Greetings,
I hope this update finds you all well. In these strange times, I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Easter. It'll be a strange one - never spent it on my own in my life but needs must! I did buy myself an Easter egg though as I will not be seeing family!(lol)
V
CHAPTER 86
I
L'Hernault saw both men fall and bit the back of his hand in a mixture of shock and disbelief. He had not expected to find his mark and could not help feeling concerned that it had all been so easy. He saw the third man kneel between the two; obviously Athos had grabbed at the other soldier as he collapsed. There was a moment of regret for L'Hernault had been looking forward to confronting the Musketeer, the man he had hated for as long as he could remember. He had spent so long rehearsing the grievances he wanted to level at the man he still thought of as his half-brother Now he had lost that chance but there was still the undeniable sense of elation that he had achieved what he had desired for so long. Olivier d'Athos was dead.
Alarmed shouts and the sight of two men running towards the scene alerted him that he needed to vacate the room as quickly as possible. The hue and cry were about to be raised and he still had to dispose of the weapon and find Allaire. If that search proved fruitless, he had to reach the sanctuary of his room on the top floor.
His mind was still mulling over recent events as he made haste back the way he had come only minutes earlier. Was it really so short a time? It seemed more like an age.
When the young Comte de la Fère had disappeared without a trace five years before, L'Hernault had felt cheated, deprived of the revenge that his murdered father deserved. It never occurred to him that he had procrastinated for years, passing up countless opportunities for an early resolution. He was astonished when he saw Athos appear at the meeting and could not understand why the aristocrat had adopted a false identity. It was clear now, of course. The Musketeer was a spy in the employment of the King and had learned all about the plans of the disgruntled members of the nobility. It was unfortunate that the task of dealing with Athos had been delegated to his three men, although he had thought them more than capable of the deed before he discovered that they had failed spectacularly. It was highly unlikely that any of them still lived but now they, too, had been avenged.
Suddenly rejuvenated by his success, L'Hernault jauntily ran up the stairs to the first floor and headed towards the room where Allaire was staying and rapped at the door.
II
"Now is not the time to fight amongst yourselves," Athos declared.
Initially stunned by his announcement about Planque's death, Grenouille and his colleagues had quickly surrounded him, a development that did not sit easily with the Musketeers, but at his raised hand, they all fell silent again.
"The more time spent answering your questions, the more time the perpetrator has to make good his escape. Your Captain was shot from somewhere within the lodge. It is time for you all to work together. Get this mess cleared up and salvage as much of the stores as you can.
"Any of you who have suffered hurt are to see Aramis here. He is the Musketeer's field medic. Aramis, please check Musketeers and the Red Guard and do it in order of severity of injuries. There is to be no preferential treatment."
Aramis nodded. "I'll just get my bag of supplies," and he headed off towards their tent.
"You two," and Athos deliberately pointed at a Musketeer and the Red Guard who had been brawling together only minutes before. "Get plenty of water. Aramis will need it to clean out any cuts."
He half expected a flat refusal at the command to co-operate and was surprised when they looked at each other and the Red Guard extended his hand to signify a cessation in hostilities. The Musketeer warily took the proffered hand and then shook it warmly. Grinning, they wandered off together in the search for receptacles to carry the water.
"Porthos!"
The big man stepped up to Athos' side.
"I want you to take down the names of any Musketeer involved in this fracas and find out what you can about how this started. It will be the Captain's decision as to what happens to them." His green eyes bored into Grenouille. "You will have someone do the same with your men. In the meantime, you and I will return to the scene of the crime."
The other man's discomfort was plain to see as he assigned the proposed task to the soldier standing closest to him so that Athos took some grim satisfaction in assuming correctly that Grenouille had been heavily involved in the dispute, but he could not spare the time to dwell upon it. He started back across the grass, teeth clenched to the worsening pain in his side and made a mental note not to throw himself to the ground when injured in future.
He did not acknowledge Grenouille when the man caught up with him and controlled his stride to match that of the Musketeer as they walked.
"I may not have liked the man, but he did not deserve this," Grenouille suddenly said.
"Why did you dislike him so?" Athos asked. He knew from a short, bitter experience that Planque did not endear himself to anyone, but he could not help wondering if that was because the officer felt so unsure of himself and consequently behaved aggressively.
"Perhaps I shouldn't be saying this, given that it's a murder inquiry and all. I don't want to incriminate myself; after all, I didn't exactly hide the fact I despised him."
"I do not know why you are worried. You, out of everybody currently here, have the best alibi!"
They were approaching the circle of Musketeers and the prone figure of the dead officer was visible but Grenouille stopped, frowning.
A plethora of biting comments came to Athos' mind, but he refrained from uttering any of them aloud. Was it really a pre-requisite of the Red Guard that they should be so lacking in intelligence?
"Planque was killed here by a shot fired from the lodge. You were at some distance over there in the midst of a fray with about thirty witnesses, not least your specific opponents. Given your height and build, it would be very hard for you to slip anywhere unnoticed!"
He thought, momentarily, that he had offended the huge man by stating the obvious and emphasising his build because the frown deepened but then, just as suddenly, Grenouille threw back his head and guffawed with laughter.
"You're good, you are! Why didn't I think of that?" and he slapped Athos amicably on the back but he, like Porthos, was oblivious at times to his strength and the gesture sent Athos staggering.
"Perhaps you were in shock?" Athos drily offered, recovering himself.
Grenouille laughed again, his mirth totally inappropriate for the situation. "I like you!"
Athos groaned inwardly. He would have preferred to add Grenouille to his ever-growing list of enemies rather than unexpectedly gain him as a 'friend.'