Thanks for the lovely reviews! I'm glad that you liked the last chapter! Oddly, the last one was a lot easier to write than this one, which I found bloody hard to flesh out. So is Chapter 50! Chapter 50? This story is now at 300,000 words and it's the only thing I've managed to keep writing! I feel that's such a sense of achievement! So, you're getting two chapters this week as I'm off work and fully intend to make the most of the Christmas weekend. I don't know when the next update will be, more than likely the end of next week due to Christmas and mostly because it's not very well planned out yet!

P.S. I think every story needs a Brontë quote.

I only own Amorette.

It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it. Millions are condemned to a stiller doom than mine, and millions are in silent revolt against their lot. Nobody knows how many rebellions besides political rebellions ferment in the masses of life which people earth. Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.

Charlotte Brontë – Jane Eyre

The sun has burst the sky

Because I love you

And the river its banks.

The sea laps the great rocks

Because I love you

And takes no heed of the moon dragging it away

And saying coldly 'Constancy is not for you'.

The blackbird fills the air

Because I love you

With spring and lawns and shadows falling on lawns.

The people walk in the street and laugh

I love you

And far down the river ships sound their hooters

Crazy with joy because I love you.

Jenny Joseph – The Sun Has Burst the Sky

So that was what it felt like to be loved, and loved in return. Amorette had never shied away from her own feelings, having been so undoubtedly sure of them from an early age but perhaps she had hidden herself away because of them. That part of her life was over now though. She scurried out onto the Paris streets again, relieved that it was still early morning and only a few people meandered here and there. Nevertheless, Amorette pulled the brim of Athos' hat down to further cover her reddened face. Surely everyone would take one glance at her attempt at inconspicuousness and laugh in her face. How could they not know how she had spent the previous night when here she was barely after sunrise; scuttling back home in last night's dress with a man's hat upon her head?

If all of that were not a clue, then her sheer happiness should be enough to tell anyone that her mind was still a few streets back, in bed with a musketeer. The reality was that Amorette didn't really care who knew, but it was the matter of her friends bombarding her with questions that she wanted to avoid. To her, it was still important that what she had with Athos remained solely theirs for a little while longer. They had not danced around each other for all of those years for nothing after all.

It was as the height of the buildings gradually began to diminish and Amorette reached the banks of the Seine that she took in the wonderful sight of the rising sun. It was such a rare occurrence that late in the year to be able to witness the wonder of a red sunrise that Amorette stopped to look out at the horizon. It was as if she herself and her own emotions were controlling the weather. The pelting disturbance of rain from the evening before was long gone to be replaced by the tranquil simplicity of the rising sun in the East. It might have been cold, but Amorette's cheeks were so inflamed that she barely noticed it.

Regretfully she had to turn and make the river crossing to return to her own rooms, but her mind was not upon where to place her feet. The change of weather also marked the change in Amorette. Long gone were the futile and petulant worries she had let invade her mind the day before. They had never meant anything at all, but perhaps for Amorette they had been a way to fill the void and the time. Now though, the man she had been in love with since she was five years old loved her in return; even if he had not directly said the words. Strangely, Amorette didn't think that she wanted him to. Having known Athos for so long, she understood that he was not the type of man to flippantly throw out such a statement carelessly even if the time did feel right. He was the strong and silent type, needing little to no assurance at all that Amorette loved him. He wouldn't tell Amorette that he loved her just because it might be something that she needed to hear. No, he would tell her only when he himself needed to hear it.

He was a musketeer after all, and a good one. He thrived on action and trouble. Whilst trouble still abounded, he was secure. It was in the future when everything was right with the world that he would feel lost. Then the lynch pin of his love would be the only thing left holding him together, stopping him from going mad. Amorette hoped in a way that she would never see that day. She herself was coming to realise that idleness was not something she desired. She wished for occupation too because she had been still and silent too long. Eight years locked away in the country had been a fool's errand. Now she saw how important she was to the world. She had something to say; had done since she was twelve years old. She should have used her time wisely, but now she would have to make up for lost time. Amorette knew who she was now more than ever as she left the bridge and the gently lapping murky waters of the Seine behind and reached the busier streets of the Les Halles market.

Oddly it was easier to hide in a larger crowd as she meandered her way back towards the Palace. It didn't stop her heart from beating erratically though. She could still feel lips flush against the skin of her neck; feel large hands getting lost in her mass of long brown hair. No doubt she looked a bedraggled mess under the hat and cloak, but Athos hadn't cared had he? It was only as Amorette reached the ladies corridor and the door to her own rooms came into sight that she faltered. She had happily pushed the events of the evening before out of her mind but now they were sneaking back in. She had killed a boy in her own rooms, shot him straight in the chest with Athos' pistol. Was his blood still staining the carpet where he had lain? Was the corpse still there now?

Amorette tore Athos' hat from her head and held it in both hands, observing how her hands shook even as she tried for calmness. She stared at the door as her breath became erratic and wanted nothing more than to run back the way she had come; right across the river to the Rue du Bac and into his arms. That was not who she wanted to be though. Yes, she wanted comfort and security, which he had given her the evening before and no doubt would again, but Amorette was not a mute little wife. She wanted action and here was her opportunity to prove to herself and everyone else that she was ready for it. They would not always be together; with Athos leaving Paris every so often to fulfil his duties Amorette was going to have to learn to comfort and secure herself. She had done it before in essence, and that couldn't change just because she and Athos were now more intimate with one another.

It was still reasonable though to feel trepidation about staying in her rooms after what had happened. Perhaps she could request to be moved elsewhere, but to do that she would have to step inside and observe the scene. Slowly her hand reached out to grasp the door handle, and Amorette sucked in a quick breath before she pushed down on the handle and the door swung open.

Bright sunlight assaulted her eyes. The drapes had all been dragged back and the windows thrown open to air the room. The parlour furniture had all been cleared to the side of the room and the blood-stained rug was nowhere in sight. Amorette stepped into the chilly room and glanced towards her bed chamber hesitantly. The bed had been entirely stripped and the windows had been thrown open there too.

Ushered towards another set of rooms within the Palace, Amorette came to realise that Tilda had been hard at work for a fair few hours arranging new rooms. Now she was only a corridor's length from Claude's rooms. Tilda had scurried into action when she had heard what had happened, drafting Léo and two stewards in to help her clean everything up and move all of Amorette's belongings. There was a part of Amorette that was sorry to leave the rooms that she had quite quickly come to think of as home, and she did spare the hidden passageway a worry. It would no longer be guarded by herself from one side, but Amorette mentally scolded herself. The Queen's welfare and business were her own now and surely, she could arrange to have that passageway blocked up entirely.

Her new rooms were a floor above where her old ones had been, and much larger. There was also a lighter feel to them, perhaps because a set of double doors led out onto a small balcony. All her trunks had been brought up and Tilda had already organised her belongings.

"I thought you'd be worried about staying in your old rooms again after what happened Madam, so I arranged for everything to be moved as soon as it was light."

Amorette turned towards her maid and offered her a warm smile. "I don't think I deserve you Tilda. I really appreciate all of this! I hadn't given much thought to my rooms until I arrived back just now."

"Don't deserve me?" Tilda chuckled. "Madam I think it's rather the other way around! You've taught me so much since I started helping you out and I am payed far more than any other ladies maid in this Palace. On another note though, where on earth did you sleep last night? I know you didn't spend the night in your own rooms!"

Amorette felt the vanished blush begin to flush her cheeks again and she fiddled with the catch of her cloak as she tried to remove it. "I stayed with Athos. I didn't feel like coming back to my rooms alone and it made sense to stay with him."

"Did it really?" said Tilda with a smirk as she reached forward and pulled the hat off Amorette's head. "Goodness look at the state of your hair! Shall I have a bath made up?"

Amorette nodded as she brought a hand up to run it through the tangled knots of her hair. The thought of sinking into a hot bath suddenly appealed very much to her and within no time she was relaxing in the scented water. Amorette hadn't realised how tired and sore her body had been until the hot water began to soothe her aches. All of that exertion from the evening before had not been unwanted, but it had certainly taken its toll; so much so that the next thing Amorette knew, she was waking up in a bath of tepid cold water. She jumped out and quickly wrapped herself in the counterpane from the bed and lay on the couch that had been conveniently placed before the fire. She noticed Tilda had come back at some point and left her food, which meant it must be at least past luncheon. Eventually Amorette managed to force herself onto her feet again and dressed herself, leaving the food untouched.

On a walk of the Jardin de Tuileries, Amorette found Claude and Constance huddled together in a small alcove and proceeded to tell them of the events of the evening before, with a few alterations. Constance may have had the good grace to overlook the holes in Amorette's tale, but Claude was positively bursting for her to reach the end. "I assume you thanked Athos for coming to your rescue again?" asked Claude with raised eyebrows.

Amorette tried to school her features into a mild disinterestedness but both women were not fooled. "We know you spent the night with him Amorette," mumbled Constance. "And who can blame you for wanting to after what happened. If you do not wish to go into detail, then neither of us will pry."

One look at Claude told Amorette that the only thing she was intent on doing for the foreseeable future was pry. Amorette let out a heavy sigh. "Oh, alright then. I'm only telling you all of this once though so don't go thinking you'll get me repeating it. Yes, I spent the night with Athos and one thing did lead to another. We talked or rather I talked and he had the good grace to listen. I think there was a lot that I needed to get off my chest before our relationship took a different path. Athos has been so good to me though. He never pushed me or forced anything. He knew that I needed to wait until the time was right. I think he understood me a little more after I spoke with him last night."

Claude snorted. "Please don't for a second think that you can make us believe that all you did was talk Amorette! I appreciate that you may want to keep some of the sordid details private, but at least tell us if the deed was done!"

Amorette blushed even as she grinned. That was all the answer her friends needed. "It does feel wrong somehow to be this happy though. I shot that poor boy last night! I have robbed Denis of a brother and Jacquelyn of a husband!"

Claude gripped Amorette's shoulder tightly. "From what you've told us Amorette, frankly I think they are both better off without him. I know that sounds mean but he was a troublemaker and he nearly killed both you and Athos. You did the only conceivable thing you could have done in stopping him from hurting anyone else."

Constance nodded solemnly. "Amorette if you didn't feel upset about what happened to Gaspard then we would think there was something rather lacking, but as Claude said; there was nothing else you could have done. You had to act with only a split second to spare! As for feeling guilty about being happy; you're mad. If anyone deserves some happiness and contentment, then it's you! We know how much you've been through and what Athos means to you. I just hope that both of you can have some uninterrupted happiness now!"

Amorette shrugged. "This is Paris Constance. Nothing is ever plain sailing."

Amorette was bored and restless. It was growing dark outside and there was only so much admiring of her new rooms that she could do. She tried to read a book but her concentration wavered so much that she gave up and lay staring at the celling for an age. Eventually her eyes began to wander in the inevitable direction of Athos' hat. She was sure he would probably still be on duty and if he did come looking for her, someone would certainly be kind enough to tell him where her new rooms were. Amorette couldn't settle though. She got up and threw a coat over the plain dress she wore and lifted his hat. Thinking it wrong to interrupt Athos if he were still on duty, Amorette thought to bypass the garrison entirely. If she went to his lodgings and found him absent she would return to the Palace again. Wandering out of doors after dark was not something that she would have encouraged even of herself but tonight there was no sense of worry or trepidation about such an action. There was in fact only anticipation and longing in Amorette's mind. It was crossing the bridge that she faltered. The sun had gone down and dusk was fast approaching. There was no one around and Amorette realised that she was experiencing the complete opposite to her dream. It was dusk and not dawn, and Amorette was walking from the Louvre Palace and not towards it. The murky water of the Seine below flowed rapidly beneath the bridge and showed no signs of slowing. Someone falling from the bridge would have little to no chance of survival at all. The impact of hitting the water might be enough to kill but if by some miracle that didn't do the job, the icy temperature of the water certainly would.

Amorette's sudden shiver had nothing to do with the cold air that whipped across her face in that moment. She needed to make sense of what she was seeing in her dreams before it drove her mad. Whilst most of the bridges in the city were lined on either side with buildings and homes, this one was too narrow and as such, was lined on either side by tall balustrades. Amorette leaned against the one nearest to her and had a sickening realisation. She couldn't topple from the bridge even if she tried to. If she tripped she would make contact with the stone. It was far too tall for her to fall over. There were only two options in her mind then; that either in her dream she jumped or was pushed over.

A hand clamped down upon Amorette's shoulder and she let out a yelp, hand flying straight to the pistol brace she had seen sense to carry with her. Aramis stepped back guiltily. "Sorry Madam, I should have called out to you."

Amorette heaved a heavy sigh of relief and nodded. "Yes Aramis, you should have. No harm done though."

"You are headed to see Athos I presume?" Aramis asked with a single quirked eyebrow.

Amorette nodded sheepishly and held up the hat. "I borrowed this and thought I should return it."

"I'll walk you. I'm headed in that direction myself." Amorette took Aramis' offered arm and together they left the bridge in companionable silence. Then rather bluntly Aramis queried, "How did you find Athos' new rooms Madam?"

Amorette turned to stare at the marksman coldly. "What is that supposed to mean Aramis? I'm sure you know fine well that I never saw Athos' old rooms! I hope that you aren't insinuating that he purchased new lodgings to please me!"

For the second time that night Aramis threw her a guilty frown. "Madam I meant nothing of the sort! What I mean to say is that Athos did not purchase the rooms for you, but because of you."

Amorette stopped walking and threw him another glare. "You are not helping yourself Aramis!"

Aramis moved so that he stood before Amorette and placed his hands on her shoulders lightly. "I'm not phrasing this very well Cometess but allow me to explain myself to you." Amorette nodded hesitantly. "Well," Aramis began. "You must surely see yourself that Athos has undergone somewhat of a change in these last months. I think that ever since his relationship with you began to blossom, he has seen himself very differently. That's what love will do to a man you see. He has more respect for himself, more of a wish to be seen as better. Thus, he purchases new rooms for himself that greatly trump the squalid cramped room he kept at the garrison. He believes himself now to be worth spending some of his small fortune on. I know there is not much money left from his days as a Comte but he has enough to get by. I do not think he could have found it within himself to bring you back with him last night had he still been lodging within the garrison. Its rather like he's grown up a little."

Amorette pondered Aramis words as they turned and began to walk again. "Aramis I do not care where Athos lodges or what his rooms are like! I never did!"

"Cometess; Athos knows that very well; but now he cares about his rooms and the impression they give off. That is a very important shift of thought process for a man like Athos who up until recently has endured such heartache. He is not the only one that has changed though Madam! You have too!" Amorette threw him a quizzical glance, not sure she was ready to hear his appraisal of her. "I think before you met your late husband that you had an even poorer view of yourself than Athos did of himself. Suddenly there was a man who wished to marry you not for money or status but because both of you had a real connection of sorts. He appreciated you for who you are. That's so important and with your marriage to Fabien that brought about a sense of confidence in you that you had never beheld. You saw yourself not as an unmarried Mademoiselle-"

"Old spinster more like!" Amorette interrupted with a snort.

Aramis shook his head in annoyance. "You see, there's that self-doubt and ridicule again that makes you almost entirely incapable of receiving a compliment. You stopped seeing yourself as some unmarried Cometess but as someone's wife! Your late husband believed in you a great deal and showed it in how he presented you and left you to handle some of his affairs both before and after death. Without realising it you took all of that on board and began to see what everyone else sees; a very capable, kind and intelligent young woman. You've grown into a fine woman! I think that is perhaps why you and Athos are now able to co-exist rather contentedly now. Look at all of those disputes and arguments before! They mean nothing at all to either of you now! You both squabbled like children and I do believe that for a time Athos did still see you as a young child. He has known you for a very long time though so I'm sure even you will understand that concept took time to shift. You've both experienced loss now, and the gravity of that has enabled you to come together with quite possibly more of a connection than you ever had before!"

Amorette felt her face heating and squeezed Aramis' hand in gratitude. "You know, you're wasted as a musketeer!"

He let out a bark of laughter. "On the contrary, who would keep all of you lot together if I were not a musketeer and readily available! I hope you will not come to look upon my words as an intrusion though Madam. It is only my observation. You must know by now that we all think very highly of you; not least because you have brought about such a change in Athos. He finally has a chance at happiness that he seems confident enough to take. That's quite some feat indeed."

They turned off the Rue du Bac and into the alley that led to Athos' new lodgings. Aramis followed Amorette across the courtyard and into the building. They found Athos dressed in shirt and breeches at his small table, scratching out reports with a quill. He glanced up when they entered, seeming surprised to see them. Amorette quickly realised though that he barely spared Aramis a glance. His attention was all for her. A soft smile broke out upon his face in return for the one she offered him.

"You're working," she announced. "I'll take my leave of you then. I only came to return your hat!"

Athos was already shuffling his parchment into a pile and pushing it away from himself. "No stay, the work can keep for another time." Feeling Aramis' eyes upon the back of her head, Amorette took a hesitant seat in the chair opposite Athos. "Aramis, what brings you here at this hour?"

"Seeing that the Cometess got here in one piece," the marksman exclaimed as he removed his hat and moved further into the room. "And to let you know that Treville has called off our search for the evening. Orders from the governor are that the Red Guard will continue the night search. Treville isn't too happy about it but there's not much he can do when the orders seem to have come directly from the King."

"Have you found any of the escaped prisoners?" Amorette asked the two musketeers.

Aramis nodded. "Porthos apprehended one man this morning. That still leaves another four unaccounted for though."

"We'll find them," Athos mused. "Either that or the cold night will kill them first." Amorette turned towards him as he spoke, finding that he was gazing at her intently.

"Well I shall take my leave," exclaimed Aramis. "I know when I'm not wanted."

With a wink and a gentle flourish as he placed his hat upon his head again, he was gone. Amorette stifled a giggle as Athos gently reached forward to grasp her wrist. In one swift movement, he had pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap. "At least this evening you appear to have avoided the rain Madam. I haven't stopped thinking of you all day."

Amorette kissed him soundly, her hand coming up to caress his bearded face for a time before it got lost in his hair. His hands were at her waist, but Amorette felt she could feel them almost burning her skin through her clothing. Somehow her pistol brace unbuckled and fell to the floor with a thud, her coat became unbuttoned and was pulled from her shoulders before Athos gently pulled away from her. Those cobalt blue eyes had her melting into his side as he gazed down at her with such force and she suddenly felt nervous again without quite knowing why.

"Are you alright?" Athos asked her. The concern within his eyes told Amorette that he did not ask about their relations the evening before, or the day that had passed since. "I couldn't come to you this afternoon but I wanted to. I wanted to be sure that you were alright returning to your rooms."

Amorette smiled warmly at his concern. "Everything was sorted before I had even returned to the Louvre. Tilda arranged for my things to be moved to another set of rooms one floor above. I was quite relieved to tell the truth."

Athos sighed as he looked at her heavily. "You know that you are not in any way to blame don't you Amorette? You saved my life; no, you saved both of our lives. You had not the time to spare to think upon what to do next and acted in the best way possible. Gaspard acted rashly when he came in search of you last night. He was a fool to do so, for he may have stood a chance of escaping if he had not. That is no fault of yours in any way! Think how different our worlds would be if he had taken his shot at one of us? Then where would we be?" Amorette nodded even as a sole tear rolled down her cheek. Athos wiped it away gently with his thumb. "You've become so used to bottling everything up that I find it hard to read you when you're like this," he mumbled.

Amorette pulled away to glare at him. "I'm hard to read? What about you? I've worn my heart upon my sleeve with you since I was a little girl!"

"But you keep so many secrets," mused Athos. Amorette stilled as she felt his hand at her back, tugging at the laces of her bodice. She let him tug them free in silence until she could stand and let her dress pool at her feet. He made short work of her corset too, until she stood before him in only her shift. She thought he meant to take that from her too, but instead he pulled her back down to sit on his lap and his hand immediately fell to where her scar lay below her ribs.

"That's still bothering you, isn't it?" she asked him. "You know why I hid it from you!"

"I feel guilty," he said. "We did nothing but squabble and fight when you came back to Paris. I did not know you must still have had all of what happened in Spain upon your mind! I do not like that you felt you had to keep secrets from me! I thought we had always trusted each other from the day we met!"

"Athos I do trust you!" Amorette cried. "Would I be with you now if I didn't? Would I have spent last night with you if I didn't?"

After what felt like an age Athos nodded. "I see I shall have to admit defeat in this case, but I'd like us to promise one another something. No more secrets?"

Amorette grinned and without hesitation she whispered, "No more secrets." She didn't know what she saw in his eyes then; doubt perhaps that she would keep to her promise. Sighing a deep breath she knew what she said next would have to assure him of her willingness to comply. "I told you last night that I came back to Paris with the sole intention of seeing you, and that was true. I was still recovering from the attack in Spain when I returned. I should have gone to my mother's home in Provins to recover in peace and quiet but the truth is that I did almost die. As soon as I was coherent again all I could think of was seeing you. It was the strangest feeling, like I wouldn't ever be well again until I saw you."

Her honesty seemed to work. She did not register the movement but suddenly they were upon the bed again, with Athos gazing at her so longingly that Amorette thought her heart might burst out of her chest entirely.

When she awoke the next morning, Amorette let out a long groan. Her nose felt puffy and blocked, and everything ached. She felt a slight depression at the side of the bed and rolled over to find Athos sitting beside her. He was in the process of pulling on his boots and Amorette raised herself up from the bed. "You're leaving? Give me a few moments to dress and I'll walk with you."

Athos pushed her back into the pillows gently though. "Amorette as I recall you did promise me you would take one day's bed rest to try and get over this cold of yours! That has still to transpire! Do this one thing for me; stay here today and that way I can come by and check on you later?"

It was testament to how ill Amorette truly felt that morning that she simply nodded her agreement and rolled over again as she heard the door snap shut behind Athos as he left. She was asleep again before he had even reached the courtyard below.

When Amorette woke again, she guessed it must be well past midday. She did feel rather more rested and gently pulled Athos' pillow towards her across the bed. The lightest scent of his unique smell comforted her enough to keep her there for an hour or two but eventually she began to pick her way around the room. She sheaved through Athos' reports on his table and tugged the drapes so that they sat evenly either side of the window. In a small alcove by the fireplace Amorette found a collection of leather bound books. Most of them were empty journals or written accounts by military men, but one little book tucked into the corner of the shelf almost had her heart skipping a beat. She pulled out the still good as new copy of Thomas More's Utopia and gazed upon it in wonder. It was the very same one that she had thrust into Athos' chest all those months ago, after another one of their arguments. Clearly, he had never read it, but there had been ample time for Athos to return the book to her so, why hadn't he?"

Yeah you all forgot about the book, didn't you?