Free The Black Baroness by Dennis Wheatley Page B

the Palace so that the King can’t communicate with his Government.’
    ‘It’s a much more hazardous enterprise than that.’ Von Ziegler’s smile widened.
    ‘Whatever it is, I’m game, and naturally in this affair I shall consider myself entirely under your orders.’
    ‘
Danke Schön, Herr Oberst-Baron
. If I’m any judge, you’re just the sort of man that I should like to have with me in this business. It needs quick wits and courage and I’m sure that you have plenty of both. But we mustn’t waste time talking. Jump into your car and follow me; I’ll tell you what the scheme is when we get there.’
    Still grinning, Gregory got back into his car and drove after the Air Attaché through a number of narrow side-turnings by which he was avoiding, as far as possible, the main thoroughfares of the city which were now choked with refugees. The two cars pulled up one behind the other outside the Palace and their occupants met on the pavement.
    Von Ziegler just nodded to the sentry on the gate and walked through into an inner courtyard with Gregory beside him. As they crossed the courtyard he said in a low voice: ‘We’re going to arrest the King.’
    ‘
Donnerwetter!
’ exclaimed Gregory, simulating thunderstruck astonishment.
    ‘I don’t wonder you’re a bit taken aback,’ murmured the airman, who was obviously enjoying his momentous disclosure, ‘and it
is
a pretty risky undertaking. That’s why I’m not sorry to have you with me. But if we keep our heads I think we’ll be able to pull it off all right.’
    ‘What, in his own palace, surrounded by his guards? That’s taking on a packet, isn’t it?’
    ‘It would be if his guards were all loyal to him, but if Quisling has done his stuff properly none of them will lift a finger. If he hasn’t, we shall probably be dead in about five minutes; but you said that you were game for anything. Of course you’ve got your gun on you?’
    Gregory nodded. Evidently he had been right about von Ziegler; anyone who would attempt to carry out such a desperate business was a man after his own heart. For the moment he was almost sorry that he was on the other side, but war was war, and if he found it necessary to do so he knew that, without hesitation, he would shoot the blonde, lanky airman.
    Von Ziegler went on softly: This is my plan. There is a Major Heering in attendance on the King this morning—you’ve probably met him at Magda von Krims’—she’s been looking after him for us—and it will be his job to take us up to the King without our being formally announced. He’ll tell the King beforehand that two members of the Russian Legation are asking urgently for a private audience but that they don’t wish to be seen going in to him. Russia has not declared her policy yet, and as Norway has rejected our ultimatum the King will naturally be incredibly anxious to know what Russia intends to do. Is she going to come in with us and attack him across his northern frontier, or can she be kept out so that he has a chance to form a solid front against us in the south? In consequence, it’s certain that he will consent to see us and agree to our coming up by way of the back stairs.
    ‘Directly we get into his room we simply hold him up at the point of the pistol. He is just as liable to die in agony from a couple of bullets in the stomach as any of his subjects, so I very much doubt if the old boy will have the courage to call our bluff. We shall be very polite but quite firm about it and offer him the choice of a sticky death or of coming quietly downstairs with us to my car, with Heering in attendance, so that, for his own protection, we can remove him to a safer place than his Palace is at the moment.’
    ‘That’s all very well,’ Gregory protested, ‘but, besides this chap Heering, there may be other people with him when we get up to his room, and he must know you by sight as you’re a member of the Diplomatic Corps here. Directly he sees your face