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"Memoirs of Aramis, Book 3"
Chapter 93
Meanwhile, I did not say anything about my trip to Marie de Chevreuse. I actually stopped in the small village of Roche Labelle, located between Tulle and Angoulême. It was not difficult for me to find the local priest, Father Jerome. It was not difficult for me to find a common language with him, since I am also something of a clergyman.
After a mutually pleasant conversation on the topic of the immaculate conception and original sin, I casually inquired about the story of the baby.
“You know, padre,” I said, “it just now occurred to me that I am in those places that a parishioner from Tours told me about with tears in her eyes about eight years ago.”
- What did this parishioner tell you? - asked Father Jerome.
“Eight years ago or so she told me a story that happened to her and was still fresh in her memory. She told me that her crazy maid had stolen her infant child, a boy. This crazy woman imagined that her mistress's child was her child. Not only that, she imagined God knows what else. This unfortunate woman claimed that she, like the Virgin Mary, was awarded the miracle of the immaculate conception, but also that she gave birth in a dream. Considering herself equal to the Virgin Mary, she decided that this child should be given to some priest to raise him to be a new Messiah. No one took the poor woman seriously; everyone believed that her insanity was completely harmless. But one day she stole this baby and ran away in an unknown direction. A search was launched, and she was eventually found not far from your village, about ten kilometers away. The unfortunate woman lay unconscious on the bank of the stream and repeated “It is finished!” He is with the holy man!” Unfortunately, the baby was never found. She was placed in a hospital and a month later she admitted that she had given this baby to some village priest. I never saw this parishioner again.
- That's it! - exclaimed Father Jerome. “Now everything has become clear to me.” You see, in October 1634, I found on the threshold of my house a cradle containing a baby, a boy about three months old. In the cradle lay a purse filled with gold and a note that only read: “October 11, 1633.” I didn’t understand anything because I didn’t spend the night at home that day. However, I later remembered that a traveler, apparently a nobleman, asked to stay with me. Since I was called to the dying man, I offered him my dinner and my bed, and I myself went where my duty told me to go. I returned only early in the morning, this nobleman had already left. In gratitude for the shelter, he left me ten pistoles. This sum was too large even for an inn, where he could have found more convenience, but there is no inn in our village. I gave this child to be raised by a family that agreed to accept him. True, they already had three children of their own, but the money that was in the cradle solved this problem. On my own behalf, I added the ten pistoles that this nobleman left me, since, considering this payment unnecessary, I did not touch it. I don’t have to explain to you that clergy should not provide shelter for money, I simply did a godly deed by providing him with my home for a single night.
- This is a very interesting story, dear Father Jerome! - I said. “I will try to find this parishioner and tell her that her son has been found after so many years.”
“Unfortunately, the story with the baby does not end there,” answered Father Jerome and sighed sadly. “If I had known that the child had parents and that they were grieving over his loss, I would have launched my own search. But I thought that this child was unwanted and the parents simply decided to get rid of him.
- What happened next, Father Jerome? - I asked, although I already knew the continuation of this story.
“A week after these events, a noble nobleman came to us and began asking me about my life. - continued the priest. “I told him this very story, because for a minute it seemed to me that this was the same traveler who spent the night with me on the day indicated in this note. He asked me what happened to the child, and I took him to this family. He wanted to take the child for himself. The adoptive parents did not want to give it away at first, fearing that the nobleman would claim the gold that was left in the cradle with the baby, but the nobleman gave another wallet with gold, as he said, in gratitude for the fact that they took care of this child the entire time he was with them. He took the child, and they immediately left with his thin servant, who seemed to be deaf and dumb, since the nobleman communicated with him by gestures.
“Thank you, Father Jerome, I am beginning to understand that this was probably the father of this child, since his description matches the husband of my parishioner.” - I answered. “I’m very glad that everything ended so well.”
I said goodbye to Father Jerome and went to Tours, to see Marie de Chevreuse.
Maria greeted me kindly.
- Henri, I'm glad to see you! - she said.
“Duchess, I brought you a letter,” I answered and handed her a letter from the Queen.
- Duchess? - asked Maria. - Why is it so official? Aren't we friends anymore?
“ We are more than friends, we are conspirators bound by a common crime,” I answered. - Our connection can easily become blood, and we are crowned with the block and the ax.
— Why such gloomy forecasts, Henri? - Chevrette asked and pouted.
At such moments she was charming even at almost forty-two years old.
“This is simple realism,” I replied. - We should take into account all possible outcomes of our enterprise.
“You call it ours, I like it,” Maria answered.
“Only because I was dragged into it,” I answered. “I consider all this fuss unreasonable, since the cardinal already has one foot in the grave.”
“But the King is also halfway there,” Chevrette objected. - If the King gets ahead of him, the cardinal will crush everyone under him!
“Nonsense,” I objected. “But if the conspiracy fails, then this is exactly what will happen – the cardinal will bring everyone under his control.”
- Why would he fail? - asked Maria.
“There are too many of you, and you all don’t trust each other,” I answered. — A good conspiracy is one in which there are few main participants, but all of them are quite decisive. In your case, there are too many participants who consider themselves to be the main ones, and not one of them is decisive. By and large, one person is enough to eliminate the cardinal. Where is your new Clément or Ravaillac?
“The times of the Clements and Ravaillacs are over,” Maria answered sadly.
“These times will never end,” I objected. “There will be new Feltons and other fanatics.”
“But there are no such people in our ranks,” answered Maria. “Nobody wants to lose their head.”
“That’s it,” I agreed. “No one wants to lose their head, and therefore everyone substitutes the heads of others.” I foresee betrayal. It would be better to find one fanatic than to again involve a dozen princes and dukes in the matter, each of whom is waiting for decisive action from the others. Why, for example, this preliminary agreement with Spain? Why reveal the plans of the Duke of Bouillon? Do you want to notify the whole of Europe about your plans?
“We want to enlist the support of all of Europe,” Chevrette replied.
“In vain,” I said. - If I were in charge of affairs, then I would first eliminate Richelieu, and after that I would arrest Count Rochefort, Count Jean Galard de Brasac, Jacques Martin, Sieur de Laubardemont, Francois Situa, Francois-Annibal d'Estrée, Denis Charpentier, Gabriel de Lobespina, Marquise Françoise de Souvre de Lansac, Louis Felipeau de La Vrière, Marquise de Chateauneuf, Viscount de Saint-Florentin, Bishop of Mandes Sylvester de Marcillac, Madame Combalet, Councilor of the Parisian Parliament, Rene de Voyer de Polmy, Comte d'Argenson, ...
“That’s enough, Henri,” Maria interrupted me, “I can make the same complete list myself.” What's next?
- When Richelieu was killed, the verbal consent of the King and decisive action on the part of the same Saint-Mars, reinforced by the musketeers of Monsieur de Treville, would have been sufficient to arrest all these supporters of his. Paris would be ours, France would be ours. I mean the Queen.
- Yes, Henri, this plan is good, but what next? - asked Maria.
“The King should propose a new candidate for the post of First Minister,” I said.
“This candidate already exists - this is Saint-Mars,” Maria answered.
“He might have been approved by the King, but he wouldn’t have been able to do it,” I objected.
- Then who? - asked Maria.
“De Tu,” I answered.
- But the King will not approve it! - Maria objected.
“He will approve if Saint-Mars asks,” I answered.
“What’s the point of Saint-Mars asking for de Thou?” - asked Maria.
“And the point is that then de Thou could persuade the King to make Saint-Mars constable of France and marry Maria Gonzago,” I answered.
- What's next? - asked Maria.
“Only after this the Queen should have convinced the King to reconcile with Spain, Savoy, Sedan, and cool relations with England...” I answered.
“It’s beautiful, you can’t say anything,” Maria agreed. “But our plan is also good.”
“It’s good if the cardinal doesn’t get ahead of you,” I objected. - While you are fiddling with the contracts, the cardinal can arrest you all.
- You? - asked Maria.
- You or us, what's the difference? - I asked. - This does not change the essence of the matter. Extra papers sent across half of France and half of Spain with messengers to whom anything could happen on the road! It's too much of a risk. After all, these letters are not even encrypted!
“We can’t send encrypted letters to the King of Spain!” - Chevrette objected.
- Why not? - I was surprised. - One messenger would bring him an encrypted letter, and another messenger, who would have to follow a completely different path, would bring the keys to this cipher. However, as I already said, all these preliminary agreements are premature. It would be better to first overthrow the cardinal and then start this correspondence.
“Your weapon is the sword, Mr. Aramis, and our weapon is pen and paper,” Chevrette answered. “Not everyone can be a man, and not everyone can solve their problems with the help of a sword and a musket!”
“But you, my dear, it seems to me, are also capable of wearing a man’s dress, a sword and a musket, and also riding on horseback, accompanied by the equally brave maid Katie!” - I answered.
- How do you know? - asked Maria.
“Your friend La Rochefoucauld can be so talkative sometimes...” I said. — By the way, does he know about the preliminary agreement? Do you trust him?
- You are jealous, d'Herblay! - Maria exclaimed with a happy laugh. - You are jealous, therefore you still love me!
- Does it really matter? - I smiled. - I’ll just say one thing. If it weren’t for my attitude towards you, Maria, I would hardly have allowed myself to be drawn into this conspiracy.
“But you seem to be selflessly devoted to the Queen, don’t you?” - asked Maria.
“Not as selflessly as you think,” I waved him off. “In this area, d’Artagnan is far superior to me.” I am ready to respect his loyalty and help him in protecting the Queen from the cardinal, but I consider myself more of an enemy of Richelieu than a servant of the Queen.
- Who are you truly loyal to, Henri? - asked Maria.
“Love and friendship, Maria,” I answered. - First of all - love, and this means yourself. But also friendship. I like my friends. They are ready to sacrifice their lives for each other, and for me too, so sometimes it seems to me that I would be ready for a similar self-sacrifice. However, I'm not sure. I hope that fate will not require such a sacrifice from me.
- So, then, love, but, first of all, to yourself? - Maria asked ironically. - And it seemed to me that you...
- What did you think? — I asked in a serene tone.
“The Jesuit Order,” Maria said and looked into my eyes.
- What - the Jesuit Order? — I asked again, trying to hide my embarrassment. - Do you want to join it?
- Don't pretend, d'Herblay! - Chevrette replied. “You know very well that women are not accepted into the Order.”
- Otherwise, would you have joined it? — I tried to laugh it off.
“Maybe,” Maria answered. “But you’re already a member, aren’t you?”
“And you, my dear, seem to have had some adventure in the town of Roche Labelle?”
Maria blushed deeply.
“Let’s not attach importance to empty gossip, my dear,” I said in a peaceful tone. “I would never believe everything they say about you.” And besides, we are friends. So why don't you stop believing various rumors about me?
- I don’t believe rumors, I ask you directly, are you a member of this Order? - asked Maria.
“As soon as I need to discuss this with you, I will immediately tell you everything you need to know about it,” I replied. “As you probably know, the Order makes no secret of who its members are, but it also does not approve of unnecessary speculation around this. This has nothing to do with the matter we are currently engaged in. Will there be an answer for the Queen to her letter?
- Henri! Enough about business! Don't you miss your little Chevrette? - asked Maria.
“ Of course I miss you, my dear,” I answered. “But you know that before we make love, I need to talk at least a little about politics or some secrets.” Without it I remain cold.
“Oh, Henri, I know what to tell you so that your coldness disappears, as if it never happened,” Maria answered.
I again felt that magical attractiveness of this woman.
- What is the secret, Maria? - I asked in a playful tone.
- Do you know who the Queen gave birth to on September 5, 1638? she asked.
- Of course! - I exclaimed. - All of France knows about this! She gave birth to the Dauphin, Louis the God-given, Louis-Dieudonné.
- You are mistaken, my dear! - Maria exclaimed, unbuttoning her bodice. - Well? Does this mystery excite you?
- And how! - I exclaimed, grabbing her around the waist and pressing my lips to her chest. - Speak up!
- She gave birth to twins! - Maria said triumphantly. - Two twin brothers, indistinguishable from one another! Even their moles are in the same places! The second one was named Louis-Philippe and Richelieu ordered him to be hidden.
- Maria, if this is true... You are magnificent! - I exclaimed. - How did you know that?
- Nonsense! - Maria exclaimed, becoming infected with my excitement. - You wanted to ask something completely different!
- What did I want to ask? - I whispered in her ear.
“You wanted to ask who else, besides me, the midwife, the Queen, the King and the cardinal, is privy to this secret, isn’t it?” - she whispered passionately in response.
- Who? - I asked, hugging her to me.
“Nobody...” Maria answered. - Nobody, except you, Henri.
- Oh, Maria, you are lovely! - That’s all I could answer.
This night until the morning flew by in a blink.
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