The Three Musketeers (The Modern Library) - Alexandre Dumas [283]
“See, My Lord,” he said in a gloomy voice, “this woman was under my guard and she has killed herself!”
“Rest easy, Felton, she is not dead,” Lord Winter told him. “No demon dies so easily! Calm yourself and go wait for me in my room.”
“But, My Lord—”
“Go, sir, I command you.”
At this injunction from his superior, Felton obeyed; but as he went out he slipped the knife under his shirt. As for Lord Winter, he contented himself with summoning the woman who waited upon Milady. When she was come, he commended the still unconscious prisoner to her care and left the two women together. But since, all things considered, the wound might be serious, he sent a man off on horseback to fetch a physician.
LVIII
ESCAPE
As Lord Winter had thought, Milady’s wound was not dangerous. As soon as she found herself alone with the woman, she suffered herself to be undressed, then she opened her eyes.
But she must still feign weakness and pain which was no difficult task for a consummate actress like Milady. Accordingly, the poor chambermaid was so completely duped by the prisoner that despite Milady’s entreaties, she insisted on sitting up with her all night. Her presence did not prevent Milady from thinking over her plight from every point of view.
There could be no doubt that she had convinced Felton: he was now wholly hers! Had an angel from Heaven appeared to the young man to denounce Milady, in his present frame of mind Felton would certainly have taken the apparition for a fiend sent by the Evil One. Milady smiled at this thought, for Felton was now her only hope, her only means of safety.
There was also an unfavorable possibility: perhaps Lord Winter might suspect him and Felton might even now be under surveillance himself.
Toward four o’clock in the morning the doctor arrived, but in the interval since Milady had stabbed herself the wound had already healed. The doctor could therefore judge neither its direction nor its depth. He contented himself with taking the patient’s pulse; it proved that the case was not serious.
Later in the morning Milady, pretending that she had not slept all night and that she needed rest, dismissed the woman who had watched by her bedside. She had one hope, namely, that Felton would come at breakfast time. But he did not appear.
Were her fears realized? Would Felton, suspected by Lord Winter, fail at the decisive moment? She had only one day left: Lord Winter had given her notice that she was to embark on the twenty-third and today was the twenty-second. Nevertheless she still waited quite patiently until the dinner hour.
Though she had eaten nothing for breakfast, dinner was brought at the usual time. Milady was horrified to notice that the uniforms of the soldiers who guarded her had changed. When she ventured to ask what had become of Felton she was told he had left on horseback an hour ago. She inquired whether Lord Winter was still at the castle; the soldier replied that he was and that he had given orders to be informed if the prisoner wished to speak to him. Milady answered that she was too weak at present and that her only desire was to be left alone. The soldier went out, leaving the dinner served.
So Felton had been sent away, the marine guard had been relieved; therefore Felton was obviously under suspicion. This was the last cruel blow Lord Winter had reserved for her.
Left alone, she arose. The bed which she had hugged through prudence in order that they might believe her seriously wounded burned like a bed of fire. Glancing at the door, she noted that Lord Winter had had a plank nailed over the grating. Doubtless he feared that this opening might furnish her with some diabolical means to corrupt her guards. Milady smiled with joy. She was free now to give way to her transports without being observed. She paced the room with all the frenzy of a maniac, with all the fury of a tigress caged. Certainly if she had still possessed the knife, she would not have