the effort was costly. Louis Ward was regarding her with frank curiousity.

"Th-that was someone I didn't want to meet," she stammered. "I guess I didn't know how much that would affect me when I met him again."

""

"Of course I told him,' said Consuela to the astounded Isabel and the trembling Irena when they were alone in the President's bedroom. "He knew that you weren't Irena. You only fooled him until you spoke and then he looked at you more closely. He thinks you are excellent in your part, but lovers, after all, should be able to tell one another."

""

"So what's he going to do about it?" Isabel demanded tensely.

Consuela glanced at the still darkly-dressed Irena, seated on the end of the bed, her skirts raised just about her ankles to show her black spike heels and dark hose. "I'm not sure," said Consuela carefully. "But he does want to see our new Irena again."

"You didn't tell him who she really is, did you?” hissed Isabel threateningly.

"Of course not!" snapped Consuela. "What do you take me for? A fool?" She didn't need to say more. They had all gathered that Ricardo Querido was bright and intelligent. He would want a part of the action, that was certain.

"So, where is he right now?" asked Isabel.

Consuela jerked her head towards to door connecting to Isabel's room. "He's waiting in there," she said.

There was a stillness in the large room. "He doesn't know that she's not woman?" she asked again in disbelief.

a real

Consuela snorted. ‘Irena' was unreadable as a youthful

Esteban to her, never mind

to one who had no reason to

suspect what was really be-

"

neath those well-formed breasts and delicate, feminine appear- ance. "She should change into something more comfortable,' she said slowly. She looked hard at the tense Irena, twist- ing the edge of the bedsheet anxiously in her red-tipped fingers. "You'll be earning your keep with this one, honey," she said to the 'girl' in front of her.

Irena took of the dress woodenly, puppet-like, as if she were indeed a man in woman's clothing and knew it. Ricardo Querido, however, would not have suspected that the shapely girl in the long, red negligee wasn't a real girl, wasn't even the real Irena, until he got very close. Then, he would see that this new 'Irena' was much younger than the Irena he had made love to. With Consuela's tart reminder that 'she' was a woman and must act like one, there was so much of Irena in 'her', that when Ricardo entered the bed- room, he wanted to seize her and caress her right away.

"All right, Ricardo," Consuela's voice cut across his compliments to the new Irena's loveliness. "I brought you in here to talk to Irena. Now, you can say what you have to say.'

Ricardo reluctantly released the soft hand with the long, lacquered nails. The girl's face registered her apprehension. He smiled confidently at her. She really had no idea what he was about to propose, but the out- rageous proposal that had form- ed in his mind as he sat in the other room, scheming how to turn this unbelievable turn of events to his advantage, looked to have some very desirable side benefits.

" he said, "I loved Irena, keeping his eyes on the girl who had taken her place. She had let her blonde hair down, fluffing it out at the nape of

-34-

her neck. "I wanted to marry her, but she laughed at my suggestion of such a thing. Now, I think it's the right time for her to say yes." He was pleased at the stunned, terrified look on the girl's

beautiful face. "I think that you girls," he glanced patron- izingly at Isabel and Consuela, "need someone strong like me, now that Salluca's gone, to help you run the government."

There was a shocked si- lence. "We don't need any- one!" Consuela's furious voice trembled as she spat out the words. "Ask for something else."

Ricardo shook his head. He held out his hand to Irena who shrank back on the long sofa away from him. The ne- gligee parted to show off her beautiful, still stockinged, slim calves and thighs. "Lovely," he grinned, his eyes running over her feminine form from her red, high-heeled slippers to her blonde-streaked hair. "All the benefits Irena ever gave me without having to listen to those interminable political lectures." He advanced quickly and sat beside the girl, seizing her arm.

"No," she said, fear show- ing plainly in her outlined eyes.

Ricardo pulled her to him and slipped his arms about her very thin waist. Even though she tried to push him away, he was able to take a kiss, from the soft, shiny lips before Consuela pried them apart in fury.

""

"Just a little on account," Ricardo smiled, as he stood up and strolled back towards Isabel's room. "We'll let The Eagle lie in state for a few days before we make the an- nouncement." He pointed ve- hemently at Consuela, shaking herself as she tried to comfort the distraught Irena, who looked on the verge of tears. "But we will make the announce- ment. I will marry Irena Varga or she won't be Irena any