Duplicity

Chapter Four

It was time for the evening meal before Athos had a chance to speak to Claude. The demonstration had lasted most of the day, although the King had left for his noon meal and hadn't returned. LeGrange had remained, pulling aside several of the older Musketeers and even some of the newer recruits. The captain hadn't returned to the garrison, though, and clearly had no intention of living there. Athos wasn't surprised. He couldn't see the man foregoing his comforts.

"May I join you?"

Claude looked up from his contemplation of a bowl of stew. It was untouched and rapidly cooling. He nodded without enthusiasm.

Athos laid down his own bowl and a plate of bread. "How do you fare?"

"I survived the day." Claude had been past his prime when Athos joined the regiment six years earlier. Now he looked old and careworn.

"I saw LeGrange speaking to you earlier." He waited patiently to see if he would get a response.

Finally Claude heaved a heavy sigh and, for the first time, met his concerned gaze. "He did. Told me my performance didn't meet expectations." The tone was bitter, and it was clear he was repeating exactly what LeGrange had said to him.

"I doubt many did. He doesn't seem to understand that most battles, most fights, are over quickly. To expect sustained effort for hours at a time is unrealistic."

"You don't have to be kind."

Athos heard the defensive anger in Claude's voice. "I'm not. You've known me a long time. Flattering people or tempering my views has never been one of my strengths."

That provoked a brief smile. "You're right there. You tell the truth but without any malice." Some of the tension seemed to leave his body. Claude picked up a chunk of bread and dipped it in his stew, eating without enthusiasm. "Suppose I should make the most of decent cooking while I can."

Being hungry after the exertions of the day Athos ate a few mouthfuls, giving silent thanks for Serge's genius in the kitchen. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"He gave me an ultimatum, but I know that nothing I do will change his mind. In his eyes I'm too old to be a soldier and a liability to those around me."

"He would dismiss you?" Athos was horrified even though it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"He said I wasn't worthy of my commission. I've only ever been a soldier. I've no family to take me in. What am I supposed to do?"

The answer would have been easy if Treville had still been in charge. He would have been given a post as an instructor, ill paying, but with the advantage of retaining his bed and board. Somehow Athos couldn't see LeGrange offering the same opportunity. "Your skills are something every young man of noble birth needs to learn. Perhaps you could find work as a tutor."

"I wouldn't fit in any noble household and you know it. They only ever want former officers who know how to behave."

This was the sad truth. Athos had been trained by a former cavalry officer. He couldn't imagine his father employing a soldier from the ranks. "Let me think about it. How much time did he give you?"

"No more than a month."

If Athos had his way LeGrange wouldn't be in charge of the regiment in a month. "Don't give up hope."

"No offense, Athos, but I'd like to be on my own."

"Of course." Athos gathered up his meal and made his way over to the table occupied by his friends. Although each looked curious none of them pressed for information. He sat down and ate in silence for a while. When he finished he pushed the bowl away. "I need a drink."

"Do you want company?" Aramis asked.

Athos considered that. "Yes."

They had barely settled into their seats in the tavern before they were joined by Treville. After downing a goblet of wine he settled back and looked around the table. "I was hoping you would be here. I have made some enquiries about LeGrange and the results are…disturbing. He has been away from Paris for several years but I finally found someone who served with him during the siege of Saint-Martin-de-Rey."

"I've never heard of it," d'Artagnan said.

Athos thought for a moment. "It was in '27 I believe. The English attempted to take the town and citadel. They wanted to control the approaches to La Rochelle. It was in the midst of the ongoing battle between the King's forces and the Huguenots. I don't know much more than that. What was LeGrange's involvement?"

"He was an aide to the Governor, the Marquis de Toires. While the English were landing their troops the Marquis led a rearguard action but the number of English soldiers was overwhelming. He was on the point of ordering a withdrawal into the Citadel when LeGrange, without military experience and without authority, despatched a small force to try and capture the English cannons. It was a suicide mission, and any competent commander would have known that. The English were ready, their cannons were primed, and the entire troop was blown to pieces." Although Treville tried to tell the story dispassionately it wasn't hard to see his anger and sorrow at the waste of lives. "The subsequent siege dragged on for several months before the English withdrew. LeGrange, who had continued to provide bad advice throughout, was persuaded to resign."

"I was stationed there a few years earlier," Aramis said. "It was just before the Musketeer regiment was formed. We had a little disagreement with the English then too. The Citadel was strongly fortified and virtually impregnable to an infantry assault. Cannons would have changed that, though."

"Are you defending him?" Athos asked.

"I doubt we have all the facts but, no, I would never defend a man who would waste lives on a lost cause."

"Does the King know of this?" Athos asked.

"I would be surprised if he knows the details. Richelieu might have been informed but I rarely heard him impart operational details to Louis. The King was furious about the whole thing of course. He sent numerous undiplomatic missives to the English King, who is, after all, his brother-in-law."

"So we have a Captain who's willin' to throw away his men's lives?"

"I'm afraid that's true, Porthos. He has been a close friend of Rochefort's for many years so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. He must have returned to Paris when he heard of Rochefort's escape from the Spanish. No doubt Rochefort saw it as an opportunity to damage the Musketeers. The King may be capricious, but I can't see him appointing LeGrange if he knew of the man's history." Treville downed his second glass of wine.

"We are now forewarned," Athos said. "However, I can see no way to make use of this information. There is no-one other than Rochefort who has the ear of the King."

"I'm sorry I can't provide more assistance," Treville said. "It was foolish of me to reject the King's offer of a Council seat."

"What's done is done," Aramis said. "We are at least fortunate that this is peacetime so there is little chance of him commanding during battle."

"We might be at peace now but with hatred of the Spanish increasing every day I fear it won't be long before we are again embroiled in a war. We cannot allow him to remain in charge." Athos was frustrated by his inability to think of any means of removing the captain.

There was a gloomy silence as each contemplated this unwelcome news.

"How did things go today?" Treville finally asked.

"He made a concerted effort to persuade the King that we were undeserving of our commissions," Aramis responded. "It backfired when the King spoke in our defence. He will undoubtedly hold us responsible for his humiliation."

"Worse than that is his clear intent to remove the older men, and the younger cadets," Athos added.

"He'll leave us under strength, and no-one'll want to join with that bastard in charge," Porthos said aggressively.

"It was distasteful to watch him undermining the confidence of seasoned soldiers. And we have some very promising cadets who were clearly disheartened by his unjustified criticism." D'Artagnan could sympathise with them. It wasn't so long ago that he had been eager to prove that he was fit to be a Musketeer. He would have been devastated if he had been denied that chance.

"There must be something we can do," Athos said.

"He and Rochefort are formidable opponents," Treville warned.

"We have beaten the odds before and will do so again. We just have to find a way." Athos thought for a moment. "Perhaps we could appeal to the Queen."

Tbc