Did you know France had established colonies in India?  I had no idea.  Not terribly big ones, mind you, mostly four totally unconnected coastal cities.  The first was established in 1674, with the rest coming along in the 1700s.  Today, they form the Union Territory of Puducherry (AKA Pondicherry).  I looked this up because of the European vibe I was getting from this tale. Grace was born in Pondicherry to an Italian academic and his wife, daughter of one of the established local landowning families.  […]