Greetings. I have returned and am now typing up the chapters handwritten whilst Down Under! Thank you for patiently waiting. Apologies for any errors that have crept in but jetlag is my excuse and I'm sticking to it! :)
CHAPTER 48
2 DAYS EARLIER
TREVILLE
The moment Richelieu decides that he will meet with me, I sweep through the doors into his cavernous office so that he looks up in mild surprise.
"That didn't take you long," he casually remarks, laying down his quill from where he has been writing and gesturing for me to draw up a chair that is positioned against a side wall. That is, at least, some progress, for he usually leaves me standing there like a fool, ignoring me whilst he concludes whatever it is that he is about.
"That is because this is the third time I have been back today and I was here most of yesterday," I say, trying not to sound too caustic.
"I had no idea your wish for a meeting was of such dire importance."
"Whilst I tend to think that you have been deliberately avoiding me."
He merely raises an eyebrow in that infuriatingly disdainful way that he has. "I have been busy and I presumed that you were as well, certainly busy enough not to be pulled away from the garrison to wait here."
I ignore the implied criticism and feign some curiosity. Perhaps he has something to share that is of use to me. "So what have you been doing?"
He sighs dramatically. "If you must know, I spent most of the past two days at the Chatelet, going from Deauville to Bircann and back again."
Richelieu pauses and I know he expects me to express as interest so, to keep him happy, I respond.
"And? Anything helpful?"
He looks disgusted and, for a moment, I fear that his questioning of Deauville has come to naught until I realise that it's his reaction to the man himself.
"Deauville is a coward, nothing more, nothing less. I never had to employ any persuasion."
I am startled for he almost sounds disappointed.
"At the merest suggestion of 'helping' him comply with my questioning," Richelieu explains, "he crumpled and told me all he knew which, as Bircann had hinted, was not much. He furnished me with the names of two more nobles, confirming my suspicions regarding them."
"Who are they?" I ask, wondering if they are the next people that my Musketeers will have to apprehend,
"Artus de Chiverny and Theodore Retel. As far as I know and from what my intelligencers have reported, they spoke carelessly and publicly, but did not act in any way that suggested they were about to supply Bircann with men or financial support, although that is still under investigation. I went to Bircann to seek corroboration and, surprisingly, he did eventually admit their complicity. In what context and to what extent, I have yet to ascertain. I will extract that information from either Deauville or Bircann and they will be brought in."
My heart sinks. "Who do you want to do that job and when?"
He looks at me, hard. "Your men, of course, but not just yet. I know there must be more names that Bircann still withholds."
My sigh of relief is audible.
The Cardinal suddenly remembers that I have been waiting for an audience with him.
"What was the reason for your wanting to see me?"
"I want you to give your approval and to grant me access to Bircann."
He falls silent, considering my request. "For what purpose?"
"I would have thought after all this time that that is obvious. If, as we suspect, Bircann is playing his game still, I want to see if he is willing either to tell me directly where Athos is being held, or at least to furnish me with some clues as to his whereabouts."
"And you really think that he'll co-operate?" There is a sarcastic tone in the Cardinal's voice that irritates me.
"I have nothing to lose. My fear is that with each passing day, Athos' chances of survival fade."
"You are willing to give Bircann any scrap of superiority by begging him to help you with the desired information?" he asks scathingly.
"Yes!" I snap back. "I will do anything to secure the release of my Musketeer. He has done nothing to deserve this but really, Bircann's argument is with you and me; he has not forgotten that we have already foiled one plot in the past and now this one where his attempt to seize the throne for Marie de Medici has once again been thwarted. I will not stand by and countenance his need for revenge in any guise."
Richelieu studies me intently and I know, deep inside, that he does not understand my persistence in searching for a missing man whom he considers is probably long dead. He does not appreciate the bond between Athos and his brothers, that they seek answers and are prepared to go on indefinitely, that I fear for them both until they know for certain – one way or the other. He cannot understand my need to track down my absent lieutenant or that I vowed, on creating the regiment, never to leave a man 'in the field' or unaccounted for, and that I have striven to maintain that pledge, even in the aftermath of Savoy. It was Marsac's disappearance that broke that promise, although I tell myself that he left of his own volition, that he was alive and seemingly unscathed when he made the decision to abandon Aramis. I cannot dwell upon the fact that Marsac may have been sound in wind and limb but not in the mind having witnessed what he did that night.
And then I have a regiment who, by and large, is also grieving, unsettled by Athos' continued absence. If Bircann's intention is to 'break' us in some way or another, he is managing it by affecting deeply entrenched relationships, brotherhood and respect.
As for me, I have lost my second-in-command. The one I deliberated over long and hard before he was promoted and even then, the King had the foresight to make the appointment before I did!* Why did I dare doubt him?
He was troubled by personal demons before gaining his commission and although he has them mainly under control now, thanks to the strong friendship forged with Aramis and Porthos, those dark thoughts probably rear their heads more often than I am aware. I know that he drank too heavily – and still does on occasions – but he has never let it interfere with his work, nor his effectiveness. I can look at him during muster some mornings and know that he is battling the worst of hangovers, but he soldiers on – literally. His brothers look out for him, more than likely taking care of him when he is far gone in his cups. I'd also like to think that they prevent him from getting into any unnecessary trouble, but as the trio have a propensity for attracting it anyway and are constantly giving me a headache, I'm not sure how successful they are.
No, when that young man, already broken by something in his past, arrived at the garrison seeking acceptance as a Musketeer, I saw that there was something worth saving, worth encouraging and nurturing. He can be infuriating but, in his quieter moments, there is a calm, astute and strategic mind. I have relied upon him for counsel, ideas, planning abilities and his challenges, which he usually does respectfully when he does not agree with something, or believes that the same or a better end can be achieved by an alternative method.
All I know of that past is that he is the Comte de la Fère, but any more than that is a mystery for he refuses to discuss anything of that former life or what drove him to walk away from it. Naturally, I am curious as to his silence and the fact that he has sworn me to secrecy regarding his true identity, a secret that he will not even share with his brothers for some reason. I just hope and pray, given the current circumstances, that he will eventually have the opportunity to admit all to them.
Now I admit to myself that I want to find him for my own selfish reasons: as a skilled swordsman (by far the best in the regiment and beyond, although he would be quick to dismiss such recognition), a trusted officer on whom I can rely and, dare I say it, as a friend.
How can I make Richelieu understand Athos' importance within the Musketeers and as a man in his own right? That is why I have been flouting the King's orders to give up the search. A replacement has been appointed and Claude, an old friend of many years, has made it quite clear that this is just a temporary arrangement to keep Louis happy and until such time as Athos is returned to us.
Claude fervently believes that Athos will be found alive; such is the faith he has in the younger man. I could have considered Aramis or Porthos, but the four of us know that their concentration would not be committed to the role.
Had I appointed anyone else, I would like to think that that person would willingly stand aside again for Athos to resume his post, but there are the few vying for position even now, who are vociferous in their opinion that I have made an error of judgement in appointing an 'old man' like Claude Beranger. They believe themselves more worthy of the promotion and yet I would never consider appointing them, even if they were the last man standing in the regiment. Delacroix comes immediately to mind.
Why is it that everything about that odious man riles me? He is adequate as a Musketeer but nothing more, although he has a much higher idea of his value to me that the reality proves! His father bought his commission – a waste of money in my view – and I have never been able to get to the bottom of his deep-seated animosity towards Athos, other than being rooted in unbridled jealousy.
"You realise that Bircann is not …" Richelieu pauses to find the right words as he breaks into my reverie. He begins again. "Interrogation methods have taken their toll," he declares euphemistically, but I know what he means.
"Then it is imperative that I speak to him as soon as possible and I intend seeing him."
"You realise that I could have you stopped, your way barred at the Chatelet," Richelieu insists.
"Yes, but you won't do that. I want to believe that, on this occasion, you would help me rather than stand in my way."
He stares at me as he considers my words.
"Very well, you may see him later tomorrow afternoon," he concedes.
I try to maintain an impassive mask but, inside, there is a sense of elation. I have what I want – the meeting with Bircann. Now all I have to worry about is how to make him divulge what I want to know.
Author's note:
* This is explained in my story 'Repercussions'.