Greetings, all. Thank you for reading and leaving comments on the last chapter.

So, Tanquerel has at last been 'unmasked'. In this chapter, he starts to sing like the proverbial canary! But will it be of any use to the Inseparables? I have done some proof reading and editing but apologise if any errors have crept through.

CHAPTER 26

I

Tanquerel was the picture of abject misery as he sagged against the wall by which he was sitting. There was no longer any sign of the confidence or even the arrogance he had displayed in the few days they had known him. For a while, he did not speak so that the Musketeers began to wonder if he were refusing to utter anything else but, from his pained expression, it was more likely that he was weighing up his options and deciding what – and how much – to tell the Musketeers.

"The cousin is Guiscard de Ricart. He lives about thirty leagues from the estate, far enough that he can maintain his independence and close enough to …. not to be forgotten." He sighed. "Philippe is widowed and childless, so Guiscard is his sole heir."

"I'm guessin' he wants 'is inheritance sooner rather than later," Porthos said when Tanquerel paused. The observation was sufficient to prompt the man again.

"He certainly leads a hedonistic lifestyle but without the income to sustain it."

"So he needs money; the same old story," Aramis summarised.

Tanquerel nodded. "Evidently, during an illness last year, which Philippe did not expect to survive, he thought it prudent to explain to Guiscard some matters regarding the estate."

Athos frowned. "And he told him of the supposed Templar treasure?"

"Amongst other things. He admitted to me that he had mentioned a document in his possession which set out the responsibilities of a custodian of the treasure but that it was useless without the reliquary as well. He assumed that it was merely a part of the family history, an oddity that he was oblige to pass on to his successor, so he explained to his cousin that there was no hidden treasure on the estate; it was simply an entertaining and amusing tale from his forbears."

"But Guiscard believed him," said Aramis, "and began to think that if he found it, he would be more than financially secure."

Tanquerel nodded and continued. "It subsequently came as a huge surprise when news of the reliquary's discovery and the King's interest in it reached Philippe."

"But why would Philippe be so eager to part with it?" Aramis asked, seeking a possible motive as he glanced at Athos beside him who sat thoughtfully mulling over what he was hearing.

"Per'aps the idea of treasure meant somethin' different to the Templars than what we think today," Porthos offered.

Aramis shook his head. "No, they were known to have accumulated great wealth and it just disappeared. Searches for it have gone on ever since but it is firmly believed that they were successful in secreting it before the Order was destroyed.

"Maybe 'e just didn't hold with the stories," Porthos tried again.

"Or maybe he knew for certain that there was no treasure on the estate," Athos poke up. "As he was the custodian, he must have been curious and begun his own search." He looked at Tanquerel. "Do you know if Philippe gave us all the pertinent documentation to hand over to the King?"

The emissary shrugged, "There was no reason to suppose otherwise, although it could be possible, I suppose, that something was retained."

There was a further lull in the conversation as each man was lost in his own thoughts.

"When was Philippe ill last year?" Athos suddenly asked. His brothers eyed him curiously, wondering where his ideas might be leading him now.

"I don't know exactly but from what Philippe said, I inferred it was the early part – February or March."

"So Guiscard has had over a year to start probing and making his own inquiries," Athos noted.

"I suppose so, but I don't know where he would expect it to get him," Tanquerel said.

Athos' expression gave nothing away. "Well, it somehow led him to you." He studied the emissary. "Or did you approach him? After all, you must have known the story of the treasure. It had been passed down through the generations of your family since the Tanquerel, who removed the box and documents from de Ricart's tomb before it was desecrated on Cromwell's orders."

A flush crept up Tanquerel's neck and heightened his cheek colour. Was it with shame? Anger? Humiliation or something else?

Porthos shifted his position on the bench which drew him closer to the man so that he was deliberately leaning against him. "Be honest now," he growled[][[.

Tanquerel squirmed under the weight of the big Musketeer.

"I swear I was tasked by Cardinal Richelieu and His Majesty to begin negotiations with Philippe after they had received word from England that the reliquary had been found. I was intrigued, knowing what I did about it from my ancestor's involvement so I went to Philippe, thinking it would be easier to discuss things in person. It was quickly obvious from what he said that he did not believe in the existence of the treasure and that selling the reliquary to the King was the best answer."

"What about his ancestor's bones?" Aramis asked, recalling what had been said at Dover.

"He was not interested in them, saying that there was no proof that they belonged to the Saint and therefore his family." He must have realised the reason for Aramis' question. "I only said that they were going to be interred in the family vault as it sounded less callous than handing over the lot to the King without a second thought to the man's remains."

"Don't tell me you've got a heart after all?" Porthos muttered.

Tanquerel ignored him and resumed his tale. "But Guiscard arrived whilst I was there - "

"So you met him early on," Athos interrupted. "It had nothing to do with Philippe mentioning an angry cousin in a letter. Another lie."

"I am sorry!" Tanquerel was immediately defensive. "I didn't divulge the reason for my visit, but he must have been suspicious at my presence and pushed Philippe for answers after I left. Anyway, I was staying in Falaise before returning to Paris and Guiscard found me and demanded to see me. He has a formidable temper and is not a man easily refused. It was clear that he wanted the reliquary for himself and so I … I …" His voice trailed off.

"You decided to see if you could benefit from it as well an' told 'im about your family' involvement an' what you knew," Porthos summarised.

"You stoked the fire of his obsession," Athos said pointedly.

"We began to make arrangements that same night. He knew Chesman and put me in contact with him." He sighed. "The rest you know."

"Apart from the identity of our third follower," Athos reminded him. "Is it Guiscard himself?"

Tanquerel took a deep shuddering breath and nodded.

"And he is responsible for the attack on us when we had collected the documents from Philippe?" Aramis demanded, thinking of d'Artagnan left behind in Paris with his injuries.

"Yes, but I had no knowledge that he was going to attempt anything then or why he decided to do it. Perhaps it was a show of strength or intent."

"Thank goodness they were so bad at fulfilling their instructions," Aramis said pointedly.

"So if Guiscard could afford to lose five men in that attack, how many more has he got at his disposal?" Athos wanted to know. "He might be doing some of the following himself, but would he risk engaging with us on his own or," and here he gestured towards Tanquerel, "in the anticipation of some help from you?"

"He would be expecting Chesman to join him by now. He might have risked going to the dock to make his own enquiries, but I doubt it; he's capable of drawing the correct conclusion that the man is dead. He will definitely be following us again for he wants that reliquary." The emissary turned his watery blue eyes on Athos. "Will you speak on my behalf when we return to Paris? Say that I was co-operative at the last?"

Athos thought carefully before answering. "I do not know what will happen to you when we arrive, and I can make no promises. You have made things difficult for us every step of the way and only now deign to co-operate when your plot has been uncovered but I will explain what you have told us this morning."

With that, Tanquerel would have to be satisfied. "Then I feel it only right to tell you one more thing."

It did not take long for him to have the full attention of the three Musketeers.

"Guiscard will make his move once we have left Calais and well before we reach Paris. He will definitely not be alone, but I have absolutely no idea of how many men he will have riding with him. Of one thing I am certain though. He has no intention of leaving any of you alive."

II

They left Calais in silence, the Musketeers contemplating Tanquerel's admission that they would be facing a serious attack at some point on their journey. Athos and Aramis rode in front with Porthos and the emissary behind them.

Four sets of eyes scanned the road ahead, the lie of the land on each side of the road along which they travelled and back the way they had come.

"No-one following us," Tanquerel sounded hopeful but there was an unspoken yet that hung at the end of his words.

"I don't think 'e'd 'ave too many comin' up behind us," Porthos said gruffly.

Tanquerel looked confused. "Really? Why not?"

Athos twisted in his saddle to respond. "Guiscard knows we are heading back to Paris and can easily identify us now so he will have got ahead of us and be planning an ambush, but you probably knew that anyway. It would help us considerably if you gave us some idea where and when the attack will occur.

The emissary looked a little chagrined at the accusation. "I was not party to his final plans, only that he would take the reliquary."

"That's convenient," Porthos muttered.

"Can't we take another route? You were keen to do that on the way here?" Tanquerel raised his voice so the two men in front could hear.

"I looked at the map last night but there is no alternative for some time, a day or more at least," Athos explained.

"A couple of …! Can't we go any faster? Do we have to maintain this walk? Aren't you eager to get back to the King as quickly as possible so that you can hand over the reliquary?" The questions tumbled from Tanquerel as they occurred to him.

"We pushed the horses very hard on the way to Calais and they had barely two days' rest; not enough to recover completely for a sustained ride on the way back in the shortest time possible. We may be forced to ride fast to escape the attack and I want to be able to rely on our mounts."

"It will be no good if they drop beneath us," Aramis added, just in case the significance of Athos' explanation had not been understood by the emissary.

The lieutenant dropped his voice so that only Aramis could hear what he had to say.

"We will stay alert but the way I remember details from our ride west and from studying Tréville's map, I think Guiscard's best opportunity for an ambush will be on a particular stretch of road tomorrow morning. He will want to take us before there are alternative routes we can use to disappear. At the moment, he knows where we are and where we are heading; all he needs to do is get his men into position and wait."

Aramis considered what he was hearing. "And do you have a plan?"

Athos gave him a sidelong glance. "At the moment?" There was the enigmatic smile. "Not in the slightest."

"Not to worry, brother," Aramis chuckled. "I have every faith in you that you'll think of something!"