Her voice was low, but it did not tremble. It was almost as if another self had taken command over the stupid, frightened, panic-stricken girl who had wanted to run away.

The ring was on her finger.

They knelt, the Chaplain blessed them and then, as the music of the organ deepened and rang out triumphantly, Lord Dorrington led Alyna away from the altar and back into the house.

Now that the ordeal was finished, Alyna felt curiously weak.

They reached the hall and instead of, as she had expected, going into the sitting room, Lord Dorrington led her up the stairs.

“You are tired,” he said. “I want you to go to bed and forget everything except that you are safe and that no one will ever trouble you again.”

They reached her bedroom and he added,

“I am going to ring for your maids, but before I do so there is something I want to explain to you.”

“What is it?” Alyna asked a little nervously.

“You can, if you wish it,” he said, “have one of the maids sleep in the adjoining dressing room.”

Alyna looked at him without speaking and he went on,

“I thought however that, unless you felt that it was absolutely essential for your peace of mind, it might cause comment amongst the staff. What I wish to tell you is that my own room is here on the left. There is a small connecting passage between the rooms, which only you will use. If you are frightened, if anything disturbs you in the night, you have only to scream and I will come to your assistance.”

‘Thank – you,” Alyna managed to say.

‘‘Otherwise the door will remain closed,” Lord Dorrington said gently.

He took her hand and lifted it to his lips.

‘‘Sleep well, Alyna,” he said. ‘‘Tomorrow there are many new things to see and perhaps new and exciting adventures waiting for us both. Happy ones!”

He released her hand having barely touched it with his lips.

‘‘I will send your maids to you,” he said.

Then he was gone.

For a moment Alyna felt an impulse to run after him. She wanted to go on talking to him. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, but she knew that she was in fact desperately tired.

Even though he had made it as easy as possible, the Wedding had been a strain and altogether it had been a long exhausting day.

As she climbed into bed, she had thought that she would find herself thinking of the Prince and remembering the horror and degradation of his kiss, but she fell asleep almost as her head touched the pillow.

In fact she knew nothing until she awoke to see the sunshine filtering through the curtains and was conscious of a sense of well-being and a kind of glow, which she recognised as a feeling of happiness.

‘It must be quite late in the morning,’ she thought.