With a tremendous effort she assumed a look of vacantness and moved into the room hesitatingly as if she were not quite certain where she was.

She did not dare look up at the Prince as he greeted her, but she sensed, rather than saw, the satisfaction in his eyes and heard the note of triumph in his voice.

Dinner passed without incident. Lady Maude used all her considerable experience and sophistication to amuse the Prince and to keep him laughing.

It did not seem to matter to either of them that Alyna did not speak and that she ate very little.

She was aware from time to time that the Prince’s eyes were taking in every detail of her appearance.

But she looked down and only answered vaguely and quietly when anyone spoke to her.

When dinner was over and they retired to the salon, Alyna knew that this was the moment of danger.

“I have a present I wish to give to Alyna,” the Prince said to Lady Maude.

There was no mistaking from the way he spoke that he wished her to leave the room.

Lady Maude hesitated. She was so very anxious to please the Prince, to make sure that everything went smoothly and that he did not back out at the last moment.

Equally, although Alyna appeared so pliable and so different from her attitude of the day before, there was no knowing that such a mood would not change.

As she hesitated, Alyna slipped her arm through hers.

”Mama will want to see it too,” she said in a childish voice.

At the same time her fingers tightened on Lady Maude’s arm and she knew that her mother could not mistake her meaning.

Lady Maude looked up at the Prince ingratiatingly.

“Alyna is very sorry that she was so naughty last night,” she said, “but she is afraid that Your Highness is angry with her.”

“I will not be angry, Alyna,” the Prince said softly, “if you are really penitent.”

“I am – sorry,” Alyna murmured humbly.

“And did your mother punish you for running away?” the Prince enquired.

There was a note in his voice as if he savoured the idea.

Alyna did not answer and Lady Maude interposed quickly,

“I was very very angry with my little girl, but I have forgiven her and Your Highness must forgive her too.”

“Let me show Alyna what I have brought for her,” the Prince suggested.

He moved across the room as he spoke and Alyna knew quite well that she was meant to follow him and leave her mother behind.

However she held tightly onto Lady Maude’s arm.

“I am dying of curiosity,” Lady Maude said weakly.

The two women walked forward together to stand beside the Prince on the hearthrug.

As if he accepted the inevitable, he gave Lady Maude a hard look before he drew from the pocket of his long-tailed evening coat a velvet-covered box.