Gregory frowned. `What swine these Nazis are. Poor woman, I'm sorry for her.'
As Erika lit a cigarette she gave a slight shrug. `I don't know. She doesn't love him, of course, but I think it's rather a relief to her that matters have come to a head. It's telling her father that she's dreading. Quite apart from his antipathy to the idea of her marrying an S.S. man, I'm sure that he wants to keep her to himself. It's certain he will be furious.'
`I don't doubt it. But after blowing his top he'll have to agree. Physically he is a coward, and he told me himself he'd even commit murder rather than be hauled off to a concentration camp. Did she go so far as actually to settle on a date for their wedding?'
`No; but Hauff insists that it should be before the New Year, and that's not much more than four weeks from now.'
When Gregory asked Erika to come to him again that night she firmly refused, giving as her reason that too much excitement was certain to be bad for him, and that the sooner he could build up his strength the sooner they would be able to get away. For some while they argued, but she remained adamant and told him that for the time being, at least, he must remain content with her coming to him twice a week.
Malacou paid- his usual visit to Gregory next morning and, although be said nothing about Khurrem, it was evident from his manner that she had told him of her engagement. However, with him he had brought Tarik, who was carrying a pair of crutches and a sling. Between them they got Gregory up and supported him while he tried the crutches out. On this first occasion, having been bed-bound for so long, he could hardly stand alone, but the following two days he managed a few faltering steps.
During these trials the doctor continued to look black and sullen, but Gregory paid little heed to this moodiness because he was so entranced at the prospect of being able to walk once more and, between whiles, with joyful thoughts that on the fourth night from her first visit Erika had promised to come to him again.
That evening after Gregory had had his meal and Tarik had taken away his tray, knowing that Malacou's mind would be fully occupied with his worry over Khurrem, he turned down his light, lay back and let his imagination have free play anticipating the joys of the coming night.
Soon after midnight he was roused from his semi-dreaming state by the sound of hurried footsteps outside and next moment his door was flung open. Recalling the caution Erika had used on her first visit, he feared for a moment that something had gone wrong and it might be someone else. Hastily he-levered himself up in bed and turned up the light. Framed in the open doorway Erika was standing. But she was trembling violently, her eyes were wide and staring and her face was drained of blood.
'Darling he cried, `what on earth's the matter? You look as if you'd seen a ghost.'
`No' she gasped. `No; but something worse. When… when I climbed up on to the walkway I saw chinks of light coming through the chapel roof. I… I clambered over on to it and knelt down near a rent to see what was going on. Oh, Gregory, a Black Mass was being held there. Or, at least, its Jewish equivalent. Instead of a cross, the Sephirotic Tree had been nailed up above the altar. To either side there were Hebrew candlesticks with seven branches and the candles in them were black. Malacou and Khurrem were there wearing robes covered with the signs of the Zodiac, and Tarik was standing to one side swinging a censer.'
For a moment she broke off to get her breath then, her voice rising to an hysterical note, she cried, `After I'd watched for a few minutes Malacou stopped chanting. Khurrem got up from her knees. They both stripped off their robes. They had nothing on beneath them and stood there naked. Then… then, he picked her up and seemed to be offering her to the spirit of Evil. And… and then he had her on the altar. His own daughter, Gregory! His own daughter!'
10
Battle of Wills
Gregory stared at Erika in horror. For a moment he was at a loss for words, then he exclaimed, `It almost passes belief that a man could do such a thing.'
`It's true!' she cried. `Every word I've said. I saw it with my own eyes.' Then, bursting into tears, she threw herself down beside him.
Putting his arms about her shoulders, he strove to comfort her. `There, there, my sweet. To have witnessed such a scene must have upset you terribly. But at least we now know where we stand. Stefan was right. Malacou really is a disciple of he Devil.'
`But incest!' Erika sobbed. `The sight of them locked together naked on that altar almost made me sick. It was revolting-utterly horrible.'
`Dearest, I can imagine how you must have felt; but I suppose Satanists stick at nothing. Probably the more evil the things they do, the more power they draw down to themselves from Satan. One can only pity Khurrem. She is completely dominated by him. And this explains the wretched state she's in: her long silences and heavy drinking. I don't suppose it is he first time this has happened. No doubt she's still good at heart and loathes having to give herself to her father, but he compels her to.'
Still sobbing, Erika nodded. `I… I'm sure you're right. 'people whose consciences are troubling them often try… try o drown their thoughts in drink. But how awful for her, darling; how awful for her to… to have to let him make use if her body. Somehow we must help her to escape from him.' For a moment Gregory remained silent, then he said, `Listen, my sweet. However much you may feel the urge to try to help her you must make no attempt to do so; anyhow, for the present. I'm helpless here. Until I can stand on my feet again and give a good account of myself we'll both remain in Malacou's power. You've got to do your damnedest to act naturally tomorrow with both of them, and for the time being try to put out of your mind what you saw.'
Suddenly she jerked herself away from him, her eyes distended, her expression again one of terror. `But, darling, I thought I told you. They know I saw them.'
`What!' he exclaimed. `No! How could they?'
`When I was kneeling on the roof of the chapel looking down at them my knees were on one beam and my hands on another. As I moved to get up I slipped. By then my hands were off the beam. One of them landed on a plank and it was rotten. Part of it snapped off and fell. For a moment I remained there petrified. They both stopped… stopped what they were doing and looked up. They must have known that it was I who was spying on them. Who else could it have been?
'It might have been a tramp who'd climbed up there hoping to find a way into the ruin to get a night's shelter,' Gregory suggested. But even as he spoke he knew that he was fooling himself. Malacou's highly developed sixth sense would have told him that it was Erika who was up on the roof.
`No, that won't wash,' he conceded quickly. `This is bad, my darling; very bad. But we mustn't take too black a view. Malacou knows that we are in no position to make trouble for him, and there's a chance that he may be too ashamed of himself to mention it. Anyhow, we must pretend that we know nothing of this, then he may think that you did not actually see what he was doing and supposed him only to be engaged in some occult ceremony. For us the really important thing is that we should keep clear of the Nazis; and that goes for him, too. He can't throw us out without incriminating himself; so he's got to keep us here until I'm fit to move under my own steam. Our best course will be to ignore the whole thing and we'll hope that he and Khurrem will, too.'