CHAPTER 39

I

"Your thoughts?" Tréville asked once Louis and Ferdinand had also gone from the Library, both in search of the Queen and intent upon a family walk in the gardens.

Porthos and Aramis stepped forward to stand beside the two seated Musketeers. The only other person still at the table was Richelieu who rubbed at his face angrily.

"The Ambassador was not going to be rushed into the signing of the Treaty," Athos chose his words carefully. "If I were to have a suspicious mind, I would think that his unwillingness to pay his respects to his predecessor until tomorrow morning and demanding a full mass with such prominent figures in attendance so that time would be taken to make arrangements were nothing but delaying tactics."

"If you 'ad a suspicious mind," Porthos snorted.

"He is certainly wanting to control things," Tréville said, "and he remains very distrustful."

"And because of his insistence to command how things are done here, I do not trust him," Richelieu announced through gritted teeth. "I do not want your men attached to him merely for the mass; I want him watched from here on in. Convince him that our only intention is to protect him whilst he is in Paris. In fact, suggest that he has a Musketeer escort until he is safely off French soil. These three will be his permanent shadow until that Treaty is signed. The Captain of his guard will be with you this afternoon; make sure that he understands that this is how it is going to be. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly," the Captain acknowledged, the word clipped with underlying tension. He hated being ordered about by the Cardinal as if he were incapable of coherent thought.

"Good!" Richelieu was on his feet and heading towards the door. "We will discuss the security arrangements later this evening after the banquet."

The door slammed shut behind him.

Aramis exhaled noisily and ran a hand through his dark curls. "That was very tense."

"I thought peace treaties were supposed to make everything nice and calm," Porthos huffed.

"There is nothing nice or calm about this wretched treaty," Tréville grumbled, pushing his chair back and rising to his feet. "I need to get back to the garrison and start sorting the security for that service. Athos, you're with me on that." He sighed. "Then we'd better start talking about what will be needed for the hunting trip to Versailles that the King mentioned. He hasn't spoken of it since, but I would rather not be taken by surprise. Porthos, I'm sorry to have to do this to you but in order to keep Richelieu happy, the first watch of the Ambassador falls to you. I need Aramis back at the garrison to be the interpreter for the Spanish captain when he arrives.

Athos clapped Porthos on the arm. "Do not worry. As soon as we have finished our business, I shall come back and relieve you."

The four walked to the door.

"That won't be anytime soon then," Porthos moaned. "Sortin' things and doin' paperwork takes you forever! And my stomach has already started rumblin', I've been 'ere so long!"

II

"It does not make sense," Athos said as he lay the quill pen down carefully to avoid an ink blot and leaned back on his chair. He was sitting one side of Tréville's desk making notes for the Captain who paced back and forth in front of the window. It had long been the practice between them that, when discussing things together, Athos would act as the scribe as his hand was the more legible.

How many times have we worked like this? Tréville was thinking to himself. The lad has proved himself indispensable many times over. I should heed Claude's advice, stop procrastinating and make him my lieutenant.

He was wondering why he felt it necessary to wait until the business with the Treaty was concluded. Still deliberating, he turned to find Athos watching him expectantly. Flummoxed, he threw himself down into his seat behind the desk.

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

Athos eyed him warily. "This business has you distracted."

"This and other things. Go on, please."

"I was saying that this does not make any sense," Athos began again.

"How so?" and Tréville frowned at the papers, covered with the younger man's tidy writing, as they lay spread across the desk. "We have made arrangements for royal visits to Notre Dame on many occasions, some with far less time than we have here, especially when it is one of Louis' whims."

"Exactly," Athos said, moving forward to sit on the edge of his chair as he warmed to his subject. "We have done it countless times and it never takes us long, just like now. So why would the Cardinal use Musketeer security arrangements as an excuse to delay the mass from tomorrow afternoon until the following day? We are planned. It might have been a push given the men currently on duty, but we could just as easily have had the ceremony this afternoon rather than tomorrow, as suggested by de Calatrava. So why did Richelieu insist on the day after 'at the earliest', to use his words?"

He paused for breath and to order his thoughts.

"Go on," Tréville prompted.

"We have a Spanish Ambassador who seems determined to have his way and delay the signing. It cannot be coincidence that his initials match those written in blood. And then we have the Cardinal, with the same initials, who seems to be inventing delaying tactics of his own. The Cardinal Infante must know how to conduct a mass. Why would it take Richelieu a minimum of two days to go through – and again I quote him – 'the finer details' with him? If you ask me, neither of these men want that Treaty signed."

Tréville groaned and wiped a hand over his face. "And a delay gives both men the opportunity to make alternative arrangements."

"For another attack to discredit the other side?" Athos' voice had dropped almost to a whisper. "If there were another attack, it would not merely postpone the signing this time, all negotiations would be off – perhaps permanently."

The Captain sighed. "I fear as much." He pulled papers towards him. "We need to go through these very carefully and increase our security measures. We have no idea what they might be planning or how they intend to execute it, so I want us to be in a position to have the route and the cathedral thoroughly searched and guarded by Musketeers; the sooner the better."

Athos' face darkened. "Like we attempted to do when moving Loret." The feeling that he had failed the man still rankled with him.

"You must not dwell on him. We made a regrettable error there, but we will not be making the same mistake twice, not when the royal couple are involved and the Queen's brother."

Both men fell into their own silent reverie, broken eventually by Athos.

"As much as I dislike and distrust Richelieu, would he really be so reckless as to jeopardise his position by engaging in a second treasonable offence here in Paris? Success or failure? Either outcome would initiate a relentless investigation that would end with his removal from power. I know you firmly believe that he has not always dealt honestly in certain situations and is probably the man behind the mystery woman and the attack on us, but surely he realises when it is better to desist than pursue a foolhardy action?"

"Richelieu will always do what is in his best interests and those of France. I cannot deny his duty and commitment to this realm, but I wonder just how far he is prepared to go."

"But what is wrong with the Treaty that he would try to stop it? Would he not want peace between France and Spain?" Athos was desperately trying to understand what might motivate the man to wreck the accord.

"I was not party to any of the negotiations and once I had recovered the Treaty from where you had concealed it, I thought it too presumptuous to read the detail. It was enough that I saw the title and the signature so far to verify that it was genuine."

"Perhaps you might ask to peruse it now?" Athos suggested. "It might provide the answer as to why certain Spaniards are also eager to see it halted."

"It will not hurt to ask, although I anticipate that Richelieu will flatly refuse my request. The only idea I have is that the Cardinal fears that France has conceded too much."

Athos looked thoughtful. "To afford him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he has instigated this delay in the mass because he wants to give the Ambassador the opportunity to incriminate himself by arranging some trouble, which is why he wants us to watch him carefully."

"In that case," Tréville said, his face grim, "I would have preferred him to share his ideas with us and I, for one, would sooner prevent a plot from being hatched rather than trying to minimise the consequences if it's allowed to happen."

"If Richelieu wants the three of us to watch de Calatrava, perhaps we should be watching him too, in case he makes contact with his Mystery Woman?"

Tréville shook his head. "You have just argued for Richelieu not being involved in anything untoward. Besides, there are only three of you and I am not willing to share our suspicions with anyone else in the regiment; you will all need some time to rest over the next two days at least, or however long it takes to get this wretched Treaty signed. I can't understand why there has to be some great ceremony surrounding it. It would be much easier if Louis just signed the damned thing whilst de Calatrava looked on.

"And as far as that damned woman is concerned, there has been nothing to suggest that she is still in Paris. There has not been sight nor sound of her since Loret was killed."

Two 'damneds' in as many sentences and it did not go unnoticed by the younger Musketeer; Tréville was agitated.

"She is probably maintaining a low profile somewhere." Athos added lightly. "Unless he has had her dispatched."

"I think your first suggestion is nearer the mark, especially when he knows that I am keeping an eye out for her. Her services are far too valuable to him to be wasted in an untimely death."

"She was so good at tying up any loose ends that perhaps she runs the risk of being a 'loose end' herself."

"There is that danger, I agree, but I have long suspected that he significantly rewards and looks out for those who serve him well."

"I wonder who she is," Athos muttered.

Tréville huffed in amusement at the younger soldier's apparent interest in the woman who had planned to have him and his brothers hunted and killed. "I would love to find out too, but it is not going to happen any time soon, so I suggest that we get back to thinking about how we are going to step up security during these so-called delays. "

"Firstly, we need to ensure that we have the manpower so I think you should revoke all off-duty time for the next two days," Athos said, suddenly all business-like again.

"Agreed. Then we need to divide the men into teams," said Tréville, reaching for the list of serving men to which he always referred when drawing up rosters.

And so they worked on for another hour, pouring over a map of the route to Notre Dame and discussing what could be put in place: searches along the way there and of buildings; areas that needed guarding between now and the ceremony, and identifying those that could be safely locked or even successfully blocked off until the event had been concluded.

As the Captain talked, Athos wrote and, whilst they exhausted ideas and strategies, Tréville watched the dark head bowed over the paper, concentration total as the quill moved easily and gracefully across it, filling the virgin surface with Musketeer names, orders and the requisite time scale.

Once again, Tréville's thoughts drifted to the vacant position of his lieutenant and he realised that for some time, Athos had quietly and efficiently been fulfilling that role anyway, just as he was doing right now as they prepared for the royal visit to the cathedral. It was only fair that he should have the official recognition and renumeration. Why should he, Tréville, delay any longer? True, he had not observed protocol by first making his recommendation to the King who was the overall commander of the regiment, but that was just a formality.

It was equally true that he was not sure how Athos would respond to the offer. He expected the young man to refuse, deeming himself unworthy, unready, unsuitable … Oh there would be so many reasons that Athos could produce as to why he should not be the regiment's lieutenant but Tréville was sure that he could counter every one of them, and provide evidence to support his own argument.

While the two of them worked quietly within his office, there was no time like the present. He cleared his throat and Athos looked up, no doubt expecting another suggestion about security.

"Athos, I have been thinking for a long while now that …."

He was interrupted by three loud raps on the door which then opened, and Aramis' head appeared.

"The Spanish Captain has arrived. Are you ready for me to bring him up?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Tréville replied, knowing that he sounded more irritable than he should have done. Athos eyed him quizzically.

Tréville sighed. "No matter. It'll keep."