"So that's what you two got up to all of those years ago?" queried Porthos as he quirked an intrigued eyebrow.
Amorette ignored him as she shifted so that she was in a better position to look at Athos' injured arm. "Take this off for me will you?" she asked of him as she tugged on the collar of his doublet.
"We don't have time for all of that!" cried Athos even as Amorette bent down to lift the top layer of her skirts. Tearing off strips of her underskirts she rose again to find him shaking his head.
"Well at least let me bandage it up for you! You can't go walking around Paris dripping blood!"
Porthos nodded in agreement. "You hit one of them Cometess. I'll go and see where he dropped down onto our level. He won't be going far. I'll meet you back here."
Porthos moved off before Athos could argue back. For a few seconds the musketeer watched on as his friend ran down the street, glancing into streets and alleys as he went. When he turned to find Amorette watching him disapprovingly he offered his injured arm freely to her perhaps in a way to placate her a little. She took it without question and balanced his hand on her shoulder so that his arm was hanging between them both. "How did you come to be so far from the river?" He asked just as Amorette began to wrap the shreds of her skirt around his upper arm. "D'artagnan said your horse got a fright and galloped off. I think he tried to follow but you were long gone."
Amorette shook her head blandly as she wound the starch white material around his arm. "Don't ask me where I was when Baxter threw me off or where he is now. I just thought walking seemed a better alternative to standing still in the street. I walked into clearer air and towards the Jardin du Luxembourg and I came across two boys in the street alone. Well; I say boys but the eldest of the two might have been sixteen or seventeen. I walked them home, it seemed the right thing to do because they didn't have any intention of going home before they met me. There was no place for the younger boy on the streets with all of this going on."
Athos nodded stiffly. "You should have stayed in that area of the city."
"I thought it might have died down a little in the time it took me to walk them home and return."
"No," said Athos with a shake of the head. "I think it's more likely to last all night; at least until we've rounded up the protestors."
They both glanced up as they heard quick footsteps approaching, but it was only Porthos returning. "Did you find him?" Athos and Amorette both asked at once.
In spite of their current situation, Porthos shot them a grin before nodding. "Yeah, dropped a few streets away. Seems his friends gave up on him and left. The Red Guards are taking him to the Conciergerie, along with anyone else they round up."
"Why the Conciergerie?" Athos asked as he shot Amorette an impatient look. In retaliation she finished wrapping his wound and pulled the strands of material taut before tying a sharp and tight knot; satisfied when Athos couldn't hide his slight wince of pain.
"Direct orders from the Paris governor; doesn't want this lot of protestors riling up more dangerous prisoners in the Châtelet or the Bastille. He's ordered the Red Guard to take care of things this side of the river, and for the musketeers to secure the Palace. Treville's sent everyone there with Aramis taking charge. He wants us back at the Garrison though."
The two musketeers began to move off quickly, and Amorette had to take two steps for every single one of theirs, clinging desperately to Athos' uninjured arm to attempt to slow him down a little. Every so often they ran into Red Guards who were directing groups of protestors towards the Conciergerie on the Île de la Cité and both men slowed to observe the young conspirators. After a few minutes though, Athos began to tire and fell back to a slow walk at Amorette's side and she watched him nervously out of the corner of her eye, worried that he might drop at any minute. She should have bandaged that arm much earlier, but she hadn't had a chance.
The garrison was almost deserted, with the last few musketeers readying themselves to leave for the Palace as they wandered through the archway into the yard. Athos dropped down heavily onto a bench and a niggling worry in Amorette's stomach began to grow. Gingerly she lifted his injured arm and tugged at the ripped and now bloody strips of underskirt until they gently fell onto the table between them. If it was painful, the musketeer hid it very well. Amorette supposed that was not only for her benefit. Heaven forbid one of his comrades should ever see him showing the slightest weakness. Resisting the temptation to roll her eyes Amorette tried to inspect the wound. Not able to see much beyond the blood that was beginning to dry, she turned to ask Porthos for something to clean it with, but he had already disappeared. A few seconds later, Constance came clattering down the steps with a bowl and cloth in hand.
Constance handed them over to Amorette who set to work trying to clean away some of the blood from the edge of the wound after Athos had reluctantly deposited his doublet onto the bench beside him. Whilst a little paler than usual, Athos remained impassive and that made Amorette all the more worried. If it really were not that painful, he would have joined in with the quiet conversation taking place between Porthos and D'artagnan behind them but he remained quiet. She heard little of the conversation between the other musketeers as she concentrated on gentle and swift movements, nearly jerking away when the cloth brushed gently against the wound and Athos couldn't stop the soft hiss that left his lips. His reluctance to admit to weakness angered and saddened Amorette at the same time. What if he had been far more seriously hurt? Would he still be sitting ramrod straight with a face like marble, pretending that his wound was nothing more than a scratch. She suspected that would certainly be the case and that he had likely done so before.
It suddenly dawned on Amorette just how much danger he threw himself into every day. He probably no longer gave a thought to it, so used to serving King and country that he thought his own injuries were inevitable. Today, he had left his post to come in search of Amorette. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been hurt at all. She considered all the times he and his friends had come to her aid and sickeningly she realised that she herself had put them in danger many times. They had still helped her without a second thought. Amorette felt bile rise in her throat as she tried to shake all of those thoughts from her mind and really looked at the wound before her. The wound was deep, but not seriously so. It was still not a pretty sight and Amorette felt herself blanching at the amount of blood staining his shirt.
Swiftly Athos' uninjured arm reached up to take the blood-stained cloth from her shaking hand and presented it to Constance who stood nearby. Then his hand fell to Amorette's waist, gently pushing her towards his other side as Constance took over. From her new vantage point Amorette could no longer see the wound, only the cobalt blue eyes as they gazed up at her, a storm raging behind them. Not knowing how to soothe his anger, she simply placed her two hands on his shoulder as with his uninjured arm he pulled her into his side. All pretence of their 'friendship' was forgotten in that moment and both were well aware that their actions were watched by all around them. Even Treville, who stood above them on the balcony could witness their display of affection.
"It's not too deep Athos," mused Constance as she stood back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. "If Aramis were here he would suggest his needlework, but I think to keep it clean, dry and bandaged for a while would do just as well. You should have Aramis look at it later though if you get a chance, he might think differently."
"If I can get away with not having Aramis imbed a needle in my arm, I'll take it," Athos mumbled for the first time since returning to the Garrison.
Amorette gently stepped back and for the second time that day pulled her skirts up a little. "These are already torn, we may as well make use of what will probably end up on the fire." She tore another few strips from her underskirt and handed them to Constance, aware that Porthos and D'artagnan were watching them intently.
When Constance had tied a knot in the makeshift bandages and scurried away to dispose of the bloody water, Treville finally made a decent to the yard to meet them. The four men and Amorette and Constance were now the only inhabitants of the garrison. Scratching his beard tiredly, the musketeer captain looked just as unsure of the days events as they all were. "Start from the beginning," he sighed warily.
D'artagnan began describing quickly just what had come to pass that morning, with a few interjections from Porthos. Amorette was relieved when he conveniently left out how she had lost control of her horse and found herself on the wrong side if Paris. Athos seemed to sense her nerves and again hooked his uninjured arm around her waist to pull her to his side. There was something strangely warming, if not disconcerting about the fact that Athos didn't care what the people around them said about their relationship.
"...Then I bumped into these two, and the Red Guard had everything in hand. Athos was injured so we came straight back here," Porthos finished.
Treville nodded, seeming to add the details up in his head carefully. "Anyone caught is being taken to the Conciergerie to prevent any further disturbance, but I want you three and Aramis when he returns to help me figure out if there are any ringleaders amongst them. The rest of the garrison will take charge of security at the Palace whilst the Red Guard try and instil a sense of calm on the streets. Normally, I wouldn't agree that they would be the best for that role but under the circumstances, we don't have much choice. I think you are all best placed to work with me in this regard. Athos if you need some time to..."
Treville's words trailed off into nothing as Athos shot him an almost tyrannical glare. "I'm ready when you are captain." Swiftly Athos was on his feet as if nothing phased him, batting away Amorette's hand.
Treville nodded again. "Very well. D'artagnan, head to the Palace and see if you can catch a few words with Aramis. Find out if there's any more information to be garnered there and then meet us at the Conciergerie. If Aramis can be spared, bring him along too; although I'd equally like him in charge of things at the Palace. The choice is his. You can take the ladies with you. I'm sure the Queen will be anxious for their company." Constance and Amorette shared a glance. "Porthos and Athos, with me then."
Treville took the stairs two at a time until he had reached the balcony again and Amorette turned her gaze back to Athos. "I'd rather stay with you Athos."
He gently took her hand. "I know, and if I thought it were the safest place for you, I'd have you with me but Treville was right. You and Constance should go to the palace to be with the Queen. At least then I know where you are and that you are safe. Besides, the Queen will surely be glad of your company."
Amorette agreed solemnly and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Just be careful," she whispered before pulling away.
"If I can I'll call and see you later tonight," said Athos as D'artagnan offered Constance and Amorette an arm each.
Amorette shook her head bemusedly. "Don't make promises you can't keep Athos."
With that, they stepped out from under the archway into the streets of Paris. Strangely, the streets here seemed a haven of calmness. A few people bustled about, going about their Sunday business but there was no fear or apprehension in the air. It appeared the riot hadn't reached the Rue du Bac. As they crossed the river and approached the Louvre, the streets there were much the same. All three of them shared sighs of relief though when they reached the Palace gates. D'artagnan decided to walk with them both to the ladies' corridor and Amorette suspected that was because the musketeer thought that there was just as much chance of finding Aramis in the Queen's apartments as anywhere else in the Palace.
It was only when Amorette reached her own rooms hours later and threw herself down onto her bed that she realised how tired that she was. She had only just managed to slip away from the press of female courtiers surrounding the Queen after hours of inane chit chat. The Queen had been glad to see Amorette and Constance, not least because they brought more news than the Queen had been privy to. As expected, Aramis had taken up position outside the Queen's apartments and was handling the security matters from there. The King was locked in his council chambers with his advisors, said to be irritated that Treville had gone to the Conciergerie instead of attending the meeting. overall though, everything at the Louvre Palace had returned to normality.
Amorette lay in the semi-darkness for an age, the exertions of the day finally taking its toll on her. In her mind, she did not really think that she had travelled very far throughout the day but all the nerves and adrenaline that had kept her sane earlier were quickly evaporating. Again her mind floated to Athos, wherever he was in the city. Not even knowing where Amorette had disappeared to that day, he had still set out to look for her. That reckless decision and the fact that he had been injured in the process made Amorette feel sick to her stomach. It had been almost altogether her fault that he had been shot at in the first place, and she now knew it would likely happen again. Their relationship was at a point of no return. Either she let her mind settle upon the fact that they loved each other and would always protect each other no matter the cost, or she cut Athos loose to save him. That reasoning wouldn't wash with an intelligent man like Athos. He would call her foolish for even thinking that way. Tears welled in Amorette's eyes even as she knew that cutting Athos out of her life was not an option.
There was a click as the door opened and Tilda bustled in, muttering about running a bath before she caught sight of Amorette on the bed. If Amorette had wanted peace and quiet, her own rooms had been the wrong place to come. Tilda fussed and chastised as she pulled Amorette up from the bed and gave her a good shake by the shoulders.
Amorette simply cried more. "Oh, hush now, Madame," soothed Tilda. "You're in a little shock is all. Nothing a hot bath, a glass of wine and an early night won't cure."
Amorette let Tilda run a bath before the fire and Amorette discarded her dress and torn underskirts. Stepping into the hot water, Amorette felt her leg muscles loosen. Another knock at the door told of the arrival of Claude. She too bustled in and made a fuss, making Amorette groan in frustration. She persuaded Tilda to fetch Léo to walk home and soon it was just her and Claude. She was glad of her choice to wear a bath shirt as Claude drew a stool close to the bath and sat on it, chatting merrily to try and cheer Amorette up. Whilst tired, Amorette soon realised she appreciated the deliberate mindless chatter that took her away from her own thoughts.
At length, Claude did decide to take the conversation in the direction of the musketeers. "Monsieur Aramis was just leaving when I called in on the Queen. He's heading back to the garrison now. He's had reports that the city is much quieter now. I expect Athos will get a reprieve to come to you soon."
Amorette grinned at her friend's probing statement. "Claude what is it that you want to know?"
"Oh, come on Amorette. He's been seen leaving your room! Not by many; I'll admit you've both been careful but you can't deny what's going on! Come on, give me details! Has be impaled you upon his musket yet?"
There was a large splash as Amorette's legs kicked out in shock. When she had recovered, she let herself laugh at Claude's crudeness. This was why she cherished her friendship with Claude. The other woman had the strange ability to shock and amuse all at the same time. Whilst many might have thought Claude far too crass, Amorette thought it refreshing for a woman to speak so freely. Amorette's own mother would certainly have called Claude a bad influence but Amorette herself thoroughly believed that Claude was the right influence for her. Her outgoing and bubbly friend had helped and advised Amorette in ways that no other woman had in such a short space of time.
"Whilst I admire your tenacity to ask such a question Claude, I'm afraid that the answer is no." Amorette leaned her head against the back of the bath tub and sighed heavily. "Claude I had been meaning to talk to you regarding just such a matter, but I didn't know how to begin. You see, I have a choice to make rather soon I think. The way things have been with Athos and I over the last few weeks I think we really are at a turning point in our relationship. Until now we have shared nothing more than a kiss or an embrace, but we cannot stay like that forever. I understand things more clearly now that I have been married."
Claude placed her hands on the edge of the bath and leaned her chin on them. "Amorette I'm glad you're willing to admit it. I was worried you'd have gone back into yourself a little after Fabien died. I thought it might take a lot longer for you to come around to this way of thinking."
"I don't want to wait any longer," said Amorette. "There has been a time or two in the last few weeks when it occurred to me that Athos and I might not stop at just kissing. This is it, the turning point. I'm just worried in case it's not what Athos wants too."
Claude shook her head in confusion. "Amorette why on earth would he not want to? I mean, with those breasts it's a wonder he hasn't succumbed already. He's a red-blooded man and he's attracted to you in more ways than one. Of course he's going to want to. He probably has since you got back to Paris and hasn't known how to go about it. Look I know Athos can be difficult to read at times and quite frankly; sometimes his inept and abrupt manner leaves me wondering what you see in him. I think if both of you try to talk it out, you'll end up boring each other to death. For goodness sake, next time you're alone just jump him!"
"Claude what on earth would I do without your witty analogies? I know you're right. I'm glad I've got you and the Duke of Buckingham to just be honest and tell me the truth as you see it. Before Fabien I wouldn't have listened. I'd have squirmed away like an awkward and nervous teenager but now I feel like I'm ready for that kind of honesty. I hate to think of things this way, but I'm glad I married Fabien and we had what time we did together. He helped me see everything in a new light. I'm more confident and trusting of myself now. It just makes me wonder sometimes, if Fabien knew he was dying?"
"And married you to try and help you get over whatever it was that was holding you back?" asked Claude. Amorette nodded. "Well I don't know Amorette." Claude sighed exasperatedly. "I suppose Fabien might have seen that in you; I know I did. I think he married you because he wanted to though. I do think he loved you."
"I just feel awful for him Claude. Here I am jumping into something serious with Athos without any thought and..."
Claude grabbed Amorette's hand and squeezed. "Amorette Fabien didn't just marry you for your benefit. If he did know he was dying, then he married you because he wanted to share what time he had left with the woman that he loved. In doing so, he helped you become a woman. None of that is something to feel guilty about. You and Athos have been knocking boots for so many years now that it was inevitable that the two of you were going to reach this point eventually. I meant what I said, either throw Athos down on top of the bed and jump him, or let him take the lead. Heaven knows you've seen me flirt without actually doing anything myself. Each man is different though, so you simply have to let Athos know in simple gestures that he will understand, that you are ready and he'll no doubt do the jumping. I know he's gruff and cold sometimes, but I can't imagine him being able to resist that."
Amorette squeezed Claude's hand back before letting go. "I think I know what you mean. I think we might have already showed one another what we want though. I'm just overthinking everything."
"That's exactly what you're doing," agreed Claude. "That's why if you talk about it you'll drive each other away until-" A sharp and unique knock at the outer door interrupted their conversation swiftly. The click of the door opening and closing had Claude jumping up. "Shall I lock this door?"
"No," said Amorette with a chuckle.
Claude caught her meaning after a few seconds and grinned. "Oh, has he seen you um..." her eyes dropped to Amorette's now almost transparent bath shirt.
Amorette shook her head. "In a nightshirt but no, not like this."
"Oh lah lah," exclaimed Claude rather too loudly. "I'll take my leave of you then. I don't want to hold up proceedings! I'll pull the latch on the door on the way out!"
Claude gathered her cloak and hat into her arms just as the door creaked open and Athos appeared. He spotted Amorette's face peeking out above the edge of the bath and jerked backwards. Claude's face in that moment almost made Amorette roar with laughter. Amorette shared a mischievous and teasing glance with her friend before calling out, "Athos it's alright I'm wearing a bath shirt!"
Athos reappeared from behind the door, face stoic as it more than often was. Claude said her goodbyes quickly and bustled out, throwing Amorette a wink over Athos' shoulder. Amorette schooled her features into an expression of calmness as Athos gently approached the bath, taking Claude's vacant seat.
"How's your arm?" Amorette asked as she observed the way he carefully held himself.
"It's just a scratch. I told you that earlier. It's fine."
His clipped sentences were enough combined with his pointedly fixed eyeline to tell Amorette that he was determinedly trying so very hard to be a gentleman and not look below her chin. Deciding to make things a little worse for him, Amorette sat forward until she could take his hand in hers on the edge of the bath tub. "I know very well what kind of wound it is thank you. I was worried about you. It bled a lot and you looked ever so pale."
"You looked even paler just from looking at it," quipped Athos.
Amorette shook her head exasperatedly. "Well if your sharp tongue has returned then you really must be fine. What did you all find out at the Conciergerie?"
Athos sighed heavily. "I think we may have identified a few ringleaders, but there are more that have not been caught. The mastermind behind the whole thing is surely the one who set off those explosions. They were small, and homemade explosives. No one would really have been badly maimed. I think they simply wanted to cause trouble, but next time things might be much worse. I think when we take a fresh look at things in the morning, and with Aramis' fresh eyes we might stumble upon something new. For now, we simply must wait. It's too dark to walk the streets in search of answers now. Speaking of which, we may need to speak to those two boys you came across. They may have seen something."
Amorette slowly began to tell Athos about the two boys that she had come across in more detail, but she soon realised that he wasn't really paying attention. He was overtired; that much was obvious, but the way he was watching the movement of her lips as she spoke told Amorette that the only thing crossing his mind at that moment was how much he wanted to kiss her. So, she began to slowly lean her body towards him, rivulets of water dripping from the ends of her wet hair. As she finished speaking, her face had reached his; their noses almost touching. He gently reached up to brush the wet hair away from her face and Amorette was very aware of her quiet breaths becoming heavier and more laboured as his hand cupped her face gently. His thumb made gentle swirling movements along her cheekbone until suddenly he let his thumb trail gently across her lower lip.
Amorette abandoned her calm pretence and grabbed his doublet with both of her hands to hold him in place. She kissed him impatiently as his hand left her face and trailed lightly down the side of her arm to rest at her waist. Amorette began to fall backwards against the bath, dragging Athos with her until he was no longer sitting on the stool but leaning over the bath. His kiss grew immediately hungrier as both of his hands now dipped below the scented bath water to splay against her flat stomach. Amorette felt butterflies in her stomach as ever so slowly the hands began to roam further towards her chest. Just as the tip of one of his fingers brushed against the bottom of her breast, Amorette let out a whimper.
Athos tore his face from hers, the water splashing as he removed his hands. Amorette inwardly groaned. For a few seconds, they simply stared at one another wondering who was going to make the next move. Athos leaned forward again to rest his forehead against Amorette's and he sighed dejectedly. "I can't stay for much longer. I only came to check on you," he murmured. His warm breath ghosted across Amorette's face and she knew he was trying against even his own will to kill the moment. "I'm still not pleased you ventured out at all today against my wishes. I'm sure you'll be in need of a decent night's sleep with all that happened today on top of you being ill. Treville wants us up at first light, fresh and alert."
In truth, in all the excitement Amorette had forgotten all about being ill. She smiled coyly at him, pleased that he didn't plan to dwell too much upon her illness. "Oh Athos, what on earth could I possibly do that would mean you wouldn't be fresh and alert tomorrow morning?"
Athos shut his eyes as if in pain and backed away from her again. "Amorette, I'm beginning to wonder if your friend Claude Morreaux censors all that you say now."
Amorette snorted. "Perhaps she has been an influence on me, but without it I think I might be rather more frigid."
It was Athos' turn to snort. "I don't think anyone could accuse you of being that after that kiss. I meant what I said though, I need to get back. I only came to check on you and meet Aramis. Treville requires a debrief even at this late hour."
"I'll come and find you tomorrow then," mused Amorette as she leaned back in the bath tub again.
"Alright, but wait until after luncheon," he agreed. "We'll be walking the streets from dawn so I expect we won't be back at the garrison until then."
Athos placed a chaste kiss upon her lips and then retreated to disappear through the door again. She listened to his footsteps cross the parlour and open the outer door, her heart soaring as she heard him release the catch so that when he closed the door behind him, it was locked and secure from the outside. Amorette was left mulling over the day in her scented bath water, and to say that she was frustrated would be an understatement. It had to happen soon, the very next day if she had anything to do with it. In her mind, she silently promised herself that if the mastermind behind the riots was caught and locked away, she would go to him the very next evening and then, she would not take no for an answer.
Then she sneezed loudly.