During the following peace, Hornblower's wife Barbara accompanies his brother, the Duke of Wellington to Vienna, and Hornblower decides to visit the chateau of the Comte de Gracay, where he resume his relationship with the Comte's daughter-in-law, Marie.
During the following peace, Hornblower's wife Barbara accompanies his brother, the Duke of Wellington to the Congress of Vienna, leaving Hornblower at loose ends. He decides to visit the Comte de Gracay, where he resumes his relationship with the Comte's widowed daughter-in-law, Marie.