March midnight
Meantime Luigi brought a letter from Pallanza in Carlo 's handwriting . This was the burden of it : `` I am here , and you are absent . Hasten ! '' The Lenkenstein ladies returned to Milan proudly in the path of the army which they had followed along the city walls on the black March midnight . The ladies of the Austrian aristocracy generally had to be exiles from Vienna , and were glad to flock together even in an alien city . Anna and Lena were aware of Vittoria 's residence in Milan , through the interchange of visits between the Countess of Lenkenstein and her sister Signora Piaveni . They heard also of Vittoria 's prospective and approaching marriage to Count Ammiani .