Dennis Wheatley - Traitors' Gate

'The Allied bombers will never get as far as Budapest, and…"

'I wouldn't be too certain of that,' he cut in with sudden seriousness.

Her voice was low and soft but held no note of friendliness as she replied, 'That, as I was about to add, is beside the point. I want a sensible answer to my question.'

'Let's say then that, my poor old bones now being racked with arthritis, I have come to do the cure at your famous mud baths.'

'Gregory!' She gave the back of his hand a sharp dig with her nails. 'Stop fooling! You are as fit and lithe as ever you were. And anyway…'

'Softly, my sweet, softly,' he chided her. 'Please remember that my name is now Etienne.'

'You will have exchanged your name for a number in a cell if you exasperate me much further. And I am not your sweet!'

Ignoring the threat, he smiled down at her. 'Alas, no. I fear that your taste has deteriorated since the wonderful time we had together in Paris, of course. About that you played up marvellously, and I am most grateful to you.'

Without returning his smile, she replied. 'Yes, it was all very amusing; but I am no longer in the mood for comedy. For the sake of old times I refrained from denouncing you, and I am now giving you an opportunity to explain yourself. Take it, or I shall get Major Szalasi to send for a policeman.'

He gave her a look of shocked surprise. 'Surely you wouldn’t do that?'

'Why not? Our countries are at war and I run into you here posing as a Frenchman. It is obvious that you are a enemy secret agent.'

'Then why not snatch up a champagne bottle from the next table we pass and bash my head in with it?'

A slight shudder ran through her slender body, and she exclaimed, 'What a horrible idea!'

T suppose it is rather particularly when you remember that you used to enjoy running those slim fingers of yours through my hair. Yet the effect of a real good crack from a bottle would be precisely the same as if my head were smashed in by the bullets from a firing party; and that would probably be my fate if you gave me away. So you see you would simply be getting somebody, else to do your dirty work.'

Her skin was flawless, with the matt texture of magnolia petals, but a worried frown creased her broad low forehead, and a warmer note crept into her voice as she said, 'God knows, I would hate to bring about your death. But don't you see that meeting you like this has placed me in an impossible position?'

By first making light of his own situation then just touching on the grimmer side of it, Gregory had played his cards skilfully. Few women can resist the appeal of a man who is in great danger yet instead of asking help talks gay nonsense about it: and he judged from Sabine's softened expression that he now had her patriotic scruples on the run. Stooping his head a little he murmured in her ear:

'I would not say impossible, but exciting. How could it be anything else when you recall the last time we danced together here. I find it incredibly thrilling that fate should have brought its together again like this. You have no idea how often I have thought of you.'

'Oh come!' she protested. 'Please don't pretend that you are still in love with me.'

'I wasn't an hour ago. Now I'm not so certain. Anyhow, I very soon can be.'

'You are saying that because you hope to persuade me to let you get away with whatever you are up to.'

'I'm not. You must know that you are lovely enough to turn any man's head especially one who has such memories of you as I have.'

She gave a quick sigh. 'Yes; it was wonderful while it lasted.'

'It ended all too soon; only because I had to go back to England and it was impossible for you to go with me.'

'I… I know,' her voice faltered a little.

As they swayed to the music he drew her closer. 'Being with you here again like this makes it seem as if the years between have been no more than a one night’s dream.'

'But they haven't been a dream!' Her words came faster now and she looked up into his face with troubled eyes. 'It is common knowledge that I'm Ribb's mistress, and even if I were not we couldn't pretend they have. Our countries are at war, and you have as good as admitted that you are here as a spy. How can you expect me to ignore that and continue to lie to people about your being a Frenchman I met in Paris?'

'Listen, Sabine. This is the truth. I am not a spy; but I am here on a secret mission.'

'Well, that's much the same thing, isn't it?'

'Not necessarily; and not in this case. If I can succeed in my mission I honestly believe that it will be a good thing for Hungary.'

'In that case there is nothing to stop your telling me about it.'

'Nothing except time. This dance must be nearly over and, anyhow, to go properly into the matter I'd need an hour at least. What are you doing tomorrow?'

'I don't really know. Ribb will be up at the Palace most of the day, having conferences with Admiral Horthy; and probably in the evening too. I expect I shall do some shopping, lunch with friends and bathe in the afternoon. But this has nothing to do with it. This thing has got to be settled tonight,'

'Why? Are you afraid I'll run away?'

'You might. Perhaps it would be the best solution if you did. That is, if I could be certain that you had left the country.'

He smiled down at her again and stuck his chin out. 'Well, I'm not going to. There is too much at stake. So if you are really set on getting me oft your conscience tonight, there's only one way you can do it. You'll have to call in the police.

'Oh, Gregory, you are a brute! You haven't changed a bit. You're just as dictatorial as ever.'

'You haven't changed, either. But I'm not a brute. You know jolly well that I am the easiest, softest creature in the world, and that you never had the least difficulty in twisting me round your little finger. Look, why not cut out your shopping and all that tomorrow and spend the day with me?'

She closed her eyes and shook her head. 'No, no. Get thee behind me, Satan.'

'Why should I when it's such a joy to look at your race, Angel?'

Her eyes remained closed, their long dark lashes making fans upon her cheeks; but her lips broke into a smile, as she murmured, 'We're being absolutely crazy.'

'What is there crazy about trying to snatch a little happiness from life. If we can't put the clock back altogether we could for a dozen hours tomorrow.'

'Oh, you're incorrigible!'

'No; just human. I'll tell you about this mission of mine; then we'll forget the damn war and enjoy ourselves.'

Suddenly she opened her eyes. They were bright as stars and brimming with laughter. 'All right,' she nodded, 'you win. Where shall we meet?'

At that moment the band stopped. Under cover of the clapping he said, as he took his arm from about her, 'Let's start the day just as we used to, with a swim at the Gellert. I'll meet you there at eleven o'clock.'

She pressed his hand before letting it go, and whispered, 'That would be lovely, darling. Now we must think up some more funny stories about our time in Paris to keep Ribb in a good temper. Be careful how you look at me, though, because sometimes he gets jealous.'

Gregory was much too old a bird not to heed her warning; so he did not ask her to dance again, although he danced with Madame Szalasi and twice with Fraulein Weiss. Betweenwhiles he played the part of a cultured Frenchman who is something of a buffoon, and amused the party with cynical stories illustrating the hypocrisy and stupidity of the English. He found Ribbentrop somewhat conceited and very self-opinionated but, apart from that, congenial company.

It was the Nazi Foreign Minister's easy affability that had first opened to him the' road to fame. On Anneliese's money they had lived in a comfortable villa in the rich Berlin suburb of Dahiam, and made themselves a popular host and hostess. To their parties had come Von Papen, Himmler and then Hitler. The latter found Ribbentrop useful to him in giving colloquial translations of leading articles in the British and French Press and then the villa at Dahiam made "an excellent rendezvous for holding secret meetings. In it, during January 1933, had been hatched the conspiracy which led to the aged Hindenburg's giving his agreement to a Von Papen Hitler coalition government, and from then on the genial host of the conspirators had never looked back. Many of his fellow party chiefs resented his arrogance and doubted his abilities, but the ex-housepainter, Hitler, was so abysmally ignorant of. all foreign affairs that he could never be persuaded that Ribbentrop was not a second Bismarck.