A/N: Again, I must thank Suthern-Bell85 for doing such a wonderful job with betaing. I shudder to think how this chapter would have been if I hadn't had her help.
Chapter Seven
And it seemed that Anne finding out what had happened to cause the musketeer corps to be disbanded meant that I would be the one doing the searching. Knowing that the Cardinal would be distracted by Lord Buckingham and, hopefully, Milady de Winter would also be occupied, I set off immediately to learn what I could.
As I walked through the palace, I wondered who I should speak to first. There were only a few people who I would trust to get information from, and they had all come to the palace the same time I had. While they may have heard something, I didn't think it likely. The whole affair seemed to have been hushed up quickly and quietly. Probably the Cardinal's doing.
Where was I going to get my information?
"Pardon me, mademoiselle."
Startled, I turned to find Monsieur de Treville standing only a few feet away. I'd been so caught up in my thoughts I hadn't even seen him there! "Yes, monsieur?" I asked.
"You were with the queen when Buckingham arrived, weren't you?" the man asked in return.
Wait. Was he trying to get information from me? I hesitated as I looked at him. Who better to get my information from? "Perhaps we could come to a deal, Monsieur," I suggested. He raised his eyebrows. I was a little surprised myself at my boldness. "There is something I wish to know myself."
"About the disbanding of the Musketeers."
"Yes," I said in surprise. "How did you guess?"
"Her Majesty, the Queen, has not yet approached the subject," Monsieur de Treville explained. "As she is interested in everything else that goes on in the palace, I knew it would only be a matter of time before she would wish to know the details. With what has happened as of late, it seemed the time."
I nodded. "Very true," I answered. I heard muffled giggles, and looked over to see some ladies of the court passing by. "Shall we walk in the gardens, monsieur?"
Gesturing for me to lead the way, M. de Treville fell into step beside me. "How did the meeting go?" he asked after only a few steps.
"Interesting," I answered. "Buckingham's mode of travel is astonishing. Without any effort at all, he seems to show the king to be a silly boy." And there goes my mouth running away from me. "I shouldn't have said that."
"Then, Buckingham hasn't changed in the least bit," Monsieur de Treville said, not heeding my last words. "How was the meeting between him and the Cardinal?"
I frowned as I thought back. "Buckingham was overly charming," I informed him. Since I didn't seem to need to watch my words, I wouldn't. "And the Cardinal didn't give much away. No one wanted to be there."
He hesitated. "And Athos, Porthos, and Aramis? They had been ordered to attend as well, correct?"
"Yes," I said. "Whoever ordered them to their places was a fool. They were placed directly across from the Cardinal's guards. Both sides showed remarkable forbearance in not killing each other. " I remembered Buckingham's attitude toward the former musketeers he'd faced. "There was a moment, monsieur, when I thought Monsieur Athos would attack Lord Buckingham."
"He's up to something."
When he didn't expound on that statement, I glanced over. He looked to be deep in thought. "Who do you mean?" I asked. "The Cardinal or Buckingham?"
"Either. Both," he answered. "Buckingham wants to show off his new war machine, and rub it in Athos' face while he's at it, but to come all this way just for that...there must be another reason. And the Cardinal is always plotting something."
"The queen doesn't trust him."
Monsieur de Treville chuckled. "She has made that abundantly clear," he said. "There is some foundation to her misgivings. You may assure Her Majesty that I will keep an eye on the matter." He shook his head. "It seems all I am capable of doing now: watching."
"What happened to the Musketeers, monsieur?" I asked. "They would be needed in a time like this."
"One of my men trusted someone he shouldn't have, and was betrayed," Monsieur. de Treville answered. "France was humiliated for having to pay a ransom for the men when they were caught. As punishment, by the Cardinal's urging, the entire Corps was disbanded."
We reached the gardens as I mulled this information over. "This musketeer trusted Buckingham?" I asked, taking a random guess. That would explain the hostility.
"No," Monsieur de Treville said. "He trusted a woman."
"A woman?" I repeated. My thoughts immediately went to Milady de Winter.
The man nodded, pausing to face me. "I can't give you all the details," he told me seriously. "It was a mission that, had it succeeded, would have given France the advantage that Buckingham now has. No one, save for the Musketeers on the mission and myself, knew of the mission. Even the king had only the barest of knowledge of it, and never was to have known the details."
"The airship," I breathed. "He must seem a fool to other countries to have his men caught and then have Buckingham flaunting his victory."
M. de Treville nodded. "I have told you all I can, mademoiselle," he told me. He took my hand and bowed. "Thank you for the information."
"Thank you, Monsieur," I responded. "I have much to tell the queen."
"She is fortunate to have a loyal companion such as yourself with her, but you should act with caution, mademoiselle. The Cardinal and Buckingham are formidable opponents, and this is no game," Monsieur de Treville said, both complimenting me and warning me. He bowed once more and walked away.
So much to tell Anne! I turned and caught sight of Rochefort. He was standing at a window, staring down at me. Unsure what to do, I stared right back at him. A moment passed, and he turned away. I breathed a sigh of relief and hurried for the door.
I had to wait until that evening to be alone with Anne, when she sent all the other ladies away. She remained quiet as I repeated what I had been told. She shook her head when I had finished. "Obviously they thought they would be doing France a favor, and only made things worse," she said thoughtfully. "I wonder how things would be now if they had succeeded."
"Monsieur de Treville mentioned that the men had trusted a woman," I pointed out carefully. "You Majesty, what if...this may sound odd, but what if it was Milady de Winter that they trusted? She is a member of Buckingham's retinue, but she's also been talking to the Cardinal."
Turning to me, Anne frowned. "Has she?" she said. "How interesting. But, apart from questioning whose side she's on, why do you think it was she who betrayed the musketeers?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "It's just a feeling I have. She's warned me against Rochefort, for good reason, I think since he has been watching me. Why would she do that? Why was she sent ahead of Buckingham in the first place? Why does the Cardinal consult with her? Milady de Winter brings up so many questions that I can find no answer for except that she must be trying to work for her own purposes."
"You bring up some excellent points, Constance," Anne told me. "I have wondered those things myself. I've had Benita keeping an eye on her, but so far, Milady de Winter hasn't done anything out of character."
Amazed, I shook my head. That I hadn't known. "Nothing?" I asked, trying to keep my composure. Why hadn't Anne asked me to watch Milady?
"Don't be cross, Constance," Anne told me, as though she knew what I was thinking. "When you told me of her warnings to you, and how she's always around, I decided someone else would have to keep an eye on her. I don't trust anyone connected to the Cardinal and Buckingham."
"What should we do now?"
Leaning back, Anne tapped her fingers. "Wait things out," she said. "I don't have enough information to do anything else. The king relies on Richelieu so much..." She shook her head. "Dolores has a letter for you, from your family. I don't need anything else this evening."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I curtsied and hurried to find Dolores. I retrieved my letter and took it to my chambers. I sat in front of the fire to read my mother's news.
From the start, my heart felt pained, and the further I read, the worse it got. I fear for you in Paris, Constance. There are so many unscrupulous men there. Your father shares my concern. I wish you would come home and let your father arrange for your future. There are many young noblemen who would be happy to have you as their bride...
There was little news of my siblings, save that engagements from both were imminent. I dropped the letter and put my head in my head. A suitable, noble marriage. No where would a cocky, Gascon boy fit in that future. My parents would be horrified. I would be disgraced, of that there could be no doubt. Certainly I would lose my position with Anne.
"What am I going to do?" I whispered out loud. I wouldn't deny it anymore. The boy interested me, but could I let go any further than that? Could I pain my parents so? Anne was amused by the whole thing, but how would she react if it were to become serious? I shook my head. It was going to be yet another long, sleepless night.
