pearl-studded lilac waistcoat! He looked nearly like
a prince himself !
He asked me for a dance, and there is nothing
quite like a good quadrille to bring one's spirits
up, but he cannot dance. Rather, I watched him
throughout the night tripping ladies, treading
on their trains, knocking them into punch bowls.
I could track his progress upon the fl oor by the
number of ladies he managed to trip!
I feigned fatigue from viewing all the sights of
Venice, and instead sat with him on the dais under
the giant ring and heard the most interesting story
of this noble family.
Percy knew a brief history about Napoleon involving
the Ladroncellos. Th e Emperor, ever asserting his
masculinity, wanted to show how powerful he was
while conquering various nations. He sunk all of the
ships of Venice spanning from St. Marks to the Lido
including a famous golden ship called the Bucentaur.