I never readily trusted anyone, nor did I ever completely open my heart to anyone. But even a person who ascends to the throne through a coup inevitably has a few friends with whom he can talk openly deep into the night without fear of being twisted by the newspapers the next day. After all, none of us truly belong to any faction. I ascended the throne in the name of a republic but am more emperor-like than many monarchs. He took power in the name of reform but is more like an old-school Tory than many Conservative Party members.
—Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, "The People's Emperor: My Destiny and the Empire"
When Louis set foot on Britain Island again, it was late autumn, and the port of Southampton was shrouded in a gray mist, with the tides lapping against the wooden piers, not urgently, but rather like a gentle greeting from an old friend—Are you back?
Louis felt a mix of emotions; he indeed was back again.
