Back from his Russian journey and through debriefing Conrad is invited to a Scottish Castle and back briefly into the life of horse, hunt, dog and gun. This was the world in which Stuart Menzies reserved for his closest, most confidential contacts. Conrad was invited. His unnamed hostess was an old flame of his. He is back in familiar company. He has had articles published in Horse and Hounds and is known universally now as an International Playboy. Conrad O’Brien Ffrench the Marquis de Castel Thomond. With a reputation and history ‘massaged’ by MI6 to create the perfect spy. A wealthy (he actually complains he was paid less than a window cleaner by MI6) a man of adventure; company to Princes and friend to all. He was multilingual, diplomatic and gracious, a first class sportsman and an excellent shot. He did actually carry a small automatic revolver as a matter of course in those days. Not quite the thing to bag a couple of grouse with though, unless you are really Bond of course. But on another side he was also seen as someone who squandered his money and time living the high life. He complains that hiding behind the façade of an International Playboy that others saw him only in that role and judged him accordingly. It was this aspect of disapproval his old flame and hostess evinced when they met, it became so obvious and frustrating uncomfortable for him. He so wanted to explain but could not. Better to be silent.

In England it was a time of ill foreboding for the Crown. King George was ill; in his final decline as it turned out, and the Prince seen abroad with this Simpson woman,? An American and a divorcee too! People were worried. There were hushed conversations, a crisis was looming, rumours abounded. The most pessimistic of which turned out to be true. Who was this Mrs Simpson? Conrad was sent back to Germany. He went home in his sports car on this occasion; partly to vary his route, but also to allow him to catch up with old friends as he went. Albert de Ligne former Chairman of the Olympic Games Committee lived at Beloile.  Conrad knew him from his time in the Haige. Beloile was close to City of Mons. Conrad visited the regimental monument there, and saw the field where he had received his own baptism by fire beside the Asylum. He also met Count Baillie de la Tour the current Olympic Chairman. He told how he convinced a furious Fuhrer to remove anti Jewish posters at Munich by removing his hat and showing his shiny bald head to Hitler and saying “If His Excellency were to object to bald men, it would be tactless to write it upon the walls while I was visiting. Hitler had laughed and the posters were removed. Soon it became winter. The King died. Edward VIII, Abdicated and became The Duke of Windsor. Mrs Simpson became his wife though never his Duchess. The happy couple stayed for a while in Austria soon after they left England. They met and Conrad was soon in attendance and spent much time in their company as they adjusted to the realities of their new situation.

Again Conrad is in the centre of things also another association which will have enhanced his reputation in Germany. The Fuhrer had designs on Edward as a puppet King after Great Britain was conquered. There was always an assumption by a section of the Nazi hierarchy that a certain section of the British aristocracy and upper classes would fall in step with the Nazi regime after the occupation. It was this hope that brought Rudolph Hesse to Britain during the war. Karl Haushofer was one of Conrad’s contacts. He is recognised as a Political mentor to Hesse in another confidential report from MI6 from about the time Conrad met him.  It was his son Albrecht, who made an abortive attempt to broker a deal for Rudolph Hesse with Wing Commander the Duke of Hamilton. He tried to arrange a meeting in Lisbon. It was ruled out by MI6 as too much time had elapsed since the initial letter was intercepted. Soon after an Air Ministry report of it tells of a German M.E. 110 landing in a Scottish field. Its injured pilot was taken to Hospital and asked to speak to Lord Hamilton he had a message from Haushofer. The pilot was Hesse. To my mind if the reports are from Conrad’s spy ring, if not directly attained by himself in person, then the topic of the supposed dark underbelly of British Aristocracy was in play between them. Conrad could have had a hand in setting off a chain of events which brought a sadly misguided Rudolph Hesse to a cold Scottish field one Saturday night in 1941. Only conjecture perhaps? But this is the realm Conrad moved in.

Conrad was less in the limelight as the couple became established “The moths of Kitzbühel” they were dubbed in the press of the time had departed for a while.  He met an ardent anti Nazi and his associates. This was to throw light on the Nazi movement that was both interesting and sinister. Occult magical forces, at the very heart of power. Hitler they told him was a Medium, Dietrich Ekhart,, recognised as being Hitler’s spiritual mentor, a Professor Obert and Klaus Haushofer, who they said had the most influence over the Fuhrer. Alfred Rosenburg, made the fourth in the magical cabal in the centre of the Nazi party. They told him of the Legend of Thule a mythical lost land that was the centre of a vanished magical civilisation. Contact through a medium with these higher forces would allow Germany to dominate the world. Creating a super race of mutilated humans to carry out the deed of creating the thousand year Reich. Josef Mengele and his experiments on twins taken from concentration camps fed into this warped dream. Of magic Conrad had been told that

“After concluding a pact with hidden forces, then the members of the group cannot evoke these powers except through the intermediary of a magician or High Priest who, in turn, can do nothing without the Mediums.” dm p154

 He posits that Hitler was the medium to Haushofer the magician. He says he had much reliable information by this occultist group. The group leader the ardent anti Nazi was arrested he died in a concentration camp with his wife. Rudolfo was always his primary source. His connections and influence ranged far and wide the Vatican with their advanced knowledge of international affairs was a particularly fruitful source, but all of his intelligence was always of the highest quality. They were good friends too. As Conrad travelled up and down Germany it allowed him to personally survey the growth of militarism within Germany. He filed reports about installations around Munich, Rosenheim, Berchtesgaden and Reichenhal. He discovered the Germans had detailed knowledge of the Maginot Line and comprehensive plans on just how they would destroy its power grid. They knew where the generators were located and they were marked for destruction.

 It was spring 1938. He heard Kathleen had died in Harbin. The fate of Monivea laid heavy on his mind. The “moths” returned to Kitzbühel. Again Conrad was swept into their retinue and the game of courtly diplomacy took his time again. Here he met King Leopold of Belgium his mother the Dowager Queen Elisabeth , and Countess Sophie Toerring. They were being presented to their majesties by Ludovic Wilhelm a Bavarian Baron. They soon became friends. Elisabeth was the life and soul of the party her wide interests ranging from Egyptology to music. Her life with her Beloved Albert,, whose staunch resistance to the Keiser had given Britain the time they needed to prepare and have the British Expeditionary Force in place at the outbreak of the Great War. It had earned them the gratitude of the free world. Had Belgium capitulated when Germany invaded it is likely all would have been lost. Albert and Elisabeth story is the stuff of legend. Conrad found Elisabeth the most pleasant of company. He did  act as her private secretary once briefly. He said Leopold was weighed down by the responsibilities of Kingship and was lucky to get some skiing in before the crisis which was to find him lacking. He recalls at 2 o’clock one morning on leaving their company he saw the sky was ablaze with red, it was the Northern lights. He went back and told Elisabeth and the whole party came to look. ‘Bubi’ as the Baron was called said the villagers would read this as an evil omen, a portent of war. In this they would be correct. Just over the mountain Hitler was in his eagles nest finalising his plans.