Chapter 27

Jussac blinked as the door fell back into the lock. He dropped into his chair with a groan and rubbed his temples. Would the headache that this fello- this woman was constantly giving him ever subside? Tomorrow morning, he guessed, he would wake up with the first grey hairs. His dear wife would notice immediately, of course, tease him and ask what was causing him to age before his time. He would have to confess to her that another woman was the reason and then it would be all over with him.

Jussac still could not understand it. Mademoiselle de Batz-Castelmore lived with this masquerade for a damned long time by now! Perhaps that was why no one had been able to see through to it; people had an idea of Charles d'Artagnan in their minds, an opinion about his character. They had become accustomed to it for a decade and never questioned it.

Ten years already, and she seriously did not want to have known that her utterly moronic captain had become jealous of a supposed rival? Tréville had been dealt a severe blow by the reassignment, he was behaving quite calmly about it considering that. His... 'attachment' left much to be desired. Jussac still couldn't think of another word for it without a disgusted shudder. 'Never had her', bah!

Why was he thinking about it, anyway? It had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with whether d'Artagnan was a capable officer and should remain in the Red Guard. Richelieu obviously wanted to keep her, who was Jussac to override that?

A woman. No, he still couldn't believe it!

Jussac stood up with a jerk, took the changed sentry list and hung it in its place in the guardroom. A walk to sort out his thoughts and not be disturbed by the concerns of the regiment seemed right to him now.

He let his feet take the lead. Without his intervention, they guided him to the study of the Prime Minister. He only realised when he had already made his presence known and did not have to wait long to be let in. He had not told the liveried servant in the antechamber anything of urgency and yet Richelieu granted him this audience. Jussac suspected that his visit has already been expected; his request for this conversation, from which he hoped to clarify his confused thoughts.

The cardinal was not sitting at the desk made of dark palisander wood as usual, but was standing at the map of France hanging on the wall. He was not looking at the borders of the kingdom, not keeping an eye on the enemies and, even more so, the allies. No, his hand was on the centre, his fingers ran along the Loire to one of its branches, the Nièvre. The province of Nivernais seemed to have caught his attention. Was a revolt going on there, maybe diplomatic entanglements? Or was Richelieu harmlessly planning a leave to recover from the state affairs and strengthen his poor health?

Jussac bowed to the cardinal who finished his reflections and turned from the map to face the lieutenant. »Monseigneur.«

»Stand at ease.« Richelieu took his place at the desk. He eyed the officer who, despite permission, kept his posture tense. Jussac seemed agitated, distracted. It was not hard to guess what had upset him. »What do you have to report?«

»Lieutenant d'Artagnan spoke to me. About... a personal matter.«

»Ah, Mademoiselle de Batz-Castelmore.« Richelieu watched Jussac's facial expression with interest after mentioning this name. The lieutenant appeared as if he wanted to be an unmoved bastion of calm, but there was a noticeable flinch in his countenance. The cardinal sat back, ready for a productive argument. »Conscripted by my order. Is that what you wanted to be certain of?«

Jussac nodded, but immediately afterwards he brought out between his teeth, »With all due respect, Monseigneur, but is that wise? To let a woman serve, and as an officer at that?«

»It is wise to have a capable and loyal soldier in your ranks. Or does the future captain of my Guard have reservations about the origins of his subordinates?«

Jussac did not like the lurking tone. Indignantly, he dismissed the accusation where it should not have been necessary. Had he not long since proved his own capabilities and loyalty without being saddled with a constant scandal? Jussac certainly valued useful guardsmen regardless of rank and origin. But also regardless of gender? »I apprehend trouble, yes! D'Artagnan may have distinguished herself among the musketeers, but those are not called into action on the battlefield.«

»La Rochelle,« Richelieu reminded him. A bloody campaign against the town and the English; two years' service on the front line, as cannon fodder in the trenches. The foolhardy conquest of the Saint-Germain bastion, which had earned d'Artagnan the Musketeer's uniform. She understood the craft of war and certainly did not suffer from female hysteria. But...

»Everything is a lie, a deceitful deception!« exclaimed Jussac.

»Who among us does not pretend to be a very different person to the outside world every day?«

»I will not question the value of such philosophical reflections,« Jussac replied in a tone that most certainly questioned everything, without impressing the cardinal.

»Then you will certainly agree, with equal value neutrality, that it requires some skill to successfully hoodwink even my best spies. An useful quality.«

»If Your Eminence so judges.« Jussac did not ask permission to share his thoughts frankly. He had earned that favour long ago through his own skill and reliability. »Forgive my contradiction, but there is greater value in trustworthiness than in pretence.«

»Are we not dealing with a trustworthy person?«

»Obviously not!«

»Is Monsieur d'Artagnan not performing the service dutifully, has some harm come upon my Guard or me?«

»Some harm has come to Captain de Tréville.«

»Is Mademoiselle de Batz-Castelmore to blame?«

»...No. But a woman among men is bound to cause problems!«

»So? Then you too intend to fight with Rochefort?«

Jussac felt mocked, but he had to endure the ridicule. »No, Monseigneur. Nor does anyone else know d'Artagnan's true identity. Not yet. My men are not stupid. I assume Sorel suspects it, knows it already. Others will follow. There may be a scandal and then-«

»A scandal involving my Red Guard let be my concern.«

That was what Jussac wanted to hear; that a possible éclat would not be blamed on the regiment. Or him. Richelieu would not allow to have his Guard disgraced or individual officers sacrificed as scapegoats. »I thank you for hearing me out.«

Richelieu coughed suppressedly, the conversation obviously scratching his throat. That he had nevertheless conducted it, the lieutenant could value as granted respect. »Captain Luchaire will apply for a discharge today. I will grant the request. Prepare to succeed him in command!«

Jussac bowed deeply. His new role would probably include warding off any scandal. »Thank you, Eminence. I will accept d'Artagnan as second in command.«

»Good, you may withdraw. Seek out Rochefort if you have any further questions.«

Jussac immediately complied with it and left. He was satisfied, the conversation has dampened his anger and made him see things differently. The truth finally got through to him - and yet he still saw nothing but a young man in his mind's eye when he thought of d'Artagnan. If only he could talk about it with Bernajoux and Biscarat! But now he unwittingly bore the responsibility for continuing to maintain the deception. Protection, as Tréville must have given for years before. What this accursed musketeer captain succeeded in doing could not be so difficult!

While Jussac was engrossed in his less than pleasant thoughts, without a glance at his immediate surroundings, he was observed attentively in turn. Someone started to follow him, not even making an effort to remain unnoticed. Footsteps closed in on Jussac and yet the lieutenant did not notice until he suddenly had a companion at his side.

He turned his head and received a curt, not exactly friendly sign from Rochefort. »Your study. Now.«

The master spy wore an expression that warned any protest would have unpleasant consequences. Jussac reluctantly complied. He did not ask what Rochefort wanted from him. Trouble was coming his way, that was obvious. As if he hadn't had enough of that already this morning!

They reached the study and Jussac entered first. He leaned against the desk, unimpressed by Rochefort's ominous entrance, and waited for an explanation, as if he were already captain and had granted an audience.

»Someone has accessed the archives.« The stable master got straight to the point. His gaze slid briefly over the desk, detected the wine bottle and the empty cups, before fixing his attention back on Jussac. »Someone who would not have an assignment that would entitle him to take documents. Yet that's exactly what Biscarat claimed to the archivist.«

Jussac almost forfeited his feigned equanimity to curse Biscarat and his foolish obstinacy. He had warned him very clearly! ...After giving him the idea in the first place. »On my orders.«

»So?« Rochefort asked tensely, allowing Jussac the opportunity for an explanation before he had the lieutenant's head been cut off. He might have expected this explanation, a half-lie, and wanted to hear the confession directly from Jussac before an extremely unpleasant interrogation for Biscarat would take place; gaining access to the archives under false pretences and being caught could have fatal consequences.

Jussac was not intimidated by this. »You seek me out too late.«

»I should not have to seek you out at all, dear friend. What would I be late for?«

»To confess an unavoidable truth, dear friend

Rochefort eyed the lieutenant sharply. »Clearer!«

»I gave the order for investigations to Biscarat just before a certain promotion was granted.«

»Ah, so that's what it boils down to?«

»Yes. But d'Artagnan talked to me personally less than two hours ago.« Jussac had explained everything with that, even the cups and the wine. Rochefort did not let on whether this opening caught him off guard. He was silently considering and assessing what he had heard. Then his whole posture relaxed. He seemed convinced that the cardinal's Red Guard was not plotting against its master or his spies - but that indeed only the unavoidable had been inquired about. »You know that you have gone too far with this order.«

»And you know that you first interfered in internal affairs, in the affairs of the Red Guard, and of my Red Guard as of today, officially.« Jussac grinned like a shark and wielded a literaly sharp blade at Rochefort, who has made more than one mistake in recent weeks. »Did Biscarat find anything in the archives? Do any reports exist about d'Artagnan?«

Rochefort hesitated, then sighed in defeat. »Yes, and now they're in Biscarat's possession. Where did he take them to?«

»I assume he still carries them with him and will present me with them soon. Provided there is an explanation in it why two men of honour should fight over some lieutenant. Who this lieutenant is.«

»If you can put two and two together, it's there between the lines.« The stable master waved a hand through the air, brushing aside unspoken things. »I may be late, but you will oblige Biscarat to be silent and I will forget to mention this incident to Richelieu.«

»Do you ask this of me to protect a friend? Or to save your own neck, for not making these reports disappear?«

»I am very little concerned about my own neck, don't worry,« Rochefort growled a most sinister promise.

Jussac took his place behind the desk, demonstratively relaxed. »The silence was already agreed on before you waylaid me.«

»Less than two hours ago,« Rochefort remarked, glancing at the wine bottle. »You're still digesting it.«

Jussac was by no means as calm and composed as he wanted to appear. The cardinal himself has referred him to Rochefort with his last, unanswered questions, and so it burst out of him, »For heaven's sake, yes! How did you react when you saw through the deception?!«

Rochefort did not answer immediately. Instead, he pulled up a chair because this conversation would take longer than he has anticipated at the beginning. He helped himself to the Anjou and took d'Artagnan's forgotten cup for it. For the good of his best friend, he could spend time with Jussac instead of immediately obliging Biscarat personally to keep quiet and bring those documents back to him. That was now in the lieutenant's hands and he seemed to trust Biscarat to keep his mouth shut until he would have reported to Jussac.

»How I reacted? I laughed up my sleeve. Suddenly everything made sense and it was a wonderful opportunity to snub Tréville.«

»You evidently discover in everything first a benefit for yourself and the cardinal's cause.«

»So it is with my profession. Knowledge is power.«

Jussac snorted. He lacked any sense of platitudes right now. »You knew before the Captain of the Musketeers himself?«

»Not at all. Even Richelieu, to whom I usually report all truths, was informed before I was. I can only guess why and by whom.« Rochefort hid a smirk behind his cup. He could at least make a pretty good guess that Milady told the cardinal about the embarrassing story that had taken place in her bedchamber. Of the otherwise clever agent's disgrace at not having unmasked another woman in men's clothes until she was literally within touching distance; Oh, how Milady must have raged, and perhaps she had sworn deadly revenge on d'Artagnan not so much because the brand on her shoulder was revealed, but out of wounded pride.

Jussac suspected nothing of this. He only heard that Rochefort was once not much more enlightened than he himself. A strangely comforting thought. »His Eminence did not let you in on it?«

»No, and again I can only guess at the reasons.«

»What do you suspect?«

»No one saw through the masquerade, not even me. Why give up a good hand prematurely? That worked out, as I was later to discover. At just the right moment I recognised a woman in the Lieutenant of the Musketeers, and yes, I was not only surprised but also very amused.«

»Leave the innuendos and think me a terrible simpleton who would need long explanations!«

»It seems to me you have only a terrible headache.«

»Then spare me and put the facts on the table without confusing me further! What right moment do you mean, how did you find out everything?«

»This is subject to strict secrecy and certainly no one will find these reports because they were never written. But I can tell you that we're talking about events seven years in the past.«

Jussac groaned at these new insinuations, which he understood far too well this time. »You speak of Versailles? Versailles again, curse it! I see where this is leading.«

»Then you need not ask the details.«

»I do not want to ask!« He had already postponed the conversation about that until tonight, and Jussac was serious about hearing d'Artagnan's story from her personally. Long enough there had been only talk about her instead of with her. He sighed wearily. »A goddamn heroine I have been burdened with.«

»A burden easy to bear.« Rochefort put down the wine cup and stood up. »By tonight, those reports will find their way back on my desk.«

He left unsaid what would happen otherwise, but Jussac had no doubt that the consequences would be unpleasant. The lieutenant waited until the door fell back into the lock behind Rochefort, only then did he utter a heartfelt curse.