Bonaparte's Granddaughter (Swindlers, #1) / Swindlers (ePub)

Imperial Russia. War of 1812. France invades the territory of Imperial Russia. The main headquarters of Napoleon Bonaparte is located in the house of the landowner Goryunov in Smolensk. The serf girl Lizaveta serves the French and becomes the mistress of the French orderly (aide-de-camp). French troops leave the burning Smolensk and move on to Moscow. The orderly gives Lizaveta a golden louis at parting. Sometime later, the girl realizes that she is pregnant.
Half a century passes. Maria, Lizaveta's granddaughter, becomes a pupil of the landlady Goryunova. When the Mistress dies, the master marries a young woman a second time. The new Mistress dislikes Maria. And she is sent to work for seamstresses.
The young mistress hires a French-born tutor named Serge Schaeffer. The young man learns that Maria is Napoleon's granddaughter. A romantic-minded tutor offers her a hand and a heart. Serge takes Maria's passport from her owner Goryunov, now an employer. (Indeed, in 1863, the emperor abolished serfdom, and all the peasants gained freedom). In the passport, the girl is listed as Maria Frantsuzova.
The spouses Schaeffer live in Moscow, they lead a secular lifestyle and visit the fashionable Salon of Mrs. Skobeleva. Regular visitors to the Salon learn about the origins of Maria, and she becomes the center of attention of his visitors. A certain Prince Rokotov, an inveterate gambler, womanizer and adventurer, falls in love with a provincial beauty.
Maria is unable to resist the temptation and becomes the mistress of Prince Rokotov. She has always been attracted by wealth and adventure. Viscount La Charité, also an adventurer, swindler and friend of the Prince, decides to use Bonaparte's granddaughter for his own insidious purposes. What will happen to Maria next? Will she be able to resist the Viscount? Or, on the contrary, will she take an active part in the fraud he is planning?
Historical reference: Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the de facto leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814 and again in 1815. Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, building a large empire that ruled over continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815. One of the greatest commanders in history, his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide. He remains one of the most celebrated and controversial political figures in human history.