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Late one night, D'Artagnan heard a woman scream in the
street. "Someone help me!" the woman cried out in fear.
The young gentleman grabbed his sword and rushed
downstairs to the woman's rescue. The men who were
trying to kidnap the woman took to their heels when they
saw D'Artagnan brandishing his sword like a mad man.
"Are you alright?" he asked the woman when he reached
her.
"Oh, thank you, kind sir, for saving my life! My name is
Constance Bonacieoux. I am the Queen's seamstress," she
said.
Constance went on to tell him that she had earlier been
kidnapped by Cardinal Richilier's men. But she had
managed to escape and was trying to make her way home
when the kidnappers caught up with her. That was the
precise moment when D'Artagnan had heard her scream.
The lady took her leave, telling D'Artagnan that she had
an important message to convey to the Queen. Constance
politely declined his offer of seeing her safely to the
palace.
"Don't worry," she said confidently. "I'll be more
careful." Then she left after thanking him once more.
D'Artagan returned to his apartment. Some hours later,
when he looked out of his window, he was surprised to
see Constance again. She was talking to a man dressed as
a musketeer. Thinking that the man was one of the famous
musketeers, he ran downstairs towards them. D'Artagnan
was eager to meet a musketeer.
To his great disappointment, the man was not a
musketeer. He was actually the Duke of Buckingham, an
Englishman, who had disguised himself as a musketeer.
Constance was secretly taking the Duke to see the Queen.
"Please don't tell anyone that you've seen us," she
begged. "Our lives will be in danger should anyone come
to know."
D'Artagan was a loyal subject of the King and Queen.
"Your secret is safe with me. I will make sure that you
reach the palace unharmed," he said.
No mishap befell them as D'Artagnan escorted them to the
palace. The Duke had come to Paris in response to a
message he thought the Queen had sent. Once he arrived
there, he found out that the message was a trap set by
Cardinal Richilleu. Although he knew that his life was
in danger, he refused to return home without seeing the
Queen.
The Duke waited in the drawing room for the Queen. As
soon as she entered the room, she implored the Duke to
leave Paris at once and return to England. She also made
him promise never to see her again in secret as it would
endanger both their lives.
As the Duke reluctantly promised, he asked the Queen
for a memento; something of hers he could always
treasure which would remind him of her. Queen Anne
thought for a while. Then she gave him a small rosewood
box. She removed the diamond studs that she wore on her
ears and placed them inside the box. They had been a
present from the King. Then she bid farewell to the
Duke.
Unknown to the Queen, the Cardinal found out about
the secret meeting and the gift. The Cardinal sent a
message to one of his spies in London, Milady de Winter,
to steal the diamond studs from the Duke. The wicked
Cardinal then persuaded the King to hold a ball in the
Queen's honor so that she could show off her diamond
studs.
Queen Anne was delighted when King Louis informed her
about the ball. However, she was totally unprepared for
his request for her to wear the diamond studs. When the
King left her chamber, Queen Anne sank into her chair
feeling very depressed.
"All is lost," she moaned softly to herself. "The
Cardinal must have known about the meeting. Oh, what am
I to do ?" |
