Sitting in silence, watching the water drift slowly by, Daniel struggled to maintain a calm, nonchalant exterior,, whilst inside his stomach churned, frantic to understand why the gardener should come to them together with the man"s sudden ability to speak coherently. Aunty Flo clucked like a hen, talking incessantly, giving Manfred little opportunity to contribute or reply to her many comments. He insisted they return to the castle, offering to row them across the lake and Aunty Flo jumped at the chance. Daniel watched him pulling on the oars, his skill highly tuned, as they left the summerhouse behind. If Manfred were any other person, this situation could be pleasant, but such feelings didn"t produce goose bumps. Manfred"s oily charm had worked on Aunty Flo when he pointed out a deluge
