Great courtesans are born, not made. With rare exceptions, the life a courtesan embarks upon can take turns and provide adventures-and advantages-more gratifying and sometimes more dangerous than anything she could have imagined at the start... as Catherine Noelle Verlee discovered. Born to humble French parents in India in 1762, by a series of incredible events she traveled to France via South Africa, Portugal, London and Paris with her lovers, who were distinguished, generous, and many. In Paris, she survived the French Revolution, and was the best friend of Napoleon's beloved Josephine. How was it that this infamous beauty, a notorious courtesan, achieved her heart's desire, married Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand--scion of a noble house and effectively ruler of France while Napoleon campaigned--and even became a princess? Was it because she knew how to keep a secret? Or...