Dennis Wheatley - The Black Baroness

Gregory could only agree that she was perfectly right and that for Germany to be supreme above all nations was the only thing that really mattered; then he laughingly expressed the hope that he might be present to applaud when the Fuehrer decorated her with the Iron Cross for her services to the Third Reich.

Her wicked eyes crinkled at the corners. 'Wouldn't it be more appropriate if he instituted a new Order called Ladies of the Golden Garter?'

'Grand!' laughed Gregory. 'Grand! Yet somehow I don't think he's quite the right fellow to bestow the decoration personally. It would be much more fun for the girls if he selected certain stalwarts among his Black Guards to put the garters on.' She shook her head. 'No. They are so dull—great, stupid animals. I think each girl should be allowed to choose her own man to deputise for the Fuehrer, and the installation should take place at night to soft music and in candle-light. One might even adopt the procedure of the Ancient Orders of Chivalry, where squires who were to receive the accolade spent the night on their knees, in prayer, before the high altar of a church.'

'I get you,' Gregory grinned. 'The night would not be spent in prayer, but the lady would receive her decoration in the morning.'

'That's it.' Paula's hand brushed his as she reached out for a chocolate. 'Now, what sort of man d'you think I should choose for my initiation?'

Her question was an open invitation for Gregory to describe himself, and in other circumstances he would have done so without hesitation, but now he had Erika to consider. Quite apart from the fact that, being in love with her, he was not in the least interested in any other woman, he had to make allowance for her possible reactions to any signs of Paula and himself becoming somewhat more than friendly. Erika would, of course, say that she trusted him completely and did not at all mind his entering on a flirtation with Paula for the sake of the interests they served, but Gregory owed much of his success with women to the fact that experience had taught him a great deal about the workings of the female brain. Erika would quite honestly mean it when she said that she trusted him, but that would not affect the fact that it would make her extremely unhappy if he played up to Paula very far and that was bound to have an adverse effect upon their own happiness.

Fortunately his acquaintance with Paula was still so slight that she had had no time or opportunity to develop a real interest in him. It was just that she was a gregarious young woman who was obviously prepared to have an affair with any attractive man whom she might meet and, having put Gregory down as a desirable property, she had evidently decided that it would be rather fun to try to take him away from such a handsome rival as Erika. He therefore made up his mind at once that before be was drawn further on to this extremely dangerous ground he must side-track Paula by conveying to her that he was not really a very desirable property at all.

After a moment he looked up at her and smiled a little weakly. 'I must say I'd envy the chap who got the job and I'd apply for it myself if I thought that I had the least chance.'

'Nothing venture—nothing win,' she murmured, lowering her long lashes.

"The trouble is,' he admitted slowly, 'that I'm always a damned sight too honest with myself, and knowing my limitations so well I'm quite certain that when it came to the point I should let you down.'

'Why?' she asked in an astonished voice. 'Whatever makes you think that?'

'Well, the sort of man you want is a chap who'd treat you rough and give you a beating if you played him up.'

'Mein Gott, nein!' Paula protested quickly.

'Oh yes, you do,' Gregory assured her. 'Every woman does. I don't mean a drunken blackguard or anything of that kind, but a chap with a will of his own who wouldn't stand any nonsense and if he saw you flashing those lovely eyes of yours at anybody else would take you home and give you a good spanking.'

Paula's colour deepened a little under her make-up and Gregory knew that he had judged her rightly.

She was a strong, highly-sexed young woman who would thoroughly enjoy occasional rows with her lovers and derive tremendous kick from a mild beating-up in which she was finally possessed forcibly, so that her sobs of anger gave way almost imperceptibly to gasps of passionate emotion.

'Well,' she admitted slowly, 'if one loves a man one naturally expects him to assert himself at times, otherwise how can one possibly respect him?'

'That's just it,' Gregory nodded, 'and although I don't think I'm really a weak character—certainly not as far as my job is concerned—once I fall for a woman I find it utterly impossible to say "no" to her. I just follow her around saying, "Yes, darling," "Of course, darling," and give way to her in every single thing. I suppose you'll think me an awful fool to have told you that, but it's just a stupid weakness that I can't get over.'

'I see,' said Paula with a tinge of disappointment in her tone.

'Still,' Gregory went on more hopefully, 'some women prefer a quiet life and having their own way in everything without any trouble.' He lowered his voice to a murmur. 'Of course, I'd have to be careful about Erika, but if you think I wouldn't bore you too much—couldn't we—er—meet somewhere just for—er—a quiet meal?1

Paula stiffened slightly. 'I'm afraid you've rather misunderstood me, Herr Oberst-Baron; but perhaps that is owing to the turn our conversation took. We were only talking nonsense, and, in any case, it's one of my rules never to pinch my girlfriends' men, so let's say no more about it.'

'I'm so sorry,' Gregory murmured awkwardly, and as he spoke his face wore such a hang-dog look that Paula almost laughed. She would have been livid with rage if she had known the real Gregory and how inside himself he was laughing at her and the thought that he had got her just where he wanted her.

He was, however, very far from laughing when he and Erika had returned to their hotel and were discussing matters together.

'It's incredible!' he exclaimed. 'D'you realise that if what Paula said last night is true, about her knowing at least forty German girls of her own class who have been sent over here on this job, there must be scores of them having affairs with half the leading men in Norway. They're undermining the whole political structure of the country and if we can't do something to stop it the place will fall into Hitlers' hands without a shot being fired.'

She nodded. 'It's rather amazing that we should so quickly have tumbled to what is going on. I don't suppose the real Norwegian people have any idea of it at all, and we shouldn't have, either, if we hadn't happened to run into Paula last night; but, naturally, she assumed that I was just one more of the lovelies whom the Nazis had sent to do their dirty work and opened up the whole business to us. What's our next move?'

'We must stick close to the von Steinmetz, then she'll lead us to the other women who are playing the same game and we can find out which Norwegian leaders are still trustworthy and which have succumbed to Hitler's fascinating secret weapon.'

'That shouldn't be difficult. I saw her making a play for you at the end of lunch.'

He grinned. 'She cooled off when I intimated that, although I'd love to play, I'm really a bit of a weakling when it comes down to brass tacks.'

'Oh, darling,' Erika roared with laughter and flung her arms round his neck, 'what delicious nonsense!

And she really took that in?'

'You bet she did! And she promptly changed her tactics, becoming one of those high-principled girls who never snatches her friends' men. She even declined a stolen meeting on the first occasion that I could get you safely out of the way, but as I paid her the compliment of appearing to get all hot-and-bothered about her, honour is satisfied. She now has no use for me at all in the role of prospective lover but will continue to play ball. It is a case of no offence given—and none taken, I'm sure.'