For a few seconds Amorette was not sure if Buckingham heard her. He was looking anywhere but at her face and she thought he might turn on his heel and walk away from her.
"George," she repeated. "Please."
Her pleading seemed to strike a chord with him. He turned to glance over her sopping wet appearance as he considered what Amorette had asked of him. Eventually after a long pause he gave a single nod and Amorette felt relief racing through her. She ascended the staircase, glancing back every so often to ensure that he still followed.
As was to be expected on such a horrid day, the upper floors of the Louvre were packed with bored courtiers milling around in wait of the rain stopping. Buckingham garnered the usual stares and mutters as he marched along in Amorette's wake but he seemed as unaffected as he ever was by it all. Amorette paid little heed to it all as she was thankful that those judgemental glances never fell onto her own shoulders any more. At length they reached the ladies corridor and Amorette admitted her friend into her own rooms.
She slipped off her hat and gestured to the side table. "There's brandy. I know how you don't drink the wine here so I got it specially for you."
Amorette wasn't sure what she saw in his expression as she unclipped the clasp that held her cloak in place. She let it slip off her shoulders and the water laden material fell to the floor with a thud. Buckingham was pouring himself a brandy, but he glanced up at the sound. "Good God you're soaked through Amorette!" He cried. Abandoning his glass of Brandy, he raced towards her and began to pull on the lace strings of her dress. "You need to get these wet things off now before you catch your death of cold! How long have you been wondering about like this for?"
Within seconds Buckingham had helped Amorette strip out of her dress and underskirts until she was standing in just her shift and corset. She couldn't help smiling softly though as Buckingham rung the bell for a fire to be lit and ushered her into her bedchamber. Despite his cold greeting to her and his lack of letters over the last months, he still cared for her. His actions over the last few minutes had proved that much.
When Amorette had dried herself off and dressed again in dry clothes she returned to the parlour to find Buckingham on his second glass of brandy. He handed her a glass of the brown liquid as she rounded the couch and perched next to him. She gulped the liquid down greedily, feeling the warmth begin to spread from it all over her body. They sat in silence until the fire was lit and only when the door closed behind the steward did Amorette dare to speak.
"I know you are no doubt still upset about what happened some months ago George, but I'm afraid I have no other explanation than what I gave to you then. I am sorry if you have been hurt or offended by anything that I've said or done but I am not sorry that I did what was in my opinion the right thing."
For what felt like an age Buckingham stayed silent and Amorette wasn't sure what he was going to say. Still staring into the fire, he finally made a sound as he cleared his throat before speaking. "Of course I was upset. Those men were my friends and peers; some of them even family. You readily handed them over to the French authorities. At the time I blamed you for not thinking of my feelings, but now I understand a little bit more why you did what you did. I keep forgetting I suppose that your allegiance will always be to France. Your father's treatment ensured that before anything else ever did. Surely you can understand why I would be confused though. You see you have many English friends and family still, and I do not believe you would wish them ill."
"Of course I don't!" Amorette cried indignantly. "I don't see the world as an atlas, with my only allies marked out clearly upon a map of France. But George, those men were not my allies and they were not yours either. They would have started a war that neither of our countries need. France is still at war with Spain and from what I have heard, England is turning upon itself from the inside out. That is where those men's concentration should be!"
Buckingham sighed heavily. "I know that now Amorette. But I saw red at first, and for a long while afterwards I was frustrated that you didn't tell me what you were planning. That still baffles me a little to be honest. I would never double cross you like that! I expected a little more of you if I'm honest. I thought you had more respect for our friendship than to treat me so! I am gaining a better understanding of it every day, but that takes time. You'll have to allow me to come to terms with it all slowly."
Amorette nodded, but she still thought there was a sense of expectance hanging in the air, as if her friend still expected her to beg his forgiveness. "George I meant what I said. I am not sorry that I gave those men's names to the King. I had to do something, and at that time it seemed the only way that justice could be exacted in any way."
Buckingham downed the rest of his brandy and for a second Amorette feared that he would slam the glass down on the table and get up to take his leave. He didn't though. Still holding the empty glass, he leaned back into the couch and sighed heavily. "In truth I am very tired Amorette. I am tired of chasing my errant so called friends around and attempting to catch everything that they knock over or drop. It's like living with a group of children with no level of intelligence whatsoever. The way they all go about things is so transparent that it all bores me now. They have no flare, no theatrical drive. If I were to concoct such a scheme myself, it would be the greatest in the world! I suppose in that respect they deserve to receive whatever punishment they may face just for their pure foolishness. You know I was against what they were doing. I just didn't want to condemn all of those men for their stupidity."
Amorette thought crimes far bigger than stupidity had been committed by Buckingham's friends but she stayed silent on the matter, sure that it was not the right time for such an outburst. It seemed she had her friend back in her life and whilst he may not trust her completely this time, she was not about to make it any worse and promised herself she would curb her tongue in his company. Buckingham fell silent too and they sat in silence once again for a long time, the brandy in the decanter decreasing rapidly. Eventually, when there was none left, Buckingham reached into his pocket and pulled out a sealed letter. Presenting it to Amorette, he seemed to be trying to gauge her reaction.
"I was asked to pass this on to you," he said as Amorette took the letter into her own hand. She stared down at her own name written in a spindly italic scrawl and felt a sudden jolt of apprehension. "By the look on your face I don't have to tell you who it's from."
Amorette turned the letter over in her hands, the seal confirming her suspicions. "Why on earth would Lyall Fitzgerald be writing to me? And what's more, why were you anywhere near him George? We were always opposed to Lyall and even though you and Henry have your issues I know that your thoughts have never wavered concerning his brother."
"I didn't intend to be in his company I assure you Madame. We happened upon one another during the crossing from England. I don't know what the letter contains, though it does worry me that he is writing to you. Whatever he asks of you, it cannot be good."
Amorette was still turning the letter over and over in her hands. Lyall was a cleverer man even than Buckingham; a Scot playing the Englishmen so very carefully and toeing the line liberally. He flouted authority in secret though. On the outside, the Fitzgerald men were all in support of the Stuart claim to the Scots and English thrones and it was only Henry who had made his own contradictive opinions known publicly. Henry was scorned and hated for his wish of reclaiming the Scottish crown from English hands but his brother was held in high esteem for his apparent support. Amorette and Buckingham knew that really, Lyall was much more trouble than his brother Henry would ever be.
Henry had been their good friend once. Amorette therefore felt a strange sort of pride that he had been so open in his opinions and fought for what he believed in. She suspected that even though Buckingham now counted Henry as an enemy and did not agree with his beliefs, he still respected him greatly. Henry hid his beliefs from no one and it certainly seemed he had tried to take his protestations down the amicable route in the beginning. Whilst he did believe that ultimately violence was the only solution, it wouldn't be his first resort.
Lyall Fitzgerald on the other hand wasn't capable of having an amicable discussion if his life depended on it. He had never made any effort to get along with Henry's friends, setting himself apart from the circles his family moved in until necessity warranted that he integrate. He and Buckingham had not seen eye to eye from the first instance of their meeting and Amorette hadn't liked him much either. He was always arrogant and rude to everyone around him, with a penchant for making women feel uncomfortable around him. 'The Scottish Sleaze' they had called him behind his back, but even if he did know they spoke about him in such a way, he didn't seem to care. Eventually he stopped coming to the parties altogether and he wasn't missed. Just as Henry began to feel that he no longer shared his family's loyalty to the house of Stuart, Lyall too began to nail his colours to the mast. Wholly in support of the English he was popular in London and at English court but he was pulling the strings very cleverly. Both Amorette and Buckingham were almost certain that although both brothers wanted the self-same thing when it came down to it, they were not working together to achieve it. Now though, that might have changed. Amorette knew that if she opened that letter, she might be letting out more than just words. She couldn't imagine that Lyall would write to her asking her to help Henry, and therefore she had no need to open it. She stuffed it into the pockets of her skirts and shrugged her shoulders at her old friend. "I'll open it later. I don't want to waste the time that we have together George. You know, I really did think that you might be done with me for good. I hated the thought of not having you in my life."
Buckingham nudged her playfully with his elbow. "I missed you too Amorette. I think we are perhaps ready to try and get things back on track now. I stayed away because I was still angry and I didn't want to say or do anything that might jeopardise our friendship. I know you think I don't care about you Amorette; that I'm not interested in your life at all but it couldn't be further from the truth! That's why I waited until I had sorted it all out in my mind."
"Oh enough of this!" cried Amorette. "If we're going to keep hammering away at the sympathetic apologies then we are going to have to fetch more Brandy!"
Buckingham grinned at her. "As much as that offer is inviting Madame, I should be off soon. There are a few things I need to attend to before night draws in." They had in fact been sitting together for most of the afternoon and whilst the sun was still far from setting, it had lowered a little in the sky.
The sound of creaking floorboards had them both jumping to attention before they remembered they were alone in the room. At once Amorette's eyes were drawn through the open door into her bedchamber. Someone was pacing the floor beyond the linen closet and there was only one person it could be.
She turned back to stare into Buckingham's suddenly apprehensive eyes. "I see the passageway is still in use." He murmured. Before Amorette could reply he spoke again. "How are things with the Queen?"
Amorette was very aware of just what his question meant. She sighed heavily, deciding how much she should give away before she spoke. "We are on friendly terms again, and I think she does mean well. I'll never work for her again of course, but I think she needs to have friends around her. She knows now that she can trust me, so I think she'll do anything to keep me onside."
"Keep it that way Amorette," he said grimly. "You don't want to end up like me, thrown out on my ear and hated by most if not all of Paris."
"Whatever did happen between you and the Queen in the end? You never did tell me?"
Buckingham sighed heavily and ran a hand through his thick black hair. "Honestly...she might have discovered one thing about me that she didn't like."
Amorette chuckled. "Only the one?" she teased playfully.
The only response he gave to her jibe was an eye roll. "I suppose this is something that I should have told you long ago as we are such good friends but I feel like speaking the words aloud almost marks them in history. I don't want my secret to be what I'm remembered for or to influence who people think I am as a person. It changes nothing because it's always been there. It's a side of me I've always readily understood, but I didn't think anyone else was ready for it. The Queen and I enjoyed frequent late night liaisons many years ago here in the Louvre, but when I let slip something about my personality it all fell apart. You see I explained to her that whilst I adored the female form and could have my pick of women, I also liked men too. She tossed me out of her bed and I was ordered to pack up and leave the next day. She never told anyone though."
Amorette sat in silence for a few seconds as the news sank in. She remembered Buckingham's flamboyance when she had first met him as a child and of how she had always thought him odd in some way. In her early teenage years, she had believed that he preferred the company of men in the bedroom, but that hadn't bothered her in the slightest. As he had said himself, nothing had changed. He was still her friend and it mattered not who he lusted after. He had never admitted it though, and as he grew into a young man he trailed after women all the live long day and Amorette was forced to put the suspicions to the back of her mind.
"I think I've always known," she murmured, "You greedy pig!"
For a split second she observed sheer relief form on his face and it almost broke her heart. How could he have thought she would judge him for it? Then he laughed euphorically, a glow forming beneath the skin of his face. "Why did you never say anything?"
"George it's none of my business if you want to be greedy and have your fill of men and women, it never was. None of that matters to me. We are friends, so close we are almost brother and sister! Even if I hated the idea of men lying together; which I don't, it would be none of my business to judge you. I firmly believe that everyone should live their lives how they want to. Just because I live mine one way doesn't mean you should conform to that!"
Buckingham grabbed her hand and squeezed, lifting his chin to kiss her swiftly on the cheek. "Brother and sister? Ugh, I think we should be more like cousins. That way if there ever comes a time when we are both bereft of love or lust and in dire need of-"
"George!" Amorette cried in warning as Buckingham roared with laughter.
"Siblings, cousins? It's all the same lying down Amorette?" he joked playfully. Amorette shook her head at his cheek and pulled away from him slightly to observe the Jardin des Tuileries through the window. The rain still poured down and there wasn't much chance she would be traipsing back to the garrison any time soon, so she would be alone that evening. "Is that how you think of Athos; as a brother?"
Amorette had thought the question a serious one but when she turned to look back at her friend and caught sight of his raised eyebrows, she swatted him on the arm. "That's not a fair question!"
Buckingham rubbed his chin in mock contemplation. "No, you certainly didn't look upon each other as a brother and sister should down in the entrance hall before. One might even go as far as saying you wanted to rip each other's clothes off!" Amorette's increasingly bright red complexion was all the answer her friend needed. "God you haven't have you; with a musketeer? How very rebellious for a Cometess of your standing!"
"No!" she cried. "At least not yet. He stays with me if he can, and we talk and kiss but nothing more has happened between us. I am glad of it, for I think such things take time. We both have things that we must overcome before we will be ready for all of that. I fear he will be ready sooner than I though."
"Why's that?"
"George I think he wants to have a really serious conversation about it all soon and Athos is not a man of many words. He will mumble and get flustered as will I and the whole thing will end in an awkward sorry mess!" Amorette bit her lip in worry as she watched Buckingham continue to grin at her.
"Come now Amorette," he said gently. "You've been married. You've had relations with a man, and you know how it all works. You and Athos have done a lot of talking together over the course of your lives, so just leave that at the door. When the time is right you will feel it, and then neither of you will need to tell one another. It will there between you like a great big elephant in the room!"
"I think there was an elephant down in that entrance hall," Amorette muttered.
"And I interrupted?" asked Buckingham. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be, you did me a favour. I also think Athos wants to discuss money and my title and marriage and all that rubbish. I don't care about all of that, but I know it's bothering him. I think he wants to make sure that all of this is what I want."
"And what do you want Amorette?"
She sighed heavily. "I don't want what Athos thinks I want. He thinks because I have been married, that ultimately my end goal is to marry again. The truth is I only married to try and rid myself of the feelings that I had for him. Yes, years ago I wanted to marry him and have that life, but I was a child. We are both entirely different people now and all I want is to spend time with him, to have him by my side. I needed a lot of care and attention when I was younger, I know that now. Now I need only the simple things in life, if I know that he loves me and I love him in return that is entirely enough!"
"Then tell him," sighed Buckingham. "Tell him and then you can both attack each other like the rampant dogs you are!"
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Darkness descended as Amorette perched on the chair that propped open the door that connected her room to the Queen's. the day had left her exhausted and she yawned frequently as the Queen presented her with a new haul of dresses that had been brought from the dress-makers that afternoon. It was the last thing Amorette needed to be doing, but somewhere deep down inside she felt sorry for the Queen who had little in the way of real friends. So, she had indulged the young woman when she had knocked on her door earlier. Now though, she was beginning to regret it. Propping open the door, with her shawl wrapped around her, Amorette wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed.
"Don't you think this is a little plain for tomorrow's parade though?" asked the Queen gently as she held up the bodice of yet another dress for Amorette to inspect.
Amorette knew how much her honesty would mean to the young Queen. She had people around her who constantly hid their opinions and lied to her because they were too afraid she wouldn't like their honesty. The reality was that was all that she wanted from people now, and Amorette no longer cared if the Queen didn't like what she had to say. "That is plain," she murmured. "In fact, if I were you I'd send that back for alterations. Send some of those new pearls with it and have them sewn on. They will go well with the mint green colour of the silk."
The Queen nodded as she folded the bodice and placed it into a trunk and fetched the pouch of pearls to place with it. "I'll send them tomorrow morning, but that still leaves me with the dilemma of what to wear?"
"What is the King wearing?" Amorette asked tiredly.
"Red I think..." came the reply amid a loud rustling of material.
"Red on a Sunday?" Amorette cried incredulously. "Isn't that a little bold considering the circumstances he's been dealing with recently?"
"His Majesty does what he wishes, and who are we to argue with it."
Amorette scratched her chin in thought as she glanced around the Queen's rooms and the bits and pieces of clothing strewn everywhere. "We don't need to argue with it," she said as she suddenly shot up from her seat and entered the Queen's chambers, pulling her shawl tighter around her as she went. "We need to embrace it. Wear this!" Amorette plucked up the bodice of a red and burnt orange dress. "Dress to match and show a united front. The idea of Red on a Sunday may be ludicrous but if that's what we've got to work with, then work with it we will." Amorette rummaged in a trunk and pulled out a cream and gold velvet brocade set of underskirts and a red mantle that matched the bodice.
Just as she laid them all out together on a couch she sneezed. "Oh no," she muttered.
"Have you caught cold?" asked the Queen. "Heavens, and I'm keeping you from your bed!"
The Queen grabbed Amorette's arm to guide her back towards her own rooms, but just as they reached the passage that linked the two rooms, the sound of a door clicking closed startled them. Amorette thought she had locked her own doors behind Buckingham when he had left earlier. Both women peered around the door frame into Amorette's dark bedchamber. Footsteps could be heard coming from the parlour, and suddenly Athos emerged through the parlour door. He didn't even flinch when he caught sight of the Queen.
A soldier standing in the doorway of her bedchamber, no that didn't look bad at all! Before Amorette could speak though to try and cover for them both, the Queen turned her intuitive eyes upon Athos. "Athos? What are you doing here at this time of night?"
Athos didn't flinch, yet again. "Letters, your majesty." He turned knowing eyes upon Amorette as if she was expected to know what that meant. "As you may know, the Cometess and I share many mutual friends. As I was sending letters of my own with a messenger out into the country, I thought to offer to send the Cometess' along with them."
With the spark finally igniting in Amorette's befuddled mind, she rushed into the room. "Yes, letters." She rummaged around in a drawer for a few seconds before procuring what was really a folded piece of blank parchment. She sealed the empty letter with wax and presented it to Athos, who borrowed a quill from the side table to write the address upon the front. "I've only just finished writing them."
Seeming satisfied, the Queen nodded her goodnight to Amorette and closed the door adjoining the rooms. Only when the key had turned in the lock did Amorette let herself sag against the wall in relief. Athos presented the pretend letter to her as she let out a nervous chuckle. "Do you think she suspects us?" he asked quietly.
Amorette let out another chuckle. "I don't really care!" she cried as she moved in to kiss him.
A blocked nose and slight fever were what woke Amorette the next morning. Lying on her side in bed, she groaned as she felt the tightness in her chest and the beginnings of a headache.
"I think you've caught a chill," muttered Athos from behind her as he draped an arm across her waist. "You should probably see a doctor."
"I'm fine," she grumbled even as she pulled the counterpane tighter around herself. Amorette closed her heavy eyelids again and wished she still had some more time to waste in bed, but with Athos releasing the mattress of his weight to get up and dress Amorette knew she too would need to be up and about soon. She rolled over and watched as Athos fetched his doublet from a nearby chair and pulled on his boots. Groaning again, she sat up and blinked rapidly as the harsh grey daylight streamed into the room through a gap in the thick drapes.
"Shouldn't you stay in bed today; and let your cold run its course?" Amorette felt the mattress depress again as Athos took a seat on the end of it.
"I don't have a choice Athos. The parade is today, and I've had a dress made specially. The King and Queen will require all the support that they can muster after recent events don't you think?"
Athos sighed heavily as he brushed her hair gently out of her face. "I'm sure they can manage without a country Cometess who is ill and should be abed. Promise me you'll stay in bed and let yourself recover? For me; just for one day?"
Amorette shook her head in annoyance. Athos was looking at her in a way that told her he wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I won't say I agree with it at all but if it makes you happy, then yes I'll stay in bed."
Athos nodded his thanks to her and planted a swift kiss on her forehead before standing up to take his leave. "I'll come and look in on you later."
As the door swung closed behind him Amorette buried herself beneath the thick counterpane until it came up to her neck. Closing her eyes she wished for sleep to come again and it certainly would have come, if not for the sound of the door opening again a short while later. Amorette glanced up to find Constance in the doorway, dress in hand. "Your new dress was sitting in the parlour. Your maid must have left it for you." Constance gripped one of the curtains and pulled it across, flooding the bedchamber in light. Amorette let out a groan as she brought up a hand to shield her eyes. Constance bustled about the room, arranging the dress on the couch and opening the other curtain, chatting happily as she went. "It looks to be an interesting day though. This parade is planned to precision but there are rumours that there will be a protest during it. I think quite a few people have tried to persuade the King and Queen that this parade is a fool's errand. I know Treville himself has encouraged them to cut the parade short if not cancel it altogether. They won't listen though. The King says that they must show a united and unwavering front in the face of any rebellion."
"Rebellion?" Amorette asked as she sat up abruptly.
Constance finally stopped to look at her properly, and her mouth fell open in a soft O shape. "Oh you don't look well at all Amorette. I'll take this dress away and inform the maître de cheval to assign another lady to your place in the parade."
Before Constance even had the time to turn back towards the door with the dress, Amorette had jumped up out of bed. "Nonsense! I'm perfectly fine, look! Bring that dress back!"
Swiftly Amorette's promise to Athos was forgotten as she dressed herself in a hurry and plucked her pale cheeks to bring some colour to them. Scared of missing something, Amorette was determined to take part in the parade, not least because so many people that she cared about would be there. If something were to go wrong, she wanted to be able to help. Above all else though, Amorette was curious. She knew that the King had recently made certain new indictments curtailing just how much of a pension that war veterans could receive. He had also made the decision that it was no longer feasible to provide aid to families of soldiers killed or severely injured in battle and these allowances had already been stopped. Despite these redactions being an almost overnight decision, the people of Paris had already showed their distaste. Constance explained to Amorette as she dressed that men and women were beginning to line the streets in protest already, and that the parade was no longer expected to pass through the city peacefully.
By the time Amorette had dressed herself and she and Constance scuttled downstairs towards the Grande Galerie, most of the court had already assembled there. The heightened apprehension was apparent in the whispers and mutters that floated up towards the celing from the crowd. As they pushed through, Amorette vaguely noticed that the Duke of Buckingham wasn't there. Probably for the best, Amorette thought. Finding D'artagnan at the side of the vast hall, Amorette and Constance gave up trying to push to the front and joined him.
One or two more senior nobles were announced as they entered but no one paid any attention. All eyes were upon the King at the front of the room who was having a heated debate with his advisors. To Amorette it seemed clear that the King was not following the advice of the five men around them, judging by their aggravated and disturbed glares that they through him as he was ushered towards the far doorway to have his great cloak thrown over his shoulders. From there he would leave the room and descend the staircase out into the courtyard. The parade would take probably the best part of an hour to co-ordinate and the King wished to ensure that it was perfect. He would watch from astride his horse as the courtiers took their assigned places.
All at once the rustling of expensive fabric had all the women in the room turning to observe the new arrival. Amorette had not heard the announcement of her name over the din of whispers but walking tall and thin, with gently curling blonde hair and a slightly tanned complexion was a woman not much older than Amorette herself. Not knowing the woman, Amorette paid her little heed and turned back towards D'artagnan, but his concentrated glance was upon Athos, who stood on the other side of the room. Amorette watched him too, not sure what D'artagnan was looking for until the blonde woman veered off course altogether. Making a sudden sharp turn to walk towards Athos, she threw him a glorious smile and flicked her hair off her shoulder as she passed him. The cobalt blue eyes followed the woman in slight disbelief for a brief second before Amorette tore her eyes away. There was no use torturing herself.
It was only then that she noticed who stood in front of them a little. "Typical," muttered Aramis to Porthos. "You spend years pining for a decent woman and then two come along at once."
Porthos let out a bark of laughter even as Constance ran forwards to halt their conversation. The damage was done though and even Aramis' apologetic glance that he threw Amorette once he noticed she was there was not enough to placate her. Moving closer to D'artagnan who still stood at her side she whispered, "Who is she?"
He threw Amorette a blank expression and shook his head. "No one Cometess. Don't worry yourself over it."
"D'artagnan," Amorette let out a low growl. "Tell me who she is. She didn't smile at him like that for nothing."
The young musketeer let out a heavy sigh of defeat and leaned in towards Amorette's ear so that he could be heard clearly. "That is the Cometess Ninon de Larroque."