The Irish Witch rb-11

by Dennis Wheatley

  A period of great anxiety followed, but on November 1st, Roger's sixth day at Schloss Bergedorf, the surgeon was satisfied that the second operation had been success­ful. These days of constant pain had cost Roger a stone in weight. Combined with the loss of blood and fear of being crippled for life, they had left him very weak. It was no surprise to him, therefore, when he was told that it would be several weeks before he could hope to travel and, anxious as he was to get home, he made no protest.

  * * *

  It was during the time when Roger was so desperately ill that an event occurred in London which was to bring Susan into dire peril.

  One morning towards-the end of October, just as Jemima was about to go,out shopping with Lady Luggala, a running footman arrived with a letter for her. It was from her mother, and asked that both of them should come to her as a matter of the utmost urgency. As their carriage was already at the door, they drove straight to Islington.

  There they found the witch's house a scene of great activity. The servants were packing silver and linen into hampers in the hall, while the witch and her high priest, the lean Father Damien, were busily parcelling up magi­cal implements and packets of precious drugs in the draw­ing room.

  No sooner had the door closed behind her visitors than the witch cried angrily, 'My dears, it is a shocking blow that we have suffered. That fool Cornelius Quelp has allowed himself to be trapped.'

  'Oh dear!' exclaimed Jemima. 'How did it happen?'

  'A French emigre, one of the old, sour kind who refused to return to France when the Emperor proclaimed an amnesty and has long been in the pay of the English, wormed his way into the Dutchman's confidence. He was arrested yesterday and charged at Bow Street with being a French secret agent. The evidence against him was irrefutable and it is in the Tower that he is now. A friend of his brought the news to me in the middle of the night.'

  'Obviously you are leaving, so I take it you fear he may betray us,' said Maureen Luggala unhappily.

  It was Father Damien who answered her. 'The Myn­heer is a courageous man and much attached to us, so I do not believe he would betray us lightly, but the brutal English may force him to.'

  'The English are not brutal in that way,' Jemima volun­teered. 'They have long given up torturing prisoners.'

  'There are other means of securing information from prisoners,' the priest retorted. 'They could promise to release him if he provided them with a list of his asso­ciates.'

  'It is that I fear,' the witch put in, 'and Father Damien and I would head the list, since it was from us that he obtained the greater part of the information he took to France.'

  'Oh my! Oh my!' Lady Luggala wrung her hands. 'Then all of us are ruined.'

  'Nay. 'Tis I who am ruined. Another year or two in London and I could have made a fortune out of the Hell Fire Club. Now I must abandon it and leave the country.'

  'You mean to return to Ireland ?'

  'Yes, although since the English rule there, even that may be dangerous if Quelp discloses his dealings with me,. Where else could I go ?'

  'You might find a smuggler who would run you over to France,' Jemima suggested.

  'It would take time to find one, child, and time is precious. Besides, the stars are no longer favourable to the Emperor. He is far from finally defeated yet, but Leipzig was, I am convinced, the turn of the tide for him. This latest combination of so many nations allied against him must end in his downfall. Those stupid Bourbons will then return. But they are not such fools as to neglect hav­ing all the secret papers they secure gone through most carefully. Quelp's will show the sums paid to me for the information supplied to him. Then, should I be in France, I'd be in constant danger of being identified and sent to the gallows. No, Ireland it must be; and that, Maureen, is why I sent for you.'

  'You mean to take Jemima and me with you ?'

  'No, no!' the witch spoke impatiently. 'The fact that you both met the Dutchman here a few times is no proof that you were involved in his activities, any more than were the men and women who came to participate in our Hell Fire orgies. Neither of you is in any danger; but I need your help in securing a safe refuge in Ireland. I dare not settle in Dublin. It is too well that I am known there. And I've no mind to pig it in some peasant's cottage. It occurred to me that Father Damien and I could lie low in that castle of your late husband's, at Luggala. But I'll need a letter of authority from you for us to occupy it.'

  Greatly relieved that she would not, as she had feared, have to flee the country, Maureen replied eagerly, 'What an excellent idea. I'll write to the bailiff with pleasure. But you do realise, don't you, that the castle has not been lived in for many years, so a lot will have to be done to make it really comfortable.'

  'That is of no great moment. Father Damien and I will need the use of only a few rooms, and your bailiff can get people in from the village to clean them up for us.'

  While they were talking, the priest had left the room and returned with a decanter of Madeira. As he poured the wine for all of them, the witch finished packing the last bag of herbs into a straw basket. Sitting down, she asked Jemima:

  'Tell me, child, how do your relations with young Susan progress? It is some weeks since we have talked of this.'

  Jemima pulled a face. 'Alas, I cannot tell you that they do progress., It is now long since I established myself as her best friend. We see one another frequently and talk with the greatest intimacy. She has no secrets from me—that I'll swear. And in many things I can influence her without difficulty, yet I am no nearer dominating her mind than I was six months ago.'

  'That is disappointing. I'd hoped with time you would achieve hypnotic power over her, and so be able to make her commit acts which would ruin her in Charles's eyes when he returns.'

  ‘I have tried, Mama, but my efforts have proved in vain. It is not that she is a prude or sexually frigid. Indeed, she confessed to me not long since that, at the time Charles made that unfortunate scene here during a meeting of the Club, she was in half a mind to take a lover and, heaven knows, there are a dozen beaux into whose arms I have tried to push her. Yet she'll not give more than a kiss to any of them. She says that when Charles went to the wars, she vowed to herself that she'd remain a virgin until his return, however long that might be.'

  'It may not now be very long, for all the portents tell me that, in a matter of months, the war will be over. I've not told you of it, child, but in recent weeks I've been much worried for Charles. Some great danger seemed to hang over him; something quite unforeseeable, for owing to the ritual that you and I performed upon his leaving, he is protected from all the normal hazards of war. But he has passed through this period of adversity unharmed.'

  "Thanks be for that,' Jemima sighed. 'Yet, since my hopes of having the gossips dub Susan a society whore have failed so lamentably, my chances with him will be no better than when he went away.'

  The witch patted her daughter's cheek. 'Do not lose heart, little one. We will lure Susan to Castle Luggala. You must bring her there as your guest, and then . ..'

  'But, Mama, she would recognise you at once. How could she fail to do so, having seen you that night when Captain Hawksbury brought her here and she ruined your celebration? She'd flee the place the moment she set eyes on you.'

  'Nay, you are in error there. She might wish to flee, but I'd find no difficulty in holding her at the castle against her will.'

  Father Damien chuckled. 'And we would put her to good use. I recall her well from the night she made that grievous scene here. The thought of her nude makes me lick my lips. I'd take great joy in relieving her of her virginity.'

  'You lecherous fellow,' Maureen Luggala smiled at him. 'The very thought of you forcing her makes me feel randy.'

  The lean priest gave a grin, leaned forward and took her by the arm. 'If that's the case, m'dear, let's go upstairs to my room. It wouldn't be the first good bout we've had together, and maybe we'll not have a chance to have another for some time.'

  Mauree
n gave a breathless little laugh, and stood up. ‘I regret only that, in the circumstances, it must be a short one.'

  When they had left the room together Jemima re­marked to her mother, 'How Maureen can possibly enjoy being had by that repulsive man passes my comprehen­sion.'

  Katie O'Brien shrugged. 'My dear, had you been had by him yourself you would understand it. He is a stallion of the first order and positively tireless. To any woman passionate by nature he is a gift from the gods. I have even seen women faint with pleasure under him. His con­trol is perfect and he can bring me to a climax four times to his once.'

  'What!' Jemima's eyes widened and she exclaimed. 'D'you mean you've actually allowed that loathsome creature to make love with you ?'

  'I have indeed. And so has every female member of the Hell Fire Club. It is he who initiates them.'

  'Mama, you amaze me! How can they possibly bring themselves to submit when knowing nothing of his special power to drive them half crazy with sexual enjoy­ment? The very feel of his slobbering mouth on mine would make me vomit.'

  'They are warned beforehand that they may find their initiation an ordeal, so steel themselves to it. Besides, there is an occult significance to the act. In the old days it is said that to become a member of a coven a woman had first to copulate with Satan. That too may have actually occurred, as in witch trials the accused frequently con­fessed it and told of their initiation as a mixture of ecstatic delight with hideous pain. They described Satan's mem­ber as huge, as cold as ice and barbed like an arrow, so that its motion tore their vaginas and they bled profusely even while screaming from a succession of erotic climaxes more rewarding than any human had ever given them.

  'Yet, I doubt not that in most cases it was a man designedly made hideous who performed upon them. In any case, willing submission to a repulsive being was the price they had to pay if they wished to achieve occult power. And that is why I selected Father Damien to play the part of Satan.'

  Jemima sighed, 'Eager as I am to become a witch, I find him so disgusting that I fear I could never bring my­self to let him have me.'

  'That, child, is unfortunate, as I know that ever since he first set eyes on you he has desired you. In fact, more than once, he has begged me to let you be initiated with that in view. You know my reasons for having refused. I'd not risk it even becoming rumoured in London society that you had become a member of the Club. But the Club is now finished, so when you come to Ireland that will not apply. I am in hopes that you will think again upon it and overcome your repugnance to him, at least for once, in order that you may attain occult power.'

  'I'll consider it,' Jemima agreed reluctantly, 'although the idea of having that old goat naked upon me fills me with disgust. And did you really mean that you would force Susan to let him take her virginity?'

  'I might if it suited my purpose. The thing is do you think you could persuade her to accompany you to Ire­land?'

  'Yes. I'm confident that I could, without much trouble.'

  'Then you need no longer worry your pretty head about the future. I will so handle matters that, soon after Charles returns from war, he will make you Countess of St. Ermins.'

  * * *

  It was not until the last week in November that Roger was able to leave his bed. While confined there everything possible was done for him. Dopet was sent for from Herrenhausen to act as his soldier servant. His old friend, Colonel Grandmaison, visited him daily and, although food throughout the whole countryside was terribly scarce, saw to it that the invalid had the best of everything that could be procured. Now that Charles was officially Roger's prisoner, he was no longer confined with his Ger­man fellow captives, and was allowed out for walks on parole, but he spent a good part of his time at Roger's bedside, either reading to him or bringing such news as there was.

  No-one knew for certain what was happening in the south, but it was said that the survivors of Napoleon's army had straggled back to the Rhine, and at that river, on which there were many fortresses strongly garrisoned by the French, the retreat had been checked. The Emperor, it was rumoured, had reached Paris on the 9th and was frantically at work there raising yet another army. Meanwhile, the Austrians and Russians were cau­tiously infiltrating into the Rhine Provinces, delaying to advance further before reducing French-held cities in them.

  After Roger had been able to get up for a few days Colonel Grandmaison placed at his disposal a carriage in which to go for drives with Charles. Twice they drove into Hamburg and were shocked by the woebegone appearance of the remaining, half-starved inhabitants.

  These drives along the shore also filled them with an infuriating frustration. Ever since Sweden had joined the Allies, the Baltic had again been open to British shipping, and the Skaggerak swarmed with British warships. Almost daily they bombarded the Danish ports and the fortresses of Hamburg. Often they sailed impudently up and down the mouth of the Elbe, within easy swimming distance of the land. If only Roger and Charles could have got aboard one of them, that would have been an end to their troubles. But Davout kept his shore patrols extremely alert, to prevent Hamburgers getting out to the ships with useful information; so, even had Roger been his old self, any attempt to swim off one night would have entailed great danger. As it was, still crippled and very weak, such a project was out of the question.

  Never before had Roger and Charles spent so long con­stantly together, and both derived great pleasure from getting to know each other really well. Charles had always admired his 'Uncle Roger', but had been a little awed by him, while Roger had previously looked on Charles as no more than a promising youth. But now they were able to appreciate each other's real qualities and talked together as equals. As Roger's health improved, they discussed more frequently what they should do when he was-well enough to leave Hamburg, and they came to the con­clusion that their best plan would be to endeavour to reach France as, with Roger's long experience of that country's northern ports, they offered the best prospect of contacting a smuggler who would run them over to England.

  To have again used the Mess cart that had brought Roger to Hamburg would have meant travelling very slowly, so Colonel Grandmaison agreed that Roger might take the smallest of three coaches that the owner of the castle had left in the coach-house before taking to flight, and their departure was fixed for November 30th.

  As the state of the country was so unsettled, it was decided that they should travel in civilian clothes; so, on the day before they left, they went into Hamburg where Roger bought a suit for Charles, another, better-fitting one than that in which he had left Leipzig for himself, and a suitable costume for Dopet who was to act as coach­man. Then all three of them packed their uniforms in a valise.

  On the 30th, with the good wishes of Colonel Grand­maison, the surgeon who had looked after Roger, and numerous other people, they set off. By this time Roger had only enough money left to see them back to France, and to bribe a smuggler to put them across the Channel would require a considerable sum, so he decided to make first for Paris, as there he could draw from the Paymaster at the Ministry of War as much as he required.

  The most direct route to Paris lay by way of Bremen, Osnabruck, Munster, Dortmund, Cologne and Rheims, but such scant intelligence as they had implied that the Prussians had already reached the lower Rhine and the frontier of Holland. In consequence Roger decided that in order not to run the risks of crossing a battle area it would be wiser, instead of heading for Cologne, to make a considerable detour and head for the Frankfurt-Mainz area which had for years been so strongly held by the French that it would almost certainly still be in their hands. So, from Dortmund, they turned south-west and took by-roads through the Westerwald and Tannus on their way to Mainz.

  Two afternoons after leaving Dortmund they were approaching Wiesbaden. On rounding a bend in the road, to Roger's surprise they suddenly came on an outpost of Prussian infantry. A Captain called on them to halt. The coach pulled up and Roger put his head out of the win­dow. The officer asked w
here they had come from. Roger replied 'Dortmund'. There followed other questions, to all of which Roger glibly gave answers which he had already thought up in case of such a challenge. The Cap­tain seemed satisfied, until he asked them to produce proofs of their identity. That they could not do. His face then took on a stern look and he said:

  'I regret, Herrschaft, but there are many adherents of the arch-fiend Bonaparte still at large on this side of the Rhine, and some of them are spies. I must search your luggage.'

  At that Roger went slightly pale, for he knew that they were now in a very tight corner. With apparent calm he shrugged and agreed. Anxiously he watched as their port­manteaux were unstrapped and taken down by some of the soldiers from the coach roof. The first to be opened was that which held the uniforms and there, neatly folded, right on top, was Roger's dark-blue tail coat with its gold epaulettes and the cross of a Commander of the Legion of Honour on the breast.

  Too late he cursed himself as a fool for not having left it behind. But he had expected to change into it after cross­ing the Rhine, as once in France, it would have assured him a coach with four horses and priority at the Post-houses for the remainder of their journey to Paris.

  'Donnerwetter!’ exclaimed the Prussian officer. 'What have we here?'

  'A souvenir, Herr Kapitan' Roger asserted swiftly. 'I acquired it for twenty marks from a hospital orderly in Minister.'

  ‘ Ach so!' the Captain scowled. 'That we shall see.' Picking up the coat with one hand, he drew a pistol from his belt with the other, pointed it at Roger and added :

  'Get out of the coach. Hand the pistol in your belt to my sergeant, then take your coat off and put this one on.'

  There was nothing for it but to obey, so Roger stepped down into the road and put on his uniform coat. It fitted like a glove.