Chapter 24
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I am a musketeer for a few days now but I also have to deal with my new found grandmother. I thought that it would be a great idea if I'd ask the Captain for some time away from the garrison. I explained to him that he was to visit my grandmother and he granted me a month of leave. He granted to my comrades; Athos, D'Artagnan, Aramis and Porthos the same amount of days. This way they could accompany me in Bordeaux. The road to the Baroness' Mansion would be a long way. So, we set off a week after I've been granted the right to be a musketeer. My legs was much better, the trip will be a good week long. We rode in silence first. Everyone was deep in their own thought and I still didn't realise that I am a musketeer, the first woman to be one. Aside from this, I was still trying to figure out my feelings towards Athos. He was riding before me and I couldn't help but stared at him. I was trying to understand what change between the day I've met him and today. Not much, if we really think about it. I mean I stopped being a thief and ended musketeer. Aramis, Porthos and D'Artagnan are really good friends. D'Artagnan is by far my best friend. Athos, on the other hand, I couldn't describe the relationship we have. I guess that he's a really good friend and probably more than this. Someone cleared their throat next to me and I gasped in surprise. I closed my eyes when I saw it was D'Artagnan. I put my hand on my chest.
"Next time give me a warning, D'Artagnan." I scolded him.
"Next time stop daydreaming, Nellie." He replied. I glared at him.
"Is there a reason why you pulled me out of my thoughts?" I asked him.
"What were you thinking about, Emma?" Aramis asked once he reached my side.
"Nothing that concerns you." I replied smirking. Aramis and D'Artagnan glanced at each other knowingly. They were both smirking. "What am I missing?" I asked arching up an eyebrow.
"Is the subject of your thoughts a musketeer by any chance?" D'Artagnan teased.
"I wasn't thinking about Athos." I replied quickly. D'Artagnan and Aramis chuckled.
"We didn't mention his name." Aramis smirked. "It's no secret in the garrison that you seem to have some infatuation for Athos."
"I think you are mistaken, Aramis, infatuation sounds more like a foolish thing." D'Artagnan argued.
"You think? So what would you call it?" Aramis played along with him.
"Well, I think we can certainly call it 'love.' D'Artagnan replied seriously. They stayed silent for a moment and I just gaped at them. They both burst out laughing.
"This is not funny." I hissed at them. "And no I don't feel love for Athos."
"Nellie, it's obvious, the only one who doesn't seem to notice is Athos." D'Artagnan smiled. And I rolled my eyes.
"And apparently our dear Emma too." Aramis added as an afterthought.
"And you're both idiot." I scoffed.
"And you're in denial." Aramis countered.
"I do not love Athos." I insisted.
"She's in denial." Aramis replied after a pause nodding at D'Artagnan.
"Definitely." D'Artagnan agreed. I rode ahead of them pouting at their teasing. I heard them chuckling behind my back.
Aramis and D'Artagnan were surely wrong; I'm not in love with Athos. Why everyone is suggesting this? I mean even Milady and Constance seemed to believe that Athos or myself felt something towards the other. We made a stop for lunch and I just isolated myself for the rest of day. I avoided Aramis and D'Artgnan and I stopped staring at Athos. The only one I could stand the presence right now was Porthos. We spent the rest of the ride together, talking about things he did during his childhood and I would tell him some stories of mine. When the night came we stopped in a clearing. During dinner I was able to forget my previous conversation with those two idiots. We all went to sleep, well, the ones that could sleep went to sleep. I lied down on my back just staring at the starry sky. I thought about my meeting with the musketeer and all the things I've been through. I realised that it was a long way from being a thief to being a musketeer. I glanced at my blazon that was on my right shoulder. I found new friends, a new family and a place where I belong to. And with those thoughts I slowly drifted to sleep.
The next morning I rode next to D'Artagnan. "Alright, how do you know when you're in love?" I asked him puffing. D'Artagnan seemed stunned by my question.
"Now, you're talking to me." He smirked once he recovered.
"Look, I came to you because you're my best friend and I thought you would understand." I replied angry at his remark. "But if you're going to mock me then I will ask my question to someone else."
"Alright, alright, no need for you to get mad." D'Artagnan retorted raising his right hand to stop me. "Have you ever been in love before?"
"I wouldn't ask if I knew what love feels like. So the answer would be no." I grumbled. He chuckled and I glared at him.
"Well, I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer to your question."
"How about you tell me what you feel for Constance." I asked him.
"She's the finest woman I've ever met. Beautiful, brave and generous. I admire and respect her." D'Artagnan listed with a faraway look and a smile on his face.
"Well, if I have to have that stupid look on my face, I'd rather not be in love." I snorted.
"Too late you already wore that face, Nellie." D'Artagnan countered offended. I put my hand over my heart.
"I'm wounded, really, D'Artagnan. How dare you?" I replied faking hurt. We both laughed and I turned serious. "I'm sorry that it didn't work out."
"So am I." D'Artagnan replied. "But it doesn't have to be the case for you and Athos." He smirked. "Tell me what you feel for Athos."
"Well, he's one of the bravest musketeers I know. And he's handsome and a true friend. And I can't bare the thought to lose him. And…" I trailed off as my eyes were on Athos before us.
"And you can't take your eyes off of him." D'Artagnan chuckled. I turned to look at him.
"What if I'm in love with him, eh, of what use is it if he's not feeling the same way?"
"Oh, something tells me he is." D'Artagnan assured me.
The talk about my feelings or Athos' was put aside for the rest of our trip to Bordeaux. We reached Bordeaux at midday on the sixth day and we asked around for The Baroness mansion direction. The mansion was outside of the village. When we arrived there it was already afternoon. I stopped my horse and looked from afar. I felt nervous and scared to actually talk with her and dine with her and live with her. I pulled at the reins to turn around. Athos has predicted my gesture and grabbed the reins from my hands.
"You have to try at least." Athos reminded and my cheeks flushed at the memory of my sudden urge to kiss him.
"Yes, I—I remember." I stammered. "And I did try…" I trailed off as Athos looked at me pointedly. "Fine, fine, let's go and get done with this."
We rode towards the house. Some servants came out of the house; some stables boy came at us and took the horses with them. I looked at the mansion. It was huge, impressive and not at all the type of house I'm used to live in. Lady Catherine de Sauvignon was wearing a beautiful blue dress and her long blond curls were up in a bun. She descended the stairs to welcome us.
"Oh, my dear Emma, I'm so glad you came." She said pulling me in an embrace that I returned awkwardly.
"Me too." I replied unsure.
"Who's your friends?" She asked pulling away.
"Oh, I'm sorry. They are the King's musketeers and my friends." I replied then I faced them and introduced them to her. "Here are Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan." They all bowed to her when I said their names. "The finest and the bravest of all the musketeers."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all, gentlemen." She curtsied. "Grimmaud, please can you show them to their rooms, please." She ordered to one of the men there. "You'll be able to rest until dinner is served. Emma, I will show you to your chambers."
The interior of the mansion was as huge as the exterior have let us guess. There way portraits of people I don't know in the entrance of the house. She led me upstairs and let me to the first door on the left. She opened the door and moved away to let me in. It was a spacious bedchamber. In one of the walls I've noticed my mother's portrait. I walked to it mesmerized. These last few years I felt guilty for forgetting her face but there I could see it and I realised that I've never really forgotten the way she used to look like.
"You do look like her a lot." Lady Catherine said softly.
"Not entirely." I said referring to my skin colour and my black hair. Then I turned away from the portrait and inspected the rest of the room. The large bed was in the middle of the room. There were a big wardrobe near the door, and a chest drawer under the portrait. There was another table on which there was a mirror sitting. On the bed, a beautiful red dress was laid down.
"I'll leave you to rest now." She said letting a deep breath out. "I will send someone to help you dress before dinner."
"Thank you."
She closed the door behind her and I sat at the edge of the bed. I stared at the emptiness for a few minutes and then after taking a long breath, I got up and started to put all of my weapons on the chair that I pulled next to the bed. There was a knock on the door after a few minutes. Some servants pulled in a bathtub and started to pour some hot water in it. A maidservant came in with a screen and I asked her to put it next to my bed. After twenty laborious minutes during which they were filling up the bathtub with hot water, I was able to take a relaxing bath. The maidservant remained in to help me and to make sure that the water was still hot. Once I was finished she helped me to dress and helped me to brush my hair. She put my hair up in a complex bun and let some strands fall down and framed my face. She left me after that. I've decided to go for a walk before dinner. Before doing this I made sure to put my uniform in safety in the chest drawer. I got out of the room and walked down the stairs. I've met Grimmaud and I informed him that I was going for a walk for a few minutes. He promised to let me know when dinner will be ready. He also advised me to walk in the garden, it was safer. I listened to his advice.
The garden was huge and really beautiful. Well taken care of, the flowers went from roses to the forget-me-nots. It weren't the rose or the forget-me-nots that attracted my attention, no it was the sunflowers. My mother loved them it was her favourites and I guess that with time it became mine. She found them complex, always between living and dying; half-human as they turn to the sun. I've always thought the half-human part was a bit disturbing but they do grow on you. Next to the sunflowers was the pansy which I thought was strange. What was stranger was that the pansy was my father's favourite ones. To him and to my mother, this flower symbolizes the freedom of thoughts. I was pulled out of my thoughts when Grimmaud came to call me for dinner.
"Excuse me, Grimmaud, why these combination?" I asked him.
"It was the young mistress who decided to put the sunflowers and the pansies together." Grimmaud answered and offering me his arm. "Your mother, Lady Madeline, always loved the flowers. When she met your father she planted those flowers next to each other. And when her parents forbid her from seeing your father ever again, she came here everyday." Grimmaud remembered. "To her it was a way to be close to Marcos. Your father was a great man." We stepped together in the house and my four friends were already there. They were all watching me, their mouths hung open. I felt terribly self conscious. Grimmaud let go of my arm and bowed to us.
"Is something wrong?" I asked them when I saw they had no intention to speak.
"Dear God, Emma, I almost forgot that you were a girl." Porthos chuckled.
"Porthos, please, she's not a girl anymore. She's a woman, now." Aramis corrected him.
"You look beautiful, Nellie." D'Artagnan nodded smiling.
"Emma, you look wonderful." Lady Catherine said joining us. "Shall we." She invited us to follow her to the dinner room. Aramis offered her his arm and they walked together. I stood on my spot for a few seconds. Nervous to eat at the same table of someone that was a complete stranger to me and yet someone that shared the same blood as me. I also have to admit that it bothered me that Athos said nothing about my dress. Silly thoughts, I know. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt someone gently took my hand in theirs. It was Athos, his hand felt rugged against my soft ones and yet warm. He pulled my hand into the crook of his arm.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine." He reassured me whispering in my ear. His voice and his closeness brought shiver down my spine. "The red is a good colour on you." His compliment brought a grin to my face and red to my cheeks.
"Thank you."
