Why thank you!
CeleryBunch… Here's your update. Hope it continues to make you hypervent!
Angoliel… You say the nicest things. Thanks. I appreciate the encouragement on the romance scenes; you've heard my whole pitch about them being hard to write for me. I'm trying! (And no, they're not nearly as steamy as Mari and Glorfindel, but one of these days, maybe I'll surprise you!)
Utsuri… LOL. Read on to find out who noticed. No worries about not reading my Harry Potter fics. You should read what interests you and not because you feel obligated or guilty. That takes all the fun out of it!
Mercury Gray… pouts heavily I'll miss hearing from you. So if you're signing out for a month or two, I expect As in all your classes! Hope to hear from you soon… I'm flattered you're impressed. I know you have high standards, so I know that you don't toss "impressed" around lightly.
Sweet A.K… Welcome! Always fun to have a new reviewer. For this, I'm definitely working with the Jeremy Irons version of Aramis, although the Charlie Sheen one is no slouch either. Glad you're enjoying… Hope to hear from you again soon!
Chapter 5: A Lady's Honor
The next morning, Benedetta, her face pinched and worried, hurried down the hall to see Athos. She'd seen Natalie rushing back to the manor late last night from out in the gardens. She hadn't seen anyone else, but Benedetta had a suspicious feeling that Natalie hadn't been alone.
"Begging your pardon, Monsieur Athos?"
"Yes, Benedetta?"
"I am concerned about Mademoiselle Natalie."
Athos put his pen down slowly and rested his elbows on his desk. For the most part, Natalie had been a well behaved child and only rarely had Benedetta come to him with concerns. Benedetta was a trusted member of his household and he was in her debt for all she had done after his wife passed away. In his absence, she had served as a surrogate parent for both his children. The nurse had been as devastated as he was when Raoul died.
"What's troubling you?"
"I believe Mademoiselle Natalie to be infatuated with a man," the old nurse answered.
Athos was careful not to laugh. "We'll, she will be 18 in a few weeks, Benedetta. At this age, I would be concerned if she was not besotted with someone."
"I believe she is… besotted, as you say… with Monsieur Aramis."
"Aramis? Aramis is like an uncle to her, Benedetta. You must be mistaken." Aramis would not compromise my daughter's honor; he is my friend and he is a Musketeer.
"I don't believe I am mistaken, Monsieur. I saw Mademoiselle Natalie coming in from the garden late last night, when she should have been abed."
"From time to time, Natalie has had trouble sleeping and has gone to watch the stars. She and I used to do that after God took her mother. Did you see anyone with her?"
"No, Monsieur. I only saw the Mademoiselle."
"Well, I will keep what you have told me in mind, Benedetta, but I think it will come to nothing. Aramis is leaving in a few days and I will be taking Natalie to Versailles shortly after that. There will be plenty of young men there to take her mind of a silly crush, if that is even what's going on."
"As you will, Monsieur," said Benedetta and she quietly left the room. She did not, however, think Athos was taking her warning seriously enough. But he was the master of the manor and she would abide by his wishes.
The day passed quickly for Athos. He spent some time with both Aramis and Porthos, as Porthos needed to return to duty that day. As Porthos rode out, Aramis accompanied him for a time, saying only that he wanted to take in some of the countryside in solitude. Their visit to Athos' manor was to take their minds off of the machinations of court and of Paris. Soon enough would they return to the King, so Athos did not begrudge Aramis his solitude, or think it unusual.
At dinner, there were a few moments when he caught his daughter glancing at Aramis and Benedetta's words came back to him. Her suspicions are making me imagine things, thought Athos. He put them aside temporarily but after dinner Aramis seemed to retire quickly, almost too quickly. Once again, Athos told himself that he was simply being ridiculous, but as much as he tried to convince himself of that, Athos slept restlessly. Finally, he threw off his covers and walked down the hall to Natalie's room. From time to time, he had always checked in on his children at night to make sure they were safe. The bright moon revealed rumpled sheets but no Natalie, and Athos caught his breath.
She is probably looking at the stars in the garden, he thought. It has been a long time since we looked at them together. For a moment, he thought about not going to look for her. But what a nice surprise. It is so rare that we get to spend any time together anymore…
Athos lit a small lamp and walked out to the garden in search of his daughter.
There's trouble brewing at the ranch, folks! As always, I hope you've enjoyed. After my hellish week at work, it is nice to play with some fun writing. Hopefully, I'll be able to post at least one more chapter this weekend…
Disclaimer: As always, only Natalie and Luc (who you have not met yet) are my creations. Everything else is borrowed for inspiration with much gratitude and respect.