her experiments while Matilda told the servants about what she had seen.

Georgiana dreamed that she was executed by guillotine, then woke to Leon claiming her as his wife and refusing to let her return to the man she wanted. After resisting him and waking again, she dressed alone, still longing to escape the dream and see her husband.

• Georgiana imagined herself awaiting execution in Paris and considered using Wingardium Leviosa to stop the guillotine, but the blade fell and she saw Severus’s face on the executioner.
• Georgiana woke from the nightmare and found Leon waiting in the dark, then said she wanted to see her husband, Mr. Prince.
• Leon insisted that Georgiana was his wife and urged her to surrender to their relationship, but she refused and said she wanted to go back to him.
• Georgiana woke again, grieved that Napoleon would not save her and that Severus would not act for her, then dressed without calling a servant.

Georgiana prepared arguments against slavery and attended a French Academy debate on human equality, where scholars argued over whether natural differences justified enslavement. The debate ended without resolution, and Georgiana decided to bring Bailier next time.

• Georgiana considered the history and consequences of slavery while preparing for a debate at the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences.
• Georgiana left Bailier at the Burgundy Residence and went to the French Academy with Matilda and Fiegel.
• A moderator introduced a debate over whether people were born equal and whether natural differences justified some people ruling or enslaving others.
• Scholars in the hall argued that humans should not be treated like animals and challenged the pro-slavery speakers to accept enslavement themselves.
• Georgiana asked Matilda and Fiegel whether they found the debate interesting, then decided to bring Bailier next time.

Georgiana and Napoleon navigated tensions over Britain’s trade demands and Portugal’s free port while continuing their intimate, uncertain relationship. She feared Napoleon would lose his romantic imagination to power and calculation, and the chapter ended with them kissing.

• Laplace showed Georgiana the French Academy and hoped Napoleon would read his book, Celestial Mechanics.
• Napoleon read the book with Georgiana, quizzed her, and she slapped his forehead.
• Britain proposed trade negotiations, and French officials argued over market access, licenses, and Portugal’s free port.
• Napoleon considered how Portugal could draw trade through Lisbon and resented the Regent’s lean toward Britain.
• Bonaparte arranged for Georgiana and Ribot to help Fawkes research the Stuart dynasty in French libraries.
• Georgiana told Napoleon she feared he would lose his romantic imagination, and they kissed after he asked her to swear she would not leave.

Georgiana managed preparations for Napoleon’s birthday banquet while weighing France’s political, economic, and food crises and suspecting Napoleon’s pursuit of Thérèse Bourgoin was a maneuver against Chaptal. She ended by insisting that the mermaid sculpture for the celebration be redesigned to cover its breasts.

• Georgiana reviewed the Council of State’s crowded agenda and France’s high grain prices, poor harvest, and dependence on domestic crops.
• Georgiana organized Napoleon’s August 15 birthday banquet, arranging tents, multiple exits, a buffet, student guests, and industrial exhibits.
• Georgiana considered Toussaint Louverture’s quarantine and imagined building homes and supplying tools for formerly enslaved people if his territory joined France.
• Georgiana suspected Napoleon’s interest in Thérèse Bourgoin was a pretext to remind Chaptal not to exceed his authority.
• Georgiana ordered the sculptor to cover the breasts on the Mediterranean Mermaid sculpture or change its design.