This is the next installment in Maggie and Treville's story. Thank you for the positive feedback about A Husband of Duty and I hope you enjoy this one.
A Soldier of Diplomacy
As the priest pronounced the couple at the front man and wife Maggie squeezed her husband's hand, she was happy for Constance and D'Artagnan. The Queen had given her blessing for the two to marry and Jean had given permission for D'Artagnan to live at the palace as long as he returned to the garrison during the day; and he would attend the King's business when ordered.
"We must go." Maggie whispered as the couple left the church, they were married now; and there was a meal at the garrison to be put out.
Jean tugged her by the hand and led her to his horse, the sturdy horse bore them both easily. Jean boosted her onto its back as the baby had taken some of her agility, and settled behind her and reached around her middle, reining the horse around. She knew she should be thankful that her husband allowed her the freedom he did in her state.
At the garrison he lifted her down gently and handed the reins off to a stable boy and followed her back to the kitchen. In many ways her husband surprised her, he did not care about many rules of propriety and carried out trays of food; lifting them out of her hands any time she was prepared to take one. Serge and Evelynn made no comment and by the time the tables were loaded the yard was full of people.
She stayed busy refilling platters and pitches as people ate, many stayed only a short time congratulating the newly weds. There was work to be done, some of the musketeers had not been present as they had been handling King's business; but at least the four were together.
As things slowed down she filled a plate and set it aside as clean up began. Nothing was wasted, Serge and Evelynn packed away everything that the men might eat later; the musketeers were always hungry.
"Maggie you have done enough. Go and rest." Serge instructed as they stacked clean dishes away.
She nodded, unwrapping her apron and hanging it on the hook before taking the plate; intending to slip upstairs. But as she crossed the yard Constance caught her, and in the busyness she had hardly made time to congratulate her friend. Setting the plate aside she spent a few moments with Constance, ignoring how tired she felt. The day had been long and with the baby she felt it even more.
A hand smoothed along the small of her back as her husband stepped up beside her. "We're happy for you both Constance. Please excuse us."
"We will be going as well, the Queen has given me a today and tomorrow off." Constance took D'Artagnan's arm and gave him a mischievous grin.
"Good." Maggie gave her one last hug and let her husband lead her away.
In their quarters Jean set the plate on the table and sat, pulling her down onto his lap. "Eat something Maggie."
She didn't argue, leaning back into his chest as she picked at the plate. She felt the baby move as she ate and smiled, perhaps she had left it too long before choosing to eat; her child was protesting. As Jean's hands shifted around her belly and Maggie guided one to where she felt their child, she knew when he felt it.
He shifted forward and his palm splayed wide over her belly. "Is that him?"
"Yes." Maggie murmured, the baby would be coming soon and it would be time to bring him into the world; the more active he became the more she thought on that.
She knew the dangers of child birth, she had lost her own mother as her brother was born. Maggie wasn't afraid of dying but she didn't want to leave the world without meeting her baby, she didn't want to leave Jean to raise their child alone. He was going to be a good father, he could be so gentle and patient but his authority was not to be questioned; that balance would make him a good parent. She wanted to share that with him, to enjoy the good that he had brought into her life when he brought her here and made it a home for her.
As she finished eating his arms slipped up and he turned her in his arms; one hand again sliding down to their child again. "Do you still think it is a boy?"
"I don't know." But a part of her hoped it was, a little boy who would grow up to be just like his father.
His cheek leaned into her throat and she felt his mouth press to her pulse. Maggie enjoyed the time they had together more than anything else, they had only a little bit of it as his work kept him busy and many evenings they spent with his men. The musketeers were a family and whether they admitted it or not they had all made their captain into a father figure and role model.
Jean might only be having his first child and he worried about what kind of father he would be, but she thought he already knew what to do; he just didn't see it yet. Eventually they rose and as she stoked the fire he took down some paperwork that he could never seem to finish.
…
As they settled into a comfortable evening, he took a moment to watch his wife work; Maggie was tending the household even when she should rest. They had argued enough about it, he saw how her body strained and stretched with his child; but she riled when he told her to rest.
He rolled his shoulders and turned to the document he was working on, the King had him reviewing and updating military policy. It was tedious but necessary and he had been assigned the task. Treville had given up trying to keep his work at the office; it was more comfortable to work at home.
There was a brisk knock on the door and he barely acknowledged it before the door flew open and one of the cadets stepped in. "Captain you are needed at the palace; the Swedish ambassador has been murdered."
"Has the palace been locked down?" Rising he began to gather the paperwork, perhaps he shouldn't have hoped for a distraction; this one would be complicated.
Maggie crossed to the desk and shooed his hands away. "Go."
Leaving her to clean up he took his musket from the hook by the door and headed down to the yard. Any murder within the palace required careful investigation due to the proximity of the royal family and the openings created. However the murder of a diplomat could unfold into an international event which might cripple France politically for years to come.
But the agenda this death might serve was of even greater concern. As he entered the grounds he noted the red guards had locked it down, no one was to leave. He saw the Cardinal making rounds, verifying where his men were, and chiefs of staff scurried about doing the same as he approached the place the man had died.
If it was a professional assassin the person was back in their hole or beyond the grounds before the body was discovered. But more likely given the struggle, it was someone inside the palace hired to do the task, and likely had not had the sense to blend back into the background; he could hope inexperience would give them away. And fear would reveal whose agenda this served.
As he crouched over the body he saw the Cardinal pass the door, his gaze lingered but he did not enter, and a few moments later the man made a second pass. Perhaps to much interest, or not enough given the man had as much responsibility as Treville did in maintaining order within the palace.
He sighed and rose, signalling that the servants could remove the body. The man had not died easily, or quickly. It was not the clean work of a soldier, there was something frenzied to it; rage or desperation in the end.
Servants and guards could be accounted for, but nobles, diplomats and other members of court were going to be harder to account for as they had the freedom to move throughout the grounds and the city unchecked. The question came down to who benefited most from this man's death?
Moving quickly through the halls he hoped to search the man's quarters; knowing he was likely too late to find anything revealing. Aides would have removed anything incriminating, the Cardinal would have taken anything he might use and the killer would have taken anything relating to themself.
He stepped to the side, lowering his head as the Queen passed; intending to continue on when she stopped him. "Captain, how is your wife?"
"Well. She is staying close to home now; the baby should be here within a few weeks." He could see the disappointment in her eyes, she missed Maggie's company but on his wife's health and safety he took a hard line. And the Queen's pregnancy was of even more significance, the woman bristled under her restrictions; but the child she carried would secure the future of France.
He had enough to worry about trying to make Maggie rest at home, and with the excitement of the wedding it had been a task. But with the wedding over, and Constance having a few days leave the Queen was on her own for the first time in almost a year, Constance was a permanent companion for her and he knew Maggie was also an informal one; trusted implicitly after her actions shortly after they were married.
Given the woman was also expecting her first child he could only guess that her emotions were rather confused; his wife's were. Being alone with this mess would not help that, the fact that the King had taken a mistress and was likely entertaining her now rather than tending his wife would not do any good either.
"Would you like me to assign a musketeer to protect you until this matter is resolved?" That much he could do, he could assign the entire unit if she wanted them; but it would not replace the comfort her husband should be providing. There were moments keeping his opinion to himself were frustrating.
"No, but perhaps a guard could escort me to the garrison for a time."
"If the King will allow it." He nodded, detouring to make the arrangements; hoping he could convince the man to allow his wife a little comfort. The Queen was an interesting woman and he knew she would make herself at home in the garrison.
…
Maggie had been relaxing, enjoying a quiet evening as most of the men had taken their festivities outside the garrison for the day; the bride and groom had left hours before. Jean was at the palace trying to sort out this new issue, with all the guards in that place a man had still be murdered.
And though it was not his men patrolling the grounds he was summoned to deal with it. The King expected a great deal from him, and her husband worked hard to deliver what was expected; though not always giving the young ruler the answers he wanted. Results would be expected quickly on this matter, but she knew that anything that jeopardized alliances with another country was a risk; France's stability depended upon proper alliances with their neighbors.
Part of her marriage had been a lesson in military operations, which were heavily influenced by politics, resources, and international diplomacy. Jean could not ever fully turn off his work, it surrounded him and could intrude at any hour of day or night. And he had taken to working at home most evenings with his work strewn across the kitchen table, when he was in the office he was interrupted frequently but at home she tried to leave him be.
There was knock on the door, she answered expecting a musketeer and instead found Anne, in the past several months she had been scolded many times for calling her Queen. In private the woman preferred her given name to her title, and slowly Maggie was getting used to it. "What are you doing here?"
"I want a little peace, and don't you try to turn me back to the palace; I've already argued with the King about it." The woman looked sad and tired.
"Come in, I've a pot of water on; we will have some tea." The poor thing had enough stress to deal with the pregnancy and the restrictions placed on her; that the King had allowed her to even come here surprised Maggie a little.
Maggie expected Jean's child to enter the world soon, her husband had been nothing but supportive, if a little over protective since she told him. He had hired Evelyn to work part time to try and make her rest, but even though the Queen's child had far more significance than hers it had been a much more difficult time.
In the past several months a young woman had caught the King's attention and even as Anne's pregnancy advanced the King played with his new mistress. While he did not flaunt her before the court everyone was aware of her and it undermined Anne's hope for time with him.
For the evening, she set about trying to lift the woman's spirits. Maggie found herself feeling for the woman, she had wealth, power and privilege but the Queen's life was not one Maggie could ever live. She knew what misery was but even her father had not been able to make her feel as alone as Anne often seemed; and Jean had stamped even that out when he brought her to the garrison.
It was late when Anne returned to the palace, Maggie was not surprised to find a pair of musketeers waiting to escort her carriage. Jean only trusted his own men when it came to the safety of the royal couple; it would never matter to him how many red guards were assigned. She knew it was unlikely the woman would be allowed to leave the palace again before the child was born.