And I owe you all a huge apology! I am so sorry for having been gone for awhile. Life gets crazy, you know? My writing has come to a complete stop, but here is the next chapter to get you by for a little while. Hopefully, I won't disappear for so long next time. Anyway, this chatper was betaed by the lovely, talented Suthern-bell85. Enjoy!

Chapter Four

I waited until morning to talk to Anne about what I'd learned. We were walking out in the gardens, just us two. The rest of the ladies were at the gazebo gossiping about anything and everything that came to their minds. After I finished my new tale, I waited for Anne to respond.

She kept walking for several steps, frowning. "Buckingham is coming," she repeated slowly.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I said, keeping pace beside her. It was times like this when I felt awkward; she was much shorter than me. "Your Majesty, if you don't mind me asking, what happened between you and the Duke of Buckingham that you hold him in such dislike?"

She was quiet so long, I was afraid I had gone too far. "I was still Infanta of Spain when I first met Buckingham," Anne finally told me. "He can be quite charming, but he expects women to be…obedient fashion plates. I did not appreciate his manipulative ways and we quarreled." She smiled. "Well, I quarreled at him and he stood there smirking at me."

"He sounds unpleasant," I remarked.

"At times, but as I said he can be charming," Anne said. She looked over and smiled. "Much like your D'Artagnan."

I felt myself blush. "He's not my D'Artagnan," I protested. "We met once, and he is a cocky boy from the country!"

"Any 'boy' who is brave enough to take on the Cardinal's guards alone, and then with the help of only three men, will not always be a cocky boy from the country," Anne told me. "With that kind of courage and determination, he will find some way of distinguishing himself. If the musketeer corps were still in existence, I'd say he'd be a fine candidate for that."

That had been my thought as well. "But there are no more musketeers," I objected. "And he's aligned himself against the Cardinal."

"All the more reason to like him," Anne answered, looking serene and wise again. "I have the feeling things will turn up."

Now, we were just too far off topic, and I did not want to talk about D'Artagnan any more! My heart whispered that I wasn't even fooling myself as I said, "Besides your first meeting, is there any other reason you don't want the Duke of Buckingham here in Paris?"

"Between Buckingham and the Cardinal, I fear Louis will look like a fool," Anne admitted softly, lowering her voice. "He so wants to distinguish himself, and until he learns that he will not do so with a suit of clothes, I fear all other royals will look down on him."

The king had been seen in some very outlandish outfits as of late. "The king has shown some inclination to look into matters," I offered tentatively.

"Perhaps," Anne said, shaking her head. She shot a sharp look at me. "This goes no further than you and I. I do not want to hear anymore rumors about Louis being incompetent."

"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "I would never betray your trust, Your Majesty."

Anne smiled again. "I knew I could rely on you," she said. 'Now, I want you to keep an eye on the situation for me. I don't trust this Milady de Winter. Anyone who works for Buckingham will be trouble."

"That was my thought, Your Majesty," I admitted.

"Your Majesty!" Benita called out. And our private conversation was over.

Smiling, Anne turned and walked over to join the others. After a moment, I followed.

I was a little disappointed when, as I watched Milady de Winter, I didn't see her cause a single problem! A few times, she would catch my eye and smile. She knew what I was trying to do and she wasn't about to let me win. I will admit she was charming at times.

Once I thought I saw Milady speaking to Cardinal Richelieu, but when I looked again, there was only the Cardinal with Captain Rochefort. Rochefort spotted me and nodded his head in my direction. The Cardinal turned and I hurried on my way.

The king was fussing because he had learned, from Milady, that green was the new fashionable color. I wondered how truthful she was being. Anne was unhappy because green was not one of her favorite colors, but since it made the king happy she was willing to live with it.

Beyond that, life went on as usual in the palace. It became known that Richelieu was pushing for a strict punishment on the musketeers involved in the Cooper's Yard incident. Monsieur de Treville was constantly at the palace presumably to influence the king in another direction, but the cardinal prevented him from seeing the king longer than a few moments.

I was thinking about all this when I was sitting in the gardens. I will admit, a certain boy was on my mind as well. I wondered how he was enjoying Paris, as it was much different from the country. "Mademoiselle... Bonacieux, isn't it?" a voice suddenly said.

Startled, I looked up, immediately recognizing who was speaking. The cardinal himself stood only a few feet away. "Your Eminence!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. What was he doing out here? I sank into a curtsy, trying to figure out why the cardinal would be speaking to me.

"You are very loyal to the queen, aren't you?"

That question put me even more on edge. He wanted some kind of information from me. "Yes, Your Eminence," I answered, ever mindful of my manners. "It is my duty to serve the queen."

"And if the queen were conducting an...affair of sorts with someone, say, the Duke of Buckingham for instance?" the cardinal said. "Would you still continue to serve her?"

I wanted to smile, but was afraid it would give away too much. "Is that a rhetorical question?" I asked.

"You could say so, yes."

"Choose any other name but that one, please, Your Eminence," I requested. "The queen quite detests him. But," I continued before he could respond, "if the queen were carrying on an affair, I would have to say my duty would lie with what is best for France."

"The queen has a meeting tomorrow with the ambassador's wife, does she not?" the cardinal asked. I blinked at the sudden change of subject. I couldn't tell whether my answer had been the one he was looking for or not. "I think it would be best if the queen were not meet with the woman."

"Your Eminence?" I questioned, unsure of what to say.

"It has come to my attention that the ambassador's wife is carrying on an affair with Comte de Carti," Richelieu informed me. "It wouldn't do for the queen to be seen in he company any further. Perhaps you could pass the message on to Her Majesty for me?"

"Of course, Your Eminence," I said, curtsying again as he turned. I frowned at his back as he walked away. I knew exactly how Anne would react to this.

"The cardinal has no right to dictate with whom I can or cannot spend my time! And how dare he question your loyalty to me!" Anne glared at her reflection in the mirror. It was late at night, and she was preparing for bed. "He's up to something again."

"When is he not?" Benita asked with a smile.

The queen did not smile in return. "This is a serious matter," Anne said, her tone sharp. Ducking her head, Benita nodded and backed away.

"What are you going to do?" Nicolette asked, beating me to the question. "Will you continue to meet with Madame Firelli?"

"Well, I'm not going to let the cardinal influence my friendships!"

Something about the whole situation didn't feel right. Although I could see how the cardinal would want to make sure the queen had acquaintances he could use his influence on, I didn't understand why he started being concerned about it now. And if it really was important, why send the message through me? He must have known Anne would react defensively. She'll do anything to show she will make her own choices...

"What if that's exactly what Cardinal Richelieu wants?"

I hadn't intended to speak out loud, but I did. It became very quiet in the room. "What are you talking about?" Nicolette asked, her tone impatient, "If Richelieu is trying to keep the queen from Madame Firelli, of course he's wants to influence who she associates with."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about," I said, shaking my head. I faced Anne as it became clearer in my mind. "What if the cardinal actually wants you to meet with Madame Firelli. After all, she talks non-stop and you'd be with her for hours. The cardinal is trying to get you out of the way!"

Frowning, Anne considered what I'd said. "That has to the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Nicolette exclaimed. She would have said more, probably having to do with my state of mind, but Anne held up a hand stopped her.

"The king has sent for the musketeers involved in the incident, and intends to speak to them tomorrow," Anne said slowly. "Does the cardinal suspect I have that much influence on Louis that he would try to keep me away? To keep these men from being punished?"

"Shouldn't they be punished?" Dolores asked with a frown. "After all, dueling is forbidden."

I looked over. "The cardinal is just upset because four men defeated so many of his guards, and the public knows it," I said. I was shocked to hear how defensive my tone was. "This has nothing to do with an actual duel, and has everything to do with Cardinal Richelieu attempting to save face."

"Don't try to disparage the musketeers in front of Constance," Christine laughed. "They have a champion in her. Or, a certain Gascon boy does."

All right. I was getting really annoyed with their constant teasing. "Well, I'm right, aren't I?" I asked, striving to keep on topic. "If this was any other duel that had been stopped, the participants would be fined and given a warning. No. These are former musketeers and the cardinal's guards. And the musketeers are being called before the king to be punished."

"You're absolutely right, Constance," Anne said, before anyone else could argue with me. "The cardinal felt this one personally. It would be a shame to let these four brave men be punished over something so silly."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "So what are you going to do?"

"You'll see," Anne said with a smile. "Thank you, Constance. I would have made a grave error if you hadn't spoken your mind."

As I curtsied, I tried not to look pleased. Half of the other ladies were looking at me in disapproval. I was not the most conventional lady in waiting, but I had no intention of hiding who I was. And I think that's why Anne appreciated my presence. While holding her in the highest respect, and taking into account my own lowly position, I treated her as a friend. Whoever you may be, you always need a friend.