Chapter 27

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I woke up groaning at the pain that spread into my gut. Someone was carrying me inside the mansion. I could hear my grandmother talking or yelling, I couldn't say. They carried me and laid me down on a table. I tried to focus on the ceiling. My eyes couldn't stay open for long.

"Am I dying?" I croaked.

"No, my love, you're not." I recognised Catherine.

"Grimmault lied." I continued. "He said you only wanted the money and the title."

"Shhh; we can talk later, don't worry." She soothed me.

"He'll come…we have to stop…"

"Emma, look at me!" Someone grabbed my face in their hands. "Emma, everything will be fine." I recognised Athos. "Don't worry!" My hand reached his face.

"I'm not worried. I'm with you." I muttered before my eyes rolled in the back of my head.

I woke up later in a comfy bed. The room was lit by candles. "You're awake." A voice exclaimed. I turned my head towards the person, it was my grandmother. "I just came to check on you." She informed me. "And to try one more time to convince you friend, Monsieur Athos, to go to bed." She said cocking her head in his direction by the side of my bed. I didn't notice him there. He was sleeping in a chair, in an uncomfortable position.

"How long have I been in bed?" I asked her.

"A few hours. But you need to rest some more." She answered sitting on the edge of the bed. "You were right. Aramis could have been a fine seamstress." She joked. I chuckled but groaned immediately at the pain.

"Don't make me laugh." I said to her.

"Sorry. I'm just happy to see you're better." She sighed. She took my hand in hers.

"I apologise for trusting Grimmault over you. It was a terrible mistake." I told her.

"It's over now." She patted my hand. "We'll talk later, in the morning." She bent down and kissed me on my forehead. "You need to rest, now. Goodnight." She got up from the bed and walked to Athos.

"No, there's no need." I stopped her.

"But he needs to rest in a proper bed." She countered.

"I agree but if the other three weren't able to convince him. What makes you think you can?" She stared at me with a knowing smile.

"Alright! I leave now. Goodnight, Emma." She smiled walking out of the room.

"Goodnight, Catherine." I sat up on the bed. My gut hurt me immediately but it wasn't excruciating as before. The exercise tired me a bit. I laid my head on the board and closed my eyes sighing. When I opened my eyes, I saw Athos was stirring up in his sleep. "Must be extremely uncomfortable." I remarked.

"It is." He replied. The sound of his voice startled me.

"You're awake? I thought you were asleep."

"I was. But you and Lady Catherine woke me."

"Sorry." I said sheepishly.

"No worries." He pulled his chair closer to the bed. "How are you?"

"Better but a bit sore." I replied honestly. "Athos, I think you should go to sleep. I'm fine now; you don't need to watch over me."

"I'll go when you'll be back to sleep." He replied.

"And I'm telling you, you don't need to." I countered.

"But I'm staying." He retorted smirking.

"There's no winning with you." I remarked. His smirk grew wider. I took his hand in mine. "We have to get ready for Grimmault and his merry men."

"We'll talk about it in the morning." He said squeezing my hand.

"No, we need to do it, now." I replied looking down at our hands. "I don't know why Grimmault is doing this. But he won't stop at that." I took a deep breath.

"Emma in the morning, we'll talk. Now, go to sleep, you need to rest." He bent down to kiss my forehead. His lips lingered for a few seconds. He pulled away slightly. I slightly touched his cheek. My eyes drifted at his lips. My eyes met his. Athos leaned down and our lips met in a soft and tender kiss. Never in a million years, I thought a kiss could make you feel alive, more than you already are. Or maybe it has something to do with the person you kissed. The kiss didn't last long but it was long enough to make me crave for more, for a more passionate one. Athos brushed the hair from my face and smiled his crooked smile. "I'll go once you're asleep."

"Will you lay down with me?" I asked shyly.

"Emma…" He shook his head.

"Not all night just a bit until I fall asleep." I argued. He hesitated but conceded. He took off his boots and his jerkin and laid down on the covers. I scooted over as best as I could.

"Until you fall asleep." Athos said as I placed my head on his chest.

"Until I fall asleep." I agreed. I closed my eyes with a content sigh. I was lulled to sleep by the movement of his chest rising everytime he breathed.

"I see that there's some evolution between you and Athos?" Aramis said this morning as he was checking my wound.

"It was nothing, really." I replied smirking.

"Nellie, we found him in your bed this morning." D'Artagnan countered popping a fruit in his mouth. "It was more than nothing."

"That was mine, thank you very much. And we might have shared the bed but we didn't share a bed. Don't say it like we did." I told him slapping his hand away from my plate.

"You're recovering quickly." Aramis announced bringing our attention back to my wound. "You'll be fine in a few days."

"If you didn't share a bed, what happened last night?" Porthos asked.

"We just kissed nothing too important." I shrugged sipping from my goblet. They remained silent for a few seconds and then they all chuckled.

"You're right; nothing too important." D'Artagnan commented.

"Now, enough with the prying questions. Do you have any lead on Grimmault?"

"Not yet." Athos replied annoyed. My grandmother came in following Athos, and she too didn't look happy. "Grimmault hasn't shown himself yet. And he won't for a moment."

"What makes you so sure?" I asked.

"The Duke, who is a fine man and a good friend," She looked pointedly at me. I rolled my eyes at her antics and if I have to guess, I would say she found me and Athos in the same bed this morning. She must have been mortified. "informed that the last time he was seen, he was going in the direction of Toulon."

"How many days will it take him to be there?"

"Two days, if he doesn't rest." Porthos replied.

"Why is he going there?" Aramis asked.

"No idea." Catherine answered.

"Maybe you can tell us why he thinks Emma is an obstacle?" D'Artagnan questioned her.

"The lawyer let me read Thomas' will. If I refuse my heritage, you'll inherit everything." I informed her and the musketeers. "The Lawyer doesn't want me to be the Baroness, there was another man but I think he was working for Grimmault maybe. But I don't understand why Grimmault would do that."

"Revenge and love." Catherine replied.

"What?"

"Before Marcos was brought into this house, Grimmault fell in love with your mother." She started to explain. "Even after Marcos and Madeline marriage, he hoped to win her back but…"

"Madeline was expecting me." She nodded.

"If I threw them out of this house, it's only because I thought your father has stolen my jewelleries. Just like I believed Grimmault's words." She sighed. "And your mother was a stubborn girl so she followed her husband and the father of her child."

"But my mother is dead, in what way would have I been an obstacle?" I questioned.

"I don't know. The only thing I know is that all these years, he never stopped loving her."

"Romantic and frightening." Aramis commented.

"Alright, it's obvious that we cannot do anything but wait for Grimmault to make an appearance. What's with the sour face you're both wearing?" I questioned both Catherine and Athos.

"It's something you and I will discuss in private, young lady." My grandmother said with pursed lips.

"Is it that bad?" I winced.

"We should go in town and see what we can find." Athos said to the other three. My friends bid me goodbye and left the room. Athos walked to the bed, once they were outside. He pecked on my forehead and on my lips and left. The scowl on Catherine's face deepened at his actions. Once the door was closed behind him; Catherine started her little speech.

"Emma, I've approved, against my better judgement, your choice to be a musketeer…"

"I didn't know I was looking for your approval." I commented. She glared at the interruption. I was doing my best at hiding the smile that was threatening to split my face. For the first time in years, since my mother's death, that I was being scold for my choices. I missed that.

"I am aware that you abhor feelings for your fellow musketeer; Athos but I won't accept this sort of behaviour under my roof. I won't have you sharing your bed with a man." She continued.

"First, Athos and I, we didn't actually share a bed. I was injured remember. I am still. Second, you don't have to worry about being a great-grandmother before a long time." I retorted. "So, don't worry."

"Yeah, but you would have, if you weren't." She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Probably not. Athos is gentleman." I replied.