Chapter 66
1866 Words
"Perhaps it was I."
"And you have the conscience to reproach a man who had such fine ideas."
"Well, I pardon you. But I have another complaint to make. What did you do to deliver me from my unlucky situation?"
"You see, I came to Anjou."
"It seems to me that you would have been more useful nearer."
"Ah! there we differ; I preferred coming to Anjou."
"Your caprice is a bad reason."
"But, if I came to gather your partisans?"
"Ah! that is different. What have you done?"
"I will explain that to you to-morrow; at present I must leave you."
"Why!"
"I have to see an important person."
"Oh, very well; but be prudent."
"Prudent! are we not the strongest here?"
"Never mind, risk nothing. Have you done much?"
"I have only been here two days."
"But you keep yourself concealed, I hope."
"I should think so. Look at my dress; am I in the habit of wearing cinnamon-colored clothes?"
"And where are you lodging?"
"Ah! I hope you will appreciate my devotion; in a tumble-down old house, near the ramparts. But you, my prince, how did you get out of the Louvre? How was it that I found you on the road, with M. d'Aubign é for a companion?"
"Because I have friends."
"You! friends!"
"Yes, friends that you do not know."
"Well, and who are they?"
"The King of Navarre and D'Aubign é , whom you saw."
"The King of Navarre! Ah! true, did you not conspire together?"
"I never conspired, M. de Bussy."
"No; ask poor La Mole and Coconnas."
"La Mole," said the prince, gloomily, "died for another crime than the one alleged against him."
"Well, never mind him. How the devil did you get out of the Louvre?"
"Through the window."
"Which window?"
"That of my bedroom."
"Then you knew of the rope-ladder?"
"What rope-ladder?"
"In the cupboard."
"Ah! it seems you knew it," cried the prince, turning pale.
"Oh! your highness knows I have sometimes had the happiness of entering that room."
"In the time of my sister Margot. Then you came in by the window?"
"As you came out. All that astonishes me is, that you knew of the ladder."
"It was not I who found it."
"Who then?"
"I was told of it."
"By whom?"
"By the King of Navarre."
"Ah! the King of Navarre knew of it; I should not have thought so. However, now you are here safe and sound, we will put Anjou in flames, and B é arn and Angoumois will catch the light, so we shall have a fine blaze."
"But did you not speak of a rendezvous?"
"It is true; the interest of the conversation was making me forget. Adieu, monseigneur."
"Do you take your horse?"
"If it will be useful to you, monseigneur, you may keep it, I have another."
"Well! I accept; we will settle that later."
The duke gave Bussy his hand, and they separated.
CHAPTER LVII.
THE IDEAS OF THE DUC D'ANJOU.
Bussy returned home, but instead of St. Luc, whom he expected, he found only a letter fixing their meeting for the next day. About six in the morning St. Luc started, and rode straight to Bussy's house.
"Accept the hospitality of my poor hut, St. Luc," said Bussy, "I am encamped here."
"Yes, like a conqueror on the field of battle."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, dear Bussy, that my wife has no secrets from me, and has told me all. Receive my compliments, but, since you have sent for me, permit me to give you a piece of advice."
"Well."
"Get rid as soon as possible of that abominable Monsoreau; no one at the court knows of your love for his wife, so when you marry the widow, no one will say you killed him on purpose."
"There is but one obstacle to this project, which presented itself to my mind, as to yours."
"What is it?"
"That I have sworn to Diana to respect the life of her husband, as long as he does not attack me."
"You were very wrong."
"Why so?"
"Because if you do not take the initiative, he will discover you, and will kill you."
"I cannot break my oath to Diana. Besides, he who is now a monster in all eyes, would be thought an angel in his tomb."
"Therefore I do not advise you to kill him yourself."
"Oh, St. Luc, no assassins."
"Who spoke of assassins?"
"Of what then?"
"Nothing; an idea passed through my mind; I will tell you what it was at another time. I do not love this Monsoreau much more than you, although I have not the same reason to detest him, so let us speak of the wife instead of the husband."
Bussy smiled. "You are a capital companion, St Luc," said he, "and you may count on my friendship. Now my friendship consists of three things, my purse, my sword, and my life. Now, what about Diana?"
"I wished to ask if you were not coming to M é ridor."
"My dear friend, I thank you, but you know my scruples."
"I know all. At M é ridor you fear to meet Monsoreau, although he is eighty leagues off; fear to have to shake his hand, and it is hard to shake the hand of the man you wish to strangle; you fear to see him embrace Diana, and it is hard to see that of the woman you love."
"Ah! how well you understand!" cried Bussy, with rage; "but, my dear friend, did you not hear last night the noise of bells and guns?"
"Yes; and we wondered what it meant."
"It meant that the Duc d'Anjou arrived last night."
St. Luc jumped up. "The duke here! We heard he was imprisoned at the Louvre."
"That is just why he is now at Angers. He managed to escape through a window, and came here."
"Well?"
"Well, here is an excellent opportunity to revenge yourself for the king's persecutions. The prince has already a party, he will soon have troops, and we shall have something like a little civil war."
"Oh! oh!"
"And I reckoned on you to help us."
"Against the king?" said St. Luc, with sudden coldness.
"Not precisely against the king, but against those who fight against us."
"My dear Bussy, I came here for country air, not to fight against his majesty."
"But let me present you to monseigneur."
"Useless, my dear Bussy, I do not like Angers."
"My dear St. Luc, you will do me a great service by consenting; the duke asked me what I came here for, and, not being able to tell because of his own passion for Diana, I said that I had come to draw to his cause all the gentlemen in the Canton; I even told him I had a rendezvous with one this morning."
"Well! tell him you have seen the gentleman, and that he asks six months to consider. Listen, I will always help you to defend Diana, you shall help me to defend my wife. We will make a treaty for love, but not for politics."
"I see, I must yield to you, St. Luc, for you have the advantage over me. I want you, and you do not want me."
"On the contrary, it is I who claim your protection."
"How so?"
"Suppose the rebels besiege and sack M é ridor."
The two friends laughed; then, as the duke had sent to inquire for Bussy, they separated with renewed promises of friendship, and charmed with each other.
Bussy went to the ducal palace, where already all the nobility of the provinces were arriving. He hastened to arrange an official reception, a repast and speeches, and having thus cut out some hours' occupation for the prince, mounted his other horse, and galloped to M é ridor. The duke made some good speeches, and produced a great effect, giving himself out for a prince persecuted by the king on account of the love of the Parisians for him. When Bussy returned, it was four in the afternoon; he dismounted, and presented himself to the duke all covered with dust.
"Ah! my brave Bussy, you have been at work?"
"You see, monseigneur."
"You are very hot."
"I have ridden fast."
"Take care not to get ill again."
"There is no danger."
"Whence do you come?"
"From the environs. Is your highness content? have you had a numerous assemblage?"
"Yes, I am pretty well satisfied, but I missed some one."
"Who?"
"Your protege, the Baron de M é ridor."
Bussy changed color.
"And yet we must not neglect him," continued the duke, "he is influential here."
"You think so?"
"I am sure of it. He was the correspondent of the League at Angers, chosen by M. de Guise, and the Guises choose their men well. He must come, Bussy."
"But if he does not come?"
"I will go to him."
"To M é ridor?"
"Why not?"
"Oh, why not, certainly," cried Bussy, with flashing eyes, "a prince may do anything."
"Then you think he is still angry with me?"
"How should I know?"
"You have not seen him?"
"No."
"As one of the great men of the province, I thought----"
"I was not sufficiently fortunate in the former promises I made him to be in a hurry to present myself to him."
"Has he not attained his object?"
"How so?"
"He wanted his daughter to marry the count, and she has done so."
Bussy turned his back on the duke, who, at the same moment, moved towards another gentleman who entered the room. Bussy began to reflect on what the duke's projects were with regard to the baron--whether they were purely political, or whether he was still seeking to approach Diana; but he imagined that, embroiled with his brother, banished from the Louvre, and the chief of provincial insurrection, he had sufficiently grave interests at stake to outweigh his love fancies. He passed the night banqueting with the duke and the Angevin gentlemen, then in dancing with the Angevin ladies. It is needless to say that he was the admiration of the latter, and the hatred of the husbands, several of whom looked at him in a way which did not please him, so that, curling his mustachios, he invited three or four of them to take a walk with him by moonlight; but his reputation had preceded him, and they all declined.
At the door Bussy found a laughing face waiting for him, which he believed to be eighty leagues off.
"Ah," cried he joyfully, "it is you, R é my."
"Yes monsieur."
"I was going to write to you to join me."
"Really!"
"On my word."
"That is capital; I was afraid you would scold me."
"For what?"
"For coming without leave. But I heard that Monsieur le Duc d'Anjou had escaped, and had fled here. I knew you were here also, and I thought there might be civil war, and many holes made in skins, so I came."
"You did well, R é my; I wanted you."
"How is Gertrude, monsieur?"
"I will ask Diana the first time I see her."
"And, in return, every time I see her I will ask for news of Madame de Monsoreau."
"You are charming."
Meanwhile they had reached Bussy's lodging.
"Here is my palace; you must lodge as you can."
"It will not be difficult; I could sleep standing, I am so tired."
Bussy rose early the next morning, and went to the ducal palace, leaving word for R é my to follow him. The duke had prepared a list of important things to be done: firstly, a walk round the walls to examine the fortifications; secondly, a review of the inhabitants and their arms; thirdly, a visit to the arsenal; fourthly, correspondence.
"Ah!" cried the duke, "you already!"
"Ma foi! yes, monseigneur; I could not sleep, your highness's interests were so much on my mind. What shall we do this morning? Shall we hunt?"
- Writer
