All For One- Chapter Twenty-Nine

While Buckingham and André were riding to Calais, and while the Queen and Bertrand sailed as decoys on the Seine, the Duc de Luynes met with Tréville in his office in the Louvre. The room was modest, with little ornament. It was dominated by a large desk, which de Luynes sat behind. He felt that the large desk gave him a sense of intimidation.

“I have every confidence that Buckingham will make it to Calais,” Tréville said, standing awkwardly in front of the desk.

“We had better hope so,” de Luynes replied. “If King James’ favorite boy dies on French soil, it would go very badly for us. France is rebuilding, and a war is the last thing we need.”

“I agree, sir.”

“So your interrogations found nothing?” de Luynes inquired.

“He acted alone,” Tréville said.

“I don’t believe that,” de Luynes said.

Tréville shrugged. “Neither do I, but I have no more information.”

“I don’t believe that, either,” de Luynes said.

Tréville was confused. “Sir?” he asked.

“Tell me of the events that occurred last May,” Luynes ordered.

Tréville held his composure. “I don’t understand.”

“Yes, you do, M. de Tréville,” he said. “Your friends, d’Artagnan, du Toulon, Athos, and yourself received leave at the same time last May. The request came from Marie de Rohan-Montbazon.”

“She requested that we escort her and the Queen to her father’s house in Brittany,” Tréville responded with their agreed answer.

“Yes, that is odd,” de Luynes said. “I remember it very well. One morning the Queen Regent receives a letter from Anne of Austria stating that she and her new best friend Marie de Rohan were traveling to Brittany to share in the hospitality of the Duc de Rohan. Soon after, Marie de Rohan comes looking for the then-Infanta dressed as a maid. I mean, Marie was dressed as a maid, not Anne of Austria. Do you follow?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Soon after, des Essarts receives a request from Marie de Rohan for the four of you to have leave. Why would she ask for your leave after Anne of Austria had already left? That is when I became suspicious. All of the sudden, three days later, both women appear back at the Louvre. In all this time, there were no requests of dresses or any clothing being packed or shipped. Have you ever known a woman to travel with anything less than a ton of accoutrement?”

Tréville shrugged.

“I thought it was unusual. Did they even travel at all? If they didn’t go anywhere then where was Anne of Austria for three days?”

Tréville was silent.

“Then, the other day I heard a rumor,” de Luynes continued. “A very disgruntled chef was extremely upset that two cooks in his employ abandoned their jobs in a middle of trip last year. The chef was the personal chef of Henri de Bourbon-Condé, and the trip was to the house of César de Bourbon-Vendôme. Normally, I wouldn’t care about such things, but these two cooks abandoned their posts on May Third, the night before Anne of Austria and Marie de Rohan appeared in the Louvre. These things could be a coincidence, but I doubt it. The Queen Regent did not notice, or if she did, she did not care. The Concinis did not notice, but the Concinis are idiots. I, however, am no idiot. I noticed. I also noticed that Marie de Rohan is not in Paris at this moment. She is also visiting her father in Brittany, or so the Queen believes.”

“So tell me,” Luynes continued, “what happened? Did you and your friends come to the aid of Anne of Austria at the request of Marie de Rohan, or is there something much more sinister occurring?”

“Your grace,” Tréville said. “I have knowledge of events. However, I am sworn to secrecy.”

“Oh are you?” de Luynes said. “Please understand, Tréville, my loyalty is to the King and to France. If I felt for a moment that you or your friends presented to threat to my King or to France, I would not hesitate to have you destroyed.”

“Is that a threat?” Tréville asked. “If so, I don’t believe you have to power to carry such a threat out.”

De Luynes did not answer. “Where is Mlle de Montbazon?”

“If you feel you need information on the whereabouts of Marie de Rohan, then you should ask her,” Tréville said.

“I will not be insulted by you, Tréville!”

“I prefer to be addressed as le Comte de Tréville,” he shot back. “I am no mere guard, de Luynes, and I will not stand while you insult my honor. I serve the King in a far more dangerous capacity than you could ever imagine, and I do it because I love my King and my country. If I have to perform covert operations to prevent my country from being attacked by a foreign power, then that is what I do. If the operation requires that I keep a secret, then I will keep that secret, no matter who asks me to reveal it. When it becomes vital to the safety of France that I must involve the Grand Falconer, then you will be informed, until then, I will do whatever I am ordered to do to protect France.”

“I’m having Condé arrested,” de Luynes said.

“Do what you have to do,” Tréville said. “Is there anything else?”

De Luynes scowled. “No, I’m finished with you,” he said in a vain attempt to wrest control of the conversation.

“Very well,” Tréville said as he walked away. “When we need something with feathers, we’ll send for you.”