The Three Musketeers (Translated by Richard Pevear) - Alexandre Dumas [219]
“Your Eminence will be the judge: the ball at Mme le connétable’s, the night at the Louvre, the evening in Amiens, the arrest of Montaigu, the letter of Mme de Chevreuse.”
“That’s it,” said the cardinal, “that’s it: you have a very felicitous memory, Milady.”
“But,” said she to whom the cardinal had just addressed this flattering compliment, “if, in spite of all these reasons, the duke does not give up and continues to threaten France?”
“The duke is madly in love, or rather, foolishly in love,” Richelieu picked up with profound bitterness. “Like the ancient paladins, he undertook this war only to win a glance from his fair one. If he knows that this war may cost the honor and even the liberty of the lady of his thoughts, as they say, I guarantee you that he will think twice about it.”
“And yet,” said Milady, with a persistence which proved that she wanted to see clearly to the end of the mission she was being entrusted with, “and yet, what if he persists?”
“If he persists…” said the cardinal. “But it’s not probable.”
“But it’s possible,” said Milady.
“If he persists…” His Eminence paused and then went on: “If he persists, well, then I shall hope for one of those events that change the face of states.”
“If His Eminence will cite me some examples of these events in history,” said Milady, “perhaps I will be able share his confidence in the future.”
“Well, take, for example,” said Richelieu, “when, in 1610, for a cause rather like the one that moves the duke, King Henri IV, of glorious memory, set about invading Flanders and Italy at the same time, in order to strike at Austria from both sides. Well, didn’t an event come along that saved Austria? Why should the king of France not have the same luck as the emperor?”
“Your Eminence is referring to the stab of a knife on the rue de la Ferronerie?”165
“Exactly,” said the cardinal.
“Is Your Eminence not afraid that the torture and death of Ravaillac may frighten off those who would think even for an instant of imitating him?”
“In all times and in all countries, especially if those countries are divided by religion, there will always be fanatics who ask for nothing better than to be made martyrs. But wait, it just occurs to me right now that the Puritans are furious with the duke of Buckingham, and their preachers are calling him the Antichrist.”166
“Well?” asked Milady.
“Well,” the cardinal went on with an air of indifference, “it will only be a question, for the moment, for example, of finding a woman, beautiful, young, and clever, who has some reason to revenge herself on the duke. Such a woman can be found: the duke is a ladies’ man, and if he has sown much love by his promises of eternal constancy, he must also have sown much hatred by his eternal infidelity.”
“No doubt such a woman can be found,” Milady said coldly.
“Well, such a woman, who would put the knife of Jacques Clément167 or Ravaillac into the hands of some fanatic, would save France.”
“Yes, but she would be an accomplice in the assassination.”
“Have they ever discovered the accomplices of Jacques Clément or Ravaillac?”
“No, for they were perhaps too highly placed for anyone to dare to go looking for them where they were. They will not burn down the Palais de Justice168 for everybody, Monseigneur.”
“So you believe that the fire in the Palais de Justice was caused by something other than chance?” asked Richelieu, in the tone in which he would have asked a question of no importance.
“I, Monseigneur?” replied Milady. “I believe nothing; I am citing a fact, that’s all. Only I say that if I were called Mlle de Monpensier169 or Queen Marie de Medicis, I would take fewer precautions than I take being called simply Lady Clarick.”
“That is fair enough,” said Richelieu. “And what would you like, then?”
“I would like an order that would ratify in advance all that I believe must be done for the greater good of France.”
“But first we would have to find the woman I mentioned, who will revenge herself on the duke.”
“She has been found,” said Milady.
“Then we must