Chapter 5 - Amongst Majesties

While the captain of the Musketeers decided to be the only one rational left and to wait in the eye of the storm, Jussac approached the cardinal.

»Madame Chesnay, or Mademoiselle de Batz-Castelmore, is in the antechamber, Monseigneur.«

»On time, as ordered,« Richelieu noted and put down a quill. As always, he had been working even at a late hour, controlling the fate of France. The ball was a great inconvenience to him, an interruption of his duties. Nevertheless, it had not escaped his notice that the lieutenant of his Guard did not seem to think very highly of their female companionship.

»What reason has the Mademoiselle given you for this distrust?«

Jussac seemed to have been waiting for the opportunity to list his concerns and therefore replied without hesitation. »She is an actress, she seems to be close to your adversaries, she has caused you to have a man arrested and I have no idea who she really is. Sometimes she is called this, then that. My suspicion is justified because she is many things, but certainly not a naïve provincial maiden.«

»Very frank words.« The cardinal was pleased that the lieutenant was not being deceived and fulfilled his responsibility as personal guard. »I agree with you, the young dame is not to be underestimated. Stay close to me, keep an eye on her - and if you notice anything unusual in the ballroom, a suspicious person or a conspiratorial meeting...«

»...then I will arrest her!«

»No.« Richelieu put the document he has been working on last under a paperweight to let it dry. »Then you will hand her your pistol.«

»-pardon?«

The cardinal strode to the door, unimpressed by his lieutenant's stunned expression. »Quite so, Lieutenant. I would feel safer if the mademoiselle could shoot at any assassin who might target me. She has already foiled an attempt on my life once today and uncovered a conspiracy.«

»I don't know anything about that!«

»Exactly.«

Richelieu left the room, while his lieutenant was flabbergasted. A thousand questions burned on Jussac's tongue and, in addition, the feeling that he had been unjustly criticised.

Rochefort! So that's why the master spy was here, in the company of this woman. Was she also an agent? For a lifesaver, her welcome by His Eminence was now remarkably subdued. Richelieu merely noted her presence and she stepped away from the window to obediently take her place in the entourage next to Jussac, who followed two steps behind the Prime Minister.

Jussac eyed her from the side. No, she did not look familiar to him. If she was indeed an agent, she was appearing in the light for the first time. She looked exhausted, but proudly raised her head. She made an effort to appear inscrutable and yet it was easy to read how uncomfortable she felt and how she would have preferred to be in a thousand other places. Jussac wondered why. What did she have to hide? Assassins and conspirators? Was this d'Orfeuille, whom he had led away and silenced with a well-aimed punch in his stomach at Rochefort's behest, one of them?

The questions would not be answered now and Jussac was distracted from his musings when, halfway to the ballroom, they were abruptly joined by an additional guard of honour.

At first it was only Athos, who stepped around a corner and, as if by chance, followed the cardinal and his escort at a few paces' distance. Mademoiselle de Batz-Castelmore cast a grateful glance over her shoulder and a small smile stole onto her lips when shortly afterwards Porthos also detached himself from a group of comrades. He joined Athos and her smile grew into a hidden grin when Aramis freed himself of three pretty women with whom he had just been engaged in a charming conversation to support a friend instead.

Jussac was convinced that His Eminence had not missed the additional escort. Brazen Musketeers, but Richelieu kept silent and let them have their way.

Mademoiselle de Batz-Castelmore seemed amused, her steps became more light-footed, almost high-spirited. Tréville had probably not sent his best men to observe the young woman but to protect her. Jussac has not been given an easy task to keep an eye on her. At least he was not alone in this, even if he could hardly take these accursed musketeers for his allies.

D'Artagnan, for her part, was more than grateful not to have to make the walk to the ballroom alone. She would have liked to fall into her friends' arms and not care at all what society thought about it. But there was no time for fraternising now.

The double doors to the ballroom opened and they were immediately greeted by a hundred voices, accompanied by the gentle sounds of baroque music. The overture was played and soon the courtly dance would begin. Most of the guests had arrived, each loudly and clearly named by the crier as they entered. For the Prime Minister, an additional announcement would hardly have been necessary and d'Artagnan put on a particularly stoic expression because most of the glances were rather directed at her, the unknown noblewoman without a title.

Fortunately for her, the society was soon distracted, for while Richelieu was still making his way deeper into the hall with his entourage, Her Majesty the Queen appeared at another entrance.

Anne of Austria outshone all the other ladies of the court in her sumptuous and precious garments, and d'Artagnan noted with some irony that she had no diamond studs attached to her dress. The precious jewels had given way to other glitter and probably no one particularly noticed, except those who had been paying close attention to Anna's attire two years ago. Louis XIII strode towards her, dazzled by the gracious appearance of his Queen, and received her.

With that, the ball officially began and, according to strict protocol, its course of events went on. Now it was a matter of being seen and avoiding as many little traps and malice as possible, laying some out oneself and at the end looking back on the night triumphantly or shattered.

D'Artagnan was glad that she had only ever appeared as a guard at these courtly festivities and that she was at least familiar with the most important rules of the game just by observing. Otherwise she would have stumbled from one blunder into the next and would have been ashamed of herself. Somewhere among the guests was probably her father and he felt just as out of place as she did.

The cardinal took his rightful place at Louis' side. The icy chill between Anna of Austria and him escaped the King, as it so often did. But maybe Louis was also distracted by the young woman whose presence he had requested at the ball and whom he now eyed all the more benevolently.

D'Artagnan did not want to imagine what her friends might think about the King's obvious curiosity about her. Jussac remained close to his master in accordance with his announcement that he would keep an eye on her. Richelieu himself seemed to have lost all interest in her, and the Queen was not the only one to realise that this mademoiselle was only in the cardinal's presence to be introduced to His Majesty.

D'Artagnan curtsied and had already died a thousand deaths before she stood upright again. She was not only pierced by the indiscreet glances of the courtiers at her back, but also struck down by the royal contempt with which Anna of Austria punished her and which her ladies-in-waiting immediately imitated.

None of this bothered the King, who ordered her to stand up. Then he told his Queen of the incident in the audience hall, still quite agitated.

D'Artagnan kept her gaze fixed on her hands and remained silent. Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed that Athos, Porthos and Aramis were stepping closer, dutiful, as personal guards to stay with Louis. In fact, however, they were backing up a friend, who obediently answered whenever the monarch turned to her during his narration.

He did not want to hear more than a confirmation of d'Orfeuille being smacked and arrested, and the Queen snapped her fan shut, completely unimpressed. Her voice was as cold and sharp as an icicle as she said, »We presume, Sire, that a new engagement can quickly be arranged for the Mademoiselle. It will be easy to find a candidate among Tréville's men, they hardly leave her side.«

Louis seemed to notice the presence of his musketeers only now. »Ah, indeed? Tell me, gentlemen, do you know Mademoiselle de Batz-Castelmore?«

There was no jealous undertone in that, as d'Artagnan was much relieved to hear. Only a childlike curiosity, which came solely from the fact that the King was often bored and felt a real pleasure in this diversion.

Athos stepped forward without hesitation and spoke up for himself and his friends. »Yes, Your Majesty. She is known to us as Madame de Tréville's companion.«

D'Artagnan admired once again how quickly Athos could think and react cleverly. He never lied, and even now he had only omitted a certain part of the truth. Nevertheless, she feared that a persistent bug had just been put in Louis' ear and that he thought his Queen's proposal was grandiose.

He eyed the musketeers thoughtfully. »Well, well, a companion in the Hôtel of de Tréville. Of course, it was bound to happen... And which of you Messieurs wants to marry her now?«

D'Artagnan controlled herself, she would have to leave the protest to her friends. She was, after all, only a brood mare who had just been sold off. Once again. One wrong word and she found herself engaged to Jussac, just because he happened to be standing nearby and there was no volunteer among the musketeers.

Aramis and Porthos exchanged glances, before Athos continued with deliberation, »Any of us, Sire, would enter with her into the bond of matrimony.«

»Yes, now, who shall it be?« replied Louis, already quite impatient, and seeming to be really serious about marrying d'Artagnan off.

She fervently hoped that Athos would not do anything stupid now and offer himself out of a sense of honour. Or that Porthos would beat him to it, despite his Madame Coquenard's money chest. Or that Aramis threw all his plans to become a priest overboard once again.

Nothing of that sort happened. Instead, Athos showed his diplomatic side by pushing the responsibility away. »This is for her family alone to decide. For her brother, Lieutenant d'Artagnan, whom we all hold in too high esteem as a friend and superior to determine any of us without his opinion.«

D'Artagnan noticed Jussac's surprised expression when he heard this. He scrutinised her once more and perhaps noticed a certain resemblance to her pretended brother. At the very least, though, he couldn't help thinking that trouble seemed to run in the family. It was probably also enough explanation to him why a conspicuous number of musketeers gathered around her. The best friends of d'Artagnan, who had remained in Paris. Someone should look after his sister in his place. Athos, Porthos and Aramis were happy to do their friend this favour.

His Majesty was no less astonished at the connections. »The sister of our best lieutenant? Oh, always these Gascon name confusions and tangles! We understand. Now then Mademoiselle, enjoy the ball with the honourable friends of your brother.«

With that, they were dismissed and d'Artagnan immediately removed herself from the sphere of influence of Their Majesties, before any new nonsense entered the King's mind...