Fusoco has achieved such a developed business that it has become a company rich in gold capital and ships but Eric was careful not to show to be the major shareholder. The fleet now has several clippers, the most modern of which, the Richmond, just launched at the Norfolk shipyards and at its first crossing with Virginie and Pauline aboard, is captured by the British who hide it in the bay of Faro, in Portugal. With a bold coup, worthy of a story full of daring suggestions, the team of raiders put on by Eric and Guillaume and directed by Francois, manages to free the crew and make the clipper sail to moor itself in the quiet bay of Cassis, where will be armed with the special cannons invented by Jardine. In this third part, the maturity of the main protagonist of the novel is illustrated who will fully appreciate the family life with his beloved Virginie and his daughter Pauline. In Paris, he will know the new court of Napoleon, now risen to the throne of the emperor of the French and in frequenting it, will meet the delightful Louise, who will induce him to enjoy the sublime music of the time, in particular, Beethoven, Cherubini and Haydn. Eric having joined his wife in Richmond, about to give birth to their first child, finds her bedridden, prey to mysterious fevers that weaken her from day to day more and more. Taken, in the company of his faithful friends Guillaume and Francois, the return journey across the Atlantic with the glorious brigantine Virginia. They will have to suffer the treacherous attack of the English naval squad, which encircles the clipper in the Gulf of Cadiz. Although equipped with the miraculous cannons designed by Jardine and defending himself like a skillful lion of the sea, after having sunk several units of His Majesty's fleet, the brigantine Virginia is forced to suffer the loss of being captured. During the unequal fight, in fact, the wind needed to be removed so that the quick hull could not slip away, since it should be much faster than the heavy English vessels. All the surviving crew, saved on the lifeboats, are captured and with whom, also Eric and Guillaume that, complicit both the commander and the other officers, pass themselves off as mere members of the crew. Imprisoned, the brave sailors, together with the two inseparable friends, are translated into Southampton and locked up in the unsafe fort on the harbor. From which Eric and Guillaume fled before being recognized as shareholders of the Fusoco. Even if evasion is relatively easy, thanks to the help of Anne Marie, still living in London and following her, the three manage to reach Holland and from there, arriving in Germany where, after a forced stay which makes Guillaume nervous, yearning to rejoin his fresh bride, Eric manages to connect with the Grande Armée. Napoleon, a victorious veteran of the battle of Ulm and mindful of the help he received from Eric, already elevated to the title of senator of the empire and awarded the Legion of Honor, invites him to follow him to Vienna, and there he appoints him, sitting down, Colonel his particular advisor. In this capacity, reunited with Guillaume, they witnessed the battle of Pratzen against the coalition of Austrians and Russians, in which the great leader routed his enemies in a memorable and bloody battle which will be remembered as that of Austerlitz. The period of the novel goes to its end in 1805.