The wind over Concorde Square felt especially chill in the summer dawn.
From here, to the north lay the Tuileries Palace, and to the west the Champs-Elysees.
In 1772, when this square had just been completed, it was called Place Louis Quinze.
During the French Revolution, this became the site of the Guillotine, where numerous members of the Nobility were beheaded, including the King Louis XVI and the Queen Mary Antoinette; thus later the Parisians also called it Revolution Square.
It was not until after the Thermidorian Reaction in 1795 that the Directory, in order to dissolve hatred, renamed it Concorde Square, as a symbol of national reconciliation and the restoration of order.
As the carriage drove past the obelisk and the encircling fountains, Arthur looked through the window and caught sight of that solemn and luxurious mansion.
