Okay, I know this is not Monday, Tuesday or Friday, but I felt guilty not posting two chapters last week so I thought to attempt three this week by way of recompense (now there's another possible word for the 'R' stable!) Apologies for confusing anyone. Thank you for reading and commenting on the last chapter.
CHAPTER 51
Athos sat propped up in the bed, supported by the pillows that had previously cushioned his back and head as he lay unconscious. He watched, his brow furrowed, as Aramis tucked the bedding in tightly around him.
"I cannot move," he announced and, when Aramis scowled at him, added, "It is merely an observation, not a complaint."
"The idea is to keep you in that bed. I have neither the time nor inclination to go chasing round the garrison after you," Aramis scolded.
"Consider yourself told," Tréville admonished, his eyes glinting in amusement.
Athos sniffed. "I doubt that it would keep me restrained for long."
"Don't even think about putting it to the test," Aramis warned him as he set a second chair by the bed, the Captain having already seated himself on the first.
"So, what is it that you are so eager to tell me?" Tréville asked quietly, leaning back and casually folding his arms across his chest.
Athos glanced warily towards the door of the side room that housed Gallegos. "He must not hear what I have to say," he said, almost in a whisper.
"Oh don't worry about him, he won't hear anything," and Aramis waved a hand dismissively.
"But supposing he does?" Athos objected.
With an overly dramatic sigh, Aramis stood and walked across to the room. First, he looked around the door at the occupant and then closed it before resuming his seat.
"Like I said, he won't hear anything."
Tréville, suspicions aroused by Aramis' light-heartedness, frowned.
"So he's asleep?" Athos pressed.
"Definitely," Aramis reassured him. "He'll sleep for hours yet, probably all night – with any luck."
"What have you done?" demanded the Captain.
Aramis adopted an air of feigned innocence. "I warned people that I would not be held responsible for my actions. He was demanding and driving me to distraction, so I decided to temporarily put a halt to his complaints. Anyway, the sleep will do him good, and it'll make the time pass much more swiftly for him until he goes back to the palace."
Tréville groaned and rubbed his face tiredly "You drugged him! You have had the temerity to sedate the Ambassador's interpreter. If he has any notion of what you have done when he eventually wakes up …"
"I will advise him that I thought it necessary for his welfare," Aramis interrupted. "The shock of the explosion and his general state of agitation in its aftermath gave me sufficient cause for concern." He shrugged. "He would probably thank me for it."
Tréville shook his head in utter disbelief at the younger man's audacity, even while he harboured a grudging respect, for he had heard the Spaniard's grumbles for himself and knew that he would have been just as intolerant as Aramis over a protracted period.
"You can speak with absolute freedom now," Aramis urged his brother.
"The memories came back suddenly," Athos began, "and I had to think carefully to order events in my head as everything happened so quickly." He looked directly at Tréville and the Captain noted with relief that the green eyes were clear and unwavering. "First, tell me what brought the column to a halt."
"The bomber, Espinar, had positioned two of his men in an inn just ahead of us. Pretending to be drunk, they began to fight in the middle of the street but when we stopped, they ran off."
Athos nodded. "I heard you shouting and all I could think of was how we were about to be victims of something similar with Loret. I had been uneasy since we left the palace and it all started with Gallegos. Why was he not travelling in the carriage with the Ambassador?"
"You asked Brondate about it," Aramis confirmed.
"Yes, and he had no idea as to why there had been a change in the arrangements. When not at sea, Gallegos had travelled all the way with the Ambassador in his carriage and not on horseback. Why should there be this change now?"
"I have a feeling you have some idea about that," Tréville commented. "According to the plans we put together, he should have been in the carriage with the Ambassador and Ferdinand. At the front of the column, I was unaware of the alteration."
"He looked so uncomfortable that at first I thought he was a reluctant rider and lacking in confidence, or merely unhappy about being relegated to ride, but I soon saw that he had a good seat. There is only one explanation. He could not be in the carriage if he were to stand any chance of surviving the attack. There would not be time for both the Ambassador and him to make good their escape."
He paused as Tréville absorbed what he was saying.
The officer nodded. "It makes sense to me. Go on."
"When we were forced to stop, I was looking all around me, including behind, and I saw Gallegos. He was staring beyond me, but it was the expression on his face that alerted me; he was scared. Looking in the same direction as him, I saw the scarred man pushing his way forward. He was the man that I sae meeting Gallegos, of that I had no doubts whatsoever. I glanced back at Gallegos and he was turning his horse; he was trying to get away before the explosion."
Aramis gave a low whistle, "And there was me thinking that he was on a jittery horse and couldn't keep control. He completely disrupted the column where Brondate and his men were." He looked across the room to where the injured Spaniard lay sleeping. "I had been riding beside Brondate and it was that chaos that drove me back so that several men and the Captain ended up between the blast and me."
They fell silent as the ramifications of Gallegos' behaviour dawned on each of them. That mayhem had potentially saved Aramis' life. The men who were forced to the area immediately behind the carriage as they attempted to get out of the way of Gallegos and his whirling horse had been the ones to die and explained why most of Brondate's hurts were down the right-hand side of his body as he and his mount had been caught sideways on.
"So you and Brondate can testify in support of Athos' observations regarding Gallegos at that point," Tréville commented, his face lighting up with the prospect of collating more information that would incriminate the interpreter and Ambassador. "He was party to all the details of the attack and instructed Espinar as to what was to happen and when. He knew the exact moment he had to move to save his own skin and had to hope that in the subsequent confusion, no-one would notice what he had done."
"Or that no-one survived who could tell the tale," Aramis added darkly.
"There's more," Athos said, drawing their attention back to him. He took a deep breath. "I saw the bomb thrown and roll under the carriage. I remember shouting a warning and, at the same time, I pulled open the door to grab at Ferdinand. You had instructed me to guard him."
Tréville nodded, fully aware of the order he had issued.
"Something struck me as odd, but I was so intent upon getting Ferdinand clear, that it did not register. Until now. The carriage was otherwise empty, the door the other side was open and de Calatrava was running away down an alley. He could not have got that far on hearing me shout. He knew what was about to happen and had got out. I hate to say 'I told you so' but I was right; the intended victim was Ferdinand. The intention all along was to create an international incident of such magnitude that there would be no signing of the treaty."
Exhausted by his efforts, Athos closed his eyes and sank back against the pillow, head turned aside to alleviate the pressure on the wound.
The other two men sat lost in their own thoughts. Perhaps the soldier was contemplating his near miss – he had had neither time nor inclination to consider it before as he tended the injured and willed his brother to regain consciousness – whilst the officer thought about the importance of the information he now carried, information that would bring down a powerful man who wielded influence over a king.
"We've got him," Tréville said softly. "Put it all together and we've got him."
"How will it be done?" Aramis asked. "There must be no opportunity for him to avoid sanctions."
Athos' eyes flickered open to show that he was still awake and listening.
"Richelieu already thought that we had enough information to level an accusation, probably in two days' time. Once he hears what Athos has said, I think he will definitely do it as soon as possible but I doubt it will be tomorrow. We will need you and Brondate to be recovered sufficiently to give your evidence. I will acquaint Richelieu with this additional information first thing in the morning and then we will see the King together to bring him up to date on proceedings. That reminds me; I have to write up Espinar's confession for Ferdinand to come and witness it tomorrow. I shall bring him back with me from the palace."
Tréville suddenly looked worried. "Do you think you will be on your feet in a couple of days, Athos?"
"Yes," Athos replied.
"No," Aramis said simultaneously.
"I will be fine," Athos went on.
"I will not be held responsible for you falling flat on your face in front of Louis," Aramis muttered under his breath but not so quietly that his words went unheard.
Athos frowned at him and repeated, "I will be fine. A good sleep and I shall be feeling much better tomorrow, let alone the day after. You can give me something to alleviate any residual aches and pains and redress the wound with something less obvious than the thing I am wearing right now."
"You will remain resting in the infirmary until we go to the palace," Tréville ordered, adding as he saw Athos begin to protest, "and there is no room for negotiation. I will mount a guard outside the infirmary for you and Brondate for your witness accounts will be a necessity. It is far more convenient to have the pair of you together for that protection. With guards for Espinar as well, I can do without assigning more men to you if you decided to go back to your quarters. Don't even think of claiming that you can look after yourself; I saw you attempting to stay on your feet, remember. Aramis is needed here and Porthos will alternate sleep with guarding Espinar so neither is available to watch over you … unless you stay here."
Any objection that Athos might still be harbouring died on his lips.
"Besides," the Captain went on grimly, his voice catching, "I have men down at the end of this day, yourself included. Apart from the normal duties, many of the men are mounting an all-night vigil for the fallen. We will lay them to rest at dawn."
Athos bowed his head. "I will not think of moving, However, if it is possible, I would like to attend the interment tomorrow, to pay my respects."
Aramis laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We will see how you are come the morning."
There was a natural lull in the conversation as each man remembered their comrades who had risen that day, just as they had, broken their fast together, checked uniform and equipment and ridden out as part of an escort detail on royal duty. Never did they think that they would not see another sunset as they processed through a Paris street.
"We have to keep Espinar safe," Athos suddenly insisted, the fear and guilt over what had happened to Loret never far away.
"I have increased the guard on him," Tréville said reassuringly. "But right now, only Porthos, we three here and Richelieu know of his existence within these walls. Even those guarding him do not appreciate the significance of this particular prisoner."
"And we will only transfer him to the Louvre for questioning at the very last minute?" Athos was hopeful.
Tréville nodded, "And which is why we will have a signed statement from him in advance. Nothing is going to befall this particular prisoner."
"What do you think will happen to him afterwards though?" Aramis wanted to know.
"Hard to say," was the Captain's response. "He has perpetrated heinous crimes on French soil against the Spanish," and at Athos's quizzical expression, he quickly summarised the prisoner's confession. "Perhaps we can persuade Phillip to let us punish him, in which case his assistance could be taken into consideration but, unfortunately , too many have died by his hand or under his leadership. Any leniency saving him from execution could only come from Louis, but then, would Espinar really want to pass his remaining years in a French prison? And that is if he is even capable of serving his sentence, for I fear his sanity hangs by a thread so he could be consigned to an asylum. Whatever happens, his future is very bleak."
"And de Calatrava? What might happen to him?" Aramis pressed.
"As much as we would love to administer justice for what he has done, it must be left to the Spanish King and his advisers. All we can do is send him back home in disgrace with a carefully detailed report of his guilt and our evidence," Tréville explained.
Athos was thoughtful. "Brondate has lost men. There needs to be a big enough escort to ensure the Ambassador gets there safely to face what he deserves."
"The Cardinal and I will discuss arrangements, have no fear," the Captain assured him. "Ferdinand deserves full protection and whilst I do not underestimate Brondate's abilities, you have rightly said that he has lost men and others are injured. We don't know how long it will take them to recover sufficiently to even commence that lengthy journey. It is only fitting that we augment their numbers under Brondate's command; he will need to have the authority if armed French soldiers are to cross Spanish land but that is something we can worry about another day."
Tréville rose to his feet. "Right now, I have that confession to write up and you …" He looked pointedly at Athos. "You need to rest and recuperate."
He started towards the door and paused.
"And, Aramis?"
"Captain."
"Do me a favour and keep an eye on Gallegos overnight. I do not doubt your ability in giving out appropriate doses of whatever medication you should decide to use on anyone, but I really would appreciate it if he is awake and up early so that he can return to the palace when I leave in the morning. As I am keen to see him get his just desserts, I would hate anything untoward to happen to him before then, even by accident."
The warning comment – half said in jest - hung in the air between them as the infirmary door closed behind the departing Captain.