Morning all.
Thank you for reading and commenting upon the last chapter. Things are definitely escalating now!
Chapter 29 will be posted tomorrow but then I am back to erratic internet for two weeks. At the end of that, I will be back in the UK so I will definitely 'see' you then!
CHAPTER 28
Tréville was angry, very angry.
He had chased after the woman, even calling out and ordering her to halt. He knew that she had heard him from her body language; there had been a split-second pause but she had not turned. Despite her cumbersome gown, she moved quickly and had a worrying knowledge of the palace that rivalled that of the Captain. It was incumbent upon him to be familiar with the royal building so that he could instil strong security measures but even so, he lost her. He retraced his steps, tried different corridors, searched some rooms and rattled door handles of others to ensure that they were locked.
She had disappeared.
In frustration, he punched the wall and immediately regretted it as pain exploded through his fist. He held his knuckles to his mouth and sucked on the coppery taste of blood. The damage to himself – or the wall – was not significant but would cause him some discomfort over the coming days as he worked for he was right-handed.
It seemed that nothing was going right at this moment. Richelieu was doing his best to goad him at every encounter when they desperately needed to work consistently together. There was the conspiracy to the south that was likely to impact upon them very soon and now Gaston had arrived, pleading love and loyalty. Instinct warned Tréville not to believe him but, not for the first time, he lacked the evidence to support that same instinct.
Footsteps were approaching along a corridor that joined the one where he was standing and, drawing in a deep breath to steady himself, he stood tall awaiting the newcomer.
Aramis.
The Musketeer sighed with relief. "There you are, Captain. I've been looking for you. The Cardinal sent word to the banquet that he needed you to join him immediately. He said something of vital importance had just been delivered to him."
"No doubt delivered by his mysterious female agent," Tréville said bitterly, shaking out his smarting fist.
Aramis' brow furrowed in concern. "What have you done to your hand?" When he attempted to inspect it more closely, Tréville held it out of his reach.
"I foolishly picked a fight with the wall and the wall won," he admitted sheepishly. "I only have myself to blame."
The two men fell into an easy stride alongside each other as they made their way back through the corridors towards Richelieu's office.
"What makes you think the mystery woman visited the Cardinal?" Aramis asked, remembering what the Captain had said.
"I saw a woman answering her description leaving his office," Tréville explained. "At least, she was dark-haired and wearing expensive clothing. I did not see if her eyes were green. What bothers me is how well she knows this place," and he went on to tell Aramis how she had eventually given him the slip despite his best efforts.
By this time, they had arrived outside the Cardinal's office.
"Are you sure you don't want me to look at that hand?" Aramis pressed worriedly.
Tréville shook his head. "Far be it from me to keep the Cardinal waiting. You'd better return to the banquet to make sure that Louis and Gaston are not at each other's throats in our absence."
He waited until Aramis had gone from sight and then he threw open the door to Richelieu's office without knocking to find the Cardinal sitting at his desk studying something, which he hastily tried to conceal at the sudden interruption.
"Oh it's you," he said testily, producing the paper again from beneath the pile of documents where he had attempted to push it. "Sit down, man. I have news and something to show you."
"Just delivered by your mysterious female agent, I presume," Treville declared.
Richelieu's brow furrowed as he looked at the Musketeer officer properly. He was breathing hard as if he had been running and it was hard to tell if the redness in his face was due to his exertion or extreme anger – or, in fact, a mixture of both.
"As a matter of fact, she did bring it."
There was obviously no point in denying her existence any further, although Richelieu could not fathom Treville's obsession with her ... unless he harboured suspicions that she was associated with Athos in some way or that he had an inkling regarding her involvement in the debacle surrounding the treaty with the Spanish. Could Treville have found out anything that linked her to the attack upon the three musketeers that included Athos?
Or did he suspect her part in the accusations of murder and robbery levelled against the lieutenant in recent weeks? Treville had made sure Richelieu knew he was looking for the person or persons who had created the false allegations and the Cardinal had known the Captain long enough to know that once he got an idea into his head, he was not one who would let go that easily.
Treville was looking for some sort of justice for his Musketeer, of that Richelieu was sure, but he did not think the officer was a man hell bent on plain revenge.
"Who is she?" Even as he asked the question, Treville knew that he was not going to be given any satisfactory answer and so he attempted to assume an air of nonchalance.
"You seriously do not expect me to give you any information about my agent!" Richelieu countered. "Her anonymity is what keeps her safe and invaluable. You need not concern yourself with her. She has been in my employment long enough that I trust the reliability of her information. For now, there are far more important matters that require our attention."
Before Treville could object, the Cardinal moved the document into full view and tapped it fiercely with his forefinger.
"This map was delivered to Gaston earlier this evening by two men. It shows the position of the Duc's men who have already made their way unhindered through France and taken up positions around Versailles."
Treville sank, aghast, into the chair the Cardinal had indicated and pulled the map towards him to look it.
"How did Gaston manage it? What are his numbers?"
The Cardinal repeated what Milady had overheard.
"And his force, once united, could be swelled by those provided by the other nobles," Treville summarised grimly. "Musketeers and Red Guard combined might not be enough to protect the King. This could escalate into a civil war."
"That is, I hope, the worst possible outcome," Richelieu noted, "because we do not have the time to send word through France for military assistance. As of now, we have no idea whom we can trust amongst the aristocracy and we cannot alert the conspirators by speaking to anyone who then makes a careless comment." His eyes narrowed. "It is even more important that your man gets the information back to us as soon as that meeting is over. We have a little over two weeks before Louis plans to go to Versailles."
"Surely Louis will cancel his plans once we tell him of Gaston's involvement!" Treville was shocked.
"This may be what we need to persuade him but you know what he is like; he may very well insist on going as a show of defiance. Either that or he will demand the immediate arrest of his brother so that those plotting are warned and disperse; we run the risk of not being able to prove their part in all this."
"But Athos will have their names; surely that will be enough?"
"Does discussing something prove intent to act?" Richelieu wondered aloud. "No, we must draw out these malcontents once and for all."
"You are going to use the King as bait to catch them." Treville protested. "I am not happy with that prospect."
"Neither am I," Richelieu admitted. "I would far prefer to find some method of apprehending the leaders of all this before the court leaves for Versaille but we seem to be having to plan for all eventualities at present."
Both men fell silent, each lost in his own thoughts at the enormity of the task ahead of them.
"When will you tell the King?" Treville asked quietly.
Richelieu snorted. "I have no intention of being the sole bearer of bad tidings. We will do it together, you and I, and we will do it tomorrow. At least let the man enjoy the banquet this evening and a good night's rest; we can shatter his hopes regarding his brother in the morning."