'Wake her gently, then hold the knife to her throat.'
Stepping aside so that Georgina could pass him, Roger glided to the foot of the bed, fully unmasked the dark lantern, then drew a loaded pistol from his sash. By then Georgina had her hand on Lisala's shoulder, and was giving it a slight shake. As Lisala roused, Roger shone the beam full in her face and, raising his pistol, held her covered. In a sharp voice, be said:
'One murmur, Madame, and I will shoot you through the head. Sit up and do as you are told.'
Muzzy with sleep, Lisala struggled into a sitting position, while Georgina held the knife to her throat. Roger then said to Georgina, 'You can now lay your knife aside. If she utters a sound, I will shoot her. Pour into her bedside glass a quarter of the drug, add water and hold the glass to her lips.'
As Georgina poured the drug, Lisala gasped, 'No! You mean to poison me. I won't drink it! I won't!'
'You will,' Roger snarled. 'And I vow to you that it is not poison, only a sleeping draught. Either you drink it, or a bullet will come smashing between your eyes; so that, beautiful aa you have been in life, you will look horrible when dead.'
Her great eyes distended with terror, Lisala swallowed the potion in little, choking gulps. As Georgina withdrew the empty glass, Roger said to her, 'Now take one of your strips of linen. Force.it
between her teeth, then tie it tightly behind her head.'
When Lisala had been gagged, Roger put up his pistol, took from Georgina two more strips of linen, tied one to each of Lisala's wrists and the other ends to the headposts of the canopied bed. She could now neither cry out nor escape.
With a sigh of satisfaction, Roger murmured to Georgina, 'Well, we have dealt satisfactorily with one of them. I pray God we may prove as fortunate with the other.'
Together they left the room and made their way stealthily down the corridor to its far end. Outside von Haugwitz's room they paused again, then Roger went through the same procedure of casing the door open a little until they could see that the room was in darkness. A moment later, like two ghosts, they slipped inside. The narrow beam from Roger's nearly-closed lantern was directed on to the floor. Taking two steps forward, he raised the lantern and swept it round until the beam fell upon the bed. The Baron was lying there, apparently asleep. But immediately the light passed over his face he suddenly sat up and cried:
'Who's that?'
'De Breuc,' Roger replied instantly, again pulling out his pistol. 'I have you covered. Raise your voice and you are a dead man.'
'What the devil is the meaning of this?' von Haugwitz demanded.
'That your wife and I know your intentions towards us, so we mean to steal a march on you and are come to bid you good-bye.' As he spoke, Roger unmasked the lantern fully, so that the Baron could see the pistol.
Von Haugwitz gave a gasp. 'What! You . . . you mean to murder me?'
'No; only put you into a sound sleep, so that you cannot rouse your varlets to prevent our leaving.' Keeping his eyes fixed an the Baron, Roger went on, 'Georgina, prepare the potion. The same proportions as before; then give it to him. But have a care that he does not seize you. Should he attempt to, stick your knife in his eye.'
Roger knew that, in spite of the threat, to get von Haugwitz to swallow the drug was going to be a very tricky business. If he chanced a stab and pulled Georgina over him, she would become a shield that would protect him from a bullet. In order to have a hand free, he set the dark lantern down on an occasional table, so that its light continued to shine on the Baron. Transferring the pistol from his right hand to his left, he advanced to within two feet of the side of the bed.
Meanwhile, Georgina had laid aside her knife and, keeping well away from her husband, secured his bedside glass and water carafe. When she had mixed the potion, she picked up her knife again and held the glass out to him.
Shaking his head, he refused to take it.
Roger said, 'Either you drink, or I'll shoot you through the heart.'
'No,' he rasped. 'No! I'll vow 'tis poison in that glass. So I'll not drink, and you'll not shoot me. The noise of the shot would rouse the house. You'd never get away then; and my people would tear you both to pieces.'
'Maybe they would,' Roger replied. 'But you would be dead, so derive no benefit from it. Georgina, hold your knife ready and put the glass to his lips.'
Although conscious of the risk she was running, Georgina did not hesitate to do as she was bade. Roger, too, realised the risk; but it had to be taken. With her knife in her left hand and she glass in her right, Georgina bent over her husband to administer the drug.
Suddenly he struck out with both arms simultaneously.
His right sent Georgina reeling back. With his left, he dashed the glass from her hand, so that it rolled across the floor, spilling its contents on the carpet. Flinging himself sideways, he wrenched open a drawer in his bedside table. In it there lay a pistol.
But Roger was too quick for him. Before he could grab it, Roger's right fist caught him a terrific blow on the side of his stomach, just below his ribs. He gasped, and rolled over on his back. Roger's fist came down again, this time full on his solar plexus, driving the breath out of his body. Next moment Roger had sprung upon him and was holding him down. But he needed little holding. His limbs had gone limp, his eyes were bulging from his head, and he was making horrible retching sounds.
'Quick, Georgina,' Roger cried. 'Pour another measure of the potion, and bring it to me.'
Picking up the glass, she tipped half what remained of the drug into it, added water and brought it to Roger.
By then von Haugwitz's breath was coming back in choking sobs, but he still had not the strength to struggle. Instead of taking the glass from Georgina, Roger said to her, 'Pinch his nose tight with one hand, and pour the stuff down his throat with the other. But slowly, a little at a time, or he will sick it up.'
Georgina took her time. Her husband, pinned down by Roger, lay glaring helplessly at her, while the potion trickled down his throat. When the last drop was gone, Roger said, 'Now gag him. Then tie a strip of linen to each of his wrists, and their other ends to the bedposts, just as we did with Lisala.'
Five minutes later, they had von Haugwitz firmly secured, and left him. Enormously elated by die success of their desperate undertaking, hand in hand, but still a little breathless, they made their way in silence back to Roger's room. When they reached it, Georgina asked in a husky voice:
'What do we do now?'
Seating himself on the side of the bed, he drew her down beside him. 'We have to wait until the drug has had time to take effect. We'll then be faced with our worst problem. Where to hide them, so that in the morning the servants will believe that they both got up early and went out.'
'Why not in the wine press where we hid Charles?' Georgina suggested at once. 'No-one is ever in the Weinstube during the eagly part of the day. Pressing docs not start until late in the afternoon.'
'Bless you!' Roger exclaimed. 'It will be no easy business to get them down there. But we'll manage somehow.'
Half an hour later they went to Lisala's room. She was in a deep sleep, and when shaken violently showed no reaction.
Having removed her gag, freed her wrists and pocketed the strips of linen, Roger proceeded to remove her nightdress, as he said, 'We must leave this here, so that the maid will find it and assume that she got up early and dressed herself.'