“You don’t think it would be wise to send the amendment to The Gazette? Once it is a fait accompli, I am sure that Alyna would be more reasonable. She is very young and a gentleman of such consequence as yourself must inevitably make her shy.”

“I like her shyness,” the Prince said, “but she is headstrong and needs a Master.”

“She does indeed,” Lady Maude agreed with a little sigh.

“Alyna is like a young horse that has never been broken,” the Prince continued. “It will be a pleasure to school her.”

Again Alyna perceived that there was that note of cruelty in his voice, as if the man gloated over something weaker than himself.

“I will talk to her,” Lady Maude said firmly. “She shall apologise to you. Then shall we put the announcement in The Gazette?”

“Perhaps the day after tomorrow,” the Prince said slowly. “I have promised to go racing tomorrow, but if you will be kind enough to invite me to dine with you, then I can talk to Alyna. I will bring with me the engagement ring I have already spoken to you about.”

“She will be thrilled with that, I am sure,” Lady Maude enthused.

There was a pause and Alyna had the feeling that the Prince was thinking of something else until finally he said,

“I have not liked to mention this before. Sometimes with young girls it is wise to prevent them from becoming too wild and perhaps too frightened of being married.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lady Maude asked curiously.

“We have in the East certain potions that make women, shall we say, a little more amenable, less nervous of such demanding occasions as marriage,” the Prince answered.

“Are you suggesting that I should give Alyna a drug?” Lady Maude exclaimed,

“My dear lady, how could you think such a thing?” the Prince replied. “No, no, nothing of the kind! Merely a herb that has a soothing effect upon the nerves. It is something that the wise women in our country give to hysterical children and to maidens who have perhaps an unnatural fear of a man’s strength.”

“What is this herb?” Lady Maude enquired.

“I don’t think it has a name, but it is very commonly used in Kahriz. We are very wise as regards medicine in the East. Recipes for potions have been handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth and I can assure you that most of them are very effective and quite harmless.”

He must have drawn something from his pocket because now Alyna heard her mother say,

“Is this it?”

“These little tablets look harmless, do they not?” the Prince declared. “I do indeed promise you that they will not hurt Alyna. They will just help her to feel a little calmer and perhaps be a little kinder to me.”

“How shall I persuade her to take them?” Lady Maude asked.