"From the first Madame Antoine had her value, not as an individual, but as a piece on her mother's chessboard." Chapter 1, Page 13

"Once her daughters were married, the Empress greeted with indignation the news of the arrival each month of the 'Generale Krottendorf,' for such was the nickname give by her to her daughters' periods." Chapter 4, Page 45

"Essentially she was a royal package, sealed with the double-headed eagle of the Habsburgs and the fleur-de-lys of the Bourbons." Chapter 5, Page 57

"The nobility married young, their marriages being more or less arranged, and then lapsed gracefully into extramarital relationships, which were generally tolerated provided they were conducted in sufficiently elegant style. The polite expostulation of the Duc de Richelieu on finding his wife in bed with her love, expressed the mood; 'Just think, Madame, of the embarrassment if anyone but myself had discovered you.'" Chapter 6, Page 87

"'All this...