Dennis Wheatley - The Rape Of Venice

'Far from it. She was abducted with the connivance and assistance of a native Prince; and I am come to require your Excellency's assistance in regaining possession of her.'

'Indeed! Such a charge raises a serious issue. Pray take a chair, and give me full particulars.'

Roger had both an orderly mind and the gift of clear expression but, even so, it took him over twenty minutes to present a lucid account of his entanglement with Malderini in England, then of all that had occurred as a result of following Clarissa to Bahna.

When he had done, the Governor said: 'Mr. Brook, I pray you do not assume that I question your veracity. I would, though, suggest that you have been misled. All of us have heard of mesmerism, but few people can have seen it practised with even moderate success; and I cannot believe that anyone could apply it with sufficient potency to make a happily married young lady abandon her husband and her home against her will.'

From what Hickey had said, Roger had been prepared to find Sir John difficult; but he had not expected to be challenged on what he had come to regard as the accepted facts of his case. Switching his mind swiftly to supernatural matters, he said:

'I was unaware, Sir, that you were an atheist. Since that is so, it would be pointless for me to argue with you about spiritual forces.'

'An atheist!' Sir John exclaimed indignantly. 'I'd have you know, Sir, that I am as firm a believer in the Christian Faith as any man in this country.'

'You surprise me,' came the calm reply. 'How, pray, do you reconcile your Faith with a denial in the power of God to answer prayer?'

'I have done no such thing!

'Your Excellency has done what amounts to that, by implying that the Devil is incapable of responding to the supplications of his worshippers.'

That is a very different matter.'

'Permit me to disagree. Both God and the Devil are fundamental concepts of the Christian Religion. You cannot believe in the power of the one without also granting power to the other.'

I grant your point; but where does this lead us?'

To the fact that you have no grounds for thinking it more unlikely that a Satanist, like Malderini, should receive help and strength from his god than that we should do so from ours. In view of that, are you prepared to maintain that the Devil would never grant one of his disciples exceptionally strong mesmeric powers to enable him to dominate another person's mind for the purposes of Evil?'

The Governor gave a wry smile. 'It seems, Mr. Brook, that you have missed your vocation. You should have gone into the Church and made a name for yourself as a theologian. However, your argument when applied to the present case, breaks down. You have asked me to believe that this man Malderini is a powerful magician, and that he intends to make use of Mrs. Brook in some abominable ceremony; yet you admit that in Lady St. Ermin's house you saw him unmasked as a charlatan.'

'That is true,' Roger admitted, 'but not grounds enough for supposing that Malderini is altogether incapable of securing help from the Devil. You, Sir, if inflicted with some dread disease, might pray for fortitude to support your pains, and have it granted; but if one night you prayed for wings, I greatly doubt if Our Lord would oblige you.'

I fear I am far from being near enough a Saint to expect such a miracle.'

'And, no doubt, if Malderini has not yet qualified for the inner circle of Hell, that would explain why he had to resort to a trick, rather than rely on his Infernal Master, in his attempt to levitate the Princess Sirisha. But of his hypnotic powers I have personal experience. During the duel I told you of…'

Sir John held up his hand. 'That might be accounted for by your having been in low health at the time. But there is no reason to suppose that Mrs. Brook was. Naturally, her departure has been the talk of Calcutta for this past week. Native servants always give a full account of such matters to anyone who will listen to them; so the facts are well known. After an hour's conversation with this man, she personally directed the packing of all her belongings; then, wide awake, without the least indication that she was either ill or unhappy, she mounted into his palanquin and left with him. I cannot credit that any healthy young woman could be arbitrarily hypnotised into taking such a course. No. Mr. Brook. You have my sympathy; but I fear you must accept it that your wife has deceived and deliberately left you.'

Roger fought down a rising sense of alarm. He had not yet even reached the point of endeavouring to persuade Sir John that an ultimatum to the Rajah of Bahna would not necessarily be followed by war, let alone tackled him on the subject of reinforcements for Gunston. Yet in inducing the Governor to adopt an aggressive policy lay his only hope of saving Clarissa. Clearing his throat, he said:

'Nothing can now convince me, Sir, that Mrs. Brook left me of her own free will. But there is a sure way to find out if it is you or I who are in the right of the matter. It is that the Rajah of Bahna should be required to produce her, and that, after an interval sufficient to free her from Malderini's malign influence, she should be asked to speak for herself.'

'The Rajah might well refuse to comply, maintaining that this is a private issue, and no concern of his. What then?'

'Colonel Gunston would then act upon the further instructions that your Excellency would have given him namely to recover her by force.'

The Governor raised his long knobbly hands and gently tapped the tips of his fingers together. 'Come, come, Mr. Brook. We are no longer living in the age when Troy was besieged on account of Helen. You cannot seriously expect me to involve the Company in a war on your behalf because your beautiful young wife has run away with another man.'

Angered by this assumption of Clarissa's guilt, Roger went slightly pale, but he kept his voice level as he replied, This is no question of personalities, but one of principle. The honour and safety of an English woman are involved.'

'You have not yet convinced me that she is in any danger. And, if she is, she has brought it on herself. There can be no justification for calling on men to fight in such a cause; and I have no intention of placing the lives of perhaps several hundred people in jeopardy on account of a truant wife.'

Roger saw now that patient argument would get him nowhere; so he replied with sudden acidity: 'Such righteous sentiments would no doubt be mightily applauded at a meeting of Puritans; but the parable of the strayed lamb would make them difficult for any true follower of Christ to justify.'

Sir! Do you presume to lecture me on my religion?'

'No. Your Excellency's religion holds no interest for me.' Roger's tone had again become mild, but the way in which he steadily returned the Governor's angry stare through half-​closed eyes showed that he was now in a highly dangerous mood. He went on quietly, 'I am concerned only with justice, and the prestige of my King and country. As regards the first, you are guilty of a gross injustice condemning my wife unheard. With regard to the second, am I not right in believing that your real reason for refusing me your assistance is because you are anxious not to give offence to the Rajah of Bahna?'

I am under no obligation to reply to such a question,' Sir John replied stiffly. 'But as I know myself to have been much criticised on that head, I will do so. I am the Servant of the Company. The instructions of their Honours the Directors are that I should avoid all cause for war with the native Princes, and resort to arms only should it be necessary to defend the Company's vital interests. It is my task to carry out those instructions to the best of my ability; not to question them.'

'I disagree. You are ignoring the revolutionary change that has recently taken place in the Government of India. The setting up of the India Board by Parliament has given you two masters. You are now responsible not only to the Company, but also to the Crown. And it is your duty to put the interests of the Crown before those of the Company. I propose to show you a certain paper, and then…'