‘Most people are probably familiar with the popular accounts of the man. He was born in Leamington Spa in 1875 and was an occultist, black magician, hypnotist, libertine, sado-masochist, drug addict, some say practising Satanist, widely infamous during and after his lifetime as “the wickedest man who ever lived”. But the deeper, darker truth about him is little known. For example, not many are aware of the extent of Crowley’s involvement at the heart of the political establishment, and all kinds of covert skulduggery he got up to over the years as a secret servant of the crown. As a British spy and triple agent pretending to collude with Germany, it’s likely that he was the instigator behind the sinking of the Cunard passenger liner Lusitania in May 1915 that caused the death of nearly twelve hundred civilians, as a deliberate and cynical means to turn the tide of world opinion against Germany and help to bring America into the First World War.’

‘Sounds like he must have made some useful connections,’ Ben said.

‘That’s an understatement. And he made them through his membership of secret societies and occult orders, which were proliferating at that time, as they still are today. Crowley was deeply enmeshed with all of them. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Ordo Templi Orientis, of which he became the British Grand Master in 1912. The Great White Brotherhood, and many more. The sheer number can seem bewildering, but in fact they were all simply different manifestations of the same dark religion that harks all the way back to the Egyptian and Babylonian mystery schools. On his travels through the world of the occult Crowley developed contacts with some of the most powerful figures in British society.’

‘Like who?’ Wolf asked, becoming fascinated with Shelton’s account.

‘Well, for instance, he was a regular attendee of black magic ceremonies at Tredegar House, the haunted stately home of Evan Morgan, the 2nd Viscount Tredegar, also known as the “Black Monk” and praised by Crowley as the “adept of adepts”. As well as being a practising occultist Morgan was also a spy, just as deeply embroiled in political intrigue as Crowley. Morgan’s network of notable friends included Lloyd George, Queen Mary and prominent thinkers and authors like G.K. Chesterton and Aldous Huxley. In an unpublished diary of Crowley’s, he claimed to have introduced Huxley to mescaline. We can only speculate what other kinds of activities went on at Tredegar House, especially within the confines of Morgan’s special “magick room”. Another house guest whom Morgan entertained at Tredegar House was Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s future deputy Führer, who also took a strong interest in the occult.’

‘Might’ve known the Nazis would come into this,’ Wolf said.