Hey, I'm back after the short pause with chapter 6.

Enjoy

Buckingham summoned her one evening, when she was to go to bed. Groggily she got dressed again and made her way to his office. He never wanted to talk to her that late and she was curious. Once she got there and sit herself on the comfortable chair he began.

"I have a task for you."

"Really? And I thought you invited me on a tea party. Silly me!" Marianne smirked. Duke just glared at her. "Right, I'm quiet."

"Great, like you know I have spies all over the world." He said and she nodded. "One of them lately found something very interesting. A plan."

"Plan? Of what?" she asked uninterested.

"The war machine." Marianne felt that she doesn't like his smile. She looked at him questioningly. "Flying machine" he explained, and she started to laugh.

"You're joking, my Lord." She exclaimed "And I feared that it was something serious!"

"No matter how much you'll laugh Mary it's true. " Buckingham said calmly and if he was calm then all of these were true. She finished laughing. "And I want these plans." She nodded slowly.

"And were they may be?" she asked. "Did your spy find this out too?"

"Actually, yes" Buckingham smiled. "He doesn't leave much for you, does he?" Marianne shook her head.

"So where?" she asked mentally getting ready for the next journey.

"Da Vinci's volt" he said tasting every word. Marianne suddenly paled.

"I've heard about it" she ran her hand through her hair. "Venice, right?" Buckingham nodded.

"Are you scared?" he teased with a grin and she smiled.

"Quite contrary." She replied. "But we have a problem. This particular volt can be open only with three keys by three people at the same time. Each one of the keys is in the different place, hidden and protected. One person will never manage to steal them all."

"I don't see the problem" Buckingham confessed. "You and two of my best man, that's three". She laughed humorlessly.

"Yes, but they'll be dead before they could even blink." She replied. "We need the best of the best. I know only three men who could possibly do it"

"Great! How much will I have to pay them?" Buckingham said playing with a bag of money.

"You won't buy them" she shook her head. "They're too loyal to France"

"France? I think I know who are you talking about" he muttered and she nodded.

"So you see. I can look for the other mercenaries who might want to help but it'll take time." She explained.

"No, I have a better idea" Buckingham smiled devilishly. "Get ready, you're going to France". Marianne frowned. "You said I wouldn't buy them … but I can still buy her."

"Her? You mean Milady?" D'Artagnan asked shocked. Marianne just nodded. "And what did you do?"

"The same as other mercenaries, I followed orders. I met with Milady in Paris barely unnoticed by my enemies and presented her Buckingham's preposition. She loves money to much not to agree. She promised to betray her friends, I gave her the first part of her wage and came back to London. Immediately we started preparing and few month later, which is year ago we arrived to Venice. By "we" I mean myself, Buckingham and his personal guards. He insisted on going and I couldn't do anything in this matter. Milady contacted us to say that everything was planned and then the hell broke loose." She said quietly, her story coming to the last part.

"What do you mean?" D'Artagnan was as confused as everyone would be.

"They managed to steal the plans and I'll always admire their skills for that." She smiled on that thought. "No one ever did it, except them. But then they did their worst mistake. They trusted her, trusted Milady. Hidden behind the wall I saw everything and felt disgusted. One of them, their leader who I fought many times before was her lover. She told him that she loved him just before telling him that she betrayed them."

"But it doesn't answer my question, why are you sitting here!" D'Artagnan exclaimed.

"Patience lad. I'm getting to it. So, our enemies lay on the floor …"