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CHAPTER 112
"Come!" Tréville ordered in response to the knock at the door. He and Athos had returned to Richelieu's office to await the Cardinal who was still occupied in calming the anxious King.
The door opened and Claude entered.
"Please do not come to inform me of any more problems," Tréville grumbled.
Claude stood in the middle of the room, turning his hat in circles by its brim gripped in his hands. He eyed Athos as if for help.
"Well?" the Musketeer Captain demanded when the soldier maintained his silence.
"You did not want to 'ear any more problems," Claude said, "so I was wondering how to make my report."
Tréville sighed and ran a hand over his tired eyes. "Do not be obtuse, man; it does not suit you. I have enough to think about right now."
"Then I'm sorry I can't be tellin' you 'ow we've found the prisoner. He's gone to ground somewhere."
Athos' stomach churned. He had not realised how much he was needing L'Hernault to be taken into custody again. How could he focus on leading men in battle when all the time he was concerned as to the whereabouts of the man who wanted to see him dead?
"Can he have left Versailles?" he asked, keeping his voice as steady as possible.
Claude shook his head. "We started at the stables. 'E's not been anywhere near an' no horse is missin'. If 'e has gone, 'e's gone on foot."
"Then he is still in the lodge or its grounds somewhere," Tréville insisted, slamming shut the book on the table in front of him.
"There is one rider who headed out though, right after Menier was arrested," Claude added.
Both Athos and Tréville leaned forward in their seats.
"Go on," the Captain urged.
"From the description, it sounds like the nobleman Allaire."
"And he wasn't riding double? He didn't have L'Hernault with him?" Tréville asked.
"No, 'e was definitely alone. Took off at speed 'e did."
"He did not want to be around when we discovered that someone had released L'Hernault. He must have known Clement had seen him and would give enough information for us to identify him," Athos commented.
"In which direction was he going?"
"North west,"Claude said without hesitation.
"To the nobles?" Athos wondered aloud.
Tréville frowned. "No, there would be no need. The nobles waiting there with their men would know to attack at noon when Menier had not returned. That was the understanding."
"Then he has gone to Gaston's men," Athos realised.
"Exactly," Tréville agreed, thinking through the situation. "And why would he be heading there in such a hurry?"
"Maybe 'e 'ad an urgent message to deliver from the Duc," Claude suggested in all innocence.
Athos and Tréville looked from him to each other.
"And what could that urgent message possibly be?" the Captain asked the younger man, dropping his voice.
"That they were to fight for the King and not to help the nobles."
"Gaston has realised that the outcome is unlikely to be in his favour, so he is protecting himself and has changed sides to support his brother."
"In an attempt to stave off a charge of treason," Athos added. The Captain nodded. "But how do we prove it? Confirmation of his wrong-doing would destroy Gaston once and for all."
"And so he will have been exceedingly careful to cover his moves and orders. His failure to declare that he had brought armed men to Versailles already puts him on dangerous ground."
"But he 'forgot' to tell the King," Athos said, with a trace of mockery colouring his words.
"That is his claim and as ridiculous as it sounds, how can we disprove otherwise?" Tréville continued to reason aloud.
Athos held up his hands in a helpless gesture. "It is impossible to gauge a man's forgetfulness."
"And that will be his defence. He will probably have been circumspect in what he has told his men. If he has said to them that they will be fighting beside the nobles, he could argue later that he did so to maintain the subterfuge for Menier and his counterparts. He would not tell them the full truth until nearer the outbreak of the conflict. Are we not guilty of doing exactly the same? Of wanting to keep secret the extent of our knowledge and the strength of our forces in case the truth reached those who would oppose us?"
Athos did not respond immediately; his mind was racing. "So the men closest to Gaston and who knew of his plans were de Mayenne, L'Hernault and Allaire. The first is dead, the second is missing and the third has run to the Duc's men with new orders." He looked at Tréville, his green eyes intense. "Then our only hope is to re-take L'Hernault and Allaire alive to pressure them into revealing his intentions."
"Alive," Tréville repeated. "It will not be easy."
"An' I'm tellin' you now that L'Hernault is armed again," Claude spoke up. When he had their full attention, he explained. "Clement has realised he's lost his pistol, powder horn and bag of shot. The room where L'Hernault was bein' held has been searched and the corridor outside but nothin'. They couldn't all 'ave fallen off 'im when 'e was knocked out; they were deliberately taken from 'is person."
Athos knew he was being watched by Tréville and thought to make light of the situation to ease the tension in the room. "He has a strange and unfortunate fondness for appropriating other people's weapons."
Tréville's eyes narrowed at the comment but he chose to ignore it.
"There is no more time to search for him, Claude. I said an hour and that time is exhausted now. Just alert the men to remain vigilant and you heard Athos. L'Hernault must be taken alive if at all possible. If he is found and resists arrest again, the men are instructed to shoot to wound rather than kill; unless, of course, their own lives are at risk."
Athos knew that Tréville would be concerned for him and would be thinking of questions aplenty but there was no opportunity for them to be asked for as Claude departed, Richelieu walked in.
"How fares His Majesty?" Tréville asked.
"He is quite composed and resting for now," the Cardidnal answered, eying the two men and frowning; there was no avoiding the underlying tension within the room. It was caused by more than the prospect of the imminent attack on the two battle-hardened soldiers. "What is it? What has happened?"
Tréville repeated Claude's report and added the subsequent thoughts both he and Athos had had in proving Gaston's treachery.
"Much as it pains me to acknowledge it," Richelieu said eventually, "I fear that we will not have suitable grounds for bringing down the Duc d'Orleans."