This adventure has a main plot and several subplots. The main plot concerns the Spanish occupation of the Valtellines, a strategic Alpine valley. In response to this aggression, diplomats from France, Savoy, Venice, and the Swiss Grey League have gathered in Paris to form an alliance against the Spanish occupation. Meanwhile, agents of the Spanish Empire work to disrupt the talks and prevent an alliance.
Chapter I: Back in Paris
His work for the Man in the Mask done, Guy returns to his apartment to bathe and relax from his travels. The date is Sunday January 15th. Refreshed by the bath and a change of clothes, Guy is ready to accept the red envelop that Fabre brings to him; inside is another letter from the Duke DeMainz which reads:
Dear M. de Bourges,
I have the pleasure of desiring your
presence for a private talk. My carriage will call on you at ten o’clock Monday
morning. I anticipate in advance the pleasure of once again seeing you.
Destroy this note
after you have read it.
By my own hand,
Duke DeMainz
D'Einartzhausen 
At this meeting the Duke asks Guy about his wants, needs,
desires, hopes, and dreams. He shares that he wants to create a better world,
one different than the old world. Guy agrees to become the Duke’s agent secret.
His
first assignment is connected to the Valtelline talks in Paris. DeMainz wants
Guy to find out what the various foreign diplomats are going to decide about an
alliance and whether the French diplomats remain loyal. He tells Guy “This
treaty is important to France to keep from being surrounded by the Hapsburgs.
Also if France makes any move to oppose Spanish conquests Spain’s aggression
will inflame the ungodly and that will ruin any chance of a Catholic union
between France and Spain.” He tells Guy that he has heard that one of the
diplomats is in the pay of the Spanish. Guy should find out who it is. Also, he
wants to know what the diplomats plan to do and whether or not they will sign.
This will both help ensure that an alliance is formed and give the best chance
to smoke out the traitors.
Gaston
returns to Les Duex Chevaux. His sometimes mistress, La Chat Calico berates him
for running off without an explanation. Gaston reminds her that they aren’t
married. “You could have at least written to me. A poet for a lover and he
doesn’t even write!”
“But
you can’t even read.”
“I
could have asked Father Francois to read your letter to me.”
“Ha!
Like I want that meddling old priest reading my letters to you. Fine solution
that. What would I write to you that wouldn’t send us both to confession for a
month of Sundays? Besides I’m here now woman, the least you could do is welcome
me.”
“Welcome
you?! I’ll welcome you.” She throws a pitcher at his head.
He
ducks and replies, “Careful, you might break this.” He holds out a gold
necklace set with small white pearls.
“Is
that for me?” she asks.
“If it
fits. Come try it on and see.” She steps closer.
Lucien
reports to the Musketeers’ barracks. There he attempts to explain his extended
absence during the mission for the Duke DeMainz. He is called in front of the
sergeant of the Musketeers, Arnaud de Ferusac, sieur de Ferusac. Ferusac is unhappy
at the unexcused absence, but he is not a disciplinarian and he “will be
satisfied by three things: (i) an explanation, over drinks paid for by Monsieur
de Bourges, of where in the hells he was all this time, (ii) a successful
practice duel that demonstrates that M. de Bourges skills have not deteriorated
during his long absence, and (iii) a promise not to disappear like that ever
again.”
Lucien
succeeds in scoring more touches against Ferusac than the sergeant scores
against him. This surprises Ferusac, who seldom loses a practice duel, but it
does show that the young Musketeer’s skill with the blade has not decreased
during his absence from duty. Over drinks and dinner, Lucien tells engaging
tales of some of the events of his journey. This seems to satisfy the
sergeant’s desire to know “where in the hells he was” and Lucien earnestly
promises not to disappear without leave again. Ferusac tells Lucien “De Bourges
you were lucky this time, but you have much duty time to make up. Starting
tomorrow and for the foreseeable future, when you aren’t sleeping, you should
consider yourself on guard duty…And you damn well better not spend much time
asleep!”
Meanwhile,
the Captain-Lieutenant of the Musketeers, Monsieur de Treville, has offered his
Musketeers to ensure the safety of the diplomats who are in Paris for the
Valtelline conference. While other members of the Maison du Roi will have guard
duties, the Musketeers are primarily tasked with the personal safety of the
diplomats and the security of the talks. Lucien will be assigned to nearly
constant guard duty – as Sergeant Ferusac said, he has a lot of missed duty
time to make up for. Since today is Sunday and tonight is his last free
evening, “for the foreseeable future” as Ferussac said, Lucien decides to host
a celebratory dinner for his friends while he can. Due to time constraints, he
has the dinner at the Deux Chevaux.
The
celebration dinner has a lot of food and even more wine. During the dinner, Guy
realizes that now he is in the employ of DeMainz and he will always have to be
guarded and on his guard from here on out. So he lets his guard down tonight,
one last time. Guy learns soldier’s drinking songs from Gaston, toasts
everyone, and gets so drunk he can’t walk home, so he suggests staying over in
Gaston’s room. Lucien and Guy share Gaston’s cot while he is staying with La
Chat Calico in her room. Guy comments that “This room moves like a ship on a
rough sea!...It is most unsettling.” Eventually the two fall asleep, missing
the noises from next door… The next morning they wake up with horrible
hangovers. Lucien staggers off to the first of his guard duty assignments.
Eventually Guy rouses himself enough to scribble and send a scrawly note to
Fabre:
“Come,
bring the recipe.”
Once
Guy has sufficiently recovered, he goes to the Chatelet to update his patron,
the Provost of Paris, the Chevalier de Vezelay. Guy provides the Provost with a
minimalist summary of his mission for DeMainz. The Provost then mentions that
it is good that Guy is back in Paris; since he has an important assignment for
him. He wants Guy to ensure that the talks on the Valleteline are not
disrupted. He tells Guy that he has already doubled patrols in the neighborhood
of the talks, cancelled all leaves, placed his Archers[i] on alert, and that he has
reserved a mounted platoon of Archers back at the Chatelet that is prepared to
move at a moment’s notice. However, he warns Guy that enemy agents may try to
disrupt the talks. “This must be prevented.” To assist Guy, the Provost provides
the uniform of a Lieutenant of the Archers and a letter authorizing Guy to obtain assistance from any Archer or
even to summon the ready platoon in an emergency. Sergeant César-Auguste de
Boisrenard, sieur de Boisrenard will be Guy’s liaison within the Archers. The
Provost tells Boisrenard that Guy has his confidence and that the Sergeant is
to treat Guy as a Lieutenant.
Back in
his apartment at last, Guy thinks, Just
as I feared. All three of my patrons
are concerned with these damned talks. Well it could be worse; at least they
all want me in the same place, Guy smiles wryly to himself. What I need is a long soak and a n even
longer think. Guy snaps his fingers calling, “Fabre! Run me a bath.”
[i] The Paris Archers are
under the command of the Provost of Paris. They act as a military police force
for the city. They are mounted and armed and armored as dragoons (wheel-lock
arquebuses, swords, breastplates, and helmets).
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