Greetings, all. As I write this, I am in Whistler for one more night. so am able to sneak in another chapter. Tomorrow, it is back to Vancouver and from there we sail up the Alaskan coast so I will definitely be 'gone' for a week. Thank you to all who have read and reponded to the story so far.
So, the evil Richelieu has plans for Athos, does he? What will happen next?
CHAPTER 4
"No," was Tréville's immediate reaction, his sharp blue eyes rapidly ranging from Richelieu to the King and finally to Athos to gauge his reaction. The young Musketeer stood there, silent as ever but Tréville had already recognised the flicker of interest on the soldier's face.
"You have not heard me out," Richelieu objected.
"I do not need to listen to any half-formed ideas; you admit that you have not thought it through," Tréville continue, fighting an awful sense of foreboding.
"Then heed me now. We must get a man to infiltrate this group of malcontents at their supposed meeting to garner valuable information and who better than your man? Look at him!" and here he gesticulated towards Athos with a deliberate, outstretched arm.
"Every part of him screams nobility. From the way he stands to the way he moves, the way he thinks, his voice and his education."
There was an exultant gleam in Richelieu's eyes, a hint of the manic and Tréville felt an instant chill and a mounting dread. Had the Cardinal been probing into Athos' past and discovered that he was, indeed, the Comte de la Fère, from one of France's most ancient and prestigious noble families? Was he going to use this new-found knowledge to best advantage? How long had he known and what had provoked the investigation into one of his own men?
The answers came to Tréville simultaneously. This all had to link back to the debacle surrounding the Spanish Ambassador and the Treaty. Richelieu would want to know everything he could about Tréville's business and that included his men, the élite guard formed for the protection of the royal household, particularly those favoured with advancement. Created mainly – but not solely – from the nobility, the Musketeers would inevitably arouse the Cardinal's interest, especially when compared with the largely disreputable rabble he employed as part of his own Red Guard, selected more for their brawn than their brains in most instances. Only the officer ranks seemed to have any degree of education and even they did not deign to demonstrate it very often.
Richelieu was still talking and had moved to circle Athos slowly; the Musketeer had snapped to attention, his eyes focused on a far distant point. It was, Tréville thought, an image of a carrion crow carefully inspecting a piece of dead meat before striking although in this instance, the morsel was most definitely living and breathing.
"Your man here will be perfect for the task."
"My 'man' has a name," Tréville spat out.
Richelieu waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever. Which one is he? Aramis or Porthos? Oh no," and he leaned in closer, but Athos did not flinch, "he's definitely not Porthos; he's not tall enough."
Athos' cheek muscles tightened, the only visible sign that he had taken offence to the Cardinal's slight against Porthos; he was not really making reference to the Musketeer's height but rather his mixed-race parentage.
Tréville was not so tolerant. "You know this is Athos, my Lieutenant," he ground out.
"Oh of course, my mistake," and Richelieu walked away to take up his former position near to Louis, who had been watching proceedings with a growing interest.
"Do you really think he could pass as a nobleman?" the King asked. ""I know you have sons of the nobility within your ranks, Captain. Would one of them not be better suited to the task?"
At least Louis remained oblivious to Athos' past. Tréville only knew a little of the young man's past and certainly not the reason for the demons that had haunted him enough to walk away from his ancestral home and title and, eventually, to seek refuge within the regiment. It was nearly five years since that time and Athos had made significant progress, trusting the Captain and his three brothers-in-arms like no-one else, but whatever tormented him surfaced periodically and still threatened to consume him. At least Tréville recognised the signs now and could monitor his protegé, either directly or through the friends and the strength of the bond between them.
Tréville looked to Athos, saw the brief, acquiescent nod of the head and answered the King with a sinking heart.
"There is no-one within my regiment better than Athos to fulfil this assignment, Sire, but I will not have him undertake this mission before we give it more serious thought."
"What is there to think about?" An edge of exasperation crept into Richelieu's tone. "It is quite simple. Your man …" He dipped his head in mock apology. "Athos … leaves Paris early tomorrow and rides for the estate near Troyes. We have to allow four days for that. Then that gives him six days to ingratiate himself with those involved and get himself into that meeting. As soon as he has done that, has identified the dissidents and learned of their plans, he can leave and ride back to Paris. Another four days. To my reckoning, that is fourteen days, two weeks in total."
"And if something were to go wrong? Men must accompany him for back-up," Tréville insisted.
"Absolutely not!" the Cardinal countered. "Even if they were disguised as servants, I hardly think it appropriate that a potential rebel would be riding round the countryside with a retinue just because he can't get his breeches on unaided." It was a scathing view of nobility but there was underlying truth where some individuals were concerned; fortunately, it did not apply to Athos.
"Then what about your agent? Can he not return to the area to make contact with Athos and provide support if needed? If anything were to happen, Athos would need another avenue to get the information back to Paris. Who better than your agent?" Tréville persisted.
Richelieu would not comply. "There will be no such need. I do not want my agent to become embroiled in something that might reveal their true identity. We have worked long and hard to secure that this agent has access in some very sensitive situations, and I would not have that effort undone because a Musketeer cannot do what is asked of him!"
There was that avoidance again that convinced Tréville the agent concerned must be the mystery woman encountered before. Who was she and why was the Cardinal insistent upon maintaining her anonymity?
The insult to the soldier rankled with Tréville. "Athos is my lieutenant and one of my best men. He will be committed to this mission and will not take any unnecessary risks; he knows only too well the importance of the information he seeks."
"Then we are agreed," Richelieu said brusquely. "Your man leaves as quickly as possible and he goes alone."