A Bane Of Dukes

Having to cope with the taint of Fascism in his family's past and living in exile are the least of the problems enveloping Prince Vittorio di Borbone e Conti. The orphaned Italian prince seemingly waltzes through the claustrophobic world of an elite English boarding school, where he enthusiastically match-makes for his friends and revels in his powerful position as Social Director. But when his passion for a fellow pupil brings him into confrontation with his relatives in France, he has to choose between his duty to his dynasty and his loyalty to the boy he loves, the magnetic German prince, Wolfgang. The Prince's carefully-crafted mask of imperious confidence disintegrates in the face of rape, penury, and humiliation at the hands of his family, while he desperately tries to create a career for himself as a musician. With the revelation of his family's past support of Mussoini and the intrusion of the charismatic head prefect into his life, the ensuing scandal pushes Vittorio into the arms of the older boy. But he is unaware that his fascination for the prefect will cost him everything he has ever cared about.Emotionally shattered and completely alone, he must now make another choice in order to survive in the real world, where royal status is more of a handicap than an advantage