‘Ah, well, a bob or two extra for you for that,’ Devlin said and got up. Til go and make my peace with your niece now.’
She was sitting under the awning in the boat reading again as he went down the steps.
‘What is it this time?’ he said.
‘The Midnight Court,’ she told him reluctantly.
‘In English or Irish?’
‘I don’t have the Irish.’
The great pity. I used to be able to recite the whole of it in Irish. My uncle gave me a Bible for doing that. He was a priest.’
‘I wonder what he’d say about what you’re doing this evening,’ she said.
‘Oh, I know very well,’ Devlin told her. ‘He’d forgive me,’ and he went back up the steps.
Devlin sat in the box in uniform, just a violet stole about his neck and listened patiently to four nuns and two male patients as they confessed their sins. It was nothing very dreadful that he heard. Sins of omission in the main, or matters so petty they were hardly worth a thought, and yet they were to those anonymous people talking to him on the other side of the grill. He honestly did the best he could, tried to say the right thing, but it was an effort. His last client departed. He sat there in the silence and then the chapel door opened and he heard the ring of Army boots on the stone floor.
The confessional box door opened and closed. From the darkness Steiner said, ‘Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.’
‘Not as much as I have, Colonel.’ Devlin switched on his light and smiled through the grill at him.
‘Mr Devlin,’ Steiner said. ‘What have they done to you?’
‘A few changes, just to put the hounds off.’ Devlin ran his hands through his grey hair. ‘How have you been?’
‘Never mind that. The British were hoping you would turn up. I was interviewed by a Brigadier Munro of Special Operations Executive. He told me they’d made sure my presence in London was known in Berlin by passing the information through a man at the Spanish Embassy called Vargas. He works for them.’
‘I knew it,’ Devlin said. ‘The bastard.’
‘They told me two things. That General Walter Schellenberg was in charge of organizing my escape and that they expected him to use you. They’re waiting for you, hoping you’ll show up.’
‘Yes, but I allowed for British Intelligence handling it the way they have. Vargas is still getting messages asking for more information. They will be thinking I’m still in Berlin.’
‘Good God!’ Steiner said.
‘How many MPs escort you down here?’
‘Two. Usually, Benson the Lieutenant, but he’s on leave.’
‘Right. I’m going to have you out of here in the next two or three days. We’ll exit through the crypt. It’s pretty well organized. There’ll be a boat waiting on the river. After that a two-hour drive to a place where we’ll be picked up by plane from France.’
‘I see. Everything organized down to the last detail, just like Operation Eagle, and remember how that turned out.’
‘Ah, yes, but I’m in charge this time.’ Devlin smiled. ‘The evening we go you’ll come down to confession just like tonight. Usual time.’
‘How will I know?’
‘A fine view from your window and the steps down to the little beach by the Thames. Remember?’
‘Ah, yes.’
‘The day we decide to go, there’ll be a young girl standing by the wall at the top of those steps. She’ll be wearing a black beret and an old raincoat. She’ll be there at noon exactly so watch at noon each day and she has a strong limp, Colonel, very pronounced. You can’t miss her.’
‘So, I see her, then we go that evening?’ Steiner hesitated. The MPs?’
‘A detail only.’ Devlin smiled. ‘Trust me. Now three Hail Marys and~ two Our Fathers and be off with you.’
He switched off the light. The door banged, there was a murmur of voices, the sound of boots again and the outer door opening and closing. ‘
Devlin came out and moved towards the altar. ‘God forgive me,’ he murmured.
He checked that the bolt of the crypt door was still pulled back, then went into the sacristy, got his trenchcoat and left.