After a minute’s conversation, Strasser came over, his eyes looking straight at him. He drew up, his face no more than inches away. He looked livid. Lockhart knew why, and even when he felt the sharp smack of Strasser’s fist against the side of his face, he loved the pain because it was sensation, a sensation that meant he was alive, alive, Goddammit.

Even as Strasser led the men out of the woods, he began to wonder what had brought about Lockhart’s change of heart. Either he had misread him, and Lockhart really was the sniveling, treacherous type, or maybe he had some other reason, some reason that Strasser would do his best to find out. Just before he reached the camp, it occurred to him that Lockhart could have been playing with them all along. For the time being, he would keep his thoughts to himself. His own counsel, he reckoned, was usually the wisest.

He signed the form with his eyes closed. Even though this was an act, he didn’t want to see his hand inscribing the mark of his treason. If he didn’t see it, then it didn’t really exist. Childish, but emotionally useful. He threw the pen back down, some ink splattering over the bottom of the form.

He ignored them as they looked at the declaration, gathering around it like schoolboys looking at naughty pictures.

“Excellent, Lockhart!” boomed Lange.

“I knew you’d see sense,” said Hillen-Ziegfeld, who had been summoned by Lange.

Strasser stayed angrily silent and walked over to Lockhart.

“You realize that now you have signed that paper you are a member of the Waffen-SS?”

“I do.”

“This means that you will take orders from and report directly to me. Your rank will be decided shortly, but it will probably be the same as mine—SS-Hauptsturmführer. I shall of course be the senior officer.”

Lockhart swallowed. He now had a name for his part.

“In the meantime, I do not yet wish to introduce you to your men. I would like to spend the next few days over Christmas acquainting you with the practices of the Waffen-SS. My intention is to present you to the others as a fait accompli. We will spend our time here in this building, and you will not be allowed to leave it—is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“I will also need to carry out an in-depth interview with you, about your background and so on and so forth.”

Lockhart’s eyes widened.

“Naturally, this report will be kept secret, just for our records, you understand.”

“Naturally.”

He had better think up some more lies, quickly. He would tell as much of the truth as possible, but he would omit any reference to SOE and Whitehall. Strasser seemed crafty, but Lockhart hoped that he would not see any need to grill him now that he had joined up.