Constant Companion (A 2011 The Three Musketeers Fanfiction)

Chapter Nine

Anne chose not to be on hand when Buckingham took his leave. I watched from the window, though. Buckingham, dressed in violet, offered the king his hat (which I'm pleased to say, the king tossed away as soon as the Englishman had boarded the airship). Milady curtsied to Richelieu and then boarded herself, carrying herself like she owned the world.

“They're gone, Your Majesty,” I reported as the airship began to lift from the ground. It was amazing to see.

“Perhaps now we may have some peace,” Anne said, with relief.

At that moment, Nicolette hastened in with the fan Anne had requested from her dressing table. She handed the item over and then retreated. She was being unusually quiet and I frowned at her. She kept her eyes on the ground, except once, when she looked at the queen with something nearing disdain. What was she up to?

Beyond Nicolette acting strangely, the day passed without any mention of intrigue and nothing happened to mar the queen's serenity. When I passed Monsieur de Treville in the hall, he nodded acknowledgment but said nothing. It took that to mean he had also learned nothing of any great importance.

And the next afternoon, a messenger from the king arrived at the door of the queen's bedchamber. The news delighted Anne. “He wants to have a celebration ball in five days time,” she related as she sat at her dressing table. She was smiling as I hadn't seen her smile in a long time.

Respectfully, I remained silent as I checked her hair. She caught my eye in the mirror. “You wonder what I see in him, don't you?” she said quietly.

“Your Majesty, its hardly my place,” I responded quickly. But of course she knew what everyone's opinion of Louis was: a foppish boy who lets everything influence him.

“Its simple, really,” she said, fondness in her voice. “You see the boy that is, and I see the man that could be.”

As she was being honest and had initiated the conversation herself, I could do nothing but respond with equal honesty. “Your Majesty sees a lot,” I told her seriously.

“It comes with the job,” she said with a smile.

That made me frown. “Of being queen?”

“No. Of being a woman,” she informed me. Her smile broadened. “Have my diamonds sent to the jewelers. I want the king's undivided attention that evening.”

I curtsied and moved to obey. I knew it wouldn't be any good for me to tell her that with or without the diamonds she would have the king's attention. How could she not? She was a wise and beautiful woman. The king obviously adored her, in spite of Richelieu’s attempts to put a wedge between them at every turn.

With ease, I turned the candlestick to open the queen's hidden chamber. She kept all her most precious possessions hidden here. Among which was the twelve studded diamonds that the king had given her on their anniversary last year. They were the queen's most cherished possession.

The queen's vault was one of the most secure places I knew. Not only was it hidden from sight so well, you had to know exactly where it was to find it, but on the inside there was a maze of fine wires that crisscrossed the room. It had taken me weeks to learn the secret to crossing uninjured.

When I stepped into the vault, my heart nearly stopped and it felt like the world had come crashing to a halt. From the doorway I could see: no diamonds glittered from their place of prestige. “No, no, no!” I breathed, stepping back. “This can't be happening!”

Spinning around, I rushed back out into the light. “Constance?” Anne asked instantly. She rose from her dressing table. “What is it? What's wrong?”