More Monday night plot. Previously, they'd got to her house. Bit of an epic, but it sets us up for some smut out in the next post.
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They looked around the room curiously - books lined one wall, a large fireplace on another wall was flanked by two chairs, large windows looked out over the paddocks and driveway. Drinks were set out on the table, and in a corner a chess set was arrayed. Aramis let out a snort, trying to make sense of the board. "Look!" he waved his hand in bemusement over the board. All the pieces were out, arrayed against each other, with at least a dozen waiting to be taken - yet they were all still on the board. He moved pieces, playing both sides to strip out the deadlocked ones. "Now it's a game." Porthos joined him at the board and they settled to finish the game, placing bets on who would win.
The housekeeper bustled into the room, bringing more drinks in and stopped short at the sight of them playing chess, glancing back in alarm as Kate followed her in, back to wearing a dress. She also stopped abruptly, staring nonplussed at the sight of the board.
"My lady...?" Madame Allais's nervousness transmitted itself to the musketeers. Something was obviously awry, and they glanced at each other.
Kate blinked a couple of times, and shook her head slightly. "It's fine." she looked at Madame Allais. "Really. It's past time we reset the board." She looked at the pieces "Who's winning?" A black queen was waved at her and a look of utter desolation flashed briefly across her face as she turned to leave the room again. Madame Allais almost threw her tray at the table and hurried after her.
The men exchanged confused looks "Maybe she favours white?"
.......
Athos set down his glass and walked out into the hallway. The others watched him go.
Aramis frowned. "You know how everyone's been laughing about this betrothal? Saying that he's landed himself in a right mess?" The other two looked enquiringly at him "Well, think about it... she's got her own property, an income, she's..." he paused, considering "...fairly pretty, she seems relatively undemanding, and I don't know when he last slept in his own room - or when one of us had to carry him back drunk from the tavern.... I think he's landed well on his feet."
The others considered this point of view and nodded thoughtfully.
.....
There was no sign of them, but voices drew him to the opposite door. He looked across the room and saw them standing on the terrace outside. Madame Allais was standing by her with a concerned expression on her face; Kate had her back to him, leaning on the balustrade that overlooked the gardens. He walked out to join them and was rewarded with a furious look from Madame Allais. Kate glanced back and saw him - waved Madame Allais away: she bustled past him, muttering uncomplimentary things under her breath - 'thoughtless' was probably the least insulting. He stood next to Kate in silence, looking out over the garden, then turned to look at her and wondered if he should have refilled his glass with something stronger and brought it with him.
She glanced at him and sighed. "It was our last game - I was black, he was white. I told him he couldn't die until we'd finished the game." He thought back, realising the significance of the untaken pieces. "So we just played to stalemate and both found increasingly inventive ways not to win. Though he said he was bound to win eventually, because I'd never be so unkind as to let him lose his last game. It's amazing - the things we do to fool ourselves. As if a game of chess could hold back death." She closed her eyes and he wrapped her in his arms, saying nothing, unable to think of what he could say that would help - it hadn't even occurred to him that it would be hard for her to bring them here. She drew a shaky breath. "It's fine, really. I was just... I didn't expect..." her voice trailed off as he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Tell them it's fine. Anyway, I'll thrash the lot of them later if they want another game." She looked up at him with a rather wobbly smile.
"Anything else we should avoid?"
She looked thoughtful "Don't play cards against the steward - he cheats shamelessly.... and treat the cider with extreme caution." Her smile was more genuine this time, then she sighed. "I'd better go and see Madame Allais."
"Kate...?"
"I'm ok. It's just..." She shook her head. "I've spent the past five years keeping Paris separate from here, and it's... " she shrugged helplessly, unable to articulate the feelings of tension and unease that seemed to be running through the house. "I never use the front door."
He grinned "They're not trying to make you behave like the lady of the house are they?"
She continued to look worried. "I don't use the front door, I eat in the kitchen. They're not servants, they're my family..."
"Except suddenly you're betrothed to someone they know nothing about and they have no idea what to expect or how to behave?"
Kate sighed "I suppose so. But I wrote... I'd better go and try to straighten things out." She buried her face in his shoulder again, then pushed back and drew a deep breath to calm her nerves before going in search of Madame Allais while he returned to the library.
.......
Madame Allais was in her office with Marie. They had read through Treville's letter several times. He vouched for her escort - saying that they were the best in the regiment, and had then gone on to warn them that there had been some sort of trouble at court, that Kate had seen one of her friends die in a stable accident, and that betrothal had come out of the blue for all concerned - though he was assured that they were a good match and that she seemed happy enough with the situation. But she was on edge, he had written, wound more tightly than he had seen her since Phillipe's death and he suggested that they humour her as much as possible.
But this liaison? They had turned it over and over between them. On the one hand it was a blessed relief that she was showing any interest in a man - but whilst an affair with a musketeer might be acceptable in Paris, it was not acceptable here - especially if she was now betrothed. How could it end in anything but disaster? It was not behaviour that could be humoured or condoned in any way, and what on earth had M. Treville been thinking in choosing him as part of her escort - unless the situation had developed on the journey. Marie shook her head, her lips a thin line of disapproval.
Kate heard the murmur of their voices through the door, took a deep breath and tapped on it before going in. They both stood as the door opened and looked at each other. Marie took a deep breath. "Kate, I know things haven't been easy recently, but it has to stop." Kate stopped in her tracks, bemused. "We're not stupid, we've both seen the way you look at each other, and you're playing with fire. If we've seen it then others have, and you're betrothed. It won't do." Kate continued to look at them in utter bewilderment and Marie began to get irritated. "Don't you play the fool with me young lady. You know exactly what I'm talking about - your affair with that Musketeer. It stops - now."
Kate gaped at them, then clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to control her breathing and stop her laughter from tipping over into hysteria. Alarmed, both women moved towards Kate, but were beaten by the wolfhound who sauntered in and stood protectively beside her as she sank down against a wall and buried her face in his fur, shoulders shaking. The dog raised its lips in a silent snarl as they approached and the two women stepped back. "Caitlyn!" Marie snapped at her, increasingly annoyed and Kate had a sudden flashback to hiding under a table, arms wrapped round a different dog while her mother screamed at her, how she'd covered her ears - rocking backwards and forwards for comfort. She had been five, maybe six. She dug her fingers into the dogs coat and clawed her way back to the present, sucking in oxygen. Felt the vibration of the dog's growl and reached out to sooth him, a long forgotten lullaby playing though her head. She opened her eyes against the warmth of the dog's body and steadied her breathing.
"Who exactly do you think I'm betrothed to?"
The two older women exchanged confused looks. "Your letter said he was a Comte..."
"I sent more than one letter..."
They looked at each other blankly. Kate sighed and dropped her head back against the dog's coat, then hauled herself up. "Wait here..."
They stood, looking at each empty doorway, then at other "It's not him, surely? M. Treville wouldn't have called a musketeer a good match?"
.......
Kate reappeared after a short absence. "Madame Allais, Marie. May I present Athos of the King's Musketeers, technically the Comte de la Fère though he doesn't acknowledge the title. My betrothed. And he does not sleep in the servants quarters."
They curtsied mutely as he bowed slightly "My apologies for the confusion ladies, I had assumed you'd been told."
Kate shook her head slightly. "I did..." she swayed slightly and felt his grip tighten as he steadied her, looking at her in concern.
"You need to rest." His words were lost as Marie stepped around the table.
"Right, enough of this." Marie steered her onto a chair "You need food and a bed - you're exhausted. We'll get a bath drawn for you while you eat, and then you need to sleep."
Athos raised an eyebrow "Bath?"
Kate glanced at him "I'm unconvinced by the cleansing properties of linen shirts. Besides, you haven't lived until you've had a hot bath. We went to Languedoc once..." She smiled in recollection. "You know - the hot springs? Pierre said the only way he could persuade me to come home again was to promise me hot baths here." She propped her head on a hand and rubbed her face, looking at Marie. "Sleep first, I need some sleep." She dropped her head onto her arms, resting on the table.
"Kate, for goodness sake..." there was no response. Marie shook her shoulder and she looked up blearily as Madame Allais pulled back a curtain to reveal a chaise. "Get some rest, we'll wake you before dinner." She glanced at Athos "She's better off here, we can keep an eye on her."
Athos inclined his head as Madame Allais looked warily at him. "We'll prepare a room for you..." he nodded and retreated as he heard a sleepy but distinct mutter from Kate.
"He sleeps with me." He grinned to himself as he imagined the scandalised looks, but heard no answering argument from the room.