The Launching of Roger Brook
Page 61
. . . . .
At four o’clock on the following afternoon Roger was shown into Mr. Pitt’s office. The Prime Minister greeted him kindly, offered him a glass of port and, when he was seated, said at once:
‘Mr. Brook, I pray you concern yourself no further about this warrant for your extradition. I have had it quashed; and would have written to tell you so, had I not wished to express my thanks to you in person for all that you have done; and let you have, in confidence, the final outcome of the affair in which you were so deeply involved.’
‘I am most grateful to you, Sir,’ Roger murmured, but the Prime Minister waved his thanks aside.
‘Sir James Harris wrote Lord Carmarthen of the assistance you gave us on your trip abroad, so I know you to be informed of events in the United Provinces up to the end of last month. Since then, Amsterdam, the last stronghold of the rebels, surrendered on the 10th of October, and the French have entirely come to heel. Unable to face a war they have suffered the humiliation of being compelled to entirely reverse their policy. Last week the Court of Versailles exchanged declarations with us, agreeing for the future to sustain the Stadtholder in the full rights of his office.’
Roger nodded. Then there is no longer any fear of a European conflagration?’
‘None, I am happy to say; and that is very largely due to Sir James Harris and yourself. You will, I know, be pleased to hear that His Majesty is rewarding Sir James for his long and arduous toil on the nation’s behalf, by elevating him to the peerage under the title of Baron Malmesbury. As to yourself, your case presents certain difficulties, since it is contrary to all practice to confer a public award for work of a secret nature. But if I can be of service to you in anyway you have but to name it.’
Mr. Pitt paused for a moment, then added: ‘I have no desire to pry into your private affairs, but if a gift of money would be of any assistance to you …?’
‘I thank you, Sir.’ Roger smiled. ‘But my father has recently made me an allowance of three hundred a year, and that is ample for my needs.’
The Prime Minister took a swig of port, and said: ‘None the less, I shall feel aggrieved unless I can do something for you. Surely, now that you are returned to England, you intend to take up some career. With gifts such as yours you should go far.’
‘Ah, there’s the rub, Sir,’ Roger replied. ‘My father set his heart upon my entering the Navy, but four years ago I ran away to France rather than be sent to sea. I’ve no wish to remain idle, yet those four years are now entirely lost to me. I am not trained to anything except secretarial work and I’ve no desire to do that all my life. Yet no other opening seems to offer.’
Mr. Pitt stood up, and began to walk about the room, as he asked: ‘What type of work would really hold your interest, and what qualifications have you?’
‘I am said to have a flair for languages, Sir. I now speak French as well as most Frenchmen and know a little German. I have proved to myself that I do not lack for courage or resource and would meet any man with either sword or pistol, were I called upon to do so. As to the type of work I would prefer, ’tis hard to put a name to it, but I would like to retain my independence of action as far as possible, and I’ve a strong desire to travel again. But I fear I shall find it monstrous hard to launch myself in any manner that will fulfil those wishes.’
‘I think not,’ said young Mr. Pitt, laying a kindly hand on Roger’s shoulder. ‘Consider yourself launched, Mr. Brook. England and I have a hundred uses for a man like you.’
A Note on the Author
DENNIS WHEATLEY
Dennis Wheatley (1897–1977) was an English author whose prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world’s best-selling writers from the 1930s through the 1960s.
Wheatley was the eldest of three children, and his parents were the owners of Wheatley & Son of Mayfair, a wine business. He admitted to little aptitude for schooling, and was expelled from Dulwich College, London. In 1919 he assumed management of the family wine business but in 1931, after a decline in business due to the depression, he began writing.
His first book, The Forbidden Territory, became a bestseller overnight, and since then his books have sold over 50 million copies worldwide. During the 1960s, his publishers sold one million copies of Wheatley titles per year, and his Gregory Sallust series was one of the main inspirations for Ian Fleming’s James Bond stories.
During the Second World War, Wheatley was a member of the London Controlling Section, which secretly coordinated strategic military deception and cover plans. His literary talents gained him employment with planning staffs for the War Office. He wrote numerous papers for the War Office, including suggestions for dealing with a German invasion of Britain.
Dennis Wheatley died on 11th November 1977. During his life he wrote over 70 books and sold over 50 million copies.
Discover books by Dennis Wheatley published by Bloomsbury Reader at
www.bloomsbury.com/DennisWheatley
Duke de Richleau
The Forbidden Territory
The Devil Rides Out
The Golden Spaniard
Three Inquisitive People
Strange Conflict
Codeword Golden Fleece
The Second Seal
The Prisoner in the Mask
Vendetta in Spain
Dangerous Inheritance
Gateway to Hell
Gregory Sallust
Black August
Contraband
The Scarlet Impostor
Faked Passports
The Black Baroness
V for Vengeance
Come into My Parlour
The Island Where Time Stands Still
Traitors’ Gate
They Used Dark Forces
The White Witch of the South Seas
Julian Day
The Quest of Julian Day
The Sword of Fate
Bill for the Use of a Body
Roger Brook
The Launching of Roger Brook
The Shadow of Tyburn Tree
The Rising Storm
The Man Who Killed the King
The Dark Secret of Josephine
The Rape of Venice
The Sultan’s Daughter
The Wanton Princess
Evil in a Mask
The Ravishing of Lady Mary Ware
The Irish Witch
Desperate Measures
Molly Fountain
To the Devil a Daughter
The Satanist
Lost World
They Found Atlantis
Uncharted Seas
The Man Who Missed the War
Espionage
Mayhem in Greece
The Eunuch of Stamboul
The Fabulous Valley
The Strange Story of Linda Lee
Such Power is Dangerous
The Secret War
Science Fiction
Sixty Days to Live
Star of Ill-Omen
Black Magic
The Haunting of Toby Jugg
The KA of Gifford Hillary
Unholy Crusade
Short Stories
Mediterranean Nights
Gunmen, Gallants and Ghosts
For copyright reasons, any images not belonging to the original author have been removed from this book. The text has not been changed, and may still contain references to missing images.
This electronic edition published in 2014 by Bloomsbury Reader
Bloomsbury Reader is a division of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc,
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
First published in Great Britain in 1947 by Hutchinson Publishing Group, London
Copyright © 1947 Dennis Wheatley
All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical,
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The moral right of the author is asserted.
eISBN: 9781448212880
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