Greetings, all,
Thanks, as always, for reading and reviewing. Sorry to be a bit later today but I am having a writing free day; I'm not tackling any projects.
Anyway, today, three brothers are discussing their fourth!
CHAPTER 95
Porthos was consumed with barely suppressed anger as he strode away from the lodge. He could hear Aramis and d'Artagnan shouting after him, but he elected to ignore them, remaining focused on the camp ahead as his friends ran to catch up with him and flanked him.
"Stop!" Aramis ordered. "We need to talk about this."
But Porthos showed no indication of slowing. "Nothin' to talk about."
Aramis grabbed Porthos by the arm and dug his heels into the ground, nearly losing his footing when the big man suddenly halted.
"They're not bein' honest with us," he growled, referring to Athos and Tréville.
"I know that," Aramis agreed, "and it has to centre around Athos and his past."
Porthos raised an eyebrow. "You think?"
"We've known him for five years and he still refuses to talk about anything much from the time before he was a Musketeer. We only know there was a woman in his life and that she died because he let it slip one night when he was drunk. We've long suspected he comes from money because of how he conducts himself and the little he revealed when we were on our way to Ré.* Agreed?"
Porthos thought carefully before answering. "Agreed."
D'Artagnan only knew of the woman because they had told him the evening of the day when Athos had so nearly been executed and he was ignorant of the other revelation that Aramis mentioned. He realised, though, that now was not the time to ask, so he merely nodded his accord.
"We've also presumed that Tréville knows more of Athos' past than we do. How much more is debatable, but we've always accepted that. How often have we said that as long as he's talking to the Captain, at least he's talking to someone, and that's given us some peace. How often?" Aramis pressed.
"Too many times to count," admitted Porthos eventually.
"Yes, and I believe now is another one of those times. He was sent to infiltrate the nobles. Why him? Easy. We all knew it and even d'Artagnan said it – because he could pass as a nobleman. And why's that? Because he is what we have long supposed."
"A nobleman," d'Artagnan said for clarification.
"Exactly. We still have no way of knowing what his background is, who his family are, what their rank is within the aristocracy or how he's ended up as a Musketeer, but I would hazard a guess that he went to the meeting of the nobles and another one, L'Hernault, recognised him, not as a Musketeer – I know that's the story both Athos and Tréville are maintaining – but I think L'Hernault knew who he was."
"But why would L'Hernault want him dead?" Porthos asked.
"I doubt Athos would have gone under his own name, he would have assumed an identity and L'Hernault saw through the deception."
"Still doesn't explain why he wanted to kill 'im, not just once but twice," Porthos said, mulling over what Aramis was proposing.
"No, which makes me think even more that it is to do with the past and nothing to do with spying."
"But why keep silent about being a nobleman?" d'Artagnan asked. "There are many Musketeers who are the sons of nobles."
"He has his reasons, although I can't think what they might be. Maybe he's a younger son or was disowned or something," Aramis offered.
"'E'd 'ave to 'ave done somethin' really bad to be disowned. Maybe 'e thinks we won't want to be 'is friend anymore if we find out what it was."
"He certainly carries a lot of guilt," Aramis conceded.
"But that'd never make me want to cut 'im off as my brother. I never knew 'im before; all I'm thinkin' of is the man I know now an' 'e's so full of honour an' loyalty an' duty, I could never imagine 'im doing anythin' bad enough that'd lead to 'im bein' thrown out of 'is family."
"Me neither," d'Artagnan asserted.
"I agree with both of you," Aramis said. "Such an idea has no credence."
"An' if the Captain knew of anythin' like that, would he 'ave promoted Athos?" Porthos pressed home his point.
"So all this adds more to the enigma that is our brother, but we have chosen to accept him as he is with all his faults - "
"An' 'e 'as plenty of those," Porthos interrupted but he was being serious, not flippant.
"And we accept him," Aramis repeated, "and his need to keep his own counsel on things. It would be a very sad world if we were all the same, so it begs the question, Porthos, why have you let yourself get so upset about his silence this time?"
Porthos paused, organising his thoughts. "He's our brother an' he'd do anythin' to support us and look out for us, but I want to be able to look out for 'im too. That's what we've been tryin' to do an' yet there's been a second attempt on 'is life an' we weren't there. Does it end with this L'Hernault now we've got 'im locked up or will there be more? An' now 'e's in charge of the Red Guard an' the thought of that makes my blood run cold."
"Getting angry about the situation does not change it, nor does it help Athos," Aramis pointed out gently.
Porthos' shoulders slumped. "You're right. It's just that I feel so 'elpless."
D'Artagnan laid a hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
"Athos is a big boy now, he can take care of himself," Aramis quipped, trying to lighten the tension before he added, "most of the time!"
"I know, but it's those other times that are worryin' me. Seems like 'e keeps runnin' into 'em at the moment." Porthos puffed out his cheeks in frustration and then he frowned, his gaze on something behind his two friends.
"What is it?" d'Artagnan asked and turned around to see what it was that had caught the big man's attention.
It was an even bigger man heading straight for them.
"Grenouille," Porthos muttered through gritted teeth; his hands balled into clenched fists.
"Who?" d'Artagnan was confused, not having seen the man before.
"The second in the Red Guard and a trouble-maker," Aramis quickly explained. "What does he want?"
"You're the Captain's close friends, aren't you?" Grenouille said as he approached them, and he flashed a lop-sided, disarming smile.
The three brothers were taken aback as they had been expecting provocation after the afternoon's events but there was nothing confrontational about the man's demeanour.
"I wouldn't describe Captain Tréville as a close friend," Aramis said warily. The Inseparables might be privileged to have something of a different relationship privately with their commanding officer than experienced by the majority of the regiment, but he was not about to go into explanations with the Cardinal's guard.
Now it was Grenouille's turn to look bemused. "No, no, I meant Captain Athos. I've heard of you four an' seen you in the taverns in Paris."
"Captain Athos! That's going to take some getting used to," d'Artagnan said with a grin, but the other two were more cautious.
"What of it?" Porthos demanded.
"Nothin'. I just wanted to say you're lucky to have such a friend. He's a good man an' we're fortunate to have 'im in charge at the moment, though not all of 'em might see it that way. I look forward to workin' with 'im!"