Greetings all. Thank you, as always, for reading and commenting upon the last chapter.
Birthday celebrations have now reached an end (couldn't really spin them out for more than five days!) and I can re-focus on the writing (all ongoing projects.)
I do have an apology to make for an error that I have only just noticed. I thought I had kept such a careful check on the days Athos was gone and a dateline for the month but, way back in chapter 3, I said the meeting was on the twentieth of the month and, in my subsequent timeline, I was working on the meeting being earlier – on the 12th of the month. Athos left Paris on the 2nd and was due back on the 16th; the search began on the 17th and they found him that night; he was returned to Paris on the 18th; the fever broke on the 19th and that makes this chapter the 20th. The departure for Versailles is the 29th. Profuse apologies again. It was a very careless mistake on my part.
CHAPTER 53
There was no more talking to Athos that evening as he drifted off into a deep sleep and so Tréville had to be content to wait until the next morning. After he had broken his fast and issued instructions to his men at the morning muster, he collected the list from his office and headed back to the infirmary, anticipating that he might have another long wait for Athos to awaken but he was pleasantly surprised.
"Good morning," the Captain greeted both Aramis and Athos. "I apologise for disturbing your meal."
"No problem," Aramis said breezily. "We're all done here. Another bowl emptied." He sounded jubilant as he indicated the bowl he carried.
"If you feel able, Athos, I have your list here and want to ask you a few questions about it before I go to the palace," Tréville said.
"Try not to tire him," Aramis warned as he passed the Captain.
"Do tire me," Athos urged. "I need a genuine reason to account for all this sleeping."
Tréville tried unsuccessfully to contain a smile. Athos was already bored with being confined to bed and the infirmary; a positive sign that he was feeling better but also a risk that he would try to do too much too soon.
It was an alarm that was already registering with Aramis. "Is the need to heal and regain your strength not enough of a reason?"
There was no answer and Aramis huffed in annoyance.
"I rest my case," he continued testily. "You apparently have little or no recollection of your time with the lay brothers or your treatment at their hands. Any one of your fever, infection, blood loss, being bled and given purgatives was sufficient to weaken you. Together they were lethal."
Athos recognised the burst of anger as a failed attempt to mask the worry and fear Aramis had felt in recent days and looked suitably chastised.
"Forgive me," he said softly.
Aramis sighed. "Always, but that forgiveness is more freely given when you stop fighting me." No doubt he was referring to rest and eating for Athos was never a good patient once he had started to recover.
"I thought forgiveness was unconditional," Athos countered, but there was no mistaking the amused gleam in his eyes.
Aramis gently slapped one of the blanketed legs and adopted a martyred air. "Usually, my friend, but do not push me!" With a conspiratorial wink in the Captain's direction, he strode out of the infirmary.
Tréville settled into the chair that Aramis had vacated. "It is good to hear the banter again," he noted. "He has been very worried about you. We all have."
"I know and I'm sorry to have caused such concern, but I need to be out of this bed and on my feet as soon as possible. We have what …nine days until we leave for Versailles?
Tréville looked surprised. "That's correct. With all that has happened to you, I did not expect you to be aware of time passing."
"My body might be hurting but my mind is clear, and I had many questions this morning," Athos told him. The corners of his mouth twitched. "Aramis drives a hard bargain. One question and one answer to one mouthful of food!"
Tréville chuckled. "Your head must have been brimming with questions then if you emptied the bowl."
Athos gave a slight shrug. "The last few spoonsful were an easy sacrifice to see Aramis look so pleased, especially when he thinks that I slept longer this morning than I did. I lay there, mulling things over in my head, trying to clarify them. All I need is to see the list and hope that it all falls into place."
Treville took out the paper and laid it on the blanket so that they could both see it.
"Take your time," the Captain said.
"Aren't you expected at the palace?"
"I am but I have sent a message saying that I would not be there until you and I had spoken, however long that took, so you are to rest when you need to because I would not wish to incur Aramis' wrath. Besides, you provide me with a wonderful excuse to make Richelieu wait for me for a change. He is having to curb his impatience and he is finding it very hard."
"As much as it pains me to do it, I shall put him out of his misery as soon as I can." Athos turned his attention to the list, studied it briefly and nodded.
"Handled carefully, the situation could be brought to a swift conclusion with little or no blood shed. They are united in having grievances, but they are not all agreed on the nature of those and certainly not in the methods of airing them. In short, there are factions within the faction," he began.
"That's interesting," Tréville muttered.
Athos pointed to a name on the list. "We know Vicomte Menier is the self-styled leader. He was the one who initiated and hosted the meeting. His preference is to meet with the King in the first instance but is prepared to act and can supply men, up to about forty. That's what this mark means. He is the highest ranking noble involved, with the exception of Gaston. L'Hernault was pressing for military action from the start."
"L'Hernault? The one who were telling me about yesterday?" Tréville interrupted.
"Yes, Gaston's man," Athos said. "I cannot say for certain, but I would assume the pressure he was applying to the nobles to provide men and arms stemmed from Gaston's orders. He needs far more men than he has brought to mount an attack."
"Agreed. Have the nobles all promised more men?"
Athos shook his head. "These marks mean a half-hearted assurance of twenty-five, twenty, twelve, or even less. Many would be hard-pressed to provide a militia even for the King, if he demanded it. There is a great difference in financial status amongst the nobility; it has long been the way and is at the root of some of the complaints of these men."
He suddenly focused his attention on a loose thread on the blanket, picking at it between a callused thumb and forefinger. It was no longer the hand of a privileged nobleman. "I was fortunate. Pinon is – was – a wealthy estate compared with those of many gathered at Menier's chateau."
Recovering himself, he made direct eye contact with Tréville. "Some would not commit to sending any at all. That's another group marked with these crosses," and he indicated several names on the list. "They are unwilling to raise arms against the King under any circumstances and were clearly dismayed at the direction of the meeting. I would hazard a guess that some of those will not even come to Versailles now to petition Louis; their hearts are not in a fight and they have too much to lose. I would hope that any punishment meted out against them would not be too severe."
"They have indicated opposition to the King by their very attendance," Tréville ventured.
"And they are not permitted to learn from this? To see the error of their ways and walk away before doing anything?" Athos persisted, not altogether sure as to why he was defending them. After all, they did represent much of what he had chosen to forsake five years before.
"We shall see," Tréville said quietly. "The final decision will be down to Louis - and Richelieu."
For the first time in a long while, an uneasy silence settled between them.
"Are the complaints all monetary?" Tréville eventually asked.
"No but L'Hernault did much to fuel their unrest. He reminded them to claim their fundamental right to rebel against what they perceived as unacceptable royal abuse and delivered a history lesson to prove his point, citing the Wars of Religion and the minority of Charles VIII."
"Nothing like an argument that's nearly two hundred years old," Tréville breathed, trying to remember anything he could of the blighted reign of the fifteenth century king.
"It was sufficient to stir up many of them," Athos added. "They are seeing changes to their seigneurial privileges over their tenants and judicial rights are being curtailed as they are passed to state control. The nobles feel under threat."
Tréville absorbed what he was hearing. "In your absence, we drew up a lengthy list of nobles who had petitioned Louis in the past year and then compared that with the list you provided. We had identified some of yours but were pleased to eliminate the rest of our lengthy list from current scrutiny."
"Somehow Louis had upset many people," Athos said softly.
"He has that …. ability." The two men smiled at the Captain's choice of word for both had frequently witnessed the mercurial nature of their King.
"You need to rest now," Tréville stated, for their lengthy and intense discussion had clearly tired the recovering Musketeer.
Surprisingly, Athos did not object, but he did have something to add before the Captain left him to sleep.
"There is one more thing."
Tréville settled into the chair again.
"My father's insistence that I be tutored in France's noble houses might have had some use after all, although my knowledge has undoubtedly developed some holes of late, but I did notice something."
"Go on," Tréville encouraged him.
"You and Richelieu would have to double check but from what I can see, they are all noblesse de lettres, or nobility of first or second generation."
"Are you sure?" Tréville leaned forward.
"As much as I can be," Athos confirmed. "There are none here that are classed as Noblesse d'épée, ancienne, de chevaleresque or even militaire."
The Captain studied the list again. "I think you're right. This is a rebellion of new money and new titles. I wonder why they are prepared to risk what they have so easily. You would expect the strongest objections to come from the old order, surely?"
"Not necessarily," Athos continued. "The traditional nobility has lasted for generations, for centuries." He took a deep breath as he was about to make an admission. "Mine can be traced back to the mid-twelfth century."
Tréville could not hide his amazement. He knew the de la Fère family name was an old one, but he had not realised just how old it was. The revelation only served to create many more questions in the Captain's head, all of which centred on Athos' reasons for walking away from such a background.
"With titles that old, there have been the battles with the prevailing monarchs regarding privileges, but those established families always knew where they came from and what the future held."
But not for him. The words remained in the silent realm inside his head.
"They saw and survived changes to their powers. The 'new' nobility, for want of a better description, have seen the restricted privileges and are loath to surrender anymore. I could be wrong, but I think they are seeking to establish their position in the hierarchy and some of them are prepared to risk all to protect what they do have."
"And Gaston is taking advantage of them," Tréville concluded.
"Using them and making many empty promises of further recognition in exchange for their support," Athos sighed. "L'Hernault said as much."
A/N
There were many categories of French nobility – many more than the few mentioned here – and they have changed or been added to from the middle ages to the early part of the 17th century. (Later that century, Louis XIV made huge demands on the nobility and the later Revolution had a further massive impact.)
In 'Retribution', I made Athos' family a long-established part of the French nobility, hence the reference in this chapter.
In brief, the ones which I have referred to are explained below:
Noblesse de lettres – non-nobles who paid a year's worth of revenue from their fiefs to gain 'nobility'. Henri IV did away with many of these but soon realised the necessity of the practice for his coffers.
Nobles of the first generation – nobility granted after 20 years' service to the crown or dying in service.
Nobles of the second generation – awarded on twenty years combined service of father and son
The traditional or old nobility included:
Noblesse d'épée – nobility of the sword
Noblesse ancienne – 'ancient' nobility
Noblesse de chevaleresque - knightly nobility dating back to before 1400
(I suppose, technically, my representation of Athos' family could fall into all three of the above.)
Noblesse militaire – holding military office after 2-3 generations.