Thank you for continuing to read and leave comments on this story. I have spent much of the afternoon proof reading and editing this chapter so I do apologise if any errors have slipped through.
So, what news does the Captain have for Athos?
CHAPTER 71
PORTHOS
Athos is sittin' on top of his bed an' still clothed, apart from 'is boots. I was thinkin' I might have to carry 'im back inside the infirmary as he was nearly droppin' with exhaustion after 'is little adventure outside but Aramis an' I managed 'im between us, an' let the Captain give 'im a reprimand, that he shouldn't overdo things now 'e's started makin' such good progress, but I know we're in for a battle from here on in. Now he's been out of that bed, we'll be hard pressed to keep 'im in it. I'm pleased in a way to see 'im up an' about but there's no gettin' away from the fact that 'e has no strength an' it's goin' to take a long while to get meat back on 'is bones and buildin' up his muscles. I reckon that if I put a sword in 'is 'and, he'd topple over with the weight of it. Heartbreakin' when I think about 'is speed an' skill with the weapon, but I refuse to go down the route of wonderin' what'll happen if he never gets back to where 'e was before.
We're all drinkin' small ale as the Captain makes 'imself comfortable on the chair beside Athos whilst I settle myself on the next bed an' Aramis is perched on the table, his legs swingin'. I was present and listenin' to much of the discussion goin' on between the King, Captain an' Cardinal but it's Tréville's role to explain what 'appened.
"The Cardinal is delaying Bircann' s trial."
"What?" Aramis interrupts. "But it was all set for Monday? Why has it been changed?"
"Bircann is too weak from the torture. Richelieu wants to give him time to recover."
"That makes no sense," Aramis is scathin'. "It's wasting more time to keep him in prison, feed him, let him get over his injuries, sentence him and then execute him."
"It's not often you're so eager to have a man tried an' put to death," I say.
Aramis glares at me. "Maybe it's never been quite so personal before," and he inclines his head towards Athos, who is clearly struggling to keep his eyes open. If Tréville doesn't get on with what he needs to say, Athos'll be asleep so he'll have to come back later an' try again.
"Richelieu wants him to be able to walk into the courtroom and looking a lot better than he does now," the Captain continues. "Bircann must be seen to be fit enough to stand trial and to face the consequences. He will be made an example in no uncertain terms because Richelieu is throwing everything at him, including his previous behaviour. Although the trial will focus primarily upon this current treachery, it will serve to remind everyone that there was an earlier example of rebellion that must also be taken into consideration.
"Bircann's life was spared then, and many questioned the leniency of the prison sentence at the time, including myself, but his subsequent actions scream of disrespect to the King and more. His Majesty is not inclined to make the same mistake twice, unlike Bircann who clearly did not learn from his first revolt. He has openly defied and disrespected the King."
"He is being retried for the previous insurrection?" Aramis looks puzzled.
"Not as such," Tréville explains. "The reminder will add weight to this present charge; Bircann clearly will not mend his ways and is an enemy of the crown and France. Richelieu has told me that he intends calling me to give testimony of that time."
Aramis is surprised. "Aren't there enough records that could be read aloud to the court to save you from that task?"
Tréville takes a deep breath an' hesitates. "Bircann was never formally tried for the previous insurrection."
"No formal trial?" Aramis' surprise turns to shock an' I'm with him on that. I hadn't heard about this when I was with the Captain earlier.
"Marie de Medici was the one fomenting that uprising and Bircann was regarded as a hapless fool being used by her to gain what she wanted, so he was spared death for incarceration instead. Rightly or wrongly, the King wanted to play down his mother's involvement as far as he could, believing that his generosity of spirit was proof of his love and forgiveness for her."
"So it was all hush-hush*," I complain.
"That's about it," the Captain agrees.
"It's sad really when you think about it," Aramis adds sadly. "All he's wanted in life is for his mother to love and accept him for who he is when all she wants is his throne and power, completely ignoring the fact that he is her son. I hope he doesn't let her get away with it this time."
Tréeville clears 'is throat and Aramis' eyes widen in amazement. "He's not forgiven her again?"
"That sums it up nicely," I say, rollin' my eyes in disgust at the situation.
"He thinks that by keeping her close in the Louvre, he can protect her from bad influences and that, in time, he can earn her love anew."
"As if she ever loved 'im in the first place," I grumble.
"The leopard cannot change its spots," Aramis says cryptically.
I frown at 'im. "What's a leopard got to do with anythin'?"
"Jeremiah chapter thirteen, verse twenty-three," he answers smugly, as if that explains everythin'.
"So," Tréville says loudly to regain our attention, "Richelieu is determined that Bircann will not escape the full weight of the law this time. The King has persuaded his mother to give evidence against Bircann."
"And for that she will be exonerated yet again." There is disgust now in Aramis' tone; like me, he has little time for the dowager queen.
"Richelieu has in mind to keep her under a sort of house arrest as far as possible whilst she is in the palace. He can have her watched much more closely with her being under the same roof as the King."
"She's not stupid though," I point out. "She'll know there'll be people spyin' on her."
"But what can she do about it?" the Captain counters. "She has brought this upon herself and can hardly complain."
I have no answer to that but am convinced that she'll find some way to worm her way out of being kept under such close scrutiny. I bet she's plottin' even now to find Bircann's replacement; any stupid scapegoat. That woman's nothin' but trouble.
"Athos, time you had some more to drink," Aramis suddenly says loudly and holds out a cup of fresh water.
Athos' eyes immediately open an' I wonder 'ow alert he really is. He takes the cup, peers into it, realises it's not alcohol and glowers at Aramis.
"Drink two cups of water and then you can have some more ale," Aramis insists.
"Do you think bribery will work?" the Captain asks with a gleam in his eye.
"It will if he knows what's good for him," Aramis replies, fixing Athos with a stern look of his own.
On this occasion, Athos is the first to back down and sips at the water as Tréville continues his account.
"Instead, Monday will see the beginning of the trials of de Chiverny and Retel, the minor co-conspirators. They should be straightforward and are not expected to take long. There is no doubt that they are guilty of listening to Bircann, but they did not take steps to actively support him. However, their major error is that they failed to report his act of treachery so any pleas of innocence they might make are groundless.
"Richelieu will argue that they colluded with Bircann by maintaining their silence and there was always the possibility that they could have given the matter serious thought and later joined forces with the traitors. Whatever, he is adamant that they can no longer be trusted. If they did not actively support Bircann at that point, they might do so in the future in the event of some other new plot being hatched against His Majesty and France, and Richelieu refuses to take any more risks. They will act as a warning to others so the sanctions are guaranteed to be heavy."
"He would execute them?" Aramis asks, somewhat shocked.
"Not this time, but they will be incarcerated in the Chatelet, and he proposes such massive fines that the families will be pushed to the verge of ruination. He is determined that they will not have the means to act against the King in future. Their folly has been their downfall."
"What of Deauville and d'Aubrey then?" Aramis presses.
"Their trials will take place the following week as their crimes are more significant. Similarly, their guilt is beyond question, but Richelieu wants to lay bare all of their involvement in the hope that it would deter others," the Captain says, emptyin' his cup an' indicatin' that he wants more so Aramis hops off the table, picks up the jug an' moves to oblige him.
"I thought it more likely that they would have an appointment with the executioner, but I'm not sure Richelieu is going to demand it even for them when the sentence is pronounced." The Captain lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. "I think, however, that they might find death preferable. The Cardinal wants their estates confiscated for the crown, so their families have nothing whilst the men are consigned to the Chatelet for the rest of their natural lives."
"That won't be long then," I mutter. Conditions in the prison leave a lot to be desired an' many a man 'as gone in, even for a short while, an' never come out again. Disease is rife an' the food foul unless you 'ave the means to pay for better, which they won't if everythin' they own is confiscated. Then there are the tales of inmates turnin' on each other, an' the gaolers will never bother tryin' to find the killer of another criminal. Just saves them more work an' they 'ave a space that'll be refilled all too soon."
Aramis is thoughtful. "So the verdicts and their punishments are foregone conclusions?"
"Can they be anything else when the evidence is stacked against them?" Tréville counters. "At least they are receiving a trial - "
"Show trials," Aramis interrupts, "to try to stop anyone else from having a similar idea."
"Richelieu has to be seen to do the right thing and to do it correctly. There are to be no loopholes, no question that they are not receiving the correct judgement. The outcomes must be irrefutable. They will receive as fair a trial as is possible given what they have done and what we know."
"Which brings us to Bircann," Aramis says, his eyes slidin' towards Athos who misses it, his own attention fixed on the Captain.
"His trial will be after that."
Tréville pauses an' I know what's comin' next because I was there. When Richelieu renegued on what 'e promised, the Captain lost 'is temper an' I don't recall havin' seen 'im that angry in a long, long time. He argued hard to get Richelieu to change 'is mind back again but it was no use. The more he objected, the more than damned First Minister dug in 'is heels an' refused to move. Even the King thought Richelieu was bein' unfair, goin' back on his word like that an' given the circumstances, but even Louis couldn't sway 'is decision.
I know how Aramis is goin' to react. It was exactly 'ow I reacted as the Captain stormed out of the palace, me at 'is heels. I was as mad as hell but there was no point takin' it out on the Captain when I'd seen the fight 'e put up. It also meant that he had to explain the full details of Athos' slow recovery an' about not bein' able to speak. Did that make Richelieu stop an' think? Of course not. All he did was chastise the Captain for not bein' totally open sooner.
I'm watchin' Athos carefully to see how 'e takes the news.
"I'm sorry, Athos," the Captain begins, "but the Cardinal has decided that you will give evidence against Bircann in his trial after all."
Author's note:
*The expression 'hush hush' is thought to have originated in the 16th century.