"Miss Parker!" Dominic stopped short, taking in the picture of her in a clinging dress, clinging to the Prince, who clung back, in no dress whatsoever. There was a lot of clinging to be seen.
"FRANCIS!"
"I can explain it all, Your Grace," Flora began but was interrupted.
"Welcome to Italy, Dominic," Francesco snarled.
"What. Is. The. Meaning. Of. This?" Dominic repeated very slowly but menacingly.
"Miss Parker and I went for a swim, the water is very nice really… you know how fond I am of bathing. It keeps the unpleasant odours away. But I have to confess, right now, I smell a stench of self-righteousness wafting over from I don't know where."
"You've always been an impertinent swine, Francis. Miss Parker is our ward. I will not have her reputation and honour damaged by a Casanova like you."
"I'm not much of a Casanova. Me and Romeo have never been friends…"
"Oh, Casanova!" chirped Flora. "I love his books!"
The Prince raised a shocked eyebrow. "I don't believe his works should have been in your curriculum, Miss Parker. — Well, Dominic, your literary taste is eclectic, I know, and I am charmed by the compliment. Comparing me to such an enlightened, intelligent and daring man! That reminds me, haven't you been friends with the Marquis de Sade, Dominic? I remember hearing a lot about you, how to put it, debauching with him during your Grand Tour. I envy you the connection, alas, even he had to die."
"You've always talked to much," the Duke hissed. "Miss Parker, give me your hand, I'll pull you out."
"Who is the Marquis de Sade?" Flora asked trying to turn her face towards the Duke without letting go and being pulled down again. The Prince, who was as tall as the Duke, was well able to stand. The water only reached up to his magnificent collarbones.
"I could have sworn you'd been his pupil," he said.
"Why?" Flora managed to push herself a little further away from him without losing her grip.
"Thank God," the Prince murmured.
He doesn't want me near! Well, of course he doesn't, after reading my diary he must think I'm crazy. To fantasise about being his wife.
Dominic cleared his throat. "Never mind, Miss Parker. Come, give me your hand, I'll pull you out. You can explain your predicament once you're dry. Eugenia will have a word to say about this, I'm sure. At the moment she's busy setting up her parents' accommodations. They've arrived this morning, much to our surprise."
He held out his hand towards Flora when yet another angry male person stomped towards the lake.
"Surrey! I have to talk to you. This cannot go on!"
It was Darlington.
"Whatever it is, Darl, keep it for later and help me get Miss Parker out of the water."
"Thank you, that's very kind of you, Your Grace."
The Earl reached them. "You cannot ignore your sister's behaviour, it is unheard of!"
"I have four sisters…" the Duke grumbled.
"Only one of them is here, Dominic…" Francesco said rather gratuitously.
"Yes, so what about Clara?"
"She's behaving like a hellion! She's rude, she's pert, her vocabulary is very untoward, all of this is tremendously unbecoming and I must strongly oppose to her education." Flora had never seen the Earl of Darlington as agitated as that. She had not thought him capable of such rage!
"You've been very negligent in overseeing her upbringing, Dominic, it is your duty to make sure she's not turning into a hoyden!"
The Duke faced the Earl, forgetting about Flora.
"This is none of your business, James. I have always taken good care of my sisters."
"Hear, hear…" Francesco chuckled.
Darlington's eyes shot arrows at the Prince "You, of all people, should stay out of this. If I'm not mistaken, it's you we have to thank for her attitudes."
"Oh, yes, of course, it was the savage from abroad who ruined the darling girl!"
"Shut up, the both of you!" Surrey shouted. "My sister Clara is grown up, she has been in society for over a year, I'm not to be held accountable for her behaviour."
"Yes, you are, she's not twenty-one, she's not married and if she goes on the way she does, she'll never find a husband!" Darlington shouted back.
"Of course, she will. She has a dowry of fifty-thousand pounds!"
Flora grimaced, thinking of her own one-thousand pound dowry.
Darlington continued. "Aha! Open up the debtors prison, Lady Clara is on the market! She swears like the postillion but look at all the money!"
"She's very pretty, too" Francesco remarked.
Flora felt a rush of jealousy coming over her. She wanted to get out of the water. It was starting to get cold.