What's in a Name

Chapter 5

Fears and the Fearless

Jacqueline found herself a couple miles outside of Paris before she allowed herself to relax. She wasn't sure where her horse was taking her, nor did she care, as long as it carried her away from Paris. She needed this time to think. So many things were going through her head at one time.

For the past two hours she and D'Artagnan had sat in his quarters trying to come up with a way to approach Prince Louis with the request to have Jacqueline pardoned. They hadn't yet come up with a solution that didn't include her coming out of hiding to plead her case. If she did, they both knew that she would be arrested immediately. There was little doubt that Mazarin would be at the meeting with the Prince and it would be a matter of his word against hers.

Thoughts of D'Artagnan kept popping into her mind. She was very grateful to him for trying to help her. He could be so sweet when he wasn't battling wits with her; but she had to admit that she'd never had a better adversary for it. She found it both frustrating and exhilarating at the same time. It was getting harder for her to remember when he wasn't a part of her life; he just seemed to always have been there.

Her thoughts were interrupted when, from behind her, she heard what had sounded like the snort of a horse. Was she being followed? How long had another rider been back there, without her knowing it? She looked back, but since she was traveling through a part of a timber area, she could see nothing but trees. Yet she was certain of what she'd heard. Perhaps it was just another traveler taking a short-cut through the woods.

Not wanting to take the chance, she led her horse into the thicket just off the road, dismounted, and hid behind a tree to wait. Hopefully she was just being nervous for nothing; there was no reason for anyone to be following her. Patiently she waited, trying to keep her horse quiet. As she started to hear the sound of hooves on the soft roadbed, she drew her pistol and pulled the hammer back. It wouldn't be long now until she would see who it was.

She peered around the tree, her arm outstretched, aiming the pistol a few feet above the surface of the road. Whoever it was was nearly there. Her heartbeat sped up as she slowed her breathing a bit to control her aim. Just one more second…..

"D'Artagnan!" she yelled, making both D'Artagnan and his horse jump. As he pulled back on the reins to control the horse, she continued, "What are you doing here?"

Quickly looking over to see Jacqueline standing partially hidden behind a tree with her pistol pointed at him, he replied, "Hopefully not getting shot! So, if you don't mind….."

She lowered her pistol, released the hammer, and came out of the thicket with her horse in tow. "I said what are you doing here?" she continued.

Having been caught, his mind reeled for any excuse he could give her. "I got lost."

"You got lost. How could you get lost?"

"Well, it wasn't hard really," he stammered.

"I thought you were supposed to be on patrol with Siroc."

"Well, see," he started, gesturing with his hands, "he went this way, I went that way, and…."

"And you got lost. You really expect me to believe that?"

"I was hoping you would."

Sighing, she said, "Why don't you just tell me the truth?" She climbed back into the saddle. "You were spying on me."

"I was NOT spying on you."

She shot him a suspicious glance. "You were too. Why else would you come up with this lame excuse?"

"Well, I thought it was a pretty good one, for being on the spur of the moment."

She sat and looked him. "Where's Siroc?"

"I traded patrols with Andre. I was worried about you."

She lowered her eyes for a moment, and then raised them again to meet his. "Well, you needn't be. I'm fine. You made a trip out here for nothing."

"I just wanted to make sure. You were a bit upset this morning."

"Which is why I came out here. To be alone."

"Ok, you can be alone. I'll just follow behind to make sure no one bothers you. Just pretend that I'm not here," he said nonchalantly.

She looked at him, shaking her head. "You are being ridiculous."

At that, he just grinned at her. Her heart felt like it skipped a beat. I have got to stop feeling like this, she thought. She turned her horse around and it started walking back toward town. Perhaps she could be alone in her quarters at the garrison before she had to return to duty.

"You're not going back already?" D'Artagnan asked, thinking that he must have made her angry. When she didn't say anything, he was sure or it. Every time he tried to show her he did care about her, she took it the wrong way. Women! But then, he thought as he watched her riding away from him, it was just this woman; none of the rest of them in town acted like this one did. That was part of what he found fascinating about her. If only he hadn't been as careless as to let her find out he was following her. He supposed he had better catch up with her and apologize.

He turned his horse around and headed it back the way he'd just come. What should he say to her? Just a simple 'I'm sorry'? What would she say to him in return? He did deserve whatever she would say. He was, in the worst sense of the word, spying on her; even if it was with the best of intentions. He sighed. Why did love have to be so difficult? Is this what other men went through to get the woman he loved to say yes? He frowned and thought that there was probably not another woman in the entire world that fought love and marriage as much as she did.

"Jacqueline, wait," he said, as he hurried to catch up with her. She said nothing, didn't even look at him, her horse continuing in its slow march toward town. Oh great, now what, he thought. "I'm sorry. I should not have followed you. Like I said, I was worried about you." Again, there was no answer from her; no acknowledgement whatsoever. He sighed again. Silence was worse than being yelled at. "Jacqueline, please. I am really sorry."

"You said I could pretend you weren't here."

He breathed a sigh of relief, she wasn't angry. "Oh, yeah, I forgot." Well, she was talking again, so here goes! "So, what do you have against marriage?"

Here we go, she thought, rolling her eyes. Why does he keep bringing that up? "Why won't you tell me your name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to know," she said, refusing to look in his direction; instead, concentrating on the line of trees ahead of them.

"Then marry me." There, I finally said it, he thought. Suddenly, panic set in. What if he didn't like her answer?