Thank you for reading and responding to the last chapter.

We are fast approaching the end of this adventure but we are not quite there yet.

CHAPTER 55

I

"Hold still, you little worm!" Porthos roared angrily as Gallegos persisted in his struggle to escape the grip of the big Musketeer who had a tight hold of him. "'Ere, you take 'im!" Porthos ordered, shoving the little man backwards towards two of his colleagues.

Offended by the moniker and surprised by the force of the push, Gallegos lost his footing and fell back, arms flailing as he landed unceremoniously in a heap on the hard floor.

Free from the nuisance, Porthos dropped to his knees beside Espinar and held the hand that reached for him. When someone else did the same on the other side of the fallen man, Porthos looked up and saw that it was Brondate, his face not unkind as he spoke soft, calming words in Spanish.

Espinar's eyes filled with tears as he gasped out some broken words for his one-time friend. Brondate smiled down at him, squeezed his hand tightly and said something else.

"Can you do something?" Porthos asked as Aramis crouched beside him.

"No, it's too late for that," Aramis answered quietly.

Espinar was dead but an expression of peace replaced the previous agony as his sightless eyes stared upwards to the vaulted ceiling with its detailed paintings depicting God in heaven surrounded by angels. Perhaps his last impression had given him some comfort, that and whatever it was Brondate had said to him in his final moments. Aramis leaned forward, gently closed the eyes and bowed his heads, his lips moving in prayer for the departed soul. It was an action Porthos had witnessed Aramis undertake so many times, for friend and foe alike when the situation allowed.

Brondate sat back on his heels and swiped at the tears coursing down his cheeks as he spoke briefly to Aramis. Standing, he wandered off to stand by himself against a wall, back to the room and head bowed.

"What was that?" Porthos asked, keeping his voice low.

"He forgave him. Despite everything he had done, Brondate had a big enough heart to forgive him and allow him some peace in his final moments. Then he said to me that had happened to Espinar was unfair and drove him to his recent acts but that finally he could rest. At least he was trying to make amends at the end," Aramis answered.

Tréville was in control as he continued to issue orders. Just before the King left for his apartments, accompanied by Musketeers, Richelieu declared that the all-important meeting with its allegations would re-convene mid-afternoon. In the meantime, de Calatrava would be confined to his rooms under armed guard by some of Tréville's men led by Porthos.

"Have men positioned outside the doors but I want you and a couple of others to be inside with him and keep him in sight at all times," Tréville instructed.

Porthos frowned. "You worried 'e might do somethin' stupid?"

"Who knows what a desperate man might do?" the Captain said sombrely. "I would describe his current situation as dire."

"I'll watch 'im an' have a look around to remove anythin' I think 'e shouldn't 'ave in his keepin'."

"Good idea. It's only for a few hours and then we'll be back in here." Tréville glanced at the corpse and the blood pooling on the floor at his side. "Better have him removed and prepared for burial, and have the place cleaned."

"What about the little ferret?" Porthos asked, nodding towards Gallegos who had ceased his struggle and sat in a forlorn heap on the floor, sobbing loudly.

Tréville curled a lip in disgust at the Spaniard. "He'll be locked in a room on the ground floor, and I'll ask him a few questions. He looks like he's ready to reveal anything and everything after what he has just done. If he is willing to tell us of de Calatrava's part in all this, it should expedite matters this afternoon."

As Porthos walked off to select the men to accompany him and remove de Calatrava from the room, Athos joined the Captain.

"Is there anything particular that you wish me to do?"

Tréville studied him carefully. "How are you feeling? And give me an honest answer."

Athos' mouth twitched. "My honest answer is 'fine'. The events of this morning may have been brief but they have certainly been …. interesting and a welcome diversion."

The Captain gave a half smile at the description. "Well then, if you're up to it, you can join me in questioning Gallegos."

"Gladly."

"Hmmm," and Tréville's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Richelieu watching him intently. "Let's just hope we can do this without the Cardinal for company."

II

Back in his rooms and without his interpreter, de Calatrava was silenced and isolated and, clearly, not trusted. Incensed by Musketeers following him through the first door and taking up positions around the room, it was exacerbated when he attempted to seek solitude by going through into the room that house his bed.

Before he even reached the door, the big Musketeer who had shadowed him so closely moved with astonishing speed to block his exit. Launching a tirade in Spanish, de Calatrava waved his hands in anger, daring to come close to the soldier's face in a vain attempt to intimidate him.

Porthos was not one to be intimidated easily though. He had no idea what the Spaniard was saying but it did not take a genius to recognise that the Ambassador was enraged. Wondering if the man did need to go into the next room for something, he held out a calming hand and, with the other, he opened the door and gestured to de Calatrava to go through. If he thought he could be alone, de Calatrava was seriously mistaken for as he cleared the doorway, Porthos immediately followed him and stood just inside the room, arms folded.

Sinking onto the bed and sitting there with head bowed, de Calatrava knew that he was not to be left alone and the probable reason why. His career was over, his reputation ruined and his future very bleak. The only glimmer of hope lay in the fact that Louis had declared that he would be returned to Spain to face punishment there. The escort would be heavy but if he were to stand any chance of saving his life, he would have to escape on the return journey and disappear. His mind began to race as he considered the possibilities open to him, Italy being uppermost in his thoughts.

He had contacts within the country, and it would be possible for family to join him in the future and if they were able to leave with the contents of his various properties, there would be financial security for he had amassed a collection of valuable paintings, tapestries and ceramics. He had to believe that the items would not be confiscated and that his family, despite his disgrace, would be left with something on which they might live until the situation was resolved. He had to escape; that was all that was left to him.

III

Tréville and Athos were seated in a vacant room on the ground floor of the palace. It was far more ostentatious than most of the places where they held an interrogation, but they were oblivious to the venue.

Gallegos sat opposite them, his eyes red and swollen with weeping but now, even as he squirmed in his chair, there was something calculated about his expression.

"What of me? What do I get if I tell you what you want to know?" There was his infuriatingly nasal whine again.

Tréville and Athos exchanged amused glances at the man's effrontery. Gallegos, misconstruing their expressions, also smiled expectantly.

"A swift death," Athos answered as if bored.

The smile froze on Gallegos' face.

"You are hardly in a position to bargain," Tréville continued. "Not only have you been instrumental in arranging attacks on French soil that have led to the deaths of many, but they are clearly acts of treason, intent on destroying relations between France and Spain. To make matters worse, you have just committed cold-blooded murder within the confines of a royal palace and in full view of a number of witnesses that include a dozen Musketeers, a Captain of the Spanish guard, two Cardinals and the King himself!" Tréville's volume had risen. "Just what were you hoping to achieve, then and now?"

Gallegos visibly shrank before the two Musketeers as the extent of his crimes, uttered in one voice, loomed large.

"There is no escaping what you have done," Tréville went on more kindly now. "Why don't you follow the example of the man you killed and confess all? It would indicate remorse and will give you peace of mind when needed."

They all knew that what he really meant was 'when you go to your death.'

Gallegos seemed to consider the advice.

"Will I face judgement here or in Spain?" he asked eventually.

"That I do not know," the Captain admitted. "It will be the decision of the First Minister and the King but with your latest act, I suspect that it would be here."

Another tear trickled down Gallegos' cheek. "I would be spared the ignominy of being returned to Spain to face my disgrace and of seeing what it does to my family but," and he paused to take in a shuddering breath, "not to see my loved ones again, to be buried far away from them in foreign soil … that is punishment enough."

He straightened and squared his shoulders, eyes fixed upon the officer.

"What you are really wanting, of course, is further evidence of the Ambassador's part in the murder of Ambassador Mendez, the failed plot to assassinate the Cardinal Infante, the attempt to blame France and his desire to halt the treaty."

"That just about sums it up, yes," Tréville said carefully, half expecting the Spaniard to refuse to say anything more in the next breath.

"There is nothing in writing, you understand. What was initially set down was very quickly destroyed, as was any correspondence that passed between the Ambassador and those of the same opinion so he would claim much of it is my word against his. There were the two that were named in the proceedings but there were others. I will identify them for you so that they may also be investigated."

"Thank you, it will be greatly appreciated," Tréville said gruffly, trying to encourage the man further.

"Were you not in favour of the treaty?" Athos suddenly asked.

Gallegos shrugged resignedly. "It was not for me to hold an opinion on such matters. I am merely expected and paid to follow instructions, not to question them."

"But you must have known that what you were doing was so wrong. Why did you not leave de Calatrava's employment?" Athos pressed.

There was a regretful sigh. "The Ambassador has not always been like this. He has been good to me and I am indebted to him; he helped me when my family was in difficult circumstances. My father did not always make the best financial decisions; you know how it is."

Both Tréville and Athos nodded their understanding.

"At first, it was an admirable position. The Ambassador gave me responsibilities beyond those of a secretary and it has helped that I am fluent in French and Italian." He gave a rueful smile, "And enough of the English to make myself understood. So it was no lie that I was here as an interpreter."

"Just that some of those other responsibilities were more sinister, like hiring assassins," Athos added.

Gallegos nodded. "The Ambassador became disenchanted with decisions the King and his advisers were making and complained to me about what he was hearing. At first, I tried to offer some defence, but he would grow unreasonably angry." He fell silent, lost in his thoughts of another time, another place.

"Did he threaten you?" Tréville asked quietly.

"Yes, sometimes, but more often he would make some veiled comment about a family member so that I feared for their safety if I did not comply. That was just at the very beginning though," he added hastily, as though it excused de Calatrava's bullish behaviour. "Then he would give reasons for his views, justify what he was intending. It was so believable; he was believable …. and so I began to believe, too, that what he was doing, what he wanted, was for the good of Spain. I went along with his demands and our working relationship improved to the way it was before … before he became so disillusioned."

"Would you have our two countries plunged into war? Your friends and family enlisted to fight at the front to be killed or maimed? To bring hardship to your fellow countrymen as they face extortionate taxes to pay for the conflict? For them to suffer starvation? Would you really want that for the people of Spain? For I certainly would not want it for the citizens of France," Tréville said quietly, yet still managing to sound authoritative.

Gallegos shook his head miserably and the Captain pressed home his advantage.

"Then tell us everything; omit nothing so there will be no risk of de Calatrava making a convincing argument in his defence. With your evidence put beside everything else we have, we can stop him once and for all."

Gallegos looked as if he were about to start weeping again but he took a deep breath, recovered his composure and began to talk.