Chapter VIII
Two weeks later, Aramis finally performed his first official royal baby night watch. He suspected Athos of having delayed this moment as much as possible. If he had been the only to decide he may not even have put his friend on the schedule, but it was a direct order from the Queen and he could only postpone it so long before she realized what was happening.
Aramis saw his child during daytime, though. He was even on duty when the Dauphin took his first stroll in the Palace's gardens. He had rejoiced in the vision of the baby happily settled in his pram, a nurse pushing it while the Queen walked by its side. The Musketeer knew the mother would have wanted to be the one behind the pram but the royal protocol would not allow it. Keeping watch a few yards behind the Queen's entourage, he had enjoyed hearing his son's babbling. It was spring, the sun was shining and the weather was rather mild. It was a perfect afternoon. It was difficult for him to keep a straight face on and not be distracted from his mission.
Apart from this one time, the only news he had of the baby were from Marguerite. They saw each other quite a lot and she would sometimes share a few information about her day before moving on to what really interested her when she saw the Musketeer. Now that he did not have to use tricks to see baby Louis, Aramis soon realized that the governess was not as bad as he had first thought. She could be quite clever at times, and he enjoyed spending time in bed with her. But she seemed to be growing too fond of him, and he did not want that to happen. He had no romantic intention towards her. He could not afford to be romantic anymore as it never ended well for him.
Tonight, Marguerite was not looking after the Dauphin, which meant that when Aramis took his guard, he had to stay outside the door of the nursery. There was another nurse inside, he could hear her talk quietly to the baby, and he was pacing back and forth, raging inside to be so close and yet so far. His hand instinctively went to touch the locket under his shirt.
He heard footsteps coming in his direction and stopped moving. Instead, he stood very still as it was expected of a proper guard. When he realized it was the Queen, he relaxed his shoulders and smiled, bowing respectfully.
"Good evening, your Majesty."
"Good evening, Aramis. I was beginning to fear that Athos had forgotten you." She returned his smile, stopping next to him. She was still wearing one of her heavy dresses, her hair up in an intricate and complicated fashion. It must not be very comfortable, Aramis thought.
"He didn't want it to be 'too suspicious', that's all. His words, not mine."
"We must thank him for his discretion, then. What matters is that you are here, now. One more moment of patience."
She entered the nursery. There was some shuffling and hushed orders before the nurse left the room. Aramis waited a couple of seconds for her to disappear round a corner, and he joined the Queen and the baby. As she held the child in her arms, there was not an ounce of concern on her face. She did not look like the Queen of France anymore. She was simply a young mother taking care of her son, and loving him with all her heart. There was a big smile on her face when she looked up at Aramis who was standing by her side.
"He's grown," he stated proudly.
"They do tend to do that."
"Your Majesty should not make fun of me." He extended his hand to touch the ever-growing hair on his son's head. The skin of his face was so soft that Aramis feared he would scratch it with his rough fingers.
"He does not seem to want to sleep. Come on." The Queen went to sit on the bed, laying her child on the heavy bedspread. The Musketeer rid himself of all his weapons then joined them, half-sitting, half-lying on the bed.
They spent some time in comfortable silence, their son holding one of their fingers in each of his hands. Aramis noted every little change which had occurred since the last time he had seen him. Baby Louis was indeed a bit taller and a lot chubbier. He was also smiling a lot, returning his father's smile. It was doubtful he remembered this face from almost a month ago, but with time, he may start to recognize the Musketeer's features. It was all Aramis wished for.
"He enjoyed his stroll in the gardens last week."
"I did, too. It was nice to see him in daylight. No matter if I'm close or far away, whenever I have the opportunity to spend some time in his vicinity, I am content."
"It is a pity the weather has taken a turn for the worse. This rain forces us all to remain indoors," the Queen sighed. "Hopefully, there will be many more walks and afternoons in the gardens soon."
"I hope so."
"Do you? From what I heard, Marguerite quite appreciates it when it rains and she has to stay inside with you." Aramis was astounded by what he was hearing. He pulled his eyes away from the baby and for a second, he thought he saw the Queen blush.
"I did not think you knew. If your Majesty wishes I stop seeing Marguerite, then I..."
"Why would I want such a thing? I have no right to tell you who to see and not see. It only concerns you. No, I...I simply intended to make a joke. However, I do not think it is a talent I possess."
This time, he laughed. Tonight, in this nursery, she had clearly ceased to be a Queen to be a normal young girl. She was adorable, even when she failed to achieve her goal.
"My friend Porthos would have found it very entertaining, your Majesty."
She was somewhat reassured. Her attention returned to the Dauphin who was now sucking on his father's index. It warmed her heart to see that Aramis did not mind having his hand covered in dribble. Her sole regret was that these small touching moments could only happen behind closed doors and that no one else could never know about them. It would forever remain the greatest injustice of her life.
"Have you heard from Captain Tréville yet?" she asked after many minutes of silence.
"The last we heard of him was at the beginning of the week. He sent a letter saying that there was some progress. Still no sign of his nephew, but they may have found the one who commissioned the attack. Although they require some proof before actually confronting him, it should not be too long before they do."
"That is some progress, indeed. It must have been terrible witnessing all of this in Orléans."
"I have seen worse, your Majesty. It's my job as a soldier. What was heartbreaking was having to care for Elise after she had lost everyone she loved."
"Elise...?"
"She's Captain Tréville's niece. She was held hostage by the bandits. I dressed her wounds there before we took her back to Paris with us. She's been staying at the Garrison ever since."
"Poor soul. Losing her parents in such a tragedy. She was fortunate you were here to take care of her. How is she doing now?"
"There are good days and bad days. On the bright side, her shoulder is healing so nicely I could almost be a better physician than the royal surgeon," Aramis boasted with a cheeky smile. It was easy to forget he was talking to the Queen when the conversation was flowing so easily without all the tedious rules of protocol to complicate it. "But she's grieving and she hardly knows anyone in the city. I believe she feels very lonely, which is never good in such a situation."
"That will not do. I shall invite her to the Palace. It will give her a distraction and a chance to see if you have indeed chosen the wrong career."
"Your Majesty should be careful. I think spending time with me is leading you to copy my sense of humour. Some would say it is not for the best."
"I am the Queen and I will do whatever I please even though you are right. I must be more careful." A shadow passed before her eyes, as if she realized that she could not allow herself to be too carefree even in private. "I will write a note to Elise and you will deliver it to her." She stood up from the bed and left for the adjacent room. Aramis took the chance to completely lie down and he put his head next to the baby's so that their hair touched. He gazed into the curious eyes, the little fingers poking his cheeks, his mouth and his nose. It was the best sensation in the world.
"I hope you have a good sense of humour, Louis. You will drive your mother mad, just like I did with your grandmother. It was good fun," Aramis whispered. Being the heir to the throne of France would certainly prove to be a boring life. As a small child, his son would hardly be allowed any good distraction and everyone around him would mind their every word, too afraid to offend him. The Musketeer hoped his friends and him would still be around then, to provide some kind of fun.
Aramis was woken up by the Queen gently touching his shoulder. He must have dozed off watching his son sleep.
"It's late and I wish to retire to my own bed chamber. I have rung the nurse so she should be back soon. You should take your position outside the door before she arrives."
"Of course. I'm sorry I fell asleep."
"No need to apologise. I actually quite enjoyed watching you both sleep. Be sure to give this to Elise when you see her in the morning," she put a square piece of paper in his hand.
Aramis kissed his child good night, then went back to assume his position, extremely happy with the moments spent with the Queen and the baby. He did not even mind having to stay in the corridor a couple more hours.
After resting for a few hours in his own room at the Garrison, Aramis came face to face with Athos once he stepped in the hallway. The older man must have been waiting for him.
"I trust you did not do anything stupid last night."
"Good morning to you, as well. I 'm very fine today, thank you for asking. And no, I did not do anything stupid. The Queen was with me the entire time. As a matter of fact, she gave me a letter to deliver to Elise so if you don't mind..."
"What letter? What did you tell her Majesty?"
"Only the truth. The Queen wants to meet Elise, that's all. She feels sorry for her."
Athos relaxed, but still looked grumpy. He followed Aramis up the stairs to Elise's room. She was sitting on a chair, reading, when they came in. Her eyes were red from crying, and she was still wearing a black shawl over her shoulders to hide her injury. She did not like it one bit, and dreaded the scar it would leave.
"Good morning, Elise," Aramis declared, smiling back at her. "I have a very important message for you."
"From my uncle?"
"No...It may not be so important after all, but you will certainly enjoy it. It comes from the Queen."
"The Queen? The Queen has written to me?" she sounded astonished. She stood up and quickly opened the letter handed to her. She held her breath while reading it. "She...she wants me to meet with her!" Elise was shocked. "Why?"
"She must have learnt your story and she may wish to show that she cares. The Queen is very fond of Captain Tréville."
"You will need an escort to the Palace. Does her Majesty give a time and a day for this audience?" Athos asked, always the pratical one. Elise nodded.
"Tomorrow afternoon. But I have nothing to wear. I've been wearing the same dress for days. I cannot possibly meet the Queen in a dirty dress!"
"Do not alarm yourself. I will send word to Mme Bonacieux to inquire if your other dress is ready. If not, I'm sure she will have one to lend to you."
Aramis was glad to see that apart from this clothing detail, Elise seemed extremely happy about the news. The Queen knew what to do to make her subjects cheerful.