A day off
Hey my dear fellow. I'm so glad, that so many of you liked my story and moreover also read it. Here is a brand new chapter of it. I hope you have a lot of fun with it. Because wouldn't allow me to post some likes for the outfits, just check out my Tumblr Account: Mexxi3003. There I will post the outfits and some pictures of the location and the gardens and so on. Love you all, Your Mexxi
The next morning, the two women had breakfast in Anne's salon again. The lavish spread consisted of coffee and orange juice, a large basket containing fresh rolls and an assortment of bread, various marmalades and jams, as well as a selection of cold cuts and cheeses, fresh fruit, muesli and joghurt.
Constance chose some fruit, muesli and joghurt, while anne took one of the rolls.
"So, what is your plan for today?" Anne asked.
"I want to have a look around the chateau. All those remarkable frescoes, paintings and works of art…And the architecture itself is like a dream. Do you want to come with me?"
"Louis has made quite a good choice, but I have seen most of it already. I think I'll take advantage of the nice weather, sit in the garden and do some work for the children's home."
Before Constance could say anything, Anne continued. "No, you look around, and take all the time you want. I'll be fine, you know I like doing this kind of work."
"Well, if you say so. But this afternoon, you'll let me help you sort through the documents?" Constance asked
"Of course".
Both women finished their breakfast and then went their separate ways. Constance went back to her room and took a last look at her outfit in the mirror. She wore her new favourite skirt, which fit tight at the waist and flared out towards the hemline. The elastic waistband was striped in cream and pink, the skirt itself was turquoise with a broad stripe of pink at the hemline and decorated with various ice cream cones. She had paired the skirt with a white long-sleeved shirt with a deep v-neckline and cutouts at the sides and back. Simple white, roman-style sandals and colourful dangling earrings completed the look. Her hair was loose and held back from her face with a pair of light pink sunglasses. Since the interior of the chateau could be a little chilly, she decided to grab a long cardigan as well for her "sightseeing tour".
Anne quickly put all the things she would need into a bag – her laptop and cellphone, a pen and her notebook -, before she pulled the bell to summon one of the servants. After a glance out of the window at the bright sun and cloudless blue sky she decided not to take a jacket with her, since the days had become quite warm.
She wore a simple yellow A-line dress with colourful flowers embroidered around the neckline and along the hemline, and had combined it with black strappy sandals. Simple earrings in a geometric design, and a hint of makeup and eyeshadow completed her look for the day. She was just putting on a large sunhat, when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
"You rang, madame?"
"Yes, thank you. I would like to work in the garden today. Could you bring me some refreshments?"
"Yes, of course, and if I may make a suggestion, I recommend the Grand Paterre. A few chairs and tables have already been set up there."
"Oh, thank you, then I will go there," Anne said.
"Very good. I'll bring the refreshments out to you." The servant took a bow and left.
Anne grabbed her bag and a pair of sunglasses and headed for the garden.
Outside, the birds were singing and Anne was glad she had chosen to work outdoors today. Although it was still early and the sun still low in the sky, it was already pleasantly warm and she was glad she had decided on a light, summerly outfit. She crossed the Prince's Court and turned left towards the Grand Paterre. This was one of the larger parts of the gardens, with broad paths, green lawns and hedges. To the right was a large lake. On a paved area, garden chairs and tables had been set up. Anne sat down at one of the large tables and opened her laptop.
Early in the morning, the four bodyguards met in the guardroom. This was where the briefings were held and where most of their tactical gear was stowed, except for the weapons of course. Those were kept in the endless cellars under the chateau. Athos and Porthos had dressed for their assigned task in dark shirts and black jeans, black leather jackets and heavy black boots. Athos had additionally covered his hair with a black cap. He was putting together the items they would need – rope, walkie-talkies, cellphones and laptop – and checked if everything was working properly. Aramis was gazing out of the window into the garden.
"Something interesting out there, Aramis?" D'Artagnan asked.
Aramis ignored the question and turned to Athos. "Are the gardens safe enough? Shouldn't the king's cousin rather stay in the chateau?"
Porthos, who was slumped in a chair, nursing a mild hangover, grinned slightly. "Aramis, let me explain women for you."
"Because you're such an expert on women," Athos said, joining in the conversation.
"Athos, you're not exactly the best example. Okay, Aramis, a woman –especially one like Anne – can't be caged. Do that and she will fly away," Porthos explained, making a gesture like a fluttering bird.
D'Artagnan waved him off. "Don't listen to Porthos, he's being melodramatic again. I think she'll be safe there."
"Where exactly is she?" Athos looked at Aramis questioningly. He agreed with D'Artagnan, but he know that Aramis wouldn't have his head completely in the game if he was worried about Anne.
"She's sitting in the Grand Paterre."
"Well, in that case drop by Jonsen on your round and tell him to keep an eye on her over the monitors." As far as Athos was concerned, that took care of the problem.
Aramis just nodded, and after a last glance at the garden, turned his attention to the briefing.
"We need to check all the cameras and see if we can find any blind spots. We'll meet back h ere in the afternoon."
The other men nodded. Each team grabbed their gear and headed to their assigned area – Athos and D'Artagnan to the outer perimeter, Aramis and Porthos to the inner one.
Athos and Porthos played the part of the intruder – hence the dark clothing -, while Aramis and D'Artagnan used the laptops to see if the cameras recorded everything.
Athos worked his way back from the Maison du Jardin. It was on the far left and the furthest distance from the chateau, but D'Artagnan caught him on two separate cameras. Next on their list was the Grand Paterre. D'Artagnan had the foresight to approach Anne, while Athos was still far away.
"Excuse me, Madame."
"A, D'Artagnan, beautiful day today, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. I don't want to disturb you, just to let you know that Athos will show up soon, looking very much like the intruder from two days ago. No need to be frightened," D'Artagnan explained.
"Oh, thank you, that would definitely have worried me. But why is he dressed like that?" Anne asked, curious.
"We have to check the different security zones and eliminate possible weak spots."
"Oh well, in that case I wish you every success." Anne nodded encouragingly. impressed by the loyalty and work attitude of the young man.
"Thank you." D'Artagnan gave her a short nod and stepped back into the shadows.
Once again, all of Athos' movements were caught on the cameras. Back at the chateau, the two men decided to take a short break.
"I just don't get it. We have checked everything, where on Earth could the intruder get through?" D'Artagnan was getting discouraged. Athos took another sip of the cold lemonade. The thick, dark clothing had made him feel hot and the dark cap didn't help either.
"Come on, we'll check the English Garden next", he said.
The English Garden lay to the right of the lake. Sometime later, Athos joined D'Artagnan again and found the young man typing furiously on the laptop.
"Have you found something?" Athos asked.
"Yes, come on, we'll go through the data inside, so you can take a shower and freshen up," D'Artagnan answered, clapping Athos playfully on the shoulder as they went back to the guard room.
Aramis and Porthos used the same procedure as their colleagues and friends, only they concentrated on the inner ring, starting with the courts. The Prince's Court bordered on the lake and was flanked on the right by the English Garden and on the left by the Grand Paterre. To the right of the Prince's Court was a large parade ground. For important events, this was used as the entrance plaza, where the king could display his wealth and power. When the two men found nothing either at the courts or at the Jardin du Diana, they continued their check inside the chateau.
Constance had gone to the three chapels of the chateau first. The artwork and the decorations alone were beautiful. Then she wandered over to the ballroom, where they had had dinner the first evening. Without the long tables, the room seemed even grander and more imposing. Even the wooden parquet floor had decorative inlays. Constance didn't know where to look first.
After the ballroom, she stopped at the kitchen for a little snack, before continuing on to the theatre, where she found Aramis, comfortably ensconced in a seat that would have been more at home in a cinema. He had his legs on the backrest of the seat in front of him, and an open laptop in his lap.
"Ah, hello Madame Constance, what can I do for you?" Aramis did not take his eyes off the laptop monitor, but his voice was courteous and friendly.
Constance startled slightly. She hadn't thought he had noticed her, since his attention was on the laptop and the door was open wide enough for her to enter. Possibly this sort of awareness came with his job and his qualifications.
"I'm sorry, Aramis, I didn't want to disturb you. I'm just taking a little tour of the chateau. All these paintings and statues…I think it would take days or even weeks to see them all."
"You're not disturbing me, I just need to keep an eye on the cameras. I'm glad there's at least one person who admires the king's collection," Aramis said.
"Why only one?" Constance asked.
"Well, the king doesn't really have an eye for it, he just buys things as an investment or because one of his rivals wants them. Hence the quantity."
"You don't seem to think too highly of him," Constance remarked, interested in his opinion.
"No, it's not like that. I'm loyal to him, but I don't have to like everything he does." Aramis turned his attention back to the laptop and quickly typed something.
"May I ask what you are doing? Isn't there a room with more equipment and a larger screen? This can't be good for your eyes," Constance asked, slightly worried.
Aramis gave her a small smile. "We have a room, with more monitors than you can imagine. No, we are just checking every camera for blind spots. Ah, see, there's Porthos. He's dressed like the intruder and tries to get past the cameras undetected." He pointed to a dark figure on the screen. Constance came closer to see better.
"Ah yes, I was there already. It's that long corridor with all the paintings and ornaments. Very beautiful."
"Yes, that's Diana's Gallery."
"Unfortunately, there's a crack in one wall. Such a pity. Maybe I should mention to Anne that she might consider some restauration." Constance became lost in her own thoughts, making a mental note.
Her words, however, caught Aramis' attention. "A crack, you said?"
Constance looked at him again, slightly startled, because her mind had already been several steps further. "Yes, a crack, right there," she said, pointing at a spot on the screen. "It's covered by one of the paintings, but not very well."
"Very interesting," Aramis said, his eyes on the spot, Constance had just pointed out.
"Do you think it might be a weak spot?" Constance asked, worried for the safety of her friend.
"No, Madame, don't worry. Just a good spot for an additional camera. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, " Aramis answered to reassure her. Constance was relieved.
"Well, I will explore the chateau a little further then," she said, turning towards the door again.
"You do that," Aramis said, looking at the screen again.
While Constance continued on to the library, Aramis took the walkie-talkie, as soon as she was out the door. "Porthos, meet me at Diana's Gallery."
"Acknowledged," Porthos answered curtly.
Aramis closed the laptop, gathered his things and left the theatre.
Athos and D'Artagnan came back to the guard room and found it empty. Apparently the second team was still out checking. D'Artagnan sat at a large table and started to review their data, while Athos went into the spacious attached bathroom to take a shower and put on fresh – and lighter – clothes.
Afterwards, he called down to the kitchen to order some snacks for himself and the others, since most probably none of them had had lunch. Then he went back to his younger friend in the guard room.
"Okay, what is it?" Porthos, almost visibly steaming in the thick clothes, looked at Aramis questioningly.
Both men were standing in the gallery. Behind them stood a large globe, one wall of the long corridor had large windows, the other wall was covered with paintings and bookshelves. An enormous fresco covered the ceiling.
Periodically checking the laptop screen for reference, Aramis slowly walked towards the spot Constance had shown him earlier. Grumbling and sweaty, Porthos followed behind him. "No, the high and mighty Aramis does not have to answer," he muttered.
Aramis stopped when he found that there really was a crack in the wall, partially hidden behind the frame of a painting. "Ah, here it is." He set the laptop down and inspected the crack and the painting.
Now Porthos was getting curious, too. "Wait a second, I'll take the picture down." he said. Effortlessly he grabbed the frame in both hands, unhooked it and leaned it against the wall out of the way.
"Look here," Aramis followed the crack, finding it larger than it had appeared at first.
"Yes, and here, too. Come on, we have to tell the others," Porthos said, already turning to leave.
"Wait! We have a serious security breach here," Aramis said.
"Maybe we do."
"Let's make sure," Aramis insisted, taking something out of his bag.
"That doesn't sound like you," Porthos teased him.
"What, I'm always thorough," Aramis said in mock-outrage.
"Yes, but to be so overly careful...would that happen to have something to do with a certain blond-haired cousin?" Porthos was grinning now, as Aramis installed a portable camera and directed it on the crack. Once Aramis had finished, he packed up and sent the code for the new camera to Jonsen.
"Well, she is part of our job. Come on, we're done here. Let's get Athos and D'Artagnan."
Both men headed back towards the guard room.
"Ah, I see you're finally done," D'Artagnan greeted the two men, when they entered the guard room. Athos just smiled. "Probably took the time to watch a Netflix show in the theatre."
"Go ahead, make fun of us", Porthos said, slightly miffed.
"Go take a shower, I'm sure it was as hot for you as it was for me," Athos said, pointing towards the bathroom. That managed to improve Porthos' mood and he disappeared through the door.
Aramis joined the other two men and put his equipment on the table. "Okay, we found something," he said.
"So did we." D'Artagnan and Aramis looked at each other. Athos was about to ask exactly what they had discovered, when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
A servant opened the door. "Messieurs, a truck is coming up the driveway."
"Are we expecting a large delivery?" asked Athos
"No, that's why I informed you." Answered the servant
"We're coming."
Before the three men left the room, they let Porthos know to join them outside, once he had finished his shower.
Anne had just about finished her research for the children's home, when one of the servants approached her.
"Mademoiselle, a truck has arrived and the driver mentioned your name. We are not expecting a delivery this large. Can you help clear up this misunderstanding?"
"Well, I haven't ordered anything that would require a truck, either, but I'll come with you, there has to be a reason." Said Anne as she got up from the chair.
The servant led her towards the driveway.
