Truth and Consequences
Disclaimer: Young Blades characters and concepts property of Insight Studios. Plot and all original characters belong to us.
Authors: Shirley Long and Jim Guy
Rating: 2 ½ Swords/PG-15
****************
Previously…
….Pulling his trousers back on, he crept over to the door and slowly opened it. The hall was empty, but there was a dagger stuck in the middle of the door.
Dread twisting his stomach into knots, Geoffrey pulled the dagger free, dislodging a piece of parchment that had been pinned beneath it. He slipped back into the room, laying the blade on the nightstand before opening the parchment. As he did, his hands shook, and all the color suddenly drained from his features. There was only one thing on the parchment, but it was enough. Geoffrey wasn’t a superstitious man, but there were some things that even the most cynical of sailors didn’t mess with. The parchment slipped from his fingers to the floor, revealing every pirate’s worst fear:
The Black Spot.
****************
Prologue
Geoffrey stumbled back against the wall, fighting back the panic attack that was coming on. He wasn’t fool enough to believe that the parchment itself was cursed, but he knew that the person who left it did so with a purpose. Whoever it was wanted him dead. Why, he had no idea, but it didn’t really matter. Not only was his life in danger, but Jacqueline’s as well, merely by virtue of association.
As he worked to calm his breathing, Geoffrey stared at his bride’s sleeping form, trying to decide the best course of action. If he stayed, she could be hurt or worse when the mystery messenger came to finish the job. And if he didn’t stick around, he might be able to draw this person away from her, but there was no guarantee. Not to mention that she would be hurt anyway just by his absence.
Finally, he managed to both calm himself and come to a decision. Hard as it might be, Jacqueline would probably be better off if he was gone…at least, until the danger had passed. She might be angry with him for awhile, but at least she’d be safer than if he stayed.
Certain that he was doing the right thing, Geoffrey quickly put on a shirt, pulled on his boots, threw on his baldric with the new cutlass hanging from it, and shoved the few other items he’d brought—most of which had been gifts from their friends—into a sack. Then, with one last, wistful look at his blissfully slumbering wife, he quietly slipped out of the room. He crept through the hall, taking extra care not to wake any of the inn’s other guests, and eventually made his way down to the wine cellar. And, after a bit of trial and error, the pirate managed to locate the secret passage his friends had mentioned earlier in the evening. If he was right, it would take him to the Graville Priory, or at least fairly close to it.
Grabbing a torch, he entered the false cask and carefully made his way through the tunnel. He eventually came to a fork and, remembering Marie’s story about her visit to the King’s temporary chambers, veered to the right. Not long after that, he came across a series of conveniently placed peep-holes, which meant that he’d reached his destination. Geoffrey continued to follow the tunnel, making a brief stop every meter or so to peer through each hole, until he found Sister Magdalena sitting in the library. He quickly located the entrance—which was right behind a bookcase, of all places—and crept quietly into the room.
Sister Magdalena was seated in one of the library’s more comfortable chairs, and was completely engrossed in whatever book she was reading. In fact, she was so involved in it that she didn’t even notice that Geoffrey was standing next to her until he cleared his throat.
“Good book, Sister?”
She jumped about a foot in the air before whirling around to look at the intruder. “Oh yes…quite…” she stammered, still trying to recover from her fright. She sat the book on a nearby end table, the slipped her spectacles off and laid them on top. “Romeo and Juliet, actually. Ever read it?”
Geoffrey shook his head. “I tried once, years ago, but I couldn’t get past that whole balcony scene. It just seemed so…unrealistic. Of course, now I can say from experience that such things actually do happen.” He shrugged. “I always preferred The Tempest anyway. Prospero…now there’s a man after my own heart.”
“Oh well…to each his own, I suppose.” She sighed, taking several moments to look over the newcomer. “You know…you seem rather familiar. Have we met?”
He chuckled. “Actually, we have. It was last year, about a month after the coronation. I spent a bit of time in this room, and then Captain Porthos brought in my injured friend—Ramon Montalvo Francisco de la Cruz, if you recall.”
“Ah…yes. You’re Siroc, right? I must say, you look rather different than when we last met.”
“There have been quite a few changes, Sister, the least of which concerns my appearance. I’m afraid that I wasn’t completely honest with you before. My name is not really Siroc. In truth, I am Geoffrey Greyhawk, son of the late William Greyhawk.”
The nun looked at Geoffrey and nodded. "I heard that he had been killed at sea and his son was pardoned by the King. However, I had no idea that it was you. I should have realized who you were when you were here last time, but, as I said, you looked very different then." She stood up and walked over to him. Looking up at the newly freed pirate, she smiled as she lifted her hand and fingered his hair. "I like it. You look so much like your father at your age. I presume you know the history?"
Geoffrey nodded. "Yes, and I know that you were a friend to both Porthos and my father." He turned away, setting his sack down and leaning against a nearby table. "That’s why I came here.” He sighed. “Do you know what the Black Spot is?"
Sister Magdalena's face paled. "I may be a nun, but before that I was a friend to two pirates. If you received that, you are in danger."
"My thoughts exactly. Unfortunately, that means I have to distance myself from my wife."
She looked at him quizzically. “I wasn’t aware you were married.”
He shrugged, turning back to face her. “Only since last night.”
At that, Sister Magdalena’s eyebrow shot up. “You abandoned your bride on your wedding night?”
“What choice did I have? If I stayed, she would’ve been in just as much danger as I, if not more.”
"So you come to me? You think that she might find her way here and that I’ll lie for you?" She shook her head. "No, Geoffrey, I will not be party to this. Running away is hardly the answer to your problems, anyway. Rather, I would suggest that you do something that whomever left that calling card will not suspect. They were obviously trying to make you afraid, and you’re playing right into their hands by running. If I were you, I would hide in plain sight instead."
"Hide in plain sight? What a kind of solution is that?"
She sighed. "Look, Porthos told me that Siroc was an inventor. So go invent something. Just do it where everyone can see you. If you run, they will have won."
Geoffrey nodded, knowing that she was right. "Thank you Sister.” He sighed, picking the sack up once more. “I won't ask you to lie for me, but please don't volunteer the information either."
"Oui, I agree. Where are you going?"
Geoffrey smiled. "If I don't tell you, then you can truthfully say you don't know."
She smiled. "You are learning. You do know that if things had been different, you might have been my son. I hope you know that you can confide in me as if I were your mother."
"Thank you Sister, I appreciate that."
"Matilde, my given name was Matilde."
Geoffrey nodded. "Thank you, Matilde." He exited the room the way he entered, but instead of retracing his steps, he went down another tunnel until he came to an opening. In the darkness, he stood at the lip of the tunnel, looking at a ten-foot drop below him and the bank of a river. As he started to jump, he caught sight of a footpath leading towards the ground and followed that instead. He looked around and set out along the river.
Chapter 1
Jacqueline stretched out on the bed with a contented sigh. So far, it had been the most wonderful night she’d had in a long time. She’d never thought she could ever be truly happy married to anyone, but Geoffrey had blown that theory right out of the water, so to speak. He was, without a doubt, the most amazing man she’d ever known. And she wasn’t just thinking of their recent amorous activities—though his performance in that department was quite marvelous as well.
Speaking of which….Jacqueline rolled over, letting her hand drift towards her husband in hopes that he’d be in the mood for another go. However, the only thing that hand found was more mattress. Slowly, she opened her eyes, confirming what her hand had discovered. “Geoffrey?”
No answer. She sat up, looking around the room and finding it empty. ‘Alright, don’t panic. Maybe he just had to go relieve himself or something.’ Wrapping the sheet around herself, Jacqueline got up and went over to the window, which faced the alley behind the inn. Obviously, Nikki had taken the good view for herself and Ramon. She peered down at the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of her husband. Nothing. Now she was starting to worry.
Lighting a candle, she made her way over to where their belongings had wound up after they’d claimed the room. Her things were all there, including Jacques’ civilian clothes and the dress Nikki and Marie had given her for the wedding. Geoffrey’s, however, were nowhere in sight. His sword, his clothes…even the notebook and graphite Ramon had returned earlier that evening…all gone.
“Geoffrey?” she called out again. Still no answer. “Come on…this isn’t funny!” More silence. Jacqueline looked around the room again, half-hoping to find some sign of a struggle…anything that would prove that Geoffrey hadn’t left under his own power. But the room was clean, and the fact that all of his belongings were missing didn’t bode well either. Most kidnappers didn’t take the time to collect their victim’s things before making their getaway.
As the implications hit home, Jacqueline found herself automatically setting the candle aside and slumping down into a nearby chair. “He left me,” she whispered, staring blankly into the dark corners of the room. “Geoffrey…he actually left me.” With a mournful sigh, she leaned forward in the chair, dropping her head onto her hands. “Sacre bleu…I can’t believe I actually fell for that one. I’m worse than D’Artagnan’s admirers….” Obviously, her trust in Geoffrey Greyhawk had been sorely misplaced. He was, after all, a pirate. And he must have known he wouldn’t be able to get what he wanted unless they were married, hence last night’s quick ceremony.
“My God,” she breathed, lifting her head once more. “He used me…made me his...his whore.” Practically growling, Jacqueline shot to her feet, letting the sheet slip down to the floor. “He’s a dead man. No one treats me like that and gets away with it.” Not even bothering to bind her chest, she threw on Jacques’ clothes and grabbed her sword. Vowing bloody revenge, she started towards the door, only to stop about halfway when she heard something crunch beneath her boots.
Curiosity momentarily replacing her rage, she bent down and grabbed the item. It was a piece of parchment, blank except for a spot of ink in the middle. She turned it over, hoping to find some clue as to its origins. Unfortunately, all she saw was more blank parchment.
Shaking her head, Jacqueline shoved the parchment inside her shirt and made her way downstairs. She crossed the tavern, ignoring the stares of the few remaining patrons, and was about to leave when someone grabbed her from behind and lifted her off her feet.
“Hey!” she yelped in surprise. The stranger had her arms pinned down, so she started kicking instead. Not that it actually did any good.
A moment later, a booming laugh sounded from just behind her head. “Whoa…calm down, there. Is that any way to treat your new uncle?”
As the words sank in, Jacqueline stopped struggling. “New….Porthos?”
“Who else?” he chuckled, setting her back down. “A little bird told me that you and my nephew got married, and I just had to come by and offer my congratulations.”
She sighed, shaking her head as she attempted to straighten out her clothes. “I’d hold off on that if I were you. I don’t think the honeymoon is going to last much longer.”
Porthos’ eyebrow shot up. “Oh? Why not?”
“Because as soon as I find Geoffrey, he’s a dead man.”
Frowning, Porthos quickly glanced around the room before turning back to her. “I think it’s best that we continue this in private. Come with me.” Not giving her a chance to argue, he gently laid a hand on her shoulder and steered her down to the wine cellar. Once they were inside, he crossed his arms, leaning back against a nearby wall and staring at her expectantly. “Now…what is this all about, Jacqueline? Where’s Geoffrey?”
“If I knew that, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. All I know is that I fell asleep in his arms, and awoke to find his side of the bed empty and all of his belongings gone.”
Porthos’ frown deepened as he reached up to stroke his beard. “That doesn’t sound like my nephew at all. There has to be some sort of reasonable explanation.”
Jacqueline spat on the floor. “There’s only one possible explanation for a man abandoning his bride on their wedding night. Geoffrey is liar and a fraud who used marriage simply as a means of luring me into his bed. And, like an idiot, I actually believed him. A mistake I won’t be making ever again.”
The aging seaman shook his head. “Come on…you can’t actually think that, can you? I mean, this is Geoffrey we’re talking about. The same man who was willing to let Mazarin hang him for a crime he was innocent of just to keep you alive and safe. There’s got to be some other reason for him taking off like that.” He sighed. “Are you sure there wasn’t anything left in your room that might point to such a reason?”
She fell silent for a moment, thinking. Finally, she reached into her shirt, pulling out the scrap of parchment. “Well…there was this. But it’s just some parchment with a bit of ink spilled on it. I doubt it means anything.”
“You know…a very wise young man once told me that sometimes even the most seemingly insignificant details can prove to be vital clues. So, if you don’t mind….” He held out his hand, and she turned over the parchment. Moving closer to one of the torches on the wall, Porthos opened the parchment, his breath catching in his throat as he caught sight of its contents. ‘Mon Dieu…the Black Spot!’ While the former musketeer didn’t believe in curses, the parchment’s message was unmistakably clear. “Do you have any idea what this is, Jacqueline?”
“What are you talking about? It’s just a bit of ink, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid it’s something far more serious. This…it’s the Black Spot. Among pirates, receiving the Spot is the equivalent of a death sentence. If someone sent this to Geoffrey, it means that they want him dead.”
As Jacqueline took in this new information, her anger started to fade. “So…you’re saying he left because someone is threatening his life?”
Porthos nodded. “That would be my guess, though I don’t think it was out of fear. More than likely, he’s trying to protect you from whomever it is that wants him dead. I suppose he thinks that distancing himself from you is the best way to do that.”
“Well…when I find him, I’m going to kill him for making me worry. Doesn’t he know that we’re a team?” She sighed. “Any idea where he might have gone?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been in the tavern for a few hours already, and I don’t recall seeing him leave. So either he took off before I got here, or he used the secret passage.”
“The Priory?”
“Could be. Does Geoffrey know about his father and Sister Magdalena?”
Jacqueline nodded. “D’Artagnan mentioned it earlier, while we were celebrating.”
“I see. Well, it’s
not much of a lead, but better than having none at all. Why don’t you go check it out, and in the
meantime I’ll talk to Captain Duval about letting Geoffrey reclaim his
lab. If it is a pirate who’s threatening
him, they’ll probably be expecting him to run out to sea, not the middle of
“Good thinking. Of course, that’s assuming I bring him back in one piece.”
Porthos chuckled. “I’m sure you two can work things out without doing any permanent damage. Now get going before he gets too much of a head start.” He playfully ruffled her hair, earning himself a rather annoyed glare, then gently prodded her towards the false cask. Opening it, Jacqueline grabbed a torch and disappeared into the passage.
Once she was gone, Porthos’ expression turned serious as he stared back down at the parchment. ‘This is the last thing Geoffrey needs right now. As soon as he and Jacqueline are safe, I’m going to find the man who sent this and deal with him…permanently.’ Stuffing the parchment inside his shirt, the living legend paid his tab, and then returned to the Reine Anne to discuss the situation with Duval.
Duval was on the railing to the Reine Anne, watching the goings on of the port when he caught sight of Porthos moving towards the ship. 'Now there is a man on a mission, or else he has some bad news.' He straightened up as Porthos walked up the gangplank and motioned for the Musketeer captain to follow him below decks. Duval scowled as he closed the door to Porthos’ cabin. "Okay, who died?"
Porthos cocked an eyebrow. "That obvious, huh? Well, you are not far off." He pulled out the parchment and tossed it on the desk. Duval's face turned pale as the Musketeer unfolded the item.
Duval frowned. "Where did you get this? Who is after you?"
"Not me, Geoffrey."
"What? How do you know this?"
"Jacqueline found it in Geoffrey's quarters. It was the only thing he left behind when he cleared out."
Duval started pacing. "Who would do this?"
"I have a few ideas and they all start with a man who is supposed to be dead."
Duval scowled. "Who?"
"A dago by the name of Antonio, although he prefers to pass himself off as an Englishman named Anthony. I just heard through the grapevine that he managed to survive."
"Porthos my friend, this is not good. Do you have any idea where Geoffrey might have gone?"
"Actually I do. Remember that little hut overlooking the beach at Normandy? Well that is where I took him just before he joined you. He always said that it was the perfect place to think. I am sure that Jacqueline is up there now looking for him, as Jacques of course."
"Does she have a sword?"
Porthos laughed. "Of course. She was a Musketeer, remember?"
"Maybe we should go rescue Geoffrey from her. She will probably kill him."
"He’ll be fine. She promised no permanent damage. Besides, we have other business to discuss, like where Geoffrey will be safe."
"Even with Mazarin gone, the Bastille will not be a good place, nor the priory. Where would you suggest?"
"Actually, Martin I was thinking right in the heart of Musketeer headquarters, in Siroc's old lab."
"You mean Geoffrey."
"Geoffrey did not have a lab, Siroc did."
Duval smiled, thoughtfully scratching his chin. "You know, Porthos…that just might work. He would be surrounded by over one hundred and twenty Musketeers."
A grin appeared on the former Musketeers face. "I remember when I enlisted as a Musketeer, I had to sign papers. Do you still do that?"
"Of course. In fact, I use yours as a sample, why?"
"There is a sentence at the very end. It states that the only way to leave the Musketeers is by being discharged for conduct unbecoming a Musketeer or death. In other words, my dear Martin, Jacques and Siroc are still Musketeers, no matter what names they call themselves now."
Duval’s smile grew even wider. “Porthos you old pirate, that is exactly the loophole I was looking for. Now shall we go collect these wayward Musketeers?"
"Absolutely. I have a couple of horse stabled behind
the
The two men grabbed their baldrics and swords and left the ship. They headed for the inn; unaware of the pair of eyes belonging to a man in the alley down the dock that watched them leave.
****************
Recalling their previous excursions through the passage, Jacqueline was able to swiftly locate the path that led to the Priory. She followed it all the way up to the library entrance, figuring that would be his first choice of hiding place. However, on looking through the peephole, she found that one lone nun, who was busy reading, occupied the library. She looked around the passage, trying to think of where else he might have gone.
Before long, her eyes fell upon another pathway, branching off from the main one only a few meters beyond her current position. She had no idea where it led, but something told her that it was where she would find Geoffrey. Cautiously following this new path, Jacqueline soon found herself on a small cliff, about ten feet above a river. There was a footpath along the cliff, and she followed it all the way to the top, where she found a small stone hut with light coming through the window. Geoffrey.
Jacqueline crept over to the hut’s door and knocked. A moment later, her wayward husband opened it, blinking against the sunrise. “J-Jacqueline?”
She glared, her mouth twisting itself into an almost maniacal grin. “Hi, honey. I’m home.” Before he could say anything in response, Jacqueline slugged him in the jaw, grabbed him by the collar, and hurled him to the ground outside. He tried to scramble back to his feet, only to find the tip of her blade hovering just above his throat.
“You’re angry,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Angry? Why would I be angry? Just because you decided to walk out on me on OUR WEDDING NIGHT!” she snarled, closing in. Geoffrey could actually feel the point of the sword poking into his flesh and had to quickly back up to keep from getting skewered.
“Jacqueline, I-I can explain….”
“Explain what? How you used me? Tricked me into marrying you and then took off once you had what you wanted?”
Geoffrey shook his head. “It’s not like that, Jacqueline. I swear, I never meant to hurt you.”
She lowered the sword a bit, but continued to glare. “Well, you did. I woke up to find that my husband had disappeared and taken everything with him. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? No, of course not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have done such a cruel and heartless thing. You…you didn’t even….” Her voice broke, and the sword dropped from her fingers. Geoffrey could see tears streaming down her cheeks. Feeling even more like a heel, he shot to his feet, gently wrapping his arms around her now-trembling form.
“Jacqueline…I’m so sorry. I was just trying to protect you. Someone’s after me, and I feared that my presence would put you in harm’s way. If anything happened to you because of me….”
“So that’s why you left? The Black Spot?”
“Yes, I….” He pulled back a bit, looking at her in confusion. “Wait…you know about that?”
She nodded. “I had a nice little chat with your uncle before coming up here.”
“Then what was all this about? Why did you attack me?”
“Payback,” she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. “You scare me, I scare you.”
“So does that mean you’re not really angry?”
“Oh no…I’m angry, alright. However, under the circumstances, I’m willing to forgive you…but on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“That you promise never to do anything this stupid ever again.”
Geoffrey cocked an eyebrow. “Stupid?”
“Yes, stupid,” Jacqueline retorted, smacking him in the arm for emphasis. “You and I…we’re supposed to be a team. ‘Better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, ‘til death us do part.’ Ring any bells?”
He sighed. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am. I love you, Geoffrey. If anyone wants to harm you, they’re going to have to go through me first. And believe me, they won’t know what hit them. No one threatens my husband and lives to tell the tale.”
Geoffrey chuckled. “Remind me never again to get on your bad side.” Brushing aside a few stray hairs, he gently cupped her face and pulled her into a tender kiss. “Have I told you just how much I love you, Jacqueline?”
“Not since last night.”
“Well, allow me to show you, then. The hut happens to have a surprisingly comfortable bed.”
She smiled. “I like the way you think.”
“Does this mean I’m off the hook?”
“Not yet…but it’s definitely a start.” Jacqueline drew him into another kiss. Then, taking hold of his hands, she gently pulled him into the hut, pausing only to shut the door behind them.
Chapter 2
Duval and Porthos rode up the hill to Pointe du Hoc and sat on their horses in front of the hut door. Duval took a deep breath. "Musketeer LePonte, Musketeer Siroc…front and center." About a minute later, he heard the pounding of feet and watched as the door flung open and the wayward Musketeers came out and snapped to attention by instinct. Their clothes were disheveled, as if thrown on at the last second, and Jacqueline’s sword wasn’t in her baldric. Duval caught sight of the missing blade lying on the ground a few feet away.
As Duval’s words finally registered, Geoffrey shook his head. "Wait a minute, the name is Geoffrey and I am no longer a Musketeer. I resigned and so did Jacqueline."
Duval grinned at Porthos. "You two should read what you sign. Your enlistment papers state that there are only two ways to leave the Musketeers: dishonorable discharge or death. Since neither of you were discharged dishonorably and you are clearly not deceased, and even though you go by other names, you are still Musketeers. Isn't that right, Sergeant Porthos?"
Porthos’ grin disappeared. "Martin, what are you talking about?"
"You weren't discharged and you aren’t dead, so you are still a Musketeer."
"You old dog, I am retired."
Duval laughed. "Retired, not dead. Now shall we pay a
visit to Charles?" He looked at the youngsters. "You two get your
gear and mount up; we have a long ride to
Geoffrey shook his head once more. "You don't understand. I can't stay anywhere near here."
Duval nodded. "You mean the Black Spot? Yes, I know all about that. It is why you are going to go back to the barracks. You left quite a mess in the lab that you need to clean up. Now mount up." He grinned as the two collected their things and mounted the horses. He looked at Porthos. "Don't worry; you are a sea going Musketeer."
Porthos growled. "Retired. Geoffrey is the new Captain. Remember?"
"True, but I will bet he has some ideas that will make the Reine Anne a better ship."
“Actually, I do,” Geoffrey said, bringing his mount next to theirs. “Starting with the name. No offense Uncle—to you or our Queen—but shouldn’t the name of the ship reflect something about her captain?”
Porthos nodded. “What did you have in mind?”
“Rose d’Orleans,” Geoffrey grinned. “For my mother.”
“Good name. Of course, I wouldn’t presume to argue with you either way. It is your ship, after all.”
“That it is. And I thank you once again for your generosity, Uncle.”
Porthos smiled, laying a hand on Geoffrey’s shoulder. “Think nothing of it, my boy. We’re family. All of us,” he added. He glanced over at Jacqueline, who’d just pulled her own mount up next to Geoffrey’s. Giving her a warm smile, which was immediately returned, Porthos then turned his attention back to his nephew. “So…have any other improvements planned?”
“Well, I have been toying with the idea of steam-powered propulsion.” At that, all three of his companions stopped and gave the inventive pirate a rather confused look. He sighed. Accustomed as he was to explaining things to his less intelligent comrades, it was still somewhat of an annoyance. “Jacqueline, Captain Duval…do you remember the fancy coffee-maker I presented to His Highness following the incident with George and Celeste Le Rue?” They nodded. “My idea works on a similar principle, only on a much larger scale. And instead of compressing coffee beans, the energy from the steam would move the ship.” Both Duval and Jacqueline grinned, obviously impressed with his brilliance, and the latter rewarded her genius of a husband with a quick kiss.
Porthos, on the other hand, actually looked rather insulted. “Moving a ship with steam? That’s not sailing. Real sailing means letting the winds take you where they please. Hell, that’s half the fun. What’s next, a carriage that moves without horses?” Muttering under his breath, the retired seaman urged his mount forward, quickly disappearing down the footpath.
Filing the ‘horseless carriage’ idea away for later, Geoffrey moved to catch up, Jacqueline and Duval right behind him. “I’m not arguing with you on the ‘fun’ part, Uncle. However, the wind is also notoriously unreliable.”
“Like I said…half the fun.”
“True, but what about in an emergency, when time and speed are of the essence? I mean, how much time could’ve been saved had you been able to match the Cutlass for speed and follow her directly, without constantly having to make course corrections to compensate for the wind?”
Porthos shook his head. “Next you’ll be telling me that your sub-aquatic chamber will travel the seas.”
“Not the current model, but perhaps a larger one could….” Geoffrey sighed. “You’re avoiding the question, Uncle. How much time do you think could’ve been saved on your pursuit of the Cutlass had you not needed to rely solely on the wind?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know…a month? Maybe two?”
“Exactly. But don’t worry…I have no intention of completely converting the ship over to steam power. After all, my idea is still in the experimental stages, and I’m not sure it could handle that much use. It would primarily be there as a back-up, in case of emergency.”
“Well…I still don’t like it, but it’s your ship. None of my business, really. As long as you don’t blow anything up….”
Now it was Geoffrey’s turn to look insulted. “Blow anything up? I don’t know what kinds of stories my comrades have been telling you, but I can assure you that anything you’ve heard to that effect is a complete fabrication.”
Behind him, Jacqueline snorted. “Fabrication, huh? And I suppose those fireworks you were messing with last year were a figment of our imagination?”
“Hey…those were a present for the King’s birthday, and they’re supposed to explode.”
“Not inside the building.”
“Whose side are you on, anyway?”
Watching their exchange, Porthos couldn’t help but laugh. “Perhaps you ought to move your lab outside of town, Geoffrey…that way, if it blows up or catches fire, you don’t destroy everything.”
Geoffrey glared. “Not helping.”
“Aww…come on,” Jacqueline chuckled. She pulled up next to Geoffrey, laying a hand on his arm. “We’re only teasing. You’re a great inventor, Geoffrey…even if some of your ideas are a bit farfetched.”
“You really mean that?”
“Of course I do.”
Geoffrey smiled, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you, Jacqueline.”
“And I love you.”
Another kiss, then she flashed him a rather impish grin. “Race you back to
As soon as Jacqueline’s mount entered the port city of
"We are going to renew our vows, with a little change."
"Renew our vows? We don't have a priest."
Jacqueline frowned. "We don't need one. This will between you, me and God."
"Alright. How do you want to begin?"
A smile crossed her face. "Repeat after me. I, Geoffrey Greyhawk, do hereby amend our wedding vows."
Hesitantly, he spoke. "I, Geoffrey Greyhawk, do hereby amend our wedding vows."
"To include the following."
"To include the following."
Their eyes met. "I promise never to withhold any information from my wife Jacqueline, no matter how dangerous the information may be."
"I promise never to withhold any information from my wife Jacqueline, no matter how dangerous the information may be."
"So help me God."
"So help me God."
She pulled him closer to her. "Now kiss me you fool."
A flicker of playfulness showed in his eyes. "Now kiss me you fool." He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. "What will you do if I break my vow?"
She tilted her head back. "I don't think you want to know, but it will be slow and painful. After that, your voice will be higher."
He shuddered at the thought, then glanced up to see Porthos
and Duval standing in the nave, looking at them. "I think we should go
back to the
Porthos nodded. "I agree. We need to get you two out of
A bit later, Gaston and D'Artagnan escorted the King and
Maria to the
They all turned towards the boyish king. Porthos bowed. "Your Majesty, we didn't see you join us. We are discussing plans to get young Greyhawk and his wife to safety."
Louis frowned. "Safety? Wife? When did this happen? Geoffrey, you must introduce me to your wife."
Geoffrey grinned. "Your Majesty, please meet my wife Jacqueline?"
Louis scratched his head. "How did I miss this? When were you married? I mean . . ."
Jacqueline laughed. "Sire, we snuck off the ship last night and found a priest to perform the ceremony." She lost the smile. "Early this morning Geoffrey was threatened by someone from his past."
"No one threatens one of my Musketeers. I suggest we
take the barge back to
Porthos nodded. "An excellent idea, Your Highness. We can be ready in the morning."
Louis smiled. "I have another excellent idea. My Princess lost her luggage when her ship was sunk and, though D'Artagnan replaced much of it at his own expense, I have decided that we will go shopping. As a wedding gift, I insist that Jacqueline accompany Marie and myself so I can bestow my gratitude for her service by buying some dresses for her." He looked at Jacqueline. "You would like to dress as a woman sometimes, wouldn't you?"
"Your Highness is more than generous. I would like to go shopping with Marie. We have become very good friends in our travels."
The next day, while Louis, Marie, Jacqueline, Nikki and four Musketeers toured Le Havre, Geoffrey, D'Artagnan, Ramon, Porthos and Duval prepared the barge for the trip to Paris. Unknown to the men, a predator left the darkness in the hold of the Rose d’Orleans, snuck on board the barge, and hid in a dark cabin.
Chapter 3
Three days later, the Royal Barge arrived in
Jacqueline paced the commander's office while Geoffrey picked up a sword and started parrying an invisible enemy. Jacqueline walked over to her husband and gently pulled his arm down. "Wouldn't you rather show me your sword?" She grinned as she saw the comment register on Geoffrey's face. The two kissed and then hugged as hands groped each other. Geoffrey swept his arm across Duval's desk, dislodging several papers to the ground. He lifted his wife onto the edge of the desk and lowered her to the table top while pushing her skirt up. Jacqueline pushed Geoffrey's pants down as he mounted her.
"What the hell is going on here?" Duval's voice boomed through his office as the desk collapsed, sending the newlyweds to the floor. Jacqueline smoothed out her dress as Geoffrey hurriedly pulled up his pants. Duval shook his head. "Explain yourselves! If you two think you can come back here and fornicate in my office because the King thinks you should be brought back, you can think again."
Geoffrey stood up, shielding Jacqueline. "Sir, you said to wait here and well, we are newlyweds and our honeymoon was interrupted."
Duval raised his hand. "Stop. I don't need that much information. Wait…what did you say? Your honeymoon?"
"Yes Sir, we got married in
"You got married without my permission?" He sighed. "Well, the four of you are always breaking rules. First Ramon gets married and then you two. I suppose D'Artagnan is romancing some young woman again? No, don't answer, I don't want to know. However, you will not be using my office. I think you two need a cooling off period from your honeymoon. Jacqueline, you will come with me while Geoffrey cleans up my office. On second thought, Jacqueline…go change into Jacques and meet me at the stables in fifteen minutes." He hid his smile as the two lovebirds separated.
Jacques walked up to the stables within the appointed time and found Duval leaning up against the door. "Right on time, Private. Come with me." She followed the captain around the stables and down a path between some trees. Jacqueline knew that this area was strictly off limits to all Musketeers. She stopped and stared at a small cottage that needed some work.
Duval turned to her. "Private, this cottage needs cleaning from top to bottom."
"Sir, this place needs more than cleaning, it needs some carpentry work. The door is off the hinges and the roof has a hole in it."
Duval nodded. "Why, so it does. I guess you had better get started then." He started to leave. "Oh, if you need help, feel free to recruit some helpers. A very important person will inhabit it soon and I want it to be perfect, if you get my drift."
"Yes, Sir."
Duval walked back to his office and looked at the rebuilt desk and the papers stacked neatly on top. “Good job, Geoffrey. You know that area that is off limits to Musketeers?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Good. Since you already have your carpentry tools, go help Jacques. You have permission to enter the area. There is some work that needs to be done and I want it completed today.”
“Yes Sir.” He picked up his tools and hurried to his next assignment. As he came down the path and through the trees, he saw a one-story cottage that needed work. The main door was off the hinges and there were at least two holes in the roof. He walked around the cottage and discovered that it was actually a two-story cottage on a slope. Geoffrey shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be damned. The front of this place looks like a one story building but with the slope of the land towards the river, it becomes a two-story one.”
Moving to the side, he walked into the cottage by the side door and found himself on the "top floor". The first room he entered was about 7.95 meters (26.08 feet) long by 3.20 meters (10.50 feet) wide. He walked through the room until he reached stair and went upstairs into the kitchen. The eating area was 4.80 meters (15.75 feet) by 3.45 meters (11.32 ft). Off the kitchen was a hallway leading to other rooms.
Jacqueline stood in the middle of the kitchen with a broom in her hand and a scowl on her face. "Duval wants this place cleaned up and the roof repaired by tonight. We can't possibly do it alone."
Geoffrey nodded. "I agree, be right back." He ran out of the house, not looking back. Jacqueline swore as she continued sweeping. "Ugh, I swore I didn't want to be my mother, doing house work."
Ten minutes later Geoffrey walked in the door. "I found some help. Ramon, Nikki, D'Artagnan and five recruits."
Jacqueline hugged Nikki. "Thanks for coming. Captain Duval wants this place cleaned and repaired for a VIP. You all know that this area is off limits, so let's get it done."
D’Artagnan laughed. “You need all of us for a small job like this?”
Jacqueline scowled. “You laugh now, but there is another level downstairs and three bedrooms on this level.”
Nikki grabbed another broom and the women swept the downstairs room while D'Artagnan worked on the door. Geoffrey, Ramon and two recruits worked on the roof while the other recruits gathered up buckets and brushes and scrubbed the bedrooms and kitchen.
Night was falling when Duval came to inspect the cottage. The recruits saw him coming and snuck out the back door, working their way to the garrison. However, the four Musketeers and Nikki held their ground. Duval walked in the lower side door and looked around. Without a word, he walked upstairs and inspected the bedrooms. The three rooms were the same length, being 3.5 meters long (11.48 feet). The first bedroom was 3.45 meters wide (11.32 feet) and the second was 3.85 meters wide (12.63 feet). The third room was only 2.30 meters wide (7.55 feet). He shook his head. "I guess this would be big enough for a nursery." He walked out and faced the five anxious people. "You did a fair job, I am impressed. D’Artagnan, you can leave. Nikki, I understand that you own another inn not far from the Palais-Royal."
"Yes, Captain, that's where Ramon and I will be living."
"Very good. You have my permission." He looked at Geoffrey and Jacqueline. "Well, I guess we should all leave before the VIPs get here." He ushered them all out and led them down the path to the garrison. As they passed through the bushes he stopped and looked at the newlyweds. "Geoffrey, Jacqueline, you two need a place for you to finish your honeymoon, and not in my office." He grinned as the two blushed. "The cottage is yours, now go get your things and move in."
Geoffrey looked at Ramon. "Nikki owns two inns?"
Nikki nodded. “I do. I heard there was one available, so yesterday I bought it.”
Geoffrey scowled. “You’re a married woman, Nikki. You should be at home, being a wife and mother. Not running a business.” He flinched from an elbow in the ribs. “Oof. What was that for?”
Jacqueline narrowed her eyes, as did Nikki. “I can’t believe you are so narrow-minded. Your wife is a Musketeer and three women were on a ship trying to rescue you. Now you comment that your best friend’s wife own two businesses. Is your masculinity in question?”
Geoffrey squirmed. “Look…this is the 17th century and I am as open-minded as the next man. Jacqueline, yours is a special case, but women will never become common place in the military or in business. Next you will want a country where women can involve themselves in politics and dress in men’s clothes in public.”
The female Musketeer narrowed her eyes more. “If you want to sleep in the stables, just keep it up.” With an annoyed huff, she turned on her heel and stormed up the path to the garrison.
Scowling, Ramon put a protective arm around his wife’s shoulders. “What was that all about? I never thought that you, of all people, could ever be so narrow-minded. Especially considering who you’re married to.”
As the comment registered, Geoffrey groaned, sitting down on a nearby stump and dropping his head into his hands. “Jesus…it’s happening, isn’t it? I’m turning into my bloody father.” Sighing, he glanced up at the couple. “I’m sorry, Nikki…I don’t know what came over me. I spent most of my life listening to that sort of drivel, and I’d always sworn I’d never turn out like that. And now look at me…first time that’s tested and I go spouting off the same nonsense he always did. I’m such an ass…” Geoffrey hung his head, too ashamed to even look at them.
In a tree above the humans, the predator sprawled in the branches; muscles tense in case danger approached. As the humans walked away, the predator dropped to the ground and headed for the cottage. With an instinct bred into it, the predator found an opening in the door of the root cellar where it sniffed and proceeded to build a nest.
Jacqueline walked into her quarters and started packing the items that had been left behind when she’d left last year. "I can't believe how closed-minded he is. Why didn't I ever see it? D'Artagnan I would expect to spout off like that, but not him." She turned at the sound of a knock on the door. "Captain Duval?"
"Jacqueline, I heard there was a confrontation with Geoffrey."
"You heard?"
Duval shook his head. "Whenever the four of you argue, everyone hears it." He would’ve said more, but was interrupted by another knock. A moment later, the door opened a crack and Geoffrey tentatively poked his head inside.
“May I come in?”
“I think I’ll just leave you two alone,” Duval said, exiting the room just as Geoffrey entered. He closed the door and, with a heavy sigh, leaned back against it, dropping his eyes to avoid his wife’s gaze.
“What do you want,” she snapped.
“Look, Jacqueline…back there…that wasn’t me.”
“Who was it, then? Your evil twin?”
“Sort of. That was how my father always talked. I have no idea why those words came out of my mouth when they did, but I’m sorry. If I could take them back, I would in a heartbeat.”
“Stop making excuses,” Jacqueline growled. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms, glaring. “You and I both know that you wouldn’t have said those things if there wasn’t some part of you, however small, that believed them.” Geoffrey opened his mouth to respond, but she didn’t give him the chance. “What’s the matter? Am I not ‘domestic’ enough for you? Would you prefer some nice, empty-headed girl who’d love nothing more than to cook and clean and have lots of your babies? ‘Cause if that’s the case—“ This time, it was Geoffrey’s turn to cut her off, quickly crossing the room and placing a finger gently over her lips.
“Jacqueline, believe me when I say that is the LAST thing I want. Like I told you before, if I preferred girls
like that, I could’ve had anyone in
She laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but the consequences definitely would not be pleasant.”
“Of course. You’re the boss.”
“And don’t you ever forget it.”
He grinned, tossing off a mock salute. “Yes Ma’am. Your orders?”
Jacqueline smiled as well, wrapping her hands around his collar. “Shut up and kiss me.”
“Just a kiss?”
“We’ll see.” They kissed passionately, and it was several hours before they finally began moving into their new home.
Chapter 4
Captain Duval walked out of his quarters and into the quad to inspect the Musketeers. As the Charge of Quarters read the roll call, he noticed that LePonte and Greyhawk were missing. Inspecting the troops, he came to a stop in front of Ramon and D'Artagnan. "Where are your comrades? Did they forget that there was an inspection this morning?"
A snicker from a Musketeer down the line made Duval move down. "Private, was that a snicker I heard? Perhaps you will share with the command what is so funny."
"Well Sir, I heard LePonte and a woman's laughter coming from his room well into the night. He is probably exhausted."
"A woman in the barracks? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely, but when I went to look I saw him and Siroc moving some things out of the barracks and back to the Forbidden Zone."
Duval nodded. "Yes, well LePonte and Siroc had my
permission to move some things to the…uh…Forbidden Zone, as you call it."
He turned and walked to a place in front of the formation. "I wasn't going
to bring this up now, but there have been some recent changes that you should
be aware of. First of all, Siroc is now
going by his real name, Greyhawk and he is now married. He will be living in
the Forbidden Zone. For the moment, LePonte, Ramon and D'Artagnan are the only
ones allowed there. Secondly, Ramon is also married and will be living with his
wife at the
He grinned as the Musketeers laughed at the play on words. "Now, due to certain requirements, Private LePonte is also detailed to protect Madame Greyhawk and will be living on those grounds. To settle your eager curiosity, the Forbidden Zone is actually the former caretaker's cottage that has been vacant for some time. Now, you are all dismissed…except for D'Artagnan and Ramon."
As the rest went about their duties, Duval took the men aside. "Where are they?"
Ramon shrugged. "I haven't seen them since yesterday when we left the cottage and he opened his mouth and inserted his foot."
Duval nodded. "I know about that. D'Artagnan?"
The Gascon sighed. "I had to interrupt them as they were making a lot of noise. I told them to get their gear and get back to the cottage or risk the entire garrison breaking in. They agreed and left in the middle of the night. They’re probably still in bed."
"Not for long. Dismissed." Duval took his gauntlets from his belt and slapped his left hand with them before putting them on. He never liked to wear them, but the cool crisp morning air was getting to him. "Damn, it's hell getting old." He turned towards the path to the Forbidden Zone.
The sun was barely lighting up the newlyweds’ new home when the couple was roused from slumber by a loud banging on the door. Geoffrey pulled on his pants and stumbled to the door as Jacqueline lay back in bed. "Whoever it is, tell them to come back when it is daylight."
As Geoffrey opened the door, Duval stomped into the cottage and made his way towards the kitchen passing the open door of the main bedroom. He stopped at the door and saw the figure in the bed. "Musketeer, get out of that bed, now." He quickly turned his head when he saw Jacqueline grab the bed sheet as she sat up. The captain looked at a horrified Geoffrey and blushed. "Sorry, but you missed muster. Get dressed, then meet me in the kitchen.”
Two minutes later, the two disheveled Musketeers met their Captain in the kitchen. Duval paced the floor with a scowl on his face. "I will give you two a break this once, but only because you spent most of the night moving your things in and setting up your new home. That is my wedding gift to you; however, we need some ground rules."
Jacqueline and Geoffrey looked at each other as they held hands and nodded to Duval.
"Good. For one thing, Jacqueline, you will appear in the garrison as Jacques. Yes, I know your friends know you are a woman, and I presume they will keep your secret. After all, we don't have female Musketeers, officially that is."
Jacqueline nodded. "I agree, but can I lose the voice thing?"
Duval laughed. "Yes. I am surprised you haven't damaged your voice yet." He looked at Geoffrey. "Now then, there will be no hand holding and public displays of affection while in uniform. That would definitely blow your secret." He accepted their nod. "One more thing. My office is off-limits for any private displays. You have your own cottage, so now all private displays will be here and only when you are off duty. The garrison will only know that Geoffrey is married and, of course, the restriction to this area remains in effect except for you four Musketeers.
Geoffrey frowned. "Captain, you do realize that I am a Captain also?"
"At sea, yes. But when you’re here at the garrison, you are still a private…though I might be willing to consider a promotion in a few months, for all four of you. At any rate, you and Jacqueline are sea-going Musketeers, sort of like the Marines on British ships." He held out his hand. "Captain Greyhawk, Madame Greyhawk…allow me to officially give you my congratulations on your wedding."
Jacqueline hugged him. "Thank you Captain, and thank you for the cottage. Is there anything we can do to repay you?"
Duval blushed. "Yes. Make sure you are on time for muster and always have a pot of coffee when I come to visit."
Jacqueline and Geoffrey looked at each other. "We always go to the Café Nouveau."
Duval's eyes widened. "Then learn to make
it yourself. That is an order." He walked out the door and chuckled as he
headed back to the garrison. Halfway down the path, he stopped and slowly turned
completely around, eyes probing the terrain, alert, searching, using his
soldier’s instinct for the eyes that watched him. Shrugging his shoulders, he
continued walking but at a slower pace. ‘I
know there is someone watching me.’
In the limbs of the tallest tree surrounding the Forbidden Zone, the predator watched the man as the prey stopped and turned around. It tensed as the man walked away but its attention was diverted to the two other humans who stood dangerously close to the predator’s lair.
****************
In the Palais-Royal, Princess Marie walked the corridors of the palace, looking for her betrothed, King Louis XIV. After a half hour, she found him in a small room off a side hallway, with his arms wrapped around a dark haired young woman who was not wearing any clothing. The King saw Marie and quickly covered the woman up as the Princess stormed out of the room. Louis ran after the Princess. “Marie, wait.”
She whirled on her heels. “What? You are the King and we are not married. Who is that woman?”
“That is Maria Mancini[1],
Cardinal Mazarin’s niece.”
“Mazarin…you got rid of him, why keep his niece around?”
“Well, for one thing, Cardinal Mazarin is my godfather and Maria is very…uh…talented.”
“Then keep her.”
“L'etat c'est moi (I am the state). I have the right to have as many women as I want, and you should just be grateful that I'm marrying you.”
“Fine, and I am Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche, daughter of Phillip III, King of Spain. I will inform my father of this and the wedding and treaty will be off.” She turned around and walked off. Going to her quarters, she picked up her cloak and left the palace for the Musketeer garrison.
Louis watched her leave. “I don’t want her to go, but I sure like watching her leave.” He started to follow when two arms surrounded him. The young King turned to see the unclothed form and he chased her back into the room.
****************
Skirts whirling around and cloak flapping, Marie stormed into Inn of the Crossed Swords instead of the garrison. She looked around and spotted Nikki. "Nikki, I need your help."
Nikki frowned. She pulled Marie into a private room. "What is happening?"
"Louis is what is wrong. I just caught him with another woman who was naked. He claims that she is Mazarin's niece."
Nikki nodded. "Maria Mancini. I have heard that Louis had been involved, but trust me, he will never marry her." She offered her guest a seat and sat down. "Let me guess. You walked out on Louis and threatened to cancel the wedding didn't you?"
Marie nodded. "Not only that, I told him I would urge my father to void the treaty."
Nikki frowned. "Oh no, you didn't. You wouldn't. I
don't know about
"
"No. This is the first place he would look and you would not be safe. I know exactly where you would be safe and among friends. Let me get some refreshments and then we will go see Jacqueline."
"But she lives in barracks as a man."
Nikki smiled. "She serves as a man but she and Geoffrey live in a cottage with three bedrooms and Musketeers are forbidden to go there."
As dark fell, two women slipped into the garrison and using the shadows found the path to the cottage. Nikki knocked on the main door. The door opened and Geoffrey looked at the women. "Your Highness, Madame de la Cruz, come in. Jacqueline, we have guests."
Jacqueline entered the room wearing a peasant dress. “Nikki, Marie, what a pleasant surprise. Somehow I don’t think this is a social call.”
Marie shook her head. “I have made a terrible mistake. Louis is having an affair with Mazarin’s niece. I can’t marry a man like that.”
Geoffrey shook his head. “Marie, you are from a Royal family. Don’t tell me that this doesn’t happen in the court of Spain.”
“Yes it happens, but it does not mean I have to like it.”
Jacqueline persuaded Marie to sit down. “I am not saying that Louis is right but I think you have to answer the question of do you wish to be Queen of France. You know that Louis’ mother had an affair with a Musketeer.”
Marie cocked her eye. “Are you saying that if Louis has an affair then I should also?”
“No…but if you do, be discreet. Marie, I know you have feelings for a certain man and you both have conducted yourselves in a proper manner.” Madame Greyhawk stood up. “For now, you will be our guest. Only the four of us will know you are here. We have two extra guest rooms.”
Marie smiled. “Jacqueline, Nikki, Geoffrey. You are good friends. I accept.”
****************
It took Louis two days to
determine that the Princess was not in the Palace as it was so large. Maria
Mancini watched him pace with a bemused look on her face. “Louis, what do you
care if she left?”
“What do I care? Well, for one she
is going to be my queen and the marriage will secure peace between
“Is that all?”
“Maria, as much as I love you, the
King must have a Queen, one of Royal birth to secure peace, not only with other
nations but also with the people. My mother has been made aware of the
situation and has ordered me to send you away to marry a nobleman in
“You would listen to your mother?
I thought you were a man.”
Louis stormed towards the door. He
whirled around. “My mother may be known as Anne of Austria, but she was a
Spanish Princess before that. Do not ever think that you or anyone else may
speak badly of my mother. Now go. I have to find my Princess.”
“I should have made love to your
brother Philippe.”
Louis laughed. “Maybe you should
have. However, you would have had to fight off his boyfriend.”
An hour later, the King’s coach
rolled into the garrison. Duval raced out of his office to greet the young
monarch. “Your Majesty.”
“Ah Captain Duval. I need your
assistance. I seem to have misplaced someone.”
Duval frowned. "My Lord?"
"Princess Marie Therese, have you seen her?" He looked at Ramon and D'Artagnan who were standing behind their Captain. "D'Artagnan, you spent several months with my intended. Where is she?"
D'Artagnan stepped forward. "Your Highness, Ramon and I
were on patrol all day and returned a few minutes ago. I have not seen the
Princess since we returned to
Duval coughed. "Your Majesty, D'Artagnan speaks the truth. He, Ramon, and three other recruits have been gone all day. Is there a reason why she might have left the Palace?"
"Just a lovers’ quarrel, Captain. She left the Palace, and I thought that she had come here. Where is my pirate and his," Louis lowered his voice, "comrade?"
"Private Greyhawk has retired for the evening with his wife."
Louis nodded. "Very well, if you see her, please tell
her. No…just please inform me at once. I will be staying at the chateau in
Duval bowed. "At once, Your Majesty."
Louis turned towards the coach. "Driver, I wish to ride up on top with you."
The driver's face went white. "Of course, Your Majesty."
As soon as the coach was out of sight of the garrison, Duval
whirled on Ramon and D'Artagnan. "All right, where is she?" Since
both men denied knowing, Duval ordered a search of the garrison. "Ramon,
could she have gone to see your wife at the
Ramon shrugged. "It is possible, but I have been on patrol and have not been home. With your permission, I will go home and ask Nikki."
D'Artagnan kept still until Duval stared him down. "Do you want me to ask Geoffrey and Jacques?"
Duval laughed. "If I were Geoffrey and you showed up to disturb me and my wife after we had gone to bed, I would kill you. No, wait until muster tomorrow."
During muster the next morning, Duval looked at the one hundred and twenty-seven man Musketeer force since Geoffrey and Jacques were present and accounted for. "Men, we have been requested by the King to be on the alert for Princess Marie Therese. She went for a walk yesterday and failed to return to the Palace." He noticed that Louis had returned and was watching the muster. "If anyone sees the Princess, you are to report to me immediately." He stepped back as the King walked up.
"Captain Duval, I thank you and your men, my Musketeers for the help in this matter." He walked up and down the line before stopping in front of Geoffrey, Jacques and another Musketeer. "Captain Greyhawk, I trust your wife is well?"
"Yes, Sire, very well."
"Good. Private LePonte, are you settling back into Musketeer duties?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He looked back at Geoffrey. "When will you be able to take the Reine Anne back out to sea?"
"Well Sire, the ship has been renamed Rose d’Orleans and is in the process of being modified."
"Modified?"
"Yes Your Majesty, I have an idea to use steam power as a supplement to the sail in order to gain more speed and maneuverability when the wind dies."
Louis nodded in confusion. "Good, good. You continue." He turned to leave and looked at Duval. "He is going to make steam work on sails? Isn't that how they iron clothes?"
Duval shrugged as he looked over the King's shoulder and the unknown recruit standing by Jacques. "Geoffrey, take four men and meet me in the stables. I have a mission for you." He turned to the rest of the ensemble. "Musketeers, dismissed." The captain sighed heavily as he made his way to the stables where the five Musketeers were located. He looked them over. "Front and center as I call your names. "Greyhawk, LePonte, de la Cruz, D'Artagnan." He looked at the fifth Musketeer. "I do not know your name."
"Private Borbón, newly arrived from
Duval nodded. "I see. And how is it that that you of all the Musketeers were enlisted without my knowledge? Better yet, did you perhaps come here on board a ship, say the Reine Anne?"
"Sí, Capitan. I did indeed serve on the Reine Anne and came here to be a Musketeer."
Duval paced. "You realize that as Captain of the Musketeers, I am in charge of the men who protect the King. I think I am a pretty good judge of character, and your friendship with these four hooligans aside, I have one thing to say to you." He circled the five before ending his pace in front of Borbón. "Don't wear perfume in uniform. One woman in the ranks is enough, thank you." He looked at his motley crew. "If word gets out that Private Borbón is in fact the very person that the King is searching for, we are all in trouble. I suggest that the five of you be on patrol for the next few days. Private Borbón, I am ordering you to protect the household of Private Greyhawk and his wife, Jacqueline. In fact you may team up with Private LePonte. That will give you reason for being in the Forbidden Zone." He grinned. "Now get out of my sight, all of you."
LePonte and Borbón walked towards the Forbidden Zone with a purpose just as ten of so-called Black Musketeers, formerly Mazarin's redcoats, arrived at the garrison. D'Artagnan, Ramon and Geoffrey confronted them. Geoffrey took the lead. "Lieutenant Chaote, what are you and your men doing here? The duc d’Nemours was told that you are not welcome."
"We are here to search for the Princess Marie Therese. She and lover-boy D'Artagnan were real chummy, so we figure that she is here, probably in his be…" Chaote never finished his statement as Geoffrey's right cross silenced him. The Black Musketeers drew their swords.
Geoffrey drew his own blade. "Musketeers, to arms." Claude DeMolay’s ‘musketeers’ paled as no less than fifty Musketeers raced to the call to arms. They put away their weapons as Chaote got up. "You damn pirate, you will pay for that."
"Why don't you explain to the King how it was that you ended up on the ground for insinuating any impropriety between his Princess and his Musketeer? I am sure he will reward you for the news…perhaps a suite at the Bastille. Now run along and tell your new keeper DeMolay to keep better watch on his lap dogs."
Chapter 5
One morning, about a week after the incident with DeMolay’s men, Geoffrey arrived at the garrison at the same time as Ramon, who had a pastry stuffed into his mouth and a sack full of them balanced in his arms. “I see Nikki has decided to provide us with breakfast again,” he remarked as they entered the common room. Ramon nodded, setting the sack on the table before breaking off the one in his mouth and chewing it properly.
“Si,” he said, once he’d swallowed. “She is an excellent cook, no?”
“Won’t argue with that one.” He reached into the sack to grab one for himself just as D’Artagnan wandered in, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed.
“Is that what I think it is?”
Geoffrey nodded. “Breakfast…courtesy of Madame de la Cruz.”
“Excellent!” D’Artagnan snatched up a few of the pastries, then glanced over at the Musketeer-pirate. “Wait a sec…don’t you have the day off?”
He shrugged. “I may not have any duties today, but that doesn’t stop me from working in the lab. That steam engine isn’t going to build itself, you know.”
Ramon shook his head. “No offense, compadré, but would it kill you to relax once in awhile?”
“He’s got a point,” the Gascon chimed in. “You don’t have to work all the time.”
“Hey…I know perfectly well how to relax. I’d just rather work on my new invention today. Is that a problem?” Geoffrey stared them down, eyebrow raised, and both musketeers quickly raised their hands in surrender and backed off.
“So…” D’Artagnan said, attempting to change the subject. “Where’s ‘Jacques’ this morning?” More recruits were wandering into the common room as he spoke, so the honest answer was out of the question.
Geoffrey grinned. “He had a…lady friend…over last night. And I’m almost positive that she was still there when I left. Any other time, I would’ve asked the mademoiselle to leave and dragged him over here, but since he also has the day off….” He winked at the other two, who immediately understood what he was really getting at. Meanwhile, the rest of the musketeers in the room just went about their business, though Geoffrey caught a few comments about Jacques ‘finally becoming a man.’ He shrugged them off, and was about to ask Ramon and D’Artagnan if they wanted to head over to the café for some coffee when the door leading outside suddenly flew open. A moment later, a masked man dressed in black—reminiscent of the infamous highwayman—strode inside. Eerily calm, he silently drew his blade and pointed it right at the Legend’s son. The challenge was clear, and D’Artagnan responded eagerly, tossing his breakfast aside and drawing his own blade.
“Well,” he began, resting the blade on his shoulder, his usual cocky grin in place. “It’s obvious you know who I am. I wish I could say the same.” D’Artagnan waited for the masked man to introduce himself, but that wasn’t to be. He lunged forward, forcing the Gascon to go on the defensive. Musketeers scattered as the newcomer proceeded to drive the Legend’s son back into a corner.
Thinking quickly, D’Artagnan deliberately tangled their hilts, then used his free hand to reach for the mask. Unfortunately, his opponent decided to retaliate by driving a knee into his crotch before he had a chance to unmask him. He sagged against the wall, his free hand moving to protect the injured area. Meanwhile, the masked man untangled their swords and backed towards the door. As soon as he managed to recover, D’Artagnan gave chase, clashing with his opponent just as he was heading outside to the training yard.
Feeling a distinct sense of déjà vu, Geoffrey and Ramon followed the duelists, watching the fight from the safety of the doorway. Geoffrey nudged the Spaniard with his elbow. “I’ve got five francs that says this masked fellow comes out on top.”
Ramon’s eyebrow shot up. “Some stranger besting our D’Artagnan? Are you loco?”
He shrugged. “I’ve just got a feeling about this one. Are you in or not?”
“Get your dinero ready.”
“You too.” As the pair looked on, the stranger swiped at D’Artagnan’s legs. He somersaulted forward, narrowly avoiding the blade. However, the Gascon miscalculated the distance and wound up slamming into one of the equipment racks. The stranger closed in, looking to take advantage, and D’Artagnan threw his sword to buy some time to untangle himself. It missed its target, the masked man having dodged at the last second, and embedded itself in one of the training dummies. Fortunately, the momentary distraction was enough. He scrambled back to his feet, grabbing another sword as he did, and resumed the fight.
It was at that moment Duval chose to enter the scene, coming up behind Ramon and Geoffrey. He started to ask what was going on, but the Musketeer-pirate waved him off. Duval wasn’t happy about the dismissal, but decided to let it go…for now. Instead, he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe to watch D’Artagnan and this masked stranger having it out.
Once more in close quarters, the two clashed with their blades yet again. Both tried to gain a clear advantage, but neither one was able to do so. In fact, they were pretty evenly matched. Then, just when it seemed D’Artagnan was on the verge of finally getting that advantage, the masked man launched a left hook into his jaw that sent him staggering back. The stranger immediately followed up with a thrust that opened up a small gash on his sword arm. Biting back a cry of pain, D’Artagnan tentatively touched his fingers to where he’d been hit and, sure enough, they came away bloody. ‘So that’s how it’s going to be, eh?’ Ignoring the wound, he launched himself back into the fray, more determined than ever to win.
There was another quick exchange, and when it ended the masked man was left with a wound to match D’Artagnan’s. His cocky grin once more in place, the arrogant musketeer immediately attempted to take advantage of the situation. However, that overconfidence cost him. He lunged too far forward and, in seconds, the masked man had him sprawled out on the ground. Even worse, the stranger had gained possession of both blades, which were now crossed just above D’Artagnan’s throat. With a defeated sigh, the Gascon threw his hands up in surrender. “If you’re going to kill me, Monsieur, please…just make it quick.” He closed his eyes, expecting never to open them again.
Much to his surprise, the next thing he heard was laughter. Confused, D’Artagnan opened his eyes in time to see the stranger toss the blades aside and remove his mask to reveal….
“Jacques?” Grinning triumphantly, the female Musketeer held out a hand to help him up. He ignored it, glaring at her as he climbed back to his feet unaided. “Y-you tricked me! How could you humiliate me like this?”
She rolled her eyes. “Stop being so melodramatic, D’Artagnan. Besides, you did kind of bring this on yourself.”
“Oh really? And how, pray tell, did I do that?”
“Ever since we came back from
D’Artagnan would’ve responded, but Duval chose that moment to walk over. And he did not look happy. "D'Artagnan, LePonte. What have I told you two about fighting inside buildings? Sparring is one thing, but this was more than that. Bind up your wounds and go clean the stables. I want them so clean that Ramon could eat off the floor."
“But Sir,” Jacqueline protested. “Today is my day off!”
Duval glared. “No, it WAS your day off. Now get moving before I have you two cleaning the dungeons as well.” Not wanting to risk adding to their punishment, the two of them quickly did as ordered. Once they’d left, the captain turned and headed back inside, winking at Geoffrey as he passed. "That should keep them out of trouble."
Chuckling to himself, Geoffrey turned to Ramon. “Alright…pay up.” He held out his hand, and Ramon grudgingly counted out five francs and relinquished them to his comrade.
“You knew it was Jacques the whole time, didn’t you?”
“Maybe….” Actually, he had known. Earlier that morning, while he was busy trying to get the new coffee-maker he’d built to work, she’d come up to him and told him exactly what she was planning to do. And he’d agreed to go along with it, partly from amusement and partly because he knew he wouldn’t be able to talk her out of it anyway. The wager was all his idea, though. He knew it was kind of wrong to take advantage of Ramon like that, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.
“That’s cheating, you bandito.”
Geoffrey shrugged. “Pirate.” Grinning, he pocketed the coins, then headed off to see to Jacqueline and D’Artagnan’s injuries.
About an hour or so later, the self-professed pirate was in the middle of testing a small-scale prototype of his steam engine when he heard a loud crash over by the stables. Worried, he quickly abandoned the test and rushed to check on Jacqueline and D’Artagnan.
On reaching the stables, he found the two of them in the midst of a brawl. Apparently, the crash he’d heard had been the result of them plowing into the partition of an empty stall, which hadn’t slowed them down in the least. Shaking his head, Geoffrey rolled up his shirtsleeves and charged in. He grabbed both combatants by their collars and pried them apart…which wound up taking a good deal more strength than he’d expected. Still, he held fast, glaring at each of them in turn.
“Alright, just what the bloody hell is going on here?”
“He started it,” Jacqueline snapped, pointing a finger accusingly at D’Artagnan. “Said that cleaning was supposed to be women’s work, and that I should be spending more time at home doing it instead of coming here and ‘playing soldier.’”
“Well, you had it coming,” the Gascon retorted. “You shouldn’t be using your free time to come here and make me look like a fool.”
“Like you needed my help with that one.”
“That does it….” They tried to charge each other again, and it was all Geoffrey could do to keep them separated. By this time, several recruits had wandered in to watch the excitement.
“Nothing to see here, folks,” Geoffrey said, still holding
on to the would-be brawlers. “I’ve got
everything under control.” There was a
bit of grumbling, but the recruits quickly took the hint and left. Once they’d gone, the Musketeer-pirate
returned his attention to his wife and his comrade. The two had been quite short with each other
ever since the return from
Geoffrey sighed, resolving to have a long talk with both of them later. For now, he just had to get them to be civil. “Are you two quite finished?” he asked. They nodded, and he let go of their collars, though he still kept them at arm’s length just to be on the safe side. “I love you, Jacqueline, but you have got to get your temper under control. And the same goes for you, D’Artagnan. Duval’s counting on us. Having two of his best soldiers brawling like schoolboys is not going to help our image. Do you want DeMolay’s Black Musketeers to replace us?” Jacqueline and D’Artagnan stared at him for a moment, then shook their heads. “That’s what I thought. Now…shake hands, apologize, and finish cleaning the stables before the captain comes in here and you get in even more trouble. Okay?”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, something exploded in the lab. Geoffrey paled, remembering the test he’d abandoned. ‘Bloody hell…’ A moment later, there was a pained yell from the training yard. “Greyhawk!” Before Geoffrey had a chance to hide, Captain Duval stormed into the stables, a large red welt having appeared on his forehead. “You three. Dungeons. Now!”
“D-dungeons, Sir?” Geoffrey stammered.
“Yes. They need
cleaning, and guess which musketeers now have that job?” Duval glared.
“You should be thankful that’s all you’re doing down there. I ought to have you locked up for assault,
but I won’t give DeMolay the satisfaction.
Now get to it before I change my mind!”
He turned away then stopped. "Belay that.
I want the sewers cleaned instead."
Jacqueline
wrinkled her nose. "The sewers? All of them?"
“No
just the ones from the palace, and watch out for the crocodiles. I hear they
attack from behind." Duval laughed. "No, do the dungeons. I don't
want you to poison some unsuspecting reptile."
As
the threesome mounted their horses, two pairs of eyes watched them leave. The
taller of the two chuckled. "Cousin, we best get to our patrol unless we
want to join them."
Marie
looked at Ramon. "Surely Captain Duval would not make me do that."
Ramon
shook his head. "Do not underestimate our Capitán, especially since you
are the one dressing like a Musketeer. He wouldn't want to expose you."
As
the three dungeon Musketeers arrived at their work place, they were unaware of
a swarthy individual watching them from the shadows. The man jumped as
another’s voice whispered into his ear. "Private Antonio, unless you want
to join them, I suggest you tend to your own duties."
Antonio
turned around. "Yes Sir, Lieutenant." He cast a backwards glance at
the three Musketeers. ‘You wait Grubbie,
I will make you pay.’
In
the dungeon, D'Artagnan grabbed a pitchfork and headed for the nearest empty
cell where he waited by a pile of hay. Jacques wrinkled her nose. "What
are you doing?"
"I
am waiting for you to empty the cell so I can throw down fresh straw."
Geoffrey
picked up another fork. "Who died and put you in charge? I do outrank
you."
D'Artagnan
laughed. "I enlisted before you did."
Jacques
pushed between the men. "Geoffrey is a Captain, remember?" She
stomped her heel on D'Artagnan's foot and grabbed the fork as the Gascon let
go. "Now I have the fork, you get the shovel."
The
Legend’s son scowled. "You cheated."
Geoffrey
laughed. "Let that be a lesson to you. Never take on two Greyhawks at the
same time. We don't play by the same rules as you genteel folk." He winked
at Jacques as D'Artagnan started shoveling the fouled straw from the cell.
Geoffrey pushed a wheelbarrow towards the door and started loading the old
straw into the contraption with his fork. As soon the cell was empty, Jacques
threw in new straw.
Night had fallen by the time the dirty, sweaty, and exhausted trio made their way back to the Forbidden Zone. Jacqueline and D’Artagnan collapsed into the nearest chairs, and Geoffrey moved to light a few candles before doing the same. “Whew…what a day. Think Duval’s calmed down yet?”
Jacqueline snorted. “After getting hit by shrapnel from your exploding steam engine? I doubt it. Frankly, you’re lucky to still be in one piece right now. If that had been anyone else, the captain would’ve had their head.”
“Speaking of which,” D’Artagnan chimed in. “Do you two mind if I stay here for awhile? At least until the captain’s in a better mood.”
Geoffrey shrugged. “Sure. In fact, I was about to suggest that myself.”
“You were?”
“Yeah. Thought you might like to stay for dinner…have a home-cooked meal for a change. ‘Private Borbón’ is spending the evening with his cousin, so it would just be the three of us….That is, if it’s alright with you, Jacqueline.”
“Depends. Are you actually expecting me to stand up and cook?”
He laughed. “Of course not. D’Artagnan’s been tortured enough for one day.”
“Hey,” she huffed, looking mildly insulted. “I’m not that bad. What about that roast I made you last week?”
“You mean the one that had me spending the next two days in and out of the latrine?”
“Okay, that wasn’t my fault. I swear that meat looked just fine when I bought it. Don’t worry; I won’t be getting anything from that butcher shop again.”
Geoffrey chuckled, reaching over and patting her hand. “It’s alright, my sweet. I didn’t marry you for your culinary skills. That’s why we live so close to the Café Nouveau. As for tonight, you can just sit back and relax. I’ll take care of it.”
“I didn’t know you could cook,” D’Artagnan interrupted.
Jacqueline glanced briefly at the Gascon, then turned back to her husband, eyebrow raised. “Neither did I.”
The Musketeer-pirate shrugged. “I didn’t spend all that time stuck in the Cutlass’ galley for nothing. Why don’t you two go get yourselves cleaned up a bit, and I’ll see what I can whip up for dinner.” With that, Geoffrey stood up and headed into the kitchen, not giving them a chance to argue.
About an hour later, a slightly less filthy D’Artagnan was joined at the dining room table by Jacqueline, who had washed up and changed into a simple peasant dress. She looked absolutely stunning, and took all of the Gascon’s self-control not to react; reminding himself that she was a happily married woman. Lucky for him, Geoffrey entered the room right after she did, carrying a steaming pot of food.
He set the pot down on the table and spooned some of its contents into the waiting bowls. It was a stew of some sort, but not one that Jacqueline and D’Artagnan were familiar with. They both eyed the concoction warily.
“What is it?” Jacqueline asked, tentatively poking at a large chunk of meat floating in the broth.
Geoffrey grinned. “It’s my specialty. A little something I like to call ‘Black Cat Stew’…made with real cat.” Immediately, both Jacqueline and D’Artagnan looked up at him in horror. He laughed. “Relax, I’m joking. It’s just a bit of word play.”
Both of their expressions quickly turned from horror to confusion. “I don’t get it…” D’Artagnan said.
“That’s okay,” the pirate chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to. It’s sort of an inside joke amongst us nautical types. See, for sailors, cats—especially black ones—are actually an omen of good fortune. And to make the stew, I just grab whatever ingredients are handy, throw them into the pot, and hope I get lucky. A bit unorthodox, I admit, but the method hasn’t failed me yet. Hence the name.” His companions nodded in understanding, but still seemed hesitant about trying his creation. Rolling his eyes, Geoffrey sat down, grabbed his own bowl, and dug right in. Another overwhelming success.
Seeing Geoffrey eat the stew without any adverse reaction, Jacqueline and D’Artagnan finally decided to try it as well. And, to their surprise, it actually was quite good. Jacqueline smiled at her husband. “This is excellent. You should cook more often, dear.”
“I would, but this is actually the only thing I know how to make. Pirates aren’t exactly picky eaters.”
“I see….”
The trio spent the next several minutes eating in silence, as Geoffrey contemplated the best way to broach the subject he’d really wanted D’Artagnan present to discuss. Finally, he decided to just come out and say it.
“You know, I can’t help but notice how tense things have been between the two of you lately.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the Gascon muttered.
Geoffrey’s eyebrow shot up. “Oh really? Then what about that brawl this afternoon?” He sighed. “It wasn’t just some random event. This has been brewing for awhile, hasn’t it? Ever since we left Le Havre…maybe even before that. And…I think I know what’s causing it.”
“You do?” both asked simultaneously.
Geoffrey nodded. “Me. Or, more accurately, the fact that you chose to be with me, Jacqueline.” He turned to D’Artagnan. “I know you said that you were alright with this, but you aren’t, are you? Not really. And please, be honest. I promise I won’t get upset. I’d just like to get to the bottom of this before things get out of hand.”
D’Artagnan glanced back and forth between the couple, then nodded slowly. “Alright, I admit it. I’m not crazy about this arrangement.” He looked at Jacqueline. “I tried to accept it, for your sake, but it’s hard seeing you with someone else. And one of my best friends, no less. It was bad enough watching you fawn all over Charles Stuart when he was here, but this…it’s damn near impossible for me to take. Selfish, I know—especially since neither of us ever actually made any sort of commitment to the other—but I can’t help how I feel.”
Jacqueline sighed, laying her hand on top of her comrade’s. “Neither can I. We don’t choose who we fall in love with. Love chooses us.” She smiled at her husband, then turned back towards the Legend’s son. “I do love you, D’Artagnan…just not in the way you want me to. You’re like a brother to me. And, far as I’m concerned, that’s the best thing you could possibly be. With Gerard gone, you, Ramon and Geoffrey are all the family I have left….Okay, there’s also Duval, Nikki, Porthos, Marie, and your father; but you know what I mean. If it weren’t for the three of you, I don’t think I could’ve ever made it this far. That makes us family, even if we don’t actually share blood. And I would hate to see this family broken up over some petty jealousies.”
“So would I,” Geoffrey chimed in. “You’re as good as a brother to me too, D’Artagnan. I know these feelings you have for my wife won’t disappear overnight, and I don’t expect them too. But at the same time, I know that you’re too honorable of a man to do anything to compromise our marriage. You’re not your father. You more than proved that fact by the restraint you’ve shown around the princess, whom you also seem to have some feelings for.” He stood up and walked over to D’Artagnan’s chair, laying a hand on his comrade’s shoulder. “To be honest, I think it’s a good thing you care so much about Jacqueline.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “It tells me that you’d do anything to keep her safe. And, God forbid, should anything unforeseen ever happen to me, there’s not a man I’d trust more to look after her.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. Just promise me something.”
“What?”
“Don’t keep these sorts of things bottled up anymore. All that does is lead to incidents like the one this afternoon. Anytime you feel the need to talk to one or both of us, do it. It may be uncomfortable, but I’d much rather we engaged in civilized conversation than let things fester until someone starts throwing punches. Savvy?” D’Artagnan nodded. “Good. Now, why don’t we finish eating? Then, if you’d like, you’re welcome to stay the night in the spare bedroom. With any luck, by morning Duval will have calmed down.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“You sure?” Jacqueline asked.
“Positive. No offense, you two, but I’d actually like to get some sleep.”
Geoffrey chuckled. “Come on…we’re not that bad, are we?”
“Why do you think Marie’s been stealing beeswax from your lab?” At this, Jacqueline’s face turned several shades of red, and even Geoffrey looked a little embarrassed. D’Artagnan quickly polished off the rest of his stew, then dropped his bowl off in the kitchen before heading for the door. “Well, thanks for the meal and everything. I’m going to try and sneak back to my quarters before the captain realizes it’s past curfew. If you don’t see me at muster tomorrow…well…you’ll probably want to check the dungeons. I’ll be the one hanging by my toes from the rafters. Goodnight.” Before either of them could respond, he’d already slipped out the door and disappeared into the night.
Chapter 6
A week later, Louis was very worried. His mistress had been
ordered out of the country by his mother to go marry an Italian nobleman and
would be leaving soon. His intended bride was missing and war could break out
again between
On the third evening during Louis' last trip of the day, the predator hid on the undercarriage of the Royal Coach. When Louis stepped out it slipped away into the dark and found its way into the Forbidden Zone and the safety of the cellar and its nest. A few days later, the predator crept out and began to move very slowly while watching and listening for prey. After a few minutes it stopped as it detected a hare in the grass. The four pound hare was no match for the heavier twenty pound predator. A quick pounce, bite and a shake and dinner was served. It moved back to its lair and after eating, licking not only its own paws and coat, but also the coats of the two still blind at birth kittens.
That same day, Geoffrey and ‘Jacques’ returned from patrol to find a Royal messenger waiting for them in the common room. He handed Geoffrey what looked like a large piece of heavy black paper, about 9x5 and tied with a gold ribbon. The front had ‘Mssr. and Mme. Greyhawk’ embossed upon it in gold lettering. “What’s all this?” Geoffrey asked the messenger.
“His Majesty requests the presence of you and your wife at a Royal Ball to be held later this month, honoring those who assisted in the rescue of Princess Marie-Therese. The information is all inside the invitation.”
“What about me?” ‘Jacques’ asked. “Do I get one?”
“Uh…of course…I have it right here…” the messenger stammered, frantically searching his clothes. Finally, he located the item in question. “Ah, yes…. ‘Jacques LePonte,’ right?” She nodded, and he handed her an identical invitation to the one Geoffrey had received, only with her alias embossed on the front.
Geoffrey gave the young man a few francs as a tip, and he bowed and left just as Ramon, D’Artagnan and Borbón were coming in. “Ah,” Ramon said, holding up an invitation of his own. “You got some too, I see.”
Jacques nodded. “His Majesty is making an awfully big deal out of this, isn’t he? I mean, we came back months ago. Why wait until now, after the princess has disappeared from court?”
Borbón shrugged. “Perhaps he’s trying to lure her out of hiding.”
“More likely he’s just bored,” D’Artagnan jumped in. “He just needs an excuse to have a party, and
I suppose we’re as good as any. So…who’s
actually going to go to this thing? I
probably will if I can find a date…
“I don’t know…I think I might have to go see a sick relative that day,” she replied with a wink. The others understood immediately.
“Okay, then. Ramon?”
“A chance to show off my beautiful wife and eat the finest foods the palace has to offer? What do you think?”
D’Artagnan laughed. “Why did I even ask? What about you, Geoffrey. You and Jacqueline going to go?”
Geoffrey shook his head, then walked out of the common room without answering. His comrades looked at each other in confusion. Finally, Jacqueline broke the silence. “I’ll go talk to him. If Duval comes in here, cover for us, would you?” They nodded, and she quickly took off after her husband, trailing him all the way back to the Forbidden Zone. She found him in the kitchen, tinkering with the still-useless coffee-maker in an obvious attempt at avoidance.
“Geoffrey?” she asked, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. Not even turning, he grunted something that sounded like ‘I’m busy.’ Unfortunately for him, Jacqueline wasn’t so easily dissuaded. “Look at me, Geoffrey. What’s wrong? Why did you bolt like that?”
He sighed, continuing to stare down at the workbench. “I know you all are excited about this ball, but I’m not. All I see when I look at that invitation is a room filled with wealthy, pretentious nobles; every one of them there to gawk at the ‘legendary’ pirate who just barely managed to talk his way out of a hanging and back into the King’s good graces. Sorry, but I won’t let myself be put on display like that. I’d rather just stay home and work on my steam engine.”
“Geoffrey, did you even read the invitation?”
“Why bother?”
“Well, if you actually took a moment to look at it, you’d see that this ball just happens to be on the same day as my 21st birthday.”
“Oh really,” he drawled, finally turning away from the pile of metal he’d been tinkering with. “You know, I can think of a much better way to celebrate that.” Geoffrey kissed her neck, slowly working his way up to her lips.
“You know,” she said, once they parted. “I like the way you think. But there will be plenty of time for that AFTER we make an appearance at Louis’ party. Besides, how often am I going to get a chance like this? To spend my birthday in the luxury of the palace?”
“But…all those nobles….”
She smiled, laying a finger on his lips to silence his protests. “If anyone does stare, I guarantee it will be purely from envy.”
“Envy….Well; I would be there with the most beautiful woman
in
“Flatterer.”
“I try.”
“Anyway…how about a compromise? We go to the ball for maybe an hour or so—just long enough for Louis to do whatever he asked us there to do—and then we can come home and…celebrate the occasion properly.” Still smiling, she pulled him into another kiss.
“No fair,” Geoffrey half-heartedly protested. “You know I can’t say no to that.”
“Is that a ‘yes,’ then?”
He sighed. “Fine…I’ll go to the bloody ball and make nice. Happy?”
“Very.” The smile on her face evaporated when she looked at the invitation again. "Mon Dieu, the ball is in a week. How am I going to find clothes to wear for a ball at the Palace?"
"Don't worry, we will work it out. In the meantime, we are off duty, so let's get to bed before our house guest comes home."
Jacqueline grinned. "You have to be quieter or Luis will want a change of station."
Several mornings later, the Greyhawks were visited by another Royal Messenger, this one with several boxes. As Jacqueline stood back, Geoffrey opened the door. "May I help you?"
"Captain Greyhawk, the King said he knew what the Musketeers get paid and requested that you accept a small token of his appreciation for all you have done." He handed the boxes to Geoffrey and left. Speechless, the Musketeer turned towards his wife, who had been joined by Marie.
The two women took the boxes from the pirate and opened them. Geoffrey watched as they pulled out exquisite dresses and finery. "All of this for one ball?"
Marie laughed. "Men, they think owning one pair of pants, a shirt and a jacket is enough. You will be happy to know that there is a box with your name on it." She handed it to him.
Geoffrey opened the box to see a blue military blouse and a white ruffled shirt. Included were a pair of white breeches and polished knee-high boots along with a white baldric. He grinned. "I wonder if I should wear my Musketeer sword or a cutlass." His grin faded as the women scowled at him. "Okay, it was a joke. I will wear the Musketeer Sword."
Marie shook her head. "No. Wear the baldric but no sword. This is a ball in celebration of your wife's birthday and a ‘thank you’ for you Musketeers."
Geoffrey shook his head. "Not this Musketeer. I was hanged, remember?"
Marie nodded. "I remember. However, I am thinking that making you a Captain of your own ship with Letters of Marque counts for something. Trust me, don't wear the sword. I will have mine."
Jacqueline frowned. "Marie, you mean you aren't going as yourself?"
"No, I am going as Luis Borbón, Musketeer. I think I
will make him sweat some more. You know he is worried that something might have
happened and my father will invade
Geoffrey was about to comment when he caught sight of the sundial outside of the cottage. “If we don’t get to muster, Captain Duval will invade us.”
The three hurried and reached the garrison just as the troop was forming up. Duval glanced at them. “LePonte, Borbón you have patrol around the palace. Greyhawk, I have something for you to pick up for the garrison. D’Artagnan, de la Cruz, you have patrol to the south. The rest of you already have your assignments. Dismissed!”
With a list in his hand from Captain Duval, Geoffrey took a Musketeer owned wagon and went about the business of acquiring supplies. On his travels, he happened to run into a man he knew before he became a Musketeer. The man was another inventor by the name of Christiaan Huygens. After a couple of hours of negotiating for one of Geoffrey’s inventions, the musketeer acquired supplies for his experiments and other personal business. As he headed back to the garrison, he smiled thinking about the invention that Christiaan named the pendulum clock. ‘Maybe someday I can turn it into a pocket timepiece.’
After delivering the Musketeer supplies, he started to unload his own supplies when D’Artagnan walked by. When the Gascon craned his neck to see what the supplies were, Geoffrey scowled. “Are you going to watch or help?”
Laughing, D’Artagnan grabbed a box. “I was thinking about watching. What are you working on now?”
“Well, you know that my steam engine prototype blew up, and it got me to thinking. He opened a box and pulled out a six inch in diameter cast iron cylinder that was eighteen inches long. “The top part has a seal and can be removed. I plan on putting some meat, bones and water into the cylinder and heating it. My atmospheric cooker should be able to cook the meat completely and in a shorter time than roasting.”
“Sounds good, but warn me when you do so I can be far away when it blows up.”
“Well I haven’t given up on the steam engine either…or that new coffee brewer, for that matter. I think that if I can sell some of these inventions, I can support my wife.”
“Hey, you have a job that pays.”
“Not enough to give her what I want to. Now help me with the last box and not a word to anyone, especially Ramon or Jacqueline.”
“Agreed.” D'Artagnan grunted as he picked up the box. "What is in it?"
"That, my friend, is stronger metal for the steam engine. If you promise to keep this to yourself, I will show you something. Remember…not a word to Jacqueline, Ramon or anyone else."
"What did you do, steal the crown jewels?"
Geoffrey shook his head. "Close, but I did not steal anything." He reached into his shirt and pulled out a leather pouch as he looked around to be sure no one was watching. "Come…let's get into the lab." Once inside, he opened the pouch and took out a ring.
D'Artagnan looked close and saw a plain gold band with something inscribed along the outside. He checked the light as he looked at the inscription. A vill mon coeur, gardi li mo. The Gascon laughed. “Here is my heart, guard it well. Good choice from one Musketeer to another. I have a question, however, and I know Jacqueline will ask you. How can you afford something like this on Musketeer pay?"
"I could say I inherited some money from my father."
D'Artagnan raised an eyebrow. "Tell her that and she won't take it."
"In other words, tell her the truth? Well, if you must know, I made a deal with a man I know."
D'Artagnan scowled. "What kind of deal?"
"Nothing illegal, I just sold him an invention. It was in the rough stages, but he will perfect it and bring it out as his own. He, at least, is known and the invention will bring him a nice tidy profit."
"What was it?"
"A new kind of clock called a pendulum clock. Maybe someday we can make a clock that can be used at sea to determine longitude."
The dark-haired Musketeer handed the ring back to the inventor. "When are you going to give it to her?"
"After we get to the palace, before the ball. I want her to be the most beautiful woman at the ball."
"Geoffrey you idiot, she already is the most beautiful woman. If you don't think so, give her to me."
"I know she is; it's just that we are Musketeers, not royalty and I want them jealous."
"Of that I am sure."
****************
As the Royal Coach returned to the Palace, Louis bounced
outside. “
Louis squinted a bit. “Was there anyone else around?”
“I did not see anyone else, Sire.” He turned as he heard a thump in the coach. He opened the door and slammed it shut again as a furball launched at him “Sire, get back, there is a wild animal in there.”
Louis jumped back. “Guards, bring a net. Be careful
“It looked like pictures I have seen of either a small leopard or a very large cat.”
Louis jumped up and down and clapped his hands. “This is great! He will be the first of many for my new menagerie in the Versailles palace. In fact, I will show him at the ball.”
Louis smiled. “Even better.”
Soon guards brought a large net and as the door was opened, the animal was captured with only minimal damage to the guards. Louis looked closer at the animal to see a medium-sized cat that Louie estimated to be between 8.8-9.4 kilograms (19-21 pounds) in weight with a short coat marked with both black spots and rosettes. The fur was tawny-yellow and each ear had a single, white spot on the back. Two black lines ran the length of either side of the face and the tail was marked with black bands.
Louis grinned as the cat settled back and hissed. “Guards, get a cage for out little tiger. What is it the Spanish would say? Ah yes, Tigerillo.” He looked at the animal. “I don’t know where you came from but you will be the guest of honor at the ball.
****************
That same night, Jacqueline sat up in bed. Geoffrey opened one eye. “What is it?”
“Shhh, I heard something.” She climbed out of bed and put on a robe, as she didn’t dare go outside in bare flesh. Geoffrey pulled on his pants, then grabbed a sword and a lantern before following his wife. He watched her open the cellar door. Shining the light into the dark room, he paused.
“Was that a ‘meow’?”
Jacqueline walked down the steps. “I believe it is. Look
in the corner.” Geoffrey held the light up higher, which allowed him to see two
tawny-yellow colored spotted animals that could fit
in his hand. He walked over and gently knelt down, stroking the back of one as
Jacqueline joined him and did the same with the second cub. Geoffrey set the
lantern down and gently picked up the kitten. "Their eyes aren’t even
opened yet. They must be hungry, look." He showed her the kitten sucking
on his finger. “You stay with them."
"Where are you going?"
"Remember that baby bottle we
used before? I will go get it.”
“What do you plan on using for
milk?"
"I know where there is a
goat."
"When did you ever milk a
goat?"
He laughed. "Today will be
the first."
She shook her head. "You
get the bottle after we take them upstairs where it is warm. When you get back,
I will go milk the goat."
As they walked back into the
house, they nearly jumped out of their skins when they ran into Marie. Her
mouth dropped open. “What are you two…?” She saw the kittens “Aww…how cute.”
Jacqueline stroked the kitten that she held. "Marie, can you watch the kittens? Geoffrey is going to get bottles and I am going to get goat milk. I think the mother had abandoned them."
Marie took the two kittens. "Of course, you go do what you have to do. We will be fine. I had cats when I was a child." She looked at the felines as she sat down in an overstuffed chair and pulled a quilt around her and the cubs.
An hour later Geoffrey and Jacqueline arrived back at the cottage at the same time to find Marie asleep and the cubs curled up safely on her chest with the quilt around them all. The Greyhawks smiled as they fixed the bottles. As they each picked up a kitten, the infants nosed around and opened their eyes. Jacqueline gasped. "Look, they see us." She let her kitten find the nipple and start to suck down the goat milk as her husband did the same.
Marie yawned. "You know that kittens should be fed every 2 hours over a 16-hour day, or at least 8 times a day, for the first 10-14 days. It gets reduced after the eyes open at 9-10 days. These kids are about ten days old judging by their eyes just opening. They are going to need lots of milk for about a week and then meat. In a couple of weeks they will be able to start hunting."
Jacqueline frowned. "Hunting? These are kittens."
Marie laughed. "Kittens? Yes, but they are anything but house cats. These are wild cats. I have seen these before, when I was a child. One of our ships came back with a cat called an ocelot. These little guys are ocelots and, unless I miss my guess, momma ocelot has either been captured or killed. Ocelot mothers would never abandon their kittens. Now you are the surrogate parents."
The Greyhawks gulped. “Surrogates? What are we going to do with a couple of cats?”
Marie laughed. “They can be trained somewhat, but remember they are cats and only the cat owns people, not the other way around.” She looked at Geoffrey. “You do realize that you have the male and Jacqueline has the female, don’t you?”
Jacqueline picked up her cream colored kitten and looked it in the eyes. “How do you know?”
After Marie explained, Jacqueline’s kitten reached out with her paw and gently touched the Musketeer’s nose then followed suit with the tongue. Jacqueline laughed. “I think I will call her Miette.”
Marie clapped. “Small Sweet Thing, that is great. Geoffrey what will you name yours?”
Geoffrey thought a moment as he looked at the tawny-colored kitten. “You know cats on ships are good luck and keep the rat population down. I think I will name him Protector as he will be the protector of the Rose.” He laughed. “Will you look at the marking above his right eye? Looks like a black square with a white spot like a pirate flag.”
Jacqueline looked at the kitten. “You know, William means protector and William was your father.”
Geoffrey nodded. “Good point. I will call him Will.”
Marie yawned again. “I think I will go back to bed…one question, though. Which one of you is going to get the food for them and train them how to hunt?”
Geoffrey laughed. “My wife is the goat-milker.”
“That’s fine for the next few days. However, by the time they are three weeks of age you will need to start with small bites of chicken, turkey, beef and fresh fish. At four weeks you need to encourage them to lap their milk from a bowl. They should be completely weaned by two months, and then the fun starts. That’s when their teeth will have fully erupted. Killed mice and chicks should be part of the diet by 2 1/2 months of age You can start live prey training at 2 ½ - 3 months of age. I would suggest that you keep them out of the hen house or Duval will have your hide.”
Geoffrey and Jacqueline looked
at each other and then the kittens with worried looks. Jacqueline’s kitten
snuggled up to up her as it sucked on the nipple. Geoffrey smiled at her.
"Well, you did want kids."
She laughed. "Not yet. Besides, I expected the two-legged kind. Do
you realize what we have gotten ourselves into?"
"Think of it this way. In a
few months they will be self-sufficient."
"Hope a bunch of chickens
don't go missing."
Geoffrey shrugged. "We'll
blame it on Ramon."
Chapter 7
The day of Louis’ ball was spent in somewhat frantic
preparation, as everyone wanted to make a good impression on the
However, in spite of having the day off, the Greyhawks had still gotten a late start. Half their day had been spent caring for the kittens, who still required frequent feedings. Not that either of them minded doing so, but it left them with less time to get ready than they’d originally planned upon.
At the moment, Will and Miette lay curled up in the bed Geoffrey had constructed the day after they’d been discovered. Miette was fast asleep, while her brother watched intently as Geoffrey dressed himself in the fancy clothes Louis had provided. Meanwhile, Jacqueline was in Marie’s room, also getting dressed. The princess, already in her guise as ‘Luis Borbón,’ was helping her…at least, she was trying to.
“You don’t have to do this,” Jacqueline protested. “I’m perfectly capable of dressing myself.”
Marie’s eyebrow shot up. “When was the last time you wore anything this elaborate?” she asked, indicating the fancy blue gown and other essentials laid out on the bed. Jacqueline opened her mouth as if to answer, but quickly closed it again when she couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t prove Marie’s point. “That’s what I thought. Tell me, would you be arguing with me about this if I wasn’t royalty?”
She sighed. “Probably not. But didn’t you have servants to do this sort of thing?”
“Yes, but they were more like friends, really. And I must have seen them do this a thousand times…it can’t be that hard. Besides, aren’t friends supposed to help each other out?”
“Yes, but…”
“Then it’s settled. Now stop arguing and behave.”
Jacqueline rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.” Choosing not to dignify the comment with a response, Marie grabbed what she needed from the bed and proceeded to help Jacqueline into her dress. It was quite a process, as Louis had sent her a gown worthy of a queen—one involving a corset, several layers of undergarments, an underdress featuring a panel of black silk with intricate patterns embroidered in gold on the front, and a gold trimmed satin overdress the color of sapphire—but between them they managed to figure everything out. The female musketeer grumbled a bit about the corset, but the look the princess gave her made it clear that it would be pointless to argue. After that, everything went pretty smoothly.
Within the hour, Jacqueline was fully dressed and Marie was trying to figure out what to do with her hair when, from the other room, they heard:
“Forget it! I’m not going!”
Jacqueline sighed, having expected something like this, given his previous reservations concerning the ball. She went to leave the room, only to be stopped by Marie.
“You stay here. I’ll go talk to him.”
“He’s my husband.”
“Yes, but we don’t want to spoil the surprise now, do we?” With that, Marie turned and walked out of the bedroom, not giving Jacqueline the chance to argue. She headed over to the master bedroom and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Geoffrey grunted. She entered the room to find him in front of the mirror, scowling at his reflection as he picked at the ruffles adorning the front of his shirt.
“Problems?”
“Oh…it’s you,” he muttered after a quick glance to see who’d spoken. “No offense, my lady, but your betrothed has no taste.”
“You look fine to me.”
“Fine? These ruffles make me look like a bloody nancy-boy. I can’t go out in public like this!”
“Louis does.”
“Well, if His Majesty wants to run around dressed like a fop, that’s his business. I’d prefer to look a bit more respectable. Maybe if I can find some way to remove these ruffles without completely ruining the shirt….” He reached for a knife, only to have Marie snatch it away, rolling her eyes.
“Men! Have to do everything the hard way.”
“And what would you suggest?”
“Take off the shirt.”
“W-what?” Geoffrey sputtered, positive he must have heard wrong. Shaking her head, Marie went to his wardrobe and began rifling through his clothes. She grabbed a white shirt and black vest that would normally be worn with his dress uniform and laid them out on the bed.
“Look, it’s a simple enough fix. Just ditch the ruffled shirt and wear these instead.”
He nodded, stripping off the shirt he was currently wearing and handing it to Marie. “Makes sense…but won’t Louis be upset if I’m not wearing everything he sent over?”
“Not to worry…we’ll just tell him that the shirt met with a rather unfortunate accident while you were getting ready.” Then, with a mischievous grin, she took the knife she’d confiscated and cut off some of the ruffles. Marie quickly tossed the scrap over to Will, who, after a few tentative sniffs, took the fabric between his paws and began sucking on it.
Geoffrey smiled as he finally finished dressing. “Princess, you’re a genius.”
She shrugged. “Not really…I’ve just had a lot of practice coming up with excuses. So…does this mean you’re still going?”
He looked himself over in the mirror, finding the outfit much more to his liking now that all the frills were gone. “If I must,” he replied, feigning resignation. He would’ve said more, but just then a bell rang in the parlor.
“What’s that?”
“A little something I rigged up yesterday during my off-hours. I call it a doorbell. It works kind of like those servant bells I’ve seen in the palace, only the rope is hanging by the front door.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea at the time…certainly easier on the hands than knocking.” The bell rang a second time. “That’s probably Ramon and Nikki. We were all going to head up to the palace together.”
“Want me to get it?”
“No, I’ll get it. You should probably head back to your room…see if Jacqueline needs any more help.” Nodding, the princess left the room and headed off to do just that. Geoffrey threw on his baldric, made sure his hair was tied back properly, then went to answer the door. Sure enough, Ramon and Nikki were waiting on the other side. He was dressed in an outfit similar to what he’d worn for his wedding, while she was in an emerald dress that was slightly loose around the waist, but not by much. At first glance, one would hardly notice that the lovely lady before them was four months gone with child. Her hair was done up in loose ringlets, making her look as regal as any courtier. In fact, both of them appeared as if they’d be right at home amongst the Royal Court.
“Come in.” Geoffrey looked at Ramon’s neck. “Nice cravat. Going a little stylish these days?”
“Rope burns from hanging don’t go away. Or don’t you remember?”
Geoffrey rubbed his neck with his right hand. “How could I forget? Of course, if you hadn’t cut that rope when you did, I would have more that a faint scar.” He stepped aside to allow them entrance. “Where’s D’Artagnan?”
“I’m not sure,” Ramon replied. “Last I saw, he was trying to talk Mireille into going with him.”
Geoffrey’s eyebrow shot up.
“Mireille…the laundress? What
about the hundreds of other eligible women in
“Apparently, the rumors that were going around about D’Artagnan’s involvement with the princess have effectively killed his social life.”
“Poor guy.” The pirate shook his head, shifting his gaze from Ramon to Nikki. “Where are my manners,” he said, taking her hand and placing a chaste kiss upon it. “You look absolutely radiant, Madame. Glowing, even.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“I’m sure your husband must agree with me.”
“Oh, he does. He was rhapsodizing about it the whole way over here.”
A frustrated scream echoed from the bedroom as something was thrown against the closed door. Geoffrey blushed. "Jacqueline is getting dressed and Marie is helping with her hair and what not."
Nikki laughed. "I’ll see what I can do. I have helped
many of the girls at the
Ramon glared, rubbing the spot that had been clawed. “
“Calm down, Ramon. He’s just a baby.”
“A baby what, exactly?”
“What? You’ve never seen a kitten before?”
“Not one with those markings, and an evil eye to boot.”
“Evil eye?” Geoffrey chuckled, lifting the kitten so they were face to face. “You don’t have an evil eye, do you Will?” Will purred, playfully pawing at Geoffrey’s nose.
“You named that thing after your padre?”
He shrugged. “Why not? And please stop referring to him as a ‘thing.’ He’s only a kitten.”
“And his mother was what? A leopard?”
“Ocelot, actually. She’s disappeared, and now Jacqueline and I are raising Will and his sister Miette ourselves.”
“There’s more than one of them?”
Geoffrey nodded. “Miette’s in the bedroom, sleeping.”
“Why isn’t this one sleeping?”
“He probably smelled food. You didn’t eat any chicken before you came, did you?”
“No…had some goose, though.”
“Well…your goose may be cooked, then.” Ramon’s eyes went wide, and Geoffrey laughed. “Relax…I’m joking. Will’s harmless, really. His teeth have barely even started coming in.”
“Maybe not, but his claws are fully functional. Isn’t it…oh, I don’t know…dangerous to keep a wild animal as a pet?”
“Hey, Will’s not dangerous. Just adventurous. Besides, when he’s older he’ll be able to sail with me on the Rose d’Orleans and keep the mice away.”
“Well, if he’s on the ship, you can bet I’ll be staying far away from it as well.”
Geoffrey rolled his eyes. “Come on, you’re overreacting. I told you he’s harmless.”
“Then why is he looking at me like I’m food?”
“Maybe it’s the chicken.”
“Goose.”
“Either way. You know…perhaps you should try holding him. Let him get to know you a bit better.” Unfortunately for Ramon, that turned out to be more of an order than a suggestion, as Geoffrey immediately thrust the kitten into his arms. They looked at each other for a moment, and the Spaniard could swear he saw ‘Will’ licking his chops. And then, faster than he could react, the supposedly harmless kitten clamped down on his index finger. It didn’t really hurt, but Ramon found it disconcerting all the same…especially when Will began sucking on it.
“
Geoffrey laughed. “It’s okay, Ramon. He’s not trying to hurt you.”
“That’s not what it looks like to me, amigo.”
“Trust me, he’s just being friendly.”
“Friendly! You call this friendly?”
“It’s just one of an ocelot’s quirks. I think it’s supposed to mimic nursing.”
“Well, this musketeer is no wet nurse. Can’t you get him to stop?”
Seeing the panicked look on his comrade’s face, Geoffrey relented. He gently pried Will’s jaws from Ramon’s finger and lifted him up onto his shoulder. “I think that’s about enough excitement for one evening. It’s high time someone went back to his bed.” Stroking the kitten’s back and murmuring to him soothingly, the Musketeer-pirate carried him back into the bedroom and laid him once more next to Miette, who was still fast asleep. Opening her eyes, she licked Will’s face as soon as he was set down, then snuggled up against him. He yawned, and in moments both kittens had returned to their slumber. Smiling, Geoffrey gently kissed both of his ‘children’ goodnight before blowing out the candle and returning to the parlor.
Geoffrey walked into the parlor and was half way seated when Marie opened the bedroom door. She walked into the room. "Gentlemen, my I present Madame Greyhawk?" The princess stepped to the side as Jacqueline walked hesitantly into the room. She smiled as she noticed both men's jaws drop.
Geoffrey was speechless as he realized that the lady dressed in the sapphire gown and standing in front of him was his wife. As gorgeous a woman as he had ever seen. "Jacqueline? I have always known you were beautiful, but you put all of the royal ladies to shame. Ramon, sharpen my rapier, I am going to need it to protect my lady tonight."
Ramon shook his head. "How could I ever mistake this vision of loveliness to be a man named Jacques? Amiga, may I kiss your hand?"
Jacqueline smirked as a third woman appeared. "Watch it, Señor, you have a wife and a …" She bent over in pain. "Ramon!" Jacqueline and Marie caught her as the men raced over. Ramon lifted his wife into his arms and looked around to see Geoffrey opening the door to another bedroom. He followed his friend into the room and placed his wife on the bed.
Geoffrey took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. "Ramon, get some hot water. Marie, there are a few blankets in the armoire." He looked at Nikki. "Under the circumstances, I would say it would be better for you not to go to the ball."
"But I got all dressed up."
Geoffrey sighed. "Nikki, you can stay here and rest or you can go and chance losing the child." He heard Ramon come in.
"The water is on the stove. What is this about her losing our child?"
"I was saying that she can stay here or risk having a miscarriage. She can stay here as long as necessary. It is quieter than the inn and she is among friends. You my friend will stay here and watch her."
Ramon frowned. "Where will you be?"
Nikki grabbed Geoffrey’s hand. “You will be taking Jacqueline to the ball. Ramon can send a message to Ana.”
Geoffrey nodded. “Ana is a good idea. She is a healer and a midwife, while I am not. Ramon, go get someone at the garrison to get Ana. We won’t be leaving for at least an hour.” He looked towards the door. “I wonder where D’Artagnan is.”
As Ramon left by the back door, Jacqueline shook her head. “He was probably trying to get someone to go with him.”
“That’s what Ramon said earlier. What could be keeping him?”
As if on cue, there was a knock
on the door. Marie went to answer as Nikki was made comfortable by Geoffrey and
Jacqueline. Ramon poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the night stand.
Marie's face showed disappointment to the Gascon. "No date?"
D'Artagnan tugged at his coat
lapels. "We have to pick up Mireille on the way. She was getting dressed
when I left her."
Marie would have responded, but
Jacqueline walked out just as the Musketeer entered the cottage. D'Artagnan
stopped in mid-step. "Mon Dieu, you are gorgeous. How did I ever let you
get away?"
The female Musketeer squinted at
him. "You never had me, D'Artagnan, and you know it. We have only been
friends."
He nodded. "Sadly you are
right. Well, anyway…are we ready to go?"
Jacqueline shook her head. “We
are waiting for Ramon. Nikki had a problem and he went to get someone to send a
message to a friend in
"Brest…that will take at
least a week to get there and get back."
"Not that long,
Amigo." Ramon walked in the door accompanied by Ana. "I had just
grabbed a recruit when Ana came riding into the compound. Apparently she had a
vision and set out to find Nikki"
Ana smiled as she headed
straight for Nikki. "Somehow, you all have become important to me, and I
to you. From the looks of things you were all going to a party. Ramon and I
will stay with Nikki. You all go to your party and let her rest." She
stood up and shooed them out of the door. "Ramon, you go into the parlor
and wait."
Geoffrey put his hand on Ramon's
shoulder. "She will be alright. You watch her and don't forget to take
care of Will and Miette." Ana cocked her head as Geoffrey grinned.
"Two kittens that were abandoned in our cellar."
Ana put her hand on her head and
closed her eyes. "Are they perhaps wild cats?"
Jacqueline flashed a smile.
"Ocelots actually."
Ana nodded. "I have seen
them, they will be important to both of you in the future. Now out, all of
you."
Quickly, Geoffrey fixed his sleeves and pulled his jacket and baldric back on. As the Greyhawks walked out, he leaned over to his wife. "That woman is weird."
"She is nice and she helped Ramon and now Nikki."
"She is still weird. Did you hear what she said? She has visions? Give me a break. Who does she think she is, Jeanne D'Arc?"
"Maybe not, but she is a gypsy and it is said that some gypsies can see the future. Who knows? But if she can help Nikki, I don't care."
Geoffrey shrugged as he looked at Marie and Jacqueline. ”Ladies shall we go?”
Marie winked. “Who’s a lady? I am a Musketeer.” She nudged D’Artagnan with her elbow. “Right, Amigo?”
D’Artagnan nodded. “Who is going to drive?”
Marie dashed out of the house. “I am driving. You two have ladies.”
Geoffrey looked at the Gascon. “Going to a ball and being driven by a Princess. Doesn’t that beat all?”
Chapter 8
After a brief stop by Mireille's home to pick her up, their carriage began making its way to Louis' hunting lodge, the Château de Maisons, where the ball was being held. The ride proved to be quite turbulent, which wasn’t helped by the fact that Marie, for all her education, seemed to have no concept of how to properly drive a coach. And, being the stubborn woman she was, the princess ignored the repeated complaints, insisting that she knew what she was doing.
‘Inside’ the open-air coach, the atmosphere was pretty awkward…at least, it was on D’Artagnan and Mireille’s side. She spent most of the ride babbling excitedly about getting to see the King up close and being around all those nobles, while he remained silent, purposefully staring out at the scenery to avoid meeting her gaze. To the Greyhawks, it was obvious that the laundress had been a last resort for their comrade, made necessary by the ugly rumors Mazarin had spread during their seven-month absence—rumors that still persisted, even though their source had long since left Paris in disgrace.
Noticing that her ‘date’ was ignoring her, Mireille turned to the Greyhawks. “Pardon me for asking,” she whispered, “but is there actually any truth to the rumors?”
“What rumors?” Geoffrey asked. While he had a fairly good idea of which ones she was referring to, he wanted to hear her version…get a better idea of what was being said about his comrade.
“You know…about D’Artagnan and Princess Marie-Therese. I heard that the two of them tried to run off
together, but Captain Porthos found them and brought them onto his ship before
they could do anything, which is the only reason D’Artagnan didn’t end up in
the Bastille. And the other day,
She stared at Geoffrey. "Look, I can't take any more of
this. This guttersnipe’s gossip is pure balderdash." She turned to a
cringing laundress. "Do you know that the King accosted two Musketeers and
almost got himself killed? Spreading rumors can be very dangerous and since we
will be in the presence of the
The laundress sighed, glancing around at the carriage’s other occupants. D’Artagnan continued to ignore her, Monsieur Greyhawk seemed rather annoyed, and his wife appeared to be deliberately avoiding her gaze. Staring at the latter, Mireille couldn’t shake the odd feeling of familiarity she got from the woman. Finally, she decided to just speak up. “Madame Greyhawk? Have we met before?”
Jacqueline’s eyebrow shot up as she turned to D’Artagnan’s date. “Excuse me?”
“I know it seems like an odd question, Madame, but I get the feeling that we have…I just can’t seem to figure out where.” The Greyhawks stared at each other for a moment, then began to laugh. “What? It’s not that funny,” Mireille huffed.
“I’m sorry,” Jacqueline said, attempting to stifle her laughter. “I do believe you’re referring to my brother, Jacques. I’ve been told that he and I could almost be twins.”
“Jacques? As in Jacques LePonte? The cad who courted me behind his fiancée’s back?”
“Well…yes, that would him. However, the young woman who confronted you is no longer his fiancée. After that incident, she discovered that you weren’t the only woman he was romancing on the side and called the whole thing off.”
“Really?”
Jacqueline nodded. “Yes. She told me the whole sordid tale, and said that if I ever ran into you again, I should thank you for her. You saved the poor girl from making a terrible mistake. I love my brother, don’t get me wrong, but he could stand to take a few lessons in how to treat women. At any rate, Jacques’ ex-fiancée is now married to a wonderful man, and is very happy,” she finished, winking at her husband. Geoffrey smiled, wrapping his arm around her and placing a quick kiss on her lips.
“Well, good for her,” Mireille chimed in, oblivious to their exchange. “Where is Jacques, anyway?”
“Our great-aunt Mildred just passed, and he had to go to
“Really? That’s so sad…but why aren’t you with him? I mean, isn’t she your great-aunt as well?”
Jacqueline shrugged. “Auntie Mildred and I never really got along that well, and she pretty much disowned me after I married Geoffrey. Said that someone of my breeding ‘shouldn’t lower herself to bedding a common pirate.’ Suffice it to say, she probably wrote me out of her will months ago, so there’s really no point in my going up there. Jacques only went because, since Auntie Mildred had no children of her own, he’s her only male heir. We do have an older brother, but she disowned him as well after our parents died and he cut Jacques out of his share of the estate.” She sighed, pushing back tears as thoughts of her real brother surfaced. Sensing her distress, Geoffrey pulled her closer.”
“I’m sorry,” Mireille said quietly.
“It’s okay. Talking about it just brought up some sad memories, is all. I’m fine.”
The laundress nodded. “Noble families are pretty complicated, aren’t they?”
“You could say that.” Jacqueline grinned. “Why do you think I ‘lowered myself,’ as Auntie Mildred would’ve said?”
“Wait a second,” Geoffrey exclaimed, feigning insult. “I thought you said marrying me was a step up….”
“That’s how I see it. At least with you, there are no complicated political alliances or anything to worry about. I have you all to myself.”
“Well…okay. But that’s not the only reason…. Is it?”
Jacqueline smiled. “You’re handsome, intelligent, kind, noble…what’s not to love? Besides, you also happen to be an excellent kisser.”
“That so?” he drawled, leaning in to demonstrate. They soon became lost in their own little world, only coming up for air when D’Artagnan cleared his throat.
“Hate to break up this little love-fest of yours, but I think the driver is lost.”
Geoffrey leaned forward. "Luis, do you know where you
are going?" Geoffrey shook his head as Luis lowered his. "I thought
not. Okay, the Château de Maisons was built between the Seine
and the
Luis scowled at the Pirate Captain. "I will get us there, just go back to your wife."
As the coach came to a stop, two men in the livery of the King stepped forward and took the traces from the disguised princess. Louis came down the staircase from the lodge. He was resplendent in his gold waistcoat and pants. "My friends, you are here." He looked around the two couples. "I do not see Private LePonte or Ramon and his wife."
Geoffrey nodded. "Sire, Madame de la Cruz became ill and is recovering with her husband by her side."
Louis nodded. "I understand. Soon she will have a son who can follow his father's footsteps as one of my Musketeers.”
Geoffrey grinned. “What if it is a girl?”
Louis shook his head. “A son by royal decree. Now where is LePonte?"
"There was a death in the family and he had to go. His sister, Jacqueline, is here on behalf of the family. Sire, May I present Madame Greyhawk?"
Jacqueline curtsied. "You Majesty, it is an honor to see you again."
Geoffrey watched as Louis took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Madame Greyhawk, welcome to my humble abode." Smiling, he leaned in close to her ear. “By the way,” he whispered, “the dress suits you far better than a Musketeer uniform.” Blushing, she returned the smile as he pulled back, releasing her hand. The Sun King then glanced around, catching sight of his other distinguished guest. "Ah…Private D'Artagnan. Welcome! And who is this charming young woman?"
"This is my companion, Mademoiselle Mireille Lachapelle."
Mireille blushed crimson when Louis proceeded to kiss her hand. She looked at the woman behind Louis. "Your Majesty, is that the Princess? Rumor has it that she is missing."
Louis scowled and looked at his Musketeers. "No, the Princess has been unavoidably detained. This is my companion, Mademoiselle Mancini, Cardinal Mazarin's niece. You must come in now. During the celebration, I have a tantalizingly scrumptious surprise." He clapped his hands in a feminine manner. Then, the young monarch offered his arm to his ‘companion,’ escorting her back inside. Neither of them noticed the young musketeer that had accompanied their guests, clenching his fists by his side as his eyes blazed in anger.
Luckily, Jacqueline did notice and made her way over to ‘Luis’’ side. “Calm down,” she whispered.
“Calm down? How can you expect me to be calm when my supposed fiancée is in there prancing around with the Royal Mistress…flaunting her for all to see, like she’s actually someone important. I mean, did you hear that airhead that D’Artagnan brought with him? She thought Mancini was the princess…MANCINI! La Puta Real!” Marie’s tirade tapered off into some extremely unladylike Spanish, and Jacqueline quickly grabbed her shoulders, ushering her over to somewhere a bit more private.
“I don’t blame you for being angry, Marie, but you have to try and calm yourself. Now is hardly the time to be making a scene. Besides, if you go after Mancini here, you’ll wind up blowing your cover. Is that what you want?”
Shaking her head, Marie took several deep breaths in order to try and quell her rage. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. The thought of Louis going around in public with that harlot was more than she could bear. “I know you’re right, Jacqueline, but I just don’t think I can control myself around her…not now. You guys go on inside and have fun. I’ll wait out here.”
“Are you sure?”
Marie nodded. “Positive. If I go in there, I know I’ll end up doing something I might regret later. Besides, ‘Luis Borbón’ technically wasn’t invited anyway. I’m just supposed to be here as protection. So I’ll ‘stand guard’ out here, and you all can go enjoy yourselves. I’ll be fine…really.”
“Alright…if that’s what you want.” Giving the princess what she hoped was a reassuring smile, Jacqueline pulled her into a quick hug before moving to rejoin her husband.
“Is Luis alright?” Geoffrey asked.
“He’s fine, but he won’t be joining us inside.”
Geoffrey nodded, not needing further explanation. Under the circumstances, he couldn’t blame Marie for wanting to steer clear of Louis’ so-called companion. “So…” he began, offering his arm. “Shall we?”
“Oui, we shall.” Jacqueline took the proffered arm, and the pair made their way up the steps to the lodge. However, just before they reached the door, Geoffrey gently pulled her off to one side.
“Before we go in, there’s something I need to do.” Dropping down to one knee, he reached into his trouser pocket and removed a small box. “When we first married, I couldn’t afford to get you the ring you so rightly deserved. But circumstances have changed and, in honor of your birthday, I have it for you now.” Smiling, he opened the box to reveal a plain gold band with something inscribed upon the outside. Jacqueline was speechless. “Will you accept this ring, my love, as a token of my undying devotion?”
“I-I will, of course.”
Geoffrey’s smile grew wider as he took hold of her left hand and, with her permission, carefully removed his father’s old signet ring from her finger. Placing that one in his pocket, he then replaced it with the gold band he’d purchased. “A vill mon coeur, gardi li mo,” he read. “Here is my heart, Jacqueline. Guard it well.”
“Geoffrey,” she breathed, in admiration of both the ring and its carefully chosen inscription. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Anything for you, dearest. Happy birthday.” He rose to his feet, capturing her lips in a tender kiss.
“So far, this has been the best birthday I’ve ever had. But Geoffrey…how could you afford something like this?”
“I’ll explain later, Jacqueline. I promise. But now, I do believe we have a ball to attend. Ready to make your grand entrance on the arm of a dashing sea captain?”
“I am, but your uncle isn’t here yet.” Jacqueline gave a theatrical sigh. “Oh well…I suppose you’ll have to do.” She grinned, kissing his cheek as she took hold of his arm once more. Another quick kiss, and the happy couple made their way inside the lodge.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the steps, Mireille watched the scene in awe. “That is so romantic,” she sighed, leaning her head against D’Artagnan’s shoulder. Then her mood suddenly changed, and the Gascon found his shoulder being slapped. “Why can’t you be more like that?”
He rolled his eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you, Mireille? One date doesn’t mean a lifetime commitment.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t be at least a little romantic. You didn’t even bring me flowers.”
“So? The only reason you agreed to this in the first place is because my father is going to be here and I promised to introduce you.”
“I see,” she said, looking as if she was about to cry. “Well, if that’s the case, I see no reason to keep pretending that we’re actually on a date. Au revoir.” With that, she turned on her heel and headed inside. D’Artagnan stared after her for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly had just happened. Then, realizing that he was about to lose his date, he rushed up the stairs after her.
“Mireille! Wait!”
Chapter 9
As Geoffrey and Jacqueline approached the door, Mireille pushed past them and entered the Chateau. The Greyhawks turned to look and saw a clearly disappointed D'Artagnan when he caught up with them. The Gascon sighed. "Sorry about that. The only reason she agreed to come in the first place was because I promised an introduction to my father."
Jacqueline’s eyebrow shot up. “So now you’re resorting to bribery to get dates?”
D’Artagnan shrugged.
“What else can I do? Thanks to
those damn rumors, the women of
“And what’s wrong with that?” Geoffrey asked. “He seems pretty happy to me.” Giving D’Artagnan a reassuring smile, he laid a hand on the Gascon’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find that special someone sooner or later. Who knows, she might even be here tonight. So why don’t we head inside and find out, eh?”
Geoffrey started to lead off when Jacqueline pulled his arm. "Look you two, I know we have all been in the presence of the King as his Musketeers and soldiers but tonight, we are his guests. We should have the proper demeanor.” Geoffrey and D'Artagnan looked at each other and shrugged before they looked at the woman. She scowled. "Tonight you are not Musketeers. You are supposed to be gentlemen, and since someone lost their date, you will both escort me. I intend to have fun as it IS my birthday."
As she finished her lecture, the twenty-foot tall grand door
covered in gold leaf opened and a chamberlain appeared. "Captain and
Madame Geoffrey Greyhawk, Charles D'Artagnan the lesser." He looked at the
young woman standing shyly off to one side. "And Mademoiselle Mireille Lachapelle."
Mireille jerked her head around as she heard her name and made her way back to D'Artagnan. "I have reconsidered, but only because I’m a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I’ve never been in a place like this.” She smiled, her bubbly nature returning to the fore. “Besides, I still haven’t met the Legend. Do you think he’d be willing to sign something for me?”
Rolling his eyes, D’Artagnan gave her the biggest grin he could manage to fake. “Of course he will. Father just loves meeting his fans.”
The guests followed the chamberlain as he led them into the spacious ballroom. Even though the Musketeers had seen many parts of the actual palace, the Chateau was just as grand, in their opinion. Mireille's mouth dropped opened and her eyes grew wide in awe. "You never told me how grand the Palace is."
Jacqueline looked over at the annoying woman. "This is not the palace, this is the hunting lodge. Please don't embarrass us and close your mouth before you swallow a dragonfly."
As the evening progressed Mireille grabbed D’Artagnan’s arm. "Is that your father?"
D’Artagnan sighed. “Yes it is. I suppose that you want an introduction."
Mireille snorted. "Of course. That’s why I came, remember?" She frowned. “Obviously, I’m not the only fan he has here. Who is that woman practically throwing herself at him?”
D'Artagnan felt an evil streak course through his veins. "Why, are you jealous that he is with another woman?"
"Of course not. Why would the Legend want to speak with someone like me, anyway? I’m just a simple laundress, and she’s obviously a lady of means.”
D'Artagnan sighed, her insecurities making him feel guilty
all of a sudden. “It’s not what you
think, Mireille. In fact, you’re in for
quite a treat. By all means, let me
introduce you." He led the woman over to his father and his companion.
"Excuse me your Highness, Father. May I introduce my companion,
Mademoiselle Mireille Lachapelle. Mireille, may I introduce you to the Queen
Mother and my Father, Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte D'Artagnan."
"Queen Anne?" Mireille's face turned red as she fumbled a curtsey. "Your Majesty, I am humbled to meet you."
The younger D’Artagnan bowed. “Your Majesty, Father, we will leave you now.”
As the elder D’Artagnan hugged his son he whispered, “Get rid of her, you can do better.”
Luis paced in front of the chateau until she realized that rain drops were hitting the brim of her hat. Seeing the drivers of the other carriages retreating to the chateau, she followed. The chamberlain called to her. “Musketeer, I need your assistance.”
Luis shook the water from her hat as she walked over. “What can I do for you?”
The man sighed. “The King has ordered me to bring in a caged animal from outside but no one will go near the cage.”
“Show me.”
In a few moments, Luis was looking at the mother of Will and Miette. As Luis walked over, the pacing cat settled down but continued to stare at the chamberlain. Luis shook her head. “How did you plan to move the cage?”
“It’s on wheels, but we can’t push it without putting our hands on the cage. Two men have already been injured.”
Luis nodded and cautiously placed her hand on the cage. The cat sniffed her hand then licked the human with a rough tongue. A low purr followed the lick. Luis pushed the cage as the Chamberlain helped guide it with a tongue and yoke on the front of the cage base. As the guests parted way for the cage to get through, Louis clapped his hands. “My friends, here is the surprise. A small leopard was found in the grounds of the Chateau. It will be the first of my exotic animals that I will collect.”
Geoffrey and Jacqueline looked at the cage as it came by and noticed that the cat had the markings of their kittens. The cat’s stare latched on to the surrogate parents and the purr became louder. Mancini pushed her way towards the cage. "Oh Luis, can I pet her?" She reached out her hand to the cage.
"Gerraw, hssss."
She jumped back as a clawed paw lashed out and shredded the sleeve of her dress, then raced back to Louis, screaming. The King looked at D'Artagnan and Geoffrey. "Kill it, it attacked Maria."
As Geoffrey approached the cage with Jacqueline the cat calmed down and purred. D'Artagnan faced the King. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, that is not an order that Geoffrey and I can follow. This is an ocelot, not a leopard."
Louis frowned “How do you know?"
Geoffrey stood up. "Sire, I believe the cat came to
"It doesn't attack you, your wife or that other Musketeer."
Geoffrey shrugged. "Perhaps she realizes that we will not cause her harm." He glanced at the disguised Marie and winked. "With your permission, we will remove the animal from the hall."
"Absolutely. In fact, that is a great idea. We wouldn't want anyone to get eaten." He giggled.
As Jacqueline started to help push the cage away, she was approached by a dark-haired nobleman who looked to be in his mid-thirties. "Madame Greyhawk. I could not help but notice the cross around your neck. I collect unusual crosses. When did you acquire it?"
Jacqueline looked down at the cross where it hung partially hidden by her bosom and slightly blushed. "If you noticed it, Your Grace, then you were obviously not looking at the cross. Please keep your eyes to yourself." She turned her back on the impudent man and Geoffrey shot him a look of warning as they pushed the cage out of the ballroom. They noticed that Luis was wandering near the tapestries that hung on the stone walls.
The man caught up to them quickly, moving to block their path. “My apologies, Madame. I assumed you would recognize me. Obviously, that’s not the case.” He bowed, reaching for her hand only to have it snatched away. The man smiled anyway, ignoring the slight. “Claude DeMolay, duc d’Nemours, at your service.”
“You’re Claude DeMolay? I thought you’d be older.”
“Don’t let appearances fool you, Madame. Believe me, I have earned my position here at court.”
Jacqueline rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you have….”
“If you don’t mind, Madame, I really would like to know more about that cross. It’s a matter of…personal interest.”
She fixed him with an icy glare, certain that his ‘personal interest’ had nothing to do with the cross. "My husband is a pirate, his father was a pirate…perhaps I got it from the treasure of some plundered ship. Or maybe the body of someone who could not stay out of their business." With that, Jacqueline none-too-gently pushed DeMolay aside, continuing outside with the cage.
Geoffrey frowned. "That wasn't very lady-like."
She grinned. "But it was effective. He may be young, but that man is as dangerous as Mazarin without the church behind him. I can feel it."
"Maybe Will shall visit him."
"Are you planning in turning our wards into assassins?"
Geoffrey laughed. “Ask Ramon. Will attempted to ‘bite’ his finger and clawed him."
Jacqueline shook her head. "Poor Will, you really must teach him to be careful of whom he bites. He may get a disease."
The pirate grinned. "Ramon had been eating chicken…though he swears it was goose."
"When doesn't he? You would think that Ramon was a fox, always raiding a chicken coop.” She laughed. “Now there is an idea. Let the kittens raid a chicken coop and blame it on Ramon."
“Didn’t I suggest that once before?”
“Why do you think I said it was a good idea?”
Laughing, they both soon reached the stables with the cat. The liveryman burst out, looking quite panicked. "You can't bring that animal into the stables. It would terrify the horses."
Geoffrey shook his head. "I doubt if a cat this size would consider a horse as food. Besides, she is in a cage. Just don't get too close.” Geoffrey put his hand on the cage and let the cat lick his hand. "I think you should have a name. Perhaps Bast…you know, the Egyptian cat-goddess?" He pushed the cage into an empty stall and put in some straw to give the animal a place to nest. "Come love, we must get back to the party and see what else can go wrong."
"If that DeMolay comes near me again, he will find out what a pirate's wife can do." She pulled him close and kissed him.
They re-entered the party, and ran into Louis just as he and Mancini were coming off of the dance floor. “Ah, there you are. If I hadn’t sent you out with that cat, I’d think you two were trying to avoid dancing.”
Geoffrey laughed. “You’re not that far off, Sire. I’m afraid that dancing and I do not mix very well.”
“And what if I wanted to dance?” Jacqueline asked, eyebrow raised.
“I…uh…”
Louis’ musicians started up with another number, and
Jacqueline practically dragged her meekly protesting husband out onto the
floor. In truth, neither one of them
really knew what they were doing.
Dancing wasn’t exactly something farmer’s daughters were taught…at
least, not the sort that was expected by the
Chapter 10
Finally, the music stopped and the couple stepped off the dance floor for a breather. “Well, that was…interesting,” Geoffrey said, grabbing couple glasses of wine from a passing servant and handing one to Jacqueline.
She laughed. “It’s alright, Geoffrey. At least you tried.”
“You mean ‘we’ tried,” he chuckled.
“Alright, so dancing isn’t exactly my forte. I still had fun, though.”
“Me too.” Geoffrey smiled, leaning in for a kiss. “You know, this isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. We should do this more often.”
“And you shall,” Louis chimed in, coming up behind them. “I see no reason why my favorite musketeers—and their wives—can’t attend every Royal function. Next time, perhaps LePonte and D’Artagnan could be persuaded to entertain us with a duel. I hear that their battles are quite legendary.”
“Interesting idea, Sire,” Jacqueline said, “but I would fear for the safety of your other guests. D’Artagnan and my brother have a penchant for property damage when they duel.”
“Ah…well, perhaps we could arrange for such a display on some other occasion…preferably somewhere with lots of room.” The King sighed, turning his attention to Geoffrey. “So…how’s married life treating you, Monsieur Greyhawk? Will there be any little Greyhawks in the near future?”
Geoffrey spat out the wine he’d just started drinking. “Pardon, Sire?” he choked out. “Jacqueline and I have only been married for about a month or so. It’s a little early to be thinking about children, don’t you think?”
Louis shrugged. “Oh well…what do I know about these things, anyway?”
“Don’t worry, Sire,” Jacqueline said, laying a hand on Geoffrey’s arm. “When the time comes, I promise you’ll be the first to know…after our friends, of course. But for the moment, Geoffrey and I are still in the ‘newlywed’ phase of our marriage. We’re not ready for the added responsibility of children just yet. We will be, someday…just not right now.”
Louis nodded in understanding, and was about to say something else when his ‘companion’ decided to join them.
“There you are, Your Majesty. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” She frowned. “You’re not trying to avoid me, are you?”
“O-of course not,” the King stammered, taking hold of her hand. “I was just having a friendly chat with Monsieur Greyhawk and his wife.”
“Oh, I see…you’d rather spend time with some mangy pirate and his whore than with me?” With an indignant huff, she turned on her heel and strode away, leaving the trio gaping in shock.
It took Louis several tries before his voice began working again. “M-my apologies Monsieur, Madame….Maria has been rather moody as of late. Mother tells me it’s a ‘woman thing,’ but no one will explain to me what that means. If you’ll excuse me….” With that, he turned and took off after his mistress.
“Well,” Geoffrey muttered. “That was certainly awkward.”
“Serves him right for cheating on his betrothed. Think this will teach him a lesson?”
“I certainly hope so. Much as I enjoy ‘Luis’’ company, it would be nice to have the cottage to ourselves again. I really miss having privacy.”
“Privacy, eh?” Jacqueline asked, a coy look gracing her features. “Well, if this lodge is anything like the palace, I’m sure there are dozens of secret passages just waiting to be found….” Slyly, she undid the buttons at the top of his shirt and vest, then ran her fingers along the bared flesh. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for Geoffrey to figure out exactly what she was getting at. He quickly drained the last of his wine and handed both of their glasses to the nearest servant.
“I like the way you think, my dear,” he said, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Once they finally parted, he took hold of her hand and was about to slip off to somewhere more secluded when a large hand clamped down on his shoulder.
“Not so fast, you two,” Porthos whispered. “I know what you’re looking to do, but there’s no way you can pull it off and get back before you’re missed. Trust me, I’ve tried it.” The Greyhawks blushed and looked at the older man. “Oh don’t give me that innocent look, I was young once myself and I was a newlywed also. You had better circulate at least once more, and then go find your driver and young D’Artagnan and go home.”
Geoffrey shook his head. “What about D’Artagnan’s date? We can’t leave her here.”
“You mean that woman with the Comte d’Monte Cristo? A few minutes ago she was with Philippe de France, duc d'Anjou. Oops, sorry…I meant Philippe I, duc d'Orléans. I keep forgetting the name change.”
“The King’s brother? She dumped him for Monte Cristo?”
Porthos laughed. “She dumped him when she found out he wasn’t interested in women.”
“Ah…well, I suppose she’ll be fine, then. Who knows…maybe he’ll even be stupid enough to keep her.”
“Be nice,” Jacqueline admonished, smacking his arm.
“What? You can’t tell me you’re not thinking the same thing.”
“Maybe I am, but that doesn’t mean you should say it.” She rolled her eyes. "Anyway…Geoffrey, why don’t you go find D'Artagnan and I will try to find Luis."
Porthos shook his head. "Why do you want the King?"
"Not Louis the King, but Luis the Musketeer. He is our driver."
Porthos laughed. "If you mean the Musketeer that was nursing a bottle of rum, he was headed around the back of the chateau. Jacqueline, why don't you go get D'Artagnan while Geoffrey and I look for Luis? It wouldn't be appropriate for a married woman to be walking alone at night around the chateau with a man who has been drinking."
Jacqueline sighed. "You have a point. Alright, but don't take all night." She watched the two pirates head outside, then started wandering around the party in search of D’Artagnan. Eventually, she found him sulking in a corner, nursing what was probably not his first glass of wine of the evening.
Shaking her head, Jacqueline was about to approach him when she heard shouting coming from the next room. She would’ve ignored it, but one of the voices was awfully familiar. Quietly, she crept over to the door and peered inside to find ‘Luis,’ who had clearly had a bit too much to drink, was arguing with Louis’ mistress.
“Puta mugrienta! (filthy whore)” Marie spat. “You don’t belong here! Go back to
“Why should I?”
“He doesn’t even love you. You’re nothing more than a passing fancy for him.”
“Oh really? Then why
am I the one he’s with tonight? Face it,
little girl. The only reason you’re even
in
“Vaya a Diablo!”
“You first.”
“Ramera! (bitch)” Marie reached for her blade, and Jacqueline chose that moment to intervene.
“Problems?” she asked, approaching the disguised princess and discreetly confiscating the blade.
“No problems here, Madame,” Mancini said, shaking her head. “Luis and I were just having a nice, friendly discussion. Isn’t that right?”
Marie spat at the Royal Mistress’ feet. “Puta!” She attempted to rush the woman unarmed, but Jacqueline was faster, grabbing her arm and holding tight.
Mancini glared, moving in so the two of them were almost nose-to-nose. “Listen here, Infanta,” she hissed, using Marie’s title almost like a curse. “Louis is MINE! Back the hell off, or I might just be forced to tell him where you’ve been hiding all this time. And do you really think he’d want to marry a woman who gets her kicks by pretending to be a musketeer?” She laughed harshly. “Fairytale’s over, Princess. Got it?”
“We’re not finished, Mancini! Not by a long shot!”
“Yes we are. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a party to get back to.” Nose in the air, she whirled around and stalked back into the main hall. Once she was out of sight, Marie turned on Jacqueline.
“How dare you interfere with me
and that puta?”
“Because I didn’t want anything to
happen to either one of you. I was trying to protect you. Why did you have to
confront her like this, anyway?”
“If I am to marry Luis, I won’t
have another woman in the way.
Especially not that one. Now give
me my sword and get out of my way!” Marie
closed in, reaching for the blade, and Jacqueline could smell the rum on her
breath. After a quick glance around to
make sure no one was watching, she slugged the drunken Princess in the jaw,
knocking her unconscious. She caught
Marie before she could hit the floor, then dragged her over to the sofa and
laid her on it.
“Sorry Princess,” she whispered,
“but I won’t let you blow your cover and risk the musketeers’ reputation. I just pray that Mademoiselle Mancini can
keep her mouth shut.” Knowing that she
wouldn’t be able to get Marie back to the carriage by herself, Jacqueline went
back to the door, catching sight of D’Artagnan still sulking in the same
corner. “Psst…D’Artagnan!” He glanced around, and it took a moment for
him to realize who’d spoken. “Over
here!” she hissed.
Cautiously, the Gascon made his
way over. “What’s going on? Why are you whispering?”
“Just come in here.” She headed back into the room, leaving him no
choice but to follow. Once inside, he
saw Princess Marie laid out on the sofa, unconscious.
“What happened?”
"She had a little too much to
drink and passed out."
D'Artagnan frowned. "Is that
why there is a red welt on her chin and you are favoring your right hand?"
“Okay, so she had a bit of help.”
He groaned. “Jacqueline, have you lost your mind? Assaulting a member of the Royal family is
treason!”
“It would’ve been worse if I
hadn’t. She was hell-bent on skewering
Louis’ mistress—who, by the way, already managed to figure out who ‘Luis’
really is.”
“How?”
Jacqueline shrugged. “No idea.
My guess is that our drunken friend couldn’t keep quiet. I walked on the two of them arguing, and
Mancini threatened to tell the King the truth if Marie didn’t ‘back off,’
whatever that means. Last thing we
needed was to give her an excuse to spill the beans and ruin the musketeers.” She sighed.
“We need to get her out of here before anyone else sees.”
He nodded. “We’ll go out the back way Father told me
about.” Carefully, D’Artagnan lifted
‘Luis’ from the sofa, throwing one arm across his shoulders and grabbing hold
of her waist while Jacqueline did the same on the other side. Between them, they carried the unconscious
Princess out of the lodge to where their carriage was waiting. Geoffrey was already sitting in the driver’s
seat, with Porthos standing next to him on the ground.
“I see you two have found our
wayward musketeer,” Porthos laughed. “He
alright?”
“He’s fine. Jacqueline had to knock him out, apparently.”
“You did what?” Geoffrey asked,
looking questioningly at his wife.
She shrugged. “Luis was getting a bit too chatty about
musketeer business. Didn’t have much
choice.” Together, she and D’Artagnan
hefted Marie into the carriage before climbing in themselves, him staying in
the back with the Princess while she joined her husband in the front.
“Wait…what about Mireille?” the
Gascon asked.
“I’m sure the Comte d’Monte Cristo
will see that she gets back safely,” Porthos assured him. “You four should start back. Don’t worry, I’ll make your excuses to His
Majesty. Under the circumstances,
though, I’d recommend spending the night at an
“Thank you, Uncle,” Geoffrey
nodded. “As soon as we’re back in
“Good. I still think you’re insane, but it’s your
ship. Who am I to tell you what to do
with it?” He shook Geoffrey’s hand. “Take care, now. As soon as that stuff arrives, I’ll set the
crew straight to work. I can’t wait to
see if this ‘engine’ of yours actually does what you say it will.” With that, the former musketeer bid them
goodbye, and Geoffrey started the carriage moving towards the village.
“What are you and Uncle Porthos
cooking up now?” Jacqueline asked, once they were underway.
“He’s going to have the crew—my
crew—start re-fitting the Rose d’Orleans
for use with my steam engine, as well as constructing the engine itself.”
“I thought you were still testing
that.”
“The design is perfect. Now I’m just trying to find the right balance
of water and heat to get it to work right.
Besides, it will get built a lot faster with several hundred men working
on it instead of just me.”
“Good point.” She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder
as he put an arm around her. “So…you
never did explain where you got the money for this ring.”
“Remember that new clock I was
working on?”
“The one with the swinging thing?”
“Yes, the one with the pendulum. Well, I sold the prototype to an old friend of mine. He’s going to perfect it. I know it means giving up the credit, but I probably wasn’t going to finish that thing anyway…not with the steam engine taking up so much of my time.”
“Wait…you gave up credit on one of your inventions for this?” She looked down at the ring, suddenly no longer as sure about it as she’d been when he gave it to her.
“Don’t worry about it, Jacqueline. Like I said, I probably wouldn’t have gotten around to finishing it anyway. Besides,” he said, kissing the hand with the ring, “you’re worth it. I just want you to be happy.”
“I am,” she smiled, kissing him tenderly on the lips. “Believe me, my love. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Nor could I.” They kissed passionately, only parting when D’Artagnan reminded him to watch the road.
Chapter 11
Dawn was breaking when Maria-Theresa, Infanta of Spain, finally awoke. She rubbed her temples as she sat up. “Ooh. My head hurts.” She looked around. “Where am I? What happened?”
“What happened was that you got drunk and made a fool of yourself. Where you are is the River Rat Inn, as we didn’t think you’d want to have Duval see you this way.”
Marie looked up at Jacqueline, dressed in her undergarments. “Quit yelling. My head hurts.”
“Small wonder. Here, drink this. Geoffrey made a potion to help with hangovers and I am not yelling.” She handed the hung over woman a glass. “Once you are cleaned up and have some breakfast, we will get back to the garrison.”
Marie drank the concoction. “I think I messed up. Did I do something to Mancini?”
“You mean short of having a knock-down, drag-out fist fight? Yes, you messed up. Now Mancini knows who ‘Luis’ is and I am sure she will tell the King or try and blackmail you.”
“Oooh.” She held her head again. “Tell me I didn’t try to kill her.”
“Hate to say it, but you did.”
“I told you not to tell me. Maybe I should go to Louis and show him who I really am.” She stood up and looked into a mirror, squinting as she rubbed her jaw. “Why does my jaw hurt and have a red mark on it?” She turned around. “You hit me didn’t you?”
Jacqueline rubbed her right hand with her left. “I’m afraid so. It was that, or have the Princess of Spain be charged with murder, disguised as a Musketeer. You really have a hard jaw.”
Maria laughed and then winced. “Oooh. Please don’t make me
laugh.” She turned to the mirror. “I guess you are right. I think it is about
time that Luis confessed to Louis. Will you have Geoffrey drive me to the
Chateau before we go back to
"Marie, if you go to Louis, he will make you stay with him."
"No. I will give him an ultimatum. I will remain with
the Musketeers as long as Mancini remains, or at least until October. Then,
either she is gone or I will return to
"All he has to do is have Duval and all the Musketeers arrested, especially those of us who know you have been hiding with us."
"I can go back as myself and tell him that I knew he was looking for me and dressed as a Musketeer to see what was going on when I confronted Mancini. Then give him the ultimatum."
"Marie, I don’t know what you should do, but giving him ultimatums won’t work."
Marie pulled on her Musketeer uniform. "You know, I am glad that I wear undergarments unlike the Musketeers. Otherwise, I would have been sleeping in the all together."
"True, I hate the rough cloth the uniforms are made of. The pantaloons and binders are enough to keep from chafing." She slipped on a common dress. “I am glad that I had the foresight to bring along a regular dress.”
Marie looked around. "Where is Geoffrey?"
"I really don't know. He said he had something to do."
Last night, after the ball…
A furious Maria Mancini looked at the shredded sleeve of her dress, ripped apart by the ocelot. The night had been ruined, first by the cat and then by the run-in with the drunken Spanish Princess. As first, she didn't know what was going on when a drunken Musketeer accosted her. Maria had to admit that she had not recognized the Princess, and until ‘Luis’ had said who she was, she’d had no clue. The shouting match was nothing, but she realized that had not Madame Greyhawk interfered, the Princess probably would have killed her. Maria had no doubts that a woman who had fought pirates, Princess or not, outclassed the niece of Mazarin in the art of killing.
On even ground, Mancini thought she would win Louis' heart, but the one thing her uncle had taught her was the intrigue at court. Now the Queen had intervened and Mancini found herself on the verge of being married off to an older Italian man she had never met. The upside was that he was a rich Count. Until then, she would have Louis and if the Princess got in the way, Maria would tell him the truth. That would end the marriage to the King, and her own impending arranged one. She paused in her thoughts when she heard a knock. Cautiously, she walked over to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see the Musketeer Greyhawk. "What do you want?"
"You and I are going to have a little talk about a few things."
"We have nothing to talk about. If you are here to somehow force me to keep the Princess' secret, you are out of luck."
Geoffrey shook his head and turned to the open door. "That is too bad, as I wanted you to meet a friend of mine, named Bast."
"Bast? What kind of name is that? Your friends don't scare me." Maria watched as Geoffrey shrugged his shoulders and reached outside to bring in a cage; a cage that held a wild ocelot. She saw the evil grin on the Musketeer's face. "I will have you thrown out of the Musketeers."
"On what charge? I am only introducing you to Bast. As I remember, you wanted to pet her." He reached for the cage door.
"No…don't. What do you want?"
"You will forget about what happened between you and the Princess. In fact, you will forget that the Princess is in disguise, otherwise Bast or her children will be visiting you some night. Bast has already shown that she does not like you. You are lucky it was only your dress that was shredded and not your arm." As he saw Maria move her left hand to her arm, he grabbed it and pushed back the dress sleeve to see a slightly bloodstained wrapping. "Ah…I see Bast did leave her mark. Now do we have a deal, or do I leave you two ladies alone for your own little cat fight?"
Maria blanched. "I swear I will never tell anyone what happened, just keep that animal away from me."
Geoffrey gave a half salute and moved the cage out of the room. "I thought you might see it my way. Goodnight, Mademoiselle."
Present
Marie looked around. "Where is Geoffrey?"
"I really don't know. He said he had something to do."
They both turned to the door when they heard a knock. ”It’s me, Geoffrey.” When Jacqueline opened the door, she saw that her husband had his arms full of bread, a cheese wheel and a carafe. As she kissed him, she took the carafe.
“Tell me this is coffee.”
“Of course it is. How else can we get our hearts started in the morning?”
Marie grabbed the bread and cheese. “Please, not here. You have a house for that. Now, let’s eat. I still have to decide what I am going to do about that strumpet.”
Geoffrey laughed as he took out his dagger and retrieved the cheese. “I don’t think she will be telling anyone unless she wants a real cat fight.” He sliced off several slices of the cheese and handed them to the women.
Jacqueline laughed. “You didn’t. You involved Bast?” She saw the evil look on his face. “That would have been priceless to see.” She took Geoffrey’s dagger and cut the bread. “Let’s eat and get home. I want to see how Nikki is.”
Two hours later, after a brief stop to arrange for a messenger to take Porthos what he’d need to start working on the ship, the trio dismounted the carriage and entered their home. Ramon looked relieved to see them. His hand was wrapped in a cloth. Without a word, he pointed to a pair of sleeping kittens. “Those two are out to eat me alive.”
Geoffrey laughed. “Have you been eating chicken again?”
Ramon frowned. “Of course not…I went out and got a rabbit.”
“How’s Nikki?” Marie asked.
“She’s fine. Ana said it’s just a ‘woman thing’…nothing to worry about.”
“That’s good.”
A few minutes later, there was a pounding on the doorjamb. When Geoffrey opened the door, a very upset Captain Duval marched in. “Private Greyhawk, how dare you put up such a scene at the King’s celebration…running around getting liquored up and with your wife by your side!”
“But, Captain…”
“I don’t want to hear it. You crossed the line, and you will probably be thrown out of the Musketeers and hanged for violating your probation.”
As Jacqueline glared at Duval, Luis walked right up to him and stood in front. “Captain Duval, with all due respect, Geoffrey did no such thing. I was the one who got drunk and argued with that woman. Jacqueline intervened and they got me out of there so as not to make a ruckus. Why did you think it was him?”
Duval looked at both Greyhawks. “Is that true?”
In unison, they replied. “Yes, Sir.”
Duval looked at Ramon. “What is your excuse?”
“I was looking after my wife, and therefore I was nowhere near the Chateau.”
Duval narrowed his eyes when he saw the wrapping on the Spaniard’s hand. “Stealing chickens again?”
“No Sir, and you have no reason to accuse me…this time.”
“Well, you have in the past and didn’t get caught. Luis, I can’t very well have you cleaning dungeons alone, being who you are, so Private de la Cruz will accompany you for the day.” He turned back to the Princess. “To answer your question, you are a Princess and I could not imagine you as drunk. The only logical one was him since I knew Ramon would not leave his pregnant wife to get drunk.” Giving them all one last glare, Duval turned on his heel and stormed out of the house.
Jacqueline turned on Ramon. “You lied. You said you didn’t steal a chicken.”
Ramon laughed. “It was a rabbit, remember? By the way, where is D’Artagnan?”
Geoffrey grinned. “He met a young lass back at the inn. Apparently, she was at the party and her carriage broke down just down the street. D’Artagnan, of course, went to help.”
Jacqueline frowned. “I’ll bet he did, when was this?”
“A few hours ago, just after we arrived. I haven’t seen him since.”
The princess chuckled. “What room is she in?”
Jacqueline whirled on her. “You aren’t suggesting that he and that woman…?”
Marie laughed. “It was a joke. D’Artagnan was a perfect gentleman when we were together, but he never did anything. Of course, I was engaged to the King, but this is different.”
“Marie!”
“Well he is a normal handsome man who likes women. If I weren’t engaged . . .”
Jacqueline shook her head. “Marie, you are terrible.” She laughed. “What is this, what is good for the goose?”
Marie shrugged her shoulders as she giggled. “Maybe.”
Jacqueline gasped for air as she laughed. “Marie, stop it, you are going to make me hurt myself.”
“You mean you and he…?”
“Never. Look, D’Artagnan and I are friends and, as much as he wanted a relationship, I didn’t. He is like a brother to me. Geoffrey is my husband and that’s all there is to it.” She stopped as both women realized that Geoffrey and Ramon were still in the room, sitting in two chairs near the window with grins on their faces.
“Ramon, do you think we should be taking notes on this wonderful conversation?”
“Possibly. Then we could blackmail the Royal D’Artagnan.”
Luis picked up a pillow and threw it at the Musketeers. “Ramon, you had better go and tell Nikki that she was calling for you. We have detail in an hour.”
Geoffrey laughed. “Spoil sport.”
Chapter 12
D'Artagnan opened his eyes and looked around. He was still dressed in his Musketeer uniform, minus the jacket and sword. As he turned his head, he saw a lovely woman with long light brown hair asleep in the bed. She opened her eyes and looked at him with a smile on her face. The Musketeer jumped up. "Mon Dieu, who are you?"
"Relax D'Artagnan, I am Jeanne. Don't you remember helping me last night? You know, the carriage with the broken axle?"
"Right, the broken axle. But how…why?"
"We had a few bottles of wine and you fell asleep on the settee." She sat up and he was relieved that she was dressed in a shift. "Don't worry, you did not compromise me. You are an unusual man, Private D'Artagnan. Maybe we will meet again sometime under different circumstances."
"I can't just leave you here alone."
She smiled at him. "I stay here every once in awhile.
There is a barge that comes by on its way to
He laughed. "That probably is a good idea, as I’m sure my friends have already left."
****************
Shortly after Ramon and Luis left, Jacqueline checked on Nikki, who was fast asleep. Two fur balls were slumbering on either side of her. As the female Musketeer closed the door quietly behind her as she left and went to the parlor downstairs, Miette suddenly awoke and scampered out the door. The young kitten followed her human and as Jacqueline descended the stairs, Miette leapt onto the human’s right shoulder. ”Ummph…Miette, you are going to be the death of me yet.” She reached up and scratched the kitten behind the ears with her left hand.
Geoffrey watched the kitten launch herself at Jacqueline and laughed. He got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked over to Jacqueline. As he reached for Miette, another furball launched itself upon Geoffrey. The blonde laughed as he pulled Will from his shoulder. "What are we going to do with these two? They are already starting to hone their hunting skills."
His wife smiled. "As long as they don't attack everyone they come across."
"Or who smell like chicken. We really need to teach Ramon about washing his hands after eating."
She picked up Will from Geoffrey's arms. "Speaking of
food, how about raiding the garrison kitchen and bringing back something to
eat. I heard that Ramon has managed to squirrel away some of those sweets from
the
"Alright, but I am going to go work in the lab for a bit before I do. Make it look like I am not making a midnight raid." He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Be back in a couple of hours."
“Midnight? It is barely past mid morning.”
“It was a joke. Who expect anyone to raid the pantry in broad daylight?” Grinning, he leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her lips. “Take care of the kids.”
As Jacqueline watched her husband leave, the kittens leaned around her, alerting her to the presence of another. She turned to see Ana standing nearby, smiling at her. “You will be a good mother.” She walked up to Jacqueline and started to touch her. A low growl from Miette made her stop. “Your children protect you well. Maybe someday you will do the same.”
“What do you mean, someday? I know Geoffrey and I have only been married a short time, but it sounds like you know something.”
"I know you were on a ship with Ramon and Nikki. Did you ever get injured?"
The Musketeer frowned. "Why do you ask?"
Ana rubbed her temples. "I see you surrounded by smoke, fire and blood. The blood is your own. The smoke clears and I see you standing in a courtyard full of children but they are not your own. You are on one side of a fence while the children and their mothers are on the other. They shout angry things at you."
"What things?"
"I don't know. There is no sound."
Jacqueline felt weak in her knees and sat down. “What does this mean?”
“It tells me that you were injured and you may never have children of your own.”
Jacqueline looked at her kittens and hugged them. After a while, she got up. “Ana, please watch the kittens. I am going to Saint Julien’s.”
Geoffrey walked into the cottage three hours later with a grin on his face and a basket in his arms. "Jacqueline, I have a surprise for you."
Ana turned the corner. "Shush. Nikki is still sleeping. Give me the food and get yourself to St. Julien's."
He frowned. "Why did she go to a church? Is something wrong?"
"I had a vision about her and children and she got upset. I am sorry; I didn't know that it would upset her so."
"Like most women, she probably wants children, but we never really discussed it. What was the vision?"
As soon as Ana told him, Geoffrey hurried out of the cottage and ran to the stables where he caught up to his horse. He noticed that Jacqueline's was missing from its stall.
Arriving at St. Julien’s, he noticed that his wife was walking in the garden next to the Church. Dismounting, he approached her, taking her into his arms. "Ana told me what she said." He led her to a stone bench and they sat down. "Look, first of all, it was a vision…a dream. Just because Ana claims to see something, that doesn't mean it is true."
Jacqueline looked him in the eyes, and Geoffrey could tell she’d been crying. "But…but she saw the fight on the ship."
Giving her a reassuring smile, Geoffrey reached up to caress her cheek, gently wiping away the last few teardrops with his thumb. "Love, she knows that you were on a ship and that the ship saw action against pirates. It could easily just be her own subconscious that is fueling her imagination. Look, we are both too active to have children at the moment, anyway. I mean, imagine what Duval would say if one of his best musketeers suddenly turned up pregnant.” That comment actually got a laugh out of Jacqueline, which he took as a good sign. “Anyway,” he continued, “once we are more settled, then we will face that—when and if it comes—together. If we can't have kids, we can adopt. Do you know how many kids need parents? I married you, Jacqueline Roget, because I love you, not so you could become a child production center." He stood up, holding her hand. “Look, you know that I may not be religious, but let’s go into the church and pray.”
“You pray?”
“Let’s just say that God and I have an understanding. Besides, He can’t be all that bad if He thought my sorry arse was worth saving from the gallows.”
She looked up at him, rolling her eyes before smacking his arm and standing up. “You’re incorrigible…but I love you anyway.” Cracking a smile, she leaned in and gave her husband a quick, Church-appropriate kiss.
The couple walked into the church holding hands. Approaching the communion rail, she genuflected and knelt down. She was aware of Geoffrey’s cautious moves, even when he knelt next to her. Her prayers were interrupted by a gruff voice. “How dare you defile this Holy place?” She saw a hand grab Geoffrey by the shoulder.
Geoffrey shot to his feet, grabbing the hilt of his blade, but Jacqueline’s hand stayed him from pulling it.
“Who are you and what do you want?”
“I am Frederico Barberini and I am throwing you out. You are not worthy of being in a church, you Devil’s Spawn. Yes, I know who you really are.”
Geoffrey frowned. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Your mother was a whore who cuckolded her husband for a pirate by the name of William Greyhawk while she was still married to an honorable man. Even now, you and your whore defile this house of God.”
Geoffrey stared the priest down, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “You can say what you want about me, but you will not spew your accusations at my wife.”
“You mean your who…” his words stopped short due to Geoffrey’s fist connecting with the man’s jaw. Geoffrey looked at Jacqueline. “Come, we will go someplace where we are welcomed.”
Two hours later,
Geoffrey and Jacqueline sat at their usual table in the Café Nouveau and
relayed what had happened to D’Artagnan, who’d just returned from
“On what charge?”
“Assault on the Bishop of Paris.”
Geoffrey frowned. “Who is that?”
“Bishop Frederico Barberini, brother of Francesco Barberini.”
Geoffrey put his hand on his sword but was stopped from pulling it by Jacques. "Captain, the Musketeers—the real ones—will deliver Captain Greyhawk to the King."
"Captain Greyhawk?" Villeroi laughed. "He is Captain of nothing and you Musketeers will be disbanded if I have anything to say about it."
"Then it's a good thing you don't have anything to say about it, Marcel." Villeroi turned towards the voice coming from behind him to see Captain Duval. "I will personally deliver Greyhawk to the King. I suggest you all leave." Duval smiled. "Marcel, don't even try fighting us as you won't win. There are six of you but there are twenty of us, if you care to look outside."
Villeroi's face turned white. "You can take him, but we will be right behind you to make sure you don't get lost."
Duval nodded to his men. "Get mounted, your horses are outside." He looked at Villeroi. "Marcel, you can eat my dust."
Sometime later, Duval led his Musketeers into the throne room for an audience with the King. Duval immediately saw Bishop Barberini who stood at the King's side with a sadistic look on his face. "Your Majesty, there is the fornicator. Where is the whore who was with him? I ordered them both arrested."
Louis stood up. "Bishop, in case you had not noticed, I am the King, not you." He turned to Duval. "Captain, why are these Musketeers here? I told Captain Villeroi to ask Greyhawk to come here."
Duval nodded. "Then there must have been a communication mistake, as Villeroi showed up with six men to arrest Greyhawk."
Barberini frothed at the mouth. "What difference does it make, Your Majesty? He and his whore must be punished for fornicating and attacking me."
Queen Anne sat in her chair, the knuckles on her hands turning white as she fought for control. "Bishop, why are you making these accusations? What did the Greyhawks do to you?"
The Bishop turned to the Queen. “They are fornicating, pretending to be married and violating the laws of the Church. They should be taken out and stoned to death." He turned to D'Artagnan. "Your father is just as bad. He and all of his whores should be stoned as well."
Louis looked at his mother. "Enough. You claim that Geoffrey Greyhawk struck you after you told them to get out of the church. Did you call his wife a whore?"
"She is a whore, living with a man not her husband. They are all whores who should be stoned."
Louis looked at Greyhawk. “Captain Greyhawk, I warned you
about causing trouble." The Bishop grinned. "In this case, I find
that you…" he paused. "I find
that you had justification in hitting Bishop Barberini. Bishop, you will leave
The entire Musketeer contingent surrounded the King, backs to the Monarch and swords drawn in a protective ring. The six Black Musketeers stood around with mouths agape as their Captain was frozen. Louis stood on his throne to see over his protectors. "Captain Villeroi, this is why your men will never be my personal bodyguard." He motioned with both hands at the ring around him. "Without a thought for their own mortality, they sprang into action to protect me while your men are still by the door with swords in their sheaths. Captain Duval, please clear the room except for yourself, Captain Greyhawk, Private LePonte and my mother of course." He nodded to the Queen Mother. "Oh, and D'Artagnan may stay as well. I don't see Private de la Cruz, so I presume he is taking care of his wife. Smart man."
When everyone including the Musketeers were gone, Louis sat down. "I must say that this has been an exciting day." He looked at Jacques and Geoffrey. "Remembering who knows LePonte and Madame Greyhawk are the same is exhausting." He grinned. "I love a little intrigue. Now I know why you struck the Bishop, pompous ass that he is, but why didn't you just kill him?"
Geoffrey looked down. "My hand was on my blade but my wife stopped me. We were in a Church, after all."
"Well, I am happy you didn't. His actions and his
tongue are proof that he was trying to overthrow the Crown. His
insults to Madame Greyhawk and even the insult to D'Artagnan's father could not
be ignored. Yes, I know the rumors about him and my mother and true or not, his
slur against my mother was unforgivable. Now, Geoffrey, how is the new
invention on the ship coming? I am anxious to see how it works. Then I could
have a fleet of these…what do you call them?"
"Steam driven warships, Your Highness. I was planning
on going to
"I presume you are taking your wife, but I would like to ask you a favor, Madame Greyhawk."
Jacqueline didn't know whether to bow or curtsey. "Anything, Your Majesty."
"Would you please ask my bride to be to attend me after your husband leaves? I would like the court to see just whom it is that will rule beside me. I am afraid my own actions have caused people to assume that the insipid Maria Mancini will be taking that role. That will never happen. Yes, I know she is serving in the Musketeers." He looked at Duval. "Well done, Captain. I still don't know which Musketeer she is, but knowing that she is safe and being trained by you and your Musketeers gives me a lot of confidence in her."
Jacqueline nodded. "I will ask her, Your Majesty, but I have a favor to ask as well."
Louis gestured with his open arm. "You just saved my life, name it."
She glanced at her husband. "Your Highness, you have an ocelot in your growing menagerie. She is the mother of two kittens who are part of our household. We intend to raise them as our protectors and domesticate them. They will be an asset on the ship when it sails and companions for me when Geoffrey is gone. I would like your promise that you will not add them to your compound."
Louis nodded. "I agree, but I would like to see these children of yours."
Geoffrey laughed. "Just be sure you have washed your hands and don't smell like chicken. They may mistake you as food."
Louis' eyes opened wide. "They wouldn't." He narrowed his eyes. "Would they?"
"They think Ramon is their private snack food. Your Majesty, if I may, I think we should remove the body before he becomes ripe."
"Absolutely and once again, I thank you for protecting the Monarchy."
Chapter 13
Once everyone was back at the garrison, Jacques started to the cottage to retrieve the kittens. "I think Captain Duval needs to meet the Mousketeers."
Geoffrey scowled. "You mean Musketeers."
"No, Mousketeers. They will be good little mousers and keep the ship free of vermin."
He laughed. "Very well, I have an errand to attend to also." Geoffrey kissed his bride, then mounted his horse and rode away from the garrison. He looked to the Forbidden Zone to see his wife disappear into the foliage.
A short while later, he dismounted at the
"You sound like Ramon.” She sighed. “Alright, I have set up a small room where I can rest and still conduct business. It is private and we can talk. A proposition sounds interesting." She flashed him a ‘come hither’ look.
He laughed. "Not that kind of proposition. This is strictly business that should make us both a lot of money."
"Come tell me more, partner." She smiled at him as she reached the door and opened it. Turning to a bar maid, she called her over. “Lucille, let no one disturb us, unless it is Ramon."
"Oui."
****************
Meanwhile, Jacqueline gathered her ‘children’ into a basket and carried them to the garrison to meet the captain. Duval thought the kittens were cute, but told her pretty much the same thing he’d told D’Artagnan when he’d insisted on keeping ‘Little D’—they could keep them, but the second the kittens interfered in their duties, they’d have to give them up.
Jacqueline knew that he wasn’t trying to be cruel, but the idea that he’d ever make her give the kittens up hurt just the same. Assuring him that it wouldn’t be a problem, she put Will and Miette back into the basket and carried them to the lab. Ramon was there, sitting in a chair with his boots propped up on a cloth-covered mound as he scribbled something in his poetry book.
She cleared her throat. “You know Geoffrey will kill you if he finds you using his navigational instruments as a footrest.”
Ramon shrugged, but moved his feet
from the box anyway. “What’s in the
basket?” he asked hopefully. “Something
good, I hope.”
“Hate to disappoint you,” she
chuckled, “but this isn’t exactly edible.”
She opened the basket, and two little furry heads popped out.
The Spaniard groaned. “Shouldn’t those little diablos be at home?”
“I was just introducing them to
Captain Duval. And they wouldn’t try to
nibble your fingers if they didn’t smell like food all the time.”
“So it’s my fault they look at me
like I’m their next meal?”
She grinned. “You said it, not me.” She set the basket on the floor, and the
kittens immediately leapt out and began exploring their new surroundings. Ramon quickly moved to higher ground, taking
a seat on an empty worktable. Jacqueline
rolled her eyes at the Spaniard's behavior, but decided not to comment. “So...what
are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were supposed to be cleaning
the dungeons.”
“Nikki was ready to go home, so
the Capítan was kind enough to send someone else to take over so I could
accompany her.”
“Well, why aren’t you back at the
inn with her now?”
He sighed. “Alas, I have been banished...sent into exile...”
”Exile?” she asked, cutting him off before he could turn his lament into an
epic poem. “What did you do?”
“That’s just it...I have no
idea. We were on our way back when, out of the blue, she asked me how she
looked. Of course, I said she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever
seen.”
“Of course,” Jacqueline
nodded. “Then what?”
“Then she slapped me and accused
me of lying. Next thing I know, I'm lying in a mud puddle on the side of
the road.”
“Nikki pushed you out of the
carriage?”
“Si. And she didn't even
stop it first.”
Jacqueline let out a low whistle. “Boy, she must really be mad at you.”
“But why? I don't
understand.”
She chuckled, laying a hand on her comrade's shoulder. “Relax, compañero.
From what I understand, this is normal. Papa once told me that Mama was
the same way when she was pregnant with me and Gerard. ‘Mood swings,’ he
called them.”
“Mood swings? And how long are those supposed to
last?”
Jacqueline shrugged, taking a seat next to him on the worktable. “You
might want to ask Ana about that one. I'm certainly no expert on the
subject.” She sighed.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. It’s just…earlier today, Ana claimed she had some vision about me not being able to have children.”
“That’s loco. Ana is an excellent midwife, but I’m not completely sure she’s all there, if you know what I mean. Why would she say you wouldn’t be able to have children?”
“Something about the accident on the Reine Anne, when the crow’s nest collapsed on me.”
“Do you believe her?”
“I don’t know. She was right when she saw that Nikki was having trouble and came here. Who’s to say she’s not right about this? Will and Miette—who she actually referred to as my ‘children’—could very well be the closest I’ll ever come to being a mother.”
“Speaking of which…” Ramon said, pointing towards Geoffrey’s bookcase. Will was crouched on the top shelf, watching the Spaniard intently. “There’s one. Where’s the other?”
Immediately, Jacqueline leapt off the workbench and began searching the lab. “Miette?” she called out. Normally, the tiny kitten would’ve come running, but not this time. Starting to panic, she glanced over at the door, which was open a crack. “Oh no…”
Just then, there was a gunshot out in the hallway. “Miette!” Jacqueline screamed, rushing from the lab with Ramon on her heels. In the hall, they found Miette—who, thankfully, was unhurt—cowering in a corner while some recruit whose name she didn’t know was fumbling with his pistol, trying to reload it.
Seeing red, Jacqueline stormed over to the shooter, snatching the pistol from his hand and pulling her own, which she then leveled at the young man’s head.
“LePonte!” Duval watched as
Jacques slowly uncocked the hammer of the pistol she was holding. “What in
blazes is going on here? Who fired that shot?”
The pinned recruit sputtered.
“I-I did, Sir, at that ferocious wild animal.”
Duval shook his head as Jacques
picked up the shaking kitten and attempted to soothe it “He tried to kill
m…Madame Greyhawk’s kitten.”
Duval closed his eyes and
pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “It’s Trevor, right? Well,
recruit Trevor, how many ferocious wild animals have you seen in
“None sir, but I heard the King
has one.”
Duval shook his head. “The King
has a full-grown wild cat; this is a kitten no more than…what…three weeks old?
Now, who gave you permission to fire a weapon indoors?”
“N-no one, Sir.”
“Jacques, is the kitten alright?”
He reached over and scratched the furry head with his fingers. “What is he still
doing here?”
“She. This is Miette,
remember? Will is still in the lab. I’m supposed to go on patrol with D’Artagnan
tonight and didn’t want to leave them all alone in the cottage, as the Greyhawks
had some business to attend to and I don’t know when they’ll be back. Anyway, Ramon and I got to talking, and
Miette managed to slip away when I wasn’t looking. Then this idiot tried to kill her."
Duval motioned for Jacques to step
back and when she did, he slammed Trevor up against the wall. “Do you realize
that you almost killed a kitten that’s under the protection of the most
dangerous Musketeer in the garrison? Another stunt like that and I will let
Jacques have you. You will not be fit to even become a Black Musketeer.”
“Surely you jest. Him?”
“Have you heard of D’Artagnan?”
“Of course…he’s the best
Musketeer in the garrison, just like his father.”
“Jacques is the person who beats
D’Artagnan on a regular basis.”
Trevor's face turned pale as Duval watched. “You have two minutes to get your musket and report to the latrines. There you will stand at attention, holding your musket horizontal at arm’s length for the next five hours. If your arms lower, fifteen minutes will be added to your punishment.” He released Trevor and, using his thumb, gestured for Jacques and Ramon to return to the lab. The captain then turned back. "Recruit, are you still here?” He laughed as the boy raced away. Shaking his head, Duval walked into the lab just in time to see the other kitten launch itself from the top of the bookcase onto Ramon’s back. Caught off-guard, the Spaniard was sent sprawling, cursing in his native tongue as he hit the floor. Fighting the urge to laugh, the elder Musketeer went over and helped him back to his feet. “I see that little Will is already perfecting his hunting skills.”
“Must you rub it in?” Ramon muttered as he brushed himself off.
“Perhaps if you didn’t always have chicken grease on your hands, the kittens wouldn’t think of you as a target.”
“Y tú, Capítan?”
Duval laughed, but his expression quickly turned serious as he caught sight of Jacqueline still trying to calm a terrified Miette. “Anyway…LePonte, under the circumstances, I think it would be best if you took the evening off.”
“What about patrol?”
“Well…since Ramon is here, I’m sure he won’t mind filling in. Speaking of which,” he said, turning to the Spaniard. “Why are you here? I let you off the hook for dungeon duty so you could be with your wife.”
“I…uh…well….”
Ramon stuttered.
Jacqueline
laughed. “Apparently, Nikki took
exception to something he said and pushed him out of the carriage…while it was
moving.”
“Really? What did you say?”
“I-I
told her she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”
At
Duval’s confused look, Jacqueline mouthed ‘mood swing,’ which instantly seemed
to clear things up. He chuckled. “Don’t worry.
My sister was the same way both times she was pregnant. It’s perfectly normal.”
“That’s
what Jacques said. Think I should talk
to Ana about it?”
“I
wouldn’t. No offense, Ramon. I know she’s been very helpful to you and
your wife. But frankly, I’m not certain
the woman is in her right mind. She came
to me this afternoon, going on about some so-called vision she had about my
child being in danger.”
“But
you don’t have any niños.”
“Exactly…”
he muttered, looking oddly saddened.
“Anyway,” he said, clearing his throat.
“Jacques, why don’t you go ahead and get those little ones home.” She nodded, coaxing Will back into the basket
while keeping Miette cradled in her arms.
Once she was gone, Duval turned back to Ramon. “Son, I think it’s time you and I had a
talk…man to man.”
“But
what about patrol?”
“You
have time.” Not giving the Spaniard a
chance to argue, Duval threw an arm over Ramon’s shoulders and escorted him to
his office.
Duval pointed to a chair as he closed the door behind them. “I understand you had a little foot and mouth disease. Tell me about it.”
Duval’s face turned grim as Ramon relayed the story. When the Spaniard finished, the Musketeer leader shook his head. “Ramon, there are some things that a man never answers. Things like: ‘Does this dress make me look fat?’ or ‘Do you think she is as pretty as I am?’ Any reply is enough to set a woman off, especially if she is pregnant. Nothing you say will appease a pregnant woman. Any attempt to answer will get you in deep trouble.”
“But how will I ever understand her?”
“Ah…that, my young friend, is something you will never do. You will never understand a woman. Now get out of here and go take flowers or something to your wife as soon as you finish patrol.” As Ramon left, Duval got up and stood at the window. He watched Jacques walking across the grass to the cottage as he thought about Ana’s vision. “Crazy woman.”
Chapter 14
Jacqueline returned to the cottage to find a dirty and disheveled ‘Luis’ in the parlor. Her jacket was tossed carelessly in a corner, and she was sprawled in one of the more comfortable chairs with her filthy boots propped up on the newly-upholstered ottoman that had been part of the King’s wedding gift to the couple. Setting the basket down and letting Will out, the other female musketeer crept closer to find that ‘Luis’ was fast asleep. ‘Poor girl. Duval’s making her work harder than she’s probably ever had to her whole life. No wonder she’s exhausted.’ For a moment, Jacqueline was tempted to just let her sleep. But sleeping in that chair would no doubt leave her sore come morning, not to mention that the dungeon grime on her clothes would be bad for the upholstery.
Fortunately, Will solved the problem for her. As
Jacqueline watched in amusement, the tiny kitten leapt onto the chair and
stealthily crept up the princess' chest, bringing himself almost nose-to-nose
with his quarry.
"Mraow?"
Marie's eyes snapped open at the sound, and the reaction was immediate.
With some rather colorful Spanish escaping her lips, the princess leapt to her
feet. Luckily, Will had the good sense to jump to more stable ground just
before she did.
Once she'd recovered from her surprise, Marie glared at the kitten, who was now
sprawled atop the back of the chair with an innocent look on his face. A
moment later, he started cleaning himself as if nothing had happened.
With an exasperated sigh, the princess turned her attention to Jacqueline, who
was trying very hard not to laugh. “You
taught him that, didn’t you?”
Jacqueline shook her head. “That was all Will. He’s turning out to be quite the little genius. I think Geoffrey must be rubbing off on him.” Smiling, she reached out with her free hand and scratched Will behind the ears. He purred, nuzzling his head against her hand.
While Jacqueline was paying attention to one kitten, Marie finally noticed the second, which was still cradled in her human’s arm. The princess reached out to pet the cream-colored kitten, only to have Miette shrink back from her touch. “Dios…what’s wrong with her?”
Jacqueline frowned. “I brought the kittens to the garrison so that Captain Duval could meet them. Miette managed to slip away from me, and some idiot named Trevor tried to shoot her. Luckily, he’s a terrible shot. Gave her quite a fright, though. I can still feel her shaking.”
“Poor thing. Want me to take her for awhile…give you a chance to get out of that uniform?”
“Sure.” She tried to hand Miette over to the princess, but the kitten cried out, scrambling onto Jacqueline’s shoulder and digging her claws into the fabric of her jacket. “Shh,” she murmured, stroking Miette’s back. “It’s okay, little girl. No one’s going to hurt you.” Gently, Jacqueline tried once more to dislodge the still-trembling kitten, but she held fast.
Hearing his sister cry out, Will looked up from his cleaning to see her attaching herself to Jacqueline’s shoulder. He quickly leapt from the back of the chair to the human’s other shoulder, making soothing sounds of his own as he inched closer to her. Once he was close enough, he gently washed Miette’s face with his tongue, still purring as he did.
Finally, Miette let go of Jacqueline, and both kittens jumped back down to the chair. Will stretched out across the seat, and his sister, still shaking, curled up right against his side.
When she was sure Miette would be alright, Jacqueline took the opportunity to duck into her bedroom and change clothes. It was getting late, so once she was out of her uniform she threw on a simple chemise and a robe—more for Marie’s benefit than anything else, as she and Geoffrey didn’t normally wear much of anything to bed.
She emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later to find Marie kneeling in front of the chair, attempting to give the kittens their dinner. Will accepted the bottle eagerly, but Miette had backed up to the corner of the chair and was eying the princess warily. Jacqueline walked over and gently picked her up. She waited until Will was finished, then took the bottle from Marie and gave Miette her share.
“How are you doing that, Jacqueline? I mean, Miette goes right to you, but still won’t let me even get near her.”
Glancing up, Jacqueline looked Marie over and sighed. “Check your belt.”
“My belt?” Confused, the princess glanced down at the object in question, which still had her pistol sticking out of it. After a moment, it dawned on her just what Jacqueline was getting at. She quickly pulled the gun from her belt and tossed it aside. This time, when she tried to approach Miette, the kitten tentatively sniffed the princess’ hand before allowing herself to be petted. “There…see? Nothing to be afraid of.”
Staring sleepily at the princess, Miette gave a tiny burp, yawned, then snuggled further into her human’s arm. Smiling, Jacqueline gave the kitten a quick kiss on the head before gently returning her to the chair. Miette stared at the humans for a moment, then nestled closer to her brother, who was already sound asleep. And it wasn’t long before she’d joined him.
With the kittens sleeping, Jacqueline set the bottle aside and turned her attention to Marie. “We need to talk.”
“About what?”
Jacqueline sighed. “Geoffrey and I spoke with His Majesty this afternoon. He knows that you’ve been hiding amongst the Musketeers—though he still hasn’t figured out which one you are—and he’d like you to return to the palace.”
“Is that puta still there?” Marie asked, scowling.
“For the moment.”
“Then what does he need me for?”
“His Majesty wants the people to get to know their future Queen. And Mademoiselle Mancini doesn’t exactly fit the bill.”
“He said that?”
“More or less.”
Marie shook her head. “I can’t. If Louis really wanted me back, he’d send that puta back to where she came from. Until she’s gone, he’s just going to have to make due without me.”
“That’s a bit harsh. His Majesty genuinely wants to make amends, trust me.”
“Then why is Mancini still in the country?”
“Look…maybe you could at least go to him…let him know how you feel. If he knew just how upset you are by her presence, he might just send her away that much sooner.”
“I’ll think about it, alright?” Marie would’ve said more, but Geoffrey chose that moment to return.
“What’d I miss?” he asked, giving his wife a quick kiss.
“Nothing much, dear. I was just telling Marie about our day.”
“And that would be my cue to leave,” the princess said, moving to gather her things. “Goodnight.” With that, she headed back to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
“Okay…what
was that about?”
“Let’s
just say I don’t think she and Louis are headed for a reconciliation any time
soon.”
“Mancini?”
She
nodded. “But can you blame her? I know what I’d do if I ever caught you with
someone else.”
Geoffrey
gulped, not needing her to elaborate further.
“I see your point. Hopefully, His
Majesty will come to his senses and send the girl home before
“Yes. Let’s hope so. Now…where have you been all evening?”
“With
Nikki.”
Her
eyebrows shot up. “Should I be jealous?”
“It was
just business, I swear.”
“What
kind of business?”
“Nothing
you need to worry about, Jacqueline.
Trust me.”
“Famous
last words.”
He
sighed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “It was just a bit of business. I’m not trying to hide anything from
you. I just don’t want to get your hopes
up in case it doesn’t pan out. Don’t
worry…when the time is right, I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
“Promise?”
“Absolutely.” He smiled, kissing her tenderly on the
lips. “Now…what do you say we put the
little ones to bed so that we can have a little bedtime fun of our own?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and she
rolled her eyes, smacking him on the shoulder.
“Mon
Dieu, you are insatiable.”
“So are
you, my love.”
“Well…alright.
If you insist…” Another kiss, then the couple moved to
collect their ‘kids.’ Geoffrey picked up
a sleeping Will—a move which, unfortunately, startled Miette and set her off
crying. He reached down to try and
soothe her, but she recoiled from his touch.
“What’s
the matter with her?”
Jacqueline
sighed, leaning down to pick up the crying kitten herself. Immediately, Miette burrowed herself in the
crook of her arm. “She got loose while
we were at the garrison and some idiot recruit shot at her. I thought I finally had her calmed down. Guess I was wrong.” Gently stroking the trembling kitten, she
gave Geoffrey an apologetic look. “I’m
sorry…I should’ve kept a closer eye on her.”
“It’s
hardly your fault, Jacqueline. That
recruit should’ve known better. Look,
just try to get her calm again so we can get them both to bed. It’s obviously been a long day.”
“Actually…perhaps
it would be better if she slept with us.
Just for tonight.”
Geoffrey
shook his head. “We’ve talked about
this, Jacqueline. If we let them sleep
in the bed once, they’ll want to do it every night. I won’t have the kittens spoiled like that.”
“Look at
her, Geoffrey. She’s barely left my side
all evening. Come on…one night won’t
hurt.”
He
stared at Jacqueline and Miette for a moment, then sighed. “Alright, fine…but JUST this one night. After that, it’s back to her own bed.”
“Thank
you,” she smiled, kissing him on the cheek.
“I
suppose this means we’ll have to postpone those…other activities.”
“It’s
just one night. You’ll survive.” She kissed him passionately on the lips, then
headed into the bedroom with Miette.
He
glanced down at Will, who’d woken up when he heard Miette cry. “Do you think all parents have nights like
this?” Will gave him a blank look, then
yawned and went back to sleep. “I’ll
take that as a yes.” Wondering just what
he’d gotten himself into, Geoffrey headed into the bedroom with Will to join
his wife.
Chapter
15
For the next two weeks, Miette and
Will could be found padding behind Jacques as he walked around the garrison or
riding in saddlebags while she was on patrol. Occasionally, Will would climb
out of the saddlebags and leap onto Ramon's saddle as the two Musketeers rode
along side by side. The cat would curl up on the horse’s neck and watch the
Spaniard. The first time, Ramon almost jumped from his mount. “Diablo! Amiga,
why does this animal insist on being my shadow?”
Jacques grinned. “Natural
instinct. He smells lunch.” She was rewarded with a scowl from her friend.
During those two weeks, Jacques
was unaware that she was being watched. One night after patrol, Geoffrey,
D’Artagnan, Luis, and Jacqueline met Ramon and Nikki at the
A week
later, Jacques was walking around the quad at Musketeer headquarters when Duval
approached. “Jacques, have you seen Private Trevor?”
“Not
since he almost killed Miette.”
“He came
into the barracks a few nights ago with deep scratches on his face. I told him
to go find a doctor and haven’t seen him since. The scratches almost looked
like cat marks.”
Jacques
frowned. “Captain, two men broke into the cottage two nights ago. From the
screams, I would say that Will and Miette got justice on their own. I
understand why Trevor would try for revenge, but who would the second man be?”
Duval shook his head. “I don’t know, but if he doesn’t get help he will be hurting. You know cat scratches can become infected. Whoever it was should be easily identified.”
“I don’t understand, Captain.”
“It’s called Cat scratch disease and it takes three to ten days to infect. Those scratches on Trevor were pretty deep. Guess your kids don’t like intruders.”
“Why are you asking, Captain?”
Duval’s face grew grim as he took her elbow and gently moved her out of the quad and next to a wall. “Private Trevor was found dead this morning.”
“Dead? And this was from the kids?”
Duval shook his head. “No. Someone had slit his throat which is what killed him, but his face was all puffed up from infection on several deep scratches. I can only presume that he was one of the men who invaded your cottage, but I wonder who the other was and why.” He looked down at the two kittens sitting patiently by their human servant. “These two are so innocent looking. When they are full grown they will be deadly. Better get them trained.”
At that moment, Geoffrey walked up. “Captain Duval, I wanted
to give you notice that next week I will be leaving for
He nodded and looked at Madame Greyhawk. “Jacqueline, will you be leaving as well?”
“Most likely. I go where Geoffrey goes…right, dear?”
“Of course,” he replied, discreetly kissing her hand.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to speak to Luis about his plans.” She turned around and headed back to the cottage with the kittens on her heels as the two men watched her go.
The privateer smiled. “I hate to see her go, but I love to watch her leave.”
Duval looked at the Musketeer. “Was there a reason you are leaving now?”
“Not really. Things are just getting a little boring around here, no offense. No action. I am getting itchy to get back to sea.”
As Geoffrey moved to follow his wife, Duval pulled him back. “Private Trevor was found dead and I want you to take a look at the body. Maybe you can see something that will lead us to his murderer.”
“What are the obvious signs?”
“He has infected claw wounds on the face caused by your kittens when he apparently tried to break into your cottage. There is also the matter of his throat being slit.”
Geoffrey nodded. “Lead me to the body.” A few minutes later, the inventor looked over the blood-drained carcass that lay on a table in his lab. He raised an eyebrow at Duval.
The Captain glanced at the body. “I couldn’t leave a Musketeer in an alley, now could I?”
Geoffrey looked at the face wounds as well as the neck. Something caught his eye and he opened the jacket to see a folded piece of paper. As he opened it, his hands began to shake. It was the Black Spot.
Duval frowned. “Is this a warning telling Trevor that he was wanted?”
Geoffrey shrugged his shoulders, doing his best not to show how shaken up he was. “Maybe he was delivering it to someone. This means that somehow he was involved with pirates. Do you have any idea where he came from?”
“Not really. He said his cousin Antonio was a Black Musketeer, but he wanted to do the honorable thing and join us.”
“Antonio?” Anthony is here? Alive? “Captain, we need to find this cousin. If I am right, he is the same one that commandeered the Cutlass. He supposedly was killed when the ship went down. Obviously he survived, just like the bilge rat that he is.”
Duval shook his head. “Don’t jump to conclusions. It could just be a coincidence that the cousin’s name is Antonio. Probably not even related to your bilge rat.”
“Doesn’t it strike you as strange that a man who breaks into my home, and is found dead with a Black Spot has a cousin named Antonio? I received one of these not too long ago.”
He looked at the body. “Captain, if something happens to me, I want you to swear that you will look after my wife.”
Duval put his hand on Geoffrey’s shoulder. “Son, you have my solemn oath on it.”
*****************
Marie looked up as Jacqueline stormed in with the kids behind her. The cats bounded over and jumped on the armrests where the Princess sat. “Hi little ones.” She scratched each feline behind the ears. “They look happy.”
Jacqueline laughed. “It is almost as if they understand what we say. One of the men who broke in here was found dead. It turns out it was Trevor.”
“The guy who shot at Miette?”
She nodded. “One and the same. Oh, by the way, Geoffrey and I may be moving to Le Havre fairly soon.”
Marie’s eyebrow shot up. “Is that a hint for me to go talk to Louis?”
“Well, it has been awhile. You really should put this to rest.”
The princess fell silent for a moment, absently stroking Will as she considered Jacqueline’s words. “Alright,” she finally sighed, “but I am not promising anything. I will go first thing in the morning before he gets out of bed. I want to know who is sharing his bed tonight.”
“What will you do if you find someone there?” Jacqueline asked, gently lifting a sleepy-looking Miette and cradling the kitten in her arms. Will watched, looking somewhat sleepy himself but clearly enjoying the attention he was getting from the princess.
“Well, you all have taught me how to handle a rapier.” Marie grinned. “I promise that I won’t kill her.” She snickered as she saw the frown on Jacqueline’s face. “Alright, I won’t kill him either.”
The next morning, the door to Louis’ bedroom swung open and Marie stomped in, wearing her Musketeer uniform. Louis sat up in bed and pulled the sheet up to his chin, his face showing pure terror. “What are you doing here? Who are you?”
“Forget your fiancée so soon?”
“Marie? No wonder I never found you.”
“You inspected the Musketeers ranks three times and pulled the chin whiskers of the man next to me once.”
Louis sputtered. “That was you right next to him? What are you doing here?”
“You mean a woman can’t see her fiancée and who he is in bed with?”
Louis pulled down the sheet. “There is no one here but me. That is unless you wish to join me.” He moved the sheet over. “Without the sword of course.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean that I will be back until that woman is gone, permanently.”
“Marie, she will be gone soon enough. Now take you clothes off and get into bed.”
Marie unbuttoned her jacket and started with the shirt as she watched the look on Louis’ face. She started to slip the pants down as his face became flushed. Abruptly she pulled up the pants and turned towards the door. “You will not have me until she is out of the country.” She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Mancini came around a corner just as the Princess/Musketeer walked with confidence down the hallway. The King’s former mistress cowered up against a corner as Luis walked up to her and stared her in the eyes. “If I hear that you have been playing bed mate with him again, there won’t be enough pieces of you to find to marry that Italian Count.” Luis partially drew her rapier and pushed it back with an audible snap. She watched as the color drained from Maria’s face.
Jacques and the kittens arrived at Musketeer headquarters from an early morning patrol to see Luis ride up with a smug look on her face. “Luis, what happened?”
Luis grinned. “Well I walked in and had it out with him.” She described how she got Luis worked up before walking out. “I am sure that she will be gone soon.”
“You are definitely devious. I just hope she doesn’t run to him now.”
“Oh she won’t, I guarantee that.”
A few days later, as Marie was getting ready for patrol, she noticed that Will was perched on the armoire in her room and ready to leap. She glanced towards the window and saw a figure disappear around the corner of the cottage. Grabbing her rapier, she raced out the front door. “Jacques, intruder at the back door.” She heard the thump of boots running down the hallway and then a curse. She glanced back to see Jacques sprawled on the floor and a flash of fur that was Miette racing to the back door. Will waited at the front door for Marie to open the obstruction. As soon as Marie cracked the door, Will squeezed through and ran towards where the intruder had run. By the time Marie rounded the corner, she saw the two ocelots sitting patiently for the humans to arrive. Jacques limped around the corner. “Miette heard you yell and ran between my legs, tripping me.”
Geoffrey caught up to the women dressed only in a pair of pants and carrying a sword. He looked around the ground and spied a piece of paper. Leaning down he retrieved the paper and saw that it was a Black Spot. He slipped it into his waistband. “Well, the kids chased away the intruder. I am going to get dressed. Patrol is in a couple of hours. Oh and Jacqueline, Will is going to ride with me today. My horse has to get used to him being around. The other day, Will landed on my saddle and the horse almost bucked me off.”
She nodded. “Mine are used to them so yours should be also. She actually looks for them when they aren’t with me.”
Geoffrey laughed, then called to Will and the two walked away. As the women watched the Privateer go, Jacqueline saw Marie staring at him. The Princess looked at her companion. “What? Can I help it that I find your husband attractive?”
Jacqueline shook her head as she turned to go follow her husband. “Miette, what am I going to do with her?”
The cat looked at the two women and then bounded after her brother and his human. Geoffrey looked at the two cats. “What are you looking for, little ones?” He bent down and scratched them behind the ears as they sat down. “Sorry Miette, Will and I are going on patrol. You get to go solo with your mother.” The cats stood up and disappeared into the bushes that surrounded the house. Geoffrey shrugged his shoulders and walked inside. Standing by the window, he watched the kittens begin their hunt. He had learned a few things while watching these cats grow.
Geoffrey had watched the kittens hunt everything from mice to rabbits and had seen how they either did a slow “hunting-walk” or the “sit and wait” where they often sat for up to a half hour. Greyhawk noticed two hares hop across the ground and then suddenly the cats took off after their prey. A quick pounce and they hauled their meal into the bushes, several feet away from each other. Geoffrey smiled and turned to his room to finish dressing. He took the scrap of paper and unfolded once more it to see the Black Spot. His hand shook as a chill ran up his spine.
Chapter 16
Dark clouds blocked out the sun, threatening rain as
Geoffrey was being led to the gallows.
And that was just the first thing he noticed that was wrong. Instead of Mazarin’s guards, his arms were
being held on either side by the cold, clammy hands of Azaan and Rupert, who
were both pale, bloodied, and covered in seaweed and barnacles. Just as he’d imagined they might look after
their lifeless bodies had been down in the depths for months. But they weren’t the only ones. In fact, there didn’t seem to be a single
live person in the crowd. Rather,
Geoffrey found himself looking at the mangled, waterlogged corpses of his former
crew. Even Paulie was there, the
worst-looking of the lot as he’d been gone the longest. And all stared at him accusingly, as if their
deaths were on his head. Which, he
supposed it could be argued, they were.
His guards positioned him beneath the rope and bound his
arms to his side. As they did, there was
movement on the nearby dais. But,
instead of the young King, Geoffrey found himself looking at Anthony. And, unlike the rest of the crowd, he was
clearly alive.
“Geoffrey Greyhawk, for being such a lousy captain—not
to mention a traitor to the Brethren—you are sentenced to hang by the neck
until dead. See you in hell, Grubbie!”
Geoffrey tried to protest, but for some reason he was
unable to speak. A hood was pulled over
his head, white with a large black spot right in front of his face. The rope was fixed around his neck, and the
stool kicked out from beneath his feet.
Tony’s maniacal laughter rang in his ears as his body thrashed about,
struggling for breath that would no longer come….
Geoffrey
shot up in the bed, panting for breath, his body bathed in a cold sweat. Once he was breathing normally again, he got
up, making his way over to the washstand and splashing cold water on his face. He’d had nightmares about the attempted
execution before, but never like this.
This had nothing to do with his memories. Rather, it seemed more like a warning of some
sort. Question was, what did the dream
mean? What was he being warned against?
“Geoffrey?” He turned to see Jacqueline sitting up in the bed, a worried look crossing her features.
“I’m sorry…did I wake you?”
“When my husband suddenly bolts out of bed in the middle of the night, I tend to take notice.” She sighed, crossing the room and wrapping her arms around his waist. “What’s wrong, Geoffrey?”
He shook his head. “Just a nightmare, Jacqueline. Nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing to worry about?” she asked, frowning. “If it was nothing, you wouldn’t be standing here, looking as if you’d just seen a ghost. Now what’s going on? What did you see?”
Geoffrey took a deep breath before recounting his dream to his wife, the details of which still lingered quite vividly in his mind.
“So…” she said, once he’d finished. “You’re saying that your former crew was preparing to hang you, and they were all dead except for this ‘Anthony’?”
“That’s about the gist of it. I saw the Black Spot too. There has to be a connection.”
“You think that Anthony somehow survived the sinking of the Cutlass and that he’s the one who’s been leaving you those notes?”
He shrugged. “Makes sense. I can’t think of anyone else who hates me that much…except maybe Mazarin, but he’s in Sedan.”
Jacqueline ran a hand down his cheek, then gently kissed him on the lips. “It’s going to be okay, Geoffrey. We’ll be heading to Le Havre soon. Once we’re there, maybe we can use the opportunity to draw him out and end this before anyone gets hurt.”
“Actually…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want you going to Le Havre.”
“What?” Jacqueline exclaimed, backing away.
“It’s too dangerous.”
“Since when?”
“I don’t want to give Anthony the chance to use you against me. You’re staying.”
“Excuse me?” she snapped, crossing her arms across her chest. “Just who the hell do you think you are, telling me where I can and can’t go?”
Geoffrey glared back. “I’m your husband, that’s who. And I’m putting my foot down.”
“Oh really? You and what army?”
“Damn it, Jacqueline,” he growled, grabbing hold of her arms. “For once in your life, can’t you just listen?”
She pushed his hands away. “Maybe I would if you weren’t acting like such an ass.”
“So my wanting to keep you safe makes me an ass, now?”
“I don’t need your protection, Geoffrey. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“So am I, and look what happened last year.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Isn’t it?”
“I won’t have you treating me like some damsel in distress. What happened to all that talk about us being ‘equal partners’ and everything? Was that just something you said to talk me into marrying you?”
“Of course not, Jacqueline. I meant every word of it.”
“Then why don’t you forget this ridiculous idea about keeping me here and let’s get some sleep.”
He shook his head. “Sorry, but I’m not changing my mind on this one. You’ll be safer here.”
“This house has already been broken into twice. How is that safer?”
The privateer scowled. “I’ve made my decision, Jacqueline. You’re staying here in Paris, and that’s final.”
“Oh? Geoffrey, I don’t know what put the idea into your head in the first place, but I’ve got news for you: you don’t own me. This ring,” she snapped, pulling it from her finger and holding it up to his face, “is supposed to be a symbol of our commitment to each other, not a brand marking me as your property.”
“I never said that it was, Jacqueline,” he said gently, wrapping his hand around hers. “You’re overreacting.”
Jacqueline glared, snatching her hand away. “Overreacting? You’re the one presuming to order me around, as if I were a servant instead of your wife.”
“I’m just trying to do what’s best for you. Tony is dangerous.”
“More dangerous than anything else we’ve faced? I somehow doubt that.”
“Trust me. It’s better that you stay here.”
“Right…stay here and be the dutiful little wife while you and your buddies go off and have some grand adventure. So much for your promise.”
“Jacqueline….”
She held up her hand. “Don’t. I see what this is. You talk a good game, but when push comes to shove, you’re just like every other man. Well, you know what…that’s just fine. You want to run off to Le Havre to play with your stupid invention, be my guest. Just don’t expect me to still be here when you return.”
“Come on…you don’t mean that.” He moved to embrace her, only to have her back away.
“Yes, I do. If you’re going to push me aside every time things get rough, then I really don’t see much of a future for this marriage. So the way I see it, you have two choices. I can come to Le Havre with you, as we’d planned, or you can start looking for a new home because you’ll no longer be welcome in this one.”
“Can’t we talk about this rationally?”
“Are you calling me irrational, now?”
“That’s how you’re acting.”
She scowled, making her way over to the armoire and pulling out his things. “Fine. How’s this for ‘irrational’—Get out!”
“What?”
“You heard me,” she growled, shoving the items into his arms. “If you’re so damned anxious to leave me behind, why wait? I want you out of this house, and out of my life!”
“Jac—“
“And take this meaningless hunk of metal with you!” she screamed, flinging the ring at his feet.
Realizing that it was useless to argue, Geoffrey merely nodded as he bent down to pick up the ring. “Fine. If that’s really how you feel, then I’m gone. Goodbye, Jacqueline.” Giving her one last, wistful look, he turned and walked out of the bedroom, stopping only to pull on some clothes before leaving the house.
Once he was gone, Jacqueline fell apart. She sank down against the door, sobbing. The kittens, who’d watched the whole thing from their bed, came over to investigate. Miette crawled onto her lap, nuzzling against the human in an attempt at comfort. Will watched for a moment, torn between which human to go to. Finally, he slipped out the bedroom window to follow after Geoffrey.
As Marie approached the cottage, Geoffrey walked past her carrying his clothes and spoke not a word. She turned and watched the Musketeer when Will bounded past her and fell into step behind his human. Shaking her head, she opened the door and ducked as a boot sailed past her ear.
"Jacqueline, stop. What is going on?"
"Oh, it's you. I thought it was him coming back." She leaned back against the hallway wall and slid to the floor. "It's over." She sobbed. "My marriage is over."
Marie scowled as she bent down and picked up the boot. "Jacqueline, make sense. Why is your marriage over?"
"Because the pig-headed pirate thinks I need to be protected. He had the nerve to order me to stay here while he goes to Le Havre."
Marie nodded. "So he tells you to stay here and he leaves. Do you hear me? He leaves and you stay here. He got exactly what he wanted. You are just as pig-headed as you say he is."
Jacqueline looked up at her, scowling. “You’re one to talk.”
“That’s different. Louis has been cheating on me with that puta, Mancini. Geoffrey has been nothing but faithful to you.”
“What about his promise? He swore that he’d always treat me like his equal, not his property.”
“What do you mean?”
“Him…ordering me about, acting as if I’m not rational enough to make my own decisions. I’m perfectly capable of defending myself, you know. I don’t need him to fight for me. I don’t….” Her voice broke, and Marie could see more tears forming.
“It’s okay, Jacqueline. Slow down…take deep breaths….What started this, anyway?”
Jacqueline sighed, then told the princess all about Geoffrey’s dream and how it had led to the argument.
“So let me get this straight. He dreamed that someone who’s tried several times to kill him was still alive, and now he doesn’t want you going to Le Havre with him. Is that right?” Jacqueline nodded. “Well, I can’t say I agree with his method, but I think his heart was in the right place. He loves you, Jacqueline. Can you really blame him for wanting to keep you safe?”
“Traitor,” Jacqueline growled. Marie quickly threw her hands in the air.
“Hey, not taking sides here. I’m just saying…think about it from his perspective for a second. If the roles were reversed, wouldn’t you do everything you could to protect him?”
“Get out.”
“Come on, Jacqueline. I’m not the enemy, here.”
“Out!” The female musketeer went for her rapier and, deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Marie retreated to her room. She wasn’t giving up, though. Not by a long shot. Silently, the princess vowed to find some way to get the Greyhawks back together.
Chapter 17
D’Artagnan lay in his quarters, dreaming of the mysterious Jeanne, only to have his slumber interrupted by a loud scratching sound from outside. Cursing under his breath, he went over to the window to see Geoffrey’s boy kitten sitting there. “What are you doing here, little one?” he asked, opening the window and lifting the kitten into his arms. “Where’s Geoffrey?”
Will cried out for a moment before leaping from D’Artagnan’s arms and back over to the open window. He started to leave, then looked back at the musketeer.
“You want me to follow you?” Another meow, and the kitten jumped from the windowsill to the ground. Shaking his head, D’Artagnan pulled some clothes on and climbed through the window after him.
Once D’Artagnan was outside, Will started running down the street. The kitten moved with surprising speed, leaving the musketeer hard-pressed to keep up. They soon wound up in one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. Will slowed his pace, moving with a bit more caution, and D’Artagnan did as well. He kept one hand on the hilt of his rapier and a wary eye on his surroundings. “What are we doing here?” he asked the kitten.
As if to answer the question, Will finally came to a stop in front of a rather run-down building. The cracked and faded sign hanging over the door said ‘Taram’s Tomb.’ An ominous-sounding name that actually seemed to fit the gloomy establishment. “A tavern? Why are you bringing me to a tavern, little one?”
Will looked at D’Artagnan, then started scratching at the door. Taking the hint, the musketeer cautiously made his way inside. There wasn’t much in the way of lighting, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he realized what Will had led him there for. At a small table in the rear corner sat Geoffrey. His clothes were rumpled, his hair undone and hanging loose over his face, and there was a half-empty bottle sitting on the table in front of him. As D’Artagnan watched, his comrade took the bottle, poured some more of its contents into a dingy-looking glass, and then downed the glass in one gulp. He repeated the process several more times in quick succession before finally taking notice of his observer. A strange, almost crazed grin spread across Geoffrey’s face. He lifted the bottle in a mock salute, drained the last of its contents, then stood up and walked out the tavern’s rear door.
As D’Artagnan watched his friend walk away, the Gascon could feel his stomach twisting itself into knots of dread. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. Not wanting to waste another second, he quickly moved to follow, the kitten right on his heels.
On exiting the tavern, he found himself in a dark, dank alleyway. Geoffrey was slumped against the far wall, an unidentified object clutched in his left hand while his right was gripping a small pistol. D’Artagnan watched in horror as his comrade slowly raised the gun to his temple.
“Geoffrey!” he called out. At same time, Will ran through his legs and leapt into his human’s lap. Geoffrey paused, glancing up at the musketeer, his eyes all but dead…devoid of hope.
“What’re you doing here?” he slurred.
“I could ask you the same thing. Why don’t you put the gun down and we’ll talk about this.”
“What’s there to talk about? Jacqueline hates me.”
“That can’t be true.”
“It is. She threw me out…said she never wanted to see me again.”
“So you two had a fight…big deal. If I had a franc for every time my mother said that to my father….”
“This wasn’t just a fight, D’Artagnan. Look….” He opened his left hand to reveal the item he’d been clutching so desperately—Jacqueline’s wedding band. “She threw this at my feet…called it a meaningless hunk of metal. My marriage is over. I have nothing left to live for. Just go…let me die in peace.” He started to raise the pistol again, prompting a growl from Will. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to halt his progress.
Practically growling himself, D’Artagnan rushed over, shoving Will out of the way as he tried to wrestle the pistol from Geoffrey’s hand. The pirate fought back, wrapping his free hand around the Gascon’s throat in an attempt to regain control of the pistol.
Just then, as if by divine intervention, the skies chose that moment to open up, drenching both of them with rain and rendering the pistol useless. On realizing this, all the fight seemed to drain out of Geoffrey. He released both the gun and D’Artagnan’s throat before once again sinking down against the wall, sobbing.
For a moment, D’Artagnan was at a loss. This sort of thing wasn’t exactly something covered in training. Finally, he pulled the broken man to his feet and, after pausing to pick up the discarded ring, half-walked, half-dragged him away from that alley and out of the neighborhood.
Returning to the garrison was out of the question, as was the cottage, so D’Artagnan took Geoffrey to the one safe place he knew—The Inn of the Crossed Swords. He knocked on the front door, and it was answered a few minutes later by an irritated Spaniard.
“Do you have any idea what time it is? Believe it or not, some of us actually do need to sleep.”
“Not now, Ramon. This is an emergency.”
At that, Ramon’s irritation seemed to fade. “Dios Mio…what’s wrong?”
“This.” He shifted over, bringing Geoffrey into view. “He and Jacqueline had some sort of major fight, and I found him in an alley behind some seedy tavern, about to blow his own brains out. Geoffrey’s in bad shape, Ramon. Can he stay here…at least for the night?”
Ramon nodded. “Of course, amigo. He can use one of the empty rooms upstairs…no charge.”
“Thank you. He’s had quite a bit to drink, too. Perhaps it would be best for him to sleep it off before we try talking any sense into him. Someone should keep an eye on him though…in case he decides to try and off himself again.”
“Si. I’m already up, so I suppose I can keep watch.”
“Good. Now let’s get him upstairs, and then I really should get back to the garrison before Duval tears me a new one for breaking curfew.”
“Of course. We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Shaking his head, Ramon moved to take Geoffrey’s other side, and the two of them carried him to the room the Spaniard had offered. They laid him out on the bed, removed his boots, and pulled the covers over him. Will leapt onto the bed after Geoffrey, curling up against his side, and for once, Ramon didn’t complain about the feline’s presence. He lit a candle and sat down in a nearby chair. “You can go now, if you want. I won’t let anything happen to Geoffrey.”
“I know. Again, thank you.”
“De nada. Ana is here, by the way. She has the room next to mine and Nikki’s. Once our amigo wakes up, I’ll get her to talk to him. Hopefully, she’ll have better luck.”
D’Artagnan nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He started to leave, and then remembered the item in his pocket. “Oh…before I forget…here.” Retrieving the ring, he laid it on the nightstand next to the bed. “Jacqueline may not want that at the moment, but I’m sure Geoffrey would like to hold onto it. Well…goodnight. I’ll swing by during patrol tomorrow to see how he’s doing.” With that, D’Artagnan quietly left the inn and made his way back to the garrison, slipping into his quarters just before daybreak.
D'Artagnan quickly changed his clothes and washed his face. "God, this is going to be a bad day." Finishing, he headed out to the quad for the usual early morning workout with Jacques. After a half an hour, when she didn’t show, he headed for the cottage. A furry bundle landed on his shoulder from a tree. He reached up and scratched the animal. "Hello Miette, where is your mistress?"
"MROW!"
"Okay…okay, you are in charge. Where is Jacqueline?"
The kitten jumped down and headed for the cottage. He looked up to see Jacques headed his way and, from the movement, D'Artagnan knew she was in a foul mood. "You’re late."
"I don't feel like sparring with you today. Just go away."
"Is that what you told Geoffrey when you threw him out?"
"What do you know about it? It's none of your business." She walked around him. "You are probably happy my marriage is over."
"Actually, when two friends get into an argument, I have learned not to get in the middle. I just want to know why you sent him off to his death."
She stopped in mid-step. "What do you mean? Geoffrey is dead?"
"He was drunk as a skunk when I found him in an alley with a gun in one hand and your wedding band in the other." He paused as he watched her reaction. "No he isn't, no thanks to you. Between Will, me and God, we managed to stop him. The pistol got wet in the rain last night or he would have killed himself or me…maybe even both. What the hell were you thinking?"
"Just shut up. You aren't any better than he is. You men…all you can think of is that you must protect the damsel. Well, I can protect myself without either of you. If I never see either of you again it will be too soon.” Practically growling, she turned on her heel and stormed off towards the cottage. Miette looked at D'Artagnan and scampered after Jacques.
As the female Musketeer entered the cottage, she staggered and put her hand against a wall. She managed to follow the wall to the bedroom before throwing herself on the bed and weeping. Miette jumped up on the bed and slipped under the human's arms. Jacqueline didn't even feel the rough tongue as the kitten licked the Musketeer's face.
Duval walked up and down the Musketeers as they were lined up for muster. He looked at Ramon and D'Artagnan. "Where are Geoffrey and Jacques?"
D’Artagnan looked at Ramon and nodded. "Sir, Jacques is standing guard over Madame Greyhawk as she wasn't feeling well."
Ramon stepped forward. "Sir, Captain Greyhawk left for
Duval nodded. "Alright. Fall in for inspection." He stopped in front of D'Artagnan and Ramon and lowered his voice. "After the inspection, you two will report to my office where you will tell me what the hell is going on." He glanced over at Luis. "You also."
****************
Geoffrey rolled over and opened his eyes. "Mon Dieu. My head hurts." He heard a chuckle and turned his head slowly to see Ana. Will, who had been sleeping on the pillow next to Geoffrey's head, scrambled away
"You try to drink a barrel of rum in one night by yourself, no wonder your head hurts."
"What happened?"
"You tell me. I hear that you tried to blow your brains out while choking one of your best friends. Doesn't sound like the man everyone talks about. Want to tell me about it?"
He looked towards Ana, then rolled over when he caught sight of the ring on the nightstand. "No."
"Alright, then I will tell you. You and Jacqueline had a fight and apparently you lost so you decided to kill yourself."
Geoffrey sat up and shook his head. "I wanted to protect her and she threw me out. Called the ring I bought her a piece of useless metal. I have no reason to continue living. Now leave me alone to die."
“Not under my watch you won’t. Now get out of that bed and clean yourself up or I will throw you into a rain barrel myself.”
Geoffrey lay back. “You wouldn’t dare.”
With an evil grin, Ana walked to the door. “Nikki, can you find me two stout lads to heave this garbage into a rain barrel?”
“Alright, alright…I’m up.” The Musketeer stood up and managed one step before pitching forward. Ana caught him before he could plaster his face on the floor. Geoffrey got to his knees and lost the contents of his stomach.
Ana wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "I have one rule. You get sick and lose your stomach, I will help you clean it up. You get drunk and do it, you clean it up yourself. Go get a mop and a bucket of water. I want this cleaned up within ten minutes. Now move it." She smiled and Geoffrey slowly got to his feet and staggered towards the back of the Inn. Will watched him go but did not move.
****************
Duval paced back and forth in front of Ramon, D’Artagnan and Luis. "Now will you please tell me the truth? I know you all. You cover for each other and none too convincingly. D'Artagnan, you first."
The son of the Legend looked at his feet. "Geoffrey and Jacqueline had a fight and she threw him out. He went out and got so drunk that he tried to kill himself."
Duval stopped. "He WHAT?"
"He tried to kill himself. Don't worry, he is at Nikki's Inn and is being watched."
"What about Jacqueline?"
"She doesn't want anything to do with him or me."
"What started it?"
"Geoffrey wanted her to stay here and be safe but Jacqueline refused. Said she could take care of herself. Then she threw the ring at him."
Duval sat down with a sigh. "What am I going to do with those two? I should have them locked up in a cell together for a month. They would either learn to behave or kill each other." He scratched his head. "What am I going to tell the King? He wants to go to Le Havre now and expects all of us to accompany him. Now what do I tell him?"
Ramon sighed. "Tell him Geoffrey already left and Jacqueline is helping Nikki."
Luis smiled. “You could just lie.”
Duval frowned. “Lie to the King?”
“He’s been lying to me.”
Ramon shook his head. “Jacqueline can stay with Nikki due to her condition. Geoffrey went ahead to work on the ship. In the mean time we sneak him onto a barge and have him delivered to Le Havre and Porthos.”
Duval nodded. “See to it. D’Artagnan, YOU are charged with getting them back together.”
The Musketeer swallowed hard. “Moi?”
"Yes you. Geoffrey is one of your best friends and so is Jacqueline. I want you to get them back together. Start with Geoffrey. I don't want him to do harm to himself. Princess, you can help. Maybe she will listen to a woman."
Marie shook her head. "Not likely. I have issues with a man myself. Besides, I already talked to her and she is through with her marriage."
Duval sighed. "If you don't help a fellow Musketeer, then you are not deserving of being one." He glared at the three. "Any of you." He waved his hand. "Get out of my sight."
The three Musketeers walked out of Duval's office with their heads hung low. Ramon stopped. "Duval is right, we need to get them back together. I will go to Geoffrey and, with Ana's help, we will get him squared away. Luis, you and D'Artagnan go talk to Jacqueline."
A few minutes later, D'Artagnan and Luis walked up to the cottage. The Legend's son looked at the disguised Princess. "I have a bad feeling about this."
She opened the door of the cottage. "Just be prepared to duck." The two Musketeers cautiously crept into the home. Marie peeked into the main bedroom. "She's in here." As the two walked in, they found Jacqueline curled up into a ball on the bed, weeping softly. She looked up as they sat down and wrapped their arms around her. D’Artagnan whispered into her ear.
"It will be alright, Jacqueline."
She disentangled herself from the arms. "Alright? I threw my husband out and he tried to kill himself. Just how in the hell is everything going to be alright?"
Dart sat back. "Let me ask you just one question. Do you love him?"
"What kind of a question is that? Of course I love him."
D'Artagnan frowned. "You have a funny way of showing it.
Throwing your ring at him, calling it a worthless piece of metal, and telling
him to get out."
Tears fell from her eyes. "Do you think he will ever forgive me? I just got mad because he was treating me like a possession."
D'Artagnan shook his head. "He was trying to protect you. Someone tried to break in here and has been found dead. Twice the Black Spot has been found where you live. Of course he was trying to protect you." He stood up. "Just like I did after I discovered your secret. You didn't want him to leave you behind, but here you are, alone. Who won the argument?"
“That’s what Marie said. Are you two in cahoots?”
“Only in so much as getting you and Geoffrey back together. Now clean up and let’s go.”
Jacqueline looked at him. “Go where?”
“Go see your husband, of course.”
Jacqueline fell back on the bed. “He doesn’t want to see me…not after what I said to him.”
D’Artagnan stood up and started grabbing her uniform. “If you don’t get up, I will drag you off of that bed and dress you myself. Of course, the clothes might be on backwards. Marie, will you help her?”
Marie grinned. “Afraid to help dress a woman?”
D’Artagnan laughed. “No, afraid to dress a female Musketeer whose husband is a Pirate.”
Jacqueline threw a pillow at them. “Privateer, not pirate. Now get the hell out, the both of you.” She swung her legs over the edge of the bed as they left the room.
****************
Geoffrey finished cleaning up his mess and then washed
himself after Ana dumped a bucket of water on him. His head did not hurt quite
as much, but at least the smell was gone. Ana brought in some clean clothes. “It’s
not your uniform, but I suppose it’ll have to do. Since you are so anxious to
get away from your bride, you can get dressed and get yourself down to the
dock. A barge is headed up the river to
He frowned. “Why would you do this?”
“Because with you out of the way, D’Artagnan will have a chance with Jacqueline. I have seen the way he looks at her.”
Geoffrey snorted. “Hah, D’Artagnan doesn’t have a chance. He has been chasing her since they first met and then she caught me. No, there has to be another reason.”
Ana sat down. “I see much danger for you and for her. If you are away, she should be safe.”
“I told her the same thing, and that’s what got me thrown out.”
“It was probably the way you said it. Now go. I will send word to her that you still love her, but you had to leave.”
Geoffrey took the clothes and dressed behind a screen. A half hour later, he was gone and another half hour went by before Jacqueline, D’Artagnan and Luis walked into the Inn. As Madame Greyhawk opened the door to Geoffrey’s room she saw Ana hanging the Musketeer Uniform up to dry. “Ana, where is he?”
“Gone to Le Havre.”
Jacqueline hung her head and sat on the bed. She felt Ana’s hand on her shoulder. “Jacqueline, he had to leave to protect you from the Black Spot. He does love you. In fact, he left this for me to give you.” She handed the ring back to Jacqueline. “Don’t worry child, I see that you will be together fairly soon.” Miette jumped up on the bed and lay down on her human's lap.
Jacqueline put the ring on her finger and clasped her hand to her breast. "Ana what am I going to do now that he left? How am I going to get him back?
D'Artagnan walked into the room. “Duval just sent a messenger to find us. The King wants us to accompany him on a trip." Jacqueline stood up. "Not you. You and Luis are to stay here. His Majesty is going incognito and if all of us left it would be suspicious, so you two will stay here and be conspicuous."
"And what about my husband? He has left and thinks I hate him."
"Jacqueline, don't worry. When I catch up to him, I will tell him the truth. If I know Geoffrey, he will come for you." He looked at Miette. "Isn't that right, little one?"
"Mrow."
Chapter 18
On arriving in Le Havre, Geoffrey had gone straight to work on his ship. Most of the construction had already been completed, as he’d hoped, and all that was really left was to actually get the engine working—a task that quickly became the sole focus of his attention. Even Will was hard-pressed to tear him away from his work, which confused the kitten immensely, as the human had never been too busy to play with him before. It was almost as if Geoffrey were a different person. And, in a way, that was true. The ‘Siroc’ persona he’d created had returned to the fore, as it was easier and far less painful to throw himself into his latest invention than to deal with what had happened between him and Jacqueline.
A few days after Geoffrey arrived, D’Artagnan and Ramon found their way into his new workspace. “What are you two doing here?”
D’Artagnan laughed. “Not even a hello? Well, Louis and the
Mancini woman have come to
“What about Jacqueline? Is she with you?”
“She and Luis stayed behind to throw off any snoops as to the King being gone. Everyone knows Louis won’t travel anywhere unless the 5 of us are together.”
The Legend’s son saw the disappointment in Geoffrey’s face. “Hey, it wasn’t her choice. I have a letter from her to you.” He handed the letter over to him. “Jacqueline does love you, you oaf. She even took back the ring you gave her. She’s been a wreck ever since the fight.”
“She isn’t the only one.” He looked at D’Artagnan. “Unless I hear it from her directly, this means nothing. Now leave me alone. I have work to do.”
“But I told you—.”
Geoffrey held up a hand, cutting him off. “D’Artagnan, as far as I know, Duval ordered you to patch things up between her and me.”
D’Artagnan threw his hands in the air. “I give up. You two are meant for each other. Stubborn as mules, the both of you.”
Geoffrey watched at his friend left. “Where are you going?”
“I am headed to see Porthos. Come on, Ramon.”
As the two men left, Geoffrey noticed that Will jumped off of a shelf where he had been sleeping and scrambled after them, falling right in step with the Spanish Musketeer.
Ramon swore when he noticed the kitten, moving to put D’Artagnan between them. The Gascon laughed, earning a glare from his Spanish comrade.
“You think this is funny?”
D’Artagnan grinned. “I just can’t believe you’re scared of a tiny kitten.”
"Tiny kitten mi culo. That is a four-legged carnivore"
"Of course it is; it’s an ocelot. I have no problems with him." He reached down and picked the feline up. "Hey little one…want some dinner?" With an evil grin, he handed the kitten to Ramon.
Immediately, Ramon leapt back, dropping Will to the ground. Then, glaring daggers at his comrade, he turned and stalked away, muttering something in Spanish that implied D’Artagnan shared parentage with his horse. And, of course, Will was right behind him.
Now that he was alone, D’Artagnan was about to go looking for Porthos when a familiar figure caught his eye. It was the mystery woman from the River Rat, no doubt about it. Her hair was a bit darker than he’d remembered, but everything else was the same. She disappeared into Le Chat Noir, and he was about to follow when a hand latched onto his arm. “D’Artagnan.” He whirled around, automatically reaching for his sword, only to realize that it was the King who’d grabbed him.
“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” he said, dropping his arm back to his side. “I didn’t know that was you.”
Louis waved him off. “It’s alright, D’Artagnan. Actually, I was hoping that you and I might have a talk.”
“About what, Sire?”
“Women. I could really use some advice.”
D’Artagnan chuckled. “I’m not sure how much help I’ll be…haven’t been having that much luck with them myself, lately. But I suppose I could give it a shot. What would you like to know?”
The King sighed. “I need to end things with Maria, but I don’t know how to do it without hurting her feelings.”
“Maria…you mean Mademoiselle Mancini?” He nodded. “Not that I don’t agree, Sire, but why? She is a beautiful woman, and you aren’t married yet.”
“But I don’t love her. She’s good for a bit of fun, but I really don’t see much of a future in that.”
“And what about the Princess? Do you love her?”
“I-I don’t know. Marie is beautiful, smart, courageous…but, thanks to my involvement with Mazarin’s niece, we haven’t really had the chance to get to know one another. I’m sure I could grow to love her, though. Besides, our marriage is an important step in creating peace between our two countries, and Marie has made it abundantly clear that it won’t happen as long as I’m keeping a mistress.”
“So Mancini is out, then?”
“Oui. But I don’t know how to break things off without hurting her.”
D’Artagnan shook his head. “If you’re looking for an easy answer, Your Majesty, I’m afraid I don’t have one. Whatever happens, someone is going to get hurt, believe me. But the heart wants what it wants. If Maria really cares about you as much as she claims, then your happiness will be what’s important. Trust me, Sire…that’s one lesson I learned the hard way.”
“Madame Greyhawk?”
He nodded. “I knew who Jacques LePonte was almost from the beginning. And, in keeping her secret, I found myself falling for her. Problem was, she didn’t feel the same way. She loved me, sure, but only as a brother. In the end, she chose Geoffrey, and I had to put my own feelings aside for the sake of her happiness. Believe me, it’s not easy.”
“And you’re saying Maria will feel the same way?”
“If she truly cares about you, she will. And if all she’s interested in is your crown…well…it’s probably best you end it now, before she starts thinking she’s actually got a shot at one of her own.”
“I understand…I think. But what about Princess Marie? What do I do about her?”
D’Artagnan smiled. “Well, if I were you, I’d get rid of the mistress as quickly as possible, then send her a nice, long letter telling her how you feel. You could even ask Ramon to help you write her a poem. Women like that sort of thing.”
“Really?”
“Trust me. How do you think Ramon managed to land his lovely wife? Beyond that, all I can suggest is to just be yourself. If you want this to be more than just a political alliance, you have to find some way to connect with her, and, in my opinion, the best way to do that is to simply go to her as Louis, and not ‘the mighty state of France.’ After all, you want her to love you for you, and not your crown…right?”
“Of course. Thank you, D’Artagnan. You’ve been most helpful.” With that, the King turned and headed off after Ramon.
Shaking his head, D’Artagnan made his way over to Le Chat Noir, hoping to catch up with his mystery lady. As he walked, he saw a flash of yellow disappear into a side room. He crossed the tavern, weeding his way through the crowd until he reached the room. Opening the door, he looked around to see…nothing. The room was devoid of any furniture or people. There was only the door he stood in and no windows. He took a lantern from the wall in the main room and searched the vacant room. Prodding and poking the walls, he soon grew thoroughly disgusted and set the lantern into a wall holder as he leaned back against wall.
In an instant, D’Artagnan felt himself fall backwards into darkness. Scrambling up, he reclaimed the lantern and held it high enough to lighten up the area. He was in a hallway leading to someplace he could not guess. As he walked deeper into the hallway he could see a faint light coming from underneath what appeared to be a door. Hushed sounds could be heard on the other side. Pulling his sword, he pressed against the door and felt it give. As it swung open, he met the mysterious lady’s eyes just before something hit his head and blackness consumed him.
The son of the Legend groaned as he rubbed his head and found a wrap around it. Opening his eyes, he found his mysterious lady, his head cradled in her lap. He started to get up and realized that he was on a settee. “What happened? Who are you? The last thing I remember was going into a room at the end of a tunnel. I remember opening the door, seeing you then nothing.”
“Monsieur, you must be imagining things. You came into this very room and collapsed. You hit your head on the chair. You are not the easiest person to move from the floor to the settee. Who are you?”
D’Artaganan shook his head.”I am Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Viscomte D'Artagnan. Most people call me D’Artagnan.
You didn’t tell me your name.”
“Mademoiselle Violete Duboise, I am cousin to the owner of
this Inn.”
“Nikki de la Cruz is your cousin?”
“Oui, but Nikki’s last name is
also Duboise. It is still uncommon for a married woman to take her husband’s
last name.”
“What were you doing at the River
Rat? As I remember you said your name was Jeanne.”
“I use Jeanne when I go to places
where I don’t want my real name to be known. If people knew that I went to the
River Rat, it might hurt business here. There is a different clientele at the
River Rat.” Her grin turned to a pout.
“You don’t believe me.”
The Musketeer shook his head.
“Jeanne…Violete…whatever your real name is….How can I trust anything you say? I
know what I saw. This room was empty and I followed a hallway to find you.”
“Monsieur, I assure you that you did not take three steps into this room before you fell. Perhaps what you are remembering was a dream while you were unconscious. Would you question Nikki like this? I am sure you that her father would hang you upside down from a yardarm.”
“You know Porthos?”
“Of course. Nikki and I were raised together.”
“Then why is it that no one knows of you? Why the big secret?”
Jeanne laughed. “Do your comrades know all of your secrets?”
“Of course, we are brothers.”
“Does your friend Geoffrey know that you are in love with his wife?”
D’Artagnan stood up. “What the hell do you mean?”
“Relax. I have talked to both Ramon and Nikki about what happened during the sea cruise you all went on. The one thing I know…no, make that two things….You are in love with two women, Marie Therese and Jacqueline Greyhawk.”
“You’re crazy.”
A scratching was heard at the door. Jeanne frowned and went to check it out. A burst of fur raced into the room as soon as she opened the door and jumped on the Musketeer. D’Artagnan laughed. “Well, hello little one. What happened to Ramon? Did you eat him?”
“Very funny, Amigo.” Ramon walked into the room. “D’Artagnan what are you doing in Violete’s room?” He walked in and sat down in a chair. “You sicced the King on me after you put this furball on me first.” He laughed. “When the King caught up to me, Will hid behind my legs and stared at him. I can’t understand why.”
D’Artagnan laughed. “I can. The King has Will’s mother in a cage. Maybe he senses it.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t explain why you are here in Violete’s room.”
D’Artagnan looked at Violete. “She was helping me. Apparently, I collapsed and hit my head.” He saw the woman flash him a smile.
“Well, get cleaned up. We have an appointment with the King and we need to find Geoffrey.”
D’Artagnan nodded. “Come on Will, let’s go.” He bowed to Violete. “Merci, Mademoiselle.”
Chapter 19
King Louis was pleased to see the Musketeers who had come to Le Havre with him. He looked over the men and saw de la Cruz and D'Artagnan. "Captain Duval, where are Greyhawk and my other favorite Musketeers?"
"Greyhawk is working on his invention. As you know, Your Majesty, we were misleading anyone who might harm you so Jacques and Luis stayed in Paris."
"Yes, yes, I forgot." He looked over at a tall reddish-haired Musketeer. "Who is that? I have never seen him before."
"That is Corporal Cian Lennane. He just transferred in after serving two years on the front, fighting the Spanish."
"He looks well enough. I understood that those troops took heavy casualties."
"Lennane has been injured several times. In fact, he has recently recovered from his third wound."
Louis nodded and motioned for the subject of the conversation. "Corporal Lennane, is it?"
"Yes, Sire."
"Lennane? What kind of a name is that?"
"My father was Irish, my mother French, Your Majesty."
"How did you end up in my Musketeers?"
"I have been on the Spanish border for the last three years. When I was recovering from my wounds, I heard that there was an opening in the Musketeers. I think I have proven my loyalty to the crown so I applied."
Louis looked at Duval. "Have you checked this man's story?"
"Your Majesty, his commander is a very good friend of mine."
“Captain, have you been reading my mind? I had called you here to discuss the Musketeer cadre.” He looked at Cian. “How long has it been since you were injured?”
“Three months, Sire.”
“Three months? That is a long time for a bullet wound.”
Duval coughed. “Sire, Cian had multiple wounds and one of them got infected. He was lucky to recover.”
“I see. Well Corporal, welcome to the small cadre of Musketeers. Actually, I called you all here to discuss the replacements for Greyhawk and LePonte. I know that one of these days, they will be leaving. My father had his three Musketeers.” He frowned. “They always said three Musketeers, but there were four. I never understood that. Anyway, I have had my own four Musketeers and recently five so I need replacements. Captain Duval, I don’t expect you to be able to keep LePonte here after Greyhawk leaves?”
“I doubt it, Sire.
However, with Cian and maybe one other, we will be back up to full strength.”
Duval walked over to the Musketeers. "In fact, Cian has recommended
someone himself." He looked at the Irishman. "What did you say his
name is?"
"William Agnew,
Sir. Kid's had it rough, but he is a good swordsman. I served with him on a
ship before I joined the fight against Spain."
Louis nodded.
"Captain Duval, I charge you with interviewing this William Agnew. I am
not looking for mere replacements. I need Musketeers as good as Greyhawk and
LePonte."
"I give you my
word, Your Majesty; the Musketeers will go beyond the call of duty for
you." He nodded to the Musketeers
who bowed and then backed out of the room. As Duval followed behind them, he
had a frown on his face. “Cian, we need to talk. Come to my quarters in an hour
and bring this Agnew character along.”
An hour later, Duval
looked up as Cian walked in with a thin lad following close behind. “Ah, Cian,
I presume this is William Agnew?” Duval walked around the young man. “Tall
enough, but a little thin to be a Musketeer.”
The youngster’s face
remained immobile. “Would you like to cross blades to test me, Sir?” When Duval frowned, the would-be Musketeer
continued. “I would give you some leeway, seeing that you are a cripple.”
Duval tossed the
cane away and picked up his sword. “Outside, now. No young whippersnapper is
going to call me a cripple.”
He led them to a small courtyard behind the inn. “Boy, since you challenged me, you get the honor of first attack. This will be a first blood duel.”
Agnew drew his sword and bowed before lunging forward. Duval noticed that the young man was trying to draw him in, not attack him. The Captain smiled to himself as their blades struck. ‘This lad appears to know his stuff’. The two men lunged and parried for twenty minutes, neither one could get the upper hand. Duval appeared to stumble and William took the opportunity to lean in for the first blood, only to find his sleeve running red. He stepped back and looked at his sleeve. “You baited me.”
“I have to admit I did, I was getting tired and it was either do that or kill you. You are good, but if you tell anyone I said that, I will deny it. Besides, there is no such thing as cheating in a sword fight.”
William nodded. “I will remember that, Sir.”
“Good. Now come back to my quarters. We need to talk.”
Cian took a handkerchief and tied it around William’s arm. “What is there to talk about, uncle?”
“For one thing, that is Captain. No one knows that your mother was my sister. And it appears that I will need special accommodations for young William, here. Can’t have him sharing a room with another Musketeer, now can I? Unless of course it is her husband.”
William looked at Duval. “You know?”
“I am getting better at knowing who my Musketeers are. What I don’t know is how this came to be.”
Cian took his wife’s hand. “Meallá’s brother was a long time friend and we served together on the front. Meallá disguised herself and came with us. Conán was killed during a battle and before he died, he made me promise to take care of her. That was already a given as we were married a week before. Conán was our best man.”
“Meallá? What does that mean?”
“Meallá means lightning and you should see her in a fight.” He laughed. “Oh right, you have seen Mel with her sword. The next time she won’t be as easy on you.”
“How is it that there are so many Irishmen in France?”
Mel stood tall. “Come on Captain,
you know how the English treat Irish Catholics. France is a Catholic country so
it is natural for the Irish to come here.”
Duval looked at Cian. “She is a
feisty one isn’t she?”
Cian laughed. “It turns out that our grandfathers sailed with the Dark Lady of Doona,”
Duval’s mouth dropped. “They sailed with Gráinne Ni Mháille?”
Mel laughed. “Now you know why I can handle a sword. You know how I learned but not where and it would probably be a good thing if you didn’t ask.”
Duval nodded. "Alright, I won't ask but do me a
favor. Even though you are married, please be discrete, especially in the
billets. Dismissed."
****************
A few days later, Geoffrey finally finished making the adjustments to his engine design and was ready to test it full-scale. He spent the morning instructing the crew on the various tasks they’d have to perform in order for the engine to work, and by the time the King showed up at the docks, the Rose d’Orleans was ready to set sail.
As soon as he spotted the young monarch, Geoffrey sprinted down the gangplank and made his way over. “Your Majesty,” he said with a bow.
Louis waved his hand. “No need for such formalities, Captain. I hear that your latest invention is now completed.”
“Not quite, Sire. I still have to test it…which is actually what I was preparing to do right now. Would you care to watch?”
The King grinned. “Of course! When do we sail?”
Geoffrey chuckled. “Sorry to disappoint you, Sire, but I wouldn’t recommend you joining us just yet. Like I said, the engine still needs to be tested. If it should, say, blow up, I would much rather you be safely on shore.”
“Oh…well, alright. Whenever you’re ready, Captain, you may proceed with the test. And please…do try not to blow it up. Good captains are so hard to find.” He turned to his musketeers. “I made a funny.”
Rolling his eyes, Geoffrey gave a slight bow, then returned to his ship. “Francois!” he called out. The First Mate quickly came running.
“Captain?”
“Let’s take her out into deeper waters, but keeping in sight of the harbor. Use the sails for now. Leave the steam engine be until I give the word.”
“Aye, Sir.” Tossing off a quick salute, Francois immediately started shouting orders to the rest of the crew. In minutes, the Rose d’Orleans was pulling away from the docks and moving out to sea. Geoffrey made his way to the poopdeck, which gave him an excellent view of the main decks as well as allowing him to keep an eye on the two large propellers that the engine was designed to power. As Geoffrey then walked down the stairs into the hold he looked at the cord of wood stacked along the bulkheads of the ship, each cut into two-foot sections. Glancing at the boiler and the rudimentary gauges that he had made, he checked to make sure everything was in order. Satisfied, the young captain went back on deck, took a sighting of their position and took over for Francois. “Deck crew, bring those sails in! Francois, tell the men down below to fire up the boilers!”
Standing on the deck, he watched as the smoke billowed out of the exhaust pipe. He picked up a funnel like object connected to a pipe. Uncorking the funnel, he blew into it. He listened as a voice piped up. "Ready when you are Captain."
"What is the pressure on the gauge?"
"Within the guidelines you gave us."
"Any leaks in the boiler?"
"No Sir."
"Water on the boiler plate?"
"Aye, Captain, water level is at normal."
"Very well, all ahead slow." He replaced the cork and walked to the stern. Watching the propellers, he saw that water started churning and he felt the ship move.
He turned to the helmsman, "Twenty degrees to starboard." Five minutes later he replicated the maneuver. After another five minutes, he blew into the tube again. "All Stop." As soon as he felt the ship start to drift, he grinned. "Half speed stern".
After a few more maneuverings Geoffrey headed back to port under steam power only. "Francois, head on in and set the bow lines. All hands prepare to dock." A few minutes later, Geoffrey jumped to the dock. "Your Majesty, may I present the first steam-powered war ship."
Louis jumped and clapped. "I am so clever that I appointed an inventor to be my ship's Captain."
Geoffrey laughed, feeling rather giddy himself after seeing how well his invention actually worked. He was about to say something when a young Musketeer cadet came stumbling over, holding his head. His uniform was torn and dirty, and Geoffrey could see blood staining his strawberry-blonde locks. The lad’s knees started to buckle, and the young captain quickly rushed over to grab him before he could fall. He guided the boy over to some crates and helped him sit down. As he did, they were joined by another recent recruit—Cian.
“Will?” the red-head asked, clearly worried. “What happened?”
Will briefly locked eyes with Cian, then turned to Geoffrey and Louis, who had also come to see how he was. “Lgrenon, Karlis, Renee, and I were escorting Mademoiselle Mancini while she visited the shops in town, as per our orders. Just as she was leaving the milliner’s, this group of rough-looking men accosted us. Renee…he was one of them. We tried to fight them off, but the thugs kept it pretty close-quarters…too close for us to use our blades. They…they were too strong for us, Sire. Renee slammed my head against a wall, and while I was down, he and his friends killed my comrades.”
“What about Maria?” Louis asked, starting to panic.
Will shook his head. “I-I’m sorry, Sire. They took her…left me alive to give you a message. Said that if you ever want to see your princess again, you’ll lift the ban on the slave trade.”
“M-my princess? I thought Princess Marie was still in Paris.”
“They must have mistaken Mademoiselle Mancini for the princess. All I know is that my comrades are dead and those thugs are holding her prisoner.”
“Sacre bleu….” Now Louis also looked like he was about to collapse. Thinking quickly, Geoffrey called to his First Mate.
“Francois!”
“Sir?”
“Please escort His Majesty to my cabin…make sure he lies down.”
“Aye, Captain.” Gently, the sailor took the King’s arm and helped him aboard the ship. Geoffrey turned to Cian. “Why don’t you help Will onto my ship as well? One of my men will show you where sickbay is, and I’ll be down to check on that head wound as soon as I can.”
Cian hesitated, seeming rather nervous. A closer look at young William was all the explanation the inventor needed. He laid a gentle hand on the Irishman’s shoulder. “It’s alright…Cian, is it? Believe me, I know exactly what you’re going through. You have nothing to fear from me.”
Slowly, Cian nodded. He helped Will back to his feet, and the two of them followed the King onto the Rose d’Orleans. Stopping to send a messenger to Captain Duval and his comrades, Geoffrey quickly returned to the ship as well, his mind already hard at work on a solution to this latest crisis.
Chapter 20
Cian helped William lay down on a table in sick bay. "Stay here while I get some clear water." He squeezed his hand before leaving. William closed his eyes and remembered.
Lgrenon, Karlis, William, and Renee walked on all sides on Maria Mancini as they shopped. As they left the milliner's, Lgrenon and Karlis carried the woman's packages while William took up the rear. Renee led them down an alleyway and then stopped. Two men came out from behind trash and three more came from behind William. Hindered by the boxes, Lgrenon and Karlis could do little. William turned towards Maria and attempted to tell her to run when he felt something heavy hit his head. The next thing he knew, Renee was wiping a bloody blade on his tunic. "Tell the King that if he wants to see his Princess again, he had better rescind the laws on slavery." The Musketeer slammed William's head against the wall and darkness consumed him. When he awoke, he found his comrades on the ground with their throats slit and Renee's tunic discarded nearby. Of Maria Mancini there was no sign, just the smashed packages she had purchased.
William was jolted from his memories by the feel of a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the blonde Musketeer from the docks. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Like my head’s been smashed in.”
Geoffrey chuckled. “I don’t think it’s quite that bad, but I should still take a look. Can you sit up?” Nodding, William attempted to do just that, but the effort made him dizzy. Quickly, Geoffrey moved to assist him, then began to gently move his hair aside in order to get a better look at the wound. “Well, I’d say you got off pretty lucky. It doesn’t look like there’s a fracture, though you are going to need stitches to close up this cut. You might have a concussion, though, so I’d recommend taking it easy for at least a week.”
As Geoffrey walked over to a cabinet and took out a needle and thread, William frowned. “Are you planning to sew on me?
“Yes, it is the only way to heal your wound. Don’t worry, surgeons have been doing this for over five hundred years. In fact, a Muslim surgeon by the name of Az-Zahrawi began sewing arteries with very fine sutures back then. The thread is catgut, and to stop any additional bleeding I will use cotton and wax, another of Az-Zahawi’s inventions.” He stopped and looked up at the ceiling. “There are times when I wish I had been born earlier so I could have met them.” He threaded the needle and grabbed a bottle of purified alcohol. “You know…it is interesting. Everyone thinks that this stuff was developed by Arnau de Villanova three hundred years ago when, in fact, it was developed by Muslim chemists three hundred years before that.” He started to pour the liquid on the wound. “This will sting a bit.”
William jerked up his head. “A bit? You call that a bit? It hurts like hell!”
Geoffrey smiled. “Considering that I am going to sew your scalp back together, it is only a little bit.” He gently pushed William’s head forward and moved the hair out of the way. “I could shave this, but it would really look silly…a bare spot on your head. Just pray that as I sew I don’t grab a hair instead of the suture.” Holding the two pieces of skin together with his fingers, he sewed in three sutures and then swabbed the area with more antiseptic. “There, all done. Now where did Cian get to?”
As if on cue, Cian walked into the Surgeon’s cockpit with a grim look on his face and blood splattered on his tunic. Geoffrey looked at him and frowned. “You look like you have some more bad news.”
“I caught up to Renee in an alley near here. He had been watching us. Just as I was questioning him, someone shot him. He did get out one phrase, though. Grange at Drogeheda.”
William frowned. “I thought you went for water.”
“If I had said I was going after Renee, you would have tried to stop me.”
Geoffrey scratched his head. “Grange at Drogeheda.? Where is that? I remember hearing something about it.”
William and Cian looked at each other. Cian then glanced at a crude map hanging on the bulkhead.
“The Grange is real old, about as old as the monoliths at Stonehenge…older than even the pyramids in Egypt. I heard that some men looking for building stone thought it was a cave, but apparently it was a tomb.”
Geoffrey scratched his head. “But why would Renee tell us to go there?”
“Because you can’t get there without fighting some of the clans. I have an idea that even in his treacherous mind he wanted to mislead us. “
Geoffrey nodded. “You know, Renee being a spy has given me an idea. I’m going to go speak to the King. Would you mind waiting up on the main deck?”
Cian shrugged. “Why?”
“I sent a message to D’Artagnan, Ramon, and the captain earlier. When they get here, I’d like you to direct them down to the brig…give us a bit more privacy.”
The Irish musketeer nodded before heading out the door. William tried to rise to go with him, but Geoffrey gently pushed him back down on the bed.
“Didn’t I tell you to take it easy?”
“It’s just a short walk.”
The Musketeer-pirate glared. “Do I have to tie you down to this bed?”
William glared back. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
“Cian will stop you.”
Geoffrey laughed. “Are you his girlfriend or his wife?”
William stared at him for a moment in shock. “H-how?”
“Personal experience. My own wife also happens to be a musketeer. What’s your name…your real one, I mean.”
She smiled. “Meallá. It means ‘lightning.’ You can just call me Mel, though. Cian is my husband.”
“And how long have you been pretending to be a man, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“About two years. I joined the army with my brother and Cian. He and I were married eight months ago, just before he got wounded for the third time.”
Geoffrey let out a low whistle. “So you served on the front, then? I must say, I’m impressed. Being a musketeer is risky enough…I’m not sure I could throw myself into the line of fire like that.”
“Right…from what I hear, you were a pirate. At least I had land underneath me.”
“Perhaps, but I’ll take swords over guns any day. Anyway…what I said before still stands. You stay in bed, or I’ll have to have some of my crewmen come in here and hogtie you to it. Am I making myself clear?”
She saluted. “Aye, Captain.” Noticing that she was giving him the single-finger salute, Geoffrey laughed. Shaking his head, he turned and left sickbay, heading up to his cabin.
When he entered, Geoffrey found the King lying on his bed, still very much in a state of shock. He walked over and gently laid a hand on the young monarch’s shoulder. “Your Majesty?”
“It’s all my fault,” Louis muttered. “I should never have gotten involved with her in the first place. If I hadn’t made her my mistress and driven Princess Marie away, she wouldn’t be in trouble right now.”
“No, but the princess might.”
“Mon Dieu….Maybe I should just give them what they want…lift the ban on the slave trade.”
Geoffrey shook his head. “That wouldn’t be wise, Your Majesty. Giving in to their demands only sends the message that the King of France is easily manipulated. Is that what you want them to think?”
“Of course not. But what about Maria? Shouldn’t her safety come first?”
“Her safety is important, yes. But lifting the ban on the slave trade is no guarantee that they’ll let her go. I think it’s more likely that once you give them one thing, they’ll want more, and they’ll keep taking advantage of you until you have nothing left to give.”
Louis rolled over and looked Geoffrey straight in the eyes. “So what do I do? If I don’t give them what they want, she might be killed. I can’t let that happen.”
“They won’t kill her, Your Majesty.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“Because they think she’s the princess. Based on the nature of their demands, I’d say that the kidnappers are likely slave traders themselves, or at least associated with them. And considering that their business is currently illegal, killing someone they think to be Royalty would be foolish. They would wind up with a huge price on their heads from the Kings of two countries, and would be unable to ply their trade anyway. So any threats against Mademoiselle Mancini’s life are more than likely just bluffs in order to try and gain your cooperation.”
“What would you suggest then, Captain?”
“With your permission, Sire, I would like to send a couple of Musketeers undercover to try and find the men responsible. My father was in the slave trade himself, off and on, and a few of his old contacts still live here in France. I don’t know if any of them are directly involved, but there’s a good chance that at least one of them will know who is.”
Louis sat up, rubbing his chin as he considered Geoffrey’s plan. “Which Musketeers were you planning to use for this mission?”
Geoffrey grinned. “Only the best, Your Majesty.”
“Ramon and D’Artagnan?”
“Of course.”
The King thought about it some more, then finally nodded. “Very well. If you have a way to save Maria without having to negotiate with those thugs, do it. Whatever it takes.”
“Thank you, Sire,” Geoffrey said, standing up and giving a slight bow. “I’ll get started straight away.” With that, he left the cabin and headed to the brig. Cian was waiting there, along with Captain Duval, Ramon, and D’Artagnan. As soon as he entered, the Irishman nodded and left, presumably to check on his wife in sickbay. A moment later, Porthos walked in with Will on his heels. The kitten slipped into one of the cells and stretched out on the cot, looking almost bored. Porthos leaned against the bars, crossing his arms and giving Geoffrey a questioning look.
“You didn’t really think you could have a secret meeting without me, did you?”
“Of course not, Uncle. I just—“
“What are we doing down here, anyway?” D’Artagnan asked, eyeing his surroundings warily.
Geoffrey sighed, his expression turning serious. “I don’t know if you all have heard, but Mademoiselle Mancini was kidnapped earlier today, while I was conducting the test of my steam engine. Two Musketeers were killed, one wounded, and the fourth proven a traitor. The traitor was himself killed a few hours ago, but not before giving Cian a possible lead.”
Duval frowned. “Which musketeers?”
“Lgrenon and Karlis were killed, William sustained a head injury which I have already treated, and Renee was the traitor.”
“Renee? I don’t recall enlisting anyone named Renee.”
Geoffrey nodded. “It’s as I suspected, then. Renee was a spy…though not a particularly well-informed one. He and his cohorts kidnapped Mancini because they thought she was the princess. They told William that if His Majesty ever wanted to see her again, he would rescind the ban on the slave trade.”
“You think it was slavers then, amigo?” Ramon asked.
“Makes sense,” Porthos nodded. “Who else would make such a demand of the King?”
Duval glanced over at his former commander, then back at Geoffrey. “What was this lead you said you had?”
“According to Cian, Renee said something about the Grange at Drogeheda just before he died.”
D’Artagnan’s eyebrow shot up. “Isn’t that in Ireland? How is that a lead?”
Geoffrey shrugged. “No idea, but it’s all we have to go on at the moment.”
“If that’s all you have,” Duval snapped, “then what’s the point of this meeting?”
“I do have a plan, Captain, but I’ll need D’Artagnan and Ramon’s help.”
“I’m listening….”
Taking a deep breath, Geoffrey began to pace, absently rubbing the back of his neck as he did. “Well, so far, the only real leads we have are the Grange and the strong possibility that the kidnappers are slave traders. Without names, it’s hard to say which slave traders hired Renee, but I know that a few of my father’s old business contacts are still living in France.” He stopped pacing and glanced over at Porthos. “Uncle, have you ever heard of a ship’s captain called Wolfe?”
“Sure, but last I checked, he was retired. His son captains the Vendetta now, and he runs a shipping business here in town.”
“What kind of shipping business?”
“Three guesses; and the first two don’t count. There hasn’t been much activity over there since the ban, but you can’t teach an old dog like Wolfe new tricks.”
Geoffrey nodded. “I figured as much.”
“What’s the point of all this, Private?” the captain demanded.
“What I’m proposing, Captain, is that we send D’Artagnan and Ramon undercover to try and get close to Wolfe. He may not be directly involved in the kidnapping, but I’d lay odds that he knows who is. If he’s anything like the man my father described, very little goes on in the slave trade without his knowledge. And right now, I’d say that he’s the best chance we’ve got of rescuing Mancini.”
Duval thought about it for a moment. “An undercover mission, you say?”
“Yes, Sir. The King has already approved it. I just need you all to agree.”
He nodded, glancing over at the musketeers in question. “D’Artagnan, Ramon…what do you say? Are you two up for this?”
They looked at each other, then turned back to the captain and Geoffrey. “Tell us what we need to do,” D’Artagnan said, speaking for both of them.
“Excellent!” Geoffrey walked over, clapping a hand on each of their shoulders. “I knew I could count on you two.”
“I think we’ll leave you youngsters alone to work out the details. Just try not to get anyone killed. Come on, Porthos.” Duval threw an arm across the old seaman’s shoulders, and the two of them walked out of the brig.
“So…” Ramon asked, once the older musketeers were gone. “What’s the plan, amigo?”
“Well…I admit, I don’t have all the details worked out just yet. What I do know is that I need you to pose as a potential investor for Wolfe’s business…possibly even a potential partner. He’s not a man who trusts easily, so you’ll have to tread carefully.”
Ramon scratched at his goatee as he thought about Geoffrey’s plan. “Well, as you know, mi familia is quite wealthy. And my late Tio Juan was quite well-known in the slave trade. If His Majesty is willing to provide me with what I need to back my story—money, papers for a land grant, that sort of thing—I could easily pose as one of my own relatives.”
“Good thinking, Ramon. And don’t worry, I’m sure the King would be more than happy to give us whatever we need. All he cares about at the moment is getting Maria back.”
“And what about me?” D’Artagnan chimed in. “What do I do?”
Geoffrey grinned. “You, D’Artagnan, are going to pose as Ramon’s deaf-mute servant, Carlos.”
The Gascon stared at him for a moment, not sure he heard right. “A servant? You want me to play a servant? Why?”
“Because you’re too recognizable. No one—especially not Wolfe—would ever believe that the son of the Legend would turn to an illegal activity such as slave trading. However, people rarely pay much attention to servants. And if they think you’re a deaf-mute, even better. You’ll be far more likely to hear something useful because they’ll assume you can’t hear them talking anyway. And you’ll be able to snoop around while Ramon plays nice with Wolfe. Between the two of you, I’m sure you could dig up some sort of decent lead on where the kidnappers have stashed Mancini.”
“And how exactly do you propose I pull off playing a deaf-mute?”
“It’s not that hard. We’ll stuff your ears with beeswax at first, so you really won’t be able to hear. Then, once you have them convinced that you’re deaf, we’ll dispense with the beeswax and you’ll just have to pretend you can’t hear. Ramon can teach you the sign language he and Jacqueline were using last year, and you’ll just have to try and restrain yourself from speaking.”
Ramon snorted. “Easier said than done, compañero.”
“Hey….”
Geoffrey laughed. “I’m sure he can manage, Ramon. Now, why don’t you two start working on the sign language, and I’ll go make the other arrangements we need to pull this off.” He slapped them both on the back, then headed for the door. “Coming, Will?” The kitten yawned, stretched, then leapt off the cot and followed his human out of the brig. Geoffrey made a brief stop to inform the King of their plans and arrange for what Ramon said he needed, then left the ship and made his way to Le Chat Noir to fill in Porthos and Duval. About halfway there, he was stopped by a young page.
“Message for you, Monsieur.” The boy handed Geoffrey a note, and the privateer handed him a few coins in return. Once the page was gone, Geoffrey opened the note, which was apparently from Luis.
Geoffrey,
I know what Captain Duval said about
us staying in Paris, but Jacqueline and I have noticed someone creeping around
the cottage—particularly late at night.
It’s hard to say for sure, but we think we’re being spied on. Which is why we’re heading to Le Havre. Don’t
worry…we’re traveling as Musketeers.
Hopefully, that will be enough to throw off our stalker or
stalkers. By the time you get this,
we’ll already be halfway there. Meet us
at Notre-Dame de Bonsecours two days from when you receive this message, and
we’ll explain things in more detail then.
--Marie
P.S.—Jacqueline really
does miss you. She can’t wait to see you
again. Trust me on this.
Geoffrey crumpled the note, cursing his own stupidity. He was sure she’d be safer at home, but it would seem that leaving her there had only made things worse. ‘God, I’m such an idiot. I should never have driven her away like that. Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. At least now, I’ll finally get a chance to apologize for being so thick-headed.’ Shoving the crumpled parchment in his trouser pocket, he continued on to Le Chat Noir.
Chapter 21
Ramon was halfway through teaching D’Artagnan his first word when he slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Mi Dios! I forgot to send a message to Nikki. In her condition, it does not pay for me to leave her wondering where I am.”
“Mon Ami, she knows you are on the King’s business, just like any other soldier and his wife.”
“True, but she is likely to come after me. Here, let me write a quick note to tell her I will be delayed in getting home." He sat down at a table and pulled out a quill, ink and parchment.
Dear, Nikki,
A soldier goes where he is told and I am on a mission
for the King, so it may be a little while before I see you again. I hope to be
home before our son is born.
Amato te.
Your loving husband
Ramon.
Ramon turned
around as D’Artagnan laughed. "Do you always read over someone's shoulder?"
"Of course.
I read upside down also.”
“And what, pray
tell, do you find so amusing?”
“Your comment
about a son. What are you going to do if it is a girl?"
"Don't tease
me, that’s rude."
"Nikki might
take exception to the presumption that your child is a boy."
"Amigo, we de
la Cruz men pride ourselves in having male children."
D'Artagnan shook
his head. "If you have a girl, I want to be far, far away."
****************
Cian wandered the deck after Ramon and D’Artagnan went to the brig before heading down to check on William. He poked his head in to see his wife on the bed with a dejected look on her face. “Mo mhuirnín, are you feeling better?”
“Don’t give me that ‘my darling’ stuff when I can’t do anything. How long do I have to stay here?”
“Doctor Geoffrey will let you know.”
“Musketeer, inventor, pirate and now doctor. Wonder if he can bake or make candlesticks.”
Cian laughed. “From what I hear he can fly and sail under the water also.”
She frowned. “Great. When does he become a god?” She furled her brow. “What did he mean that he knew about us from personal experience? How did he know?”
"I guess if you are married to a Musketeer and hiding her existence, you can spot another."
“Of course." Recognition showed in her eyes. “You don’t mean…?” She laughed when she saw her husband nod. “Thanum an Dhul. He knows but I wonder if she does.”
“You are liable to get your gob smacked for saying that. In the name of the devil, indeed.”
“Oh shut up and get me some uisce beatha. A little water of life will make me better.”
“I will get the whiskey, but you had better not move. I’ll have to get it from the tavern as we don’t have any of the good stuff here. Sorry ass ship that doesn’t have Irish whiskey on board.”
Shaking his head, Cian gave his wife a quick kiss, then walked up to the main deck and met up with D’Artagnan and Ramon, who were also leaving the ship.
Ramon, D'Artagnan and Cian
walked down the gangplank. As the men
walked into the Le Chat Noir, Violete sashayed over to Cian. "Céad míle
fáilte romhat!" A flash of fur ran towards Ramon.
Cian smiled. "Go raibh mile
maithagat." He raised an eyebrow. "How do you know Gaelic?"
Violete laughed. "I have a
checkered past." She laughed. "I once had a boyfriend who was Irish
and he taught me. Unfortunately we split up and he went back to Ireland.
A flagon was flung past Cian and
Violete. "Get that beast out of here."
D’Artagnan stomped his way over
to the flagon thrower as Ramon picked up Will. "You will apologize to Will
or I will turn him lose on you." D'Artagnan started to turn as a burley
fist struck his jaw and sent the Musketeer to the ground. In an instant, Will
leapt from Ramon's arms and landed on the brute as the man's companions waded
into Ramon and Cian. A full blown donnybrook ensued as several off duty
Musketeers and patrons got into the fight.
BOOM!
Combatants paused and turned
towards the sound of the musket fire as cordite hung in the air. They saw an
angry Violete standing on the bar with a smoking gun on one hand and a leveled
one in the other. A smiling cat sat by her foot, licking his bloody paw.
"This is not your home. If you want to fight, take it outside. This
happens to be the Black Cat so where else should a cat be? Ramon, please
introduce your friend."
Ramon stood up from the floor,
clothes in disarray. "This is Will. He is our compadré. Insult him, you
insult me. Insult me, you insult the Musketeers."
"PRIVATE !" Duval's booming voice caused everyone to try and dissolve into the floor. "What is the meaning of this?"
"That man tried to harm Will."
"He WHAT?" Geoffrey waded through the former combatants. "Which one?" He looked around and saw a man with claw marks on his face and clothes. "Well no need to ask what happened to you. That should teach you to mess with an ocelot. Will is not some alley cat." He looked at Will by Violete's foot. "Come Will." The cat looked up and stretched before prowled over to his human while keeping an eye on the hooligan. Geoffrey picked the cat up and ruffled his head. "Do you want to play some more?" The man cringed when the cat licked his whiskers.
Duval walked over to Geoffrey. “Shall we all retire to the ‘conference room’?” As Duval, Cian, Porthos, Ramon, D’Artagnan and Geoffrey walked into the back room, they were unaware that Violete slipped into the kitchen on her way to a hidden panel where she opened a small grate that allowed her to overhear the men.
As the meeting broke, Geoffrey headed for the stables with Cian. “Cian, you take care of William. I have a meeting at Notre-Dame de Bonsecours in a couple of days but in the meantime I have something else to tend to. I should be back in a few hours.” He handed Will to the Irishman. “Have Ramon take care of Will until I get back. I have a feeling that this little guy will help him in the mission.” He scratched Will’s head. “You be good and try not to eat Ramon. Your sister will be back soon.” He looked at Cian. “Tell Ramon it will be only a couple of hours.”
Mounting his steed, Geoffrey rode down the streets to the better part of the town where the genteel folk lived and shopped. Dismounting, he spied a shop that he was looking for. About an hour later, he walked out with a package in his arms a smile on his lips and a spring in his step. He looked at the horse. "You best keep this secret or you will be pulling a garbage wagon."
Two days later, Geoffrey took Will to the Inn and knocked on Ramon's door. When the Spaniard opened the door, Will ran inside and jumped up on the armoire. "Ramon, I am going to meet Jacqueline and I want you to watch Will. He seems to have taken a liking to you."
Ramon shook his head. "He still looks like I am his dinner but he doesn't bite me anymore. You go meet your bride."
****************
In Paris, Jacqueline and Marie Therese had been bored. Marie watched her friend become more and more depressed. Finally, she confronted Madame Greyhawk. “Jacqueline, you have got to get over this frump you are in.”
“Right. My marriage is a shambles and I threw my husband out. Marie, don’t you understand that I love him and I threw him out?”
“I do understand that you will give yourself ulcers if you don’t do something about it. Now, I have an idea. We know that someone has been sneaking around the cottage so we will leave. Make them come out in the open.”
“Where would we go?”
The Princess smiled. “I know Louis is in Le Havre and I will bet that tramp is with him so where Louis is, I will be.” The next morning she sent a message to Geoffrey and told him where to meet them. Calculating the time for the messenger to arrive in Le Havre and their own travel, Marie made plans. The journey would take about five days riding easy so she gathered supplies. They could sleep either on the trail or in an inn.
In the forest road outside of Le Havre, on the way to Notre-Dame de Bonsecours, ‘LePonte’ and ‘Borbón’ were forced to make an unscheduled stop, the road to Le Havre having been blocked off by a fallen tree. The girls were already on edge from the situations with their significant others, and the delay certainly didn’t help their moods. Grumbling, they both slid off of their mounts and walked over to the tree, intent upon moving it out of their way so that they could continue on.
Before they could even touch the bark, both girls were suddenly grabbed from behind. Jacqueline kicked backwards, but her assailant managed to avoid the blow. He wrapped one arm around her throat, then used his free hand to clamp a foul-smelling cloth over her nose and mouth. In spite of her best efforts, she found herself unable to fight the cloth’s effects. She saw Miette jump out of the saddlebag, and a shot was fired just moments after. Unable to clearly see the outcome, Jacqueline could only pray that the kitten was safe. She also thought she saw Marie Therese falling to the ground from a blow to the head. It was hard to be sure, though, as she could barely see anything at this point. Dimly, she felt herself being dragged away from the road just before the darkness claimed her.
[1] A/N: I know that, historically, Mazarin’s niece was called Marie Mancini, but since we used ‘Marie’ for the princess throughout Choices, I felt that it would be less confusing if we kept it that way and just changed Mancini’s first name to ‘Maria.’