What was the secret of the gold medallion? Travelling to Vienna in the winter of 1888, Lady Charlotte Brantham little suspected the dangers that lay ahead. She would not rest until she had solved the mystery of her father's keepsake. Why had he gone to the place where death had met him, and who was it who so desperately needed help? Somehow her travelling companions, the sinister Countess Plesch and the audaciously gallant Count Palkany, were involved - in an international plot that threatened Charlotte’s very life and all she held dear. Now she had no choice but to call upon Captain Piers Talbot of the Foreign Office - who was at once so infuriating and so necessary to her peace of mind. She needed his help - even if he did threaten to disturb her heart!