Greetings, all.

Thank you for reading and for leaving comments.

I realised that I forgot to add my 'little gem' yesterday for chapter 103.

'Minion' – late 15th century from the French 'mignon'. (It sounds too modern to me, although I knew it wasn't primarily related to little yellow, one-eyed cartoon characters!)

Apologies for any errors that might have slipped through the proof reading.

So, what was so fascinating about Planque's journal?

CHAPTER 104

Planque's journal made for interesting reading, so much so that Athos soon found himself flicking back through earlier entries, the earliest being on the appointment to the Captaincy of the Red Guard.

Captain of the Cardinal's Red Guard! I know my father has parted with a lot of money to secure this position for me and holds high expectations of me in this role after all the disappointment I have caused him. This is the turning point; I know it, I can feel it. I will not make the mistakes of my predecessor. I will not have favourites, an inner circle of 'friends' to do my bidding, nor will I flout the law, but I will command these men as they deserve to be commanded. I will be strong because their shortcomings are many and this is not always through their own fault. I will mould them so that they are a force to be reckoned with, one that rivals the King's Musketeers in all things. The Cardinal will be proud of them – and of me.

The pride and enthusiasm stood out from the page. Perhaps Planque had been overly idealistic but what had happened to distinguish that genuine and innocent fervour?

Athos read on and it soon became clear from the painful admissions that Planque was out of his depth, his confidence wrecked. He had no idea whom to turn to for guidance and an element of indecisiveness began to rear its head. There were sporadic outbursts of arrogance in the words that suggested he believed he would still be successful in his leadership interspersed with confessions of near panic as he lost the respect of the men who served beneath him.

An acute sense of impending failure was clear in in the middle of the journal and he started to apportion blame elsewhere, laying most of it at the feet of Grenouille.

This man of no social standing dares to tell me what to do. Who does he think he is? I cannot conceive why the Cardinal made him my second-in-command; he is of no use to me. He repeatedly tells me what I should be doing. He has no right to instruct me! What makes him think he is in a position to tell me how things should be done? He should remain silent until I ask for his opinion and there will never be an occasion where I need to do that. I would never have appointed the man and will take steps to have him removed.

There was none of the working relationship or the trust and friendship that Athos enjoyed with Tréville and he felt a surge of sadness for the Red Guard's lieutenant. He had been truthful then when he told Athos he had repeatedly tried to offer suggestions to the new Captain but had been ignored. It was not long before the situation had further deteriorated.

The man is impossible. He goes out of his way to spite me and undermine my authority with the men, fomenting discord with his wicked tongue.

Reading Planque's perception of events and his escalating desperation was disconcerting, for Athos could almost hear the plaintive self-justification that had been pronounced by L'Hernault. The entries from the moment when the Captain had been told to prepare to lead a large section of the regiment to Versailles and that he was to defer to Tréville's leadership became even more disturbing.

Vitriolic insults poured out onto the page, some were still pertaining to Grenouille but the vast majority were directed at the Musketeer Captain, bringing into question his age, mental capacity, physical ability to lead effectively, likely bias in favour of the Musketeers and overall loyalty to France. All were unfounded and irrational, but Athos felt his anger rising with regards to the dead man who clearly thought he should have been given the opportunity to demonstrate his skills, those same skills he had already professed to lacking earlier in the journal.

The same entries began to mention the rebel nobles, at first condemning them but rapidly taking on a more sympathetic tone. From his claims, it was evident that Planque was the second son of a fairly prosperous noble and although he was not destined to inherit his father's title and estate, he had every intention of being supportive to his older brother. He had also been schooled in preparation to assume the role should anything unfortunate happen to that same brother. They had obviously had plenty of family discussions as to what was required of them with regards to taxation and difficulties in combining their responsibilities to both the crown and their estate.

As the journal's entries neared the departure date for Versailles, Planque's allegiance to King and Cardinal grew increasingly dubious until the last account written in Paris which finally damned the man.

So I am not to be trusted with the finer points until we reach Versailles! I am fed details piecemeal by the arrogant Musketeer Captain; even Richelieu cannot be bothered to speak with me. If they and their marionette monarch – for it is Richelieu that manipulates the strings – have not the decency to hold discourse with the true nobility of this land, is it any wonder that the seeds of insurrection are sown?

I am apparently not reliable enough to see a list of those under suspicion. Perhaps they thought that I might communicate with the insurgents and reveal the trap laid bare for them. Perhaps, at the beginning, I might have been dependable, but I have had time for careful thought, and I can see now that the worries of my father and brother have justification. Had they been aware of this petition and the prospect of rebellion, I am sure they would have allied themselves to protect what is rightfully theirs. I wonder that they were not approached.

My decision is made; I will align myself to the protest on their behalf and must, therefore, do whatever lies within my power to facilitate a victory for the protesters for I cannot see the stiff-backed Louis bending to their petition. He has faced many threats to his rule, not least from his mother, brother and the Huguenots and he would respond to the nobles as he did with them; he is a man fond of violence, swayed by the First Minister and pandered to by Tréville.

To that end, I have acted to create unrest amongst the Red Guard. They show me no loyalty so why should I be concerned for them? That fool Grenouille is persistent in offering me his 'advice'. According to him, I have not ordered enough food, weapons or ammunition for the numbers going to Versailles. I was not even permitted to choose my own men. I was issued with a list of those suitable by Richelieu himself! What is a Captain if he is not allowed to select his own force? It was just another means of emasculating me in the eyes of those I supposedly lead.

So I deliberately refrained from ordering sufficient supplies in the hope that it would nurture unrest of a different sort. Nor have I stressed the punishments that would follow if the Red Guard and Musketeers persist in their bitter rivalry. All the better for my purpose if they incapacitate each other. It weakens the regiments.

I deliberated whether I should commit my thoughts to paper like this, but in the aftermath of the conflict, when the rebels are the victors, this dated document is the evidence of my commitment to their cause and what I have undertaken to aid their triumph.

Athos felt sick at what he read of Planque's treacherous machinations and the fact that he was prepared to use and abuse the Cardinal's men in this fashion. The afternoon's fracas between the two regiments was all part of his plan and it was ironic that he did not live long enough to see it. There was further irony in that he had been accidentally killed by someone who was, in effect, 'on the same side.'

There was one last entry, written in a hasty scrawl sometime after Planque's first encounter with Athos which had culminated in his aggressive warning. It was clear that he was aggrieved by the Musketeer lieutenant knowing more than he did and resented the suggestion by Richelieu that he – Athos – was something of a hero. The contempt vented at Athos did not bother him; he had faced that and more in his time and he felt a stab of strange satisfaction that he had had such a negative effect upon the man.

Now he had to decide whether to wake Tréville and tell him what he had found or leave it until the morning. It did not take him long.

When he tapped on the Captain's door, he anticipated having to repeat the action and was therefore a little stunned when there was the immediate sound of movement within the room. Tréville opened the door. He had removed his doublet and boots and his hair awry, but it was clear that he had only settled on the bed's coverlet and had not yet extinguished the candle.

"You cannot sleep either," he stated, not in the least surprised to discover Athos in the doorway.

"Not when I found this," the younger man said, holding out the book.

"What is it?"

"Planque's journal," Athos explained, "and it makes for interesting reading."

Today's little gems:

Emasculate – c1600 from the Latin verb 'emasculare'

'to pander to' – as a verb, this originated in the early 17th century.