The Three Musketeers (The Modern Library) - Alexandre Dumas [88]
“For instance?”
“For instance, a ball; Your Majesty knows how fond the Queen is of dancing. I am certain the Queen’s resentment will melt before an attention of the sort.”
“Monseigneur, you know I dislike certain worldly pleasures.”
“Her Majesty will be the more grateful to you for overcoming that aversion, Sire. Besides it will give the Queen an opportunity to display the beautiful diamond studs you gave her for her birthday. Her Majesty has not yet worn them.”
“We shall see, Cardinal, we shall see,” the King answered, overjoyed that the Queen was at once guilty of a crime which caused him no worry and innocent of a betrayal he had dreaded. Perhaps the Cardinal was right; perhaps a reconciliation was in order. “We shall see, yes, but upon my word, you are too indulgent, Monsieur le Cardinal.”
“Sire, leave severity to your Ministers, clemency is the royal virtue. Exercise it and you will find yourself the happier for it.”
The clock struck eleven, the Cardinal rose, bowed low and begged leave to retire, not without imploring his master to compose his royal and marital difficulties.
On the morrow the Queen, after the seizure of her letter, expected serious trouble or leastways sullen and acrimonious reproach. To her amazement the King called upon her and seemed to be making overtures for a reconciliation. Her first instinct was to repel them; she was too cruelly hurt in her womanly pride and queenly dignity to relent so suddenly. But presently, after consultation with her ladies-in-waiting, she was persuaded to forget the indignities she had suffered. At least she appeared to have forgotten them. Taking advantage of this favorable moment, His Majesty announced his intention of giving a fête in the near future.
A fête was so rare a thing in the Queen’s life that, as the Cardinal had divined, the mere mention of such gaiety scattered the last traces of resentment from her features, if not from her heart. When she inquired eagerly what day the fête was to take place the King replied that he would have to consult the Cardinal. Indeed, day after day the King consulted His Eminence and day after day His Eminence found some pretext or other to temporize. Time passed and Her Majesty was left in suspense for ten days. . . .
But Monsieur le Cardinal’s period of suspense was two days shorter. Forty-eight hours before he had communicated with the King, who in turn immediately communicated with the Queen, His Eminence received a missive from London which read:
I have them but I cannot leave London for want of money. Pray send me five hundred pistoles and within four or five days of receipt I shall be in Paris.
The day the Cardinal received this note, His Majesty asked the usual question; His Eminence, counting on his fingers, mused:
“She says she will arrive within four or five days of receipt . . . it will take four or five days to get the money to her . . . it will take her four or five days to return . . . eight days minimum, ten days average, twelve at the outside, allowing for contrary winds, accidents and the frailty of woman. . . .”
“Come, Monsieur le Cardinal, have you decided upon the date?”
“Yes, Sire. Today is the twentieth of September. The Aldermen of the City are giving their fête on October third. A most auspicious date, it suits our purpose perfectly, for Your Majesty will not appear to have gone out of your way to be favoring the Queen. And,” the Cardinal added in a casual, urbane tone, “pray remember to tell Her Majesty the day before the fête—that is, October second—that you should be pleased to see how beautifully her diamond studs become her.”
XVII
MONSIEUR BONACIEUX AND HIS LADY
The King was somewhat surprised at the Cardinal’s insistence; here for the second time His Eminence was referring to the diamond studs. What mystery lay under that insistence?
In those days, of course, the police had not yet attained the perfection of ours, but it was nevertheless excellent. King Louis had been humiliated more than once by the Cardinal who seemed better informed than