They were talking earnestly, but at Ilona’s entrance there was a sudden silence.
She did not even look at the men who stared at her in surprise as they rose to their feet. Her eyes were on the Prince’s face as he too rose.
For a moment his self-possession seemed to desert him as he saw the way Ilona was dressed - her red hair streaming loose over her shoulders, her green eyes seeking his.
She reached the table in front of him and stood looking up into his eyes to ask,
“Is it true that the Russians have entered the country and have occupied the Palace?”
“That is what I have been told,” the Prince said quietly. “But there is no need for you to be frightened.”
“I am not frightened,” Ilona said scornfully. “I have come to tell you how you can enter the Palace and take them by surprise be
