Greetings! Thank you as always to those who have been reading and reviewing. Lovely to hear from you all.
A little later today - sorry. Easter weekend, I had a buffer of about 8 chapters but you have 'caught up' with me now as I've done other things. I actually finished this chapter this morning! It is a longer one so I hope that makes up for it. My apologies if I have still let errors creep through.
This lets you know where everyone will be and what they will be doing - should the anticipated attack happen, of course!
CHAPTER 103
"I have already spoken with His Majesty," Richelieu said, " and his view is what we anticipated and in keeping with what we were going to advise anyway. He will not tolerate the petition presented by Menier under any circumstances given the nature and timing of its delivery. The King feels that he is being held to ransom, knowing that armed forces are nearby and that an uprising is imminent. He is adamant that he will not be held to account like that. He was most indignant that the rebel nobles thought they could make such a move against him. He is, as is understandable, particularly angry with his brother and is anxious to know what we should do with him."
"When we believe the attack is unavoidable, we will place him under arrest as well as the nobles in the hunting party whom we know are involved, just as we planned," Tréville reminded him. "They will be locked up and kept under a minimal Musketeer guard as we will need as many men as possible to fight."
"The regiments' camps will provide a hindrance to a direct attack from the north-west, but it will not withstand them for long if they have many on horseback; tents will be easily trampled." Athos went over their strategy again pointing to a map spread out on Richelieu's table. It showed the hunting lodge and the surrounding area. Another large sheet beside it showed a detailed floor plan of the different levels of the lodge itself. "So a Red Guard contingent will be defending there whilst a Musketeer force will be more northerly to encounter other rebel forces here. Our allies will move around the south of the lodge to flank the rebels."
"We have chambers identified on an upper floor where their Majesties and the ladies of the party can take shelter," Tréville continued. "Two Musketeers will be guarding the royal couple specifically whilst members of the Red Guard will be instructed to build barricades along the corridors with furniture and to protect the women and a couple of the more elderly male courtiers who are here for the gathering but not actually hunting. We are assuming that the remainder of the able-bodied nobles will bear arms in defence of their King. I will have a couple of Musketeers ready to ride as soon as we need them after tomorrow's meeting to take the signal to the King's supporters."
"Remind me of other defences," Richelieu said, turning his attention to the ground plan.
"The female servants and older males will go down in the cellars. There are a couple of exits here and here," and Athos pointed them out, "that lead up above ground. They will be instructed to block them, and the other male servants will be expected to do their best in defending them. We will just have to hope that a couple of them at least know how to fire a weapon, enough to slow or repel any intruders who might attempt to gain access to the lodge that way. We cannot to deploy men there but they will be present on the ground floor should any rebels get that far.
"There are several exits from the lodge on the ground level. Again, we do not have the manpower to have soldiers at each of them so we will block as many as we can, primarily the smaller exits. Main doors here, here and here will be guarded by Musketeers."
"Musketeers again?" Richelieu said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Athos.
"There are more Musketeers than Red Guard, Your Eminence." Athos spoke patiently. They had discussed this so many times, but it was standard practice to review strategies as the prospect of conflict drew nearer.
"They are also the Kings' Guard, sworn to protect His Majesty," Tréville added. "It is only right that they form a final line of defence, with the exception of your guards in the corridor outside the rooms where the royal couple and others are taking shelter."
Richelieu harrumphed loudly at the reminder.
"There are Red Guard who will be in these positions around the outbuildings." Again, Athos indicated where they were. "Musketeer horses will be saddled and ready should there be any need of a pursuit. We do not want rebels dispersing them or attempting to gain access through this side door." He was referring to the one used by L'Hernault earlier in the day.
"And there will be marksmen on the top floor," Tréville said. Aramis was one who had already been given his orders. He would be stationed there with another Musketeer who was assigned to reload several weapons for him.
Richelieu continued to study the plans. "Where will the prisoners be held? There will be quite a few of them arrested in the morning and possibly more before the day is over."
Tréville was the one who answered as he showed a line of rooms on the ground floor. "We have designated all these storage rooms along this corridor here. They are on inside walls with no windows and all are lockable. The keys are all there. Where possible, some of the contents have already been moved to make for bigger space and, of course, two are already occupied by L'Hernault and Allaire."
"Allaire will be freed early morning. That is what I have told Gaston," the Cardinal explained. "Of course, there would have been a third prisoner."
"A third?" Athos frowned, for he could not recall there being another one. Allaire's Paris contact had been arrested and interrogated there before he died.
"Yes," the Cardinal went on. "De Mayenne, another of Gaston's minions*. He was taken into custody immediately after we left Paris and brought here for questioning under cover of darkness. I did not want to run the risk of Gaston seeing him arrive and I certainly did not want to alarm the ladies."
Athos and Tréville exchanged alarmed glances. It was worrying to discover that they were still being enlightened as to some of the Cardinal's actions after the fact. Could he be holding back any more surprises?
"What happened to him?" Tréville wanted to know.
"His weight and utter terror at being apprehended conspired against him. His heart gave out before he even got here. The men arrived with a fat corpse! He was buried that first night in a copse not far from here. Anyway, gentlemen, it is nearly one in the morning and I am for my bed; we are going to have a busy day ahead of us."
"Where are you going to sleep?" Tréville asked as he and Athos tidied their chairs.
"I had not given it any thought," Athos admitted. "My belongings are in the tent in the Musketeer camp. I do not want to disturb Aramis, Porthos or d'Artagnan by collecting my stuff and it would not be appropriate staying there. It also makes it difficult should the Red Guard need me during the night."
"There is no problem," Richelieu interrupted. "Planque was in the room next to Tréville. You can use that."
"Does it bother you?" Tréville asked as soon as he and Athos had left the Cardinal and walked through the corridors dimly lit by flickering lamps, their booted steps breaking the silence of the night. Each carried a candle in a holder. The assigned rooms were on the ground floor at the rear of the lodge and near an exit. They were close enough should Richelieu wish to send for them but gave them an easy access out to the camps. "Staying in Planque's room, I mean?"
Athos considered the question. "Not really; he was only there for the one night and it is not as if he died in the bed. Anyway, I am so tired, I am in danger of falling asleep on my feet. My one fear is not rousing in a few hours."
"Don't worry; I'll make sure that you are up," Tréville said. He halted by a door. "This room is yours and mine is the next one."
"Thank you." Athos opened his door, but the Captain did not move on.
"This is far from being the quiet working in the background that was one of your intentions in coming to Versailles," Tréville ventured, lighting his candle in the flame of the nearest lamp.
"Today has been … eventful!" Athos searched for an appropriate word as he did likewise, his hesitation another indication that he was in dire need of rest.
"I admit to being concerned. You were not to be involved in any fighting," the Captain said. "We must think of how we are going to deal with that."
Athos managed a smile. "I thank you for that concern but we both know that there is no possibility in keeping me out of the way in the event of a conflict. We could not have envisaged my being seconded to the Red Guard to command them and we both know I cannot lead them from the back."
Tréville sighed heavily. "This is not what I wanted for you. You would have been safe in Paris."
"I know but I was the one who made life difficult for you and was insistent upon being here in the first place."
"But I was the one who let you come," the Captain insisted. "I know it is a vain hope but try to stay safe; that means not taking any unnecessary risks."
"I will try," Athos agreed, touched by Tréville's ongoing concern for him.
They bade each other goodnight and entered their respective rooms. It was not quite a full moon but there was enough light through the un-shuttered window to cast a ghostly gleam across the room's simple furnishings. There was none of the luxury here that was seen elsewhere in the King's apartment or the accommodation of his more important guests.
He set down the candleholder on the small table by the bed and saw the framed miniature lying there. It depicted a smiling, blond-haired beauty. Planque's wife? Intended? Mistress? Whoever she was, her world was about to come crumbing down around her when she learned of his death.
There was little else to suggest that the room had been occupied by another. The bed was well made, and Athos turned a full circle in the middle of the room before he spied a small sack in a shadowy corner. It felt strange, intrusive even, as he picked it up, loosened the tie and put in his hand. It contained some clean clothes and, at the bottom, a book.
Pulling it out, Athos carried it back to the candle and, sitting on the bed, he opened it.
His first thought was that it was a log maintained by the Captain of the Red Guard and it was now his responsibility to continue it.
Then, as he flicked through its pages, he realised that it was a journal, Planque's private musings.
He had no intention of reading it had it not been for the latter entries where certain words leaped from the page, demanding his attention. Tréville's name was there, and his own, and there was mention of 'rebels'.
As exhausted as he was, Athos moved the candle closer and angling the book for the limited light to fall across it, he began to read.