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In which the ever-dutiful Cardinal d’Orsay finds his longed-for respite postponed to bear an imperial gift—a pair of exquisitely fragile candlesticks—to the fair Princess Marïonoff in St. Petersburg, enlisting the devoted Iván Volenski as his fellow traveller and guardian of the precious parcel. It is revealed that these delicate works of art harbour a secret recess, once employed by Marie Antoinette, which promises to cloak the safe passage of clandestine papers, stirring a glimmer of hope and strategy in Volenski’s heart as they prepare to embark on their unforeseen journey.