The de Vere Inheritance

by smac92

Eric and Elizabeth de Vere have been running for years by the time they reach Paris. With a doomed marriage, political quarrels in England, Eric's gambling debts and more sinister crimes finally catching them up, there is nowhere else for them to run together. Without her husband at her side, Elizabeth will have to place her trust elsewhere...

15. Chapter Fourteen - 15th August 1632

Chapter Fourteen - 15th August 1632

Elizabeth woke with a start as the ink jar fell to the floor and shattered. For a few seconds she let her racing pulse return to normal as she took in the early morning light seeping into the room before she tried to get up to clean up the mess. She wiped a few spots of ink from her face as she shoved away the sheaf of parchment perched on her lap. She'd been dozing in the armchair near the window with her feet propped up on the table. She must have moved slightly in her sleep and knocked the ink jar off the table. She managed to get onto her knees to scoop up the shards of glass onto a piece of blotting paper and crumpled it tightly so no shards could escape. She glanced around her for somewhere to place it but her dressing table was too far away. Given how long it would take Elizabeth simply to return to a standing position, she was not fool enough to attempt to make it to the dressing table. She leaned back against the leg of the armchair and tried to push herself back onto it.

Her arms gave out the first three times she tried, but on the fourth she just managed to lift herself high enough to lower down onto the cushion of the chair. Elizabeth forced herself to sit back with a heavy sigh, the simple action of cleaning up the mess of spilled ink rendering her energy entirely spent. What water there had been in the room, she had consumed the last of the morning before, and there had been no food at all in the five days that she had been locked within her bed chamber. She had been a fool to think in the first day or two that Eric might return. He had made his intentions abundantly clear to her now. He did not care if she lived or died.

On the second day Elizabeth had felt the real dashing of her hopes when she'd caught sight of one of the ladies from the women's group walking along the street below. Elizabeth had shouted herself hoarse until she collapsed in a heap beneath the window to cough up blood into her palm. The woman though had only looked up at her with disdain. She was being judged no doubt for her involvement in the apprehension of Madame Deschamps who had killed her husband. The woman on the street had likely told anyone else that she met there that Elizabeth was mad and had been locked away for her own good. That had been the last time Elizabeth had been able to shout from the window. Little food and water had worked quickly upon her already frail condition and now she was exhausted by merely leaving her seat for a few seconds.

The night before she had heard the landlord at the door as she fell in and out of sleep. She had tried to shout to him from where she sat in the arm chair but no sound would escape her lips. She had simply been forced to listen as the landlord told his man he would come back the next day with bailiffs to evacuate the building. Elizabeth did not hold out much hope for that. They were empty words. She had been left alone for five days and no one had paid her lonely little apartment any attention. It would likely be another five days before the landlord found the time to return and Elizabeth was fully aware that she would not see those five days out. She pulled the sheaf of parchment towards her and tied it together with a ribbon, ensuring that the message to Athos remained at the top. Her work was finally done. She had spent five agonising days scribbling out all of her husband's misdemeanours and adventures sporadically in between bouts of restless sleep. It was finished though, and she finally felt as if she could let go.

There was nothing to keep her fighting against the pull to fall into a rather deep slumber now that she had completed what she had set out to do. She did not know if anything she had to say would be of any use to Athos, but she had known as soon as Eric had left her locked up that she had to try. She needed only to hope that when someone eventually found her, they would see that the sheaf of parchment found it's way into Athos's possession. It was all that she had to offer the first real friend she had managed to make in a very long time. His kindness to her was a gift that she could carry with her no matter where she went, but she was so sorry that there was nothing she could do for him in return.

The tears came then as Elizabeth let herself grieve for the life she had never really had. Her childhood had been stolen from her by her King's advisers when they had locked her family in the tower and forced her mother to give birth there. she'd spent every night since she was old enough to understand that they were under lock and key fearing even the slightest of sounds. A door opening or footsteps on the stone steps outside would have her panicking that something terrible was about to happen. The sound of keys jangling would force nightmares upon her, where she dreamt that someone was come to their room in the bell tower to separate the family. They had been lucky to be housed together, the four of them all in one cramped room. Elizabeth's mother had feared her sons might be stripped from her and locked away in another part of the tower, but miraculously they all managed to stay together.

Even after she had been released, Elizabeth struggled to adjust for months on end. Every night when she closed her eyes she had seen the tear stained faces of her mother and brothers as she had been forced to say goodbye to them. At the age of fourteen Elizabeth had been foolish enough to want to stay within the confines of the tower with her family. She had fought her mother's plan at first but ultimately the three of them had managed to convince her that to leave them behind was the right thing. Even her brothers, just young men and full of life were keen to see her regain some semblance of normal life. If they could not live fully, they at least wanted Elizabeth to. The pain she had felt during that carriage ride away from the tower was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She was alone for such a long time as the carriage wound it's way northward towards Eric's family home. No one had been sent to fetch her, and no one even considered that it might be beneficial to at least meet her at a halfway point. Those painful days were hard to shake off as she was ushered into a grand house that she had not even cared to learn the name of. She had been inconsolable for the first few weeks and Eric's constant rebuttals that she should be glad she was free instead of sad were tiresome.

Eric had never understood the pain of leaving behind her family. In some ways it was easier to be in pain and to stay in the room allocated to her. She'd never been free, and there was so much that she was going to have to learn before she would be agreeable enough to enter polite society. Eric had been annoying more than anything because he knew very well his parents hoped he would marry Elizabeth. He did not want to marry her back then, and she did not think she wanted to marry him. It was Harry who had been overly kind to her and respected all of her emotions. It was Harry who told his parents that they were foolish to still believe someone should keep watch over Elizabeth. She was a flight risk, which was not something Elizabeth had understood at such a tender age. It was only Harry who really understood that although she missed her family greatly, she was indeed glad to be free and determined not to return to the tower. It was Harry who teased and charmed her with his smirks and jokes. Elizabeth had always seen Harry for what he was though; a womaniser. Even though he was sweet to her, Elizabeth knew she could not marry a man who would never be faithful to her. He was always regaling herself and Eric with tales of his exploits and tricks. Elizabeth wanted someone who could be loyal to her. Loyalty was important, because after all the people who had signed the arrest warrant of her parents were ultimately their friends. It was Eric who showed more of a cautious and reserved side. He had spoken of his desire to settle into family life quite often and although Elizabeth was sure that Eric had no interest whatsoever in marrying her, she made a play for him.

If Eric was surprised or annoyed by such an action, he did not show it. Once Elizabeth had made it clear she had chosen Eric over his brother, they were engaged in no time. Even then Elizabeth knew it was likely the lure of money that had Eric so ready to be wed to her. She was sure that the de Veres had told both of their sons that one of them must marry her to secure the fortune they had been promised by her mother. It was a rather strange two years in which Elizabeth spent her time being passed from brother to brother whilst trying to deal with all that had happened to her. Marriage at sixteen did not scare her, for she had trusted Eric to take care of her back then. Marriage was her only option to gain some respectability again, but it felt like she was forming a great friendship with Eric in those first few weeks of marriage. Harry sloped off to the continent with a gaggle of female admirers in tow, all fighting for his hand. His letters had told Elizabeth and Eric that he was enjoying himself immensely. That was when Elizabeth knew she had made the right decision. Marriage to Harry would have spelt disaster.

The sound of an argument outside was what woke Elizabeth from her deep sleep. There were men shouting close by and she could hear them through the window. She wondered if they could be distracted well enough from such an argument to aid her. The slow agonising movement of her legs as she stretched them told Elizabeth that it was unwise to move at all, but she ever so slowly set her feet upon the floor and braced herself to try to stand. Her arms did not feel strong enough to support her weight as they pushed down on the arm rests of the chair. Elizabeth pushed as hard as she could, eventually managing to pull herself out of the chair and into a standing position. She was still unable to let go of the chair though.

"...There is no key Monsieur, no key and no money. Your brother and his wife have played some cruel trick in leaving without returning the keys. I suppose they thought it was funny! A man shall be sent for to change the locks!"

"Just wait! Please?" Harry. Elizabeth felt a slight flutter of hope rise within her chest her as she recognised the voice. "There is someone still in there Monsieur! Surely you cannot do anything else until you check the rooms!"

"There is no one there! There has been no one there for days! Your sister in law left word she was leaving five days ago. Indeed my man says he saw the carriage leave! If you do not step away Monsieur, I will send for the red guards!"

Elizabeth sucked in a breath as she realised that she had very little chance left to make them aware of her presence. She opened her mouth to shout, but she could not string a word together. Her dry and parched throat resembled a knot of thorns. She licked her cracked lips with her tongue to try and restore some moisture to them and realised she would have to move towards the window to get their attention. The pain of just standing up was excruciating, but trying to lift one of her feet to step forwards was too much. Elizabeth stumbled forwards, crashing into the table near the window before she tumbled to the floor.

"You see! Do not tell me you did not hear that! There's someone up there Monsieur and you cannot simply change the locks and walk away! You cannot doom someone to the fate of being locked in without the correct keys!"

"It would teach them a lesson!" cried the landlord. "I shall fetch the red guards to look into this."

Harry was calling after the man and Elizabeth realised the landlord must have left. Her heart sank as in her mind's eye she imagined Harry taking off after him down the street. There was a loud thudding upon the door downstairs that told her he was very much still there.

"ERIC? ELIZABETH?" He continued to hit the door loudly. "FOR GOD'S SAKE IF THE LANDLORD COMES BACK WITH RED GUARDS YOU'LL MAKE THINGS WORSE FOR YOURSELVES!"

Elizabeth forced her protesting body into a sitting position and gulped in air, trying to summon up the energy to call out. "H...Ha..." Her voice was raspy, devoid of any power whatsoever, but it was there all the same. "H...Harry!"

Elizabeth sighed heavily. She did not think her voice was strong enough to carry through the open window into the street, but the thudding stopped abruptly. "Elizabeth?"

Tears rolled down ELizabeth's cheeks as she sighed in relief. "I...Ha...Harry I...need you..."

It was a mark of how ill Elizabeth really sounded, that within seconds she heard the sound of the door downstairs being kicked in. Footsteps thundered up the stairs and into the parlour. Harry was calling out to her as he searched each room, but Elizabeth had not the strength to call back to him. Eventually he stopped outside her bedroom door and tried the handle.

"Elizabeth if you're behind this door you need to move. I'll have to kick it in to get to you!"

After a few seconds, Harry seemed to take her silence as a confirmation of her distance from the door. With one swift kick the door flew back to smack against the wall and Harry tore into the room. It took a second for him to spot her as the bed and the large armchair blocked his view. When he caught sight of her though, Elizabeth saw something change within Harry's eyes. He had just realised exactly what had happened in the last five days. He approached her cautiously, smiling gently as if to reassure her that he meant no harm.

"Elizabeth who locked you in this room? What's happened here?"

Elizabeth stared up into the eyes that were so like her husbands and felt her resolve begin to crumble. She shook her head as sobs wracked her body and Harry pulled her towards him, cradling her head in the crook of his neck.

"Sir?" Elizabeth pulled away sharply to search for the source of the new voice, only to find Henry's manservant Peter standing in the doorway of her chamber.

"Boy, fetch me a doctor! The first one you can find and bring him here!" Peter was gone in an instant and Harry moved so that he was behind Elizabeth and lifted her to her feet. She swayed where she stood but Harry held her up with his arm around her waist. "Lets get you onto the bed." They walked gingerly and slowly, skirting around the furniture until Harry was able to push Elizabeth down onto the soft mattress. She hadn't the strength in her arms to pull herself up properly and Harry who quickly noticed lifted her into place against the pillows.

"Thank you," Elizabeth whispered gently.

Harry was gone for a few seconds and returned with a jug of water from the parlour. He poured her a glass and although the water was lukewarm and stagnant Elizabeth drank the whole glass greedily. Harry refilled the glass another three times so that she might drink, and then he settled on the edge of the bed to watch her closely. "Elizabeth, I believe I will not like the answer to my own question, but did Eric lock you in this room?"

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "We...we argued." Elizabeth's voice cracked and shuddered and she began to cough wildly as Harry placed an arm around her back to help her sit straight.

Then there were too many footsteps ascending the stairs for it to be just Peter and a doctor. Harry moved away towards the door and Elizabeth thought she saw anger written all over the side of his face. "What the devil is this? The door is open now Monsieur, there is no need for a brigade of red guards!"

"If there is still someone here then of course there is!" The landlord stopped in the doorway, glaring at Elizabeth.

Harry turned towards her quickly. "Elizabeth how long have you been locked in this room? Two days? Three?" Elizabeth shook her head meekly. "Good God not longer than that surely? Four? Five?" At the last Elizabeth nodded. Eric rounded on the landlord. "You told me you'd been by each day and there was no sign of anyone! This woman has been unwillingly locked inside this room for five days man! Well you can tell your friends here to leave because this lady is too ill to be moved! I've sent for a doctor, so you can return at a later date to discuss the matter of rent! GO!"

The landlord did not move. A red guard moved to stand beside him and re-affirm his authority. "We have reason to believe there might be some scheme to all this Monsieur, drawn up by your brother and his wife to obtain access to these lodgings illegally. Why else would the Madame still be here?"

Harry glared at the red guard incredulously. "What are you trying to say; that she wanted to be locked within this room without food or water for five days? Do you realise what you're saying man? Well? Look at her! LOOK AT HER! NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD SUFFER THAT WILLINGLY."

Elizabeth felt several pairs of eyes upon her then and the red guard seemed to rethink his stance. He took a decided step backwards. "We are still required to search these apartments Monsieur!"

"Hasn't she been through enough? Can't you come back when the lady is recovered? She does not need this stress!"

The red guard shook his head. "I cannot allow for the potential concealment of evidence Monsieur! These rooms must be searched."

"Harry...let them. Th...the sooner they search...the sooner they will be gone." Elizabeth held out her hand towards her brother in law as she pleaded with him, hoping to draw him to her side again and dispel his anger. "I'm...I was the one...shut...in this room. If I can control..my temper, so can you."

"Damn it Elizabeth this is about more than controlling tempers! This is about common decency and propriety-"

"What is the meaning of this?" Elizabeth started at the new voice that entered the fray. She sat up a little against the pillows as a well dressed man pushed his way into the room. There was something familiar about the man's tone of authority, as if she'd heard it before in someone else. He was finely dressed with dark blond hair laced with grey and a moustache. Mud covered the hem of his long cloak and there was a smattering of it up his sides from a hasty ride through the wet Paris streets. His blue eyes took in the state of the room and her dishevelled self on the bed before he turned on the red guards. "Get out, all of you! No one here has authority that matches mine! Take your friends outside with you back to your garrison!"

The landlord appeared crestfallen, but he clearly knew better than to argue with the man. The red guards began to file out, but the landlord stayed where he was. As the last red guard filtered back out into the hallway, a new face appeared around the doorway. Athos marched into the room, his face a mask that showed no emotion as he took in the overturned table by the window and the mess of blankets and parchment by the armchair. His three friends followed, but Elizabeth had eyes only for the sullen musketeer captain as he finally caught sight of her. Confusion marred his features for a second or two before being replaced by an expression of concern.

"Minister what is this?" Harry bellowed in the direction of the well dressed man. "You send away red guards only to bring in musketeers!"

"What's going on here?" The well dressed man asked as he glanced between Harry and Elizabeth. "Athos?"

"I wish I knew Treville. Elizabeth, might we speak alone?" Elizabeth suddenly recalled the name of Athos's old captain who had lately ascended to the role of King's adviser. The finely dressed man before her certainly fitted Athos's description of his mentor.

"No you may not!" Harry cried. "Who are you to address this lady so informally?"

"Harry!" Elizabeth reached forwards to try and catch hold of Harry's sleeve but he stepped out of her reach and she bit back a groan as she fell back onto the pillows.

Athos had stepped forward so that he was right in front of Harry, glaring at him as Harry squared his shoulders. "Monsieur might I ask who you are; and why you happen to be in the Madame's bedchamber?"

"I'm her brother in law! Though what it has to do with you musketeer I do not know! You all need to leave. My sister is unwell and I've sent for a doctor. I'm sure any doctor would take issue with the lady being under this much stress!"

Athos ignored Harry, instead glancing around him to look to Elizabeth. "Is he who he says he is?"

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "This...is Eric's brother Harry. Harry please stop disporting yourself and... come here..." Harry turned towards her again as if he had been slapped. Elizabeth was glad she sounded so hoarse and terrible for the simple reason that it appeared her condition snapped Harry out of his haze of anger and indignation. She held out the glass and he poured her some more water. Elizabeth glanced up as she felt Athos's eyes upon her again and cringed inwardly as his eyes trained on her shaking hands. "Harry, Athos here is my friend," Elizabeth supplied thinly, her voice little more than a whisper. "There will be no trouble from him, and we shall give him none in return. Alright?"

Harry nodded reluctantly and Elizabeth could see behind his eyes that he had so many questions; namely how on earth she had befriended a musketeer. "Will someone please explain why we are here?" Elizabeth glanced up towards Treville as he stared around at them all. "Athos, why have you brought us here?"

"Why...are you here?" Elizabeth asked faintly.

Athos was still staring at her. "A young lad passed us in the street, calling out to ask if anyone knew a doctor nearby. Aramis told him where to fetch one and asked if we could be of assistance. We were all together and when I heard your address I thought something was amiss. I thought you'd gone into the country?"

Elizabeth shook her head tiredly as Harry moved to stand beside the bedpost nearest her head in a protective nature. "She likely would have made it there if it wasn't for my brother." Harry appeared to wish to speak of what he had found when he'd broken into her lodgings and Elizabeth was too exhausted to try to stop him. "I came by to try and stop the landlord changing the locks because I'd not heard from my brother or Elizabeth. I know they were said to have left but I wanted to hear word that they were both settled wherever they had gone."

Elizabeth frowned. Although she did not consider Harry a bad person, there seemed something a little remiss in his answer. "Noble...of you," she sighed.

Harry threw her a scathing look. "It was with the best intentions I assure you. I knew there was bother between yourself and Eric. I did not think it right that the lodgings should be relinquished until you were settled Elizabeth. I was worried you might need to return and would not have a place to call your own. Now I am extremely grateful that I did come by."

"The papers were all signed," the landlord added drily. "Legally I was within my rights to take back this apartment and change the locks!"

"Would you have checked to make sure there was no one still within though?" Eric snapped. "Or would you have changed the locks and been on your merry way?"

"I had no responsibility to-"

Elizabeth grabbed Harry's wrist has he pushed away from the wall, looking as if he might attack the landlord in some way. "No responsibility? This lady was locked in this room for God's sake man!"

Treville turned to Porthos with a nod towards the landlord. "Porthos, see that this gentleman reacquaints himself with the street for a few moments until we are finished here."

The landlord struggled against Porthos's grip but the musketeer was too strong and had the man bundled from the room in mere seconds. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble," Elizabeth supplied quietly as she glanced around the room at them all.

Harry squeezed the hand that still held his wrist. "None of this is your fault Elizabeth!"

"What did you mean when you said the Madame was locked in this room?" Athos had moved towards the bed and was watching them both with a concerned interest.

"I had an argument with my husband," Elizabeth supplied thinly. "When he locked me in I thought perhaps it was just his way of trying to teach me a lesson. He was very angry so I considered that he might come back. After the first day or so I realised that was not going to happen though. I have little strength as it is to find my way out of such a predicament. I am lucky that Harry came by today."

"How long have you been in this room Madame?" Treville asked her.

"Five days," Elizabeth confirmed.

There was a ripple of disbelief throughout the room as all of the men turned to look at each other, shock written all over their faces. Porthos too had just heard her reply as he stepped back into the room. "Doctor's here," he announced. A few seconds later Peter appeared in the doorway with a doctor in tow.

Athos appeared stricken, so much so that Elizabeth took no notice of the doctor as he approached her beside and Harry moved away. She had eyes only for the musketeer and his sorrowful gaze. "When I...I'm sorry Elizabeth. When I received your note I assumed you had gone."

Elizabeth brushed off the doctor's ministrations as he attempted to feel her pulse. "That was the intention of the note Athos. This...none of this is your fault. I expected to be gone from Paris by the time you returned to it. How were you to know."

"Do you know where your husband is Madame?" D'artagnan called to her from the other side of the room.

Elizabeth shook her head. "He could still be in Paris, b..but I doubt it. This is not his usual behaviour. That is; we argue but he has never done anything like this before."

"It still warrants an investigation Madame," Aramis added. "We shall likely be able to smooth things over with the landlord."

The doctor moved back a bit as Harry began to whisper in his hear, telling him what had occurred. "I have not the money to smooth things over I'm afraid. I could contact my father's lawyer. He may be able to free up some funds from my father's estate in due course."

"Who said anything about money?" cried Porthos as he cracked his knuckles. He winked at her and Elizabeth was swiftly reminded again of the pirate stories her mother had told her when she was younger. "We'll sort all that out!"

She smiled wanly at him, feeling tiredness creep upon her again now that all of the excitement was over. The doctor had evidently been appraised of the situation by Harry and was now producing a phial of liquid from his case.

"Shall we give the Madame some privacy?" Treville called to his men as he made for the door again. D'artagnan and Aramis followed, smiling at her sympathetically. Porthos winked at her and turned to leave, but it was the cutting gaze of Athos that tore her heart in two. She knew he felt responsible even though there was nothing in the world he could have done for her.

Harry made to follow the musketeers. "If I can be of assistance in tracing my brother, I'd like to help!" he called out to them. "This is the last straw. He must be brought to account for his behaviour. I'll help in any way I can."

"We'd appreciate your insight actually," D'artagnan replied. "You will have a better knowledge of his more frequented locations in Paris."

Just as Athos turned to leave, Elizabeth recalled her painstaking recording of all of Eric's schemes. "Athos, wait!"

"I'm simply seeing my friends out Elizabeth. I'm not leaving you." All of the other men including Harry had stopped in the doorway and turned to watch the exchange. They were evidently curious about the familiarity between Elizabeth and Athos.

"That...that is for you." Elizabeth lifted a tired arm and pointed to the sheaf of parchment resting on the arm of the armchair.

Athos approached it then and took the sheaf into his hands. She watched as his eyes scanned the personal note she had scrawled for him. "Elizabeth, what is this?"

"It is an account...it...it is all I can remember...of my husband's dealings and schemes since I married him. Perhaps it is not a full account, for I may not be privy to it all or may have forgotten some things. All that I remember is there. You likely know of it all already, but I thought...as there was a chance I might not...I just wanted to do something worthwhile."

Elizabeth felt sobs wracking her body then as Athos's eyes reflected the pain and frustration she'd felt over the last five days. She knew that he understood that she had thought she was going to die in her room, leaving only the legacy of her husband's deceit for the rest of the world to see. Athos pressed the sheaf of parchment into Aramis's hands and approached the bed. he sat beside her and took her hand in his. He was resolved to stay with her for as long as she needed.

Harry appeared lost for what to do as the musketeers finally left the room. Elizabeth tried to reassure him with a smile. "Go harry. Go with them, you might be able to help. I'll be fine."