The Valley of Decision Book I - The Old Order - Section 1.8

In which a young nobleman awakens to the charms and challenges of Turin, entering a world where society’s delicate courtesies mask financial constraints and the strictures of discretion. Amidst the splendour of the royal theatre and the stirrings of classical poetry, he forms a momentous acquaintance that hints at the deeper passions and political unrest simmering beneath the city’s glittering surface.