Memoirs of Aramis, Book 6

Memoirs of Aramis, Book 6

Annotation

The sixth book of the fan fiction “Memoirs of Aramis” tells about the events that occurred during the action of the novel “The Vicomte de Bragelonne or Ten Years Later”, but covers them in a new way. Some minor lines are left aside, while other lines are developed in more detail. But the ending of this book is noticeably different from the ending of the novel “The Vicomte de Bragelonne”.
Aramis is familiar with the trilogy "The Three Musketeers", "Twenty Years After", and "The Vicomte de Bragelonne or Ten Years After", which are known as the novels of Alexandre Dumas.
Since Alexandre Dumas himself, in the preface to the first novel of the trilogy, indicates that these are simply slightly edited memoirs of the Count de La F;re, that is, Athos, it is not difficult to understand that this trilogy, in the opinion of Dumas himself, was written during Athos’ lifetime. How then can this trilogy describe the death of Athos and the events that happened later?
Aramis guessed that Athos's servant, Grimaud, wrote this trilogy. Athos forbade him to speak, but in his old age Grimaud was not burdened with great responsibilities; he lived in the castle of Bragelon, where there was an extensive library. He read contemporary books and eventually decided to write his own book, describing the adventures of the musketeers, but decorating it with some fantastic episodes to make it more attractive.
So, Aramis, having a trilogy and calling it Grimaud's memoirs, decided to write his own memoirs. On this basis, he did not begin to set out those events that were already quite accurately described in this trilogy by Grimaud, however, noticing obvious errors and contradictions, he did not fail to point out them and present his own version of what happened.

The first book described the events that took place before d'Artagnan arrived in Paris. The second book is connected in time with the events of the novel “The Three Musketeers”. The third book recounts the events between those described in this novel and those described in the novel "Twenty Years Later". The fourth book provides a parallel vision, differing in many details from the book Twenty Years Later. The fifth book begins from the place when the heroes, having received the desired rewards, go to their homes, and ends with the time when they met again, that is, during the beginning of the book “The Vicomte de Bragelonne”.
The book begins with chapter 215, the first chapter after the death of Cardinal Mazarin.
You will find chapters 1 – 44 in the first book, and chapters 45 – 92 in the second book, chapters 93 – 133 in the third book, 134 – 174 in the fourth book, chapters 175 – 214 in the fifth book.
Enjoy reading!

Chapter 215

After the death of Mazarin, on March 9, Louis seemed to be replaced. On the morning of March 10, Louis summoned his key advisers and secretaries of state.
“Gentlemen, from now on I will rule my kingdom myself,” he announced. “Therefore, my ministers and secretaries should seek instructions directly from me.” No more orders will be signed and no funds will be allocated without my personal sanction. You have questions?
— Your Majesty, when can we hope to know your will regarding the person who will be appointed First Minister? — Chancellor Seguier inquired delicately.
— Were you not listening to me carefully? — asked Louis. — I said that I would decide everything myself. This means that I will not have a First Minister, or, if you prefer, I will be my own First Minister.
Segye bowed respectfully, and everyone else tried to quietly move away from him, noticing notes of dissatisfaction in the King’s answer.
— The high council will include War Minister Letelier, Foreign Minister Lyonne and Finance Minister Fouquet, - Louis said.
Everyone present moved another half step away from Segye, since his name, contrary to tradition, was not mentioned.
— Mr. Seguier, your duties will henceforth be limited to the field of justice and administrative affairs, - continued the King. — You will certify my decrees and put seals on them.
Those present smiled friendly at Segya and quietly tried to return to their previous places, coming a little closer to him.
— By the way, I instruct you, Monsieur Seguier, to inform Her Majesty and Monsieur, as well as Conde, that from now on their presence at the meeting of the royal council is not required, - Louis added.
Segye's stakes have increased again, since not every courtier is entrusted by the King to convey his orders to the Queen Mother, the King's brother and the prince of the blood!
— It's all for today, - Louis finished. — I won't keep you any longer, gentlemen.
The ministers took their leave and left the King's reception hall.
— What will it be? — asked the discouraged Segye.
— What actually worries you? — asked Fouquet with a pleased look. — Let's let His Majesty feel like the master of the state and enjoy absolute power. Sooner or later he will understand that it is not the King’s business to calculate finances, solve economic problems, or plan civil and military expenses. Not a single general ever deals with economic affairs; he has a quartermaster for that. So why should the King do this? Is there really not enough smart business people in his kingdom who are ready to do complex and routine work for him? You will see, Mr. Segier, in two weeks, or, at most, in a month, the King will call you and entrust you with all the work that you previously did, and even more. Who will be able to do all the gigantic work of governing the state that Mazarin did all this time? The king announced that he would do it himself. Wonderful! We shouldn't argue with this! But we must be prepared for the fact that very soon he will ask us who we could nominate from our ranks to do this work. This is what we should think about, gentlemen! If our decision is well-founded, thoughtful and agreed upon, if we all propose the same person, the King will accept this candidacy without doubt.
"He means himself," thought Letellier. — Cleverly wrapped up the case!
— What do you want me to do? — Segier asked. — Endorsement of papers and stamps on them? Or go and declare the royal will to the Queen Mother, Philippe d'Orl;ans and the great Cond;?
— As for the second question, I believe there should be no doubt, because you cannot disobey the order of the King, - Lyonne said. — And regarding the first question, you have absolutely nothing to be offended by. After all, if you endorse the King’s orders, then without your visas these documents will be invalid! You will remain the chancellor as you were! Mr. Fouquet is right: we must allow His Majesty to play a little at absolutism, to enjoy the feeling of complete power. It's okay, it passes. Remember how Louis XIII was burdened by the need to make decisions on his own! How he left all decisions to Richelieu! Remember also how he rejoiced at the death of the cardinal, deciding that, finally, he had become completely free in all his actions! Three days later, he grabbed his head in horror from the abundance of papers that he needed to sort through, and on which he would now have to make decisions himself. And the glorious King Henry IV? Wasn't he the same? He entrusted the management of finances, and then the entire state, to Sully. All monarchs need first ministers, and ours will be no exception!
— Well, gentlemen, we have time to think about the candidacy and not make rash decisions in a hurry,” Fouquet summed up. — I don't see any significant changes in my duties except that we will meet a little less often with the Queen Mother, with Monsieur and with Cond;. This doesn't upset me at all.
— Monsieur will be furious - Lyonne said. — God forbid, he will start plotting like his uncle Gaston.
— Philip is not like that at all, - objected Fouquet. — Besides, it seems that the Duchess de Chevreuse is not one of his friends?
— Hope so! — exclaimed Seguier. — Thank God, this lady has somewhat moderated her ardor and stopped interfering in all the affairs of the kingdom!
— Yeah! — Fouquet agreed. — It was not for nothing that Richelieu said that the main problem of France is the Duchess de Chevreuse, and if there were no duchess, then France would not have any problems!
— I believe that in the year when God gave the state King Louis XIII, as well as the future Queen Anne, the devil gave birth to Duchess Marie de Rohan, the future Chevreuse! — Letellier said.
— That's how it was! — Fouquet picked up. — I would give a million livres for this intriguer to get away somewhere far away from Europe, for example, to Africa or India, or, better yet, to snowy Russia!
Fouquet underestimated the duchess. We all underestimated her back then. If you could remove it for double or even triple the price, it would still be a great deal! But what can you do! At that time, I also underestimated Maria’s energy, this destructive power of her persistence, combined with amazing awareness and far from feminine cunning.

Chapter 216

— Mister Colbert, said Louis after a short silence. — The late Cardinal Mazarin bequeathed to me to rely on your help in financial matters. You proved that this advice was very well founded, demonstrating the highest honesty and integrity, since you returned a very hefty sum to the treasury, which you could have kept for yourself without consequences
— Your Majesty, I consider it unacceptable to embezzle government money, - Colbert replied. — To rob your King is an unthinkable crime!
— Unfortunately, not everyone thinks the same as you, - said the King. — And yet you are not like them, and I will remember and take this into account. You deserve to be appointed to the position of Quartermaster of Finance, and you have received it. But the cardinal said something else about you.
Colbert bowed, realizing that this would be another positive recommendation.
— The Cardinal recommended you as a specialist in military affairs, - said the King. — I don't know you at all from this side. How do you explain this recommendation? What is your knowledge in the military field?
— For example, I know that silver, gold, pearl and diamond decorations on the uniforms and on the horses of marshals, officers and soldiers do not in any way increase the combat effectiveness of the army, while better food for soldiers, better feed for horses, better gunpowder, bullets, muskets, pistols, cannons and siege weapons greatly contribute to the combat power of troops, - Colbert said. — Six hundred musketeers without silver braid are better than five hundred musketeers with silver braid, and the cost will be the same. By eliminating unnecessary expenses, we could equip a better army, build more ships, and fortify our borders with better fortresses.
— An interesting view from a financier on army supplies! — exclaimed Louis.
— You can look at anything through the eyes of a financier, Your Majesty, - Colbert replied. — Your august grandfather, His Majesty Henry IV, would probably have chosen another wife if not for financial considerations. The Great Cond; would have remained one of the most dangerous enemies of France if not for the money that Cardinal Mazarin offered him. Money can fight just as well as an army. But an army without money means nothing, as the mercenaries of King Charles I of England proved. He saved and hid millions of pounds sterling, as far as I know, in diamonds and other treasures for his heir, King Charles II, so that he could regain the throne of England and Scotland that his father had lost. But King Charles could have found a better use for this money. If he had used them correctly, he would not have lost the loyalty of the army, and would not have lost his throne. Then his son would not have to return it, he simply received it from the hands of his father, who would have died calmly in his bed from old age or from ordinary diseases, but would not have laid his head on the block under the blow of the executioner's ax, which, I heard, even I was not a professional in this matter. They say it was a Frenchman named Mordaunt.
— You are aware of many events almost as well as I am! — exclaimed the King.
Colbert was smart enough to understand that Louis was, to put it mildly, exaggerating, and to realize that this game should be supported.
— Far from being like you, Your Majesty, but I have sources of information, - he played along with the King. — For example, I am aware that Your Majesty has ordered the fortification of the island of Belle-Ile, turning it into a fortress, and I fully support this decision, but there is one circumstance that remains incomprehensible to me.
“Am I fortifying Belle-Ile? — Louis was surprised. — I still have a lot to learn about myself!”
— I wonder, dear Colbert, what exactly has escaped your inquisitive mind? — said the King with a grin.
— I am not interested in the name of the talented engineer who designed these fortifications - Colbert said. — Although, on occasion, I would ask him the question why the fortress walls facing the mainland are not only not weaker, but even, it seems to me, much stronger than the walls that face the open sea, although, of course, I just, apparently, did not take into account some tactical considerations, since strategic considerations would convince me that the opposite should be done.
— Yes, yes, tactics and strategy, they sometimes, you know, put forward divergent demands, - said the King absently. — But if you are not interested in this, then what are you interested in?
— As a financier, I am primarily interested in why the island is owned by Mr. Fouquet, and the construction is carried out at the expense of the treasury, in any case, no less than half of this cost - Colbert said calmly. — However, I understand that there is, of course, some confidential agreement, according to which the management of the island will be carried out on a parity basis, that is, the commandant of the island, Mr. Fouquet will appoint, of course, in agreement with Your Majesty, and the troops stationed on the island for The defense of this new fortress will, of course, be Your Majesty's troops. And, of course, Mr. Fouquet signed an obligation to accept royal ships duty-free in the ports of Belle-Ile and provide them with comprehensive assistance at his own expense. In this case, I admire this project.
Louis bit his lip.
— All these agreements were reached orally between the cardinal and Fouquet, - said the King, blushing. — I remember the cardinal telling me about this.
— I assumed so - Colbert replied. — Oral agreements in the world of financiers are observed no less strictly than written ones. I would even say that they are sometimes stronger than paper agreements, since fulfilling them is a matter of honor for a nobleman. But oral agreements with dead people are unreliable...
— In the very near future, Mr. Fouquet and I will formalize these agreements in writing, - said the King. — More than half of the expenses are paid by the treasury, you say? Not a third or a quarter, but more than half? This goes somewhat beyond the scope of... Verbal agreements.
— Sixty-two and a half percent, - Colbert answered so quickly and without hesitation, as if he had been expecting this question, as in fact it was.
— Sixty-two and a half percent, - Louis repeated thoughtfully.
— Two hundred and fifty thousand livres, Colbert clarified. — With a total cost of work of four hundred thousand livres. However, by the time the work is completed, the actual costs, I believe, will be twice as much. If the ratio of contributions from two sources of funds for construction remains the same, treasury expenses will amount to...
— Five hundred thousand livres, - said the King. — Fouquet is truly a miraculous superintendent of finance. If he can wring such sums out of the treasury with such dexterity that I thought were not freely contained in it, I believe he could squeeze water out of a stone!
— This is roughly what his officials who collect taxes do - Colbert replied.
— Thank you, Monsieur Colbert, you have convinced me that the recommendation on the military side that the cardinal gave you is no less deserved than the recommendation on the financial side, - answered the King. — I'm not detaining you, you are free. Tomorrow I expect you with a report on current affairs.
“However, things are happening in my state that should not be carried out without my consent! — thought the King. — They ask me for consent to all sorts of nonsense, and the fortification of the island, worth fifty million livres, is being carried out without me! And besides, this island is owned by Fouquet! I thought this land was still in the Gondi family! How did Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz, break up with him? How did he persuade him and at what price?”
Half an hour later, the captain of the royal musketeers d'Artagnan appeared in the King's office.
— Your Majesty, - said the captain and bowed to the King.
— Mr. Captain, go as quickly as possible to the island of Belle-Ile, - said Louis. — You should, if possible, without attracting anyone's attention, familiarize yourself with the work ongoing on the island to build a fortress. Compare how the outer part of the island, facing the sea, is fortified more strongly than the inner one, how the artillery is oriented, how effectively it can interact with the artillery of mainland France, pay attention to the ports.
— I understand, Your Majesty, - answered d'Artagnan.
— Take with you as many people as you need to complete your mission - added the King.
— Your Majesty, must I be inconspicuous, or will I have to carry out the capture or arrest of the rebels? — asked d'Artagnan.
— You must remain unnoticed and preferably unrecognized, - Louis answered.
— In this case, I will need not people, but money, - said d'Artagnan.
— You may need people to ensure your safety, - Louis specified.
— A sword is enough for this, - answered d'Artagnan.
— Fine, - The King agreed. - Ride on horseback, it will be faster. I will give you a written order to all government officials to provide all possible assistance to a royal officer traveling incognito and carrying this document. You will also receive two thousand for travel expenses and unexpected expenses. Take with you a reliable officer from among the newcomers, whom no one knows, and let him present this patent, if necessary, for the support of the authorities, but at the same time be completely subordinate to you. You yourself must travel incognito, without presenting any documents, using only money. You can, at your discretion, portray his servant or friend, or resort to money. Note which of the two remedies provided to you will be more effective.
— I understand everything, Your Majesty, - answered d'Artagnan. — You will receive the most accurate information in the shortest possible time.
— You will receive two thousand pistoles from Colbert, the document is already ready, take it on the table, - said Louis. — I will eagerly await your report, d'Artagnan. This is a matter of national importance.
d'Artagnan clicked his heels, bowed and, grabbing the indicated document from the table, left.
“Renaud,” he said to one of the musketeers he met on the road, “find d’Arlencourt and tell him that in half an hour we are leaving on horseback on urgent business.”
The musketeer nodded and hurriedly headed towards the barracks.
— Mister Colbert! — The captain of the musketeers turned to the quartermaster of finance, whom he met almost immediately not far from the King’s reception room. — I have been ordered to receive two thousand pistoles from you.
— Take three just in case - Colbert replied.
— Damn it, I like you! — exclaimed d'Artagnan.
— Upon your return, return the extra thousand back to the treasury, - Colbert clarified.
— Under these conditions, I prefer to limit myself to the amount that His Majesty determined for me - D'Artagnan answered disappointedly.
— But this does not mean that you will not need to submit a report on the funds spent - Colbert clarified.
— I'm not good at writing, - D'Artagnan snapped. — My business is sword, pistols, muskets. Let's finally get some money!
— With this order you will receive the required amounts from Fouquet, - answered Colbert, taking out a warrant from the cuff of his sleeve, depositing the sum of two thousand pistoles and putting his signature there.
— Mr. Superintendent of Finance issues money on an order from the intendant? — D'Artagnan was surprised.
— What bothers you? — Colbert asked.
— It seemed to me that it was not he who obeyed you, but you who obeyed him, - answered d'Artagnan.
— So you think he will refuse you? — Colbert was delighted. — But this is an order from the King!
— Will you write in this order of yours that the amount is given to me by order of the King? — clarified d'Artagnan. — In this case, perhaps you are right, and Fouquet will give me the money. If he trusts your signature.
— He must trust my signature even without such a postscript, - Colbert replied coldly.
— Therefore, if Fouquet refuses me, I will not be able to carry out the King’s order, and you will be to blame for this,” D'Artagnan replied even more coldly.
“If Fouquet refuses you, you will return to me and receive the required amount,” Colbert said.
— Listen, I don’t have time to play these games with you, - said d'Artagnan with irritation. — Is it possible to postpone such experiments for another time, when I will not be in such a hurry to carry out the King’s orders? If you have the required amount, give it to me immediately yourself; if you do not have it, I will not waste time returning to you for it, I will travel with my own money, and upon returning I will report to the King that you refused carry out his order.
— Why are you so excited, Mr. Captain? — Colbert exclaimed in fear. — How could you think that the intendant of the royal finances does not have two thousand pistoles?
— You yourself gave me reason to think so, Mr. Intendant of the Royal Finances, - D'Artagnan answered through gritted teeth.
“Damn it, thirty years ago I would have simply stabbed this scoundrel, instead of wasting so much time negotiating with him! — thought d'Artagnan. — I’m becoming too lenient towards people, because I’ve seen scoundrels of all sorts and stripes during my long service!”

— Let's go, - said Colbert, gaining control of himself. — On the way to the barracks, let's stop by and I'll give you two thousand pistoles.
— Let's go - answered d'Artagnan.
“That’s what should have been done right away,” thought d'Artagnan with irritation. — How much time was wasted!”

Chapter 217

- D'Herblay, I need your advice! - Fouquet exclaimed, coming towards me. — The king ordered the arrest of Liodo and d'Emery.
— An arrest is not yet an investigation, an investigation is not yet a trial, a trial is not yet a verdict, and a verdict is not yet an execution, - I answered philosophically.
— This time you are wrong, - answered Fouquet with a sigh. — The investigation was carried out secretly under the leadership of Colbert, the trial has already taken place, also secretly, the verdict has been pronounced, and, I’m afraid, it will soon be confirmed! Perhaps at this very moment the King is approving the death penalty for them! And it is possible that the King’s signature is already on this verdict!
— What are you going to do? — I asked.
— I am ready to do anything to save them! — exclaimed Fouquet.
— This is right, - I agreed. — Do you believe in the success of this business?
— Unfortunately no, - answered Fouquet.
— And it is right, - I admitted. — So, we start from two correct premises and, therefore, of course, we will come to the right decision.
— What is the right decision? — Fouquet was surprised. — After all, if we know that our attempts are doomed to failure, then there is no solution to this problem!
— On the contrary, if you know how to act and know how it will end, you will not make mistakes, - I answered. — Let me clarify. You wonder why you should try to save your friends if you know in advance that they are all doomed to failure, right?
— That's right, d'Herblay, - Fouquet agreed.
— So I’ll answer this question for you - I answered. — If you know that it is impossible to save Liodo and d'Emery, and, by the way, their fate is well deserved, since they are accused of exactly what they are guilty of, therefore, do you think, there is no point in taking action to save them?
— I am powerless to change anything - moaned Fouquet.
— Regarding the fate of Liodo and d'Emery - yes, but regarding your other friends - this is what is important, and for their sake you must do everything possible and impossible so that they are confident in your protection to the last possible opportunity - I explained. — If you do nothing today to save Liodo and d'Emery, tomorrow you will not have a single friend left. Hurt yourself today for the sake of these two, and tomorrow everyone else will sacrifice themselves for you. If your actions cannot be effective, at least make them obvious to everyone.
— What are you offering? — asked Fouquet.
— Let your brother, Abb; Fouquet, raise his clients to demonstrate their readiness to revolt, - I said. — There is no need to build barricades, but go around the markets, arouse people to discontent, arm them with some relevant slogans, teach them to call out some simple but resonant phrases, your brother’s people should cope with this. Also, try to bribe the guards. Entrust some talker to do this, and let the sum offered for their salvation be such that all Paris will tremble.
— Two hundred thousand livres? — asked Fouquet.
— Five hundred, - I answered. — Seven hundred thousand. A million, after all.
— For one million three hundred thousand livres I bought the island of Belle-Ile! — exclaimed Fouquet. — Do you want me to pay a million livres to save Liodo and d'Emery?
— I don't want this at all, I objected. — These people were not worth it even when they were above suspicion. Now that their guilt has been established and proven, I would not give twenty pistoles wholesale for them. But I want all of Paris to talk about the fact that Mr. Superintendent of Finance Nicolas Fouquet did not spare a million livres to help out his friends.
— What if the King finds out about this? — Fouquet was horrified.
— The intention to help out friends is not a crime if it is not carried out - I answered. — You have nothing to fear.
— What if the security agrees to this price? — asked Fouquet.
— It is necessary that Paris learn about this amount only after Liodo and d'Emery are executed.
— Is there really nothing I can do for Liodo and d'Emery? — Fouquet asked in despair. — Really, I can’t do anything for them, not just in appearance, but in reality?
— You will go to the King and ask him to take care of the family of the condemned, - I answered. — You will ask not to persecute the families of the convicted, you will beg to leave them their fortune and titles.
— But, as far as I know, the court did not encroach on the fortune and titles of the convicts, - answered Fouquet.
— But the Parisians do not know this, - I answered. — Consequently, if someone knows about the purpose of your petition and compares it with the results, then all of Paris will be convinced that you have a strong influence on the King, that you and only you thought about and took care of the families of the unfortunate, that you are the best, the most reliable friend and advocate for his clients.
— What if the King answers me that I am asking for something that is not required to be asked? — asked Fouquet.
— Ask for a conversation in private, and when all the witnesses to your meeting have left His Majesty’s office, offer the King his deepest apologies for not identifying dishonest officials in your ranks, and also ask how you can atone for your excessive gullibility, how important and with a difficult assignment the King will give you the opportunity to atone for your mistake and regain full trust, - I answered. — By the way, let your brother Fran;ois visit your home at this time and tell your guests and clients how deeply you feel about the misfortune that has befallen your two friends, and that you are taking all measures, possible and impossible, to save them.
— Well, your advice, as always, is wise, - said Fouquet. — I feel a little uneasy at the thought that I cannot do anything to actually save these unfortunates, but you are right that now we should not think about saving the doomed, but about saving all those who can still be saved.
— Absolutely right, monsignor, - I agreed.

Chapter 218

— Have you come to plead with me for Liodo and d'Emery? — asked the King.
— Your Majesty, let me talk to you in private, - Fouquet humbly replied.
— Leave us - Louis said to the secretary.
— Your Majesty, I in no way dare to doubt the reliability of the results of the investigation by the Chamber of Justice into the abuses of local government officials, - hastened to answer Fouquet as soon as the secretary left the office. — The idea of creating such a Chamber belongs to me, and Cardinal Mazarin would have confirmed this if he had been alive. Of course, this House must act under the direction and control of the Attorney General. But if she has already completed her investigations into the abuses of these two nobles, and if their report has already been reviewed and approved by Your Majesty, then, of course, I can only agree with this report and with the conclusion that the judicial commission will make about these nobles.
— Already done, - Louis specified.
— Already done, Your Majesty, - Fouquet agreed.
— I have already approved the sentence to punish the perpetrators, - added the King. — Did you want to ask me something in connection with this matter?
— Your Majesty, I would like to apologize for not keeping an eye on the people under my command - answered Fouquet. — Please accept my assurances that such a case is the exception and not the rule, for which I am ready to provide any evidence.
— That’s great, Fouquet, - The King agreed. — I need your help.
“That's it! — thought Fouquet. — I thought that the King would understand that he could not cope with financial affairs on his own, and would call me in three days, but it happened much earlier! Well, of course, I will agree to the position of First Minister!”
— I instruct you to found a Council of Commerce, the members of which will include, in addition to you, Messrs. Jean-Baptiste de Colbert and Olivier d'Ormesson, - the King said importantly. — Actually, something similar has already happened. All you have to do is revive this Council so that it works more regularly and effectively.
— Of course, if Mr. Colbert joins this council, he will work in a new way, - answered Fouquet, meaning not at all what Louis heard in this answer.
“Damn Colbert made his way here too! - Fouquet thought with annoyance. - Well, never mind, as soon as the King makes me first minister, I will throw him out of all posts! And this will happen, I believe, very soon!”
— It’s great that you speak so warmly about Colbert, - said Louis, either ironically or seriously. — I think that he has as high an opinion of you as you do of him. Great, I think you two will work well together. But that's not all. Here's another order for you. I would say a diplomatic mission related to your financial talents. You must organize influence on Charles II of England and his ministers. It is necessary to persuade England to an alliance with Portugal. You understand that we have established peace with Spain, but it does not follow from this that France is interested in strengthening Spain. If it grows uncontrollably, it may again become a threat to us, and then even despite the fact that the Spanish Infanta has become our Queen, this will not prevent a new war between France and Spain. We need a counterbalance to the rise of Spanish power. An alliance between England and Portugal is very desirable to us. It is necessary that Charles II commemorate this political course with his marriage to Catherine of Braganza.
— Your Majesty, I am a bad diplomat, - answered Fouquet.
— You should organize the implementation of my will, - Louis objected dryly. — I do not require you to be a diplomat, I ask you to organize this matter with the help of those people whom you consider most suitable for this mission.
— I will do my best, Your Majesty, but in this diplomatic mission I do not see a task for a financier,” tried to object to Fouquet as gently as possible.
— How is it that you don’t see the use of your financial talents in a business that uses financial instruments as its means? — asked the King.
— What financial instruments is Your Majesty talking about? — Fouquet asked in surprise.
— Bribery - Louis answered. — I believed that you were fluent in this weapon of Cardinal Mazarin.
— I have heard something about this method, but have never used it, - lied to Fouquet. — But if Your Majesty orders, I will try to find people who can learn this method and use it.
— I would not have expected any other answer and would not have accepted it, - replied the King, and if Fouquet had been more attentive, he would have caught the first notes of irritation that appeared in the voice of Louis XIV when talking to him.
But the King controlled himself very well.
— Go, Monsieur Fouquet, and carry out these instructions of mine, which, of course, do not relieve you of your usual duties, - said Louis extremely softly. - You can spend a million livres to bribe Charles II. It seems that this was exactly the amount he wanted to receive from Mazarin in order to regain his throne. And he received such a sum from his father’s secret treasure, the secret of which was revealed to him by the Count de La Fere. If a million was enough for him for this event, this amount should be sufficient to persuade him to do what we need.
“He needs me and he lets me know it,” thought Fouquet proudly. — He will call me to the post of first minister! He just needs an additional reason, and this reason should be the results of completing these two instructions!”
Very pleased with himself, Fouquet left the King and immediately went to Vannes to meet me.
“D’Herblay, your advice was good, but as a result I received two commissions from the King,” he said.
“At least one of them was not difficult to predict,” I said. — Did the king tell you to create a committee to investigate abuses?
“It will be called the Council of Commerce,” Fouquet clarified. “I, Colbert and d’Ormesson must enter it!” This is a blow to my system.
“This is a victory, monsignor, although a small one, since you have been entrusted with creating the Council, and you will be its chairman,” I said.
“I would have been chairman in any case, because I am a superintendent, unlike Intendant Colbert, and I am also the attorney general.”
“Don’t you remember cases, monsignor, when a groom is entrusted with forming an army, and in this case even the marshals obey him?” - I asked.
“If this is the King’s chief equerry, and if he receives the title of duke and constable, this is not so surprising,” said Fouquet in a slightly fallen voice.
“In order to receive any title from the hands of the King, it takes exactly as long as it takes the King to put his signature on the patent,” I answered. - And even less! He only needs to say his word, and from that moment his decision comes into force.
“You’re right, d’Herblay, but this commission will have to start digging under me!” - objected Fouquet.
“Digging for you under your leadership means digging only where there is nothing to dig,” I said. “So, admit it, monsignor, the fact that you, and not Colbert, received this commission proves that you are still the leader in this secret struggle for the King.” All you have to do is not make a fatal mistake. But you shouldn't underestimate Colbert. If he decided to destroy two of your people with the hands of the King, expect the next blow, which, in any case, according to his calculations, will be stronger. And remember that he is preparing a blow against you that he hopes will crush you. Always remember this, monsignor!
“ It’s not proper for a squirrel to be afraid of a snake!” - Fouquet responded with contempt.
“You trust too much in the fables of your friend La Fontaine,” I objected. — Snakes sometimes crawl into trees and invade squirrel nests.
- I’ll tell Voiture to come up with some kind of fish or beef dish and call it “colbert”, we will serve it at my receptions! - exclaimed Fouquet.
“It’s better to let it be a dish for a fast day, in accordance with the character of Monsieur Colbert,” I clarified. - Let it be a dish of beans with breadcrumbs and green seasoning.
- Agree! - Fouquet answered with a laugh and his mood clearly improved.
- What is the second order? - I asked. — Probably to bribe someone?
- D'Herblay, it seems to me that you were present at this meeting! - exclaimed Fouquet. - You guessed right again!
“This is a test,” I replied. — Colbert convinced the King that you solve many issues through bribes, and he decided to actually demonstrate to him that you are a great specialist in this area. So this order is a trap. If you cope with the assignment perfectly, Colbert will declare you a specialist in bribes, and if you do not fulfill the King’s instructions... Well, you know what this threatens you with.
- What to do? asked Fouquet.
“I’ll take care of it,” I reassured Colbert. —What is the order?
“It is necessary that Charles II enter into a political and military alliance with Portugal and consolidate it with a marriage to Catherine of Braganza,” Fouquet answered and shrugged.
- Alliance against Spain? - I asked.
“That’s right,” confirmed Fouquet.
“Unreal,” I replied. - This alliance is not beneficial to England.
— Bribery? - reminded Fouquet.
“There is not enough money not only in the treasury, but in all of France to turn Charles II onto this path against his will,” I answered. - But I can offer another option. Promise the King that you will persuade Charles II to begin preparing for war with Holland, and no later than four, no, three years to start a war with them. As for the marriage with Catherine of Braganza, you know that Charles II is the true grandson of your grandfather, Henry IV. After Lucy Walter, Elizabeth Killgreet, Catherine Peggy, with whom he had four illegitimate children, he did not stop in his gallant connections. His attention is currently focused on Barbara Villiers, with whom he appears to be expecting his first child. This great-niece of the Duke of Buckingham, once the favorite of our Queen Mother, will not miss hers! I think he will have five or even six children from her, no less, and this relationship will last a long time. So Charles II will easily agree to marry any princess who will tolerate his extramarital affairs. I will try to persuade Catherine of Braganza through some of her friends to make it clear to Charles II that she is no more stupid than Queen Margot and her mother Catherine de Medici, so that she will be no more burdensome as a wife to the King of England than Queen Margot was the wife of Henry IV or Catherine de' Medici to Henry II.
- So, do you consider this august marriage possible? asked Fouquet.
“You can definitely promise Louis XIV that we will arrange the marriage of Charles II with Catherine of Braganza,” I assured Fouquet. - No later than May 1664. This is what I undertake to arrange.
— How much money will this enterprise require? - Fouquet asked worriedly.
“Just a little,” I answered. — To resolve this issue, I will mainly need not so much money as other resources that I already have. Some fifty thousand livres for current and unforeseen expenses would free my hands, but if this money is not provided to me, I will take it from other sources. But you can ask the King for consent to spend those sums for these purposes that you deem necessary. Amounts received in excess of fifty thousand livres can be spent as you wish.
- No no! - exclaimed Fouquet. “I cannot betray His Majesty’s trust!” If you say that this matter will require fifty thousand livres, I will not add to this sum anything more than is required to reward your personal efforts. Let's say I double this amount and ask His Majesty's permission to spend one hundred thousand livres on this commission. You will take half of them as a reward for your efforts.
“What a broad and honest soul! What crystal honesty! - I thought. - And how sincerely this is said! If I had not known that Fouquet had drawn more than eighty thousand livres from the treasury for personal purposes, of which twenty-five had already been spent on the construction of the fortress at Belle-Isle, I would probably have believed him!”
“Monsignor, you cannot help but spend nothing on this matter, because if you do this work for free, then the King will not trust you as a financier, and will begin to suspect you of being a politician, which would be disastrous for you,” I objected. “But it is simply indecent for the Superintendent of Finance to ask the King’s approval for the expenses of bribing the King of another power for an amount less than a million livres.”
Hearing the amount I named, Fouquet shuddered and looked intently into my face.
“I guessed right, the King allowed him to spend a million livres on bribery! - I thought. “Of course, this sum was often mentioned as a means of returning the throne to Charles II, but now that he has become King of England, this sum is no longer so significant for him, they forget about it!”
“Can I really stoop so low as to take a million from the treasury for a cause for which one hundred thousand livres is enough?” asked Fouquet.
“No, of course, your nobility will not allow this,” I said with the most sincere air, although inside I was tempted to put all the bile into this remark and pronounce it as ironically as possible. “I offer you another option, monsignor.”
- I wonder which one it is? asked Fouquet.
“Suppose I said that this matter would require a million livres, would it not surprise you, and you would agree to such expenses from the treasury?” - I asked.
- Undoubtedly! - Fouquet replied. “Even now I believe that it is impossible to arrange this matter for less money.”
- Wonderful! - I exclaimed. “Then consider that I told you exactly this price, get a million from the treasury with the consent of the King and give it to me.”
-Have you become so mercantile, d'Herblay? - Fouquet asked with surprise and some coldness in his voice, revealing his disappointment in me.
“I would like to fortify Belle-Ile much better than previously planned,” I replied. “I tentatively estimated the construction budget at five hundred thousand livres. But I would prefer to double this amount. I would like to improve the ports, that is, deepen the harbors and line the shores with granite. I would like to update the artillery, increase the reserves of gunpowder and cannonballs. In addition, I would like to build another ship, the fastest in the entire Kingdom fleet, and equipped with the best cannons, five on each side. All together it will cost an additional seven hundred thousand livres.
“There are still two hundred thousand left, if you subtract from the million these seven hundred thousand and the hundred thousand that we put towards your expenses for arranging the marriage of Charles II,” answered Fouquet.
- Let me spend these two hundred thousand on some construction work in Vaux-le-Vicomte in order to arrange there some architectural innovations that I will need so that you and I can surprise His Majesty with a very funny surprise in those blessed days when he deigns to visit this castle of yours.
“But it’s not appropriate for me to invest government money in the improvement of my own castle!” - Fouquet objected.
“Look how scrupulous we are! - I thought. “He naively believes that I don’t know how much money he drew from the treasury for the construction and improvement of his castles!”
“I take this sin upon myself,” I answered. “I promise that you will face large personal expenses for the reception of the King in Vaux-le-Vicomte, which will calm your conscience, since you are actually borrowing from the treasury the amount that will have to be spent on the King, and this amount was formed as a result of the savings that I will provide you with it through personal administrative resources and connections. Consider that you have given me this sum for all three things in total - to carry out the order of the King, to strengthen Belle-Ile and to organize a holiday in Vaux-le-Vicomte, and do not attach importance to how parts of this amount will be redistributed to all these three things.
“You are asking me for permission, dear d’Herblay, to spend on the King the very sums that you saved through your own troubles,” Fouquet finally realized. - In this formulation, I cannot object to your request.
- That's right, monsignor! - I answered.
“Lying scumbag! - I thought. — There are people who brazenly rob the treasury, there are people who boast of their crystal honesty. I can't stand either one or the other. But the most disgusting thing is when these two qualities are combined in one person!”

Chapter 219

- Monsignor, trouble! - exclaimed Bazin, bursting into me so unceremoniously that it surpassed even his manners, which he possessed only in the first couple of weeks of his service with me, that is, more than thirty years ago.
- What kind of trouble made you forget all respect? - I asked with a smile.
- Monsieur d'Artagnan is coming to see you! - Bazin exclaimed so loudly, as if he was informing me of the arrival of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.
- What's the harm if my old friend decided to visit me? - I asked, although I was already beginning to suspect evil.
“The fact is that he is traveling accompanied by a young musketeer, an officer,” Bazin continued.
“Why shouldn’t the captain of the royal musketeers take one of his officers to accompany him?” - I was surprised. -What do you find unusual in this?
“The fact is that the officer, by his posture and clothing, and by other signs, including the breed of the horse and his harness, looks like a boss, while Monsieur d’Artagnan looks either like the officer’s squire, or a random and temporary traveling companion,” explained his Bazin's doubts. “They will probably even split up soon and travel separately.”
“This is a secret inspection,” I answered. “You’re right, Bazin, this meeting does not bode well for me, thank you for the warning.” I'll tell you what. I am not for anyone, and, above all, for d'Artagnan. I'll write a note for him. Watch him carefully. By the way, how did you manage to get ahead of him?
“I think I’m ahead of him only for the reason that he doesn’t yet know exactly how to find you, whereas I know the shortest route to your house,” replied Bazin. - I think he will arrive very soon.
“Thank you, Bazin, go ahead,” I repeated. - I am not for anyone.
But Bazin was mistaken in supposing that d'Artagnan was heading towards me. His path lay further - to the island of Belle-Ile. As soon as I realized this, I immediately ordered those people who were in Belle-Isle with the special task of tracking down Colbert's spies to look after him. They were only tasked with keeping an eye on d'Artagnan, but under no circumstances causing him any harm. I gave no instructions regarding the officer accompanying d'Artagnan.
It turned out that d'Artagnan visited the island of Belle-Ile incognito, examined the island and became familiar with the construction work being carried out there. Moreover, he met Porthos there and fooled him with stories about his resignation and about his trip, supposedly for fun and to see old friends. The simple-minded Porthos showed d'Artagnan maps of the island and drawings based on which the work was being carried out. Porthos, according to my instructions, issued these drawings for his own creativity, but I never expected that the drawings would fall into the hands of d' Artagnan, so I did not bother to change the handwriting in the inscriptions. I have no doubt that d'Artagnan recognized my handwriting and realized that the drawings were drawn up by me. In addition, Porthos let it slip that I was now the Bishop of Vannes, so he now knew where my residence was and how to find me there. But the warning I received from Bazin allowed me to gain time and prepare for the arrival of my friend.
D'Artagnan, of course, with his tenacious memory, not only familiarized himself with the drawings, but also remembered them so well that he could sketch them all from memory. However, I have no doubt that he managed to trick Porthos around his finger and draw the most important cards while the giant was sleeping. He also personally inspected the harbors of Lokmaria, Bangos, Soget and walked around the coasts along the entire perimeter of the island. He found out that one thousand seven hundred and twenty citizens live on the island, and also that the garrison of the fortress consists of twenty-three infantry companies, that Fouquet, the de facto governor of the island, has at his disposal two high-speed military ships, which belong to him personally and are assigned to the ports of the island Belle-Ile. It is unlikely that he decided that the main purpose of these ships was to deliver goods to the island.
Having found out everything he needed, d'Artagnan headed for Vannes and caught me unexpectedly, as he rushed from the coast straight towards me, leaving Porthos on his horse half a length behind him. Poor Porthos only managed to suggest where to turn and could barely keep up with d'Artagnan's frisky horse, which he chose in my stables, where he gained access thanks to the courtesy of Porthos. My agents informed me about the results of d'Artagnan's trip to the island of Belle-Ile only an hour after I had already learned about it from d'Artagnan himself; however, they provided a few more details, but this did not change the essence.
At the meeting, d'Artagnan told me that he had retired and decided to visit old friends. I was surprised that he began to look for us on the island of Belle-Ile, and also that he was dressed more than modestly. The cunning Gascon declared these oddities to be because he wanted to look modest so as not to attract the attention of robbers, and that he accidentally found out where we were. Only Porthos could be fooled by such tales, and even then it is doubtful. So that D'Artagnan would dress more modestly so as not to attract robbers? In this case, I would rather admit that I see before me not d’Artagnan, but some person who, due to the play of nature, is amazingly similar to him. D'Artagnan is not the kind of person to be afraid of robbers, and to dress inappropriately for a nobleman and a captain of musketeers simply out of modesty, and that the reason for this was caution, or worse, cowardice, even the Pope himself would not make me believe this, even if he swore by the blood of Christ! As for random information about the whereabouts of Porthos and me, I am ready to agree only if this case was helped by d'Artagnan's curiosity and persistence, persistent questions, searches and even a few pistoles given as an advance to innkeepers, servants and other commoners ready to sell information for little money.
Next, the cunning Gascon tried to tell me the story that he had examined the surrounding area so carefully that he had decided to acquire salt marshes for salt extraction. He might as well have told me that he was going to invest his money in growing rutabaga in Australia or truffles in the Siberian tundra. He thought nothing of extracting salt, and the salt marshes of the coasts closest to Belle Ile could not supply a single ounce of salt; only salty mud could be mined there. D'Artagnan lost sight of the fact that my ancestors were also Gascons, so his attempts to deceive me were completely lost on me.
I made it clear to d'Artagnan that I was aware of his role in the restoration of the monarchy in England and the accession of Charles II of England.
—Where do you get such extensive information? - D'Artagnan asked in surprise.
“My friend, we, the servants of the Lord, sometimes engage in small talk, and all the news that concerns my friends, of course, remains in my not very tenacious memory simply because I have a keen interest in this information,” I answered. “Like a lighthouse keeper, I myself do not follow the waves of political events, but I watch other travelers with curiosity, especially if I know these people and love them.
Porthos shed a tear, but d'Artagnan seemed not so moved by my words.
“There were times when the four of us had no secrets from each other,” said d’Artagnan with a sigh.
- The Lord is with you, my friend! - I objected. “Even now I have no secrets from you, except for the secret of confession, which a minister of the church is obliged to keep sacred.”
“So be it,” d’Artagnan agreed reluctantly. “I also have no secrets from my friends, except for information that relates to carrying out Mazarin’s instructions.”
“Mazarin already appeared before St. Peter in the hope that he had a place in Heaven reserved for him,” I said, “but I guess St. Peter sent him to Hell to lick hot frying pans.”
“France is full of much bigger scoundrels than Mazarin, and besides, it doesn’t become me to speak ill of my former lord,” d’Artagnan answered condescendingly. “Let’s go to purgatory for the cardinal and talk better about the living.” Now, as I see, you are one of Monsieur Fouquet’s friends?
“The Superintendent makes generous contributions to the needs of the church, so I, as a servant of the Lord, thank him for this,” I answered modestly.
“I believe that you provided M. Fouquet with considerable assistance in his affairs, since, apparently, it was through his efforts that you became the Bishop of Vannes?” - D'Artagnan did not let up.
“ The servants of the Lord do not care about career advancement, dear friend,” I replied. “The Lord himself shows them his path; he alone decides who will serve Him on what path.” I only obediently follow His instructions, trying to indicate His signs and instructions, listening to them not with my mind, but with my heart.
“Amen, my friend,” answered d’Artagnan, and from his face, I realized that he, unlike Porthos, did not believe me one iota. - I am ready to admit that the Lord helped you. From now on, to all those who tell me that Fouquet helped you, I will answer that it is not true, that M. Fouquet was only an instrument in the hands of God.
I decided it was best not to respond to this thread from my friend.
After dinner and a long conversation reminiscing about past affairs, I offered my friends lodging for the night, promising some entertainment in the morning.
Grimaud describes this episode in his forged memoirs, written in the name of Athos, making me look like a fool. He writes that as soon as the light went out in d'Artagnan's room, I woke up Porthos and convinced him to ride to Paris to Fouquet with an urgent letter, insisting that he not get out of the saddle and make this journey in one day.
The distance of two hundred and eighty-five miles he would have to travel in this case, at twelve and a half miles an hour, he could cover in twenty-three hours and arrive at Fouquet the next morning. But Porthos is not the best messenger, with his weight equal to that of two ordinary people. Besides, I could only send Porthos after it was deep into the night and d'Artagnan had fallen asleep. But having met for the first time in ten years, old friends don’t go to bed early! If we hadn't talked until three o'clock in the morning, d'Artagnan simply wouldn't have understood me!
I am, of course, not as stupid as Grimaud thought I was. As soon as I saw d'Artagnan, I understood everything, went away under the pretext of the need to arrange for dinner and wine, instantly wrote a letter to Fouquet and already at noon sent Bazin to Paris. Bazin is three times lighter than Porthos, I gave him the best horse and ordered him to change horses at least every four hours of a good trot, choosing the best horses that money can buy, without spending too much time searching, and without haggling. In this case, doing up to sixteen miles per hour, he would reach Fouquet in eighteen hours, that is, he would be at Fouquet already at six o'clock in the morning! That's exactly what I did.
Grimaud, like all servants, believes that musketeers do not know how to handle horses! When you are in a hurry, your greatest fear is to drive your horse! After all, if your horse falls under you, you will have to get to the nearest place where you can get a new horse on foot! And you will have to buy not only a horse, but also a new saddle and harness, because you won’t be carrying these burdens on foot! I have never driven a single horse in my life, and all my musketeer friends can say the same about themselves. I can remember only one similar case with one recruit, who then spent three days in the guardhouse, which discouraged him from treating horses this way for the rest of his life. So, instead of sending Porthos at two o'clock in the morning, I sent Bazin fourteen hours earlier. However, I also sent Porthos, but only for backup, and I by no means ordered him to gallop without rest and drive as many horses as necessary. I am not so callous towards my friend as to condemn him to such torment!

Chapter 220

Grimaud's further story about the events after d'Artagnan and Porthos' visit to me in Vannes does not do him any justice as a storyteller, and would not do honor to the three of us as participants in these events if they were true.
Under the deceitful pen of Grimaud, d'Artagnan looks too naive, which he never was, Porthos is too stupid, and I appear as the most insidious deceiver who lies to his friend d'Artagnan for a whole day, first reporting that Porthos supposedly left to hunt ducks, then assuring my friend that Porthos had left for the island of Belle-Ile, after which I supposedly persuaded him to hunt a little more before lunch.
Everything here is not true, and I am being made out to be a scoundrel. After such a vile deception, I could not remain a friend of d'Artagnan. Our friend, of course, is condescending to his friends, but not that much! He would forgive a refusal to answer a delicate question or an evasion of an answer, a small trick, perhaps, but not such an obvious lie. He wouldn't tolerate this. After that, any friendship between us would end. Moreover, if I had sent Porthos with a message to Fouquet even at midnight, then the next morning there would have been no need for me to fool my friend so vilely. I could simply speculate that perhaps Porthos had gone hunting, or that he had decided to return to Belle-Ile, but neither would be consistently presented as truth. Besides, we all know Porthos very well. He would never have left for Belle-Ile without saying goodbye to us. Considering that he had not seen d'Artagnan for ten years, Porthos would not have caused such an offense as suddenly disappearing without saying goodbye. At worst, he would write a letter. By the way, when sending Porthos to Fouquet for backup, I dictated this letter to him and asked him to leave it on the bed where he spent the night.
By the way, I knew the only reason for leaving that d'Artagnan would believe, and it was this explanation that I dictated to Porthos.
“Are you suggesting that I deceive our friend D’Artagnan with this note?” - Porthos asked with alarm.
“Not to deceive, but to reassure, because, as you know, d’Artagnan loves you very much, and he will be very upset if he finds out that you have to ride horseback all night long,” I answered.
- Why on earth would he worry? - Porthos was surprised. “After all, I’m not a boy, and I can gallop all night, even the whole day!”
“He will be afraid that in the dark the horse might get his foot into a hole and fall,” I answered. - In this case, you are in danger of falling to the ground, and if you suddenly hit your head on a rock, it can seriously damage your health.
- What nonsense! - exclaimed Porthos. “After all, you are not worried about such a trivial matter as the chance that I will fall out of the saddle due to complete darkness and the excessive haste with which I will ride.”
I suddenly felt ashamed. I really wasn’t the least bit worried about the safety and well-being of Porthos; it was only important to me that my letter be delivered to Fouquet. Actually, this was no longer so necessary for me, since fourteen hours earlier I had sent Bazin to Paris.
“My friend, I’m not worried about you just because I prayed for you, and the Lord gave me a sign that everything will be fine with you,” I answered, blushing for my lie.
“Then everything is clear,” Porthos nodded cheerfully. “In this case, we will deceive d’Artagnan for the sake of his peace and well-being, because the Lord did not give you a sign that everything would be as good with him as with me.” Well then I went.
And Porthos rode off on his strong horse into the thick darkness of the road towards Paris.
So when d'Artagnan looked into Porthos's bedroom and did not find him there, he found a note on the bed, which he brought to me to read it out loud for me.
This note, which I dictated to Porthos, contained the following:

“My dear friends, d'Artagnan and Aramis!
I regret that I had to leave you so hastily. Yesterday morning I tried oysters and liked them so much that I must have eaten too many. My body rebelled against this food, so that I could no longer sleep peacefully for even ten minutes. In between the painful procedures of emptying my stomach of the remnants of oysters, the idea occurred to me to find the oyster merchant and warn him never again to sell stale goods, otherwise I would tie his hands in a knot on his back, so that he would never be able to sell food again. such serious harm and such a bitter insult to honest people who were guilty only of wanting to have a nice snack. This thought pleased me so much, and was aggravated by the consideration that, perhaps, by postponing this conversation, I would miss the opportunity to save from such a misfortune several innocent inhabitants of the island of Belle-Ile, perhaps noblemen like me. Therefore, I decided not to delay my lessons to the stupid shopkeeper and hasten to make a suggestion to him at dawn, as soon as he opened his unblessed shop. We will meet again, I hug you, and I very much regret that I spent so little time with d’Artagnan, whom I had not seen for so many years. I ask him to say hello to Athos and Raoul. Your friend Porthos."

D'Artagnan had an amazing gift for imitating the voices of his acquaintances. He began to read this letter in the voice of Porthos, but, having reached the second line, he changed it so that the new intonation and manner of speaking seemed familiar to me, but I could not say where I knew them from. Only towards the end of reading did I realize that d'Artagnan was parodying me. He probably realized from the second line that the style of this note did not in any way correspond to the writing style of Porthos.
“That’s why I made a fool of myself! - I thought. “You should have asked Porthos to write only five or six words!”

“This is undoubtedly Porthos’s handwriting,” said d’Artagnan, emphasizing the word “handwriting.” - In this same handwriting, he wrote comments on the drawings of the fortifications over the same inscriptions made in a different handwriting. But style! It seems that our good Porthos borrowed the style of a prelate I know. Dear Aramis, if Porthos suffered from indigestion from the oysters he ate at Belle-Isle, then I am afraid that the food here is not to my taste either. I'll go home out of harm's way.
From the look he looked at me, I realized that he had seen through all my tricks.
“If our immediate plans diverged somewhat, my friend, this does not mean that I would like the fulfillment of my own plans more than the fulfillment of your plans,” I said to d’Artagnan. “Please forgive me for not being able to pay due attention to your affairs, since my own do not allow me to do so.”
“This way, perhaps, it will be much more honest, Aramis,” d’Artagnan said with a sigh of relief. “I understand that everyone chooses the ship in which they hope to quickly reach the desired shores. If we find ourselves in different ships, let us wish each other a happy voyage, and even more so, we wish that our paths do not intersect so much that one of us has to attack and the other has to defend.
After these words, he came up and sincerely hugged me.
I felt tears welling up in my eyes. There was nothing in the world more expensive than these simple friendly hugs. Even the beauties, in whose arms I sometimes felt bliss, were not so dear to me, since their feelings for me were not as constant as our mutual friendship was indestructible, cemented by common victories, common defeats and jointly overcome dangers.
- Take care of yourself, d'Artagnan! - I said. “I will not be consoled if any misfortune happens to you, and I will not forgive myself if it happens through my fault.”
“I’m essentially not risking anything, since I’m only helping the rulers sit more firmly on their thrones,” d’Artagnan answered cheerfully. “I fear much more for you, dear friend!” Shaking thrones is much more dangerous! Take care of yourself.
After that, he squeezed my hand tightly and easily, like a twenty-year-old, jumped into the saddle and galloped towards Paris.
- Every time I make the same mistake! - I said to myself, without fear of being heard, since there was no one nearby. - Instead of being an ally of this person, I build my own game, which runs counter to his plans. It's time for me to end this. But no, not with the trump cards that I now have in my hands!

Chapter 221

The further confusion in Grimaud's account makes me laugh and cry. Regarding the driven horses, I have already expressed my bewilderment. How can you serve under the best of the musketeers, Athos, and not understand the intricacies of how to treat horses after thirty-five years of service? I conclude that, having read various adventure novels in the library of Count de La F;re about how the haste of a rider always leads to the horse being driven, Grimaud, who had never seen a single driven horse in his life, apparently decided that This is some special chic of a rich horseman - to drive horses in a hurry. This is tantamount to deliberately sinking the ships you are sailing on just because you are in a hurry. Grimaud's fantasy that I rushed to Fouquet in a carriage in the hope of not allowing d'Artagnan to get ahead of me is extremely stupid.
His fantasies about the corpses of eight horses, which I supposedly met on the road, are disgusting and ridiculous. But even more absurd is the mention that I allegedly met these horse corpses on the road through Tours. Why would Porthos, hurrying to Fouquet in Saint-Mand; or to Paris, go through Tours if there was a much shorter road?
The distance from Vannes to Saint-Mand; via Le Mans is one league, i.e. 290 English miles, while the distance from Vannes to Saint-Mand; via Tours is 126.5 leagues, i.e. 362 English miles. Why did Porthos go through Tours, lengthening his journey by exactly a quarter? I, traveling through Tours, could not possibly follow in the footsteps of Porthos, and therefore, even if Porthos generously strewed his path with the corpses of driven horses, I would meet them only on a short section of the road from Sainte-Arnoux-en-Yvelines, this section is only one twelfth of the entire journey. Since I sent Bazin with a letter at noon, and I sent Porthos for backup, there was no need for me to follow Porthos myself.
The letter to Bazin contained the following text:

“Monsignor!
The captain of the royal musketeers, d'Artagnan, who serves the King personally, visited Belle-Ile incognito on the instructions of the King and with the knowledge of Colbert and, taking advantage of my absence on the island and some acquaintances, and also resorting to cunning, not only became familiar with the construction of fortifications on the site, but I also studied and memorized the layout of all existing and under construction fortifications. Of course, he will report this to the King, and very soon. I, taking advantage of my old friendship with him, will delay him as long as possible, but not longer than seventeen hours from the moment my messenger sent this letter to you. Please note that d'Artagnan will report to the King no later than twelve hours after you receive this dispatch. Take all necessary measures to ensure that the information received by Captain d'Artagnan cannot be used to your detriment, even taking into account the most unfavorable comments and interpretations from Colbert. I recommend that you prepare and certainly have with you a deed of gift, signed by you, according to which you transfer the island of Belle-Ile with all its buildings as a gift to His Majesty. In the event of accusations that may be made against you at any moment, answer that you were going to surprise the King and present him with this deed of gift with the greatest solemnity possible.”

Of course, the letter was encrypted with a cipher known to Fouquet, and, moreover, it was written on the thinnest rice paper from China. Bazin was ordered to swallow this letter in case of the slightest danger, and I briefly informed him of its contents in this case.
I provided Porthos with a more detailed letter, where I explained all the dangers of the situation. I pointed out to Fouquet that d'Artagnan did not use any papers to prove his credentials, which made his trip extremely unlike an ordinary inspection. Since the trip is secret, and d'Artagnan even tried to pass himself off as a small merchant, hiding his noble title and true name, only chance gave him away, since he met Baron du Valon on the island, this makes me take my first letter completely seriously, so I recommend that you prepare to part with the island voluntarily, making it a gift to the King.
Grimaud writes completely unfoundedly that I spent four hours less on the road in a carriage than Porthos traveling on horseback. If this were so, Porthos should have been recognized as a worthless rider, and the person who said this thought would probably have lied for the last time in his life.
D'Artagnan could well have covered the same distance on horseback that I covered in the carriage, eight hours faster than me, but he could hardly have covered it twelve hours faster than Porthos, that is, twice as fast. To do this, he would have to travel twenty-five English miles per hour, that is, cover one league in eleven hours. To do this, he would have to ride the best horses, which he would change every half hour, or even more often. This is impossible without pre-organized setups. As an experienced horseman, d'Artagnan most likely covered this route in no faster than 16 hours, in which case he could have made do with one well-trained horse and not drive it, or make one or two changes of horses along the way from Vannes to Saint-Mand;.
Now I’ll tell you why I was traveling through Tours.
Having taken care to warn Fouquet, I was in no hurry to see him. I also needed to take care of my own safety. After all, if Fouquet were arrested, anyone who was called his friend would automatically be under attack. I couldn't afford to be arrested unexpectedly so that my papers would reach Colbert's detectives. Of course, I kept the most important papers quite carefully; finding and deciphering them would not have been easy. But every person, foreseeing danger, remembers that it would be better to hide some documents more reliably, and others to completely destroy. After all, you have to keep some documents close, at hand, because you have to work with them. You can’t hide every piece of paper in the underground, even though it is hidden by facing stones and slabs!
If I had only burned the papers I had at hand, it would have taken no more than half an hour. In order to sort them and hide the most important ones as reliably as possible, and simply destroy the most dangerous and not so important ones, it took those same eight hours that explain my delay in leaving after Porthos. But I did not go to Fouquet and was in no hurry to warn him, since I had already done this twice before. I was heading to the Duchess de Chevreuse, wanting to visit not only her. To be honest, by this time I had already cooled considerably towards Maria herself, but we were still united by friendly relations, although there could no longer be any talk of mutual love.
We had a daughter together.
Charlotte Marie of Lorraine was born in 1627. There was a time when she was intended to be the wife of the Prince de Conti and I almost completely calmed down about her. But Maria, during the time of the Fronde, began to use her for her own purposes, making her the mistress of Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz, for whom she herself felt a strong attachment, which, perhaps, would be correct to call love, if too many nobles were not awarded such affection men. During the Fronde, my daughter, Charlotte Marie, played a very prominent role in the unfolding events, since she had a rather strong influence on Paul de Gondi. I’ll say right away that I didn’t use it to convince Gondi to sell Belle-Ile Fouquet, I acted through other channels. Charlotte Marie had no idea that I was her father, and it killed me. I could not influence her fate, or help her in anything. In the end, she never got married.
Maria forbade me to call her daughter and even consider her my daughter, but you cannot forbid the voice of blood to point to the one in which you see your continuation in the future. I could completely leave our daughter alone if I were satisfied with the position that she occupies in the world thanks to the position and efforts of her mother. But things were very bad, and I could not forgive Maria for using our beautiful daughter to continue to weave intrigues. Instead of a successful marriage worthy of the daughter of a duchess, she was awarded only a share as the mistress of the coadjutor Paul de Gondi. And I am not at all happy that this upstart has achieved the cardinal’s hat. It is better to be the legal wife of just a baron than to be just the mistress of a cardinal. I stopped by to once again try to influence my daughter’s fate. I brought Maria twenty thousand livres for Charlotte Maria. This was my gift, which I did not even have the right to give to her personally; I asked Maria to give her this money as a gift from an unfamiliar patron. Maria was cruel to me, because she could have made me Charlotte Maria's godfather, and then I could easily see her and give her gifts on Angel's Day.
“Why are you denying me the honor of being her godfather?” — I asked Maria when our daughter was one week old.
“You understand perfectly well, Rene,” she answered.
- Do you thereby recognize me as her father? - I asked.
“Thereby I recognize you as not a member of my family,” Maria snapped. “You are my friend, my lover, but you will never be part of my family.”
That was the first time I called Maria cruel.
“Do you want me to destroy myself in order to give you the joy of communicating with this little angel?” she asked. “Isn’t it enough for you to realize that she will be happy, that she will be a duchess, that a great destiny awaits her?”
Then I kissed Mary's hands and asked for forgiveness. If I had known then that the “great destiny” in Mary’s understanding was the destiny of being the mistress of the damned Gondi, I would probably have committed some kind of violence against this fallen woman, I would have snatched Charlotte Maria from her maternal care, which pursued only selfish goals.
So, I visited Tours and brought Chevrette a small gift for Charlotte Marie. I couldn’t see her after visiting Gondi’s house!
“This is, of course, quite a lot for a gift from the Chevalier d’Herblay, but, alas, too little for a gift from the Bishop of Vannes,” Maria said with a smile.
“Bishops are not in the habit of giving gifts to secular women who are not their relatives,” I answered. - God's servants do not give gifts, but accept them for our Lord. If she were my goddaughter, even in this case I could not give her more, since at present I simply do not have other means.
- Monsieur Fouquet is not helping you? - the duchess asked in surprise.
“Mr. Fouquet has no reason to give me money,” I answered dryly.
- But you are on friendly terms with him, aren’t you? - the duchess did not let up.
“I’ve seen him, it seems, several times,” I answered, “but we are not friends, and we hardly even know each other.” - You are in vain paying attention to some dubious rumors.
- Come on, Rene, who are you kidding? - Maria said languidly. “Strangers are not helped to become a bishop of one of the best bishoprics in the kingdom.”
“Oh, these rumors always distort everything,” I said with annoyance. “I am only temporarily occupying this position, since, as you yourself know, I am more of a musketeer than a priest.”
“You are both, and at the same time neither one nor the other,” the duchess objected. “And I’m not at all sure that Fouquet is a more influential person than you.”
“So we agreed,” I said, as this conversation began to irritate me. “I didn’t come to you, Duchess, to argue about this topic.” I wanted to ask you, what is your relationship with Mr. Colbert?
— With Monsieur Colbert? - the duchess was surprised. - Why are you asking?
“I heard that you are going to marry him,” I said. — One of his daughters, Jeanne-Marie-Th;r;se Colbert, is going to marry your grandson Charles-Honor; d'Albert de Chevreuse.
- Do you see what's happening? - exclaimed the Duchess. “You just reproached me for using unverified rumors, and now you yourself took this fantasy from somewhere and are telling it to me!”
“ Well, okay, so be it,” I agreed. “You forbade me to tell the truth, you forbade me to think about it, but Charles-Honor; is my grandson too.”
- Do you consider Louis-Charles your son, Ren;? - asked the duchess.
“He was born on December 25, 1620,” I answered. “In March 1620, you and I were very close, as, indeed, in February and April.” At this time, you assured me that you had not shared a bed with your then husband, the Duke of Luynes, for a long time.
— You never know what I assured you of! - Maria exclaimed. “I myself don’t remember anything about all these matters!”
“But I remember,” I said, feeling wounded.
“You shouldn’t remember what you shouldn’t remember,” the duchess snapped harshly. - Do you believe that you have any rights over my children and grandchildren? Why on earth?
“I believe that it makes no sense for the Duchess de Chevreuse to become related to Jean-Baptiste Colbert,” I said coldly and firmly. “I advise you to listen to my recommendation, madam.”
“Whatever you say, Rene,” the duchess lied. “I am ready to obey you as a spiritual person.”
Her tone in conversation with me changed so dramatically that I did not have time to figure out what exactly made her go to peace.
“You are angry with me, but I have information for you that will certainly be useful to you,” she continued.
- What is this information? “I asked, trying to hide my interest, but knowing from experience that Chevreuse’s information is always important and reliable.
- Do you remember the Arlencourts of Dampierre? she asked.
“I don’t know any,” I answered, although I remembered that one of the Arlencourts had recently joined the company of the royal musketeers.
“Then you will probably not be at all interested in the fact that young Arlencourt recently attempted to make an official inspection of the island of Belle-Ile,” said the duchess casually. “Well, since you don’t remember him, it probably won’t be of interest to you at all.”
“On the contrary, I seem to remember only Arlencourt,” I said. “This young man, it seems, joined Captain d’Artagnan’s company of musketeers, and everything that concerns d’Artagnan is extremely interesting to me.” Continue, please.
“Didn’t you say that I use unverified rumors and fill my head with anything?” - said the duchess in a tone of wounded pride. - This information, I believe, can also be classified as unverified rumors, so I will not be a distributor of such dubious fantasies.
“I beg you, Duchess, for the sake of our friendship, tell me what you know about Arlencourt’s trip?” - I said in the most gentle and friendly tone possible.
“Friends don’t exchange rumors and gossip,” the duchess objected, waving her hand. - All this is empty. So what did you want to tell me about Colbert?
- It can wait! - I exclaimed impatiently. “I beg you, Maria, what’s wrong with this Arlencourt?”
- For the sake of friendship? - the duchess asked, sticking out her lower lip contemptuously. - Fi! I don't believe in friendship between a man and a woman. Especially if there was something between them.
“Maria, for the sake of our love, tell me everything,” I said and kissed the duchess’s hand.
“That’s how dryly men kiss the hands of their mother or mother-in-law,” Maria answered contemptuously and released her hand from my hands.
Then I clung to her neck, chest, and then to her lips.
- Henri, do you still love me? - Maria whispered.
- Can words be a better testimony than kisses? - I asked.
“No, your words can never serve as any evidence at all,” Chevrette exclaimed and laughed as loudly as she did in the days of our youth. “I don’t believe you, but you’re making ropes out of me, Henri.”
This was a good sign. Maria called me by my middle name, Henri, only when she was very excited and in a good mood. On other occasions she called me Ren;, or even d'Herblay, or even more formally.
“Your Henri listens to you with attention, my Maria,” I said.
“I don’t believe you one bit, but that doesn’t matter,” Chevrette answered. - Listen. Young Arlencourt arrived on the coast and demanded to be transported to the island of Belle-Ile on a warship. At the port, he presented a document according to which he was carrying out the instructions of His Majesty and all government officials were ordered to provide him with all possible assistance and obey him.
“Well, well, continue,” I said.
“They gave him red tape,” the duchess answered briefly. “First they sent me to the port chief, then the port chief inquired about Arlencourt’s military rank and position, then said that this order should be registered with customs, since the ship could be heading not to the island, but outside the territory of France.
- In other words, he was not allowed onto the island? - I asked.
- They let him in, but he tried to achieve this for two days! - exclaimed the Duchess with a laugh. - And when he finally arrived on the island, he was immediately surrounded by some intrusive officials who tried to show him only what did not interest him at all, and not show him what interested him most.
- What interested him most? I asked, feeling a shiver running down my spine.
“Of course, fortifications, ports, powder warehouses, guns, cannonball reserves, the number of soldiers and officers in the garrison, their names and ranks, as well as drawings of the fortress under construction,” answered the duchess.
— Did they show him the drawings? - I asked.
“ He received the answer that since the construction had actually already been completed, only some finishing work was being carried out, the drawings had been sent to M. Fouquet, so there was no way to show them to him.
- Horse! - I exclaimed. - Your best horse, duchess!
-Are you going to ride? - Chevrette was surprised. - If you want to head to Saint-Mand;, you will arrive at night! Why do you need this? Take my carriage, drawn by a pair of excellent trotters. My carriage is light and comfortable, in it you will arrive reliably by eight o'clock in the morning.
- Duchess, you are lovely! - I exclaimed and kissed her again on the cheek, and then on the lips. “Please forgive me for leaving you in a hurry.” In a day or two I will return and return your carriage and horses to you!
- To talk to me a little longer than today? - asked the Duchess with a smile.
“Longer, much longer, Maria,” I agreed.
“Okay, although I don’t believe you, Henri,” answered the duchess. “If your plans change, just send me a carriage along with Jean-Luc, my coachman.” You haven’t had time to dine, I’ll order a basket of food to be brought to your carriage.
“I eat very little, Maria,” I said, “but I still thank you.”
“And there will only be what you love,” Maria said with a smile. — A little Burgundy, a wheel of cheese, home-baked bread, a couple of baked chickens and some fruits and vegetables. For Monsieur Baron du Valon this would be enough for one light breakfast, but for you it will be enough for the whole journey.
- Thank you, Maria! - I exclaimed. “I promise to return your carriage to you personally no later than three days later.”
“Don’t rush, let it be four days, you have a lot to do in Paris,” Maria answered.
“What a woman! - I thought. “Sometimes it seems to me that she doesn’t care which side she’s on, just to act, just to influence the events happening around her!” But what is Colbert! I thought he only sent one d'Artagnan, but he organized a double inspection! Now d'Artagnan will report that money and personal acquaintance open access to the island of Belle-Ile faster, more completely and more reliably than His Majesty's order! This is tantamount to admitting that Belle-Ile is preparing to relinquish royal power. This is a death sentence for Fouquet!”

Chapter 222

As soon as I arrived in Saint-Mand;, I headed towards Fouquet. Having learned of my arrival, he dismissed his clients from the meeting he was holding and came out to meet me.
“Thank you, dear monsignor, for your kind warnings about M. Captain d’Artagnan’s inspection trip to Belle-Ile,” said Fouquet. “I will be on guard and at the slightest danger I will find something to answer His Majesty.” But since there is no danger yet, you, of course, would like to rest and have dinner while on the road?
“Danger has already entered your home, monsignor, and has grabbed you by the throat!” - I objected. - We need to act immediately!
- What are you talking about! - Fouquet objected. “I made no secret of the fortification of the island of Belle-Ile!” These works were agreed upon with Mazarin; I have his signature on that plan with the word: “I approve” on the cover letter for the project! I am in absolutely no danger!
“Monsignor, if you think that only Captain d’Artagnan came to you with an inspection incognito, then you are mistaken, just as I was mistaken until I learned that this was only one of the sides of Colbert’s insidious plan!” - I objected.
- Colbert! Colbert! This Colbert again! - exclaimed Fouquet with a grin. - This Colbert was given to you! After all, he is my subordinate! He is obliged to do what I tell him. Tomorrow I will tell him not to interfere in the defense of the kingdom’s borders!
“You’re mistaken, monsignor,” I objected. “Colbert obeys not you, but the King personally, and the trip of Captain d’Artagnan, acting unofficially with the help of money, was accompanied by the official trip of an unknown young officer named Arlencourt!”
- So what? asked Fouquet, slightly wary.
“But the fact is that M. Arlencourt had a document signed by the King, ordering all civil servants to assist him on his trip,” I continued. - This document, in the name of the King, demanded unconditional submission to everyone whom this officer deems necessary to use for his mission. All of them had to show complete obedience to this officer, who represented no less than the authority of the King himself.
- And what does this mean? - asked Fouquet in bewilderment.
“The king, as you know, after Mazarin’s death declared that he did not intend to share his power in the kingdom with anyone,” I reminded. “He said that he would personally sign documents that would regulate all relations in the state in his name. A document bearing the royal signature, with his seal and with the certifying signature of Chancellor Seguier, is the highest state act in the kingdom. Any citizen who does not obey such a document is a rebel. A commoner can be hanged for this, a civil servant can be executed according to his noble rank, that is, his head can be cut off. The insubordination of one public servant is the mortal fault of that public servant. But disobedience to the royal decree of an entire island is already the fault of the governor of the island, or its owner, if you like. Belle-Ile belongs to you. Disobedience of the officers of the Belle-Ile garrison to the King is a rebellion!
“I’m dead...” whispered Fouquet.
“Have you prepared a paper stating that you are presenting Belle-Ile as a gift to His Majesty, as I asked you to do?” - I asked.
“ I believed that this was not urgent, and, I admit, I had not prepared this document yet,” Fouquet replied.
- Madman! - I exclaimed. - Prepare this document immediately and go with it to the King! I hope that you will still have time to overtake d'Artagnan, although, I admit, there is no basis for these hopes! He flies faster than a bird! Especially when he carries out the personal order of the King or Cardinal!
- But give away such a beautiful island! As a gift! To lose such a wonderful fortress! After all, Belle-Isle has one thousand seven hundred inhabitants, including the garrison! - Fouquet lamented sadly.
“As you wish,” I answered. “If you do not do this, after your officers have unanimously disobeyed the King’s orders, you have two choices - to submit and repent, explaining it all as a misunderstanding, and to demonstrate to the King that Belle-Ile was in no way intended to support the rebels against King, or declare war on Louis XIV and retire to Belle-Ile, so that, like La Rochelle, he can hold out there against the royal army for a week, a month, maybe six months. But you won’t sit there forever! Your Belle-Ile will still not be able to resist the royal army!
- You're right, d'Herblay! - exclaimed Fouquet. “It’s better to lose the island than to go against the King!” Better to lose your island than your head! Perhaps the King will still refuse my gift, just as he refused Mazarin’s dying gift! After all, he didn’t accept forty million livres from Mazarin! And Belle-Ile cost me one million three hundred thousand, and I spent five hundred thousand on its reconstruction, construction of a fortress and strengthening of the banks. If the King rejected forty million livres, would it be logical to reject properties worth less than two million livres?
“Don’t count on it, monsignor,” I objected. “This island is more important for the kingdom than forty million Mazarins.” Money is just metal, an island off the coast of a state that can defend itself autonomously against an external enemy and is valuable from an internal enemy much more than some thirty million livres. The king will accept this gift, but you will try to get him to appoint you commandant of this island, then it will essentially remain in your hands. But first you need to do this. You have drawings of the fortifications, a second copy?
- Of course there is! - Fouquet replied.
- Order to urgently redo the general drawing so that the walls facing the mainland are lower and thinner in these drawings than the walls facing the ocean! - I said. “In addition, let all the cannons in this drawing be placed on the outer wall facing the sea, as well as several cannons on the sides, to guard the strait between the island and the mainland. And so that not a single cannon in these drawings is aimed at the mainland, at the territory of France! We will insist that these drawings are a control copy, and we will protest those drawings according to which the fortress was built as erroneous. Let's blame it all on the draftsman's mistake.
- But the construction is almost completed! - exclaimed Fouquet.
“ The builders are not to blame, since they were given incorrect drawings,” I answered. - And the draftsman... Did any of the petty nobles of your clients die recently? This year?
“I’ll make inquiries,” said Fouquet.
“Put it all on the dead man, there’s no demand from the dead,” I said. - But that can wait. Write a deed of gift as soon as possible and immediately go to the Louvre, to the King!
- I'm coming! - Fouquet exclaimed and headed to his office, waving to the secretary to follow him to draw up the deed of gift.

Chapter 223

When Fouquet arrived at the King's, he had to wait because the King was busy meeting with Colbert. The secretary, knowing that Fouquet was a more significant person than Colbert, took the liberty of reporting to Louis about the arrival of the superintendent of finance.
“Tell M. Fouquet that I will see him in three minutes,” the King answered the secretary. “So, Mr. Colbert, are you proposing to demand a million livres from Fouquet for the wedding of Philip and Henrietta of England?”
“Your Majesty, the situation obliges us to organize this celebration at the highest level,” Colbert replied. — Politics in this case is more important than economics.
“After all, this is the same amount that Charles asked me to regain his throne,” Louis said thoughtfully. “I had to refuse him because I didn’t have that kind of money.” Now, do you think we can afford to spend this amount on this celebration?
“Not only can we, but we also have to, Your Majesty, I counted all the expenses and crossed out absolutely everything that could be done without,” Colbert replied.
— Will you provide me with this amount, Colbert? - asked Louis.
“Unfortunately, there are difficulties for this,” Colbert replied, blushing. “The amounts under my control have already been almost completely distributed by Your Majesty for the most urgent expenses, while the funds under the control of Mr. Fouquet have not yet been all distributed. For this reason, I would recommend requesting this amount from Mr. Fouquet.
—Are you suggesting asking him for his personal finances? - Louis was surprised.
“I’m talking only about that part of government funds that are under his personal jurisdiction,” Colbert clarified. “Mr. Fouquet, of course, has personal funds, but as superintendent of finance he also controls significant funds of the treasury.
“I hope that he does not confuse these two sources of money, although both of them are under his control,” Louis said thoughtfully.
“ We all hope so, Your Majesty,” Colbert replied. — The Chamber you created, after a detailed study, will give you an accurate and detailed answer to this question soon.
“Okay,” replied the King. - So, are you sure of what you told me recently? Fouquet, in fact, while fortifying the island of Belle-Ile, spent not only his own funds on this, but also partially the funds of my treasury?
“I’m sure of this, Your Majesty, and the exact amounts will be announced to you in the very near future,” Colbert replied. - The amount that I mentioned earlier is the lower estimate for which I can vouch with my head.
“Don’t rush to bet your head, Monsieur Colbert,” the King objected. - We will still need your head. Go now, but after I have spoken with M. Fouquet, I will be waiting for you. Come back in an hour. I think that this will be enough to prevent you from interfering with him, I will let him go earlier, no matter what he comes to me with. Tell me to invite Mr. Fouquet to me.
Colbert bowed and left, but returned immediately.
“Your Majesty, Monsieur d’Artagnan has arrived to see you,” he said.
“Tell Captain d'Artagnan to come to me after I ring the bell, and now invite M. Fouquet to me.”
Colbert bowed again and left, followed almost immediately by Fouquet who entered the King.
“Your Majesty, I have arrived to report that the work to strengthen the Belle-Ile fortress has been completed,” Fouquet said solemnly.
— For what reason was this work carried out? - asked the King.
“By order of Your Majesty’s first minister, Cardinal Mazarin,” Fouquet replied. - Let me show you the plan of the fortifications. The cardinal's signature is here.
With these words, Fouquet unfolded a plan for the fortifications of the island of Belle-Ile on a small table.
- These fortifications should serve to strengthen the maritime border of our kingdom? - asked the King.
“That’s right, Your Majesty,” Fouquet agreed.
- And from what enemies will these fortifications help us protect ourselves? — the King continued his interrogation, pretending that this matter did not bother him too much.
“Spain, France, Holland, and Portugal can threaten our borders from the sea,” answered Fouquet. “It is enough to remember how dangerous England’s attempt to intervene in the military campaign of your august father King Louis XIII against the rebels of La Rochelle turned out to be in order to appreciate the need to strengthen such large islands that belong to us and represent outposts of our coastal borders.
“Belonging to us, you said,” Louis clarified. — The island of Belle-Ile, it seems, previously belonged to the Gondi family, but recently you acquired it and began to strengthen it, isn’t it? When you said the island “belongs to us,” did you mean your family? After all, this island belongs to you, Mr. Fouquet?
Fouquet felt his neck begin to sweat. He wanted first of all to scout out the situation and take advantage of Aramis's advice to present Belle-Ile as a gift to the King only if the situation was hopeless. Now he felt from the tone of the conversation and from the King’s clarifying questions that Louis XIV was extremely sensitive to the situation with the strengthening of the border island without his knowledge. Fouquet decided to make the last move to reassure the King about this island and try to keep it for himself.
“Look at this plan, Your Majesty,” said Fouquet, pointing to the plan for the fortifications. — The thickest and highest walls were built on the outside of the island, which emphasizes its purpose, which is defense against an external enemy from the ocean. My garrison will be the first to take the blow in case of external danger.
- Your garrison, Monsieur Fouquet? - asked the King. —Which garrison of yours are you talking about? Do you have a military position?
“I misspoke, Your Majesty,” Fouquet was embarrassed. “Since the construction of fortresses on the island has been completed, the people on it, ordinary residents, peasants and artisans, are beginning to feel, to some extent, involved in this fortress. A garrison will be needed to maintain these fortifications. A garrison of Your Majesty's army, completely subject to Your Majesty's orders. Your garrison will be on the island, Your Majesty.
“Okay, Monsieur Fouquet,” the King said softly.
Fouquet sighed with relief and wiped his neck with a handkerchief.
Meanwhile, the king rang the bell.

Chapter 224

-You called me, Your Majesty? - asked d'Artagnan, entering the King's office.
“Captain,” said Louis. — Before you is a plan of the fortress of the island of Belle-Ile. Take a look at it, is everything reflected here correctly?
“Your Majesty, the fortress walls directed towards the open ocean, judging by the drawings, are planned to be stronger and higher than is actually the case,” answered d’Artagnan, “while the walls directed towards the coast, as it seems to me, are here.” are indicated to be much less durable and tall than is actually the case.
— I recently discovered this error myself! - exclaimed Fouquet. “I was going to send the engineer who supervised the construction to the galleys, but he showed me the drawings and was completely justified. It turns out that there were mistakes in the drawings! I have already ordered reconstruction and additional strengthening of the external walls to eliminate this imbalance.
- But it seems you just reported that the construction of the fortifications has been completed? - asked Louis.
“ This work is in full swing and will be completed no later than in two weeks,” Fouquet replied. - We can assume that they have already been completed.
— D'Artagnan, have you seen any work to additionally strengthen the external walls? - asked the King.
“The work is being carried out along the entire perimeter, and I cannot exclude that in two weeks the outer walls will be strengthened more strongly than the walls facing the mainland,” answered d’Artagnan.
- Tell me, captain, how were you met on the island? - The King continued his interrogation. —Have they shown you everything you would like to see?
“Since I was conducting the inspection incognito, in accordance with Your Majesty’s orders, no one received me on the island, except for one old friend, whom I accidentally found supervising engineering work.
- Is that so? - the King was surprised. — It turns out that your old friend was in charge of the construction work? Do you have friends among sappers and architects?
“I have friends among the musketeers and barons,” answered d’Artagnan. “The construction work was supervised by my comrade Baron du Valon, with whom we served together in M. de Treville’s company of musketeers.
- And if fate had not cooperated with you, if you had not met your old friend, would you have been able to fulfill my order? - asked the King.
“Your Majesty, I have not yet received such instructions from my sovereign that I could not fulfill,” answered d’Artagnan. “One way or another, I would have found a remedy, since the King’s orders are law to me.”
“This is wonderful, Monsieur d’Artagnan,” said Louis. “But, as far as I remember, I instructed you to carry out something else.” How did your young and little-known musketeer, who had with him an order to assist him in his inspection, cope with the second half of the assignment?
Fouquet got goosebumps all over his spine. "Here it is! - he thought. “What d’Herblay warned me about!”
“I didn’t meet him on the island of Belle-Ile, from which I concluded that it was more difficult for him to get to the island than for me, using money and friendly connections,” answered d’Artagnan.
- What are you saying! - exclaimed Louis. — The musketeer officer, who has an order signed by me personally, had any difficulties visiting this island? The island on which, as M. Fouquet has just assured me, my garrison is or will be in the very near future?
“Your Majesty, allow me to give some explanations,” said the pale Fouquet.
“I not only allow, but also demand,” replied Louis. - First of all, tell me the name of the person who is guilty of errors in the drawings according to which the fortress was built.
“D’Emery,” Fouquet said firmly.
- D'Emery? - asked the King. — D'Emery, who was recently executed for embezzlement of public money?
“ D'Emery, Your Majesty, I found out this only yesterday, and yesterday I ordered the correction of errors in construction,” Fouquet replied.
“Well, that scoundrel d’Emery got off easy,” said the King. — It turns out that he is guilty not only of embezzlement of the treasury, but also of substituting drawings for the construction of fortifications. How can you explain to me the officer’s difficulties in carrying out an inspection on my orders?
“I wanted to surprise Your Majesty and therefore ordered some secrecy around the completion of the construction,” Fouquet hastily exclaimed, blessing me in his heart for having the deed of gift with him.
- Surprise? - Louis asked with interest.
D'Artagnan looked at Fouquet's face with interest.
“Your Majesty, I wanted to do this only after eliminating the shortcomings that were just mentioned, but, apparently, it’s better to do it right now!” - said Fouquet, trying to give his voice as much serenity and solemnity as possible.
With these words, he took out from his folder a deed of gift, drawn up in accordance with all the rules and sealed with his signature and seal.
- What is this? - Louis asked, taking the document from Fouquet’s hands.
“I beg Your Majesty to accept this modest gift from me,” Fouquet replied. “On the very day when I bought the island of Belle-Ile from Cardinal de Retz, I was already planning to strengthen it and make it a reliable outpost to resist any aggression of any maritime power. This island was originally intended as a gift to Your Majesty, since only the King of France should hold this key to this part of the coast. God knows, I wanted to hand over this document only after the last stone had been laid in the fortification, but M. d'Artagnan's inspection revealed my plan to Your Majesty, so it is no longer possible to delay.
-Are you giving me the island of Belle-Ile? - the King asked in surprise. - How much did it cost you?
D'Artagnan looked at Fouquet with admiration.
“Pure nonsense, Your Majesty,” Fouquet replied. - Besides the price for which Cardinal de Retz gave it to me...
“I think it’s one million three hundred thousand livres?” - asked the King.
“Your Majesty is well aware,” confirmed Fouquet, who paid de Retz in excess of the named and widely known sum of two hundred thousand livres, not recorded in any documents.
- So how much did you pay for the construction? - asked the King.
“Your Majesty, I didn’t count, I simply agreed to pay for all the work that I considered reasonable,” Fouquet replied.
“Mr. Fouquet, answer the question I asked,” Louis insistently demanded.
“One million six hundred thousand livres,” answered Fouquet, rather disingenuously.
— Apparently, now your financial capabilities are significantly weakened by these expenses? - the King asked worriedly.
“My job is to find financial opportunities and provide the necessary funds for Your Majesty,” Fouquet replied with a modest look.
- Speaking of needs, I wanted to ask you if you have a million livres to organize the wedding of Philip of Orleans and Henrietta of England? - asked Louis.
“I will provide Your Majesty with the required million immediately, but it seems to me that this celebration will require a larger sum,” Fouquet replied. “Tomorrow I will give you one million four hundred thousand livres, and in addition I will order M. Colbert to give you the nine hundred thousand livres that he must return to me according to this document.”
With these words, Fouquet presented the King with a promissory note in his name on behalf of Colbert in the amount of nine hundred thousand livres.
“Thank you, Monsieur Fouquet, you are free,” said Louis. “And you, d’Artagnan, I’ll ask you to stay for one more minute.”

Chapter 225

- Mister Captain, now do you see how much I need you? - asked the King when Fouquet left the office.
— In order to notice the mistakes of a draftsman making copies of drawings? - asked d'Artagnan.
“In order to expose those who explain their malicious actions by the mistakes of draftsmen or excessive zeal in preparing surprises for the King,” Louis objected. “Do you think Fouquet would have given me Belle-Ile if not for your trip, which revealed these very interesting details regarding the fortifications of the island and regarding the obedience of local officials to my written orders?”
“I’m afraid to assume bad things about people whose guilt has not been proven,” answered d’Artagnan. - But Mr. Superintendent came to you already with the gift he had!
“It seems to me that he was in no hurry to give this gift,” the King objected. “He decided to take this step only when it became his only salvation from the grave charge of high treason, don’t you think?”
“I don’t dare argue with Your Majesty,” the musketeer captain answered delicately.
“Perhaps someone has already warned him about the results of your inspection and about the parallel trip of your officer?” - asked the King.
“I cannot rule it out, Your Majesty, since unforeseen circumstances detained me overnight,” replied d’Artagnan. “Instead of going to Paris that evening, as soon as I arrived from the island on the mainland, I allowed myself to spend the night in Vannes.
“Did you have serious reasons for this, d’Artagnan?” - asked the King.
“Only the hope of finding out something more about Belle-Ile,” answered d’Artagnan, who decided not to inform the king of his desire to see his old friend. “But, apparently, the little information that I was able to collect there was not worth the delay that arose as a result of my overnight stay.
“Aramis tricked me! - thought d'Artagnan. “You shouldn’t have visited him.” But Porthos would not understand me, and in this case Aramis would have the opportunity to accuse me of lying, because I told Porthos that I was looking for him and Aramis just to see him after I myself retired!
“You spent the night with your friend the Bishop of Vannes,” the King said thoughtfully.
“My overnight stay in Vannes was required to reinforce my legend explaining my visit to Belle-Ile,” d’Artagnan clarified. - After all, I traveled incognito, so to the people who recognized me, I had to give the version that I just wanted to see them.
“I don’t blame you, captain, and it’s even possible that your trip led to an easier way out of this situation,” answered the King. “Instead of unraveling this Gordian knot, you cut it. Since Belle-Ile now belongs to me, it will house my chosen garrison, which will remain loyal to me under any governor.
“Any garrison, first of all, is subordinate to the head of the garrison, and the head of the garrison is subordinate to the governor,” D’Artagnan reminded. “Mr. Fouquet’s generous gift implies that Your Majesty, as a sign of gratitude, will not immediately change the governor, but will leave this post to the former owner of the island, M. Fouquet.” In any case, until such time as Mr. Fouquet clearly does something wrong to you. Or at least until the expiration of six months from the time of the implementation of this gift, that is, from now.
“You’re right, Captain d’Artagnan,” the King answered thoughtfully. - I am grateful to you for your observations and for the conclusions that you draw from them, as well as for your advice. However, can you answer one question for me?
“I will make every effort of my humble mind for this, Your Majesty,” answered d’Artagnan.
“When Fouquet came to me, he said that he had come to report the completion of the construction of the fortress on the island of Belle-Ile, but some time after that he admitted that the construction was by no means completed, since errors were found in the drawings that were embodied in the construction, so they still needs to be eliminated,” said Louis. - Therefore, the construction of the fortress is not completed. In addition, Fouquet, under pressure from accusations, presented me with an island with a fortress, but he himself admitted that he expected to do this later, and I believe that he did not intend to do this at all.
“It may very well be, Your Majesty,” agreed d’Artagnan.
“ In that case, I ask you, for what purpose did Fouquet come to me, and, apparently, he arrived very hastily?” - asked the King and looked intently into d'Artagnan's eyes.
“I can only assume, Your Majesty, that he arrived in order to act in accordance with the circumstances,” replied the captain. “And in this case, the report on the completion of the fortification of the island was not only a pretext, but also a seed for a conversation in which he wanted to find out how deeply you know all the circumstances around this island.
- In other words, he came to find out how deeply you penetrated into his plans and their implementation, Monsieur d'Artagnan, because it is impossible to doubt that he knew about your trip! - said the King. “Thus, everything that you found out and told me, partly in the presence of Fouquet himself, prompted him to take this decisive and desperate step - to give me Belle-Ile with all its fortifications. Your trip was the reason why this island and fortress became mine. You won the island for me just by visiting it, Monsieur d'Artagnan!
D'Artagnan proudly twirled his right mustache. He was very flattered by such praise.
— Do you still find my service boring? - asked the King. — Do you still consider yourself superfluous in the position you held? And you still insist on your resignation? Was Mazarin so good for you that after him you do not want to serve directly the one whom Mazarin himself served?
“But, Your Majesty, I have already sold my patent for the position of captain-lieutenant of the royal musketeers,” d’Artagnan said with despair.
“It doesn’t matter,” answered the King. “Didn’t you notice that I called you captain several times?” I give you a patent for the position of captain of the royal musketeers, it is yours, keep it.
With these words, Louis XIV took the patent from the table, completely filled out, which already bore the signature and seal of the King.
- Mr. Captain! - the King said solemnly. - I ask you to forget the word “retirement” forever. You will retire only if I wish, which I hope will never happen, since I know you well and am sure that you will not disappoint me. You received this patent from me as a gift, so you don’t dare sell it. Unless I give you something better instead. But it will still have to be earned. You are free for today, captain, I remember that you rode one hundred and twenty leagues without rest. Tomorrow at twelve you will report for new assignments.
D'Artagnan bowed, took the patent from the King's hands and left with a feeling of unprecedented lightness and inspiration. The last time he experienced such a feeling was only when he received a patent for the title of lieutenant of the royal musketeers, also as a gift, but from the hands of Cardinal Richelieu, a patent in which the name was not written, which Athos deliberately doused with wine, pretending that he had done it by mistake, to replace it the next day with a new one, received from de Treville and signed by King Louis XIII.
Exactly an hour after Fouquet came to the King, Colbert arrived in the office of Louis XIV.

Chapter 226

- Mister Colbert. - the King said sternly. “An hour ago you told me that you don’t have a million livres.” But Fouquet informed me that you have nine hundred thousand livres belonging to him.
“Exactly,” Colbert replied. “This sum, belonging to M. Fouquet, is temporarily in my possession, and I intended to return it to him at the first opportunity.” I dare not call this amount available to me.
“If I understand you correctly, Mr. Colbert, when speaking about the money you have, you excluded from consideration the amount that, although you have at your disposal, actually belongs not to you, but to Mr. Fouquet?” - the King clarified.
“You understood me absolutely correctly, Your Majesty,” Colbert agreed.
“That would explain everything, except that you recommended that I turn to Fouquet for a million livres,” the King continued. “You should have told me that almost all of this amount is in your possession, although it belongs to M. Fouquet, so instead of me asking him for it, you should have suggested that I ask Fouquet to transfer the amount for these purposes.” which is with you, but belongs to him. Since only one hundred thousand is missing for a million, then I suppose that you could offer me these hundred thousand from the treasury? Or is there not even that amount in the treasury entrusted to your care?
“You are absolutely right, Your Majesty, I simply did not express myself precisely enough, and as a result a misunderstanding arose,” Colbert stammered.
“Remember, Monsieur Colbert,” the King said dryly. - If a petitioner comes to you, and you do not understand him enough, it is possible that this is only the problem of this petitioner, but not yours. If you communicate with one of the government officials and at the same time do not understand each other enough, this is your common problem. But if you are talking to your King and he does not understand you well enough, then this is your problem entirely, Monsieur Colbert. You should either continue to express your thoughts in such a way that I understand you exclusively correctly, or you will never communicate with me again. Do you understand me, Mr. Colbert?
“Your Majesty, I am completely guilty and will correct myself from this very moment,” Colbert replied.
“Eliminate any ambiguity when communicating with me,” the King concluded, “or you will no longer be the intendant of my finances.” — How much money do you have that is not encumbered by any official obligations?
“ Eight hundred and fifty-three thousand livres,” answered Colbert, growing cold.
“Well, it’s less than a million, which somewhat justifies your answer that you don’t have a million livres.” - And if we take into account all the funds available to you, including those whose spending has already been predetermined and scheduled in advance, how much money is in my treasury, that is, in yours?
“Apart from the funds that I have already transferred to you from Mazarin’s secret reserves, and which for this reason I no longer dispose of, your treasury contains three million seven hundred eighty-six thousand livres,” Colbert minted.
“Most of them, as I see, have already been distributed for the most urgent expenses,” said the King. “Bring me a list of the expenses for which these two million nine hundred and thirty-three thousand livres are intended in an hour.”
“I have the list with me, Your Majesty,” Colbert said, removing a four-sheet document from the folder.
“Okay, Monsieur Colbert, leave him, I’ll see,” Louis replied in a condescending tone, since Colbert very timely reminded the King of the millions Mazarin had transferred to him. - I'm pleased with you, you are free. However, wait. Monsieur d'Artagnan also informed me that my uncle, Gaston d'Orl;ans, had died. Poor uncle! The wedding will have to be postponed a little. But my uncle made, without meaning to, a gift for my brother. Philippe will now be Duke of Orleans. And for the wedding of Monsieur, who also received the title of Duke of Orleans, a significantly larger amount will be required. Fortunately for you, Mr. Fouquet has undertaken to provide the missing part. That's it. Go ahead.
After reviewing Colbert's list, Louis was forced to agree that all the items of expenditure were indeed among the most urgent and important, and he recognized the requested amounts as quite reasonable.
Taking a pen from the table, he wrote “I approve, Louis” in a sweeping manner, rang the bell and gave this document to the secretary who appeared.
“Tell this to Monsieur Colbert,” said the King. - And invite Fouquet to me again.

Half an hour later, Fouquet appeared again in the office of Louis XIV. He managed to change clothes, freshen up with Cologne water with the finest aroma, and looked exceptionally attractive.
“Mr. Fouquet, I am extremely grateful to you for your gift and, I believe, it will only be fair if you retain your functions as governor of the island of Belle-Ile, which you will govern from now on on my behalf.”
“D'Herblay was right! - thought Fouquet. “I will retain the actual leadership of the island, and at the same time I have avoided mortal danger, for if the King had accused me of treason, even the post of prosecutor general would not have saved me!”
“I believe that entrusting the functions of the soldiers of the new garrison to the ordinary inhabitants of the island would be unreasonable and burdensome for them,” continued the King. “One of these days I will instruct Marshal de Gramont to form and send a full-fledged garrison to the island to guard the fortress, as well as distribute and appoint his officers to the necessary positions, including the commandant of the fortress.
“Nothing, in a month or two they will all be mine, when Colbert delays paying them their salaries, and I will pay them six months in advance from my own funds, and they will certainly know the source of these sums,” thought Fouquet. - D'Herblay is right a thousand times! It doesn’t matter who will be appointed, it is important under whose influence these newly appointed soldiers and officers will fall!”
“If you have any objections to any officers, I will, of course, take your wishes into account,” the King continued.
“If he seizes this opportunity, it will prove the vileness of his plans,” thought Louis. “He will probably want to retain his full influence over the garrison!”
“I do not and cannot have any objections to any candidacy of any officer from Your Majesty’s army or guard,” Fouquet hastened to assure the King. “Especially if the list of garrison officers is compiled by Marshal de Gramont.” Moreover, any decision of Your Majesty cannot be subjected to any doubt on my part!
“It was a trap! - Fouquet guessed. “The king still doesn’t trust me!”
“But you would probably like some of your people to be included in the list of officers, wouldn’t you?” - asked Louis XIV.
“Baron du Valon, Your Majesty, supervised the construction, and knows the fortifications like the back of his hand,” Fouquet said rashly, deciding that it would not be amiss to introduce his own officer into the garrison. “I can only recommend him from the best side!”
- Wonderful, Mr. Fouquet! - answered the King with a radiant smile. “Your recommendation is sufficient for this officer to be appointed deputy commandant of the fortress.”
“The King trusts me completely! - Fouquet was delighted. “I shouldn’t have feared a trap.” This is some kind of ridiculous suspiciousness! Can I be considered an enemy after such a magnificent gift?
“I should remember this name,” thought the King. - Baron du Valon. Probably some leader of the conspirators. We should make inquiries about him. Most likely, he should be sent to the gallows after the scoundrels Liodo and d'Emery!
“Mr. Fouquet, I want to remind you of my two requests,” the King continued.
“Your Majesty, regarding the creation of the Council of Commerce, I have drawn up a draft of your decree on the creation of this council with a list of members of this council,” said Fouquet, taking this document out of his folder and handing it to the King.
“I see you put yourself first?” - said the King, as soon as he glanced at the document. — Do you intend to be the chairman?
“I believed that since I was entrusted with creating this council, then I should preside over it,” Fouquet replied.
“ If your council reveals any violations, it will write to the prosecutor general,” the King clarified. - Why are you going to write letters to yourself?
“In this case, the letter can be signed by the assistant to the chairman, who, of course, will be M. Colbert,” Fouquet replied.
“Well, so be it,” agreed the King. — At my second request, do you have the same excellent result of your work?
“I can decisively promise Your Majesty the marriage of Charles II with Catherine of Braganza no later than May 1664,” Fouquet replied, fully relying on my promise.
— Do you have a clear plan to achieve such a brilliant result? - the King was surprised.
“I have a plan that will involve people who act quite subtly and effectively,” Fouquet answered evasively. - Since I myself have not yet fully drawn up this plan, it is too early to name the executors of this plan, but I promise that this plan will be carried out.
— How can you promise the fulfillment of a plan that has not yet been developed in sufficient detail? - the King was surprised.
“It will be developed and implemented, I guarantee that,” Fouquet repeated. “I just can’t guarantee that this marriage will lead to a military alliance between England and Portugal, but it will create strong preconditions for this.” After the wedding of these persons, I will take up the second half of this plan.
“Well, good,” agreed the King. — Let's return to the question of the military alliance between England and Portugal after the marriage of Charles II with Catherine of Braganza. I am pleased with you, Monsieur Fouquet. Is this case likely to require significant sums? Which ones?
“Your Majesty, I myself will find this million livres, or, more precisely, a million pounds sterling, and I only ask for your consent to spend this amount without receiving the appropriate supporting documents for this expenditure,” said Fouquet.
— So, after all, we are talking about payments that are not recorded in any documents? - Louis perked up.
“His Eminence sometimes resorted to such methods,” Fouquet replied.
—Are you talking about bribes to the Royals? - asked the King.
“I am not aware of the amounts, the methods of spending them, who the recipients were, and what would be the correct name for these expenses,” Fouquet replied. “It is quite possible that the word that Your Majesty applied to these expenses is the most accurate definition of their essence.
— Did Mazarin pay these bribes through you, Fouquet? - asked the King and looked intently into the eyes of the superintendent of finance.
“I dare to remind Your Majesty that my duty was to raise funds for the needs of the state and for the special needs of the First Minister,” Fouquet replied. — The cardinal himself handled the expenses with the help of his manager, Mr. Jean-Baptiste Colbert.
— So it was not you who paid the bribes, but Colbert? - asked the King, his eyes sparkling.
“Your Majesty formulated the essence of the situation perfectly,” agreed Fouquet.
“Well, if you are so successful in solving the cases entrusted to you that you can even guarantee me a marriage, which, it seems to me, is still far from so obvious for Charles II himself, I recognize you not only as a great financier and attorney general, but and a talented politician,” said the King.
“This is a preamble to a further more serious conversation! - Fouquet formed. - The king wants to offer me the post of first minister! If not now, not today, then very soon!”
“Think, Mister Fouquet, what can be done so that the elective Polish throne goes to the son of the Prince of Cond;, the Duke d'Agnien,” said Louis. “This would greatly strengthen our position in the northeast.” And it would greatly weaken the influence of the Habsburgs in this part of Europe.
“I’ll think about it, Your Majesty,” Fouquet replied with an extremely arrogant and self-satisfied look. “I think that on this issue I can offer something to Your Majesty.”
“Okay,” replied the King. - I'm pleased with you. Also explore the intricacies of the current state of our relationship with Sweden. We will talk to you shortly about some opportunities in Swedish politics.
“I will study these questions thoroughly, Your Majesty,” Fouquet replied and, understanding from the King’s nod that the audience was over, he left with a bow.
“The First Minister’s portfolio is almost in my pocket! - Fouquet thought joyfully. “This is, of course, the last test before a new appointment!”
“With what joy he takes on political affairs, about which he obviously knows absolutely nothing! - thought the King. - He has influential supporters, there is no doubt about it! In order to trim the claws of this “Squirrel”, you will have to seriously tinker with him, identifying all his connections, which, obviously, stretch to both England and Poland! It is quite obvious that Belle-Ile was not fortified to protect France from the British!”
The king recalled one of the advice of Cardinal Mazarin: “When talking with your courtiers, as well as with princes and with anyone else, always try to sit with your back to the light so that your face remains in the shadows, while the face of your interlocutor is illuminated as best as possible. Look carefully at the faces, at the position of the hands, at the turn of the heads of your interlocutors, even at the slightest movements of the fingers. This will help you notice when you are being lied to. But when talking to those you love, try to let the light illuminate your face from the best angle, that is, a little from the side and from above.”
“Well, Fouquet certainly lied to me on some points,” the King said to himself. “If only I could learn to distinguish in which matters people lie to me and in which they tell the truth!”

Chapter 2 27

Those who have read Grimaud's memoirs should, it seems to me, consider d'Artagnan a vile pimp who, knowing that Raoul considered Louise de La Valli;re his betrothed, nevertheless contributed to the success of Louis XIV's love affair with this girl. This doesn't look at all friendly towards Athos. I must justify my friend because he had the right to act in this way in connection with the conversation he had after the events described above.
“Raoul, my boy, I see that your father, Comte de La F;re, made a considerable gap in your education, from which he himself suffered,” said d’Artagnan to the Viscount de Bragelonne after his meeting with the King. “I have been observing your actions and your mood since you arrived at the King’s court, and these observations alarm me.
“Monsieur d’Artagnan, I know that you are an old friend of my father and had no intention of offending him, but I would immediately challenge anyone else who would dare to speak so disparagingly about him to a duel,” answered Raoul. “And I ask even you to give me explanations that would prove that there was not a shadow of disrespect for the Comte de La F;re in your words.”
“In your ardor, you are very similar to me, as I was almost forty years ago,” answered d’Artagnan with a smile. “But calm down, you’re right, I in no way wanted to speak disrespectfully about the Comte de La F;re.” On the contrary, my respect for him exceeds the respect for any person on this sinful earth, and even if Jesus had descended on it a second time, and if he had quarreled with Athos, I would have been on the side of Athos, and not on the side of Christ. But friendly feelings, affection, devotion and even sincere love for your father, my dear Raoul, do not obscure Athos from me as a person. True friendship is not about seeing only your friend's strengths and being blind to his shortcomings, but about accepting a friend with all his shortcomings. Moreover, this only flaw of his does not harm his friends, but only himself. Knowing this, I can help him in difficult times, because I can foresee the danger that he may not be able to avoid due to the characteristics of his character. And you, my dear Raoul, I love just as much as your father, since you are a part of him, and in you I find the same flaw and all or almost all the same virtues that I know and love in him.
- If your words come from a pure heart, then tell me what shortcomings you are talking about, and perhaps I will try to correct them in myself, and, perhaps, soften them in my father, or, in any case, adapt to them, Raoul answered.
— Do you know, Raoul, what the Maltese word “approsh” means? - asked d'Artagnan.
- Of course, these are hidden approaches to the enemy fortress, specially dug secret trenches! - Raoul answered.
“This can also be applied in relations between people,” said the captain of the musketeers. — People also need their approval, just like military targets. Know, my dear Raoul, that your father and my friend Athos, excellent in all other respects, is completely ignorant of two types of people - princes and women.
At the mention of women, Raoul shuddered involuntarily.
“Can there be any other approach to the sovereign other than to always remember who exactly fate gave you as the only sovereign, and to serve him faithfully to the last drop of blood?” - Raoul exclaimed hotly. — And with regard to women, it seems to me that the approach should be exactly the same, isn’t it?
“You are the spitting image of Athos, my friend, and since Athos often called me his son, then by virtue of this relationship and by right of seniority I can address you in the same way, my dear Raoul!” - D'Artagnan answered half-jokingly, half-seriously. “Listen to me as you would listen to your own father.” You never knew your mother, and this, of course, is not your fault, but this may be your misfortune. I would say that Athos never married, but if I said that I would be lying.
“Are you saying that my father was married to my mother?” - Raoul exclaimed hotly.
- Not at all, my son, not at all! - answered d'Artagnan. - Your father was not married to your mother. But your noble father’s marriage was the worst mistake of his life, and it would have been better if he had never known this woman whom he chose as his wife. As a result, having made a mistake once, the count avoided all women in the world, and if it were not for the persistent desire of God that the Count de La F;re would have an offspring who was like him in everything, you probably would never have been born. A wonderful and mysterious accident led to your birth, and your mother is no less noble than your noble father. Someday, perhaps, the count himself will tell you the story of your birth. In any case, I must not tell you what the Count has decided not to tell you. But my heart bleeds when I see how stubbornly you walk along the difficult road of cruel errors, which will lead you to many sorrows and disappointments, perhaps as strong as those that befell your father, and perhaps even more cruel.
- So, the count was unhappy in love? - Raoul exclaimed.
“The word “was” is inappropriate here, dear Raoul, the count was not only unhappy, he is still, I believe, suffering from the mistake he made in his youth, and only the miraculous birth of you made him look at life differently and stop wanting to himself the quickest death.
“If you’re telling the truth, then this is very sad, and I didn’t know any of this!” - said Raoul.
- Do I really look like a person who could joke with such things or mislead you? - asked d'Artagnan. “Have I ever deceived you, Raoul?”
“ Neither you nor the count ever tell lies!” - Raoul objected hotly. “But both of you sometimes conceal the truth, which sometimes is not very different from deception.”
“You are mistaken about me,” answered d’Artagnan with a smile. “I am quite capable of lying, unlike Comte de La F;re.” I can lie, but I have never lied to either you or Athos, it will be enough for you to accept this, and not unnecessarily generalize this rule to all the people with whom I have had and will have to communicate. As for your father, he, indeed, sometimes tells the truth even to those who do not deserve it at all, and even when it causes irreparable damage to himself. Sometimes it even seems to me that especially in these cases he is inclined to tell the truth - the truth that kills him. I can't find this habit useful.
“You said that my father does not know how to approach rulers and women, so is the right approach to them to be to deceive them?” - Raoul exclaimed.
“That’s not the point, although, partly, that’s the point too,” answered d’Artagnan. “But Comte de La F;re was not always like this. There was a time when he deceived everyone, hiding his true name, and if he told it to someone, then only to the one whom he intended to kill before he could convey this terrible secret to anyone else.
“You say terrible things, Monsieur d’Artagnan, and make terrible accusations!” - Raoul exclaimed.
“Not at all,” objected d’Artagnan. — Imagine if a person made a vow to hide his name until he performs some actions that seem necessary to him before regaining his name and position back? Is it really such a sin in this case to hide one’s name, and is being called by another name such a strong deception? After all, you need to be called something so that people can contact you if necessary! The name Athos is a fictitious name, in honor of the mountain on which the monastery is located. This name was supposed to remind your father of fulfilling a certain vow.
- Therefore, the father fulfilled this vow if he decided to return his name, which he had previously hidden! - Raoul said thoughtfully.
“I wouldn’t say so,” answered d’Artagnan. - Your father did not plan to regain his true name and did not set himself any tasks, did not make any promises to the Lord, but his self-denial was something similar to a vow. The count believed that by his hasty marriage to that woman who turned out to be unworthy to enter his family, he had dishonored himself and his family, after which he considered himself unworthy even to return to his father for repentance. So he decided to simply disappear to all his loved ones, including his father.
“I understand him,” said Raoul.
- Still would! - exclaimed d'Artagnan. - After all, in many ways you are an exact copy of your father, only younger. But I wouldn’t do that, and I assure you that the count made a mistake. One should not have avoided one's own father, leaving him in the dark about his fate and even making him think that he had committed suicide. After all, his father and your grandfather died with the confidence that his only son committed suicide, that his family line would end with his death, and that his beloved son would burn in hell, like all suicides. Therefore, I am convinced that if you were to repeat your father’s mistake in a similar case and hide from him by changing your name and go off to seek death in some dangerous battle, then this would be the greatest ingratitude towards your father who gave you life, who raised and educated you, provided you with a noble name and sufficient wealth, and also facilitated your entry into service in one of the most prestigious regiments in the Kingdom! And this would be the greatest misfortune for your father and his friends. You wouldn't want to kill your father, would you, Raoul? Wouldn't you like to be such an ungrateful son?
- Never! - Raoul exclaimed. “I would not be the cause of my father’s grief!”
- Well, then our conversation is not in vain. But I’m not talking about grief, but about real murder, because if you allowed yourself to be killed because of unhappy love, you would thereby kill your father in the most literal sense of the word,” d’Artagnan clarified.
- But why do you consider my love unhappy? - Raoul exclaimed in bewilderment. - After all, my love is bright, pure and mutual! I will not face any misfortunes on this path! Will fate be so cruel that some misfortune will happen to my chosen one? But even in this case, I will not leave my beloved!
“If misfortune happens to your chosen one, this will not make your love unhappy, dear Raoul,” answered d’Artagnan with a sigh. “You shouldn’t be afraid of such troubles.” Better beware of happiness that may fall unexpectedly on your chosen one, as you call her.
“But not only am I not afraid of Louise’s happiness, I wish it for her with all my soul!” - Raoul exclaimed.
“You said the name yourself, Raoul,” answered d’Artagnan. — Do you think your father approves of your choice?
“We haven’t discussed it with him yet, but I really hope that he will agree with my decision, and even if he doesn’t agree, I hope to convince him!” - Raoul answered. “I will perform as many feats as necessary, I will earn the respect and gratitude of the King, and the King will intercede for me!” He will ask the count for consent to my marriage, and my father will not be able to refuse him, since the will of the King is the will of God.
“It is as simple in words as it is complex in practice,” answered d’Artagnan. - No, no, I have no doubt that you are capable of performing many military feats and even earning the gratitude and admiration of the King, but I must warn you that Kings and Queens are not very grateful to their subjects who shed their blood for them and risking their lives at their whim, at least ten times a day. They believe that this is the only way it should be, because we are their subjects, and perhaps even that they are right. Counting on the King's gratitude and help is not much better than relying on luck or the Lord. We all sometimes count on this, but victory is given not by God’s intercession, but by a strong hand and a fast sword; success is brought not by the gratitude of monarchs, but by a brave heart, a quick and flexible mind, iron endurance and unbending will, constant persistence in achieving one’s goals, bordering sometimes with insane stubbornness. Please note that your father, Comte de La Fer, did not seek his father’s consent to marry his chosen one, but married her against the will of his father. Don't make such a mistake!
- I won’t do that! - Raoul exclaimed hotly.
“Then you differ from him in some ways,” agreed d’Artagnan. “But let me tell you the phrase that Count de La F;re said to me about my failure in love.” “Love is a lottery in which the winner gets death! - he once told me in the heat of frankness. - Believe me, dear d'Artagnan, you are very lucky that you lost! Always lose, that’s my advice.”
- But Louise loves me! - Raoul objected heatedly.
“You said word for word the phrase that I said then to your father, only with a different name.” - answered d'Artagnan. “I told him: “It seemed to me that she loved me so much!” Your father replied: “It was only your imagination. There is no man who does not believe, as you do, that his beloved loves him, and there is no man who has not been deceived by his beloved.”
“I understand,” Raoul said thoughtfully. “Father doesn’t believe that I can be worthy of love.” He doesn’t believe that Louise loves me, that any woman could love me. And that's why he will oppose my marriage. I have long noticed that for some time he began to be very disapproving of my feelings for Louise!
“You didn’t understand anything, dear Raoul, and that’s not surprising,” d’Artagnan objected. “I wouldn’t say that the Count doesn’t admit that some woman could love you.” But I am convinced that the Count does not think that Louise de La Valliere is a worthy match for you.
“I don’t care at all about her nobility and her condition!” - Raoul exclaimed passionately. “Even if Louise were of the lowest rank and did not have a single sou in her name, I would still marry her and be happy!”
“Perhaps so, my dear Raoul, but when I talk about the Count’s doubts, I do not mean Louise de La Valli;re’s lack of nobility or insufficient wealth,” answered d’Artagnan with a sigh. “Your father’s nobility and wealth are sufficient to make you and your chosen one happy, no matter who she was before marriage.”
- What then? - Raoul was surprised. “You don’t think she’s not moral enough, do you?” After all, admit it, you cannot blame her for any immoral act! This girl is pure in soul, like a high-mountain stream that has barely emerged from under a glacier and flows its cold waters over clean mountain stones!
- It’s exactly as cold as a mountain stream! - D'Artagnan agreed. - And it’s good if she’s just cold by nature! But perhaps her feelings have not yet been awakened by anyone, and then woe to you if someone else awakens them!
“But she’s always very nice to me!” - Raoul exclaimed.
“ Nice from a good upbringing,” agreed d’Artagnan. “In the wilderness, in Blois, where you grew up and matured, and where she grew up, she simply did not have the opportunity to turn her girlish gaze on anyone else. You obscured her whole world with your person; you were this world for her. Now she is Princess Henrietta's maid of honor.
“But what could be wrong with the fact that she is the Princess’s maid of honor and that she will see the world?” - Raoul was surprised. “Is it really that bad to meet the royal court, the Princess, and maybe even the King?”
“I cannot answer the question of what these acquaintances will bring, but I myself would never marry a lady-in-waiting, and especially not a lady-in-waiting to Princess Henrietta,” said d’Artagnan. “This lady will not be a model of piety for her ladies-in-waiting.”
“You must somehow misunderstand the meaning of the word “maid of honor,” objected Raoul. - And what bad can you say about Princess Henrietta?
- My dear Raoul! - answered d'Artagnan. — Ask your friend Comte de Guiche about the Princess’s frivolity. I will say that I know perfectly well the meaning of the word “maid of honor,” and I am not saying this for the sake of a catchphrase. Our King Louis XIV, with his amorousness, did not at all take after his father, Louis XIII, but after his grandfather, Henry IV. While still very young, he looked after all the nieces of Cardinal Mazarin, and there were a lot of these nieces, whom everyone called Mazarinettes. Almost all of them proved their affection to him, and he proved his masculinity to them. The King's marriage for political reasons will not stop his falling in love. The king is insatiable in his passions, and he intends to rule alone, so now there will be no one to keep his passions within the bounds of decency, he will not even listen to his august mother, who, however, was also not a model of piety. Our King's grandfather lived openly with his mistresses and recognized the children they fathered from him as his legitimate children. He arranged for these girlfriends to serve as ladies-in-waiting to the Queen, simultaneously showing contempt for both his own wife and the husbands of these ladies, if they had them. I don’t expect anything different from Louis XIV in this regard, you’ll see. The king will not encroach on your beloved only if he does not like her.
- But Louise is an honest girl! - Raoul objected hotly. “She won’t allow herself to be treated like those you’re talking about!”
- Why do you think those others were dishonest? - asked d'Artagnan. - What if they sincerely loved Henry IV? Why do you consider yourself so much more attractive than the King that you are sure that Louise will never choose His Majesty over you? Moreover, if she refuses the King, she will be denied her position as maid of honor.
- And let her be fired! It will be even better this way. - Raoul objected. “The king can only offer her shameful love, condemned by God, while I will offer her marriage!” She will be a viscountess, perhaps even a countess.
“The king can make her a marquise, a duchess, even a princess.” - said d'Artagnan. “Listen, Raoul, the oath of fidelity that Louise may have given you cannot oblige her to anything, since she gave it without knowing the court, without knowing the King, without knowing all the temptations of life at court, without knowing the specified seducers.”, snooping around the palace and scattering pearls, gold and diamonds if necessary, just to get the desired prey into their nets! She didn’t know herself yet, so such vows are worthless.
“Louise didn’t give me any vows,” Raoul said quietly.
- No vows? - asked d'Artagnan. - Even so? And you? Have you already told her about your love?
“She could read my confession in my eyes, in my face, in my hands when I took her hand to touch her with my lips,” Raoul answered passionately.
- Could you read it or did you read it? - D'Artagnan objected. — Did she reciprocate your feelings, or did she just allow you to continue to be mistaken about her? Kissed her hands, you say? Just a gesture of respect for women's power over us men! There, in Blois, you were, perhaps, the only man who kissed her hands; here, in Paris, her hands, the hands of the Princess's maid of honor, will kiss dozens of men's lips every day, and this will mean absolutely nothing to her. But among these lips, sooner or later, there may be the lips of the King, or some court gentleman, a dandy who she will like more than you, if only because he will promise her something that you will never dare to promise. Women sometimes value diamonds more than a marriage proposal.
- Louise is not like that! - Raoul exclaimed in despair.
- But you didn’t explain yourself! You didn’t choose the moment to declare your love to her, you didn’t hear in response an equally sincere declaration of reciprocity, why do you consider her your chosen one? - asked d'Artagnan. “Just because when she was a little girl, you gave her your knee so she could climb on her horse and held her hand?” When do you plan to confess to her and receive her consent to marriage in response? You have laid out your treasure in a place where a hundred deceivers and liars hang around, accustomed to laying their eyes on someone else’s property and appropriating what does not belong to them, and you are convinced of its safety only because, as you believe, the Lord loves and protects you from such a shame greater than all the other nobles? Why does God allow that the Duke de Chevreuse wears branched horns, like the Duke de Longueville, like Charles of Lorraine, like many others whose names I don’t want to name, so as not to clutter your memory. Why do you believe that God is more merciful to you than to your father, who was so disappointed in his choices that he sought death?
“You say that because you didn’t see Louise’s eyes when she looked at me,” Raoul answered stubbornly.
“God grant that you are right, my dear Raoul,” answered d’Artagnan. - I sincerely wish you happiness. But what will you say if I turn out to be right and not you? If your experienced father turns out to be right, whose words I just conveyed to you, and who is also very skeptical about your possible marriage with Louise de La Valli;re?
“ If such a misfortune befalls me, I will consider it deserved and will bear it with fortitude,” said Raoul.
“Young people often overestimate their feelings, and even more often they overestimate their ability to resist their feelings,” answered d’Artagnan. - Listen to me, a man no longer young and experienced in such matters. Marriage is a lifelong decision. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to first get to know each other better, and most importantly, yourself, in order to understand what you want from life, what and who your chosen one wants, and whether you are suitable for each other. It is easy to make a mistake at twenty years, and then for forty years or longer you will have to live with an unloved or unloving person. You don’t think that Louise de La Valli;re accepted the position of maid of honor to Princess Henrietta only to marry her fellow countryman in less than a year and, having locked herself within four walls in the wilderness, in Blois, give birth to your children and wait for your return from the war?
- Why not, Mister Captain? - Raoul asked doubtfully.
“Because in order to settle in Blois with your neighbor the Viscount, there is no need to go to Paris and enter the service of the Princess,” answered d’Artagnan. “In order to open the gate and go to the neighboring front garden, people, as a rule, do not get into a carriage and go fifty leagues to the capital. I offer you, dear Raoul, one simple bet. Wait six months, put off your wedding. If after six months you remain as firm in your decision, I undertake to persuade the Count de La F;re to consent to your marriage with Louise de La Valli;re.
- But, dear d'Artagnan! - Raoul exclaimed. “After all, I didn’t even think about our marriage taking place earlier than the date you specified!”
“I know,” answered the captain. - But I will have a counterclaim. If I turn out to be right in my warnings, and if during these six months you receive reasons not to enter into this marriage, such as the refusal of your betrothed, promise me that this will not break your heart. This means that you should not fuel your feelings with excessive hopes that may turn out to be unfounded. If you promise me this, and focus your thoughts only on your military career, I can be calm about you. In this case, I will consider that my participation in your fate will justify the hopes that I place on myself, and then this conversation, which gave you several unpleasant minutes, will not be in vain. Do you promise me this, Raoul?
“I am so confident in Louise that such a promise does not limit me in any way,” answered Raoul.
“Do you promise to take Louise’s refusal philosophically?” - D'Artagnan asked with disbelief. “Can I rely on your courage in this case?”
Instead of answering, Raoul extended his hand to d'Artagnan, but then, in a fit of filial feeling, he hugged him.
“If I haven’t tired of you yet with my grumbling, my dear Raoul, we’ll talk to you about the meaning of the word “approsh,” said d’Artagnan and, affectionately patting Raoul on the back, gently pushed him away. “Go to the count, but don’t tell him about our conversation.” Let this be our little secret. Otherwise, I will take back my promise to influence his decision in six months, starting from today.

Chapter 228

It was not by chance that D'Artagnan started this conversation with Raoul. Unlike Athos, he immediately noticed how Louise de La Valliere was looking at the King. After all, his duty was often to accompany Louis, and he always perceived his presence with the royal person as part of the duties of the commander of the personal guard. Persons guarding an important person look not so much at the person himself, but at the people around him, trying to guess their thoughts by their behavior, facial expressions and involuntary movements of their arms, legs, body turns, and eye movements in order to predict their actions. The captain of the musketeers easily read each of the people around him like a book, predicting their actions by their reaction to the words and gestures of the King. He certainly understood that Louise was in love with Louis, but he did not yet know whether the King would reciprocate these feelings, or neglect them, or simply not notice them. However, his experience told him that Louis XIV was an amorous young man, and such ardent natures as he were capable of inflaming with reciprocal passion even if they initially did not find attractive the lady who honored them with sincere love. However, even less passionate natures are sometimes capable of being kindled with reciprocal love, since true and strong love for them in a young person of the opposite sex always flatters their pride and forces them to begin to perceive this person in a special way, distinguishing her from those who only pretend to be passionate or doesn't even do that. Even a young monarch, accustomed to seeing only admiring glances directed at himself everywhere, over time begins to distinguish between ostentatious, routine, and flattering enthusiasm and true love.
So while Athos was trying to understand how suitable Louise was to be Raoul’s wife in terms of her status, and to what extent Raoul’s love was true, d’Artagnan had already discerned in this passion a mortal danger for the young man and tried to forestall it, hoping to gradually open the young man's eyes on the situation. He hoped that Raoul himself should take care to clarify the question of how desirable he is to Louise as a husband, and try to find out this question as reliably as possible, acting delicately, and not succumbing to the prejudice that Louise has the same feelings for Raoul as and he comes to her, based only on the good disposition of two neighboring children to each other.
In particular, d'Artagnan was alarmed by the fact that when Louis asked him if he knew the name of this maid of honor, the Princess, who always wore a ribbon or something in the same color in her hair or on her belt as the King was wearing that day. Hearing the name of Mademoiselle de La Valliere, the King, as if for memory, wrote it down on a piece of paper, and then, either for fun or out of obvious consonance, wrote his own name next to it. (Louis and Louise are written in French: “Louis” and “Louise”, translator’s note).
It is quite obvious that in order to remember Louise’s name, Louis did not need to write it down, so this prank meant something else, namely: at least Louis’s interest in Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, even if completely idle.
These events led to that conversation between d'Artagnan and Raoul, which I described in the previous chapter.
Grimaud describes the case of how Athos quarreled with the King because of the dissimilarity of their opinions on the fate of Louise de La Valliere, they say, Athos believed that she should become Raoul’s wife, but the King did not think so. This led to the arrest of Athos, whom d'Artagnan was ordered to escort to the Bastille, which d'Artagnan did, after which he returned to the King and convinced him to cancel this order. This story, of course, is entertaining, Grimaud managed to paint it in the best colors, I read it myself. But it has nothing to do with actual events. Neither Athos would have spoken so impudently to the King, nor would the King have canceled his decision to arrest Athos if he had signed it because of his behavior as described in Grimaud’s memoirs. Only Grimaud treated his master as a deity, and therefore even in his shortcomings he saw special advantages, and exaggerated them first in his presentation, and then in his fantasies and descriptions. To any person who has ever been at court, the absurdity of the two visits of Athos to the King described in Grimaud’s memoirs is obvious. Louis would not have allowed even his own brother or uncle to behave this way, let alone the Comte de La F;re. And, of course, the Count de La F;re, a man who had special respect for the King’s person, comparable to almost divine delight, would never have dared to demand that the King abandon his chosen one for the reason that his son had chosen her for himself, and besides illegitimate. For Louis XIV, Raoul de Bragelonne was nobody; for his sake he would not have sacrificed absolutely anything, not to mention the sacrifice that this literary hero, who was decidedly different from the true Comte de La F;re, dared to demand in Grimaud’s book.
The only truth in this description is that Athos, as he was in life, really did not care about Louise’s own opinion about the prospect of her marriage with Raoul, for the simple reason that his blind fatherly love assured him that Raoul was so good that Louise simply could not help but love him. In this matter, Athos would simply be like a child.

I must say that Athos actually visited King Louis XIV twice, but the conversation did not proceed as Grimaud described, and, of course, it did not end that way.
The first time Athos came to the King in order to ask for consent to Raoul’s marriage to Louise de La Valli;re, but not at all to be refused. Athos would never have risked making such a request to the King in the hope of refusal. Firstly, the King would not have accepted such insolence, and secondly, if the King had given his consent, this marriage could not be refused even if, after receiving consent, both Raoul and Louise refused it, and even if Athos himself opposed him. He would not have risked the happiness of his son like that, even if in the erroneous understanding that poor Athos put into this word, under no circumstances.
The King's visit did not have such consequences as to brag about; it is for this reason that Grimaud is not aware of either the results or the conversation itself. I'll tell you how it all happened.

“Your Majesty,” said Athos, appearing at the appointed time. — I came at your invitation and am ready to answer all your questions.
“Come in, Marquis,” answered the King. - I'm glad to see you. You have done good service to my cousin Charles II, although you were not authorized to do so. It is curious that at the time when you were in England, our kingdom’s relations with this power were far from the most radiant. What were you guided by when you went there without any instructions from me? After all, this is interference in the internal politics of another power!
“I was guided by the promise I made to the father of the current King, Charles I, a minute before his terrible death,” answered Athos. “I was secretly under the scaffold where the execution took place, so I was the last person King Charles spoke to.”
— For what reason were you there and what were you doing there? - the King was surprised.
“My friends and I tried to make a last desperate attempt to save the King, but Fate turned against us, our plan failed,” answered Athos.
“I remember, Marquis, that you were an ambassador to the court of England, but, if I’m not mistaken, during the period we are talking about, you were no longer in this position,” asked the King. — Did you go to England to save King Charles on your own initiative?
“Exactly so, sir, and if I have angered Your Majesty, I will humbly accept any punishment,” answered Athos.
- Come on, Marquis! - the King objected with a smile. “We have long considered and discussed all these circumstances. After all, it seems that you received the Order of the Holy Spirit from King Charles?
“That’s absolutely true,” agreed Athos. “The king rewarded me with it for my previous services, while he still retained that small amount of power in his country that gave him the right to do so.” At the same time, he awarded this order to Lord Winter, who, unfortunately, was killed on the same day.
- Unhappy country, unfortunate fate! - said the King with a sigh. - But, fortunately for this country, you, Marquis, were among the few defenders of legitimate power, and although you were unable to save Charles I, you managed to return the throne to his son, Charles II. Tell us in more detail, how did you manage to do this?
“ Everything was decided by chance, Your Majesty, and I only fulfilled my duty,” Athos answered modestly. “I promised Charles I to transfer this money to his son at the moment when he needed it to restore his legal rights, and when this moment came, I could not help but keep my promise. There is no merit in doing the only thing possible.
“Your zeal is commendable and the results are magnificent,” the King concluded. - But you deserve a reward! Do you have any requests for me?
“Your Majesty, as I already said, I only did what duty required of me,” answered Athos. “But since Your Majesty is disposed to do something for me, I would ask, if possible, to legitimize by your decree the rights of my son Raoul to inherit my noble title.”
“You seem to have already granted him the Viscountcy of Bragelonne, which belongs to you?” - asked the King. - What else do you need?
“My son was born from the Comte de La F;re, and I would like him to rightfully bear my name after my death,” answered Athos. “Owning an estate gave him the right to nobility, but I would like him to rightfully be the heir and successor of my glorious family.”
“It is possible to legitimize illegitimate children only if they are the children of the King, as you know, dear Marquis,” answered the King. - By the way, why do you call yourself a count, while I know for sure that you are a marquis?
“I didn’t want to embarrass my friends with too high a rank,” Athos answered modestly. “I introduced myself as the Count when I had to reveal my incognito, and since then they got used to calling me Count de La F;re, and I myself got used to this name.
- But such a county does not exist! - objected the King. “I know the Marquisate de La F;re, and you were sent to England as an ambassador precisely under the name of the Marquis de La F;re, and not under the name of the Comte de La F;re!” Well, by the way, among your friends you can be called whatever you want, however, at my reception I ask you not to be modest. So, perhaps, the Princes will begin to call themselves counts, and the Dukes - barons? I do not like it. So, would you like the Viscount de Bragelonne to be recognized as legitimate, despite the fact that he was born out of wedlock? Who is his mother?
“Your Majesty, his mother is higher in position than her father,” answered Athos. “She is a duchess, and I cannot say her name, because this secret is not mine.”
“I think I can guess who this duchess is!” - the King exclaimed joyfully. - Yes, and your son is very similar to her! How did I not notice this right away?
“I’m glad that there was a reason to cheer up Your Majesty,” Athos replied, trying to hide his annoyance. — Can I count on a positive solution to my question?
- Dear Marquis! - answered the King. “The fact that your son’s mother is a duchess doesn’t change anything.” Even if she were the Queen herself, your son would still remain a bastard. Only the children of the King can receive such a privilege as recognition as legitimate, but even in this case, as you see, they do not receive all the inheritance rights that they could claim if they were born in wedlock. What do you want from me? For me to break the law to which even princes, dukes and peers are subject?
“Your Majesty, I was going to ask for something and I don’t dare bother you with my petitions, but only being encouraged by Your Majesty, I dared to turn to you with such an unusual request,” answered Athos. “Since it cannot be fulfilled, I have nothing more to ask.”
- But I would like to thank you, Marquis! - objected the King. “Perhaps you would like to receive my approval for some advantageous marriage of your son with a noble lady, which he could not count on without being legitimate?” My approval of this marriage will make this issue resolved, and the marriage indissoluble, I can even be the godfather of one of your future grandchildren! The King's attention to your son will not go unnoticed. He will certainly take a worthy place at court, you can be sure!
“I would only like for my son to be considered the grandson of my father and the successor of my family,” answered Athos. - To belong to my family according to the law, despite the fact that he already belongs to it by birth, is a sufficient reward for him, and my son does not need other awards. He will get everything else for himself with his sword, his courage and honor, and the fortune with which I have already provided him is quite enough for him; he does not need profitable posts and positions at court. As for marriage, he has his eye on one of the Princess's ladies-in-waiting, but I believe that this matter can still wait.
“The Princess’s ladies-in-waiting cannot marry without the Princess’s consent and my approval,” said the King. “Besides, they are all quite well-born, and I do not think that the parents of any lady-in-waiting will approve of a marriage with an illegitimate nobleman, even if he has all the merits of your son, Marquis.” This is exactly the case when marriage can take place only according to my persistent desire. Which maid of honor are we talking about?
“Your Majesty, I ask you to postpone or even completely forget this conversation, since I admit that you are absolutely right,” answered Athos. — A bastard cannot marry the Princess's maid of honor. I will pass this on to my son.
- Don't get excited, Marquis! - objected the King. “Perhaps we can come up with something.” Perhaps your son, with his sword, will earn himself a position in which no one will dare to reproach him for his origin?
“I have no doubt that it will be so, Your Majesty,” answered Athos. “Until then, the guarantee that no one will reproach him for not being of high enough origin is his valor and his sword, as well as mine.”
“Go, Marquis,” answered the King. “And don’t forget that duels are prohibited.” We will think about how to thank you and what we can do for your son.

Chapter 229

Athos did not tell anyone about this conversation, but two people knew its contents from word to word. One of them was, of course, me. The other is the Duchess de Chevreuse. Don't ask me how I ended up being privy to it, because I still won't answer, but I don't know how the Duchess found out about it. I can only assume that she has a whole network of informants, no worse than mine. Knowing everything about everything has long been the profession of Marie de Chevreuse.
The day after this conversation, she came to the Queen Mother, who had long since begun to treat her coldly and warily, but did not refuse her a meeting. Perhaps this is explained by the memory of past friendship, perhaps by the fear of exposing some secrets, and most likely by both.
- Your Majesty, I am so happy to see you! - exclaimed the Duchess.
“Ah, Duchess, I already look so bad that I myself don’t feel any happiness at seeing myself in the mirror, so hardly anyone can be happy to see me,” the Queen answered coquettishly.
- For me, you are always the same charming and sweet friend! - Chevrette cooed. “But I dare not address you as in the days of our youth, when you were not yet the reigning Queen.”
“Even now I am no longer the reigning Queen,” answered Anna of Austria. - Yes, and never was. I'm still the same Anna, your friend. But you seem to have something to do with me?
“My main business is to see you and inquire about your health,” Maria answered hypocritically.
“My health, as you know, is getting worse and worse, especially since the cardinal left this sinful earth,” the Queen answered with a sigh. “The goal of my life was to preserve the kingdom for my son and hand it over to him in a condition no worse than what it was left after his father.” With God's help and the help of my tireless friend, whom I now miss so much, I was able not only to complete this mission, but also to strengthen the kingdom. Now all I need is peace, and if even a little bit of health were added to this, I couldn’t even dream of anything better. But what is your problem, my dear?
“Oh, you don’t believe in my selfless friendship, my Queen,” Chevrette pretended to be upset. - So be it. If I must give a reason for my visit that would be more convincing than the simple love of an old friend, so be it. I want to take care of a young man.
- My dear! - exclaimed the Queen. - You're not wasting your time! Who is this young man, tell me more!
“Ah, Your Majesty, this is not at all what you thought,” answered the duchess. “This young man is not dear to me at all as a man.” I will tell this only to you, and not a single living soul should know about it. He is my son.
“But it seems, my dear, that there is nothing reprehensible in caring for your own son, so why make a secret of it?” - The Queen was surprised. - Louis-Charles d'Albert, Duke de Luynes is quite well!
“ I’m not talking about his legitimate son, but about my other son,” answered the duchess with a sincere sigh. — I have another son. And no one except me and his father knows who his mother is, not even himself.
- This is something new! - exclaimed the Queen. - When did you manage to do this?
“You, of course, remember, Your Majesty, that story with the prayer book,” said Chevrette. “When you wanted to warn me that there was no danger by sending me a prayer book bound in red velvet, someone got confused and sent me another prayer book.” The color of its binding was green, which meant danger. As soon as Prince Marcillac, Duke de La Rochefoucauld brought me this prayer book, I realized that this gift meant mortal danger for me, about which my beloved friend Queen Anne warned me! Therefore, I was forced to leave France. Having given my jewelry to the Duke for safekeeping, I went into voluntary exile so as not to end up in the Bastille or, worse, in the Place de Greve.
— Someone mixed up the color? - exclaimed the Queen. “So that’s why you behaved so strangely!” And I was wondering why you went on the run, although I sent a message that there was nothing to be afraid of! After all, I ordered to give you a prayer book bound in red! Someone messed something up, or did it on purpose!
- That's right, my Queen! - Chevrette confirmed. “I am an unfortunate victim of someone’s mistake, or perhaps someone’s ill will.” I had to urgently leave my estate, I went on horseback, accompanied only by a maid. We both changed into men's clothes and were forced to gallop as hard as we could, fearing pursuit.
- Poor thing! — the Queen said sincerely and hugged her friend. - How much did you have to endure!
“Yes, but there were also pleasant moments on this trip,” Chevrette answered. “Thanks to one such episode during my trip, my son was born, whose existence the Duke de Chevreuse does not suspect.
- So, he was born in the fall of 1634? - asked the Queen. - And now this is a young man in the prime of his life! Is he handsome?
- He is handsome, like his father, also a noble nobleman, count and marquis! - Maria answered. “But he lived almost his entire life as a pupil of this count, considering himself an orphan. More recently, the count recognized him as his son, but this is not enough. Moreover, he will never be destined to know that his mother is a duchess, who is forced to watch him from afar and dare not think about openly displaying her maternal feelings towards him.
- Do you want to make him a nobleman? - asked the Queen.
“He has the same rights as a nobleman, since the count gave him an estate that has the status of a viscountcy,” Chevrette answered. “On this basis he is called a viscount, and so far no one has thought of challenging his rights to this title.”
“I think I can guess who we’re talking about!” - answered the Queen. — There are not many viscounts of this age. Are we talking about Raoul, son of the Marquis de La F;re?
- I beg you to keep my secret, Your Majesty! - Maria exclaimed. “Is it possible to help ensure that he is recognized as the legitimate son of the marquis?”
“My dear, you know that this is impossible,” the Queen answered coldly.
“I know it’s difficult, but it’s not impossible,” Chevrette objected. “If the King wishes, it will be easily arranged.”
“But the King will not want this,” the Queen objected firmly. - He has his own inviolable principles.
“It’s good to hear that royalty has unbreakable principles,” Chevrette replied. “But the King’s most inviolable principle is his will.” If the King wishes, he can do anything.
“I already said that he won’t want this,” the Queen answered coldly.
- Even if his beloved mother asks him about it? - the Duchess purred. “Would your dear, your dear Louis refuse such a trifle to his adored mother?”
“Listen, dear,” the Queen said harshly. - It seems to me that you are forgetting yourself. Your request is unthinkable and your tone is insulting.
“Okay, I’ll leave and won’t bother Your Majesty anymore,” said the Duchess in a tone of the lowest submission. -Can I ask just one question?
“Ask, but only one, and I hope it will be the last,” answered the Queen, not hiding her contempt for the Duchess.
“Would it be pleasant for a high-ranking person to learn about the story when one lady, using one of my dresses, which the whole court knew at that time, and my ordinary Cologne water, with a smell that only I had, covering her face with a mask, met a certain Prince on a date, posing as me, after which nine months later this same person was born? - asked the duchess. - And will this very significant person be pleased if not only he, but someone else finds out about this meeting nine months before his birth? That is, I mean, strictly speaking, everyone, the whole world. After all, such rumors spread very quickly, and when these rumors have very significant confirmation, I would say evidence and evidence, then this can cause consequences, the importance of which I cannot even begin to predict.
“I... I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Duchess,” the Queen said in a trembling voice. “What do I care about those people who consider it possible to impersonate you?”
- Your Majesty, Prince of the Blood Caesar, Duc de Vend;me, eldest son of King Henry IV is still alive, and he will be interested to know that the meeting that he believed took place between him and me at the very beginning of 1938 actually happened with a completely different lady, my same age and, I would say, my friend, but standing much higher than me,” said Chevrette. “They convinced him that I was in love with him and had arrived incognito from abroad specifically for this date, and my dress and my Cologne water dispelled all his doubts on this score. He thought that he had shown his ardor and courage in relation to me, although he did not see my face, but trusted only the smell of Cologne water and the passionate whisper in my ear in the night. The fruit of this love was born on September 5, 1638;of the year. I believe he will be very interested in the truth about who this meeting really took place with, and what its result was, about which a lot of interesting things can be told.
- Don't continue! - exclaimed the Queen. - Do you promise me in the name of the Lord that you will forget this secret if I achieve for your son what you ask for?
“I do, Your Majesty,” Chevrette answered humbly. “I swear in the name of God that if my son becomes the legitimate son of his father, no one will ever know a secret that could cast doubt on the legality of the birth of the one born from Caesar Vend;me, although it is believed that his father is a completely different person.”
- My dear Chevrette! - said the Queen. - After all, we are friends! After all, you will keep your promise even after my death, right?
- I swear, my Anna! - Chevrette replied, placing her hand on the Bible. “As soon as Raoul de Bragelonne becomes the legitimate son of his father, the Marquis de La F;re, I will forget everything connected with the love affairs of Caesar de Vend;me!”
After these words, the Queen tenderly hugged the Duchess as if that terrible scene on the verge of a final break had not happened before. Both ladies portrayed the most tender love for each other, but neither of them was deceived on this score.
“We’ll have to make this sacrifice,” thought the Queen. “She will not dare to break the oath she made on the Bible before the Lord.” There will be a difficult conversation with my son, but I will achieve his consent.”
“I still have many of your secrets, besides this, my dear Anna! - thought Chevrette. “And for each of them you will have to pay no less than for this one!”

Chapter 230

- My son, how are you doing? - asked the Queen, going to Louis XIV.
“Mother, they are all waiting for my decision about who I will make first minister,” Louis replied. “But I’m not going to transfer power to anyone!”
“You have taken upon yourself an extremely heavy burden, Your Majesty, but I fully and completely approve of your choice!” - said the Queen and affectionately took her son’s hand. - You will be a great monarch!
- Hope! - answered the King. - Contrary to this arrogant Fouquet!
“Fouquet is not a stupid man, and very useful to us,” said the Queen. “The Cardinal valued him very much.”
“I know, mother,” answered the King. “I know all his services to the cardinal and to all of us.” They consist in the fact that he ensured the replenishment of the treasury with money when this was almost impossible, or even completely impossible, if only honest methods were used.
“ The means are not so important if the goals are achieved,” answered Anna of Austria. “It’s much better to win through less than pleasant means than to lose the most important battle in life quite honestly.” But that’s exactly what it was, Your Majesty. The wicked Fronde threatened our very existence! And this misfortune repeated itself twice during the time when the cardinal and I made every effort to save France!
“You’re right, mother, when the question is about saving the state, you don’t have to regret minor violations in collecting taxes,” the King agreed. “But I see that Mr. Fouquet imagines himself almost as the main savior of the country, and it seems that he is aiming much higher than the position that he occupies today.” But there are only two steps higher - the nominal head of the cabinet, or the actual owner of the country, which Richelieu was!
“Continue, my son,” the Queen said firmly.
- What are you talking about, mother? - asked the King.
— You wanted to add: “And what Mazarin was like,” didn’t you? - the Queen clarified.
- What are you talking about, mother! - Louis protested. - Mazarin was second, in your shadow, and nothing more!
“You are right, but you are also wrong at the same time,” the Queen answered calmly. “Giulio was everything he could be, for your sake and for my sake, and therefore was no less than Richelieu was for your father,” answered the Queen. “The only difference is that where Richelieu acted only with force and cruelty, Giulio acted with cunning, money, and, most often, logic. He logically proved to potential traitors that it was better for them to remain loyal servants to us rather than take the path of fighting us. And if such logical evidence was supported by arguments in the form of money, lands or titles, then even in this sense the losses were much less than they would have been if we had had to fight with everyone who wanted it. But I must also stand up for Richelieu. He was a wise politician and acted as he should have acted, it was just that times were different. Mazarin saved the kingdom from the Fronde; Richelieu simply would not allow any Fronde to raise its head. And yet Your Majesty's treasury, left to you by Cardinal Mazarin, is in much better condition than it was after the death of Cardinal Richelieu. Giulio Mazarin achieved this with the help of Fouquet.
“Do you know, mother, that Fouquet openly says that I cannot govern the state without his help, and no one argues with him?” - exclaimed Louis. “Does he think that I won’t be able to cope with the task of ruling the kingdom without him?” He considers himself irreplaceable!
“There can only be one answer to this, my son,” answered the Queen with a grin. - Replace him with someone you consider more worthy of the positions he occupies.
- By whom? - asked Louis.
- You see! - answered the Queen. - Until you have someone to replace him, pretend that you are happy with everything he does. And look for a replacement for him. There is no need to look for a person to replace him in all his posts, he has too many of them. Let one person replace him as Attorney General, another as Superintendent of Finance, a third as Governor of Belle-Ile, and so on.
“You’re right, mother, I thought about it too,” agreed the King.
“Until the very moment when you order his arrest, do not give him a single reason to suspect that you have such an intention,” said the Queen. “He has too many friends and too many opportunities to escape justice, and if he escapes, he can organize a new Fronde. It’s no longer a secret that the first Fronde was organized by Pierre de Gondi. In any case, he was the one who raised the candle to the wick, which led to this explosion of discontent, for which, believe me, there was no objective reason. But Pierre de Gondi in comparison with Nicolas Fouquet is like a stinking jackal in comparison with a tiger. Do not lose sight of Fouquet, never give him the opportunity to organize a new Fronde, and for this, every new month, every next week and even every new day should bring Fouquet new hopes for even greater elevation, so that he does not decide to go against you. Reassure him every time he meets you. He must think that in you he has his closest and most faithful friend. If he wants to think that he influences you, and that without his advice you do nothing, give him the opportunity to think so until he finds himself in a position where you no longer care what he thinks, what he is trying to achieve and what he is planning, that is, when he ends up in the Bastille or somewhere even worse.
“Thank you for your advice, mother, we look at this issue in exactly the same way,” said the King. “But it seems you didn’t come to me to talk about Fouquet?”
- How did you guess, my son? - asked the Queen.
- Very simple! - Louis answered. “After all, I was the first to talk about Fouquet.” Therefore, you came to talk about something else.
“You are right, my son,” said the Queen. “I wanted to ask you for a favor.”
- Mother! I won’t refuse anything for you! - exclaimed the King. - Do you need to ask when you can command, because you are my mother?
“From the day of the official transfer of all rights of sole management of the kingdom to you, I no longer command you, my son, I am one of your subjects, and I differ, perhaps, only in that no one loves and cannot love you more than I do, - answered the Queen.
“Okay, let’s call it a request,” Louis agreed. - What does it consist of?
“I want to ask you about a young man,” said the Queen. “His name is Raoul, Viscount de Bragelonne, son of the Comte de La F;re.”
- And what do you want to ask in connection with this young man? - asked the King warily.
“ The Comte de La F;re would very much like Raoul de Bragelonne to be considered his legitimate son,” said the Queen.
“This is the second time in the last two days I have heard this request!” - exclaimed the King. “The wicked Count de La F;re was not satisfied with my negative answer to his request and dragged himself to you, begging for your intercession and intercession!” How dare he contradict me?!
“I assure you, my son, that the Comte de La F;re has nothing to do with this,” the Queen objected. “I’m taking care of him at the request of his mother.”
- Is that so? - the King was surprised. - Who is his mother?
“My son, this is not my secret, and I ask you not to insist that I answer, for I dare not lie to you, but I would not like to break the promise to keep this secret that I made to his mother,” said the Queen.
“The Marquis de La Fere told me that the mother of his son is even more noble than himself, that she is a duchess,” the King said thoughtfully. “This cannot be the Duchess de Longueville, and you would not have interceded for him at her request.” So this is the Duchess de Chevreuse?
- Oh, my son, let me not answer your question! - exclaimed the Queen in despair.
- She was probably blackmailing you? - asked the King. “Apparently, she knows some secret, the disclosure of which would be extremely undesirable for you.” Well, I'll have her imprisoned in the Bastille, and that's the end of the matter.
“Don’t do this, my son, I beg you, I conjure all the saints that are dear to you!” - exclaimed the Queen.
“You think this won’t help,” the King said thoughtfully. - What kind of secret is this?
“Just fulfill my request, and believe me, my son, it will be better not only for me, but also for you,” said the Queen.
- What do you say about her simply falling into the river or about robbers attacking her carriage and accidentally killing her? - asked Louis.
“That’s impossible, my son,” answered the Queen. “The Lord will not forgive you, nor me, if anything like this happens.” Besides, if the Duchess swore on the Bible, you can be absolutely calm. And who told you that we are talking about the Duchess de Chevreuse?
- Well, mother, do you think I’m a child? - the King objected with a smile. “You can be absolutely calm, you did not reveal the duchess’s secrets and did not break your promise.” You didn’t know that the count told me that the mother of this bastard is a duchess. And among the duchesses there are not so many who would be suitable for his mother and at the same time could persuade you to petition for a solution to this issue. Okay, I will sign a decree recognizing Raoul de Bragelonne as the legitimate son of the Comte de La F;re, although this will be against the rules.
“Thank you, my son,” replied the Queen. - You made the right decision. As for the Duchess de Chevreuse, she will be useful to you, because she hates Fouquet and chose Colbert's side. Surely she has a weapon against the superintendent.
“Yes, I know, because she plans to marry Colbert,” answered the King.

Chapter 231

“Definitely, mother continues to live under the illusion that she is still at the head of the kingdom,” growled Louis XIV. “It’s time to put an end to this, and at the same time remove the entire family from power.” First I need to deal with them, and then I will deal with the ministers who at least know how to do something beyond swaggeringly quarreling with each other, plotting and proving their indispensability by claiming more and more handouts and benefits.
The king rang the bell, summoning his secretary.
“Chancellor Seguier, immediately,” he said abruptly.
Soon the Chancellor appeared before the King.
“Mr. Chancellor,” said Louis. “I understand that everyone is accustomed to the fact that the speech from the throne is just a formality in which the King ascending the throne thank God and all those whom he pleases to thank for everything that he has achieved, after which he promises everything that is not going to fulfill it. And I understand that the announced intentions seem to be a simple declaration, and all those who are accustomed to feeding at the expense of the treasury hope that these words are empty chatter, similar to what the contenders for the post of King of France allow themselves. Glory to the Creator, France is not Poland, there is no need to lie to voters, since Fate itself decided who should be King. The king receives his power directly from God and has no need to lie to his future subjects. For this reason, I believe that all of you should have listened more carefully to my speech from the throne, since in it I did not strive to be pleasant to those who listened to it, but gave a number of guidelines and instructions, and generally outlined my intentions and future transformations. So if I said that members of the Royal Family, with all my respect and with all my love for them, are deprived of the right to interfere in the affairs of government.
“Completely fair and infinitely reasonable, Your Majesty,” Segier agreed.
“I’m not asking for your assessment of my decisions, but I demand attention and careful execution, Monsieur Seguier,” Louis said calmly but sternly.
The Chancellor realized that it would be better for him to remain silent and nod, so he tried to listen to the King as carefully as possible and put on his face a grimace of respectful attention and undisguised delight.
“I promised to preserve the rights, immunities and privileges of the Church,” continued the King. “As for the nobility, this is my right hand, and I must value it as I value my hand, and use it that way.” With regard to members of parliament, I reminded them that they should be respected, but, crucially, they should not be allowed to abuse their freedom. As a good king, I intend to make every effort to alleviate the plight of my people; taxation should not ruin my citizens, but we cannot refuse taxes, since the state cannot exist without a treasury. So, I must intend for everyone to know that I am the master of my kingdom. All these are common words that every new monarch says. But did you listen to me further? Do you remember what I said?
“To the best of my ability and to the best of my memory, I tried to listen to Your Majesty’s words as carefully as possible,” said Segye, thinking with horror that if the King asked what was special about him, he would find it difficult to answer, or maybe remembering is not at all what the King means.
“I said that although I intended to follow in the footsteps of my first minister, Cardinal Mazarin, and be guided by his valuable advice, one of my first steps would be to decide henceforth to accept only the ministers of the Council of State, this highest government body, and also to remove Chancellor’s Office and the Royal Family,” the King recalled. - Remove from government you, the Queen Mother, as well as Gaston d'Orl;ans, Philippe, Cond;, and all the princes of the blood, dukes and peers. All of them acquire the status of my advisers, that is, they will give me their advice if and only if I ask them for this advice, and nothing else.
“Your Majesty takes upon himself a very heavy burden!” - Segye exclaimed, and immediately became cold with the thought that he had again carelessly given his assessment, although the King had warned him not to do so.
Instead of answering, Louis looked at the chancellor with a hard look, which made him feel uneasy.
“No documents drawn up by any of my family members or ministers are invalid without my approval, and you must not put the royal seal on them,” the King said firmly. - All proposals, decisions, wishes - all this can be considered by me only as requests or recommendations. I myself will decide which of these requests will be granted and which will be rejected.
Chancellor Segye bowed deeply.
“The Queen asked for a certain Viscount de Bragelonne,” said the King. “She asked for it as if I couldn’t refuse her.” I didn't like her persistence. But I don't want to upset her. I will fulfill this request, but it will be the last time. Tell her everything I told you.
Segye bowed again.
“Prepare papers stating that the Viscount de Bragelonne is recognized as the legitimate son of the Marquis de La F;re,” Louis said in a casual tone. “Present this document for my signature, seal it and give it to the Queen Mother before you inform her of my decision.”
“I’m listening, Your Majesty,” Segye answered.
“After that, send this very Viscount to the active army, where things are now the worst,” added the King.
“ I understand, Your Majesty,” Segye replied. - He will be sent to the west.
- Where exactly? - asked Louis.
“In Morocco,” Seguier answered.
- Perfect! - exclaimed the King. “I hope he stays there.” Forever. However, don't rush into this. We'll do this in a month. If events follow one another too quickly, people often see a cause-and-effect relationship in this, even where there is none. There's no need to rush. Let the passions subside first. By the way, his father, the Marquis de La F;re, spoke about some La Valliere, whom this same Bragelon was going to marry. It seems this is the Princess's new maid of honor. Find out everything about her, I want to look at her. It seems Bragelon is madly in love with her, and his father asked me for consent to this marriage. I wonder what they both saw in her? I have to look at her.

Half a day later, Chancellor Seguier conveyed to the Queen Mother the King's decree that Raoul, Viscount de Bragelonne, was recognized as the legitimate son of the Marquis de La F;re.
“Thank you, Chancellor,” said the Queen. - Come to me tomorrow, we will need to talk about one project.
“Your Majesty, the King ordered me to tell you that from now on he will only be involved in public administration,” Segye said in a quiet voice.
“Yes, of course, I heard about it in his speech from the throne,” answered the Queen.
“His Majesty ordered the release of all members of the Royal Family from all government posts, and the ministers were prohibited from making decisions without his approval,” Segye said even more quietly.
- So these were not empty threats? - said the Queen. - Well. I expected him to be ungrateful. But I didn’t think it would happen so soon.
Segye bowed quietly and, backing away, left the Queen's office.

Chapter 232

The Queen was determined to inform her son that he risked quarreling with the grandees and ministers. For this purpose, she came to him for a conversation.
- Mother, I’m glad to see you! - exclaimed Louis. — Could you take a look at this list? Have I forgotten anyone?
With these words, Louis handed his mother a sheet of names.
Afraid to think about what the list meant, the Queen took it with trembling hands.
First on the list was Prince de Cond; Louis II de Bourbon. He was followed by Prince de Cond; Henri-Jules de Bourbon, Prince de Conti Armand de Bourbon, Duke de Verneuil Henri de Bourbon, Duke de Beaufort Fran;ois de Bourbon-Vend;me.
The Queen's heart began to beat anxiously. She knew very well that all these princes at one time opposed the rule of Mazarin.
“Is this really a list of those people whom my son is going to disgrace? - she thought. “Or are we in ancient Rome, and these are proscription lists?”
- What kind of list is this, my son? - she asked, trying to be calm.
“I thought that by the end of the year the Order of the Holy Spirit should be awarded to the most outstanding nobles from among the princes, marshals, and ministers,” the King answered in an indifferent tone. “This matter is not urgent, but we need to prepare for it in advance.” After all, you should order jewelers to make all these orders! And these are considerable expenses! I will order the required amounts to be found.
The Queen's heart was relieved. Her son is preparing to cajole those who might rebel! And he is smart, her son!
“He is a real King,” the Queen thought proudly. - He is my son!"
“Well, this question is so important and delicate, my son, that only you can decide it,” she said, trying to combine a grin with servility in such a ratio that it was no longer one or the other. - However, of course, if you ask for my advice, allow me to take a closer look.
She read the list with pleasure, finding the names of all those who, in her opinion, really needed to be appeased. Among these names there were almost no ones who should simply be rewarded for their good and faithful service. No wonder her son studied the works of Machiavelli.
“Do you believe, my son, that Louis-Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, should also receive the Order of the Holy Spirit?” - asked the Queen. “This son of the Duchess de Chevreuse from her first marriage seems to be unremarkable.
“The son of your faithful friend, mother,” Louis clarified. — After all, it seems that you still have a wonderful relationship with the duchess?
The Queen doubted whether there was hidden irony in this phrase of her son, or whether it just seemed to her.
“Thank you, my son,” she said. “The Duchess will be very pleased.”
She began to read the list deeply.
“Fran;ois VI Duc de La Rochefoucauld,” she said. - This frondeur!
- At a time when Cardinal Richelieu did not give you a quiet life with his persecutions, the Duke of La Rochefoucauld, as I was told, provided you with some important services, wasn’t he? - asked the King.
“I just spent a week in the Bastille and didn’t hand over Chevrette,” the Queen answered, shrugging her shoulders. “But would you know, my son, how impudently he almost demanded a reward from me for this insignificant act of devotion after the Lord took Richelieu and your father to himself!” He almost aspired to the post of first minister!
“Well, mother, you were absolutely right in not satisfying these claims, but now we can afford to please his pride with the Order of the Holy Spirit, which will not cost us as much as Cardinal Mazarin paid for peace of mind,” answered the King.
- You are extremely right, my son! - the Queen agreed. - Due to his status, a cardinal could not award grandees and ministers with the Order of the Holy Spirit, while you can do this. So why not take advantage of this “carrot” that was inaccessible to the cardinal? I approve of your decision! Let's go further down the list. Antoine III Marshal de Gramont, father of the Comte de Guiche and Catherine Charlotte, who became Princess of Monaco last year. He was loyal to us during the Fronde, his name should have topped this list. Here is a man who has earned the Order of the Holy Spirit by his devoted service to Your Majesty!
“I completely agree, mother,” Louis agreed. “Soon I will make him a duke and a peer, and also the governor of some important border region, for example, B;arn.”
“Extremely wise, Your Majesty,” agreed the Queen. - Who's next on our list? Mazarin's nephew, Philippe-Julien Mancini, Duke of Nevers. Well, he is a worthy young man. The Cardinal would be grateful to you for this decision.
“The Cardinal’s advice was very useful to me, mother,” answered the King. - By rewarding my nephew, I will pay tribute to my uncle.
“Fran;ois de Comminges, Seigneur de Guiteau,” continued the Queen. - Wonderful. One can also include his relative Guillaume de Perchperu de Comminges, Comte de Guiteau. Both of them serve Your Majesty not out of fear, but out of conscience. Francois-Ren; Crespin du Bec Marquis de Wardes. This guy seems to dislike the Comte de Guiche, son of Marshal de Gramont?
“I don’t care who they don’t like.” - said the King. “What’s much worse is that they both seem to have their eyes on Princess Henrietta.” This is insulting to my brother. I will caress both of them and then control them. Everyone.
“Very wise,” the Queen repeated her assessment. - Who else is here? Pierre de Gondi, Cardinal de Retz? He should have remained a Parisian coadjutor for the rest of his life! Even the post of coadjutor is too big for him! After all, it is he who is the culprit and initiator of the hated Fronde! Mazarin agreed to this only to reconcile the parties.
“And he achieved his goal,” said the King. - And I study with the cardinal. This toothy jackal is best kept well fed. And closer. Under supervision he is less dangerous. In addition, he agreed to sell Belle-Ile, which is now mine.
“My son, I see that the list you have compiled has been thought out comprehensively, you do not need my advice,” the Queen concluded. - I can hardly add anyone to this list.
“He is the King by the will of fate, and he is fully coping with this high mission even now, in his such a young age! - thought the Queen. “The Cardinal advised him not to share power, and he took this advice. What do I want from him? After all, all his life I convinced him that the cardinal was wise and experienced, that his advice was priceless, and indeed that was the case. I have to accept this."
She left her son's office completely satisfied. She no longer wanted to be indignant about her son's so-called ingratitude.

Chapter 2 33

“Saint Aignan, tell me who Lavaliere is,” the King demanded.
- Louise de Labeaume-Leblanc, born on August 6, 1644 in Tours in a poor large family, daughter of the valiant Marshal Laurent de Labeaume-Leblanc. “Mother is Fran;oise de Prevost,” answered Saint-Aignan. — A true daughter of Touraine, she loves horse riding. As a child, she fell from a horse, after which she walks with a slight limp. Loves to read. Not stupid. Modest.
- Beautiful? - Louis inquired.
“It’s not an acquired taste, Your Majesty,” replied Sen-Aignan. - She is thin, pale, she had smallpox in childhood, traces of this disease remain on her face.
“That’s enough,” replied the King. - It is not interesting. If this Bragelonne really wants to marry her, let him marry her. Anyway, he has a trip to Morocco coming up in a month. Let him knock her up and get the hell out. The Marquis de La Fere will have offspring from the marshal's daughter. He won't have anything to complain about. As for Bragelon himself, I am not pleased to hear this name.
The King recalled that the Queen Mother had insisted on legitimizing him, and this was precisely what had caused him to dislike him, although the King, in fact, did not know Raoul, and he had no reason not only to hate him, but even to simply feel at least some kind of hostility.
“Saint-Aignan, inform the Marquis de La F;re that I agree to the marriage of his son with the girl La Valli;re,” said the King.

Meanwhile, the Duchess de Chevreuse arranged a conversation with Louise de La Valli;re, inviting her to her place.
“My child, I have two reasons to talk to you briefly,” she said.
“Your Grace, I am always at your service,” Louise answered modestly.
“Well, well, we are not in Tours, my child, there is no place here for those ancient vassal relations that are still found here and there in the provinces,” answered the duchess, trying to put into her words all the kindness that she had once observed in others. people and which I could hardly find in myself. “Here, at the court of His Majesty, you can forget that I am the most noble lady from the places where you come from, but better remember that several times, if I’m not mistaken, you were with your brothers and sisters at my ball.”.
“And I remember with gratitude and delight those balls, Your Grace!” - Lavaliere exclaimed and bowed.
“Remember, my child, at court it is proper for ladies-in-waiting to bow only to the King, Princes and Princesses, and I am just a duchess,” said Chevrette, flattered by such respect. “Here, at court, you have so few patrons that I, apparently, will have to replace your mother.”
- You are very kind, Your Grace! - Louise answered, not understanding the reason for the duchess’s unexpected disposition towards her.
“ I suppose you are wondering what I would like to talk to you about,” said the Duchess. - Well, I won’t torment you. The first reason for my interest in you is the extraordinary interest of a young man to whom I intend to extend my most sincere patronage. The fact is that he is the son of one of my very close and dear friends, so I take part in him even more than if I was his godmother. Can you guess who I'm talking about?
“You are talking about Raoul, Viscount de Bragelonne, madam, and I admit that he is my close and faithful friend, with whom I would like to maintain friendly relations for life, if only this were possible,” replied Louise.
“You seem to doubt this possibility, my child?” - Chevrette asked in surprise. - What can prevent you from maintaining friendly relations with Raoul? After all, it seems that you are going to get married, and although marriage very often destroys friendly relations between a man and a woman, this, I will tell you in all honesty, is far from necessarily happening. In some cases, although I am not telling you from my personal experience, I have still heard that spouses can maintain affection and friendly feelings towards each other for many years, and even, it seems, for life. I'll give you examples later when I can remember them.
- But, Your Grace, I have no intention of becoming the wife of Raoul de Bragelonne! - Louise exclaimed. “I have only friendly feelings for him, and I hope that he also does not intend to turn our friendship into something more significant, which you deigned to hint at.” I don't think about marriage at all!
“Why, my dear, did you agree to become the Princess’s maid of honor if you are not going to arrange your personal life?” - the duchess was surprised. “As far as I know, the Duchess de Saint-R;my made a lot of efforts to ensure that her recommendation, which she provided to the Queen Mother, was taken into account, and that the Queen included you in the list of Madame’s ladies-in-waiting.”
“You yourself deigned to remember that I have many brothers and sisters, Your Grace,” replied Louise. “The condition of my parents is not such that it would be possible to provide all sons with an estate, and all daughters with a decent dowry. For this reason, my parents assumed that my destiny would be a monastery, since I, as you may have noticed, have a slight limp after an unfortunate fall from a horse in early childhood. I have learned to hide my limp while dancing, but it is very difficult for me. My mother taught me that with my physical disabilities and the lack of a proper dowry, I could not expect a successful marriage. For this reason, I have long been ready to go to the monastery, but my mother begged me to postpone this matter and try my luck in the position of maid of honor to Her Highness. If in three or four years, maybe in five years, I do not meet such a young man who would be after my heart and who would agree to marry me, I will go to a monastery. We agreed on this with my mother.
— What doesn’t suit you about Raoul de Bragelonne? - asked the duchess, feeling offended for her son.
“ I never saw Raoul as a future groom, because my mother inspired me that he was not a match for me, from the time when he was considered an orphan-foundling without a family or tribe, although the count raised him as a nobleman de La F;re,” said Louise. “When the count declared him his son, it did not change the opinion of my mother, who did not make much of a distinction between a rootless orphan and a bastard, believing that this was not a match for a purebred noblewoman, even if not as rich as Raoul and his father. But it didn't matter to me. For me, the most important thing was that I felt nothing for Raoul other than friendly feelings. For this reason, mother never allowed the thought that our friendship could develop into something more, and it was only for this reason that she looked condescendingly at our friendship, at our frequent joint horseback rides through forests and meadows. Agree, racing along a country road or driving side by side through a forest familiar from childhood is, although romantic, still not the same as tremblingly taking the hand of a loved one and being happy just because he is nearby, that you are breathing with him with the same air, you look into his eyes and see deep love in his eyes.
“That’s true, my child, but the love you’re talking about can sometimes arise during those joint walks that took place between you and Raoul, isn’t it?” - asked the duchess. - Why was your mother sure that this would not happen, and why did this not happen?
“I don’t know why people love each other.” - Louise answered. “Perhaps because we were brought up differently, and we have different interests, We are brought together only by the love of horseback riding along forest paths, but you can’t build happiness on this.” He strives for a military career, but even hunting ducks, hares or wild boars seems cruel to me. He strives for the glory of his father, Count de La F;re, but the count is not married, and, it seems, is not going to get married, since a single life suits him quite well. So are the few friends of the count, as far as I know. In their youth, they constantly fought, and not only in war, but also in duels, and in their free time they played ball, dice and cards, sometimes losing a fortune, and had short-term affairs with married ladies of the demimonde, and even with housewives taverns or inns. I heard that one of the count’s friends courted both a noble lady and her maid at the same time, and at the same time swore his love to both of them. I don’t presume to condemn them, I just don’t want such a husband for myself.
-Who would you like to be your husband? - asked the duchess.
“At first I dreamed of some young poet or playwright who has a subtle feeling and knows how to beautifully express his thoughts,” said Louise. “I would like him to be able not only to ride a horse, which, of course, is very important to me, but also to dance, sing, draw, perhaps, or write poetry, or compose music, and that he loves only one I wouldn’t even think about a military career. Even if he wasn't very famous.
“I understand,” said the duchess. - So Raoul is not suitable for you. You probably shouldn’t give him hope, because he still doesn’t know this and considers you his bride.
“ God knows, Your Grace, I never gave him any reason to hope for my love!” - Louise exclaimed passionately. - That is, for something more than friendship.
“Friendship between a man and a woman, my child, is always hope for something more, at least on one side,” the duchess said edifyingly. “It can last a long time if the man doesn’t lose hope and the woman doesn’t give in, but it still won’t be friendship in the sense that this word means when we talk about people of the same sex.” In any case, I don't know of such examples. For a long time I believed that I was friends with Duke Francois de La Rochefoucauld, but it turned out that I was wrong. More precisely, I always assumed that he was in love with me, but I never showed it, and he never insisted that our friendship develop into something more. By the way, his love for me did not prevent him from courting many other ladies, often before my eyes, such as the Duchess de Longueville. However, this is aside. We women can, to some extent, exploit the feelings of men to our advantage, sometimes feeding them with vague promises that do not impose any decisive obligations on us. But I take the fate of Raoul de Bragelon too close to heart, and I will not allow him to be fooled in this way. You need to explain to him so that he does not have illusions about you, my dear.
- Your Grace, I will immediately refuse him as soon as he starts talking about engagement or marriage, but he never talked to me about it! - Louise objected. “I can’t start a conversation on this topic myself!”
“You are right, my child, there is absolutely nothing to reproach you with,” agreed the duchess. - If he didn’t make proposals and didn’t try to talk openly about his and your feelings, then he carries all those illusions about marriage with you only in his head, and no one can explain to him his mistake until he expresses them. Well, we have clarified the first question, and so much the worse for poor Raoul, but perhaps this is his luck, that he should forget about marriage with you.
“I don’t understand you, Your Grace,” Louise said fearfully. “You wanted to say that a marriage with me would necessarily be a misfortune for him, so when you learned that it was impossible, you breathed a sigh of relief?”
“Exactly so, my child,” answered the duchess. “Let’s talk better about what you think about our King as a man.”
At these words, Louise turned pale and her hands trembled.
- Your Grace, how could you find out? - she exclaimed.
"What a news! - thought the duchess. “I was just going to tell her that the King was interested in her for some reason, but there seems to be some kind of secret hidden here!” Mysteries are my passion! It will be interesting to find out what’s going on here!”

Chapter 234
 
“ My child,” said the duchess. “During my life, I have observed so many happy and unhappy love couples, so many girls and matrons shared their most intimate things with me, that I have already become in some way an expert in matters of love. Life itself has taught me a lot from my own experience. And how much I suffered from unrequited love! And from unfounded suspicions! I could heal souls wounded by love, if there was such a position at court.
- In that case, you will understand me, Your Grace! - Louise exclaimed with relief. “You said that you would replace my mother here in Paris, at the court of the King.” Can I trust you in a way that I couldn’t trust my mother herself?
- Of course, my child! - answered the duchess, putting as much gentleness and love into her answer as possible.
“Great, now I’ll find out another secret,” she thought. “It wouldn’t hurt to know as many other people’s secrets as possible.” Every secret is worth something, with the help of some of them you can sometimes make a fortune or protect yourself from harm.”
“I confess to you that I fell in love with him at first sight, as soon as I saw him!” - Louise exclaimed. “As soon as I looked at him, my heart began to beat so hard that it seemed as if it would jump out of my chest. I was afraid that the beating of my heart would be heard by those standing next to me! I almost fainted from the excess of emotions, and only the fear of falling right in front of him kept me conscious, although I heard nothing but his voice and saw no one but him.
- How did he react to this? - asked the duchess.
“He’s standing so high that I don’t think he even noticed me,” Louise said in despair. “And it’s not surprising, because everyone around was looking only at him, and he seemed to be looking only at the Princess.”
“She fell in love with the King! - the duchess guessed. - Crazy! Is it possible to fall in love with the King! This is unreasonable. Every woman at court would like to make the King fall in love with her, but none of them should fall in love with him herself, because such a feeling cannot bring anything good except misfortune.”
“I understand you, dear child,” said Chevrette, hoping to extract more information from Louise, taking advantage of her outburst of frankness. - Tell me everything about your feeling.
“Even though I’ve read a lot of books, I don’t know how to express my feelings in words,” answered Louise. “I can only say that after that meeting, when he didn’t even look at me, I live only with the thought of him.
- And you, of course, hope for reciprocity? - asked the duchess.
- Not at all! - Louise exclaimed. - How can the King become interested in some poor dowry-free woman, lame and skinny? Don’t argue, Your Grace, I myself know that everyone says that about me, and it’s fair.
“First of all, it’s not fair,” the duchess lied. “Secondly, your dowry does not matter at all, since in France everything around belongs to the King, and he does not need to think about what share of the wealth of his kingdom belongs to the one he likes. If he wants, he will make you a duchess, and give you such riches that your good mother never dreamed of.
“I don’t need the position of a duchess or any kind of wealth at all!” - Louise exclaimed. “If only he would allow me to just look at him from time to time and live the dream that he would be happy, and that he would simply know that there is a girl’s heart in the world that beats for him, that would be happiness for me, and on I don’t pretend to be more than that. Although the little I said seems impossible to me.
“She is completely disinterested, or very cleverly pretends to be so,” thought the duchess. - It can work in both cases! Louis is so romantic and sentimental! And he had never met such girls, capable of simple, sincere and unassuming feelings without the slightest self-interest. If it works, and this little girl still treats me with the same reverence that I inspire her with my high position in the Tour, in her homeland, it might be useful! And for Raul, we’ll find someone better than this skinny lame woman!”
“My child, you needlessly belittle your dignity,” the duchess said affectionately. “Among the arrogant ladies and overripe girls at court, you, like an innocent lily flower, stand out with your purity, innocence and grace.” You have such a sweet face, a flexible and slender figure, charming blue eyes and luxurious blond hair that you can break more than one man’s heart! And I can't guarantee that the King won't fall in love with you! Be yourself and don’t be afraid to attract the attention of His Majesty, and let what happens happen. Your high virtues cannot go unnoticed, I assure you. Besides, I believe that you can ride a horse very skillfully, so take the next opportunity to demonstrate it.
“It’s not proper for ladies-in-waiting to ride horses,” Louise objected timidly.
“If the princess decides to ride a horse, then she can take with her those ladies-in-waiting who know the art of horse riding sufficiently to accompany her,” the duchess disagreed. “I remember Henrietta loved horse riding when she lived in France. Think about how charming Diane de Poitiers was riding on a white horse!
“Tell me, dear child,” said the Duchess. - If the King told you that he loved you, what would you say?
“I would say that I am entirely in His power and completely belong to Him!” - Louise exclaimed in delight.
“Listen to me now, my dear,” said the duchess decisively. “If you tell him that, he will reject you with contempt, or he will use you once or twice, no more, and then he will forget, and the whole court will laugh at you.”
- So be it, but these two times I will be happy! - Louise exclaimed. “And then let me die, or I’ll go to the monastery, where my good mother was going to imprison me anyway.”
“ Well, if you prefer such a fate to long and tender love for many years, then do as you know,” the duchess answered with apparent indifference.
- But how should I behave then? - asked Louise.
“Give in to his insistence gradually, giving up ground over and over again,” answered the duchess. - Men were created by the Lord himself in such a way as to extract from us, weak women, what we do not want and are not ready to give to them. If they get the desired prize without the slightest difficulty, they will not value it. If they had to fight for this prize, sacrifice a lot, give up a lot, do something unusual, out of the ordinary, then only they will receive the highest pleasure from owning this prize.
“Are you teaching me coquetry, Your Grace?” - asked Louise.
“I teach you life, dear child,” answered the duchess. “You won’t have a second chance to make a good first impression.” The king is an almost divine being, and only an angel is worthy of stirring his feelings. So be this angel, and even if at the first meeting it seems to you that he did not pay any attention to you, be calm, he will not leave your modesty unnoticed. Imagine the pride felt by a hunter who spent half a day racing on horseback with a pack of dogs on the trail of a wild boar and felling it with a well-aimed shot, or even worse, with a blow from a spear! This is not comparable to finishing off a domestic pig that had no intention of running away. For any man, getting what he wants without a fight is the same as a hunter getting his game on a platter, gutted and fried. Such game has no taste for them. They are the same in love. Seducing a girl who is not in the mood for this, but, on the contrary, intends to preserve her innocence, is the most desirable reward for them, while having an affair with a maid of honor who is ready at the first call to show evidence of devotion and obedience is for them a trivial matter, which they talk about with laughter to every friend, after which they forget about this connection, as if it never existed. A man is flattered by the knowledge that only out of great love for him an inveterate virgin broke her vow of chastity, because this proves their exclusivity!
“Thank you for the science, Your Grace,” replied Louise. — I will take note of your lessons.
“That’s not all, my dear,” continued the Duchess. - After the King confesses his love to you, continue to be an angel who, as if only by accident, allowed himself to drop one feather from his angel wing. Let every time everything that you allow the King be given to him only after a harsh and long siege. Men are warriors and hunters by nature, they are used to conquering what they like. They need to fight for the right to own. Every time. Let it be more difficult for him to receive signs of love the second time than the first time, let him see repentance and despair from realizing his weakness before the power of irresistible love for him! This will raise your value in his eyes. Let him think that the first time he was only lucky, and the second time he will still have to fight. And for this to happen a third and subsequent times, he will have to change himself to better meet your high ideals. Then, perhaps, your love will give rise to a sincere reciprocal feeling in him, and, in any case, he will appreciate and respect you.
“I will remember this, Your Grace,” Louise said quietly.
“And finally, here’s another thing,” said Chevrette. - After he is entirely yours, when you feel your power over him, do not ask him for anything, either for yourself or for your family and friends. It is important.
- Oh, Your Grace, I didn’t even think about it! - said Louise.
“Everyone doesn’t think about it until the opportunity presents itself,” agreed the Duchess. “But as soon as the King asks you: “My love, what can I do for you?”, any crazy thought can be born in your pretty blond head.
“I don’t need anything,” Louise answered uncertainly.
“You have a mother who, having learned about your happiness, will make you worry about your brothers and sisters,” the duchess continued. “Will you really refuse to fulfill your mother’s request?” Will you really ride around in carriages with diamond necklaces on your delicate neck, while your good mother will collect the dowry of your sisters bit by bit?
-You say terrible things, Your Grace! - Louise exclaimed.
“I say the most ordinary things,” answered the duchess. “Do you really think that the King will give you wildflowers plucked under your feet and not give you a diamond necklace?”
“I would be glad to have flowers,” replied Louise, feeling that her words sounded unconvincing even to herself.
“Say so, my dear child,” agreed the duchess. - Make it clear that simple attention is more valuable to you than any gifts, and then gifts will rain down on you as if from a cornucopia. Don't ask for anything. Let the King himself offer you what you could have asked him, but didn’t. Whatever it comes to your mind to ask him, he himself will offer much more, and will also persuade you to accept it, and will be grateful that after much persuasion you will give in to him and allow him to do for you what you did not ask. Then you will be a duchess, your brothers, sisters, nephews, perhaps God knows who else, they will all be treated kindly by him for your sake and will be no less than marquises.
“Everything you tell me about, Your Grace, seems to me not real, fabulous, not achievable,” said Louise.
“But tell me, don’t you dream about everything we just talked about?” - asked the duchess.
“I didn’t even think about it,” Louise replied.
“If you had not thought about this, you would not have come to Paris and entered the service of Her Highness the Princess as a maid of honor,” the Duchess answered with a laugh. “You can tell me the truth, my dear.” After all, we agreed that I would replace your mother, didn’t we?
“I think you’re mistaken,” Louise said uncertainly.
“ It seems to me that you are mistaken when trying to evaluate your own actions and aspirations,” the duchess objected. “You were in love with the King long before you came to Paris.” You've seen him before. I don't know where or when. Perhaps he once drove past your house. Or maybe you only saw his portrait.
- Why did you decide so, Your Grace? - Louise asked, feeling a chill run down her spine from the realization that the Duchess had revealed to her that innermost secret that she herself was afraid to admit to herself.
“Because if it weren’t so, you wouldn’t say that you don’t love Raoul de Bragelonne,” answered the duchess. - Only that person can resolutely refuse to call a long childhood friendship love, who knows another love - adult, true. If you did not love the King, you would sincerely believe that you love your Raoul. And you would agree to marry him, because it’s still better than burying yourself alive in a monastery.
Louise covered her face with both hands and her thin shoulders shook with sobs.
“I...” she said, “I’m so guilty before poor Raoul!” But I can't help it! Nothing!
“On behalf of Raoul, I forgive you and free you from involuntary guilt for this little misunderstanding,” the duchess said solemnly. “Believe me, this misunderstanding is not your fault, but Comte de La F;re’s, who did not teach his son to listen to what a woman he cares about feels.” This is the basic skill that any man needs, in addition to the ability to ride a horse, fight with a sword, fire a musket and shed blood for his King. This skill remained sealed for poor Raoul. The count did not teach it to his son, since he himself does not possess it adequately. There is another person, his mother, who is also responsible for this gap in Raul’s education, and I hope that the Lord will forgive this sin of hers and will not punish her for it with the distorted life of her son. Let what must be done be done, and let his will be accepted with humility! Dry your tears, my child, and follow your destiny, not forgetting my lessons.
Louise kissed the duchess's hands, curtsied and left.
 
Chapter 235
 
- Princess, tell me about England! - Louis XIV said to Henrietta on a walk, as soon as they managed to get rid of the spies.
- Your Majesty, England is boring! - answered the Princess, curling a charming grimace with her lips. - You know how much I love Paris! This is my second homeland.
“Now, cousin, France is your first homeland,” the King objected. - You are my brother’s wife, Dauphine! You belong to the second family in the Kingdom. Are you satisfied with this situation?
“ I am happy that I will see you more often, Your Majesty,” Henrietta replied. “You didn’t ask why I’m bored in England.”
- Why were you bored in England, cousin? - asked the King.
“Because you weren’t there, Your Majesty,” Henrietta replied coquettishly.
- You're teasing me! - exclaimed Louis. “Make sure I don’t plan something that my brother might not like!”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Your Majesty, but it seems to me that not a single action of yours can be condemned by any of your subjects,” Henrietta said even more flirtatiously and smiled slyly.
“She's in love with me! - thought Louis. - God, how charming she is! Why did I get this boring Maria Theresa as my wife? If I were destined to marry my own cousin for political gain, let Philip marry her, and I should marry Henrietta!”
- Tell me what your favorite activities are, sister! - said Louis.
- Any that we can do together with you, Your Majesty! - Henrietta answered cheerfully.
“Would you like me to take your hand, sister?” - asked the King.
- Oh, Your Majesty, don’t joke with this! - Henrietta objected with feigned fear. “I beg you, do not bring our pleasant conversation to such a dangerous stage, where, I am afraid, I will not have the strength to resist desires that, God knows, are already not easy for me to cope with!” Let's better interrupt our solitude and call someone, otherwise I cannot vouch for myself, and no harm will come of this to my husband, or to your brother!
“Oh, don’t worry, Philippe is not jealous of me,” Louis replied serenely.
- Perhaps he is jealous, but is afraid to show it? - asked the Princess. - If he is not jealous of you, then he is a fool, and if he is jealous, he is a rebel.
- What interesting logic! - exclaimed Louis.
- God, I’m afraid for myself, I’m shaking all over! - the Princess feignedly begged.
“Are you afraid that I will show intemperance?” - the King was surprised.
- What are you talking about, sir! I'm afraid for myself and for my incontinence! - Henrietta exclaimed and hurried to move away from the King and wave to her ladies-in-waiting so that they would come to her.
“She absolutely loves me,” thought Louis. — It could be an interesting adventure! We must retreat to inflame her desire!”
“Princess, I’m boring you, so I’m leaving you,” said the King. “But know that the next time you want to talk to me, I will try to choose a more cheerful topic for conversation.”
And without giving the Princess a chance to answer, the King turned sharply and headed towards Saint-Aignan, who was delicately standing nearby and waiting for His Majesty to deign to remember him.
“He has already begun to hunt me,” Henrietta thought. “Well, he will be mine!”

“Saint Aignan, figure out how to remove all these annoying witnesses on my next walk with the Princess,” said Louis. - Or, in any case, figure out how we could whisper alone with her.
“Your Majesty, I think we should start some fun,” the clever courtier immediately suggested. - The best reason for gallant adventures can be some kind of holiday. Hunting and knightly tournaments, which were held in the time of your great-grandfather and even grandfather, are not activities that attract ladies.
- What do you propose? - asked the King.
— Divertissements, ballet, performances, dances! - exclaimed Saint-Aignan. - Or at least walks on the lawns with a picnic. A walk and a feast in the fresh air is the best way to ensure that those walking will eventually split up, first into small groups, and then into pairs. After all, it is impossible to smell flowers, listen to birdsong and enjoy every rustle of leaves, every breath of wind in a crowd. At a certain moment, the founder of such a holiday may invite those present to break into pairs and listen to the singing of a nightingale or other songbirds. This can turn out to be very romantic.
- You're right, Saint-Aignan! - exclaimed the King. - I command. The position of chief quartermaster for divertissements should be established. He will give orders to the first chamberlain, who will head the Ministry of Pleasures. This chamber cadet will lead all the performers of the holiday.
- Ministry of Pleasures! - exclaimed Saint-Aignan. — A brilliant idea, Your Majesty!
The King, flattered, proudly raised his head and looked towards the Princess.
“She will be surprised and delighted! - he thought. “But it would be necessary to meet with her somehow carefully, so as not to irritate Philip unnecessarily.” After all, mother will certainly intervene and stand up for him!”

The extremely friendly relations between the King and the Princess, passing into the sympathy of cousins, developed rapidly. As expected, the Queen Mother made a reprimand to Louis, since, although she had lost power in the state, as the mother of the King she continued to enjoy some authority with him. Louis was forced to deny any sympathy between him and the Princess that went beyond the bounds of decent family feelings. On occasion, he shared the results of this conversation with Henrietta, who came up with the idea of using the King’s alleged sympathy for one of the Princess’s ladies-in-waiting as a cover. Henrietta herself chose Louise de La Valli;re (or, more accurately, La Valli;re) as a screen for the King's frequent visits to the Princess's apartments. Of course, she tried to choose the least attractive maid of honor, so her choice fell on a modest lame woman with traces of smallpox on her face. She could not even imagine that the modesty and sincere love that Louise would demonstrate to the King in the very near future would ignite a very strong reciprocal feeling in the chest of the young King, and the visible or actual absence of any material claims on the part of Louise would be so unusual and unusual for Louis. an unexpected bonus to the virtues he saw in her, that he would try to bestow his new passion with everything that was permissible in this situation, and, above all, make her a duchess. The reflection of an unexpected favor illuminated all her relatives, many of them ascended without any merit for this, occupying high positions without possessing the talent or diligence necessary to fulfill new, very responsible duties. Chevrette's lessons benefited little Louise.
I am not inclined to romanticize the love of Mademoiselle de La Valliere and King Louis XIV, because I am convinced that if Louis had not been the King, Louise would not have paid attention to him, and if Louise had not been so “inaccessible” in the first days and even weeks of their rapprochement, Louis would soon have forgotten about her. I cannot attribute de Louise’s inaccessibility to natural modesty or piety, or unselfishness. The modest and pious girl would never have yielded to the King and would have gone to the monastery at the first danger. Unselfish Louise would not have accepted the title of Duchess and all the gifts that showered on her and her family. A God-fearing girl would not give birth to five illegitimate children, even if their father was the King himself. As a representative of the church, I can say that the Lord was stubborn for a long time before accepting this connection. This is evidenced by the fact that the first three children from this relationship lived for less than a year and a half - exactly the period during which parents can become very attached to their children, so that their loss is felt most strongly by them, as God's punishment. But, apparently, the Lord also has limits to severity, since he also gave in; the fourth and fifth children from the relationship of Louis and Louise survived this fatal age barrier of one and a half years. One fortune teller predicted that the fate of Louise and Louis's children would be favorable if they were conceived in early January. The prediction came true. Maria Anna de Bourbon, born on October 2, 166, most recently, in 1680, married Louis Armand I de Bourbon-Conti, and Louis de Bourbon, also born on October 2, but exactly a year later, in 1667, Already at the age of two he was promoted to the dignity of Count of Vermandois and Admiral of France.
At this very time an event occurred as a result of which I became a general of the Jesuit Order.

Chapter 236
 
Let me ignore all the romantic string of fantasies and conjectures that Grimaud, in his memoirs, signed without any reason with the name of Comte de La F;re, sets out about love triangles, trapezoids and other figures that began and developed at the court of King Louis XIV.
All these fantasies about love, happy and unhappy, successful and fatal, were drawn by poor Grimaud from the books of the library of the Count de La F;re. Athos's footman seriously believed that Princess Henrietta was madly in love with the King, as was Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, that the Comte de Guiche and the Chevalier de Lorraine were both madly in love with Princess Henrietta, that Fouquet was in love with Madame du Plessis-Belli;re, and equally as she did with him, that the King was in love with Princess Henrietta and Louise de La Valli;re.
All this is nonsense and nonsense. I already understand something in these matters a little more than the inveterate bachelor, servant and squire Grimaud. I, who confessed tens of thousands of young women during my long life and almost as many men, who had as mistresses three duchesses, one Spaniard, the wife of a noble grandee, four countesses and even one princess! I'm not even talking about ordinary noblewomen, much less commoners. All these ladies, or almost all, passed through my life without leaving a noticeable mark on it, except, perhaps, two. The first of them was Chevrette, with whom I knew the divine joys of heaven and the torments of hell, whom I adored and idolized, and later hated and cursed, and for the longest time these two feelings for her coexisted in me in the most amazing way. The second was, of course, the Duchess de Longueville. And I’m not going to write anything about these relationships, because I undertook the writing of these memoirs in order to clear my memory of these memories and never return to them, but I’m not going to expel from my memory a single second spent with my Anna-Genevieve, with my Anzhe, as I called her.
Henrietta loved Louis! Do not make me laugh! She was flattered by the attention of the first person in the kingdom, despite the fact that she herself was the wife of the second person in this very kingdom and, before the birth of the Dauphin, had a chance of someday becoming the Queen of France herself if her husband had inherited the throne. But she wanted to have power over this man. If he were not a King, but a simple Prince of Blood, she most likely would not have paid the slightest attention to him. The Comte de Guiche's passion for the Princess was based on exactly the same feeling of pride. Lieutenant Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche, enjoyed great success among the ladies at the King's court. For this reason, this was not enough for him, so he decided to conquer the most prominent lady at court - Princess Henrietta, since there was no question of conquering Queen Maria Theresa, for such insolence one could lose his head. And Philip of Orleans, it seemed, was not at all jealous of his young wife towards de Guiche, since he considered such a misalliance impossible. This is what de Guiche intended to take advantage of. Henrietta simply played with him, like a cat and a mouse, because she was flattered by the attention of this young and handsome womanizer. The fact is that at these very times such frivolous gallant relations were established at court that for any noble lady not to have admirers was tantamount to being considered absolutely unattractive. Appearing on the street unaccompanied by fans was as unacceptable as going out in disbelief. However, the debauchery would have been less shameful, since some ladies quite received some visitors without getting up in bed, just as Anne of Austria once did in relation to the madman Buckingham, which I have already described. So, de Guiche was flattered by the idea that the Princess would love him, would think about him day and night, worry and worry. He didn't ask for more. This heartthrob, who easily put almost any lady-in-waiting into bed, despite the fact that the Princess did not have any feelings for him, passionately wanted to conquer her, but this desire was not so strong that it could be said that he I wanted this to death. The usual gallant suitor, with whom the court was full under Louis XIV.
The king set himself the task of transforming noble knights, warriors, duelists and arrogant feudal lords into gallant courtiers, obedient to his will and seeking his favor. For these purposes, he organized holidays, and these holidays were a tool for influencing the nobles. He wanted them not to sit in their fiefs, storing up grievances and arming themselves just in case, but for them to crowd around him, like bees around a cup of syrup, in the hope of various kinds of favors.
As for the connection between Fouquet and Madame du Plessis-Bellier, there was nothing romantic about it either. Deeply married, with grown-up children, Fouquet never ceased to have affairs on the side, aided by his enormous wealth, his generosity towards those in whom he was interested, and his supreme self-importance. Seeing a new beauty that did not belong to him, he immediately became eager to take possession of her, and large incomes greatly contributed to the success of these goals. Madame du Plessis-Belaire is one of the few smart ladies in the huge necklace of his mistresses, who was so smart as not to pretend that her lover felt even the slightest awkwardness from his connection with her. She immediately stated that she was not going to achieve more than what he himself was going to give her. That is, she did not claim that Fouquet would leave his legal wife and unite with her, nor that he would give her more money than he himself was willing to give. With her, he could not only tell her about his love, but also discuss his own problems, including his relationship with his wife and children. Thus, she became, as it were, a member of his family, and even became friends with his wife and children, which gave Fouquet grounds to trust her in everything and say that he does not and cannot have any secrets from her.
As for Louise de La Valliere, Grimaud's version of her purity and naivety is shattered by the way she behaved towards her so-called betrothed, Raoul, Viscount de Bragelonne. After all, for her, of course, his attitude towards her was no secret. By pretending that she didn’t understand what was going on, she only gave herself away. Is it possible for a girl who has accepted the position of maid of honor to the Princess, and watches gallant adventures there all the time, not understand what kind of friendly feelings Raoul had for her? We might as well assume that she had no idea how a woman differs from a man. Nonsense! Even nuns raised in a monastery are well versed in issues of sensual relationships between a boy and a girl. She perfectly understood what values she had in the eyes of young people, and had no intention of bestowing these values on her neighbor from Blois, intending to invest them much more profitably in her destiny, which is what she did.
I must also admit that my dialogues with the commandant of the Bastille de Bezmo were completely fictitious. Fran;ois de Montlaisin, Marquis de Bezmeaux, brigadier general and captain of Cardinal Mazarin's guard, became commandant of the Bastille in 1646, that is, long before the death of the cardinal, and certainly not in 1661. He was awarded the title of marquis in 1657. He is still the commandant of the Bastille, at the very time when I am writing these very memoirs. I could not influence this man by providing him with a loan to buy the position of commandant of the Bastille, because at the time when he bought this position, he had this money, and I did not have it, that’s all. All my influence on him is explained by his entry into the Order, where by the time described I occupied a significantly higher position. Why would I lend him money if I could, according to the charter, simply give him an order, which he was obliged to carry out impeccably even if it contradicted the order of the King himself? And why would I make a secret of my intentions if I could simply order that he sacredly keep the secret of my order and its execution? Such clauses were not even required, since this was assumed by default.
So, I did not court the Marquis de Bezmeaux with loans. My position in the Order allowed me to come to him earlier to demand complete and unconditional obedience, but, not yet being a general of the Order, I was not completely free in my orders. Therefore, until the spring of 1661, I could not completely freely command General de Bezmo, and only after that date did I have such an opportunity.
Finally, a few words about how I became a general. From Grimaud's memoirs one might think that I almost poisoned my predecessor. I strongly reject these accusations. The general died a natural death. The meeting with him took place somewhat differently, and, of course, the general was not dressed as a Franciscan.
In the spring of 1661, I met Mr. Goswin Nickel, professor of philosophy, general of the Jesuit Order. At that time, the Order, which was completely subordinate to him, numbered fifteen thousand members. This was a great man. Thanks to his efforts, significant reforms of the judicial system were carried out; on his instructions, torture was abandoned in trials. May the Lord have mercy on him! Mr. Goswin Nickel was elected Supreme General of the Order on March 17, 1652, that is, a week after the death of his predecessor, Alessandro Gottivredi. He had been in this post for nine years. In February 1661, he lost consciousness, after which he was hardly revived with rubbing and smelling salts. His right arm began to move worse, as did his right leg. The next morning a doctor came to him, who carefully examined him and gave him some healing powders. The general felt much better.
“You will live no more than three months if you continue to lead the way of life that you lead,” said the doctor. “You work too much and are in dire need of rest, or I can’t guarantee that you will survive even these three months.”
— If I have three months left, then what’s the point of changing my daily routine? - asked the general.
“If you listen to my recommendations and take the medicines that I give you, I can promise you three more years,” said the doctor. “But this is the most we can count on, and subject to full compliance with the measures prescribed by me to preserve your health.” My method will not cure you, but it will prevent the process that threatens your consciousness from killing you prematurely.
“We all walk under the Lord,” answered the general.
“But the Lord sometimes allows us mortals to prolong the existence of those who pay due attention to their health,” answered the doctor. - The Order needs you, your unexpected departure will deal an irreparable blow to the common cause. Find your successor now, during your lifetime. Let you remain the general of the Order for everyone, but let him carry out the bulk of your affairs.
“Okay,” the general agreed.
After this, the general ordered the secretary to bring him lists of applicants for the position of general of the Order. My name was on this list.
The general looked at his watch, took a new portion of powders, according to the doctor’s orders, and began to carefully study the list and comments on it.

Chapter 237

Grimaud had the audacity to invent and describe my meeting with the general of the Jesuit Order, the Reverend Father Goswin Nickel in his forged memoirs, and, of course, he made it all up. For some reason he calls the Order scary. There is nothing wrong with the Order. The goals of the Order are open and holy, the methods of the Order are varied, but the Order has always believed that to achieve holy goals all methods are good, since methods in themselves are not high or low, but can be so depending on whether the goals are high or low. I think everyone will agree that condescension and kindness aimed at corrupting and corrupting the educated are evil, while severity and exactingness aimed at education are good. Kindness should not stoop to permissiveness, just as severity should not reach the point of unjustified cruelty. In addition, as I already mentioned, the Reverend Father Goswin Nickel achieved the abolition of torture during the investigation of crimes against the Lord, so all the false and terrible tales spread against the Order have nothing to do with the actions of the Order at the time when I joined it and even, in the end, actually headed it.
My conversation with General Goswin took place not two hours before his death, but three years.
The general carefully studied the files of all applicants for this position, after which he invited about fifteen people to a conversation. Each person entered his office through one door and left through another, so that none of us saw the other. How do I know about this, you ask? It should not be forgotten that, having taken up my post, I received all the information that could interest me, as well as access to information that did not interest me, but under certain circumstances could become useful to me or my minions, that is to the good Jesuit brothers, of whom there were already fifteen thousand people in the world.
Of course, the Order did not set out to subjugate any state to itself. The Order has other goals and other methods. The main goal of the Order is to spread the word of the Lord in the world, to spread the faith of Christ. This, of course, entails the task of suppressing those who interfere with this, but nothing more. The power of the Order over any state in Europe? The Order has never had such a task. To correct events in that particular European state, slightly, imperceptibly, in order to direct them in the right direction, or sometimes to influence the way of thinking of the monarch through the confessor assigned to him - such a task has always stood in relation to all states, and not only Europe. So the General of the Order simply could not organize a competition for possession of a secret that would allow one or another European state to be placed in a subordinate position. If any of the masters of the Order could provide the general with information useful for the Order, then he should have done so immediately, without trading his secret, and without hoping to receive some special privileged position in the Order for this information. So some Baron von Vostpur, proposing a plot to capture the emperor, would hardly dare to apply for the post of general of the Order with such an idea. And the general of the Order would never have agreed to such a crudely staged coup.
As for the ideas of the so-called Cardinal Herebia, I will also say that a person smart enough to become a cardinal could not offer the general of the Order the services of his own spies copying some documents of our King Louis XIV for the same purpose - to obtain on this basis the rights of inheritance to the position of general. Not to mention the fact that I, and not some Cardinal Herbia, was in charge of the secrets of Louis’s court, I’ll say a few words about this marriage.
This is what Grimaud writes. The said cardinal supposedly reminds the general that, according to the terms of the infanta’s marriage with the King of France, the infanta, like King Louis, renounced all claims to the possessions of the Spanish crown. And from this, supposedly, it follows that peace and union between the two kingdoms depends on compliance with this article of the treaty. The cardinal further allegedly claimed that he knew that King Louis intended to break the treaty. Was this open secret the said cardinal going to offer to the general of the Order in order to take over his post upon his death? But it was no secret that Maria Theresa, being the daughter of the King of Spain, had the right to claim the throne, just as our King Louis, who is the grandson of King Philip III, and the nephew of the current King Philip IV, could also have some rights to this throne! Things weren’t going so well for Philip IV himself with his heirs! He had nine children from his first marriage, of whom only our Queen Maria Theresa, wife of Louis XIV, was alive at this time! From his second marriage, Philip III had five children, of whom ten-year-old Margaret Teresa of Spain, who soon became empress, wife of Leopold I , passed away at the age of twenty-two, twelve years after the events described. So the throne was inherited by Charles II of Spain, who was barely born in this very year, 1661, which I am describing. That is, there was some problem with the heirs of the Spanish Kingdom, and the children born from the marriage of the eldest daughter of the King of Spain and his nephew could well lay claim to this throne. Accordingly, Maria Theresa was supposed, according to the marriage contract, to receive half a million gold crowns as a dowry in exchange for renouncing the inheritance of the Spanish crown and other Spanish possessions for herself and her children. The dower due had to be paid in three installments, otherwise the abdication was considered invalid. Maria Theresa never received these five hundred thousand gold ecus, so the indicated circumstances made, according to this agreement, the obligations to renounce claims to the Spanish throne invalid. The very mention of the requirement to renounce these claims proved that these claims would have been very solid if it had not been for the specified clause in the marriage contract. The reservation came into force subject to monetary compensation of half a million ecus. Since half a million ecus were not paid, Spain itself gave Louis XIV a reason to demand rights to this crown for his children. In 1661, Maria Theresa had not yet had time to make her husband happy with an heir, and, moreover, after his birth he began to be considered the Dauphin, that is, the main contender for the throne of France after the death of his father. So in 1661, Spain could not yet fear claims to the Spanish crown from the children of Louis and Maria Theresa due to the lack of them. But non-payment of dowry gave them such rights even before they were born. I will say more: Spain did not pay this dowry because before the birth of Louis XIV ’s second son, such a problem did not exist for Spain, so the cunning Spaniards did not see the need to pay off a threat that they did not consider real. In this regard, all the arguments of a certain fictitious Cardinal Herbius that Louis XIV intends to break the treaty seem ridiculous. And it would be absurd to think that this open secret would force the General of the Order, instead of crossing out the cardinal’s name from the list of applicants, to put a cross against his name.
Grimaud's imagination blossomed when describing the information that Signor Marini from Venice allegedly told the General of the Order. Well, how could a certain Venetian know the plans of the Pope, who was in Rome, and not in Venice? In addition, Popes, as a rule, are chosen from a person who is not stupid, who was able not only to become a cardinal, but also to achieve the respect of all the other cardinals included in the sacred conclave. Such people do not share their plans with just anyone. I will say even more: such people do not share their secret plans with anyone at all. And of course, it’s worth thinking about, why would the Pope fight the Order if the Order is his additional tool of influence on believers and non-believers? After all, the Order was created with the consent of the Pope, the charter of the Order was approved by the Pope, the Order allows you to command on behalf of the Pope where there are members of the Order. And such commands, according to the statute approved by the Pope, must be observed more strictly than the orders of the secular authorities. This means that if any member of the Order, by order and in the name of the Pope, commands the submission of any person, that person must obey the order, even if this requires disobedience of his own monarch. So why would the Pope destroy such a magnificent structure that gives him fifteen thousand people devoted to death?
And finally, Grimaud writes that the general of the Order perceived this stupidity as the purest truth and gave me instructions to kill the Pope. Pope Alexander VI, who had been pontiff for six years by the year 1661 described, remained so and was in relatively good health until May 22, 1667, he died a natural death, and I have nothing to do with this, of course, because no one ordered I could not commit such atrocity to me, such evil methods are unacceptable for the Jesuits, who fight heresy and unbelief, but not with the Pope!
One more thing. If I had written down my secret in a code that was known only to me and the general of the Order, then I could have sent this letter to him even before meeting him. And also only me and my friends knew that I could only learn the secret connected with the birth of the Dauphin from the Duchess de Chevreuse. Everyone else did not know about this connection of mine with her. But the General of the Order could well have known that the Duchess was still alive, since she was a very noble and prominent person, she was in plain sight, they appeared at the King’s court. Why would I risk telling the general that I learned this terrible secret from the duchess, after which I would have to lie to him that she was dead? The general could immediately expose me! It would be easier for me to lie to the general that I learned the secret directly from Queen Anne of Austria, because the general could not verify my words, and the general was simply obliged to assume that Queen Anne herself was aware of this terrible secret. So there was no point in lying to me that only I knew this secret, when it was obvious that the Queen, who was alive by that time, also knew it, and there was no point in lying that the Duchess de Chevreuse was dead, since it was much simpler it would be a lie to say that she is not aware of this secret.
That's enough of Grimaud's revelations. Now I will tell you how my meeting took place with the General of the Order, Reverend Father Goswin Nickel. And there is no point in lying to me, since I do not assume that anyone will read these memoirs of mine, and I am talking with my intended reader only because I want to.

Chapter 238

“Come in, Master d’Herblay,” said General Goswin Nickel. - Do you guess the purpose of our conversation?
“ Yes, monsignor,” I answered, because that’s how I was told to address him. - You are looking for a successor.
“Whatever my decision regarding you, our conversation must remain secret, at least while I am alive,” the general warned me.
“Of course, monsignor,” I agreed.
“Traditionally, the pontiff is elected for life,” said the general. “But the state of my health makes me think about a successor now.” I've already had seizures. After one of these attacks, if it happens again, I may lose my memory, completely or partially. Our business will suffer seriously in this case. Your letter is written in a code that no one but me knows. How did you know him?
“I figured it out, monsignor,” I answered.
- Incredible! - the general objected doubtfully. - How?
“First of all, I must tell you that I had three of your letters in my possession, written in this code,” I said. - Or rather, their exact copies. I ask you not to insist that I say what exactly these letters were.
— Did you know what the contents of these letters should be, and did this somehow help you? - the general suggested. “But even in this case, you need to have a remarkable mind to reveal my code!”
“I did not know the contents, monsignor, but I knew the circumstances in which these letters were sent, as well as their addressees,” I replied. - Comparing the information available to me with who these letters were sent to, I guessed about some names that would definitely have to be mentioned in these letters.
“But I didn’t write the names of these people, replacing them with the names of ancient gods,” the general objected.
“I guessed it,” I said. “You chose their names according to their character or position in the hierarchy.” And, besides, as I already said, I imagined what I would write in these circumstances if I were you, so I almost knew the contents of these letters.
“But I thought that my code could not be deciphered,” the general sighed. - Well, I was wrong.
“You were not mistaken, monsignor, because it was almost impossible,” I said. “I spent all my free time for three years solving this code. I studied your life, your passions and your way of thinking, and especially your style of phrase construction, in order to recreate the original text of the letter as accurately as possible.
- And all this just to write me this letter, they used my personal code? - the general was surprised.
“Yes, monsignor, because I couldn’t risk it,” I replied. “I needed you to read this letter, but no one else could read it.” I also needed you to pay attention to it and highlight it among all the other letters. The set goal was achieved.
— You are very persistent in achieving your goals! — the general admired.
“ I am glad that I was able to demonstrate this to you with this example, since all my persistence will be aimed at achieving the goals that the Order will set for itself,” I replied.
“Let’s talk about the secret contained in this letter,” said the general. “I'm interested in how you got into it and how you plan to use it.”
“I mastered this secret thanks to the connections that I had at the court of the King of France, previous and current, and also through analysis, comparison, long reflection and to some extent thanks to insight,” I answered. - After I solved this mystery, I also undertook my own investigation in order to make sure that my assumption was correct, as well as to clarify the fate of the second person mentioned in the letter.
“So, not only do you know that he exists, but you also know where he is?” - asked the general.
“Yes, monsignor, and I also know a way to get him out of there, and, in addition, I have drawn up a plan to instill in him the way of thinking and the goals that we would like to be instilled in him,” I answered. “It’s not enough that he agrees to cooperate with us.” It is necessary that he absorb with all his fibers of soul the goals to which the Order strives, so that he completely becomes ours, so that he joins the Order and on this basis obeys the structure of the Order.
- A member of the Order in such a position! — the general admired. - Sincere, convinced member of our Order, servant of Jesus! That would be very interesting! After all, he would have to obey the leaders of the Order.
“Yes, monsignor,” I said. - Putting him in the place of the first, and overthrowing the first to the position of the second - this is not enough. At first, a feeling of gratitude might make him show obedience, but such feelings are short-lived. He would have declared that by some reciprocal favors he had fully repaid the good deed which I might have performed for him, after which he might most likely have intended to free himself from guardianship and become as independent as his new position would allow him! And then all my efforts would be in vain. Only true faith, only reverent veneration of our Lord, the understanding that the Lord sees not only all his deeds, but also his thoughts, voluntary entry into the fold of the Order could make such a person ours forever.
- And he could receive the title of Grand Master of the Order? - asked the general. - In case of obedience.
“By no means higher than a coadjutor, monsignor,” I objected. “This person should have no career aspirations in the Order other than serving the Lord for the sake of the highest grace, which, of course, awaits all true servants of the Lord, that is, every member of the Order, from the highest to the most insignificant.
“You’re right, Master d’Herblay,” agreed the general after some reflection, which passed in complete silence for about three or four minutes. - That dizzying exaltation that he will experience, replacing his double, will be a sufficient reward, and it will be final in this world, but only the beginning, a condition for the highest grace in another, better, eternal world. He must understand this. Who will explain this to him?
“Me and only me, monsignor,” I answered. “I have already written several books in accessible language, specifically designed for his education. One of these books reveals the value of the traditions and views of the Order and their complete correspondence with the Holy Scriptures, as well as the precepts of the great Ignatius of Loyola. This book is necessary so that he not only clearly understands the goals of his transformation, but also accepts these goals as the goal of his life. Another book gives him complete information about the morals of the court, about the hierarchy at the court, about traditions and habits, information about his relatives, a description of what they look like, what habits they have and behavioral characteristics. All this is necessary for him to play his role better. The third book will allow him to easily and quickly master the Spanish language, which is spoken by the one whom he will replace, for, as far as I found out, he was not taught this language, he knows only his native language, the language of his homeland, and, fortunately, he has been taught to read and write loves to read. His curiosity and love of books proves that he has enough intelligence to cope with the task assigned to him. In addition, his origin guarantees this.
—Where are these interesting books? - asked the general.
“Each book is made in three copies,” I answered. - One copy for him, one spare, and one copy of these three books - in German for you, monsignor, so that you can familiarize yourself and, if necessary, make your corrections. I left these three books for you in my suitcase in your secretary’s waiting room.
“Wonderful, I’ll get acquainted with them,” answered the general. - I believe that they set out not only the tactical tasks of the Order, but also the strategic goals as you imagine them?
“That’s right, monsignor,” I replied.
“Okay,” the general said decisively. - I have no more questions for you today. You are free, let the secretary bring these books to me. Stay in the city for three more days, leave your address with the secretary. You will be notified of my decision.
After this, the general extended his right hand to me for a kiss, on the middle finger of which was a gold ring with the image of the coat of arms of the Jesuit Order. This coat of arms is an image of the Sun, which has thirty-two rays of equal length. In this case, the rays directed strictly upward and strictly to the sides, as well as those that divide the angles between these rays into three equal parts, are straight, the remaining rays have a wavy shape, so that straight and wavy rays alternate with each other. In the center of the disk of the Sun there are three letters - IHS, which means “Iesus Humanum Salvator”, “Jesus, Savior of people”. Above the letter “ H ” there is a cross so that its lower part slightly pierces the crossbar of this letter. Along the rim of the disk of the Sun, thirty-two diamonds are mounted into the ring, which are the bases of the rays emanating from the Sun, as if they were their source. This ring was one of the symbols of the power of the general of the Order, although, of course, one should not think that this ring itself made its owner a general. This symbol was rather intended for communication with lower members of the Order, not initiated into the higher secrets. True power came from something else. The Masters of the Order know the general by name and face, coadjutors, as a rule, do not communicate with him, but if necessary, the general can present a lot of evidence of his status, among which the ring is the simplest, but there are others, such as secret signs, passwords, which only an initiate has the right to pronounce and something else. A person who knows passwords will never dare to pronounce them without having the legal right to do so, but knowing them serves the purpose that, having heard them, he understands the need for submission.
I kissed the general's hand and left.

Three days later, the general’s secretary personally visited me and invited me to immediately go to his master.

“Master d'Herblay, I have made a decision,” said the general. “I have chosen you as my successor.”
My heart almost jumped out of my chest, but outwardly I maintained complete composure. I bowed silently.
“That’s not all,” the general continued. “You won’t have to wait for my death.” I have decided to transfer all powers to you as soon as possible. Receive from my secretary the documents that you will need to study to fulfill your new duties. After you have studied them, you will come to me and I will transfer all powers to you. All masters will be notified that I am resigning my power and transferring it to you. For everyone else, nothing will change. If necessary, you can reveal your position to any member of the Order. However, as long as I live, I will monitor your affairs and, to the best of my ability, help you in your work. And yet, after the transfer of power to you, it will be you who will be the actual general. I decided so, I want it so. Perhaps after my death you will want to continue to remain in the shadows, then I recommend to you Father Giovanni Paolo Oliva as the external representative of the Order. He will be, like me, just a ceremonial representative of your power. I want it that way. For the business you have started, there is no need for extra hype.
The secretary handed me two dozen folders. Their content was extremely interesting and absolutely necessary for my future work. I studied them all and memorized all the important information from them. Even now I could reproduce all the texts from memory. It took me twenty days - one day per folder.
After this period, the general transferred authority to me and, taking the ring from his hand, placed it in my palm.
So I became a general of the Jesuit Order in 1661.
I must say that I really expected to work for a long time with the person discussed in our conversation with the general. But circumstances turned out differently, and I was forced to hurry.
 
Chapter 239

All people are at least half highly moral: they cannot tolerate injustice towards themselves. All that remains is to teach them to also be outraged by injustice for their own benefit and to the detriment of others. These are all of you, my dear readers, whom I hope will never exist. That's how I am too. So, fair or not, I actually headed the Jesuit Order from that time, not so much thanks to painstaking and lengthy preliminary work, although it was important, but mainly thanks to the secret entrusted to me, which I revealed in spite of this trust, and thanks to the plans I had developed, which I still only hoped to implement. I must admit that this is tantamount to someone receiving a generous payment for a harvest that does not yet exist, but only for the good intention of growing it.
Well, at least I did something about it! Why do others become Kings? After all, they don’t even have these merits. So my conscience did not torment me, especially since I sincerely believed in the success of the planned enterprise. After all, I could not imagine how hastily I would be forced to implement it, neglecting all the precautions and guarantees that I had planned and outlined to Father Gosvin Nickel. Fortunately for me, the transfer of authority was final and irreversible, so that Father Goswin had no opportunity to reverse his decision on the grounds that the plan I outlined was not implemented exactly as intended. I can only say that everything is in God’s hands, and if what happened happened, then the Lord wanted exactly this, and I have nothing to repent of.
If the Lord wanted to punish me for these actions, he would humiliate me and reduce me to insignificance, and would not exalt me in a way that he does not elevate almost any mortal, because there are still two hundred such lucky ones, marked during his lifetime by his special favor. After all, out of almost two and a half hundred almost officially lucky ones, forty-one should be removed, whose status is extremely doubtful and is not recognized with all the proper formalities!
Having received from Father Goswin absolute power over fifteen thousand associates, which now included himself, I returned to Paris to find out how Fouquet was managing his affairs without me, and how things were going at court in general.
Upon arrival in Paris, I learned a lot of new and interesting things.
Fouquet informed me that the King had appointed Colbert to a position allowing him to control all of Fouquet's own financial transactions. And this is despite the fact that at the very beginning of his reign, Louis had a conversation with Fouquet, where he said that he knew of not entirely legal methods of obtaining funds, which Fouquet used with the knowledge and approval of Mazarin. The king announced that there would be no investigations into these cases, announced the unconditional forgiveness of the superintendent for all episodes from the time of Mazarin, but asked not to do this anymore, but to adhere to the laws. This at one time gave Fouquet the basis for extreme optimism. I made the assumption that Colbert intended to overthrow Fouquet, to which Fouquet replied that this was not news to him; Colbert had this desire during the life of the cardinal.
“How can this petty man bring down someone like me?” - Fouquet objected. “The King himself favors me!” I think that he allowed Colbert to dig into my accounts simply so that he would be distracted from other, more important matters. How can he compete with me? He is petty and weak, while my friends rule the whole kingdom, and there is not a single high position in France that my friend does not occupy.
“You forgot about the post of the King, monsignor,” I objected. “And this one-of-a-kind post allows you to replace people in all other posts at your will.”
“My position is strong, I am one of the pillars of the current government, and Colbert is just a little fox who runs between the rocks and gets angry,” Fouquet waved it off. “He’ll just break his teeth trying to hurt me.”
“But this little fox can dig up the ground under a rock so much that the rock will collapse,” I objected. “For this he only needs time and perseverance.
“He won’t make it,” Fouquet objected. “The king recently hinted to me that he was preparing a surprise for me, and I realized that we were talking about some new position. If this is not the post of First Minister, then something very close to it.
“Still, be careful with your expenses,” I replied.
“Speaking of expenses,” said Fouquet. “There will be large expenses associated with the holiday that I will have to arrange for the King in Vaux-le-Vicomte.”
—Have you decided to arrange a holiday for the King? - I was surprised.
“I was forced to do this,” Fouquet replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I think Colbert took care of this.” The king expressed his wish to organize this holiday. He said that he wanted to please someone.
— Does the King have a favorite? - I asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” Fouquet replied. - I would have known about it. Apparently he wants to charm Princess Henrietta. Rumor has it that he is very friendly with her.
“In that case, you should be friends with her,” I answered. -Are you planning to make friends with her?
“After all, it was at my suggestion that Monsieur and Madame received half a million livres as a wedding gift, which I paid to the King!” - exclaimed Fouquet. “So the Princess has every reason to treat me favorably.”
“The Princess would have reason to treat you favorably, or rather, to demonstrate this very benevolence, if this money were intended not for the newlyweds’ family, but for her alone,” I objected. - And it would be best if this money was only promised to her, but not yet paid, and this payment depended only on you. Do not expect gratitude for completed good deeds; gratitude can only be received for those good deeds that are yet to be received. Nothing else is typical for people. If the Princess had plans to receive very significant sums from you in the future...
“ This is also possible,” said Fouquet.
“Princesses’ appetites are excessive, and if satisfied, they grow geometrically,” I objected. “Even a rich man like you cannot buy the Princess’s favor.” Moreover, the King will always be able to make gifts larger than yours, although you will have to pay for them.
“You’re right, besides, I won’t be able to give anything myself soon,” Fouquet agreed. “I have almost no free funds left at my disposal, so I don’t know what money to use to organize a festival in Vaux-le-Vicomte.” However, I will still be able to sell some things and mortgage some things, and also take out some loans, don’t worry about that.
“Didn’t you tell me that the treasury has already absorbed future income for three years in advance?” - I asked.
“This means that we have to get into the income of next year, the fourth,” Fouquet answered.
The serenity with which he said this alarmed me.
- Are you serious? - I was surprised.
“I can’t refuse the King’s demand for funds!” - exclaimed Fouquet. “Such a refusal would be disastrous for me.”
“Sooner or later your funds will run out, as will all your methods of obtaining new funds from other sources,” I said.
- But it’s not every day that the King will demand to organize such grandiose holidays! - Fouquet objected. — Sooner or later there will be a respite.
- Why do you think so? - I asked.
“Everything in the world has its ebbs and flows,” Fouquet concluded philosophically. “There will be an ebb, there will be a respite, which will give me the opportunity to gather my strength and replenish my savings again.” The two positions I have are very conducive to this. If the King removes me from these positions, I will perish. Therefore, to stop supplying His Majesty with money means the same thing as for a person who fell into the water to stop waving his arms and swimming. He will simply go to the bottom.
“Is that why you prefer to delay the moment when you cannot satisfy the King’s financial demands by any means necessary?” - I asked. - After all, this is just a delay!
- Listen, my dear d'Herblay! - Fouquet said softly. “What is our life if not just a postponement of death?” We are not all eternal. But tell some dying person, to whom the doctor has informed that he has only a few hours left to live, that he is granted a reprieve of death for another five years, a year, or whatever, a month, and you will see how happy he will be.
- But you are not dying! - I objected.
“And I don’t intend to be one for several more decades!” - Fouquet answered cheerfully. - All these are little things! Money is just metal. Didn’t you teach me that money is needed only by a ruler who has no other means of forcing himself to obey? Mazarin did not have any means of influencing the Princes, but he bought their loyalty for money, and with their loyalty he strengthened his power so much that not one of them dared to encroach on it. With the help of money, he united his friends and divided his enemies. By the way, I continue to do the same thing, thanks to your very practical advice.
“Every strategy and every tactic sooner or later becomes obsolete, and the time comes to change it,” I said thoughtfully.
“You’re right, as always, but there’s nothing to worry about yet,” Fouquet agreed.
“Perhaps he is right,” I thought. “Perhaps he will be able to take the blow for a while longer.” I have great power at my disposal, but I need time to organize it in the right way. The secret that I possess is also still useless, since this second Prince is not yet familiar to me at all, and I have to make him first my friend and then my follower, become a shepherd for him so that he will be obedient to me like a lamb. This takes months, or even perhaps years. If Fouquet is confident in the future, one can hope, apparently, that I have at least six months. Well, I will act carefully and slowly, as I planned.”
Then I felt in my pocket the letter that Bazin had given me shortly before. It was from one of the coadjutors of the Order, and I did not have time to read it, because when I was about to do so, I met Fouquet and we started talking. I printed the letter and read the following:

“Monsignor, it is reliably known that the King has a favorite who greatly influences his mood and behavior. Her name is Louise-Fran;oise de la Baume le Blanc de La Valli;re. For the sake of love for her, the King will do anything.”

“Monseigneur,” I said to Fouquet. “Forget everything I said regarding Princess Henrietta. The celebration at Vaux-le-Vicomte is for another lady. Her name is Louise-Fran;oise de la Baume le Blanc de La Valli;re. This is the Princess's new maid of honor, originally from Blois, near Tours. Try to make friends with her with the help of the Duchess de Chevreuse.
“The Duchess de Chevreuse will not help me,” Fouquet waved him off. “She plans to marry Colbert, so we’re on opposite sides of the barricades.”
“Sad,” I replied. “I could talk to the duchess myself, but if she is determined to be friends with Colbert, I will have to distance myself from her.” However, I’ll still think about whether it’s worth adding her to the number of enemies, or whether it’s better to try to guide her on the right path.
- This lady is more dangerous than a powder magazine! - said Fouquet. — It’s not for nothing that the late cardinal said that when the Duchess de Chevreuse leaves France, France has almost no problems left.
“And he was cruelly mistaken,” I answered. “The Duchess outside France is no less dangerous than in France itself.” I would recommend that the King keep her under constant supervision.
- In the Bastille? asked Fouquet.
“ She’s too noble for such a lot,” I objected. “And the Queen will not allow this to be done to her in memory of past friendship.” No, I would keep her in the Louvre, surrounded by so many servants that not a single step of hers would go unnoticed.
“Good idea,” agreed Fouquet. - So what's with this La Valliere?
“Even the greatest danger from the King will apparently not be so terrible if this girl stands up for you,” I said. “And even the strangest request will not seem so strange if this girl supports it.” Such is now His Majesty’s relationship with this lady-in-waiting. It is in your interests to become her friend, but without arousing the King's jealousy, of course. This should be done carefully.
- Well, I can do that! - Fouquet said extremely arrogantly. “I know how to treat these kinds of ladies.”
By classifying Louise de La Valli;re as a lady of “that sort,” Nicolas Fouquet made perhaps the most unforgivable mistake of his entire life.
 
Chapter 240

Having become a general of the Order, I was more concerned with my own affairs than with the affairs of the Order, and I am not ashamed of it. In old age, those who have not achieved the desired wealth, fame or power regret it. The one who followed an honest path, perhaps, regrets it no less than those who did not disdain dishonest methods, were caught in this and for this reason did not reach the desired heights. Ultimately, both are wrong. Every person is honest to the extent beyond which he fears exposure, and easily commits deception in which, as he is convinced, no one can expose him. Only for one these boundaries are determined by fear of the Lord, for another - by fear of justice, for a third - by fear of those whom he respects, and rarely - by his own conscience. However, there are also types of lies that even the conscience of the most conscientious person can easily handle. However, I had truly great goals that push the boundaries of what is acceptable.
Using my new position and the reserve of finances that Fouquet had not yet spent on the construction and equipment of Belle-Ile, I, with the help of Porthos and my other friends and clients, gradually implemented a plan to influence the soldiers and officers of the royal garrison, who arrived at the fortress to replace the garrison, who previously lived there. In this way, instead of one garrison of our own, we received two, since the garrison that left Belle-Ile for the island d'Oleron retained the respect and devotion of Fouquet, and the newly arrived royal garrison, through my efforts, acquired this respect and devotion thanks to the fact that in addition To the usual contents that the King allocated to the garrison, we, a month later, added additional maintenance and entertainment services, presenting this matter in such a way that no one doubts that they are available to soldiers and officers solely thanks to the care and kindness of Nicolas Fouquet, and henceforth depend only on his goodwill.
In any case, I was sure that, if necessary, Fouquet could again become the de facto ruler of the fortress, provided that he decided to disobey the King. From this side, everything was settled and no unpleasant surprises were expected.
I did not even have to use my power as a general of the Order, although, of course, I received a list of those officers and even soldiers who are members of the Order. There were few of them among the soldiers, but a quarter of the officers of the new garrison were members of the Order, so this was quite enough to effectively influence them. Unfortunately, the chief officer of the garrison was not a Jesuit, but both of his assistants were. I decided not to use these trump cards for now, but to save them as a last resort, and also to influence the fact that in the near future the head of the garrison would be removed and replaced by an assistant from among these two.
I note that for effective unrest in the troops it is by no means necessary that the majority of soldiers and officers be on the side of the rebels. Even a tenth is enough to sow confusion, since more than two thirds of the members of any community are amorphous and follow those who dare to lead them, a very small part has deeply rooted beliefs and remains faithful to them in any situation, and another part may be inclined in one direction or another depending on the circumstances and the ability to take advantage of them. Since the members of the Order are always those people whose convictions have already been formed, they were all unshakable champions of the true faith, therefore, my people, although they did not suspect it for the time being.
I did not boast of my new position either to Fouquet or to my friends. Contrary to what Grimaud writes, I did not tell Fouquet that I had become omnipotent, that I had become superior to the King and all the Kings of Europe. Firstly, this is not entirely true, and not even true at all. The power of the general of the Jesuit Order cannot be compared with the power of the King, just as it is pointless to compare water with stone or hearing with sight. My power extends into another area. If necessary, I could get a large sum of money and provide it to Fouquet for holding a holiday in Vaux-le-Vicomte, but, firstly, this was not part of my plans, and secondly, it could not go unnoticed, therefore, I I had to at least pretend that this money was spent on the needs of the Order, and not on mine or on royal entertainment. It's not done that way. Even the Lord is subject to certain rules in his actions, so could I really control the Order’s treasury as if I were my own wallet? The Order and its treasury obeyed me, but not for the sake of my whims, of course.
I told Fouquet only what he needed to know and nothing more. I told him that if the King demands a holiday, the holiday should take place, if Fouquet lacks funds, I can get the funds, but I did not promise to give them immediately, in unlimited quantities and without obligation to return, that is, as a gift. Gifts and benefits should be given only as a last resort, because they corrupt those in whose interests they are made, I have known this for a long time.
With regard to the girl La Valli;re, I had no intention of dictating any love letters to Fouquet. By the way, Fouquet had no intention of making her his mistress. He did not claim this, since she was not interesting to him from that point of view. But Grimaud is mistaken in thinking that Fouquet’s heart was occupied by another, and this is the reason why he could not love La Valli;re, and is also mistaken in the fact that Fouquet, without having the desire to make her his mistress, nevertheless had such an intention. It's all nonsense. Fouquet could well have several lovers at the same time, like the rest of us, and at the same time he could love one of them especially strongly, or several, or not love any of them at all. He could have been seduced by Louise's charms if he had taken a closer look at her, but he had neither the time nor the desire for that. If Louise had been one of those girls who could easily be persuaded to this kind of alliance, that is, like nine hundred and ninety-nine girls out of every thousand, he would have succeeded not so much with the help of his charm, which he still had then, but with with the help of money, or rather, with the help of a combination of these two qualities. A gift from a pleasant man is always more pleasant for any woman than a gift from an unpleasant man. It's amazing how absurdly Fouquet acted in relation to Louise de La Valli;re! Instead of trying to become her friend, as I advised him, he decided to simply buy her, that is, he offered to tell him the contents of conversations with the King for money. He must have gone completely crazy. Moreover, he decided to do it in writing, signing both her name and his own in one letter and on one page. This letter was insulting even not to such a scrupulous person as Louise.
Instead of giving her a compliment or two, find out what she likes most and serve her with a small but memorable gift, as Mazarin did, who won the affection of men and women with his pleasant manner, showing them what a sweet and courteous person he was., attentive to people’s interests, always able to give an intelligent answer to any question that did not offend any of those present, give a compliment that was pleasant even to those whom it did not concern, give a little thing that was valuable precisely because it corresponds to one’s hobbies given the man, Fouquet remained a merchant and financier in the worst sense of the word, who believed that if he determined the price of something and offered a price for it a third or even twice as high, then there could simply be no refusal. This is how estates, islands, positions are bought, this is how most women buy, I agree, but not those who consider their honor above any rewards, or those who have already identified a buyer for their honor, provided that this buyer is higher than everyone else others in the Kingdom. Offering friendship to the King's favorite would be the same as politely pouring wine into the Queen's goblet, but becoming a lover of the King's favorite was the same as sitting down with the King without an invitation and choosing the best pieces from his dish, or climbing into his bed. To offer the King’s favorite to be an informant and spy on the King himself was incomparable impudence. This is the equivalent of asking the Queen to hand you your shoes or walk your dogs. I must admit that when I read the text of this letter, I decided that Fouquet was mad. And I had the opportunity to read the text of this letter, but long after it had played its ominous role.
I still remember it from word to word. Here is the text.

"Madam!
Being intimately acquainted with your parents, Monsieur Laurent de La Baume le Blanc and Madame Fran;oise de Prevot, and also being on great friendship with your relative the Duchess de Saint-R;my, I offer you my patronage. I understand how difficult it must be for you in Paris alone, without parents, without brothers and sisters. Knowing the state of your family, I believe that they cannot provide you with significant support, so you, poor thing, have to be content with the content that you receive as a maid of honor to the Princess. I sympathize with this difficult financial situation, in which such a worthy girl as you are should never find herself in, and I am ready to make every effort to correct this misfortune. You may know that I am not short of money and suggest that you have the amounts you need for your needs without the slightest embarrassment. In return, I ask nothing more than good treatment for the old friend of your venerable parents. Perhaps from time to time you will want to talk to me about this and that, tell me how you live at court, and that will be enough for me. Spending all my time in business and troubles, I sometimes do not have the opportunity to find out the latest news at court, so you will greatly oblige me if from time to time you tell me the news that you learn, without even making the slightest effort, but for For me, it will be a breath of fresh air, a life-giving breath of clean spring water against the background of those routine tasks that I am doomed to perform due to my boring but responsible duties. If you agree to such conversations, I will be happy to consider that an agreement of friendship has been concluded between us, and the amounts that you deign to spend on your immediate needs, I will in no way demand to be returned, considering them a gift for the daughter of my old friends.
Sincerely yours, Nicolas Fouquet."

The florid style of this letter would not have fooled a nun. It is obvious to anyone that with this letter Fouquet invited Louise to become his informant, offering money for this in the amounts that she considered fair. Since this letter followed immediately after a more than warm and extremely trusting relationship was established between the damsel de La Valli;re and King Louis XIV, it is obvious that by information about news at court Fouquet meant information about conversations with the King.
If such a letter had arrived immediately after Louise's arrival in Paris, and if the old friendship between Fouquet and Louise's parents had been at least somehow confirmed, or if Louise had been more greedy for money and at the same time more stupid than she was, a letter like this might perhaps work. But to offer money to someone to whom the King himself had offered his love and friendship a week earlier was too obviously self- interested. When all the noses at court had already sensed which way the wind was blowing and turned towards the maiden La Valli;re, such a letter was a direct insult.
Louise's reaction was exactly what it could have been. She was offended and angry. If in her place were a lady with the prudence and cunning of the Duchess de Chevreuse, she would try to extract the maximum benefit for herself from such a letter. If there had been any princess in her place, especially one as proud as Anne of Austria, she would have immediately torn the letter to shreds and demanded that the King send Fouquet as far out of sight as possible, but would not have demanded that he be punished or deprived of his positions or money. or property. If such a letter had been received by that Louise, who had not yet become the King’s favorite, she, perhaps, would have fled to the monastery to atone for the sins of the one who dared to write such an abomination, and also to an even greater extent begging the Lord to forgive herself for the fact that, without wanting it, and not knowing by what steps and what behavior she allowed this worthless Fouquet to think like that about himself, to admit that she was capable of betraying her King for money. But over the past week, Louise has changed, she is not the same. She found herself a protector from all enemies on this sinful Earth in the person of the King, she entrusted herself, her honor, all her feelings and all her love to him, she refused the need to think for herself, the audacity to make any decisions herself.
She almost decided to immediately deliver this letter to the King. On top of that, she was in tears the first time she read it. This seasoning would have made this letter a death sentence for Fouquet. Since the letter listed Louise's relatives, and since Fouquet signed it, no explanation would be required to the King.
But at the last minute Louise changed her mind. She remembered her conversation with the Duchess de Chevreuse and decided to consult with her. Since she did not find the duchess, she postponed this conversation for the future. The king noticed that Louise was upset about something, but Louise made an excuse by saying that she had received news that her brother was sick. The king noted that Louise loved her brothers and sisters very much and promised himself to do something significant for them that would be a surprise for Louise. Thus, Fouquet unwittingly contributed to the rise of the relatives of Mademoiselle Louise-Fran;oise de La Baume le Blanc de La Valli;re.
Having not received an answer to his letter, Fouquet decided that Louise had not yet decided what she should do, and considered this a good sign, because the first impulse dictates our heart, and the mind comes into action with a long delay. If her heart could tell her to refuse the superintendent’s request, refusing at the same time his patronage, then, according to Fouquet, common sense would definitely make her appreciate all the benefits that such patronage promises her.
So, Fouquet, having carried out one of the craziest acts of his life, was in the best mood. Naive blind man! May God forgive his rebellious soul!

Chapter 2 41

So, the King set out to organize a holiday at the Fouquet estate, in Vaux-le-Vicomte. Fouquet, who had almost no free money left, had to pay for this.
By this time, I already understood perfectly well that the King was acting on the advice of Colbert, who decided to first take away from Fouquet all his power, which lay in his wealth, and only then overthrow him, deprived of the opportunity to resist, cut off from finances, like Antaeus from the earth. If Fouquet had understood Colbert's plan from the very beginning, he could have opposed it, because by the time of Mazarin's death he remained the most powerful man in France, even more powerful than the young King. Fouquet had vast lands where people loyal to him were located, and he had Belle-Ile with his loyal soldiers, and at court almost all more or less significant posts were occupied by people who owed something to him, or were loyal to him, or even to him. relatives, close or not so close.
Fouquet overlooked the fact that even people who are very obliged to you cease to be your friends as soon as they realize that your power is over. They avoid you like a leper. An example of how his relationship with his brother Basil deteriorated should have taught him that one should not trust anyone, and one should not expect loyalty from anyone that is not supported by calculations of future benefit.
Incredible expenses almost exhausted Fouquet's financial capabilities, but the King, of course, with the help of Colbert, found such ways of communicating with the superintendent, and spoke so kindly and confidentially that the blind Fouquet believed every time that these expenses were the last before his upcoming even higher rise, so he went out of his way to satisfy all the requests of His Majesty.
I must explain something important about the holidays at the court of King Louis XIV. In previous traditions there were knightly tournaments, in which grandees personally participated in duels. This sometimes led to tragic outcomes, but it supported their militancy, as well as complete military independence. The kingdom, like a patchwork quilt, consisted of various duchies, counties, marquisates and visconces, all these nobles were the rightful masters of their domains, where they could establish courts, recruit troops and do whatever they wanted. Their complete financial independence consisted in the fact that they could easily do without the King, while the King without subordination turned into nothing. Gradually, tournaments began to lose popularity because they were too dangerous, and the nobles were unable to fight themselves, but it remained a matter of honor. During the time of Henry II, military weapons were replaced with less traumatic ones; the tip of the spear had to be blunted, like swords. But when, at a tournament with Montgomery, whose spear broke, leaving an extremely sharp wooden end, which entered through the grate, it struck the head of King Henry II, after which the King died in great agony, the fashion for tournaments ceased.
Henry IV tried to strengthen and unite France, his work was continued by Richelieu, as well as Mazarin. All of them sought to weaken the grandees and tie them more tightly to the royal court. To this end, Richelieu tore down fortresses, except for border ones, abolished the elections of governors, replacing them with appointments in the name of the King, which led to the subordination of local authorities to the central government. Step by step, the great reformers completed the unification of France under one hand. This led to spontaneous outbreaks of rebellion, which was also fueled and financed by the malicious enemies of France, its closest neighbors, primarily Spain, as well as England and other countries. Such were the rebellions of the Larochelles, and the constant revolts of the Guises, and both Frondes. Richelieu fought the rebels with the help of the Bastille and the Place de Greve, Mazarin mainly used money, positions and lands as gifts, as well as a cunning shuttle policy of secret agreements with everyone against everyone. Marriages of representatives of various reigning houses, as is known, did little to strengthen the friendly relations of neighboring kingdoms, which we saw very well in the example of the kinship of the French house with the Spanish and English. The Spanish house, having lost interest in such marriages, limited itself to searching for brides for the heirs to the throne within its own family, which will inevitably lead to the degeneration of the Habsburgs, which I have no doubt about.
Louis XIV decided to develop the ideas of Richelieu and Louis XIII, raising the importance of holidays to a previously unprecedented level. Huge amounts of money were spent on these holidays, they were held on a grand scale, each invitee tried to take a place as close as possible to the King at every feast, at every dance, at every walk in the park, but all places were strictly painted and prescribed, violation of etiquette was strictly punished, so competition began already at the stage of receiving invitations. By the distribution of seats at the table, it was possible to unmistakably say who would in the future enjoy greater favor with the King, and therefore would have more power and more money. Inviting a lady to a dance by the King was almost equivalent to enrolling her in the rank of favorites, which would almost certainly make her a duchess in the future. The celebration in Vaux-le-Vicomte was just the beginning of this tradition, one of the downsides of which was the extremely frivolous relations between the courtiers. Following the King, the male part of the ball participants felt like hunters, and the female part felt like game. However, this is still a question of who was the game and who was the hunter. Some ladies themselves literally hunted for their next lovers. It was during those times that a strange tradition was established that if a noble lady did not have a lover, then she was either ugly or stupid. For a noble nobleman, not having a mistress was simply unacceptable; such a loser had only one option left - to cover himself with military glory, after which he had no end to the ladies. Over the road, the Comte de Guiche, however, enjoyed success with the ladies even before his military successes, but they also greatly contributed to the growth of his popularity among the ladies. She was so high that he simply got bored with him, as a result of which he set out to conquer Princess Henrietta, that is, to receive the highest prize, because only a madman who would not put his life at risk could turn his eyes to Queen Maria Theresa. No matter how coolly the King treated his wife, none of the court husbands should have even thought about getting close to her, even if only in their dreams.
So, court balls and holidays were intended to transform the knightly class into a courtier one, to transform warriors into lovers, independent lords into seekers of the King’s favor, in other words, to humble their pride and subordinate themselves to royal power. A little later, the King will even establish special academies: the Royal Academy of Dance, the Academy of Opera, the King's Entertainment Administration. In the meantime, the King attached very great importance to the holiday in Vaux-le-Vicomte, for there his gallant attack on the last bastions of Mademoiselle de La Valli;re was supposed to reach its peak, who, however, had already surrendered to the mercy of the winner, but, remembering the advice of the Duchess de Chevreuse, each time yielded to the King’s gallant insistence as if it were the first and certainly the last such episode, which only warmed his blood more and flattered his pride. In this competition, La Valliere was certainly the hunter, and the King was the game,
On the eve of this holiday, after analyzing some of the events of recent months, I realized that Fouquet was on the brink of an abyss.
First, with his new position in March 1661, Colbert received control of the superintendent's transaction registers. Previously, these duties had been entrusted to Ervart, in whom Fouquet had confidence, so there was not the slightest cause for concern. Now Colbert had the opportunity to monitor Fouquet's actions day after day, accumulating all information that could be used to harm Fouquet, and ignoring everything that could characterize him on the positive side. The very possibility of such a selection of information by Colbert and subsequent presentation of it to the King was a mortal danger for the superintendent.
So, Colbert acquired a position commensurate with Fouquet and even in some ways higher, since Fouquet himself was not given the opportunity to control Colbert's expenses. But in fact, Fouquet continued to remain the most influential nobleman after the King.
Colbert had no trouble convincing Louis that Fouquet was an embezzler, embezzling enormous sums, and that he was leading his provocative lifestyle with funds intended for the royal treasury. This was a serious danger, but Fouquet could justify himself, and, moreover, he was not without reason convinced that without him the King would not be able to receive the amounts necessary for the needs of the state in a timely manner. On this basis, Fouquet considered himself completely safe, but it was precisely this fact that tormented Colbert’s soul and caused concern for the King himself.
The king could have decided to dismiss Fouquet, depriving him of actual power, but using him as an adviser if necessary, but Colbert was well aware that a man like Fouquet could not serve as a conscientious adviser, like a real warhorse, like Bucephalus, the famous horse of Alexander the Great, would rather die, refusing to eat, than allow himself to be yoked to plow the tithe of land from some poor peasant with a primitive plow.
From the actions of the King, I realized that they were aimed at the complete ruin of Fouquet. Consequently, the King decided to get rid of his superintendent of finance. Tax abuses could not serve as a reason for such a decision; they could only be a reason for prosecution. Consequently, I understood that Colbert was convincing the King that Fouquet's crimes were not limited to waste and abuse. Most of all, the King could be angered by Fouquet's exorbitant claims to power and his plans for violent aggrandizement, which had already manifested itself in the strengthening of Belle-Isle. Fouquet barely managed to avoid accusations of preparing a conspiracy by the fact that he managed to give Belle-Ile to the King, forestalling this accusation. If it had been expressed simultaneously with his arrest, no justification of this kind would have been convincing in the eyes of justice and, most importantly, in the opinion of the King.
I understood that Colbert would argue that Fouquet was hatching plans to start something like another Fronde, attracting people to himself through his extremely generous gifts, strengthening fortresses, drawing up plots, attracting writers and poets in case of need to write proclamations and pamphlets, and buying important positions for his friends at the expense of the treasury, in other words, harboring plans to become the sovereign master of the state. If Colbert had managed to convince the King of this, he would not have limited himself to simple resignation, the matter smelt of arrest and even something worse.
If Fouquet were arrested, I would lose a significant part of my influence, which I exercised for his money and with his help, which he himself did not suspect. This ruined my plans. I was faced with a choice - to allow the arrest and fall of Fouquet, after which to carry out my own plans without haste, or to try to prevent this, to save Fouquet, to preserve one of the most powerful levers of influence on the economy and politics of France, which gave me much more opportunities and freedom of action.
I chose to save Fouquet. This pushed me to accelerate plans to use the King’s brother, despite the fact that I had not yet had time to really find out what kind of person he was, how much he could be trusted, and whether he was even capable of coping with the task that I intended to entrust to him, that is, to become an exact copy of the current King, despite the fact that, unlike the true Louis XIV, he will have to see in me a savior, friend and mentor, or even a master. Well, it was a risk. But of the two risks - losing Fouquet or not ensuring proper influence on Philip - that was the name of the King's brother - I chose the second.
The main obstacle to my plans was my dear friend D'Artagnan. I had no chance of making him my accomplice, since I missed the opportunity to win him over to my side immediately after Mazarin's death. The king managed to charm him, d'Artagnan received from his hands the position of captain of the royal musketeers, his gratitude was lifelong, as well as his personal devotion to Louis XIV. However, I did not express myself correctly in relation to attracting d'Artagnan to my side. This was impossible, d' Artagnan was the kind of man who always acted on his own side. He himself decided who he served, how, with what and when. He had only one weakness - a weakness for us, his friends. I had no doubt that d'Artagnan would never do anything that would harm me personally. But this will not prevent him from harming my plans if he deems it necessary in his duty to serve the King. This should have been taken into account.
I understood that the King would not arrest Fouquet until the end of the holiday at Vaux-le-Vicomte, since this holiday was intended to impress the new favorite, Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, and to mark her new place in front of all the courtiers. Besides, the King was young and therefore curious. He was interested to know what the richest nobleman in the Kingdom would prepare for the holiday. He saw the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte at the very beginning of construction, while passing through, and he wanted to see what money and enterprise could make of such a not very attractive castle in such a short time.
The holiday was supposed to last several days, and during these days the entire royal family and many courtiers were supposed to settle in the castle of Vaux-le-Viscount. I could know in advance in which chambers the King would live and spend the night, so it would be best to replace the King with his brother at that time. In the Louvre I will not have such an opportunity; I may have to wait for a more convenient opportunity for months and even years, while the King’s stay in the Louvre is a predictable affair, in which I can have time to make all the necessary preparations.
So, it was decided that the replacement would take place in Vaud. King Louis XIV will arrive for the holiday, and instead of him a new King, Philippe, will leave Vaux, who will be indistinguishable from the previous one, and only I will know that this person is different, and only he will trust me alone, only he will be with me alone consult, only accept my advice as immutable orders. Luck floated into my hands.
All that remained was to lull d'Artagnan's vigilance, and after the replacement took place, the new favorite should be removed as quickly as possible, since with the closeness between her and the King, they could develop a whole set of secret signs of love, gestures, words, symbols. There is no way to hide the substitution of a lover from the eyes of a woman in love. Even the wife does not always recognize this substitution; her eyes are not as keen as the eyes of a loving woman. I had no doubt that Louise was in love with the King, although I did not consider this love to be disinterested. People are able to amazingly combine the highest feelings with the lowest, if they do not contradict each other! And even the most sincere love will not drive out selfishness, just as the truest righteousness will not drive out pride and narcissism, the deepest feeling of caring does not cancel selfishness and self-satisfaction. That is life.
In the fake memoirs, written by Grimaud, these events are presented chaotically and contradictorily. Tell me, for what purpose could I try to order exactly the same suit as the King? Since I planned to carry out the substitution at night while Louis was sleeping, Philippe had to put on not exactly the same, but precisely the same suit that had been prepared for the King. No additional costumes were needed; they would only constitute additional evidence and could even serve as evidence of the exchange I had made. In no case did I intend to make such costumes; it was not only unnecessary, but also dangerous, it could cause unnecessary suspicion. Philippe was to dress in the costume of the King, while I intended to dress Louis himself in the clothes of a prisoner of the Bastille, for which purpose he had to be put to sleep.
Equally absurd are Grimaud's fantasies about lowering and rising ceilings. Such a mechanism cannot be hidden, and it may not work at the right time, and it can also make a lot of noise. Yes, I can’t even imagine how this could be accomplished; I’m not such a talented engineer to build such mechanisms that operate with the help of a force that comes from nowhere. Raising or lowering the ceilings would require the strength of a dozen men. Why is this if it is enough to simply have the keys to the King's bedroom, especially if this bedroom was designed according to my drawings, and it has a secret door leading to a secret spiral staircase connecting this bedroom with exactly the same room on the ground floor, and a hidden from prying eyes with the same exact secret door?

Chapter 242

Another mistake Fouquet made was to order the fleet at his disposal to leave for big booty. It is no secret that his fleet was engaged in private activities and trade transportation from the colonies. To get money as quickly as possible, the fleet had to work more efficiently. Fouquet sent the entire merchant fleet for the most expensive goods, and the most expensive goods were those that were brought over the longest routes. Privatir ships left the adjacent seas and headed far into the ocean in the hope of rich booty. Thus, Fouquet actually deprived himself of the fleet, including those ships that were best armed, and even these ships in the first place. Thus, he deprived himself of the possibility of not only armed confrontation at sea, but also escape by sea. In fact, he voluntarily abandoned for a time one of the most effective ways to protect himself from persecution by the King.
Fouquet's other major mistake was selling the position of prosecutor general. Colbert played this part like clockwork. The post of procureur g;n;ral occupied by the superintendent gave him, if not complete immunity from judicial investigation, then, in any case, in fact, extremely reliable protection, as reliable as possible in an absolute monarchy. An investigation into the holder of this high legal post could only be carried out by the court of the Paris Parliament. But there were entirely Fouquet's people there. Thus, if the case of abuse had been launched, the said post would have provided Fouquet with all the advantages of a highly formalized legal procedure and, of course, a positive outcome due to the deepest sympathy for him on the part of the judges, among whom he had many friends and relatives. It should also be taken into account that this year the parliament was still hostile towards the royal administration and especially towards Colbert. In such a situation, parliamentarians would not fail to seize the opportunity to launch numerous investigations into all the circumstances of the case, turning the Fouquet case into the case of the financial administration of Mazarin, Fouquet and Colbert. This investigation could lead to places that neither the King nor Colbert would have wished to go into.
Colbert understood this very well, so he started a complex combination to deprive Fouquet of this protection, luring him into a trap. For this, the King outwardly showed extreme goodwill towards his superintendent of finance, and even very transparently hinted that Fouquet would soon have a brilliant rise, however, for this, he must first prove himself in his current position. In particular, the King requires a million livres for unforeseen expenses, and if a way were found to solve this problem, it would be in the interests of Fouquet himself.
- Your Majesty, a way out can be found! - answered the delighted superintendent. - To get the required million, I am ready to sell anything from my property. Just give me the order and I will sell Vaux-le-Vicomte!
“The cost of Vaux-le-Vicomte is significantly higher than the required amount,” the King objected. “In addition, if this amount is returned to you, you will not be able to purchase your castle back, since the new owner may not agree to sell it to you for the price for which he will purchase it from you.”
Fouquet was extremely happy that this was apparently not a matter of irretrievable monetary loss, but merely a loan to the King.
- I will sell what Your Majesty gives his consent to! - exclaimed Fouquet in a fit of generosity. “For example, I could sell the position of prosecutor general.
Having said this, Fouquet immediately repented, but thought that perhaps the King would prohibit him from this transaction too. But Louis's reaction was not what Fouquet expected.
- That's a great idea! - he answered. “Besides, I intended to reform the judicial system anyway, so this position will soon lose its current meaning.”
“The King is hinting that if I don’t sell the position of Prosecutor General now, then later I will no longer be able to get a good price for it! - thought Fouquet. “By informing me that this position will lose its value, the King is doing me a favor. You should take advantage of this opportunity!”
“I will give up this position and receive the required amount, which I will immediately hand over to you,” said Fouquet.
“Even if this position does not lose its value, I do not dare show that I do not trust the King’s advice, ” thought Fouquet. - If the King deigns to give his subject advice, it should be taken as an order. Even if he now says that he leaves the decision to my discretion, not to heed His Majesty’s advice would mean insulting him by not trusting his words!”
“That’s a great idea,” repeated the King. “The post you hold may prove to be an obstacle to your further rise.” Didn't I tell you that I have accumulated grievances against Segya?
“He will dismiss Segye and give me the position of chancellor! - thought Fouquet. - In this case, indeed, the prosecutor’s position will only be a hindrance! Can the Chancellor also be the Prosecutor General? Or maybe I am destined for something higher, for example, the post of First Minister has been vacant since the death of Mazarin, and who can handle it better than me? A better candidate cannot be found in all of France!”
“It’s decided,” Fouquet replied. “Achille de Harlay has already asked me if I would agree to sell it to him.”
“Arles is friendly to Fouquet,” thought the King. - Not scary. Let Fouquet give up his post first, and then it will not be difficult to remove Arle, offering him to sell the post of prosecutor general to a more reliable person.”
“I completely trust and rely on your decision,” replied the King. - Give this position to a person in whom you yourself are confident, and at first you will be able to help him in this new matter for him; later, you will most likely manage this person on more compelling grounds.
These words further convinced Fouquet that he would do the right thing by selling this position, since he was destined for something much better. The trap worked.
Fouquet sold the post of prosecutor general for one million four hundred thousand livres. Of this sum, four hundred thousand livres went to Basil Fouquet, the brother of the superintendent, and a million in cash was transferred to Vincennes as a gift to the King and at his personal disposal.
Having sold this position, Fouquet ceased to be a member of parliament and was no longer subject to his trial. But he was now subject to the jurisdiction of an ordinary civil court, which before this sale could not have heard his case.

Chapter 243

By daring something small, you unwittingly risk everything you have. I decided to kidnap the King in order to replace him with his twin brother Philip, who was exactly like him. I convinced myself that such an action was not a crime, but only the restoration of justice. Philip's rights to the throne are no less than those of Louis. By virtue of human and God's laws, twin brothers are considered as one person in two persons. The rights of one cannot be superior to the rights of another, and if we make a difference between them, then the one who came into the world second may have been conceived first, like large pellets placed into a trunk sequentially, one after another. However, I’m not good at anatomy, so I’ll focus on the idea of their complete equality in rights. If it was permissible to imprison Philip in the Bastille, and give Louis the rights to reign, then swapping them in places was not only possible, but also purposeful in order to restore justice, because all this time Louis was solely using what by right should have belonged to both of them equally shares, while Philip was completely destitute. So why not swap them so that Philip could now enjoy his high position by virtue of his birth, while it would be quite appropriate for Louis to deservedly experience the fate that befell him through his fault, even if not consciously, on his unfortunate brother's share?
This is what I told myself, and this is how I convinced myself of the legitimacy and fairness of my intentions.
But I will be honest with myself, as well as with these memoirs. I foresaw great benefits for myself in such a castling, and therefore my conscience and my mind helpfully provided me with these arguments. If I really wanted justice restored, then I would strive to put both brothers on the throne, although this was much more difficult and even, frankly speaking, simply impossible, and if this came true, it would be dangerous for the state and for one of them, least. History knows of times with two rulers, but this never led to anything good. Two rulers, Romulus and Remus, did not remain in power for long; Romulus killed Remus. There was, they say, Tsar Ivan in Rus', who placed some Simeon Bekbulatovich on his throne, and he himself retired, but this did not last long, Tsar Ivan returned, and Simeon was expelled. However, this Simeon outlived both Ivan himself and his heirs, but order in this northern kingdom did not increase from these rearrangements. Now, when I write these lines, in the same kingdom there are two kings sitting on the throne, Ivan and Peter, two cousins, but supposedly having equal rights to the throne. I foresee that one will eliminate the other. It is not as important to be right as it is to be a winner. For the winner, history itself will find many justifications. They say one of them is older, and the other is smarter. If the rights to the throne were given according to reason, then the hereditary monarchy would come to an end, we would all live like wild Poles electing a new ruler to the throne by voting. So, according to all human laws, it is not the smartest, but the eldest of the legitimate children of the last ruler who should ascend to the throne, and his ability to rule the state has nothing to do with it, otherwise something like a competition for the position of King should be held. Laughter, and that's all. Only in China are positions of officials held through competition based on the results of passing some kind of exams, but even there they become emperor by right of inheritance. If in this wild country they did not think of electing a King, then in enlightened France, where all positions are inherited or bought for a lot of money, nothing but a hereditary monarchy will take root. In addition, in our country they like to rebel slightly in order to achieve some kind of concessions or to protest against the power of the first minister - a foreigner, but France will never reach such horrors as England has reached twice already: cutting off the head of its King or its Queen! Living on an island hardens people, that's for sure. In France, the person of the King and Queen is inviolable, and it will always be so, unless the monarchs themselves decide to demand a trial of themselves someday, but for this you have to be completely insane. However, I talked about the open actions of the people against royal persons. I myself was quite ready to commit violence against Louis XIV, guided by the considerations I cited, which even have high reasons. However, higher considerations are suitable for Athos, but for me it is enough that it was beneficial for me and it was expedient for my main aspirations. If necessary, I might even decide to kill the King, but I’m not completely sure about this. This was not part of my plans. Yes, I would have killed Louis if it had been necessary to save one of my three friends, and nothing would have stirred in me. Would I kill him to save my life? Really, I don’t know! Most likely no. It would be too vulgar, mundane, and not noble. I suppose I would sooner allow myself to be executed than to stain myself with such a vile crime, in which there is nothing sublime. A crime in the name of friendship is not such a crime, but a crime in the name of saving one’s own life is too vile, because it gives reason to suspect a person of cowardice. And Chevalier d'Herblay was never a coward, he always went towards any danger with a smile on his face! Even Athos did not condemn me for my plan and for its implementation, saying that even if it was a mistake, it was a great deed. And if such a scrupulous person in matters of honor as Count de La F;re does not condemn my actions, therefore, the Lord himself would approve of them. So, I am not ashamed of anything and I have no regrets. We always find justification for our plans if they promise us benefits. Or salvation. However, my goal was not so much to save Fouquet as to realize my great plans, and after so many years I will say to myself without shame: these plans were great, and I do not repent of anything, this was the first attempt to achieve what was destined for me fate, and not the worst idea, by the way! Philip would have been my obedient instrument at least for the first time, that would have been enough. As I already wrote, my only mistake was that I did not take d'Artagnan into account. If there were other mistakes, they did not matter; they could only create temporary difficulties and only slightly and briefly deviate my steps and progress from the shortest path. But d'Artagnan became the destructive force that brought my daring plans to zero. Until now, I can only speculate on how he managed to figure me out, although he subsequently hinted to me about some of my mistakes that gave him the keys to this secret, but I think that he just laughed at me. I won't know the truth. I would sooner find out what the Turkish Sultan is up to than what D'Artagnan is up to, if he decided to hide his plans from me.
The main outline of the events that took place in Vaux-le-Vicomte is set out in Grimaud's notes relatively correctly, but the devil is in the details. Grimaud invented many details that had nothing to do with reality, and missed what he could not and should not have known about. I didn’t make any copies of the King’s costumes, I didn’t invent any lowering or rising ceilings, everything was much simpler. Sleeping powder mixed with the King's drink, secret doors in the bedroom intended for Louis, as well as in the room below it.
The first step was to rescue Philip from the Bastille. I agree that bringing the King in his place on the same day would be a very clever move, this would indeed make it possible to hide the traces of this invisible coup in the best possible way, but in this case Philip would simply not be ready to take his new place! He wouldn't even have time to realize what happened to him! I'm not even talking about properly preparing for your new role. At a minimum, I had to first obtain his consent to participate in this venture, and also gain confidence in his loyalty to me and to my friends, otherwise I should not have engaged in this substitution!
So, I headed to the Bastille to see a mutual friend of mine and d’Artagnan, the Marquis de Bezmeaux.
The commandant of the Bastille, Fran;ois de Montlaisin, Marquis de Bezmeaux, brigadier general, was, of course, not the brave musketeer with whom we got along well during the times of Louis XIII and Richelieu, in those glorious times when our enemies were only Milady, Rochefort, Richelieu and his three hundred guards and fifty spies - what a trifle! I would not call only Cardinal Richelieu a trifle, but he showed us a difficult to explain condescension, which I still attribute to two circumstances. Firstly, he respected strong opponents, but this was not enough, since he still preferred to see strong opponents defeated and forever deprived of the power to resist him. The second thing remains, and it is that he hoped to attract us to his side. Of course, he did not demand that we betray our duty and refuse to serve the King! The fact is that traitors never make good servants or warriors. But formally, Richelieu was a servant of His Majesty, so serving the cardinal would simply mean a small but beneficial change in the form of service without changing its essence, although, of course, this would be a betrayal in relation to de Treville, about whom I keep only the most reverent and tender memories, and in some way a betrayal of the Queen and her party, which, frankly speaking, I didn’t give a damn about then, during the story with the pendants, and even more so later. The past would in no way help me win over Bezmo, who, as he believed, had risen to the very heights of power. I had a stronger argument. In the hierarchy of the Jesuit Order, Bezmo was only a candidate coadjutor, something little more significant than a simple novice with experience. To me, he was a pawn in my game.

Chapter 244

On the way to the Bastille, I talked with a young man whose age and hair color resembled the young King Louis XIV. If you don't look closely at him, then, apart from his face, he could easily pass for the King if, for example, he wore a mask. His face, of course, was completely different. His name was Jean Ers.
“So, young man, have you thought carefully about my proposal and agree to it?” - I asked him.
“I simply have no choice,” he replied. - I agree.
“You’re right, you have no choice,” I agreed. “You are wanted by justice and facing the death penalty for your intention to kill the King.” You were so careless that you announced your intention in front of too many witnesses. Since you outlined your plan and even boasted about the dagger you had for this purpose, your listeners could not attribute your boast to the fact that you were drunk or out of your mind. Unfortunately for you, two of Colbert's spies were among those who heard your speech. Their testimony coincided and you were ordered to be arrested immediately. I suggest you take refuge in a place where no one would think to look for you, namely, you will replace for a while a high-ranking prisoner in the Bastille. You will be treated with discretion, you will eat like a grandee and enjoy all the privileges of the ducal class, they will even address you as Monsignor. You are only required to remain silent and wear a mask whenever they bring you food or visit you for other reasons. These are the rules for keeping this prisoner. For my part, I promise that in two months, when the passions around your person have subsided, I will remove you from the Bastille and offer you a simpler and more pleasant way to hide from the bloodhounds of Messrs. Villeroy, Letelier and Colbert. You will lead a completely luxurious lifestyle, promising me never again to intend to plot against the King. Thus, you will avoid the death penalty by sitting in warmth, satiety and contentment where neither Monsieur Villeroy, nor Monsieur Letelier, nor Monsieur Colbert will find you. You won’t find another place so safe to hide from them in all of France, I guarantee you that.
“I thank you on my own behalf and on behalf of my good mother!” - exclaimed the young man. - May the Lord bless you for your good deed!
“The Lord will hear your prayers,” I answered. “You must follow all the instructions that you have already received from me and wait patiently.” In two months I will extract you from the Bastille, but for now just relax, enjoy great food and think about what you will do when mortal danger has passed you. Now you must wait in my carriage when I return for you.
Meanwhile, the carriage drove up to the gates of the Bastille.
“Report to the commandant that his former colleague and friend named Aramis has arrived to see him,” I told the guard.
I didn't risk much by naming this name. The search for a certain Aramis, after I had not used this name for more than thirty years except in the closest circle of friends, would have reached a dead end. But old friends, of course, remembered this name.
A few minutes later, Bezmo himself appeared on the threshold of the Bastille.
- My dear Aramis! - Bezmo exclaimed. - What destinies?
“Dear general, I ask you to order my carriage to be allowed into the fortress, since there is one person in it, whom we will talk about a little later, and I would not want him to disappear while we are having a pleasant conversation,” I said.
“But I can only allow visitors by carriage into the Bastille by order of the King or the minister,” replied Bezmo.
“We’re not talking about a prisoner,” I answered. “I just want to visit you as an old friend and intend to look only into your personal apartments.” And the carriage will just wait for me in the courtyard of the fortress. The time is late, and I would like to avoid unnecessary contacts between my coachman and my passenger, on the one hand, and random passers-by and, perhaps, burglars, on the other hand.
- Since when is Aramis afraid of the Brethren? - Bezmo asked with a grin.
“Oh, believe me, I’m not at all afraid for myself, I’m only worried about my passenger,” I answered.
“Brothers and robbers avoid the Bastille, but whatever you say,” Bezmo answered and ordered the carriage to be allowed into the courtyard.
We went up to Bezmo's apartment and he invited me to the table, where a very hefty dinner was laid out. The general's servant filled our cups with Burgundy and left.
“I see you have settled in well, my dear friend!” - I exclaimed, looking around the very well, but tastelessly furnished apartments.
“Yes, I’m not bad,” answered the flattered Bezmo.
“Aren’t you bored in this post, General?” - I asked.
“On the contrary, I really like my position, and it brings in a very good income,” Bezmo answered proudly.
- Is that so? - I asked, feigning surprise. - What income can there be from the position of commandant of the Bastille, besides the usual salary?
“Different,” Bezmo answered evasively, realizing that he had said too much.
“Well, in that case, Madame Olympia will be very happy,” I answered with feigned indifference.
— Madam Olympia? - asked Bezmo. - Which Mrs. Olympia are you talking about, and what does she have to do with it?
“Madame Olympia Mancini, that is, excuse me, Countess of Soissons, heiress of Monsieur Cardinal Mazarin,” I answered. “After all, she inherited the cardinal’s fortune along with his other nieces.”
“I’m very flattered that she’s interested in my fate,” Bezmo muttered. “But I don’t quite understand what the connection is between my income and the joy of Madame Countess Soissons.”
“ The connection is very direct, Monsieur de Bezmeaux,” I answered. “After all, it seems that you acquired the general’s patent and the position of commandant of the Bastille from her uncle, Cardinal Mazarin, for a million livres?” Or I'm wrong?
- Well, what does it matter now? - asked Bezmo.
“Absolutely nothing, Mr. Bezmo,” I answered. — By the way, wonderful wine.
“They send me the best wine from Burgundy,” Bezmo agreed. - And also from Bordeaux.
“I’m very happy for you, Mr. Bezmo,” I replied. - The wine is excellent. Yes, so what am I talking about? Of course, the Countess is very pleased to know that your position brings you income, since your purchase of these two positions was only half paid for, and you left a receipt for the other half, right?
“You seem to be well informed,” Bezmo said, and I heard the annoyance in his voice.
“Yes, someone probably told you that the receipt was lost in the papers of the late cardinal, but you were misled,” I continued. “The Cardinal very carefully kept securities, especially papers worth half a million livres. This receipt forms part of the Countess's inheritance, and she has instructed me to find out when she can receive the money, as well as the interest on it.
“This is so unexpected,” said the pale Bezmo.
“It’s always unexpected when you have to pay off debts,” I answered. - It's annoying, isn't it? It would be much nicer if debts were written off just like that, don’t you think? But, unfortunately, the Countess needs money. It seems she has some renovations planned for her castle, but I don't know, maybe she wants to update her wardrobe or buy some diamonds for the upcoming holiday. In other words, she needs money as soon as possible.
“But I don’t have the ability to quickly pay for this obligation!” - Bezmo exclaimed.
“What a pity,” I replied. - In that case, reborrow from someone, my advice to you. You know that His Majesty is very kind to the Countess. He had been friends with her since childhood. He will not allow his childhood friend to be offended. If she complains to the King, you may lose your post as commandant and, what good, even your general's patent! Will it be good?
“I can probably collect a hundred thousand in two or three months,” muttered Bezmo. - Do you think this is enough for the first time?
- One hundred thousand livres is wonderful! - I answered cheerfully. “One hundred thousand livres is a good sum, isn’t it, Monsieur Bezmo?”
- So I say that this is a very good amount! - Bezmo happily picked up.
“This is a wonderful amount,” I agreed. “Especially when you need a hundred thousand livres.” But in a case where half a million is required, one hundred thousand is extremely small, isn’t it?
“Perhaps so,” de Bezmeaux agreed sadly.
- Whatever you say, your wine is simply excellent! — I continued, taking another microscopic sip. - So, one hundred thousand in a couple of months is not at all the same as half a million livres in three days.
- Three days?! - Bezmo cried in horror.
“These are the Countess’s conditions,” I replied. “In three days she will present the receipt to the court.” You know that the deadline for payment on this receipt expired two years ago.
“But this is so unexpected,” Bezmo said again.
“Very unexpected,” I agreed. - Like snow in December, or like rain in September. Very annoying.
Bezmo was silent. I was also silent for a while.
“Perhaps I could persuade the countess to wait a week or two, no more,” I said.
“This won’t do anything,” Bezmo said gloomily. “It will take me two years to collect this amount.”
We were silent for a little longer.
“Speaking of my guest,” I said. “He needs to see one of your prisoners.”
“This is prohibited without an appropriate order,” Bezmo answered dispassionately.
“I thought so,” I replied. “Well, if you can’t help me, I see no reason why I should help you.” It was nice to see you, and all the best!
- Wait, Monsieur d'Herblay! - Bezmo exclaimed. “You mean you could help me?”
“Of course,” I replied. “If you would accommodate my modest request, I could intercede for you.”
- How? - asked Bezmo.
“I could persuade the Countess to be satisfied with half of this amount now, and the other half in two months,” I answered.
“But that doesn’t solve the matter,” Bezmo answered sadly.
“Didn’t I tell you that I can lend you two hundred and fifty thousand livres now and the same amount in two months?” - I asked. - So, I forgot. Yes, I could help you out like that.
- For how long could you lend me this money? - asked Bezmo. - And at what interest?
— There can be no talk about any percentages, because we are friends! - I answered. - Regarding the deadline. You said it would take you two years? Let's just say I'll lend you this amount for four years.
- You are my savior! - Bezmo exclaimed.
“So what about my passenger’s date with your prisoner?” - I asked.
- We will arrange this, don’t worry! - Bezmo replied. - Let's have some food first.
- Of course! - I answered.
After this, Bezmo cut off a fat leg from the roast goose and began to eat it with appetite, washing it down with wine. I limited myself to a few grapes.
“ By the way, I knew that you were a reasonable person and that we were talking,” I said. - Write a receipt for two hundred and fifty thousand livres. In exchange, I'll give you this.
- What is this? - asked Bezmo.
“A receipt from Madame Olympia Mancini, Countess of Sousson, that she received from you today two hundred and fifty thousand livres for the obligation left by you to the late Cardinal Mazarin, and that she is ready to wait two months for the second half of the remaining debt,” I answered and presented the general named paper.
After this, the papers were exchanged, and I led my passenger into the prisoner’s cell. There my passenger exchanged clothes with the prisoner, whom I took out of the Bastille under the guise of my acquaintance.

Chapter 245

Is it worth reminding once again that d'Artagnan did not at all hate Mazarin, and I did not at all like Fouquet? D'Artagnan greatly respected Mazarin and was faithful to him in everything, but I simply felt respect for Fouquet, he aroused my friendship until he made so many mistakes that he harmed himself and everyone else who was associated with him, including me. I would never sacrifice the interests of friends and my own interests to the interests of Fouquet. The scene in which Fouquet introduces me to the King, and d'Artagnan simultaneously introduces Porthos to him, is described superbly by Grimaud from a literary point of view. I’m even sorry that in reality nothing like this happened, just as there was no confrontation between me and d’Artagnan, and there was no explanation with which each of us was dissatisfied. I simply followed my path, d'Artagnan followed his, and we did not even suspect how close our paths were, and how much they could intersect and influence each other in one far from wonderful moment.
So, I will return to the story of how I removed Philip from the Bastille. I lied to Monsieur Bezmeaux that his receipt was in the possession of Olympia Mancini, and that she was the one who inherited it. This receipt was completely in my possession, and I could claim money on it myself, since I bought it from Olympia at par, having also paid interest on it, having rightly convinced her that with its help she, of course, could destroy the life of the poor fellow Bezmo, but he would hardly be able to get the money, since I was well aware of the general’s financial condition. For this money, Olympia wrote two receipts for receipt of two identical amounts, which ultimately amounted to the entire amount of Bezmo’s debt, marking these receipts with the dates that I indicated to her, and also gave me Bezmo’s debt receipt, providing it with the appropriate endorsement. Thus, Bezmo became my debtor, and not the countess's debtor.
Bezmo, indeed, did not have free money; he told the truth that he could only get a fifth of this amount, and even then not quickly, but only by borrowing it in parts from each of his friends from those who only had money and who could be given to him on his word of honor, without serious security. Since Bezmeaux mistakenly believed that the receipt he had issued to Mazarin was lost, he presumptuously considered himself free from the obligation to pay it. He was misled by my people into this, so he invested his earnings in colonial trade. Until the ships with goods returned, he could not get his money back unless he sold his share of the investment at a loss. The cardinal, out of favor for Bezmo, could have waited with payment, but the heirs would have demanded payment as quickly as possible. The payment period for the loan letter actually expired two years ago, but the cardinal did not have time to make a note that this period would be extended for several more years. So, this receipt was a big nuisance for Bezmo, his insoluble problem, which I took advantage of. I have reserved my authority as General of the Order for a more difficult case. This is how we, Jesuits, act, if the problem is solved by simple means, we do not resort to more complex ones, since the unconditional submission to the Order of its members is precisely what is maintained by the fact that such submission is not required every day, but only in extreme cases, but at the same time refuse such submission It's simply impossible.
Having a receipt in hand, and offering Bezmo a deferment of several years, I acquired power over him for this period. Bezmo had to be sure that I would not use this power to harm him, would not disclose his violation, and besides, he did not know that instead of a regular meeting with the prisoner, I would arrange a substitution.
I informed Bezmo that the visitor was a noble person who wished to remain anonymous and for this reason he put on a mask. Bezmo didn't mind this. In addition, I deliberately prepared for Jean Hers boots with high heels and thick soles, so that he seemed to be a good two inches taller than himself. For this reason, Bezmo, who knew perfectly well how tall his prisoner was, did not think that my companion looked like him, had the same height, posture and hair color.
We entered Philip's cell, which was furnished like a nobleman's room, except for the bars on the window and the absence of cutting and stabbing objects, as well as a mirror.
“Monsignor, listen to me, I beg you, and if you have questions for me, ask them only after you have listened to me to the end,” I said.
Philip nodded silently and looked at me and my companion with interest.
“You can shout or make noise on purpose or by accident and give us away and our plans,” I continued. “In this case, your fate, which is not only difficult, but also extremely unfair, will worsen even more, and I’m not even sure that you will save your life in this case.” You are imprisoned without knowing any guilt. I intend to fix this immediately. You are given the opportunity to leave this fortress, this prison, this stone bag immediately, this very minute, forever. You can only do this by exchanging clothes with this young man who will voluntarily take your place. Do not fear for his fate, he will soon leave here. It will only be fair to you. New opportunities will open up before you, and most importantly - freedom. Including the freedom to choose your own destiny. If you refuse this, you will never have another opportunity like this, I'm sure. Only today, now – freedom or eternal imprisonment. I can't even give you time to think. Just take my advice and do what I say, or don't do it. If you refuse, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Now decide.
- I'm ready! - said Philip, pulling off his shirt.
A few minutes later, Jean Herce took Philippe’s place, and Philippe, in the suit in which Jean came with me, left prison with me. Boots with heels made Philip taller, Bezmo did not suspect anything.
I accompanied Philip to the carriage, put him in it and told him to wait for my return.
“Marquis, you can make sure that I keep my word,” I told him.
I took Bezmo’s receipt from my pocket, certified by Mazarin officials, and showed him the reverse side of this document with the endorsement.
As you can see, the document was repaid by me, and now you owe this amount not to the countess, but to me. I, foreseeing that it would be difficult for you to repay this debt within the time frame in which the countess expected to receive the money, have already taken care that this debt is repaid. So your money affairs are now greatly simplified. I am granting you a deferment of three years. You have already written a receipt for the first half of the amount in exchange for the Countess's receipt. Write a receipt for the second half of the amount, and I will give you this document along with Olympia’s receipt for the second half of the amount. Thus, you become my debtor quite officially, and the payment deadline is postponed for three years.
I could well afford to completely forgive Bezmo this debt, but he had to continue to be kept on a hook, and this hook had to be quite reliable.
After this I said goodbye to the Marquis, who was very kind to me.
- Let's go! - I commanded the coachman.
The gates opened and we left the Bastille. While the walls of the Bastille could still be seen through the rear window of the carriage, neither Philip nor I said a word. Finally, we drove far enough.
“Well, monsignor, I welcome you to your new life, free and with wonderful prospects!” - I said. “You will not regret your choice.”
“First of all, Mr. Unknown, let me express to you my extreme gratitude for giving me the opportunity to experience the taste of freedom,” said Philip. “I won’t regret it even if they kill me in a minute.” This is an unforgettable feeling, almost forgotten by me, because I have been in the state of a prisoner for almost half of my life, but even before that I was not completely free, I was carefully guarded, and I hardly knew people. I will be even more grateful if you explain to me why you call me monsignor, and for what reason I have been deprived of freedom all my life.
“I will explain everything to you, and first of all, that calling you monsignor is not worthy of your position,” I replied. “I should call you, at a minimum, Your Highness, but soon, very soon, I hope everyone will address you as Your Majesty.”
“ I don’t understand,” Philip answered. “Are you going to overthrow your rightful King?”
“No, Your Highness, I am going to return the throne to the rightful King of France, that is, you,” I answered. - The one who is now called the King has no more right to this than you, since he and you are one, in other words, you are a twin brother and an exact copy of the King of France, Louis XIV. Here, admire the portrait of the King, and here is a mirror. This is an object in which every person sees himself. The reason you were never given a mirror was because they were afraid that when you saw your face you would realize who you were and what had been taken from you.

Chapter 246

Philip wore a wide beard that covered his entire chin, which he trimmed himself with scissors with rounded ends, working by touch. He had never been given a mirror, and he did not even suspect that it was possible for anyone to see his own face in such a simple way. Fortunately, I foresaw that Philippe would not be clean-shaven, and without knowing in advance what kind of beard he wore, I prepared for Jean Ers a mask that completely hides his chin. Philip then hid his face with the same mask.
— Are you going to carry out a palace coup? - asked Philip.
“My plans are simpler,” I replied. “I knew that you were extremely similar to your brother Louis.” Now I am convinced of this, since I saw your brother quite often and very closely. You will simply take his place so that not a single soul except me will suspect it. He will take your place, the same one that is now temporarily occupied by one of my acquaintances, who voluntarily agreed to stay there so that no one would miss you.
- How will you do this? — Philip was surprised.
“We’ll talk about this later, if you accept my plan,” I replied. - First of all, would you agree to answer me whether you agree to my proposal?
“You have planned what, it seems to me, is a state crime,” Philip answered thoughtfully. “But I agree with you that I have no less right to occupy the place that my brother occupies, if he really occupies it, while I was thrown into prison without any guilt as some kind of criminal.” If I was treated like a criminal when I was not one, I consider that I have already atoneed for my guilt in advance.
“You’re right, and I completely agree with you,” I agreed.
“You must make it a condition that I obey you in my new position?” - asked Philip.
“It will be enough for me that you refuse to cause the harm to me and my friends that your brother is planning,” I answered. “Of course, you are not familiar enough with palace life, with etiquette, with your new rights, responsibilities and opportunities. You will need a mentor, a good friend, who will help you cope with these difficulties.
“And I already see that I have it,” Philip answered, looking into my eyes.
“I didn’t hope that we would find a common language so quickly,” I admired. -You speak very sensibly. I was afraid that imprisonment in the Bastille would affect your way of thinking.
“In the last six months they began to give me books on the history of France and the history of court customs, etiquette and heraldry,” said Philip. — Since I didn’t have any other books, I read these quite carefully, and I re-read most of them several times.
“I sent these books to you, using some connections among your guards,” I answered. - But this is not enough. You will have a lot of reading and learning to do in the next two months. In sixty days you will take the place of the King. All this time I myself will study with you, I will be your mentor and teacher.
“I agree,” Philip answered. - How should I contact you?
“For safety’s sake, I should hide my name from you at first,” I answered. “But I made my choice and, like you, I have no way back.” Know that my name is Chevalier d'Herblay, I am the Bishop of Vannes, and, among other things, I occupy a very high place in the Jesuit Order, and it is at the behest of the Order that I am engaged in this matter. So our enterprise is sanctified by the Lord’s will, since the Order is personally subordinate to the Pope, the man who sanctifies the crowning of any Catholic King. Since this is being done at the behest of the Order, you should know that the Pope himself approves of this plan.
I admit I lied. The Pope was not informed of this plan. But otherwise, I told the absolute truth, because the General of the Order is only one step lower than the Pope. This argument of mine had an impact. Philip knelt before me, although it was not entirely convenient to do this in my carriage, and wanted to immediately express his consent.
- As a representative of the Holy Catholic Church, as one of the heads of the Jesuit Order, I solemnly promise you to obey you and follow your plans with you to the end! - said Philip.
“From now on, these plans are not mine, but yours and mine, Your Highness,” I answered. “I repeat that in two months all of France will call you Your Majesty.”
Philip rose from his knees and nodded proudly in agreement. An agreement was concluded between us.
When we arrived at my castle, I shaved Philippe with my own hands, leaving him with exactly the same beard and mustache that Louis wore. When I wiped the soap suds off Philip's face, I involuntarily shuddered. It seemed to me that Louis XIV himself was sitting in front of me. I looked at Philip and was convinced that Nature had created a miracle. Sometimes twins are even similar to each other, but still differ in some features of their appearance. Even subtle differences in the aggregate can lead to the fact that an attentive person can easily distinguish one brother from another. Philip undoubtedly had the same face as Louis. There were no birthmarks on both faces; both were young, so there were no wrinkles on their faces yet.
Eye color, eyebrow shape, and even voice, everything was the same. My biggest fear was for my teeth. If Philip were missing some teeth, it would ruin their resemblance. But the Lord was merciful to me, even on this side there was no trick. In front of me sat a man whom even his own mother would not have distinguished from the King!
Over the next two months, I tried to devote as much time as possible to communicating with Philip, telling him everything he needed to know. For the time when I had to be away on business, I supplied him with the most necessary literature. I even got him a small Spanish language tutorial. Of course, with such a tutorial, Philip could not have learned to speak Spanish fluently, but, in any case, he could understand the meaning of the words spoken to him by the Queen Mother or Queen Maria Theresa. These two native Spanish women loved to communicate in Spanish in the family circle, so Louis, of course, also spoke excellent Spanish. The king might suddenly decide not to use Spanish anymore, but it would be highly suspicious if he suddenly stopped understanding Spanish. This could lead to disaster.
Philip diligently and very successfully mastered all the necessary knowledge; he mastered Louis’s manner of behavior, conversation, and even some of Louis’ characteristic gestures, which I showed him to the best of my strength and capabilities. By the end of the two-month period, I myself would no longer be able to distinguish Philippe from Louis. It was a complete success! All that remained was to secretly replace one brother with another. For this purpose I have made all necessary preparations.

Chapter 247

When we are planning to commit something stupid, we think about it for a long time, but necessity saves us from the difficulty of choice and doubt. In the case of Philippe I acted out of necessity, for, unlike Fouquet, I saw that his star was approaching decline and foresaw that his fall would be disastrous not only for his career, but also for his wealth, power and freedom, and it would also be disastrous to the matter in which I intended to enlist his help.
I intended to save Fouquet both in gratitude for the fact that he helped me become Bishop of Vannes, and in the hope of his possible and extremely useful help in the future, and also simply because he was a rather pleasant, reasonable and accommodating person, having some principles, for which he certainly should have been respected, and neglecting other important principles, for which he could be forgiven. In addition, he sometimes mistakenly tried to combine his moral prejudices with his extreme ambitions, unable to give up either one or the other, and having no idea that if he himself did not make this difficult choice, then fate will make his choice for him, and this choice will be the worst for him.
Fouquet mistakenly considered the King to be well disposed towards him, not realizing that he mistakenly took the caress of a pretender preparing to deliver a fatal blow for a manifestation of respect, trust, love and Lord knows what else. Nature has endowed us with the ability to mistakenly seek high moral explanations for actions that are easily explained by self-interest. Fouquet is no exception in this sense. Aren't we all like that? If we are praised, we perceive it as a result of our obvious merits, instead of wondering why those who praise us want to gain our favor or lull our vigilance. In relation to those who blame us, we ask ourselves the question of why these people are so bad that they do not see our merits and exaggerate our mistakes, whereas we should understand that they scold us not for mistakes, but for shortcomings, and the goal is not to quarrel with us, but to try to influence us so that we change for the better. True friends do not praise for stupidities and mistakes, but point them out with bitterness in their hearts. Real enemies do not scold us for shortcomings, but praise us even for them, trying to gain our trust, our support, and receive undeserved preferences from us. So, Fouquet saw the King as his best friend, so all these days he shone like a brand new louis d'or.
He went out of his way to please the King with a holiday in Vaux-le-Vicomte, not realizing that such a success was achieved by such a young and vain King, who did not yet know how to organize such holidays, and, what is most destructive, was well aware that cannot afford such luxury, caused only burning envy, which he gave vent to in the form of anger, carefully hidden, but directed at the one who was the cause of these unrest.
Subsequently, Colbert was not only able to organize holidays no less magnificent, since this task, of course, was assigned to him and was considered one of the most important state tasks, but also learned to benefit the treasury from such holidays, despite the fact that the food, fireworks, furnishings and everything else was arranged at the expense of the King, that is, from the treasury. The clever Colbert managed to profit from the guests through their indirect and, at first glance, completely unnecessary expenses, which were a matter of honor for those present. But this was still only in the near future, and now the King, observing the luxury of the celebration that Fouquet arranged, felt only his powerlessness in this challenge to competition, which the superintendent himself did not intend to throw to his King. While Fouquet hoped that by demonstrating his financial power to the King, he would become even more indispensable for him, and therefore more necessary, and therefore closer to power and above all other courtiers, in fact he insulted the King by daring to prove himself superior to the King in everything in which young Louis felt his inferiority especially acutely, given the almost miserable existence that he was forced to eke out during the years of unrest and threats from the Fronde, Princes, grandees of the unfriendly environment both within the kingdom and beyond.
Having demonstrated to the King that he was head and shoulders above him in financial capabilities, Fouquet finally convinced him that he would never finally become the true King in his kingdom until he blew off this head, or at least until he bent the neck that supported her so that this head is much lower than his own head, the head of King Louis XIV of France, the Sun King.
Louis accepted Fouquet's invitation to the celebration, which Colbert's cunning forced him to organize. The celebration was scheduled for August 17. All sorts of inventions of the superintendent, aimed at making the holiday unprecedentedly luxurious, were a great success, but I do not have time to describe them, since all this was repeatedly described by various enthusiastic courtiers in their panegyrics and encomia.
Everyone, except the King, unanimously admitted that the holiday was a great success. The king also announced that he was pleased with the holiday, but, of course, a completely different feeling was brewing in his soul even more strongly - a feeling of annoyance and the feeling that all this luxury was achieved at the expense of the treasury. That is, not only does Fouquet shine above the King, but he also does it at his expense!
Louis arrived for the holiday, accompanied by his entire family. The entire court, all the grandees and courtiers, arrived with him. This magnificent train of carriages arrived at Fontainebleau under the escort of the royal guard, as well as the King's musketeers, led by d'Artagnan.
The first surprise awaited the guests as soon as they got out of the carriages. The palace looked fabulous, unreal, it was so beautiful, spacious and magnificent in its festive decoration. It was surrounded on three sides by water, huge gardens with fountains and statues. Inside the palace, guests were treated to a suite of halls filled with magnificent paintings, decorated with exquisite tapestries, the furnishings and furniture shone with luxury and wealth.
The King's chambers were decorated with gilded stucco, on the ceilings and walls there were superbly executed allegorical paintings, painted by the best painters from Italy, the royal bed was hidden behind a golden balustrade.
Fouquet carefully thought out every hour and almost every minute of the guests' stay in Vaux-le-Vicomte. The guests were not given time to recover, offering one entertainment after another. Before they had time to come to their senses after admiring the amazing beauty of the impeccably shaped flowerbeds with the most exotic flowers, a new delight awaited them from the contemplation of a whole cascade of fountains, throwing more than a thousand jets of water into the water at the same time, which, creating marvelous patterns of trembling lines, scattered with diamond drops, in which the sunlight sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow. A regular park, in which everything was subject to a strict order, was unexpectedly replaced by an irregular park, which looked like the result of a bizarre play of nature, creating landscapes that were completely natural in their form, but marvelous in their picturesqueness with secluded corners, with sparkling clear water ponds filled with wonderful fish., with the Grand Canal, with gazebos and grottoes.
Walking through such gardens, guests forgot about everything in the world, but as soon as they had time to work up an appetite, they were invited to the table, where they were served unprecedented delicacies, prepared personally by Vatel and his skillful assistants under his close supervision. Eighty tables were skillfully arranged and served with gold and silver cutlery. After the meal, guests were invited to the summer theater, where spectators could enjoy the skillful performance of actors performing a new play by Moliere, specially written for this holiday. After the performance, in which there were many ballet scenes, and the costumes literally amazed the audience, the sky was colored with thousands of colorful lights. No one expected such a fireworks display; none of those present had ever seen anything like it in their lives. Even the fireworks display arranged by the King in honor of Queen Maria Theresa's entry into Paris the year before was somewhat less luxurious. At the end of the evening, guests were offered another light meal, mainly consisting of magnificent fruit desserts, light and airy cakes of the most delicate taste, light soft drinks, and fine wines. This dinner took place to the sounds of a violin concert, and the guests leaving after the holiday were seen off to the sounds of trumpets and drums.
During the fireworks, Colbert approached Louis.
— How do you find this holiday? - the King asked his minister.
“Your Majesty, two conflicting feelings are fighting within me,” Colbert replied. “As a guest of Mr. Fouquet, I cannot help but admire the magnificent ideas and stunning execution.
“That’s right, you’re right, Mister Colbert,” agreed the King, who noticed that Mademoiselle Louise de La Valli;re was absolutely delighted with this holiday, which, of course, significantly raised His Majesty’s mood.
“And as the intendant of finance, I value this holiday at no less than ten million livres,” Colbert continued.
- Ten million livres? - asked the King, shuddering in surprise.
- Of course, Fouquet will tell you a different figure, maybe two or two and a half times less, but I take into account not only direct expenses, but also indirect ones - payment for the work of servants, their liveries, furnishings, decorations, as well as redevelopment park, changing the river bed and everything else. Even architecture. Some buildings are intended exclusively for the holiday and will be demolished after it ends.
- What a senseless waste! - exclaimed the King.
“Every person has the right to spend his own money as he sees fit,” Colbert continued in an impassive voice. “But the whole question is what should be considered Mr. Fouquet’s own money.” If we add up all his salary received in Your Majesty's service during the entire time he had the good fortune to be Superintendent of Finance, and compare this sum with all the expenses that he allows himself, including the purchase and rebuilding of Belle-Ile, and the acquisition of Vo- le Viscount and its complete reconstruction, and the fate of Mr. Fouquet’s other estates, including a magnificent house in Paris, which would be more accurately called a palace, one can only be surprised at how Mr. Fouquet manages to pay all these huge expenses from his not so huge salary. Even adding here the dowry he received upon marriage, I cannot add up the necessary numbers. But Fouquet has several brothers who have become noticeably rich in the last five years, and he also allows himself to maintain houses for the ladies he likes and who show him the most tender signs of attention, then the riddle becomes even more interesting, but, I’m afraid, almost unsolvable.
“There’s something to think about here,” answered the gloomy Louis, who seemed ready to get angry, but still restrained himself. “However, we are visiting Mr. Fouquet, so we won’t speak badly about the hospitable host.” Perhaps we will try to solve this mystery by studying more closely the sources of Fouquet’s enrichment, but a little later. After all, I gave you all the necessary authority to control all his transactions. Prepare a report, use as many financiers as you need for this. If it is discovered that the source of Fouquet's wealth is the seizures he made from the treasury without due legal grounds, he will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. For now, let's just enjoy the holiday.
Colbert bowed as a sign of understanding and agreement.
“As for the expenses that Fouquet allows himself to make, splurging on the ladies he likes, we can forgive him for this slight weakness,” added Louis, remembering that he himself had recently taken a mistress, neglecting the fact that he had just recently married Maria Theresa, one of the most noble brides in Europe. “Can a man be blamed for the fact that he is subject to the most natural weaknesses, appreciates the dignity and beauty of worthy ladies, who themselves, it seems, are not averse to getting closer to him?”
“You are right, Your Majesty, this weakness should be forgiven,” Colbert agreed. - Moreover, Mr. Fouquet has excellent taste, he knows how to spot the most beautiful and most worthy lady in every society in order to pay tribute to her.
- The most beautiful and most worthy? — the King became wary. - What do you have in mind? The most worthy lady here is definitely the Queen. And also the Princess. Does Fouquet really have the audacity to see in them anything other than an object of reverence and admiration?
“Oh, no, Your Majesty, of course not,” Colbert replied. - Monsieur Fouquet does not miss the opportunity to assure Her Majesty and Her Highness of his utmost respect, but these expressions of respect do not in any way exceed the standards of ordinary politeness.
“Then what lady are you talking about, calling her the most beautiful and most worthy?” - asked the King, barely restraining the rage that was ready to burst out.
“ I’m talking about the lady whom you, Your Majesty, noted as one of the most worthy ladies at court,” Colbert answered softly. “The Duchess de Chevreuse told me about one letter that Mr. Fouquet wrote to Mademoiselle... However, Mademoiselle is Her Highness’s maid of honor, and I would not like to mention her name in connection with this letter, forgive me, Your Majesty.
- Her Highness's maid of honor, you say? - cried the King. - Is it possible that Fouquet was approaching mademoiselle?...
The king stopped short, as a terrible guess made him break out in a cold sweat.
“Mademoiselle was very annoyed when she received this letter, and even insulted,” Colbert replied. “She was going to immediately complain to Your Majesty, but then decided to consult with her mentor and good friend, the Duchess de Chevreuse, who, being the mistress of Tours, knows Mademoiselle, one might say, from childhood, because Mademoiselle is from Blois.
- Mademoiselle is from Blois! - exclaimed the King. - You are talking about Mademoiselle de La Valli;re! Tell me what kind of letter this is and how you know about it!
“Mademoiselle wanted to consult with the duchess, but did not find her,” answered Colbert. “But today she met her and told her everything.” Since the Duchess and I are about to become related, as you know, my daughter is about to marry her grandson, we meet with her from time to time to discuss the wedding date and other necessary details. The matter is so delicate that the Duchess decided to consult me. I took this letter from her in order to show it to Your Majesty.
- Let's! - said Louis sharply, who had no doubt that Colbert had the letter with him and was ready for immediate presentation upon request.
Colbert pulled out a folded letter from the cuff of his sleeve, handed it to the King with a bow, and delicately stepped aside.
It was the same letter, I will remind you of its contents.

"Madam!
Being intimately acquainted with your parents, Monsieur Laurent de La Baume le Blanc and Madame Fran;oise de Prevot, and also being on great friendship with your relative the Duchess de Saint-R;my, I offer you my patronage. I understand how difficult it must be for you in Paris alone, without parents, without brothers and sisters. Knowing the state of your family, I believe that they cannot provide you with significant support, so you, poor thing, have to be content with the content that you receive as a maid of honor to the Princess. I sympathize with this difficult financial situation, in which such a worthy girl as you are should never find herself in, and I am ready to make every effort to correct this misfortune. You may know that I am not short of money and suggest that you have the amounts you need for your needs without the slightest embarrassment. In return, I ask nothing more than good treatment for the old friend of your venerable parents. Perhaps from time to time you will want to talk to me about this and that, tell me how you live at court, and that will be enough for me. Spending all my time in business and troubles, I sometimes do not have the opportunity to find out the latest news at court, so you will greatly oblige me if from time to time you tell me the news that you learn, without even making the slightest effort, but for For me, it will be a breath of fresh air, a life-giving breath of clean spring water against the background of those routine tasks that I am doomed to perform due to my boring but responsible duties. If you agree to such conversations, I will be happy to consider that an agreement of friendship has been concluded between us, and the amounts that you deign to spend on your immediate needs, I will in no way demand to be returned, considering them a gift for the daughter of my old friends.
Sincerely yours, Nicolas Fouquet."

- He offers her to spy on me for a bribe! - the King whispered so loudly that Colbert heard every word. “Why didn’t she tell me about this right away?” - added Louis, turning more to himself than to Colbert standing next to him.
“Your Majesty, complaining to you was her first thought,” Colbert replied. “But she reasoned that the lack of an answer to this letter would make M. Fouquet come to his senses, and, in addition, as I already said, she decided to consult with Madame de Chevreuse, a friend of Her Majesty the Queen Mother, who, of course, would not advise anything bad, since Soon she herself volunteered to be her mentor and replace her mother.
“The Duchess is very sweet,” the King said thoughtfully, and even such a courtier as Colbert could not understand whether this was irony or a sincere remark addressed to the Duchess.
At that moment, an event occurred that even such a clever courtier as Colbert could not have organized, but which completed the blow.
Mademoiselle de La Valli;re ran up to the balcony from which the King and Colbert were admiring the fireworks. She was in tears.
“Leave us, Monsieur Colbert,” said Louis, and Colbert immediately disappeared.
- You are in tears, Louise! - exclaimed the King after they were left alone. -Who dared to offend you?
- Oh, my King! - Louise exclaimed. - I'm being pursued! Madame du Plessis-Belaire just tried to offer me twenty thousand crowns as a gift!
— Madame du Plessis-Belaire? — the King, who knew very well that Madame was Fouquet’s mistress, was wary.
“She hinted that this was a gift from Mr. Fouquet, who hopes to make me his spy!” - Louise exclaimed. - This is too much! At first he wrote me a letter that could be interpreted in two ways, so I did not immediately complain about him to Your Majesty, but this proposal is as unequivocal as it is insulting! I beg Your Majesty to protect me, to protect my good name, my honor! Just because I came from the provinces doesn’t mean I can be bought!
- Calm down, dear Louise! - the King exclaimed, kissing her hands, and then pressed them to his chest. “No one in my kingdom will dare to insult you in any way.” Mister Fouquet is not worth a single tear on your lovely face! He will be severely punished! I promise you this!
At the same time, such anger was reflected on the King’s face that Louise was afraid.
“Oh, my King, I beg you, just don’t be too cruel!” - she exclaimed.
- Do you feel sorry for him? - asked Louis, jealousy began to boil in his soul.
- Not at all, Your Majesty! - Louise answered. “I only feel sorry for your pure soul, which I love more than life itself!” You should not take revenge on someone who is completely dependent on you, it is enough to simply put him in the place that he should occupy, and not allow him, even in his thoughts, to strive for something more that he is not worthy of. Cruelty towards him will be a stain on your pure soul, my King! Promise me, in the name of our love, that you will wait at least ten days before you decide to do anything against him, and until then, just spare me the displeasure of seeing him, that’s all!
- Oh, what a pure soul! - exclaimed the King. - But why ten days?
“Because the first anger is rarely a good adviser, especially for those to whom the whole state is subordinate,” said Louise. “In ten days you will be able to look at this matter impartially, as only the King, who is the master of every point of his Kingdom, should look at any matter.” You will punish him as you see fit, but not before your righteous anger towards him has subsided.
“I promise you this, my dear Louise,” replied Louis. - But did you really say that you are indifferent to him?
“I’ve already said this, and I’ll say it at least a thousand times more,” replied Louise. “But if my King does not believe my words, let me go to the monastery, where I will pray for you and for the salvation of my lost soul.”
- No, this will not happen! - exclaimed the King. - I believe you, Louise, I'm sorry I asked you this question. I promise not to pursue Fouquet for another ten days, since you ask me to. Now forget about him, and let's talk only about you.

Chapter 248

“Dear Duchess, thank you for your help,” Colbert said to the Duchess de Chevreuse that evening. — This letter did its job.
- Don’t flatter yourself, dear minister! - the duchess objected. - If the enemy is shaken, do not rush to triumph. Make sure that he is defeated, and his fall must be so rapid and irreversible that he cannot rise.
- The King's feelings are hurt! Colbert replied. “Fouquet will have to pay the highest price for this.”
“Yes, provided that this feeling does not change, and also provided that the culprit of this anger does not intercede for him,” answered the duchess. - And besides, it is currently extremely difficult even for the King to overthrow Fouquet, because Fouquet essentially holds the entire kingdom in his hands!
“You are right, duchess, and that is why we decided to overthrow him, since there is no way to come to an agreement with him,” Colbert agreed. “But what other blow can I give him?”
“You gave the King a reason to hate him, but that’s only half the battle,” replied the Duchess. “Now he also needs a reason for revenge.” After all, he won’t be able to arrest the superintendent of finance just because he had his eye on one of the Princess’s ladies-in-waiting? This cannot justify his persecution. The king must be given a compelling reason to arrest Fouquet, and, in addition, provide him with the necessary means to arrest him so that this does not lead to unrest, as was the case after the arrest of the Brussels adviser.
“Let’s start with the occasion,” Colbert said. — Isn’t unjust and illegal enrichment through abuse of official capacity a sufficient reason for arrest with subsequent investigation?
“All this is true, but all these minor offenses are not enough to execute Fouquet, or at least imprison him in the Bastille for life,” objected the duchess. - He will be charged, the judges will acquit him, or sentence him to a fine, which he will easily pay. Even if he is stripped of his position, he will rise again.
- But the fine may turn out to be such that he simply does not have the necessary amounts! Colbert exclaimed.
“He has too many friends, supporters, and simply those people whom he helped at least by not interfering with the plunder of the royal treasury!” - the duchess objected. - No, you have to hit him for sure so that he can’t get up! This will help you!
With these words, the Duchess took a letter from a small purse and showed it to Colbert, who immediately recognized the Cardinal's handwriting.
- What is this? - he exclaimed with admiration. — Is it really an outstanding loan letter to Fouquet?
“Better,” replied the duchess. “This is the cover letter with which Cardinal Mazarin accompanied the sending of a very significant sum to Fouquet. This amount was not used for any transactions. Fouquet will not be able to account for her, while His Majesty has every right to demand an account from him.
— What amount are we talking about? - Colbert asked, trembling with joy.
“Read it for yourself,” the Duchess said ironically, handing the letter to Colbert.
- Can't be! - Colbert exclaimed, skimming the letter with his eyes. - Thirteen million livres! After all, this is the cost of Vaux-le-Vicomte! Where did you get this letter from?
- Do you really need to know this? - asked the Duchess with a grin.
“It doesn’t matter at all, you’re right, duchess,” Colbert agreed. - Why were you silent about this paper before? After all, she has no price! Thirteen million livres!
“I meant to use this paper for its intended purpose when it was appropriate, and now that time has come,” answered the duchess.
She did not tell Colbert that she was trying to extract at least half a million livres from Fouquet through me for this letter. If she knew that Mazarin first gave this money to Fouquet with this letter, and then took it for the needs of the army, without leaving Fouquet a receipt, she would have asked for at least half of the amount indicated in it for this letter, and Fouquet should have agreed to this offer! But even if he had agreed to it, he would hardly have been able to collect such a sum now that his affairs were completely upset. And that wouldn't have saved him. After all the mistakes he made, one after another, as if implementing a cunning plan for his own suicide, only one thing could save him - what I had in mind, that is, replacing the King with his twin brother.
“The only thing left to discuss is who or what will help the King arrest Fouquet,” the duchess continued. - And I will give you the answer to this question. This is D'Artagnan.
- D'Artagnan? - Colbert snorted contemptuously. — This upstart who constantly rubs shoulders with the King?
“His position obliges him to do this,” objected the duchess. “But if the King orders him to go to any part of France or even abroad, to any part of the world, he will meekly obey and do even what would seem impossible to any reasonable courtier.” Why, many, very many will try to evade the execution of such an order, the reward for which may be insufficient to recoup the risk and expenses. D'Artagnan never takes such considerations into account. If his sovereign commands him, the order will be carried out. At first he served only King Louis XIII and even more so Queen Anne, reporting only to de Treville. Then he chose Mazarin as his sovereign, whom he served with faith and righteousness not only in the moments of his exaltation, but also in his most pitiful state. Such fidelity is rare, very rare, almost never. Now he serves the King.
“Hmm-hmm, I don’t know,” Colbert doubted. “He doesn’t seem like anything special to me.” A simple servant.
“In the time of Louis XIII, only one person could have arrested Cardinal Richelieu, if it had been the will of the King,” said the duchess. - This man was de Treville. The Cardinal knew about this, and made every effort to eliminate de Treville. At the end of his life, he managed to achieve his resignation, but as soon as the cardinal was gone, the King restored de Treville to his position. So, Monsieur Superintendent should have made friends with Monsieur d'Artagnan at all costs even before he entered the service of the King. Even in this case, he should have been afraid that the King would call d'Artagnan into his service and order him to arrest Fouquet. I do not undertake to predict what Fouquet's chances would have been, but since he missed the opportunity and did not become one of Monsieur d' Artagnan's friends, the captain of the musketeers will do what generals, marshals and princes would not dare to do. He will sweep Monsieur Fouquet like a cut chess piece from the board. He will arrest Fouquet even if the entire nobility of France stands up for him.
- Is he really that strong to resist the entire nobility? Colbert retorted, curling his lip.
“You are completely wrong to underestimate this man,” the duchess objected. - I’ve known him for now... It doesn’t matter how many years, but believe me, for quite a long time. For some time now, that is, ever since Richelieu took up arms against me, I have made it my profession to know about everything that is happening in France, and not only. So I already know what I'm talking about. Even his best friends do not know everything about him that I know, and they do not know what cunning things he did on the orders of his sovereign or even on his own initiative. He, of course, will not fight all Fouquet's supporters in order to arrest him. He will wait for an opportunity and move Fouquet to the Bastille before anyone has time to understand what really happened. What is there! He can even arrest the Pope if His Majesty orders him to do so.
“Well, if everything is exactly as you say, Duchess, then I am grateful to you for your advice,” Colbert replied. “I will tell His Majesty who can cope with this task.”
“His Majesty knows that himself, don’t worry,” answered the duchess. “But in case he forgets about it, just remind him that he has d’Artagnan.” And Fouquet will be arrested safely and accurately.
- I believe you, Duchess! - said Colbert and kissed the duchess’s hand.
“You wouldn’t believe it! - thought the duchess. - What kind of people! They need to be taught everything!”
“Even without you, old fox, I know perfectly well what d’Artagnan is capable of! - thought Colbert. “After all, I put so much effort into preventing this man from rising to the heights to which he is capable of climbing!” Using him against Fouquet is a great idea, but how to curb him later? After all, he already has a very strong influence on the King! And if through his efforts the King gets rid of Fouquet, who has become a burden, an obstacle to him and even, who knows, perhaps a dangerous competitor, lest the King be inflamed with a feeling of excessive gratitude to the damned Gascon and bring him so close that he begins to overshadow me? However, monarchs are rarely subject to strong attacks of gratitude. Gratitude is not their sin! Let us hope that the King will forget this service as quickly as they all forget all the good deeds done for their sake by others, considering self-sacrifice for their sake to be the natural order of things.”

Chapter 249

“ Mother,” said Louis XIV, entering the Queen Mother’s boudoir, “although I should not coordinate my decisions with you, there is one matter about which I must warn you.”
- My son, you are truly the sovereign King in your kingdom, and I am just one of your subjects, but as your mother, I am grateful to you for the attention you show me, and also for the honor of remaining your good advisor, - answered the Queen, who in her soul was already expecting a new trick on the part of the royal son.
“You know how I honor the memory of the cardinal, and how I respected him during his lifetime and listened to his advice with the greatest attention, and always followed them, of course, consciously, and recognizing their rightness,” Louis began.
“The Cardinal was a great man and the greatest friend of our family, Your Majesty, and I am grateful to you for the kind words that I had the good fortune to just hear from you,” agreed the Queen, wondering where this conversation was heading.
“The deepest respect for the memory of the cardinal was reflected in my attitude towards his faithful servants or even, perhaps, friends,” the King continued.
“Ah, that’s the thing! - thought the Queen. “He wants to oust one of the cardinal’s henchmen!” What do I care about all this? I wonder who we're talking about? We need to help him."
“Serving the First Minister was only a form of serving duty and the fatherland,” answered the Queen. - Even the most impeccable service in the past does not provide any guarantees against censure for subsequent mistakes or even punishment for treason. If you want to warn me in advance about the resignation of someone who in the past was happy with the friendship or at least the attention of Mazarin, I don’t care!
“I’m glad, mother, that you look at this question so wisely,” Louis answered with obvious relief. “In that case, I won’t bother you anymore and take you away from your affairs.”
- Wait! - exclaimed the Queen, intrigued by the thought of which of Mazarin’s former comrades would retire. -Who exactly are we talking about?
- Does it matter, since you have already told me your opinion on this matter? — the King replied, shrugging his shoulders and clearly demonstrating his firm intention to end the conversation here. - If you really want to know...
- Not at all! - the Queen quickly answered. - What do I care about all this? Your kingdom is yours, you are the sovereign master in it, and if your intention is a secret...
- Why is it a secret? - Louis objected. “We’re just talking about Fouquet.”
- Just about Fouquet? - exclaimed the Queen, having forgotten herself and therefore could not contain her surprise. —About such a person as Fouquet, do you say: “just Fouquet”? But who will replace him, may I ask? Where will you get money for government needs, and most importantly, how?
“ I’ll find someone to replace him, mother,” the King answered calmly. - I have already found and almost completely replaced it. However, you don't seem to like my decision?
“Mr. Fouquet always knew how to get the required amount where no one would undertake to do so,” answered the Queen, shrugging her shoulders. “He is so knowledgeable in financial matters that it would probably be very difficult for you to find a suitable replacement for him.” Besides, he is also the Prosecutor General!
- Not anymore, mother! - answered the King. — Another person became the Prosecutor General. And as for his irreplaceability, don’t you think that Fouquet has the gift of King Midas?
“This comparison almost occurred to me, because everything Fouquet touches really turns to gold,” answered the Queen. “Even if not in the literal sense, but he knows how to extract money from every business, and it is with this money that the treasury is replenished.”
- What if I found out that Fouquet was robbing me? - asked the King.
— Is he robbing you? - asked the Queen. - Do you really believe all these pamphlets that street vagabonds write? Every person who is at the upper levels of power has envious people who arise and multiply, and they constantly invent slander and gossip about him. Just remember the times of the Fronde! The Parisian slanderers spared no one in their slanderous poems and songs!
“I remember this very well, mother, so I don’t attach any importance to this gossip,” answered the King, feeling annoyed at the reminder of the Fronde. “But I suppose you will not blame me for trusting the letters of our late friend and benefactor Cardinal Mazarin?”
- What's happened? - asked the Queen. —What letters are you talking about?
“These are the letters,” Louis replied, handing the cardinal’s six letters to his mother. “I believe you know the cardinal’s handwriting and his manner of writing very well.” Read this, but please don’t tear them.
“I will never tear up the cardinal’s letters,” replied the Queen.
She carefully took six letters from the King's hands and began to read them. It seemed to Louis that tears appeared in the corners of the Queen. It was clear that she was experiencing strong feelings when reading letters from a person dear to her, previously unknown to her.
“If Fouquet cannot account for these amounts, then he has robbed you, my son,” she finally said. - In this case, you have the right to demand a report from him, and if he does not provide one, then the case should be sent for trial to the judicial chamber or something like that.
“You see, mother, that I do not find fault with my faithful servants at all, but only want to restore order in my state,” answered the King.
“Okay,” answered the Queen.
She brought one of the open letters closer to her face and caught the aroma of that Cologne water that Mazarin most often used. She closed her eyes for a minute, imagining that the cardinal was nearby, in this room.
“ At the end of the process, I will return these letters to you, mother,” the King said tenderly.
“Thank you, my son,” answered the Queen. - I conjure you to be firm but fair, strong but generous. Remember that Fouquet is not just a former friend and servant of the cardinal, but also a man who rendered us great services in those times when we had no one to rely on. Or almost no one.
“I remember this, mother, but I also remember that Cardinal Mazarin was a truly great man, so that if Fouquet had not been found, he would have found another, a third, a fourth, at least a dozen more people who could replace him,” replied the King. “And in the course of finding the truth, I will rely on the cardinal’s other friends, who are better in that they have not stained themselves by not justifying the cardinal’s trust.”
“I thank you for this and I hope that you will not be disappointed in your decision,” replied the Queen.
“Mother, I ask you to keep this conversation secret,” Louis continued. “If Fouquet finds out that I am investigating his crimes and am going to arrest him, it will be more difficult for me to do this.”
- Of course, my son! - answered the Queen. “I won’t tell anyone about this conversation, you can rest assured.” As for the arrest of this man, you can take advantage of that brilliant officer who carried out all the orders of the cardinal in such a way that His Eminence never had any complaints about the execution of his orders and even secret assignments. I'm talking about the captain of the royal musketeers, D'Artagnan.
“Thank you for the advice, mother,” replied the King. “I myself have already chosen him to carry out this mission, and your recommendation only confirms the correctness of my choice.”
— Did you choose it yourself? - asked the Queen. - Without anyone's advice?
“Absolutely myself, because I know this man very well,” answered the King, slightly embarrassed.
“It seems to me that I know those people who advised you to check the accounts of the superintendent of finance,” the Queen said thoughtfully. “And by the way, I understand where these letters came from.”
- What's happened? - asked the King. -What are you talking about, Your Majesty?
“I’m talking about the Duchess de Chevreuse,” answered the Queen. - However, how could I not have guessed it myself! After all, she is going to marry her grandson to Colbert’s daughter. Of course, she joined his party. Beware, my son. You will expel one snake from the Eden you are in, but let another one in!
“Mother, you are too strict towards Colbert and the duchess,” answered the King.
“In any case, I warned you, my son,” answered the Queen. - Do not allow Colbert and the Duchess de Chevreuse to completely gain your trust. Have some kind of counterbalance to these people.
“It seems that d’Artagnan is not part of the party of these intriguers?” - asked the King.
“ D’Artagnan is not a politician, but a warrior,” objected the Queen. —Who will be involved in political affairs after Fouquet is eliminated? I hope not Chevreuse or Colbert?
“Don’t worry, mother,” answered the King. — As I already said, from now on I will deal with political affairs myself. And no one will replace me in all of France. Nobody. Never while I'm alive!
He was wrong. After all, he knew nothing about Philip!
“When will this old reptile finally crawl away from the yard and hide in his hole in Tours? - thought the Queen. “Will I live to see the days when the Duchess de Chevreuse will be spoken of only in the past tense?” Hardly!"
“She won’t keep our conversation secret for long,” thought the King. “She still sympathizes with Fouquet.” Any possibility of her warning him or any of his friends must be ruled out. Who can stop her from doing this? Only D'Artagnan! She simply won’t listen to everyone else, and they won’t have the courage to stop her. I order him to guard the Queen. I will say that an assassination attempt is being prepared on her, and let no one except her maids be allowed near her. And I will forbid the maids from leaving the Queen's chambers. At least before Fouquet is arrested.”

Chapter 250

After kidnapping Philippe from the Bastille, I had to make sure that Philippe was ready to accept my plan in order to regain the inalienable right of any person who has not committed any crime, the right to live freely, to love and to be loved. At the same time, I offered him to receive what belongs to him by birthright: the Crown of France and the right to command his subjects. From the most destitute man in the kingdom, he had to transform himself in one step into the most powerful citizen of the kingdom, into its owner and ruler. I had to make sure that young Philip had enough strength for this not only, but also determination, not only enthusiasm, but also patience, a willingness to endure the many inconveniences generated by the need to impersonate another person. Was he capable of all this? I explained all this to him again, and made sure that he was determined and would not give up on the desire to carry out the plan I had developed.
“Your determination to carry out my plan is much more important than all the preparations, no matter how careful they are,” I told him. “In any case, if you demonstrate to everyone that you are the King, no one will dare to arrest you or even contradict you.” If you waver, even in a situation that does not threaten you, your indecision can be disastrous. From the moment you take your brother's place, you must resolutely throw away everything connected with your personality, become him from head to toe, not only be him outwardly, but also learn to think like him. Of course, with one important amendment.
“I understand,” Philip answered. “I will have to obey you, monsignor.”
“ Not exactly,” I objected. “You will be the King, and no one can dictate to the King in his own kingdom.” Nobody but the Lord. Your brother does not hear the voice of God, and this is his mistake and even a crime not only before you, but before God. And I, as a general of the Order of Jesus, as the first servant of the Pope, will convey to you, my Prince, what the Lord deems necessary to communicate to you through me.
“Let me ask, monsignor, how do you know the wishes of the Lord?” - asked Philip.
“My son, you are not ready for the mission that I, unfortunate one, was going to entrust to you,” I said, pretending that my decision was final. “Secular people are not given the opportunity to understand the ways in which the Lord communicates His will to God’s servants. The higher a servant of the Lord stands in the church hierarchy, the closer he is to the Lord. No true believer will ever doubt that his elder brothers in faith convey to him the words of God, that they read the thoughts of God in the sacred scriptures, not only in the lines of it, but also between the lines, for such is their purpose, such is their way, This is their only, but most important skill on the sinful Earth. Without trust in the servants of the Lord there is no true faith.
“Forgive me, Your Eminence,” Philip said hastily. “I showed unnecessary curiosity.” It won't happen again. I trust you with all my might.
— Do you ask anyone where fruits came from on Earth? — I asked Philip. - Do you know how from simple soil, watered with moisture and illuminated by the Sun, the most varied and most delicate-tasting fruits grow - berries and fruits? Are you asking yourself how the food that animals eat produces the meat and fat that is so nutritious for us humans? Are you asking how the food we eat turns into our flesh, and what is inappropriate for it turns into waste, which our body gets rid of against our will? All this was arranged this way by the will of the Lord and his command. We do not know and cannot know how all this happens, but we believe that it is arranged by Him. I expressed myself incorrectly. We don't believe, we know for sure. From whom do we know this, if not from Himself? Of course we know. Faith has nothing to do with it. Our faith is that we believe that the servants of the Lord communicate to us His will and His word. Without this faith we would not know our Savior. So I've told you what we know for sure and what we believe. If a priest lies, he will face eternal torment in fiery hell at the end of his life. Will he accept on his conscience such a serious sin as the distortion of the Word of God?
“I understand you, Your Eminence,” said Philip and leaned towards my hand for a kiss.
“If you are the King, then remember that the King does not kiss the bishop’s hand,” I answered. - The General of the Jesuit Order is higher than any cardinal, because between him and the Pope there is no one and nothing. But secular customs do not distinguish the general of the Order from ordinary people. This is how it works, and this is how it will always be. Cardinals and bishops are a screen, a stage, masks. The Jesuit Order is the very essence of the Catholic Church, its skeleton and flesh, and the official church is only skin and outfits. The skin and dress are visible to everyone, the bones and flesh are not seen by anyone, but it is the bones and flesh that support the body. We, the Order, are the strength of Catholicism. You will listen to me, but you will not show me any more outward respect than is due to a bishop. If you find this inconvenient, you will write a petition to the Pope asking that I be given the first available cardinal's hat. But this can wait. Now the most important thing is to complete the path that I have almost single-handedly done for you, and which you have done over these few weeks, reading books and my notes, studying the life of your brother and becoming him. So, I ask for the last time, how determined are you to go all the way and not give up?
“We are going for the crown of France,” Philip said sharply.
- Is this your decision, Prince? - I asked.
“Yes, and unyielding,” answered Philip.
- You will be a great monarch, monsignor! - I said. “From now on, I will call you Your Majesty, and very soon all of France will call you the same.” Do you recognize the people who will surround you, and are you ready to address them tomorrow as if you saw them today?
“You provided me with descriptions of all these faces and superbly drawn portraits,” answered Philip. “I store in my memory these faces and information about those to whom they belong.
- Excellent, Your Majesty! - I said. - In that case, you are ready! Let's briefly discuss your closest relatives and friends.
- Firstly, my mother, Queen Anne of Austria, secondly, Monsieur, my younger brother, his wife, Henrietta, who flirts with me, and with whom I also flirted, but I’m tired of her. My wife, Maria Theresa, is very good, but I am already fed up with her love. I am currently in love with Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, the Princess's lady-in-waiting, whom I can make a duchess if I wish, and with whom I am already dating almost openly. More ministers, among whom Superintendent Fouquet is the most influential.
“You should beware of Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, for lovers have a keen eye, they see their beloved not only with their eyes, but also with their heart,” I said. “It would be best to gradually pretend to be cooling off towards her and stop this flirting.” If you decide to take a new lover, she will be with you from the very beginning, so
“I will make every effort so that at first she mistakes me for Louis, I will find a reason for upset, we will part as soon as possible,” answered Philip.
“She had a fianc;, the Viscount de Bragelonne, you can express jealousy and offer her the choice of returning to him, or going to a monastery, which, by the way, she herself has a penchant for.” What do you intend to accomplish in relation to your ministers?
“The most influential are Colbert and Fouquet,” Philip answered.
- Fouquet and Colbert. Fouquet is the first and we want him to remain so. “Colbert is just a pathetic shadow,” I answered. “Colbert should be fired.” Fouquet aspires to become first minister. Promise him this, but do not rush to fulfill your promise.
“ You will remain my main adviser, Your Eminence,” Philip answered.
“Not me, Your Majesty, but the Lord himself, who will speak to you through my lips,” I corrected.
“That’s right,” Philip agreed, and it seemed to me that he still didn’t have enough of the fanaticism that he should have put into this answer.
“Nothing,” I thought. “I will be there, and for a long time he will not be able to gain the independence to reject my advice and refuse my help.”
“So Colbert will go into exile,” I reminded him. - The Lord wants this.
“Colbert is the mortal enemy of M. Fouquet, and therefore of France,” answered Philip. “It will be better for him and for France if he goes into exile, but not immediately, but gradually, so as not to worry his influential friends again.” You can even reward him with some trivial trinket. Do I understand my task correctly?
- Exactly! - I answered. “You will be a great monarch, Your Majesty.”
“With your and God’s help, I hope,” Philip answered.
“Most of all, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you should beware of Monsieur d'Artagnan, captain of the royal musketeers,” I said.
“He will be sent to the Bastille,” Philip said coldly.
- In no case! - I exclaimed. “He is my closest friend and not a single hair should fall from his head, or from the head of Monsieur Baron du Valon and Monsieur Comte de La F;re!”
- Yes you are right! - Philip agreed. - This was in your notes. I forgot. You see! I need you to keep me from making mistakes!
“Yes, you need me,” I agreed. - Like the blessing of the Lord. What do you know about Monsieur d'Artagnan?
“He captured General Monk and influenced the restoration of the monarchy in England,” Philip answered. “Besides, he served my mother admirably and even provided her with some special service, not without your help, as far as I know?” But if he is your friend, why should I be afraid of him?
“Some secrets have to be hidden even from your best friend, Your Majesty,” I answered. “Sometimes it seems to me that I’m not even too frank with myself.” D'Artagnan will not support our enterprise if he finds out about it. The concept of friendship does not extend to the concept of honor. What you and I consider a charitable deed, Mr. Captain of the Royal Musketeers will consider an ordinary state crime.
“And in this case, he will not spare you in order to return Louis to the throne?” - asked Philip.
“I don’t know,” I answered sincerely. “I think he will spare me, but he will not spare my plan.” And he will not spare you.
“I believe you, Mister Bishop, and now I understand why you didn’t bring your best friend to your side,” answered Philip. “Are your other two friends the same as Monsieur d’Artagnan?”
This question sent a chill down my spine. I realized that neither Athos nor Porthos would support me in this matter, nor would d' Artagnan. I was alone!
“Well, Mister Fouquet would certainly support me! - I said to myself. - After all, I’m saving him! In fact, I pull him out of the Bastille, or even save him from the Place de Greve.”
“Perhaps when everything settles down, even if d’Artagnan understands what happened, he will come to terms with it, and, most importantly, he will not be able to do anything,” I said.
-Are you going to kill Louis? - asked Philip.
I looked closely into Philip's eyes and did not see that this thought frightened him much, or perhaps he was skillfully hiding his feelings.
“By no means, Your Majesty,” I replied. — The life of a person of royal blood is sacred. But he deserved what he carried out against you, even if not himself. His freedom is not sacred, he will lose it. And he will be placed there, and not even ten d'Artagnans will remove him from there.
Damn me if I knew a place from which even d'Artagnan could not extract it, but now I should not have shared these thoughts with Philip.
“In this matter I completely trust you, Mr. General of the Order,” said Philip.
“In this matter, first of all, but in other matters, I hope, too,” I agreed, “but do not call me the general of the Order.” Just Monsignor, or Mister Bishop, will be enough.
— Should I listen to M. Fouquet’s advice in case of your absence? - asked Philip.
“By no means, Your Majesty,” I replied. - He is the superintendent of finance, this is his pinnacle, let him remain in this position, although he certainly aims higher.
- How much higher? Is he also aiming for the Kings? — Philip was surprised.
- Who knows, Your Majesty? - I answered. - His motto is “Wherever I climb!” doesn't it speak for itself?
- But the position of the King is not the highest position under the Moon. I won’t say that the Pope is more important, but to a certain extent...
“There are people, Your Majesty, who plan to become Pope without even being cardinals at the present time,” I said, “But we will not discuss this topic now.”
- Fine! So, Monsieur Fouquet, Superintendent of Finance... But isn't he the First Minister?
- Not really. The position of First Minister is currently vacant.
- Such an inexperienced King as I will be, of course, needs a first minister.
“It’s not about the title of the position, but about the true position of the person.” A position puts a person on public display, whereas a true good friend, mentor and advisor may not be visible to outsiders, and this gives him some advantages, don’t you think? Will Your Majesty need a true friend?
- My only and true friend is you, no others are needed. If I talked about a position, it was only for routine matters,” Philip answered.
— There are no routine affairs for the King, just as there are no such things for the First Minister. There are only things that he can, as a last resort, entrust to others, and there are things that need to be done personally, and there are many more such things.
“I’ll try to remember this lesson too, Mister Bishop.”
- You will, of course, have many people who - all of them - will assure you of their devotion. Whole France! But I believe there is no one as devoted as I am among them.
- You are quite enough. So, you will be my first minister, d'Herblay.
“That would be nice, but it would alert d’Artagnan,” I replied. “He certainly wants to reveal any secret, and if he gets into it... Yes, however, even at court, such a rapid rise of a little-known bishop would give rise to unnecessary rumors and suspicions.”
“Richelieu was also a bishop,” Philip reminded.
“Richelieu was a cardinal,” I reminded him.
“Then first I must make you a cardinal,” said Philip.
“Perhaps it would indeed be much better to follow the time-tested sequence,” I replied. - If I become first minister only after you make me a cardinal.
“In two months the cardinal’s hat will be yours,” Philip answered decisively. -A week after this you will be First Minister, and I hope that you have something else that you forgot to ask for, or postponed for a more convenient time. It will be better if you ask for it now, because it will be calmer for both me and you. You will not offend me if you ask for more, but if you limit yourself to only what has already been said, you will greatly upset me.
“We will help each other rise, Your Majesty,” I replied.
The young man raised his head sharply and looked straight at his interlocutor.
“So you claim the throne of St. Peter,” he said, and I shuddered to think how insightful this young man was, accustomed to thinking alone.
“Perhaps I didn’t speak out quite clearly,” I objected, but it seemed that Philip sensed the falseness in my voice.
“It couldn’t be clearer, and that suits me perfectly, Mister Bishop.” Why not? I do not know anyone more worthy of this throne than you, and therefore nothing will stop me from making every effort for this. But will the efforts of the King of France be enough?
“The France of today may not be enough, but the France that you and I, Your Majesty, will make tomorrow will be enough,” I answered. - Believe me, that future France will easily solve this issue. And since France is you, Your Majesty, I believe that I have very good chances.
“That’s right, Mister Bishop,” Philip agreed.
I felt that this conversation had become too pleasant for me. And I'm afraid of pleasant conversations if they don't happen with ladies. Pleasant conversations please the ego, and the greater the bitterness of disappointment will be if the plans discussed do not come true. In addition, during pleasant conversations, interlocutors lose their vigilance, and the time was not at all when I could afford such a luxury.
“So, we are already approaching Vaux-le-Vicomte, where Louis, your brother, is currently spending the night,” I said. “It’s not too late to turn the carriage around, but in five minutes retreat will be impossible.”
“Then let these five minutes fly by quickly!” - Philip exclaimed.

Chapter 251

All that remains is to carry out everything that I had in mind, to replace the King with his twin brother. Excited by the impending audacity, I suddenly remembered yesterday’s conversation with d’Artagnan and a chill ran down my spine. And then it seemed to me for a second that maybe I had said something unnecessary, and he could have guessed my plan. I again decided to recall the entire conversation word by word.
I was then in the room that Fouquet had provided me, and was thinking over all my actions in the upcoming event. Suddenly I was informed that d'Artagnan wanted to visit me. My friend, who usually burst into me at any time of the day or night without reporting, so that even the clever Bazin did not have time to warn me about this visit, suddenly for some reason decided to report himself through the local secretary he provided me with hospitable Fouquet! Unusual! Well, I attributed this unusualness to the fact that my friend decided to show respect for my rank as Bishop of Vannes.
After friendly handshakes, which turned into hugs and conversations about trifles, we both felt that the time had come for my guest to have a serious conversation, but I was also interested in getting rid of him as quickly as possible in the light of the affairs ahead of me, so there was no longer any time to delay no point.
“So we met in this stunning palace in Vaux-le-Vicomte,” said d’Artagnan, keeping his tone casual.
- What do you say about this place, d'Artagnan? Do you like it here? — I asked, trying to guess what was on his mind.
- Incomparable! - exclaimed d'Artagnan. “I’m not used to such luxury, not like you, Aramis.”
“Hints at big money,” I thought. “The fact that Fouquet embezzled part of the treasury”
- You flatter me, d'Artagnan! - I objected. “I’m just a humble abbot, or a musketeer, choose what you like best, I still haven’t decided myself.” But both of these two people are modest in me, just like you, d'Artagnan. Such luxury is rare in my life; more precisely, it has never happened before.
“I should refute his hint that I am constantly surrounded by luxury,” I thought. “You should never argue with him too forcefully, but it is always good to give yourself an escape route.”
- So be it! - D'Artagnan agreed. – We had to spend the night both in the open air and in a trench, how can we forget that? But Mr. Fouquet is still an amazing person! Such a luxurious castle outshines even the royal palace. How did he manage to build it in such a short time, and furnish it so wonderfully? Apparently a hundred architects worked here?
“Why did he suddenly switch to the technical side of this construction? — I thought. - He combines in his mind the amounts and time spent on the construction of the fortress at Belle-Isle and on the construction of the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte! This is a dangerous line of thought! We need to distract him, although it’s not so easy to knock this cunning guy out of the direction he’s set! I’ll try anyway, playing along with him a little!”
“Dear d’Artagnan, I already told you that I’m not good at mathematics,” I answered. — For me, a hundred or several dozen are the same thing.
“He’s a charming man, this Fouquet, isn’t he?” - continued d'Artagnan.
- Charming, that's right! - I agreed.
- To the highest degree. They say that the King was cold towards him at first, but after some time he softened,” continued d’Artagnan.
"Indeed? — I was wary. - I didn’t notice it! It is unlikely that a luxurious holiday could have influenced the King so quickly and strongly. On the contrary, it seemed to me that the King was furious and that this rage was directed at Fouquet. If he spoke especially kindly to Fouquet, then this could be a very bad sign! Suffice it to remember how kindly Charles IX spoke to Admiral Coligny on the eve of St. Bartholomew's Night! Or how kind Louis XIII was to Chalet or Saint-Mars!”
“Anyone who gets to know M. Fouquet better begins to treat him better,” I said.
“You, Aramis, know him very well, because you are one of his closest friends!” - continued d'Artagnan. “I wish I had friends like that too!”
“Of course, he wants to find out what our friendship is based on! - I thought. - Of course, he understands why I am interested in Fouquet, because he helped me become a bishop. Besides, everyone sees him as a source of money. He wants to know why Fouquet is interested in me? Well, after all, we can agree that I helped design the fortifications of Belle-Ile. No, this is not enough, because he is interested in what benefits Fouquet wants to extract from me in the future. I think it would be possible to give him the idea that Fouquet is interested in my literary talents. After all, he warms Moliere, La Fontaine and other writers! Well, of course, he doesn’t get the bishopric with them. Something better is needed here.”
“For me, Fouquet is not a friend, or at least not as good a friend as you, d’Artagnan, or Athos, or Porthos,” I objected. “And it will never become anything more.” But if you believe that Fouquet is my friend, then he is your friend too! After all, it is said that the friends of my friends are my friends.
“I’ve never heard such a saying, ” objected d’Artagnan. “But even if so, would it be true to say that all the friends of one person, say you, Aramis, must certainly be friends with each other?”
- How else? - I exclaimed.
“Let’s not talk about us,” said d’Artagnan, suddenly deciding to change the subject of conversation. “As you know, the King has many friends, among them Monsieur Fouquet and Monsieur Colbert, but these two gentlemen are not friends of each other.
“Here we come to a sensitive topic! - I noted. - You need to be on your guard!
- And you? – I asked as softly as possible. – Which of these two would you rather call your friend?
- For mercy, Aramis! - D'Artagnan exclaimed with a laugh. - None of them! There are no financiers among my friends. The intendant of finance, or even more so the superintendent, is too much for a simple Gascon.
“I already know that you are on Colbert’s side,” I noted to myself. - To be precise, on the side of the King, whose Colbert is a faithful guard dog. But you are in vain to think that he will not betray you!
“Too much for Athos, and too little for the Comte de La F;re,” as our noble Athos said,” I answered Aramis with a smile.
- Right! - d'Artagnan rejoiced, remembering the famous phrase with which Athos refused the open patent for the position of lieutenant of the Royal Musketeers, awarded to all of us. - By the way, where is he now, do you know?
“Probably at home, in Blois, or in Bragelonne,” I answered.
- And that’s true! - D'Artagnan agreed.
After these words, D'Artagnan stood up, came up to me, took me by both hands, and, looking into my eyes, said:
“Aramis, in the name of our dear Athos, in the name of our invincible four, in the name of our glorious youth, I ask you, do you continue to love me even a little?”
These words touched my heart. I instantly became serious and replied:
“You don’t have to ask, d’Artagnan, just as I don’t ask you the same thing.” If you need my life for yours, or just for any reason, take it. After all, you, without hesitation, would do the same! Why these strange questions?
- Because I would like to ask a question to that Aramis, who, without hesitation, would give his life for me. Do me a favor, tell me, what are you up to at this strange festival, where the King, it seems to me, is involved in such a whirlwind of entertainment that, as it seems to me, it is all designed to make him forget about himself? What do you want to distract him from and what trap have you prepared for him?
It was too much! I broke out in a cold sweat, and it seemed to me that it was simply impossible not to notice it. I tried to portray as authentically as possible calm and nonchalance while answering him.
“What makes you think, dear d’Artagnan, that I’m starting something against the King?” - I asked, looking as nonchalant as possible.
“If you, with your usual humor, had said that you were going to kidnap him, I could still believe that I was mistaken, but when you try with all your might to pretend that you were not planning anything like that, I only became even more convinced of the correctness of my assumptions.” - answered d'Artagnan.
“And how did he find out everything? - I was surprised and scared. “How deeply did he penetrate into my secret?”

Chapter 252

- You probably noticed that I pay a lot of attention to the holiday program and especially to what His Majesty will be doing every minute? — I suggested with a smile, which I tried to make condescending. “The only thing is that Mister Fouquet instructed me to do everything possible so that the King would like everything.” After all, when it comes to courtesy to the King, we cannot be satisfied that everything will be just fine, we need to do everything only perfectly.
“Aramis, this is true for everyone, but not for me,” d’Artagnan said sadly. “You are great at finding explanations, but in this case they raise more questions than they provide answers.” Since when can Fouquet entrust you with anything? This is just one question out of ten that I wanted to ask, but I won't do it.
- Really, d'Artagnan, where does such distrust come from? “I objected, trying to portray something between insult and playful coquetry, but since I am not a woman, and d’Artagnan is not a henpecked man in love, this capricious tone did not work.
- Be honest with me. What are you up to? - D'Artagnan asked again.
“At the moment, M. Fouquet and I have only one thing in mind: to please our King,” I answered stubbornly.
“Dear Aramis, whatever your plans are, sooner or later I will recognize them.”
“So, dear friend,” I answered with a forced laugh, “it’s still early.”
- No, dear Aramis. This means that it may happen too late.
At this, d'Artagnan shook his head sadly.
- Friendship, friendship! - he said. “She is so easily sacrificed for the sake of intrigue!” Is this really just one of many beautiful words for you?
“Don’t talk about our friendship like that,” I answered firmly. “She is not one of those things that can be sacrificed to political intrigue or ambition.”
“I’m glad to hear this from you, Aramis,” answered d’Artagnan, but I heard neither joy nor relief in his voice. “I hope you say this from the bottom of your heart.”
“That’s the only way,” I answered, and I think that I didn’t lie, although I’m not completely sure of this.
- Look, Aramis, how dilapidated this concept has become around us! - continued d'Artagnan. “I hope that this did not affect our friendship, but my hope is melting before my eyes.” You are using Porthos without his knowledge, without letting him know about your plans, isn't that right? The poor fellow believes that the construction of fortifications on Belle-Isle will bring his dukedom closer. And no one told him that dukes are made only in the bed of dukes or, even more reliably, in the bed of reigning persons. That is, only one who is conceived by a Duke or a King, or, perhaps, became close to a Royal person in this very bed, as is now happening with Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, can become a Duke. That's who will be the duchess! However, there is a third way. One must be the brother or husband of such a lucky woman, but this path is also not for our Porthos. He will never be a duke, so you are only giving him a happy hope for an illusory and distant happiness, which is as unrealizable as it is far away. You are only giving him false hope and unfounded consolation. Well, that's probably for the best.
- Do you see? - I answered. — Don’t forget that giving unrealistic hope is the profession of any priest. So why shouldn't I give hope and comfort to one of my best friends when I scatter these gifts left and right to everyone who turns their gaze to me?
“I said ‘maybe it’s for the best,’ but I’m not completely sure that it is,” d’Artagnan clarified. “I can’t be sure of this because I don’t know your plans.”
- God! What other plans? - I exclaimed.
“You are deceiving me, and in return I suspect you of deception,” said d’Artagnan stubbornly.
- So cast aside your suspicions! — I advised him.
- So throw away your secrecy, Aramis! - suggested d'Artagnan.
- She’s gone! - I continued to deny.
“I’d like to believe,” d’Artagnan answered with a sigh.
“I can only tell you that if sometimes I am not frank enough with you, then this is not my secret, and that there will be no harm from this to you,” I tried to reassure my friend. “On the contrary, you will only benefit from this, and you will definitely get your share.”
“This is what worries me, Aramis!” - said d'Artagnan rather sharply, it seemed to me. “I don’t like it when people make bets on my behalf in a game that I don’t know about.”
— Even if these bets are not made with your money? – I grinned.
- Even so, and even if they are done in my name and for my benefit! - D'Artagnan objected.
At that moment, I remembered the phrase that d’Artagnan said in his heart about ten years ago: “I equally cannot tolerate musketeers pretending to be priests and priests pretending to be musketeers!” This was very offensive, and this was not said at all in relation to La Rochefoucauld or anyone else, it was said about me and to my face. If it weren’t for Athos’s composure, after these words our swords would have crossed, and for one of us this day could have been the last. Knowing the speed and agility of d' Artagnan's sword, I believe that this unfortunate person would be me.
“We're just settling our little affairs and eliminating our little troubles,” I countered in as conciliatory a tone as possible.
— Mister Colbert? - asked d'Artagnan. — Is your friend worried about the financial controller’s excessive attention?
“I can’t hide anything from you, d’Artagnan!” - I said with relief, although it seemed to me that I could not hide from d’Artagnan the contemptuous grin at Colbert that flashed across my face, because against such an insignificant figure it would not have been worth starting such a great undertaking that I had decided on. - Monsieur Colbert's attention has become too intrusive, it is bothering my friend Fouquet.
“Well, well, well, that probably explains everything, dear friend!” - answered d'Artagnan. “I am extremely glad that there are no omissions left between us!”
- Absolutely none! - I answered with relief.
We shook hands. D'Artagnan looked happy, and I finally calmed down about him. But I was in a hurry to celebrate victory in this verbal battle and calmed down early. He slowly approached the door, as if intending to leave me, pretending that the conversation was over. Having opened the doors slightly as if to go out, he just looked into them to make sure that no one was listening to us, after which he carefully closed them and came close to me.
“This is too small for you, and for Fouquet,” he said so quietly that even a person standing just a meter away from us would not have heard him. - Colbert! Fi! Even the Chevalier d'Herblay, as I knew him thirty years ago, would not have worried much about Colbert. Here we are talking about someone higher!
- Who is higher than this? — I was feignedly surprised. — Chancellor?
“I said higher, not lower,” d’Artagnan clarified. “Aramis, you are plotting against the King.” Tell me what your plan is, and then we will discuss...
“I’m not doing anything,” I objected categorically.
“We will discuss how you can get out of this intrigue,” continued d’Artagnan. “We’ll have to, of course, cancel everything, return everything and everyone to their original state.”
"My God! - I immediately thought. - Return everyone to their original state! Does he really know everything? Can't be! He acts at random, probing me! I will not Give Up".
- Intrigue? Against the King! - I cried with feigned indignation.
“If it’s not an intrigue, then it’s a crime,” insisted d’Artagnan. -This is even worse. It is better to be cunning and deceive than to raise your hand against God’s anointed.
- Oh my God! — I exclaimed, trying to portray indignation, embarrassment and surprise at the same time. “If so, then whose side would you be on, d’Artagnan?”
- On yours, Aramis! - D'Artagnan answered without hesitation.
- So you would agree to help me? — I asked, afraid to believe my luck.
- Better! - D'Artagnan sincerely exclaimed. “I would prevent you from destroying yourself, I would do everything possible and impossible to save you from yourself!”
Cold sweat broke out in me again.
-Are you crazy, d'Artagnan! - I exclaimed. - But, fortunately, you are mistaken, and nothing like that happens.
“Of the two of us, I am more sane than you,” d’Artagnan insisted stubbornly.
“And you can suspect me of preparing to kill the King?” — I continued to be indignant.
- In relation to the person of the King, a crime is not only murder, but also any attempt to limit him in his freedom or in his actions! - D'Artagnan said harshly.
“I assure you, d’Artagnan, nothing threatens His Majesty,” I clearly lied here. “I assure you that from the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte he will return to the Louvre as free as he was before his departure.”
— And on the castle grounds? - asked d'Artagnan.
“And on the territory of the castle, and everywhere within my kingdom,” I continued to lie. - The King of France is at home in any castle in France, in any house or in any palace.
- Or even in the fortress? - D'Artagnan asked coldly. — In the Bastille, for example?
I remembered that d'Artagnan was aware of my two trips to the Bastille to meet Bezmo, and the horror of exposure took possession of me.
“And in the fortress - like nowhere else,” I answered, going ahead, and I hope that not a single muscle of my face trembled.
-You're right, Aramis. I was just too tired from moving. “Let’s forget this conversation,” said d’Artagnan in a conciliatory tone and hugged me again.
- Of course, my friend! - I answered. - Relax! You need rest.
“If there is a person in the world on whom fatigue has no effect, then it is D’Artagnan,” I thought. “More than thirty years of service have taught him to rest only when his duties allow it, that is, almost never.”
“I’ll take you to Porthos, because you seem to miss him too?” - I said, hoping to finally end this unpleasant conversation, which for me was more difficult than interrogation with bias, although it took place in friendly intonations.
- Does he have a separate room? – d'Artagnan was surprised. - And how far is it from yours?
“If Porthos snored a little more quietly, or if in my old age my sleep had not become so disturbing and sensitive to the slightest sounds, we would certainly have settled in the same room, or in adjacent rooms,” I answered. - But you understand.
- Understand! - d'Artagnan laughed with the most carefree look.
“If only Porthos didn’t let him know that I personally supervised the construction of the royal bedroom! - I thought. - However, it’s empty! It seems that Porthos does not know about this, and does not pay attention to such details. Everything will be okay!”
Now, recalling this conversation, I thought that every word of d'Artagnan was spoken for a reason. After all, he absolutely unequivocally warned me against an attempt on the King’s life and stated that any attempt to restrict the King’s freedom or actions is a state crime!

Chapter 253

So, on the night that the King was to spend at Vaux-le-Vicomte, I had the only chance to kidnap the King and replace him with Philip. Another such opportunity might never come, or it might be too late. In fact, even a delay of a few days could have completely ruined Fouquet, and without Fouquet it would have been much more difficult for me to carry out my plans, although I must admit that the possibility of this remained, because I retained the power of the general of the Order. Perhaps what seemed to me to be a fortunate combination of circumstances, coupled with the extreme tension of the moment for Fouquet, pushed me to take this step earlier than I should have? Maybe so. And yet I decided to take a risk. After all, Louis’s bedroom was specially designed by me for this enterprise! Could I have retreated when everything was going so well? It seemed to me that the Lord himself, by this coincidence of circumstances, was pointing out to me the fidelity of my chosen path, and in order for me not to hesitate, he aggravated the situation according to his divine plan. Indeed, the lack of choice gives courage in matters that we might otherwise give up if we had a choice or time for additional reasoning. But this is not the case. I would not give up on this matter, because I was convinced of the need for it. Besides, what, if not God’s plan, could explain the appearance of a twin brother in the King of France? If everything in this world happens according to God’s plan, then it was not without a reason that he created this twin and made him indistinguishable? Not without reason, he endowed him with an excellent memory, prudence, an indestructible will and the desire to regain the position that was stolen from him in the most treacherous way, depriving him of not only his legal rights, but also his freedom and family! How could it be possible that the legitimate offspring of the King, with living parents, did not know his mother’s affection, his father’s approval, did not know his relatives, did not live in the palace in which he had every right to spend his childhood, youth, youth, and old age? Only keeping in mind that these trials were supposed to prepare him for a better life, and that only thanks to them he would be able to appreciate the change in his life that was sure to happen. So, I was right, and I am sure of it even now when I write these lines!
I will not describe at length and in detail how I pulled this off. There was nothing beautiful, nothing interesting, nothing heroic or special about my actions. I convinced Porthos that we should remove the impostor from the King's bed, which he had illegally occupied. I explained to him that this is some distant relative of the royal family, a madman who is hidden from prying eyes, but who is still an inviolable person due to the fact that the blood of Henry IV flows in him.
“His Majesty would not like to make a fuss, and asks the two of us to take this cousin of his far away so that the King can take his bed again,” I said to Porthos. “You, my friend, will have the opportunity to see the King in person and receive a nod of gratitude from him.” Even if this does not lead to immediate receipt of the title of Duke, it will be a very significant step in this direction.
It was not difficult to convince Porthos of the correctness of my words. I explained to him that the King had asked that a mask be put on him so that neither Porthos nor I could see his face, since His Majesty hoped that his cousin could be cured of the attack of madness that had caused him to climb into the royal bed, after which, perhaps,, this cousin will be forgiven and admitted to the court, but for now this is a secret for everyone. So his face must remain masked.
“Even I myself will not look at his face while I put the mask on him,” I said to Porthos. - I'll do it by feel.
-Won’t he wake up? - asked Porthos.
“No, rest assured, the King ordered medicine for this unfortunate man to be mixed into his evening tea, and it has a strong hypnotic effect,” I answered. “However, if he wakes up, then you, Porthos, won’t allow him to break out and rush through the castle of the dear Monsieur Fouquet, shouting and disturbing all the superintendent’s honorable guests from sleeping?
“I’ll press him so hard that he won’t even make a sound!” - Porthos answered.
“That’s nice, just don’t strangle him,” I said. “I hope it doesn’t bother you that the voice of the King’s cousin is a little like the voice of the King himself?” This happens between close relatives.
“Yes, this really happens,” Porthos agreed. — Once, as a child, I decided to try to shout so that the glass decanter would break. I took the decanter, went out into the garden, put it on the table and shouted. Poor mother ran out of the house in horror. She decided that it was my younger brother who fell and got hurt. When she saw me, she just said: “Oh, it’s you, Isaac! Please keep your voice down, you scared me." That was the end of the matter.
“An extremely instructive story,” I agreed. “Then be careful that the voice of the royal cousin does not confuse you.” If he wakes up and starts screaming, just cover his mouth and nose with your hand until we carry him into the carriage, and then we will put a gag in his mouth. I wouldn't want to do it in the bedroom because I hope we'll be careful not to wake him up.
Everything went like clockwork. Porthos and I entered through the secret door into the King's bedroom, I put a mask on the sleeping Louis, and we carried him out while he continued to sleep sweetly. Following us, Philip entered, who, pretending to be the King, waved a greeting to Porthos. Our good giant was so moved that he almost dropped the real King, only to kneel before the false one, but I noticed his movement in time and warned him with a push and signs. Porthos caught himself and fortunately did not have time to drop the sleepy His Majesty. We carried Louis into the garden where my carriage was parked, laid him on a soft sofa inside the carriage, and I told Porthos to go, lock the doors and check if any strangers had seen us.
“What should I do if I discover that someone has been following us?” - asked Porthos.
“Grab him in your arms and take him to your bedroom, tie him up and come back to me,” I answered. - If he resists, kill him.
“I will grab him in my arms, no matter how much he resists,” Porthos answered calmly. - I will only need a sword if there are three or more of them.
“So much the better, come back quickly, I’m waiting,” I answered, getting into the carriage.
Soon Porthos returned, and I told the coachman to get going.
You probably guessed that I had Bazin as my coachman. Who else could I entrust with such an important and secret mission as taking me and the captive King to the Bastille? Of course, I told Bazin the same story as I told Porthos. I couldn’t use Porthos as a coachman; of course, it would be too noticeable and dangerous, and what kind of Porthos is a coachman? And I could not use the help of the puny Bazin to kidnap the King, since he was too weak for such a task.
So, the kidnapping and substitution were a great success. All I could do was hide Louis away, first in the Bastille, then somewhere further away, and return to Philippe to direct his actions.
In the meantime, we were traveling to the Bastille, me, Porthos and the sleeping Louis. At the same time, I felt like the happiest of mortals who managed to single-handedly conceive and almost single-handedly carry out such a daring undertaking, which, as I hoped, would have the most favorable impact on my future fate, and, of course, on the fate of all those who were dear to me. Louis, in my opinion, was currently the most unfortunate man on earth, but he did not yet suspect this, since he continued to sleep soundly under the influence of the drink he had taken.

Chapter 254

Leaving Philip in the place of the King, I intended to take Louis, whose hands and feet we had already tied, to the Bastille, but it suddenly occurred to me that this was not the best idea. I decided to weigh the pros and cons. The attractive thing about this decision was that only I could extract the King from the Bastille. Indeed, it would have been impossible to release this prisoner without the King's order, and his appearance would not have helped him, since the commandant had been warned that his prisoner looked like the King. Of course, I was able to extract Philip, but to do this I had to simultaneously use two levers of pressure on General Bezmo - a very significant financial debt that he was unable to pay, and the power of the general of the Jesuit Order. There would not have been another person who could have taken Bezmo in such pincers in all of France, and even in all of Europe. I think that just one of these influences might not be enough, he would hesitate, and his unsteadiness would force me to insist, and it is not yet known how it would all end. So, the advantage was that it was impossible for anyone else to extract the King from there, this was significant.
As for the cons, they were obvious. In order to place Louis in the Bastille, I will need to apply both of these arguments again. Therefore, I will need to give Bezmo a receipt for Olympia for the second half of the debt. In fact, I will have to lend him again a quarter of a million livres for four years without interest. This did not bother me, but if I need to enter the Bastille again, I will no longer have such a strong argument, and only the right of the General of the Order to command its members will remain. Although the Order's bylaws require members to obey even when it conflicts with civic duty, and even obedience to the King, I did not place much faith in this possibility. In every business there may be apostates. Bezmo could doubt that in this case my rights are so high. Of course, I could convince him, but he might still have doubts, and doubts could lead to betrayal. No, I didn't want to test Bezmo's loyalty to the Order so much.
I remembered another argument in favor of putting Louis in the Bastille right now. His place was temporarily occupied by a young man named Jean Ers. He agreed to occupy this place for a short time in order to hide. It was time to release it. However, this matter is not at all urgent, and even if he had to sit there for another week or even a month, and, indeed, a whole year, there would be nothing bad about it. After all, he was plotting an assassination attempt on the King, but escaped with a slight fright. Nothing good would have happened if, after leaving the Bastille, he had returned to his idea again. After all, now the place of the King was occupied by Philip, and such an attempt was in no way beneficial to me; on the contrary, it would have been a misfortune for me, the collapse of all my plans. However, Jean Ers promised me to abandon his plan. So, the fate of poor Ers did not matter in this matter; I could make my plans regardless of him. I dismissed this argument.
I thought that if I waited at least one day, it would be as easy as shelling pears for me to place Louis in the Bastille, because Philip had learned Louis’s handwriting and would be able to sign the order, but according to the order of the King, all his orders had to be sealed with the seal that is kept by Chancellor Seguier. Of course, if Philip, who is indistinguishable from Louis, orders the chancellor to seal this order, this will be done, and the order will become valid. So I need to wait at least a day, and I will have such an order in my hands, so it will be easy for me to put Louis in the Bastille. Again, I will be able to remove it from there if necessary, because in this case too, Philip will be able to sign the order at my request.
But why would I need to extract Louis? Only if Philip shows extreme willfulness and does not obey my advice! Well, in this case I will have a club against him in the person of his brother, whom I can present to send Philip back to where I extracted him from!
But in this case my reasoning is not correct! After all, if Louis is in the Bastille on Philip’s orders, then, firstly, Philip will know where he is and will be able to move him anywhere, including to where it will be impossible for me to remove him. Besides, if I need Louis, I won’t be able to use Philip’s help, because I will need Louis against Philip himself! He won’t give into outside hands a weapon against himself!
I, of course, was confident that Philip would remain faithful to me, but Louis, being where Philip could not find him, was my guarantee, ensuring my safety. Therefore, I had to hide Louis somewhere where Philip would not think to look for him, and do it without Philip knowing about it. Consequently, I must place Louis, for example, in the Bastille, not with the help of Philip's order, but with my own forces. After this, I must make sure that Philippe does not, under any circumstances, look for Louis where he is. As King of France, Philip will be able to organize secret searches that I won't even know about. He orders to find a man similar in height, age and article to him, who was brought by force to some place under the guise of a prisoner. If I can't hide my movements, they might find him. Is it dangerous. This means that I must hide Louis myself, with my own strength. Well, you will have to use again the same arguments as the first time. I influence Bezmo and demand a second “date” between my passenger and the prisoner, and exchange their places. Here, however, one difficulty arose. Jean Ers himself voluntarily wanted to take Philippe's place in order to hide from the search, which could end in the death penalty for him. Philip passionately wanted to be released. So I didn't have to persuade any of them to go along with this deception. Now I had with me the sleeping Louis, who could wake up at any moment. It is unlikely that he will agree to voluntarily take a place in the Bastille cell. As for Jean Ers, I can persuade him by promising him another place, no less reliable. Well, I need to solve these two problems. We'll have to come up with something. The idea about Jean Ers came naturally. Tomorrow I will demand from Philip an order for the arrest of a person matching the description of Ers, and of Philip himself. He will decide that we are talking about his brother, King Louis XIV, and will give such an order, Chancellor Seguier will put a seal on it, and I will take Jean Ers to where the order says. But why me? Do I serve in the royal guard? Someone else will take this person. He will be given instructions that his prisoner is wearing a mask and must not remove it until he is placed in the dungeon. Great! The person who will be ordered to carry out this order should not be D'Artagnan! After all, he can guess! It already seems to me that he saw through all my plans. But on the other hand, if this person is not me, then Philip will guess that this prisoner is not so important to me, and will be able to guess that this is not Louis. Therefore, the order will be handed to Porthos. I will explain to Philip that he can rely on Porthos both on me and on himself. And Philip needs me next to him, because the first day of his reign is the most important and most dangerous! That's settled. We need to take Jean Ers somewhere further away, say, to Pignerol.
All that remains is to wake up Louis and convince him not to resist. In addition, he should look a little taller than his height, as Jean Ers was. In this regard, instead of my foresight, chance played into my hands. I left my carriage with the clothes and shoes that Philip wore when he left the Bastille. These shoes had heels of the required height. Louis, whom we took straight from bed, was in pajamas, he had to dress in these clothes. Well, I decided to wake him up.
“Listen, Porthos,” I said. “We have another difficult and delicate matter ahead of us.” This cousin of the King is, as I say, mad. The doctor ordered not to argue with him, not to contradict him in anything, in this case it would be easier to persuade him to do what was required.
- So this is how it is? - Porthos was surprised.
“I’ll talk to him myself, and you just make sure he doesn’t run away,” I continued. - At the slightest attempt to escape, grab him and hold him as tightly as possible. If you try to scream, shut him up. I take care of the rest.
“Well, it’s not difficult,” Porthos agreed.
“But don’t break his bones or strangle him, because he’s still the King’s cousin,” I reminded.
“I’ll try, of course, but that’s how it turns out,” answered Porthos. “I’ll try to be as gentle with him as with a newborn bull.”
“This is exactly what we need,” I agreed. - So don’t be surprised that I will call this madman “Your Majesty”, since he imagines himself to be the King. And do not be surprised at the similarity of his voice to the voice of the King. In truth, it was this similarity that was probably the reason for his madness. Several times, while visiting his royal brother, he addressed the King's servants through the doors, and they, deceived by the similarity of his voice to the royal one, answered him as only the King was supposed to answer. At first, His Majesty only had fun and laughed at these antics, but gradually this poor fellow got into the role so much that he imagined himself to be the King.
“That’s why you shouldn’t let all those cousins pretend to be the King!” - Porthos said edifyingly with an air as if he had been repeating this truth to everyone he met for ten years earlier.
“You are right as always, Porthos,” I replied. “And by the way, in front of him, I will call you “Brother Isaac” and you call me “Brother Rene.”
- For what? - asked Porthos.
“I don’t know,” I answered. - This is the King's order.
Porthos nodded meaningfully and muttered to himself: “I am brother Isaac, Aramis is brother Rene, of course.”
“I will try to convince him to voluntarily take a place in the Bastille, from where experienced doctors will remove him, probably in a few days, when he calms down,” I told Porthos. In addition, I will intimidate him that if he resists, we will strangle him. But this, of course, is not so, we will not kill him.
Porthos nodded.
“By the way, in the Bastille we will pick up one fellow,” I said to Porthos. - Tomorrow you will take him to another place more suitable for him. This is also an order from the King, which will be handed to you tomorrow. Your duchy is just around the corner! Do you understand me?
- Still would! - Porthos answered and his face broke into a blissful smile.
“For now, keep quiet,” I said. - Let's complete our mission for today.
Porthos nodded a second time, and I began to wake Louis.
- Wake up, Your Majesty! - I said and patted the King on the shoulder.
- What? - Louis exclaimed, half asleep. - How dare you disturb my sleep? Who you are? Where I am?
At that moment, Porthos, with his wide and powerful palm, covered Louis’s not only mouth, but also his nose, so that there was silence, broken only by the fuss with which the King unsuccessfully tried to free himself from Porthos’s embrace.
“Your Majesty, stop making noise and resisting, and then Brother Isaac will let you go,” I said. “Otherwise, he will cover your mouth and nose until you suffocate.”
The fuss died down somewhat. The king tried to bite Porthos on the palm, but the skin of the giant was too tough for the pampered aristocrat, Porthos only smiled, as if a three-day-old kitten had tried to bite him.
“I will answer your questions if you don’t scream and stop resisting,” I said. -Are you ready to be quiet?
Apparently the King realized that his hands and feet were tied and that all resistance was futile, so he submitted.
“Listen, Your Majesty, we are not going to kill you,” I said. “But if you resist, we will have to do it.” Although we really wouldn't want that.
“Apparently, you have gone so far that you will no longer turn away from your chosen path of betrayal of your King,” said Louis, almost calming down, at least outwardly.
“You’re right, some people here have gone too far,” I discreetly winked at Porthos. “But don’t worry, everything will be fine.” You just need to spend a day or two in a well-ventilated room, where you will be well fed, and where you will sleep and calm down. After that you will be released and you will return home.
“Listen to what Brother Rene says,” Porthos confirmed.
“The people we’ll take you to don’t know who you are,” I continued. “If you try to inform them about this, Brother Isaac will immediately strangle you.” But after we leave you and go away, you can tell the owner of the house where we will leave you, who you are, what your rights are, and what you want from him.
- This is true? - Louis asked hopefully.
- Pure truth! - I answered. “I swear to the Lord that if you voluntarily follow us to where we will lead you, without taking off your mask and without uttering a word, then you will remain safe and sound, after which you will be able to tell everything you want about yourself to those people who will bring you food, drink and bed. You will probably find a way to convince them to fulfill your wishes, although I am not sure of this, but no one will prevent you from doing so. You will never see us again, I dare to hope. Neither I nor brother Isaac have any desire to cause any obstacles to you after we part with you. And this will happen in a quarter of an hour. Well, do you agree?
“You leave me no choice,” Louis replied in an extremely sad voice.
“That’s right, you have no choice,” I agreed. “And now we’ll untie you and change your clothes, since you can’t stay in your pajamas!”

Chapter 255

Soon my carriage arrived at the gates of the Bastille.
“Report to the commandant of the Bastille, Monsieur General de Bezmeaux, that the one who brought the paper from the duchess has arrived to him,” I told the guard.
Five minutes later, Bezmo appeared on the threshold of the Bastille, just like the first time. He understood who visited him, and for this he did not need to say my name.
I put my finger to my lips, forestalling his desire to call me by name.
- No names, Marquis! - I said. - Let me talk to you for five minutes alone.
We walked away from the carriage.
- Dear monsignor! - Bezmo whispered. - Are you with good news?
- And when did I come to you with bad news? - I asked. “I brought you a receipt from Mrs. Olympia for the second half of your debt, and in return you will write me a receipt for this amount with payment in installments for four years, as we agreed.”
“I don’t know what I would do without you, monsignor!” - Bezmo said almost loudly.
“Please be quiet and, I remind you, no names or titles are needed,” I answered. “I hope you will not refuse me the courtesy you showed me that time?” My passenger would like to see the same prisoner again. I assure you that this visit will be the last, and I will no longer pester you with my requests.
Bezmo trembled slightly.
“You see, monsignor, I shouldn’t have agreed to this even then,” he said in a whisper. “And I’m really very embarrassed by these frequent visits that violate the regulations.”
“Well, Marquis, then I’m afraid I won’t be lucky enough to be the bearer of good news this time,” I answered coldly. - Deal with your affairs between you and the duchess yourself, and I, perhaps, will go about my business.
- Wait, monsignor! - Bezmo exclaimed in fear. - I didn’t refuse you! I'm just afraid that my disobedience...
“Your obedience will be taken into account, my son,” I said and again showed Bezmo the ring with the coat of arms of the Order. “What kind of disobedience are you talking about, my son, when, as it seems to me, you intend, on the contrary, to show due obedience to the general of the Order?”
Bezmo shuddered and bowed respectfully before me.
“No need to bow, Marquis, I’m just here, without rank,” I answered. - Calm down, obedience to the general of the Order is approved by the bull of the Pope himself, if you remember, and my request is so insignificant that it does not even require a violation of the regulations. Well, perhaps just a little. And then, no one will know about it. How did no one find out about the previous visit. Or do you want, by refusing me, to make your actions public the day before?
- God forbid, Mr. General, Monsignor! - Bezmo exclaimed. “You don’t require me to release any prisoner without the corresponding order from the King?”
“Not in the least,” I replied. - This is just a date, from which, as you were already convinced earlier, there will be no harm to anyone.
“Well, then, it seems to me that all the issues are resolved,” answered Bezmo.
“That’s right, Marquis,” I agreed. “Write a receipt for two hundred and fifty thousand livres, and in the meantime we will visit your prisoner.” After this, we will exchange receipts, and rest assured, I will fulfill my obligations. I will not demand early repayment of the debt, and I will not take advantage of my position as General of the Order, which gives me the right to demand from you even the money that I never gave you, while I instead provide you with a deferment for the amounts that you I was owed because I bought your debt to Mr. Cardinal from his niece and heiress. Remember my goodwill towards you, a former comrade in the service of M. de Treville!
Bezmo bowed again and walked away to give the appropriate orders.
After this, Porthos and I escorted the disguised Louis to the cell where Jean Ers was staying.
The young man was sleeping serenely on his quite luxurious bed.
He didn't even hear the sound of the doors opening. I woke him up and told him to put on his jacket, which until then had been on Louis’s shoulders. I also told him to put on a mask, but not the one that Louis had on his face, but another, the same one, which I had prudently put in my pocket. I must say that I had no shortage of rag masks, which I carried with me just in case since the days of serving in de Treville’s Musketeers. Sometimes this was very useful when visiting certain noble ladies, whose husbands I was also acquainted with, since circumstances did not favor me to wish to be identified.
So, we locked Louis in the cell in which Philippe had previously been, and now Jean Ers came out of it. Louis was so frightened that he did not utter a sound.
-Have you already talked? — politely inquired Bezmo, who met us at the exit from the gallery leading to the cell.
“We just wanted to make sure he was healthy and well fed,” I replied. “He’s fine, Monsieur Bezmo, I’ll report to His Majesty that you’re doing your job superbly.”
“Thank you, monsignor,” replied Bezmo. - And here is my receipt.
We exchanged receipts and Bezmo completely calmed down.
“By the way, Marquis, I apologize to you because it seems to me that our visit greatly agitated the poor fellow,” I said. “Don’t be surprised if he suddenly starts to rage and demand that almost the prosecutor general himself be summoned!” Autumn exacerbation.
- Let him scream to himself as much as he wants! — Bezmo answered cheerfully. — In the Bastille, the walls are thick, and the guards are familiar.
We bowed and parted.
In the carriage I allowed Jean Ers to take off his mask.
“Meet, young man, this is brother Isaac,” I said. - Tomorrow he will take you to another place, no less comfortable and no less reliable. However, you won't be there forever. When everything settles down, in a month or two you will be released, provided, of course, that you forever abandon the idea of attempting to assassinate the King.
“I have already said that I repent and will never again plot such a crime,” answered Jean Ers. “I am grateful to you for sheltering me, and I will be forever grateful to you.”
“That’s what we decided,” I answered. - Now let me be silent and think about the situation. Today was too full of various troubles.
“It doesn’t seem like it,” replied Porthos.
- What doesn’t look like? - I asked.
“You told me that this cousin’s voice is similar to the King’s,” Porthos reminded. “I remember His Majesty’s voice very well.” This cousin of his has a completely different voice.
“You are right, Brother Isaac,” I answered. “People sometimes make up all sorts of stupid things.” I also find their voices to be completely different. In any case, I would never confuse them.
- And me too! - Porthos answered proudly. - I have extremely sensitive hearing.
“I have already noticed and appreciated this,” I agreed, after which I looked out the window connecting the carriage passengers with the coachman. - Bazin, take the two of us to where we are coming from, and then take this young man to your home. We'll pick it up from you tomorrow.

Chapter 256

Left alone in a cell that threatened to be his final home until his death, Louis remained motionless, depressed and silent for some time. It even occurred to him that he had died, and everything that was happening to him were tests that were due to a soul that had entered the afterlife. But he rejected this thought, since everything around him was extremely realistic, real, except for the free attitude towards him that these two scoundrels allowed themselves, who grabbed and tied him up. But Louis thought that sooner or later these two would be captured and arrested, or even killed, after which they would look for him, Louis. The state cannot place another heir on the throne until the citizens are sure that their former King has died. If these two were plotting a coup, they should have killed their King. But if they were going to kill him, there was no reason for them to wear masks, because he would no longer be able to identify them. The fact that they wore masks gave him hope for a return. Then Louis remembered that they had put a mask on him, which remained on him now. He tore it off with hatred and threw it on the floor at his feet.
"Well, of course! - he thought, cheering up. “They put a mask on me so that the jailers would not recognize their King!” All I have to do is take off my mask and announce who I am, and they won’t dare keep me here in this cell any longer! They will obey me, give me proper clothes, armed guards and a carriage, I will return to Vaux-le-Vicomte and restore order! No, I will not return to Vaux-le-Vicomte! I will return to Paris and enter Vaux-le-Vicomte with my troops, raze this vile castle to the ground, order the arrest of everyone involved in this conspiracy, and hang every single one of them! First of all - Fouquet, because this is his castle, his friends, and, undoubtedly, his conspiracy!
Louis resolutely walked up to the door, took off one of the shoes that I told him to put on, the same shoes lined with wooden heels to make him seem taller, like Jean Hers, and began to pound on the door with this shoe with all his might. In addition, he began to shout for the commandant of the fortress to be brought to him.
After about five minutes, which seemed like an eternity to him, he heard a dissatisfied voice.
- Well, what else do you want? - asked the voice.
- Bring the commandant here! - Louis shouted. - Or take me to him immediately!
“The commandant deigns to rest, and you should also calm down and sleep,” answered the guard. - Why are you so angry? After all, he was such a calm prisoner, no complaints, no outrages, everything was orderly! What happened to you?
- You do not understand! - exclaimed Louis. “They just brought me here today!” The prisoner who was here was released, and I was forcibly installed in his place! This is a conspiracy! I am King Louis XIV of France! I am your master! I order you to free me, and you must obey!
- That's what they came up with! - the guard grumbled. “It’s true what they told me is that you’ve lost your mind.” Only I didn’t know it was so strong and so sharp.
- Listen! - exclaimed Louis. - After all, I was kidnapped right from bed! This is a Fouquet conspiracy! Today you will hear that your King has disappeared. Maybe they'll announce that I'm dead! Perhaps they will say that I am seriously ill and cannot govern the state. One way or another they won’t be able to show me to the court! This will give them away! Know, if you do not believe me now, that when you hear that the King is no more, know that I am alive, and that I am here, in a disgusting dungeon!
“ Okay, most respected,” answered the guard. “I can promise you that if it is announced that our good King Louis XIV has disappeared somewhere, we will return to this conversation, provided that you shut up and sleep right now.” Maybe this will calm you down.
- Listen, just look at me and you will understand who I am! - exclaimed Louis.
- Eh, buddy, don’t even think about it! - the guard objected. - I know my responsibilities. We are not allowed to look at your face when you are not wearing a mask. This is the order, and you yourself know that it has been observed for more than ten years, and maybe even all twelve! In any case, this has always been the case, and that means it will continue to be so. Don't try to persuade me to break my duty.
“Your duty is to obey your King, you fool!” - Louis exclaimed in anger. “I order you to open the doors and let me out.”
“Where have you gone again?” the guard said with disappointment. “I thought we had an agreement.” Why are you not satisfied with the terms of the contract that I offer you? I swear that if our King is reported missing, we will return to this conversation. Do you agree under these conditions to calm down and stop waking up other prisoners and guards? Will you calm down if I give you this promise?
“Well, we’ll have to wait,” Louis replied. “You’ll regret that you didn’t listen to me right away.”
-Are you threatening me, sir? - the guard asked in a dissatisfied tone.
“No, you heard it,” Louis hastily answered. - I said something completely different! I said that I swear to God that you will not regret your promise to listen to me as soon as your King's disappearance is announced!
“Yes, I can safely promise you this and have already promised,” answered the guard. “But only on the condition that you calm down immediately and wait patiently.” If you continue to rage and make noise, make a fuss and give no rest to us or to the prisoners of the fortress, then consider that I have not promised you anything. Deal?
“I agree,” said Louis in a doomed tone. “I will be quiet, but you won’t deceive me either.”
“We agreed,” answered the guard.
“Wow, he was such a calm and quiet prisoner! - the guard thought to himself. - What happened to him? It looks like he's lost his mind from being in the cell for a long time. Well, it happens!”
“I can’t do anything now,” Louis consoled himself. - But all is not lost. I am alive, I have made myself known, this fellow does not seem to be involved in the conspiracy, unless he is pretending so cleverly just to silence me. Well, one way or another they will have to report my disappearance or my illness, or even death. Either way, this idiot will have to think about what I told him. After all, it turns out that I predicted something that I could not have known if I were not who I am. He will come in, we will talk, I can convince him to look at me and make sure that I am his King. After all, the commandant probably has at least, if not my portrait, then a golden louis d'or! Let them match my face with my portrait on this coin!”
Louis had no idea that there was not a single Louis d'Or with his portrait in 1661! It seemed to him that the issue of coins with the ruling King should occur by itself, without a corresponding decree from the King or the Superintendent of Finance. If he knew that there were no such louis yet and the release of such coins was not even planned, this would be another reason for hatred of Fouquet.

Chapter 257

While Louis was raging in Philippe's gloomy cell, Philippe was luxuriating in Louis's luxurious bed. The next morning I visited Philip, told him that Louis was with me, tied up and under the tireless guard of Porthos, but he should be taken away from Paris to some fortress, for example, to Pinterol, where he would be placed forever. After this, nothing will prevent Philip from becoming the new King of France, albeit under a false name, but from ruling for as many years as the Lord allows him to live in this world.
“Your Majesty,” I told him. - By the way, get used to the fact that even in private I will only address you this way, since we can be overheard. When we need to talk about something that absolutely no one should hear except you and me, it would be better for us to go into nature, where there are no bushes and trees nearby, or to talk in the center of a large hall in a whisper, only after we Let's make sure that no one is hiding under the table or behind the chair. So, Your Majesty, we need to place a person who poses the highest danger to the state in custody. Remember that, according to your will, your orders must not only be sealed with your own signature, but also with the seal of Chancellor Seguier, who will only affix it in your presence. You can either call the Chancellor here, or sign the corresponding order, and if you intend to leave Vaux-le-Vicomte today, then the Chancellor will seal it as soon as you and I arrive in Paris and return to the Louvre, your true home.
-What do you advise me, monsignor? - asked Philip.
“Your Majesty, if you ask me for advice on such trivial matters, our business will fail, since everyone will suspect something is wrong,” I replied. - Let's agree that if I say the word “important”, or the word “think”, or mention the Lord, this means that on this issue you and I should definitely consult and agree on your decision. If these words are not in my speech, and if anyone present at the audience is waiting for your decision, but you need my advice, then you can also use one of these words or refer to the Lord. In all other cases, I recommend that you do as you see fit. If your decision seems unfortunate or dangerous to me, I will use one of the words indicated. Subsequently, we will need to change these words from time to time, otherwise we may be found out. But the longer you are King, the fewer issues there will be on which you will actually need to consult me. So I ask you to make your own decision.
“Okay, but in this first independent decision of mine, I would ask for your considerations, despite the fact that I will leave the final decision for myself,” answered Philip. - In this case, I will be able to show independence, but you will also be able to give me some hints regarding the benefits or dangers of each of these decisions.
“Extremely fair,” I replied. “There is no point in staying in Vaux-le-Vicomte except to demonstrate to everyone that you favor Superintendent Fouquet, and even in some way explain the reason for this favor.” You simply enjoyed this holiday. This is a consideration in favor of continuing to stay as a guest of M. Fouquet.
“Besides, I can talk to him here and express my favor to him,” Philip agreed with me.
“Exactly,” I replied. - But you can express your favor to him in the Louvre, nothing will interfere with this. Besides, if you, unlike your predecessor, are not seeking to arrest or depose Fouquet, then reporting this is not at all urgent, it can wait. Even if Mr. Fouquet experiences some anxiety about his fate, since it has already been resolved successfully, this anxiety will not kill him, believe me. So this matter is being tolerated.
“Okay, now I ask you to state your reasons in favor of leaving Vaux-le-Vicomte as soon as possible,” answered Philip.
“They are simple, and there are only two of them,” I answered. “Firstly, it is advisable to place a person known to you in a safe place as soon as possible, and it would be imprudent to call Chancellor Seguier here so that he can certify an order for the arrest of a person unknown to him.” The call of the State Chancellor will not go unnoticed, and the reason for this call will be unknown. This may give rise to many reflections in the cunning head of my dear friend d'Artagnan. I would recommend avoiding such risks. It's better to wait on this matter.
“Yes, these considerations are very significant,” Philip said thoughtfully. - But you said that there is also a second consideration. What does it consist of?
“Louis arrived in Vaux-le-Vicomte with the aim of obtaining from Mademoiselle de La Valli;re even greater evidence of her extremely trusting attitude towards him than he had received before,” I answered. - In this regard, lovers are still moving towards the pinnacle of their desires, towards the culmination of their passions. Perhaps they were already extremely close, as close as possible, but Mademoiselle de La Valliere is such that she manages from time to time to keep such a delicate moral distance from the King, believing that this gives her value, and, moreover, believing it completely rightly, whether by inspiration, by amazing purity, or by mature reasoning and extreme dexterity, but Louis has so far fallen for this trick like a boy, so that he perceives every concession on her part as a divine favor, and so it will be, apparently, continue until the Lord blesses this union with some kind of baby. Usually, after the first birth, women no longer pretend to be touchy. But, however, I cannot vouch for Mademoiselle de La Valli;re that she would be able to continue such a game after the second and third births.
“Are you saying that Louis planned to satisfy his desires with this lady-in-waiting during his stay in Vaux-le-Vicomte?” - Philip asked, skillfully hiding his horror or his contempt for this situation.
“You deigned to understand me completely correctly, Your Majesty,” I replied.
“In that case, we are leaving immediately for Paris today,” Philippe answered decisively. - The earlier the better.
- And without even having dinner? - I asked.
“No, just breakfast is enough,” said Philip. “And so that the said mademoiselle does not think that the King has chickened out, I ask you to come up with some suitable reason for my urgent departure.” Let's say a war on the Spanish border.
“Everything is calm on the Spanish border at the moment,” I replied. - And besides, war is not a sufficient reason for the King to interrupt his fun. Wars are constantly going on, and His Majesty's fun is too important to be interrupted or postponed so unreasonably. I can offer a more compelling reason.
- Which one? — asked Philip.
“If your wife, Maria Theresa, had complained of a headache and expressed a desire to go to Paris, you could either send her alone, which would not have been received with surprise, or condescend to go with her, which was would be considered by all as the highest favor and an act of extreme nobility within your own family,” I said.
- But where does the Queen’s migraine come from? - asked Philip.
“That’s where all women’s migraines come from,” I answered. - From the desire to annoy your spouse or from the desire to achieve from him, if not obedience, then at least a renunciation of his plans. If the Queen finds out that her migraine will be enough for her husband to give up the conquest of Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, even for the next 24 hours, rest assured that this migraine will not keep itself waiting. All she needs is for someone to let her know that if she gets a migraine, her husband the King will go with her to Paris. Well, the whole yard, of course, will also go with you in this case.
- Who can hint this to her? - asked Philip.
“Only he or she who is close enough to the Queen to have a conversation with her, and at the same time is not delighted with your connection with Mademoiselle de La Valli;re,” I replied. - This is Princess Henrietta. It would be better to do this through one of her maids of honor. All you have to do is yawn during breakfast and everyone will understand that you are bored here.
- All? — Philip was surprised. - Will everyone notice my yawn?
“ Of course, Your Majesty,” I answered with a laugh. - Get used to the fact that if the King looks at whoever he wants, that everyone else in the presence of the King looks only at him! If you ring, all the courtiers will also begin to yawn, after which they will order to start packing their things. And if after this you simply say in a quiet voice near some lady-in-waiting of the Princess, for example, Ora de Montale: “I wish I could return to the Louvre as soon as possible,” then consider your departure to the Louvre a done deal, it will arrange itself.

Chapter 258

“Your Majesty, as far as I know, you have invited Monsieur d’Artagnan this morning,” I said. - Most likely, Louis invited him to order the arrest of Fouquet. I think that d'Artagnan also guesses about this. There is no need to cancel the audience; let d'Artagnan appear. Give him some trivial task, and let him learn a lesson by being disappointed in his insight. In this case, he will be taken aback and, hopefully, not too attentive. Only God knows what signs he uses, but his powers of observation are the most dangerous for you and me.
“I will do so, Mister Bishop, but what order should I give him?” - asked Philip.
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied. - Come up with it yourself.
Almost immediately, the King’s secretary, Hubert, entered the office and reported that the captain of the royal musketeers, d’Artagnan, was asking to see him.
Philip and I looked at each other, and he briefly said: “Ask.”
D'Artagnan came in and saw me, and his surprise knew no bounds, but he pulled himself together and greeted Philip with all the necessary signs of honor that he would give to the King. This calmed me down a bit.
I understood that d'Artagnan was impatient to say at least two words to me, or to ask on what occasion I found myself in the King's reception room, but it was not appropriate to be surprised in the presence of His Majesty, so he looked as if he visited the King every day, found me at his place.
“Good morning, dear d’Artagnan,” I greeted him as if nothing had happened.
“Good morning, Your Eminence,” answered the captain of the musketeers.
He didn't show the slightest sign of surprise. I decided to go all in.
“Don’t be surprised that I visited His Majesty so early,” I said. “Even royalty sometimes needs servants of God, dear friend.”
- Of course! - answered d'Artagnan. “And the best of them is already here.” I am extremely grateful for you; you have finally been appreciated, dear bishop.
- I heard that you are great friends, gentlemen! - said Philip. “So much the better, because I need both of you, so you will have the opportunity to see each other more often.”
- I am incredibly happy about this, Your Majesty! - D'Artagnan exclaimed, and even his own mother would not have seen a drop of irony in these words.
But I knew that d' Artagnan knew how to pretend in such a way that he would deceive even Nicolo Machiavelli himself. He would, of course, be happy about my elevation, but he always feels uneasy when something happens that he cannot understand. In this case, something incomprehensible to him happened, and this, of course, alarmed him. However, he assumed a pose of extreme respect and turned again to the King, as if awaiting the orders that were to follow his appearance in the King's reception room, where the King himself had invited him since yesterday evening.
- Monsieur d'Artagnan! - said Philip, realizing that the captain of the musketeers was expecting some kind of assignment, for which he was ordered to appear this morning. “You know that the fortress island of Belle-Ile now belongs to me. I ordered it to be equipped with a new garrison. Study the lists of those sent there, I need your opinion. If any of the appointed officers, in your opinion, are not reliable enough, suggest a replacement.
I was dumbfounded. Philip suggested that d'Artagnan resolve an issue that had long been resolved; soldiers and officers had already been sent there! It would be better if I came up with some kind of activity for him myself! I decided to try to rectify the situation by reporting that the King had reasons to doubt the correctness of his earlier choice.
“His Majesty finds that this issue was resolved, perhaps somewhat hastily, while this fortress is very important for the defense of our borders,” I said.
“Yes, yes,” Philip confirmed. — Consult Mr. Fouquet on this matter.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” answered d’Artagnan extremely calmly.
He took this incredible assignment with equally incredible clarification as if it were no big deal, causing me to feel cold rivulets of sweat running down my back. I would prefer that my friend roughly grabbed me by the clothes, pulled me aside and whispered: “Tell me in order, Monsieur d’Herblay, what happened here?” For this case I had two or three absurd tales in store, the most reliable of which I could tell after d'Artagnan did not believe the first two.
Perhaps it could pass for at least a half-truth. D'Artagnan's calmness indicated that he probably understood everything, or at least understood too much. The main thing is that he realized that something was wrong with the King. Apparently, d'Artagnan realized that such a kind attitude of the King towards me and Fouquet only foreshadowed the future stream of favors that would flow like a cornucopia to me and Fouquet. He also realized that this could not be explained by a whim or a change of mood; something out of the ordinary had happened. But he could not directly express his surprise, so he simply went out to carry out His Majesty’s instructions.
“Tell me, Hubert,” said d’Artagnan, going out into the reception room and turning to the King’s secretary. - At what time did His Majesty send for Mr. Bishop of Vannes?
“ Monsieur d’Artagnan,” replied the amazed footman. “He didn’t send for him at all!”
- Oh yes! - exclaimed d'Artagnan. - How did I forget? After all, just yesterday evening, in front of me, His Majesty asked the bishop to come to him exactly at eight o’clock in the morning! All the best, Hubert!
After this, d'Artagnan resolutely twirled his right mustache, after which he left with an air as if he had resolved the most important question of the universe. He headed towards Fouquet.
“Monsieur Fouquet, good morning,” he said. “Sorry for the early concern, but His Majesty sent me to you.”
-Have you come to arrest me? - Fouquet asked calmly.
- For mercy, monsignor! - D'Artagnan objected with a laugh. —Where do such gloomy thoughts come from? You, the minister, the superintendent of finance - and suddenly be arrested! The king asked me to consult with you regarding those officers who are sent to serve in the garrison of the Belle-Ile fortress.
“But I donated this fortress to His Majesty, and he has already sent his soldiers there!” - exclaimed Fouquet. - Why ask my opinion about these people? Do I dare to doubt the loyalty of the King's soldiers?
- In no way, monsignor! - answered d'Artagnan. “And I also cannot doubt in the slightest degree those appointments that have already been signed by His Majesty.” It seemed to me that the King simply wanted to send me out of sight. He probably wanted to discuss something with his new friend.
“Oh, yes, with Monsieur Colbert,” said Fouquet. - Does he really not have enough time to talk with him alone?
“You’re mistaken, monsignor, he wanted to chat alone with the Bishop of Vannes,” answered d’Artagnan. “And, by the way, they had already talked quite a bit in private before I arrived.”
- With the Bishop of Vannes? - exclaimed Fouquet. - This must be a joke?
“Not at all,” objected d’Artagnan. “I believe it was he who suggested that I take your advice regarding the review of the officers of the garrison at Belle-Isle.”
- How did he become so close to His Majesty? And so soon? - Fouquet asked himself rather than d'Artagnan.
“He himself could best answer this question at the moment,” answered d’Artagnan. “But something tells me that the best answer is not always the most truthful.” So, monsignor, is there anything you can tell me regarding the officers of Belle-Ile?
“Nothing at all, because after the transfer of Belle-Ile to the King I completely ceased to be interested in this island,” Fouquet lied. “And in no case will I take upon myself the courage to correct or criticize, or even in my thoughts to doubt the choice of officers for this garrison, which His Majesty has already carried out.”
“I thought so, monseigneur,” answered d’Artagnan coldly. - I am of exactly the same opinion. For this, allow me to take my leave.
"It is a trap! - thought Fouquet, growing cold. “The King wants me to name those officers in whom I am confident, who are favorable to me or even loyal to me to a greater extent than to the King!” After I call their names, these people will be suspended! Well, no, I won’t fall for this bait!”
“So, the King just had to send me away! - thought d'Artagnan. - And all this after he insisted since the evening that I come to him in the morning as early as possible! Yesterday he needed me, today I'm disturbing him! Yesterday he didn’t even care about the Bishop of Vannes, today he is inseparable from him! So much change overnight! Well, people can change after a night of reflection, after a sleepless night, after thinking about many problems. But how, in this case, could Aramis have predicted these changes in His Majesty? Only one thing could explain this - if Aramis himself was involved in this change. If the King's double, his twin brother, really exists, then Aramis not only penetrated this secret, but was also bold and enterprising enough to forcibly remove the rightful King and replace him with his twin brother! Well, that's a pretty solid assumption! But I need more proof! Where can I get them? Wait until the day and see how this new King treats Mademoiselle de La Valli;re? The idea is not bad in itself, but I could waste precious time! It was, it wasn’t! I must immediately begin a search for the real King! Aramis will not dare to kill him, therefore, he will try to hide him where no one can find him. It is best to hide it in the same place where the King’s brother was before this time. Where was he? Lately, Aramis has shown too much interest in the Bastille, and personally in its commandant, the Marquis de Bezmo! This is difficult to explain by the fact that Aramis suddenly became inflamed with friendship for his old comrade in arms! Aramis is not that sentimental. He always has some kind of calculation in his actions, he never acts for nothing! So, therefore, Aramis's interest in Bezmo is explained by the fact that the King's brother was kept in the Bastille. And, therefore, the King himself is now in the same place, perhaps even in the same cell where this Prince was. Oh, Aramis is a sly fox! He probably did it in such a way that even Bezmo himself is unaware of the substitution! So, it's decided! I must go to the Bastille as quickly as possible and extract the rightful King from there. To be sure, we should take a look at Aramis's carriage. If my suspicions are correct, I will find on its wheels, or rather on its bottom, traces of clay, characteristic of the road to the Bastille. It would also be nice to take a look at the horses. If they traveled back and forth at night, I can tell by their blankets, the condition of their hooves, and other signs! Go ahead, d'Artagnan, you must save your King!"

Chapter 259

My readers, whose existence I do not assume, since I am writing these memoirs exclusively for myself, yet, if there are any, you will ask: “How did he know what d’Artagnan was thinking? How could he know the thoughts of other characters in the work? Someone told me something later. I guessed something myself, since it was not difficult. Well, some other thoughts were easy to restore logically. I have repeatedly trained to guess what people are thinking, noticing their movements, facial changes, involuntary most subtle facial gestures, even blinking, licking lips, moving eyebrows, and so on. I am used to mentally pronouncing the thoughts of my interlocutors that I assume. And I have often found that I can quite well reconstruct the thoughts of those with whom I am talking, and sometimes even the thoughts of those with whom I have just talked, immediately before the conversation or immediately after the conversation. I am used to trusting myself, my memory and my logic, because it was thanks to these gifts of mine that I was able to achieve a position that is so high that it is already weighing me down. So for me, everything that I assume in the thoughts of my interlocutors is the same truth as my memories of events or conversations.
So, I'll continue.
D'Artagnan reasoned that it would be wonderful to carry out a reverse castling: Louis would be returned to his place, and his brother would be sent back to the Bastille. However, as soon as Louis is returned to his place, everything else does not concern the captain of the royal musketeers.
For this it would be good to remove the King from the Bastille. But how to get there, and how to get the King out of there? The matter in itself is not simple, and if you try to do it quietly, without scandal, in order to keep everything secret, then it seemed completely unthinkable. The problem was insoluble, but not for d'Artagnan, since our Gascon did not recognize insoluble problems.
And then it dawned on d’Artagnan. He remembered the episode when Athos became overly excited and demanded the King's consent to Raoul's marriage to Mademoiselle de La Valli;re. When Louis refused this request, Athos announced that the King was kidnapping the brides of his loyal nobles and on this basis declared himself free from serving his King. Louis, of course, was furious and ordered d'Artagnan to arrest Athos.
“Your Majesty, I will, of course, carry out this order immediately, but I ask that in the order not to mention the name of the worthy count and marquis, holder of two Orders of the Holy Spirit, one of which was given to him by your order, and the other by the late King Charles of England,” said the 'Artagnan. “The Marquis’s guilt is, of course, great, but not so great as to deprive him of the said Orders, and it is not very decent to place a holder of two such Orders in the Bastille just for his intemperate statements, despite the fact that he did not do or plan anything illegal.” It would be better if the order indicated him as the “Marquis of Inconnue,” especially if Your Majesty would be pleased to pardon him and release him.
“Okay,” answered Louis reluctantly, who understood that he was too excited, and only did not want to retreat from his first impulse so as not to give reason to consider him indecisive. - Write down an order for the arrest of the Marquis of Inconnue, and under this name place the Marquis de La F;re in the Bastille.
Having received a written order from the secretary, signed by the King, d' Artagnan went to Chancellor Seguier to put the royal seal on the order. Since the chancellor knew d'Artagnan well, he affixed the seal in the absence of the King, which was permitted in such cases.
All this took quite some time, so Athos, unaware of the clouds gathering over his head, calmly returned home. After receiving the document in full form, the cunning Gascon went to Athos and informed him that the King had appointed him to house arrest, Athos was to remain at home until this punishment was lifted. Athos, who expected a more severe punishment, took this with amazement and thanked d'Artagnan for the fact that, apparently, through his efforts, this punishment turned out to be so light. D'Artagnan then rode in his carriage to the Bastille and back, just to let some time pass, and in case anyone inadvertently saw him, so that he could confidently claim that he had been to the Bastille. Then the cunning Gascon returned to Louis, reported on the execution of the order, and then begged him to listen to him. Using all his eloquence, he persuaded the King to cancel his order, replacing it with house arrest for ten days. These ten days were needed for Athos to cool down his ardor, calm down and not do anything stupid. However, for a recluse like Athos, ten days of house arrest was more of a benefit than a burden. Louis reluctantly gave in, but only partially - he agreed to release the count in ten days. At the same time, along with the eloquence of the Gascon, the respect that Louis had for d’Artagnan, gratitude for his faithful long-term service, and even, perhaps, in some way, repentance and awareness of his own wrongness, also worked. I don’t know, maybe I’m deeply mistaken in attributing to royalty such feelings as repentance or awareness of one’s own wrong. However, Louis was still very young, and in some ways remained almost a very conscientious young man.
“I hope ten days in the Bastille will do him good,” said the King. “I will sign this order to release the count now, but you will use it only in ten days.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, exactly as you deigned to command,” d’Artagnan agreed. - The Marquis of Inconnue will be released only ten days after the signing of this order.
“Yes, yes, Marquis Inconnue,” Louis answered with a laugh. “Well, we did a great job not to indicate the name of the Marquis in the arrest order.”
So, d'Artagnan received an order to release the Marquis of Inconnue from the Bastille, and also put a seal on it from Chancellor Seguier. After ten days, d'Artagnan visited Athos and announced to him that his house arrest had been lifted.
“The king asked you not to talk about where you spent these ten days,” said d’Artagnan.
“Tell His Majesty that I do not intend to dwell on the gratitude of royalty,” answered Athos. “He can be completely calm about this.” I return immediately to Blois and hope he never hears from me again.
“ An extremely wise decision,” replied d’Artagnan.
As a result of these combinations, d'Artagnan became the owner of two royal orders, executed in all due form. One of them ordered that a certain nameless marquis be placed in the Bastille, the other ordered his release. The cunning Gascon carefully packed both orders in a thick parchment envelope until the time when he might need them.
Now he took out this parchment envelope and extracted an order for the release of the unknown marquis.
- What frivolity - not to put dates on such important orders! - he exclaimed with a smile. - Well, Your Majesty, your frivolity will serve you well! If it weren’t for her, how else would I be able to extract you from the Bastille without your order with a handwritten signature and with the state seal from Chancellor Seguier? Let's go, d'Artagnan!
No matter how much d'Artagnan hurried to the Bastille, he did not ride on horseback, but in his carriage. He took advantage of the fact that Philip gave him an assignment, which he completed almost instantly, so that he considered himself free from further service, and was sure that no one would miss him. As a coachman, he took one of the reliable musketeers named de Jaume.
Arriving at the Bastille, he presented the commandant, the Marquis Bezmeaux, with an order for the release of the “Marquis Inconnue”.
“Do you have so many marquises in the Bastille that you don’t understand who we’re talking about?” - asked d'Artagnan.
“There is only one prisoner who is ordered to be addressed as monsignor, and for whose maintenance special sums are given,” replied de Bezmeaux.
“Of course, we are talking about him,” answered d’Artagnan. “About that same prisoner whom Monsieur d’Herblay, my friend and your former colleague, visited this night.” The Bishop of Vannes showed extreme concern for this prisoner, and obtained an order for his release.
- So this order was signed as a result of the efforts of Monsignor d'Herblay? - Bezmo asked with visible relief.
- Of course, dear Marquis, and he asked me to convey warm greetings to you and thank you again for the service that you provided him yesterday! - exclaimed d'Artagnan. - How could you doubt that we are acting in concert with him? Don't you remember what kind of friends he and I were? Our famous four have always been together in everything!
- Of course of course! - De Bezmo said joyfully. - Convey my sincere gratitude to Mr. Bishop, and please let me know that you had no difficulties in carrying out this order!
“I’ll definitely tell you,” said d’Artagnan, patting Bezmo on the shoulder, as happened in the past in the days of the Musketeers. -And here's another thing. Make sure no one meets me on the way. You understand how secret this “Marquis of Inconnue” is! People like the Bishop of Van are interested in him! And even, as you can see, the King himself!
“ Don’t worry, Monsieur d’Artagnan, I’ll send everyone away,” Bezmo replied. - I’ll take you to the gallery, room number eleven, on the right, this is not a cell, but a whole apartment, mind you! The prisoner is being kept in excellent conditions, as ordered! Here's the key. Please leave the order with me.
“Of course, dear Marquis, I know the order, the order is for you, the prisoner is for me,” d’Artagnan answered with a smile, handing the order to the commandant. “You can give me the key right now, and don’t forget to leave.” The prisoner and I will walk through your office, and I will leave the key on your desk.

Chapter 260

Louis lay in complete despair on the bed with his eyes closed. He no longer thought about anything, he simply waited in despair for the outcome of his fate. It was already midday, no one came for him, the guard either deceived him or simply laughed at him. Obviously, the disappearance of the King did not cause any fuss. It was incomprehensible, and it was a very bad sign.
Suddenly he heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock, then the key was apparently turned two turns, and the doors opened.
The king raised his head and saw the captain of his musketeers entering the room, placing a finger to his lips as a sign of silence.
“Your Majesty, I came to save you, but I beg you, for the sake of the honor of your house and for the sake of the calm future of your reign, do not make any noise!” - he said. “Poor Bezmo doesn’t know who was placed in the Bastille, let’s not tell him about it.” Keeping your kidnapping a secret will make it easier for you to return to the throne.
“Wait a minute,” said the King, getting out of bed. - I do not understand anything. What happened? Who kidnapped me?
“We will definitely figure everything out, all those guilty will be punished, you will be restored to all your rights, but now there is an impostor sitting on your throne, so we should act carefully and carefully,” said d’Artagnan. - You believe me, Your Majesty?
“In the current circumstances, perhaps, I only trust you, my faithful d’Artagnan,” replied Louis. “But I can’t seem to get up!”
“It’s from nerves, Your Majesty,” d’Artagnan reassured the King. - Take a sip of this miraculous balm and lean on my shoulder. There's no need to waste time.
-What kind of drink is this? - Louis asked suspiciously.
- Do you think this is poison? - asked d'Artagnan. - Let me take a sip myself.
“No, I believe you,” answered the King.
He decisively snatched the bottle from d'Artagnan's hands and took two large sips before coughing.
“ Two sips is perhaps too much,” said d’Artagnan. - This will invigorate you unnecessarily. But, anyway, let's go.
Leaning on the shoulder of the captain of his musketeers, the King stood up and headed towards the exit.
At that moment, he saw on the floor the mask that Louis tore off himself, left alone after he was placed in this casemate.
“You were brought here wearing a mask, Your Majesty?” - he asked.
- Yes, but I will never wear it again! - exclaimed the King.
“We shouldn’t meet anyone along the way, but perhaps cover your face with my hat,” said d’Artagnan. “If they didn’t see your face when you arrived here, it’s better for them not to see it when you leave this vile place forever.”
The king squeezed d'Artagnan's shoulder, and the captain realized that this was a gesture of gratitude. On his way out, he quietly picked up the mask with his sword and put it in his pocket.
They proceeded without incident through the gallery, then through Bezmault's office, where the captain threw the key to number eleven on the owner's table, then went down the stairs, went out into the courtyard and got into d'Artagnan's carriage.
- Go to the Louvre! - exclaimed d'Artagnan, turning to de Jaume.
- Why didn’t they miss me? - asked Louis. “And why are we going to the Louvre if the entire court is in Vaux-le-Vicomte?”
“The court has nothing more to do in Vaux-le-Vicomte,” answered d’Artagnan. - Everyone will return to the Louvre. Regarding the first question, Your Majesty, take heart. After all, you said that you trust me completely. You don't think I'm crazy, do you?
“Less than anyone else in France,” Louis replied. “I recognize you as the most sensible Frenchman and my most loyal subject!”
“So, Your Majesty, the most sensible Frenchman and your most faithful subject informs you that this morning I arrived at your office in the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte and found you there, who even gave me some instructions.
- What? - exclaimed Louis. - Did you find me there? You've got to be kidding me!
“Would I dare to joke like that at such a moment, Your Majesty?” - D'Artagnan objected. - Your place is taken by a man who is like two peas in a pod like Your Majesty.
- Incredible! - exclaimed the King.
“I believe that there is your twin brother, Your Majesty, whose existence Cardinal Richelieu and your parents hid from the whole world,” answered d’Artagnan. “And now some people found out about this and decided to take advantage of this situation. They would not dare to kidnap you if they did not have someone who could replace you without anyone noticing.
- Do I have a twin brother? - exclaimed Louis. - And he is so similar that even my wife, my mother, and no one else will notice the substitution?
“I myself didn’t notice any difference, Your Majesty,” said d’Artagnan.
- How did you know it wasn’t me? - Louis asked with disbelief.
“ By the behavior of your double,” answered d’Artagnan. “I already had a suspicion that something very insidious and cunning was being prepared.” According to some signs, I accepted the possibility that I encountered. But I admit that when I saw your double, at first I did not have any suspicions about how similar he was to you. But you called me yesterday for some important matter?
“I wanted to instruct you to prepare for the arrest of Fouquet,” Louis replied. “This man has entangled everything with his henchmen, and arresting him will not be easy.” That's what I thought when I wanted to talk to you about it this morning! But what a scoundrel! After all, this is his machinations! Otherwise it can not be!
“I cannot say that Fouquet, Your Majesty, is directly involved in this conspiracy, but it was conceived and carried out, of course, by those who consider him their friend,” answered d’Artagnan.
- So why do you rule out his participation? - asked the King with some irritation. “Don’t friends all work together?”
“I thought so myself, but recent events have convinced me that friends do not always act at the same time, Your Majesty,” said d’Artagnan thoughtfully.
“You seem to be hiding something, captain,” the King said dryly. “It seems to me that you are covering up for the conspirators.” Are any of your relatives or friends involved in this matter?
“I don’t think so, Your Majesty,” replied d’Artagnan. “But, of course, we’ll figure it out.” I just beg you not to act recklessly. All those responsible will be punished according to their deserts. But we must try to ensure that the innocent are not punished.
“That’s not at all necessary,” Louis answered coldly. —Have you not read the spiritual will of Cardinal Richelieu? He wrote that for the good of the state, the most important thing is to exterminate all the conspirators, and if someone innocent suffers, there is no great evil in this. It will be much worse if the culprit escapes punishment.
“I have not read the works of Cardinal Richelieu,” answered d’Artagnan. “I have only ever read two papers written by him personally, in his hand.”
- Is that so? — the King perked up. - What was in them, in these papers?
“They were two open patents,” answered d’Artagnan. - The first of them freed the bearer of this document from all responsibility for what he had done, whatever it was. There it was said: “The bearer of this did what he did with my permission and for the good of France” and the signature “First Minister Armand Richelieu.”
- Even so? - Louis was surprised. “I would never have thought that Richelieu could sign such a document.” How much confidence you had if he gave you such a patent! How did you achieve this?
“This patent was not issued to me, Your Majesty, but to the one who planned to kill me and my three friends,” answered d’Artagnan.
- Richelieu gave permission to kill you, and even issued a written order to do so, that’s how? - the King was surprised. - Why did you remain alive?
“ Not only me, but all three of my friends,” answered d’Artagnan. - It's a long story. We simply liberated the soil of France from the murderer, and the document went to us as a trophy.
- Curious! - Louis answered. — What kind of document was the second one?
“It was an open patent for the position of lieutenant of the royal musketeers, which Cardinal Richelieu handed to all four of us, offering to write down the name whose name we considered worthy.
“I understand,” said the King. “And you didn’t quarrel when deciding whose name would be written there?”
“We argued only in the spirit that each of us refused and conceded this honor to the other,” answered d’Artagnan. “In the end, the most authoritative of us insisted that my name be included in this patent.
“And this is how you became a lieutenant of the musketeers,” Louis answered with a nod. -Understand.
“Not quite so, Your Majesty,” said d’Artagnan. “My authoritative friend undertook to write my name there himself, but spoiled this patent, first putting a huge blot on it, and then, hastening to erase it, filling it with wine.
- He did you a disservice! - exclaimed Louis.
“On the contrary, he provided me with an extremely important service, Your Majesty!” - d'Artagnan continued to object. “After all, if my name had been included in the patent, I would have become a lieutenant of the cardinal’s musketeers!” Or, in any case, I would have received the title of musketeer from the hands of the cardinal, and I would have been obliged to him for it.
- So you didn’t become a lieutenant of the musketeers? - asked Louis.
“The next day my friend went to Captain de Treville and showed him the damaged patent,” answered d’Artagnan. — The captain immediately realized what was going on, filled out a new patent in his own name, on which he received the signature of your father, King Louis XIII. This incident taught me that one should not read documents signed by any minister when there is a King in the state.
“But you served Cardinal Mazarin, didn’t you?” - asked the flattered Louis.
“Only until Your Majesty reaches adulthood,” answered d’Artagnan. “And then, Cardinal Mazarin was your minister, so by serving him, I again served Your Majesty.”
“Wasn’t Cardinal Richelieu my father’s minister?” - Louis objected. “Something doesn’t add up for you, Mister Captain!”
“Everything fits with me, since Cardinal Richelieu sometimes, while serving your father, oppressed your good mother, Queen Anne, while Cardinal Mazarin never did anything wrong either against the Queen or against Your Majesty, but on the contrary defended you and her from everyone, who tried to harm you,” answered d’Artagnan. - But we are already approaching the Louvre! Since I do not see the usual abundance of security, I assume that Your Majesty's double has not yet arrived here. I suggest entering the Louvre not through the main entrance, but through the entrance that we, your faithful guards, sometimes use. Let Your Majesty's appearance be a surprise to the impostor. We will try to take it away as quietly as the conspirators did with you. If this turns out to be impossible, we will have to reveal your incognito identity. But this would be extremely undesirable, because it could cause a civil war.
- Civil war, you say? - Louis was surprised. - On what occasion?
“Even if your double were not your brother, no one would stop him from declaring that it was so,” answered d’Artagnan. - Or, worse, he will announce that he is you, and you are an impostor. We, of course, could expose him after a long and detailed investigation, but this scandal cannot but affect the political balance in the country. The remaining frondeurs will declare him the true King and a lot of blood will be shed. The blood of Your Majesty's subjects. Is this necessary now, when your government has just acquired the much-needed balance, and your subjects have been brought to a state of complete obedience and submission?
“Do you call the abduction of the King and the installation of a usurper on the throne obedience and submission?” - exclaimed Louis.
“It’s just a couple of conspirators, no more,” objected d’Artagnan.
“I think there are many more of them,” Louis answered, beginning to calm down somewhat. “But you’re right, it’s better to do it quietly and without noise.” There is no need to excite my subjects with the idea of the possibility of the existence of someone similar to me, and even claiming my place.
“Then put on my hat and this mask,” said d’Artagnan.
- When did you manage to pick her up from the floor? - Louis was surprised.
“I picked it up with my sword, thinking that it might be useful to us,” answered d’Artagnan.

Chapter 261

Left alone with Philippe, I warned him that he should not openly avoid Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, express Fouquet’s affection too clearly, or show dislike for Colbert. Also, one should not demonstrate indifference to the types of entertainment that Louis was fond of. At least for the first time, Philip should be Louis XIV, and no one else, and only very gradually change his policies, his behavior, and even, if he wants, his passions, habits, and preferences.
“I would like to see my mother,” said Philip. “All these years I knew neither my mother nor my father, and I had no idea that my mother was alive. But she is already many years old and her life could be interrupted any day. I understand that the time of maternal affection is lost forever for me. But at least take her hands, look into her eyes, to remember her face, her voice, even her smell.
“This is a very natural desire, but extremely inappropriate and very dangerous,” I objected. — Recently, there has been a feeling of alienation and coldness between Louis and the Queen Mother. Your mother, of course, would be glad to see evidence of filial love and affection, but this will alert her, as well as everyone who witnesses it. Louis never did this. Be patient for at least a week or two. We will come up with reasons for your spiritual rapprochement, and you will be able to do everything you want, but not immediately, but a little later, gradually preparing everyone for such a change in you.
“I understand that I have to become Louis, but some things upset me extremely and even almost frighten me,” Philip said sadly. “Louis’s wife will now be my wife.” I don’t know whether Louis loved her, or just pretended, or perhaps he loved her, but fell out of love later, or did he combine his affection for her with a new affection for Mademoiselle de La Valli;re? I have no idea how to behave with her. Besides, this is adultery! Treating your brother's wife as your own, usurping your husband's rights while your husband is still alive, is terrible.
“It’s not too terrible, believe me, Your Majesty,” I objected. — At least half of the French do this. What is truly terrible is that you were torn away from your family, deprived of the rights that rightfully belong to you, and to top off this monstrous injustice, you were also deprived of your freedom, deprived of the right to live a normal life, to have a family, children, to love and be loved! You had the determination and courage to regain everything that was taken from you illegally. According to human laws, what you and I did to your brother is punishable by death. And what you have to do with his wife is just condemned. According to the laws of God, you serve the Order, and the Order serves the Pope, God’s vicar on earth. So, in my person, the Pope and the Lord himself forgive you this sin and all those sins that follow from this extraordinary feat that you decided on. If you don't like the Queen... It's unfortunate. But you haven’t seen her yet! How can you know in advance how she will make you feel? And then... Well, you may not meet the Queen, or you may only meet briefly and formally. You will be able to say later that you have lost interest in her. Although this marriage was concluded for political reasons, and its strength would be the key to long-term peace between France and Spain. Think about it, you can become the father of the Queen’s second child, and if God takes away the Dauphine, and your future child is a boy, you will be the father of the future King and, in fact, the founder of this new dynasty! Will you really refuse this honor?
“The stolen honor is doubtful,” Philip sighed.
“Yesterday you were more decisive,” I said.
“I won’t back down now,” Philip answered firmly. - Forgive me for this momentary weakness. You are right, I should be Louis, as he was, at least at first. I will become the husband of the Queen, the lover of Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, I will flirt with the Princess, I will become secretive with Colbert, I will put on a mask of severity towards Fouquet, but only for a while! Only until you and I make sure that everything went perfectly. We will not give any grounds for any doubts about me! Everyone will see me as Louis XIV, even myself. If Louis had lost a finger or a tooth yesterday, I should have done the same to myself this morning. And I would do it, believe me, even if I had to do it myself! I have enough determination for this. And I’m afraid of just showing gallantry to the Queen not exactly in the form and form to which she is accustomed. Will a woman who will consider me her own husband see through me? I will try to be attentive to the one who considers me her lover, but will she be surprised at the changes in me? After all, I don’t know exactly Louis’ behavior in such circumstances!
“Tell yourself sick and slightly out of mood, that will be enough to explain all the inconsistencies that are inevitable,” I answered.
“But isn’t it weakness to pretend to be sick on the very first day when I finally became free and can act?” - asked Philip. - This weakness is ridiculous and unworthy of the future King!
“Not the future King, but the actual King that you have become today, Your Majesty,” I answered and bowed to him in order to encourage and accustom him to such bows, which will now be frequent. - Believe me, if you yourself believe that you are the King, no one will dare to doubt it. The greatness of any person stems from his awareness of his own greatness; this determines everything. A deity who behaves like Mercury, playing only the role of a courier, or like Vulcan, playing the role of a cuckold, will never be a real deity, while Zeus behaved more than provocatively, and if only for this alone he was head and shoulders above all the other gods of Olympus. He decided for himself that everything was allowed to him, and no one dared to object to him. Be the same, but gradually.
“I understand everything,” Philip answered. - Thank you for this lesson.
“Then take the second step, show yourself to your courtiers,” I replied.
“Just one more question,” Philip continued. “Tell me, Mister Bishop, can I find that lady whom I have seen several times and whom I think I really love?”
“Wait a week or two, and any lady in France will be yours,” I replied. - If the ladies are noble, rapprochement will happen by itself, you just have to wish it. If she is not high enough, I advise you to first make her noble, then get closer to her. It is in your power to make her as noble as you like and place her above all the other ladies of the kingdom.
“This lady is from the house of Marshal de Gramont,” said Philippe.
"Horrible! - I thought. - Catherine Charlotte de Gramont, it turns out, met with Philippe! What idiots were guarding him! Amazing unprofessionalism! Well, now, probably, this does not matter significantly, however, it will be necessary to somehow neutralize Mademoiselle de Grammont, or make her Philip’s mistress. Or both, first the second, then the first. A monastery, for example, where she won’t be able to let it slip.”
“I can guess who you are talking about, Your Majesty,” I replied. “Your case, I believe, is not hopeless, but let’s leave that for a later time.” Now you should prepare to meet your relatives, after which we will go to the Louvre.
“I have absolutely no appetite, and I would like to go to the Louvre as soon as possible,” answered Philip.
“ Your will is the law of the court, but in this case you will force everyone else to go to the Louvre without breakfast,” I said. - Have pity on your subjects and give them the opportunity to satisfy their morning hunger and cheer up before the road. Feed them at Fouquet's expense. He had already incurred these expenses anyway. Delicious food improves your mood, and Fouquet’s food will be delicious, I assure you. Well-fed and satisfied people will serve you better and will pay less attention to the differences between you and Louis, if they manifest themselves, which, I’m afraid, we cannot avoid. In addition, Mr. Fouquet’s kitchen is commanded by Fran;ois Vatel himself, the most famous chef of all time in France, and France sets the tone for cooking throughout Europe. His famous Chantilly cream is a champion among desserts. And other dishes will be remembered for a long time. I recommend you try them too, Your Majesty, you won’t regret it. Even I, who tries to eat little, will taste a little of each of these dishes, because this is not food, this is harmony of taste and pleasure of the senses.
“You’ve convinced me, I’ll have breakfast,” Philip said decisively. “But after breakfast we will immediately go to the Louvre.”
“That would make the most sense,” I agreed. “In the Louvre, Mr. Seguier will seal your order to send a person known to you to Pignerol, and we will finally get rid of all fears in this regard.”
As expected, the breakfast was great. I remembered that I had not done justice to Vatel's art the previous day, because I was too busy with all these things, and I had almost a poppy dew in my mouth all day. My extreme excitement drowned out my hunger, the call of nature gave way to the call of an excited heart and a heated brain. Now I have calmed down somewhat and paid tribute to Vatel’s cuisine. It seems that I even had such a hearty breakfast that this meal could have replaced both lunch and dinner, as it later happened.
When we headed to the Louvre, I looked around for d'Artagnan, but did not find him. His place was taken by a deputy named d'Arlencourt.
- Chevalier d'Arlencourt, would you mind telling me where your lieutenant and commander, Monsieur d'Artagnan, disappeared to? - I asked him.
“I’m on duty, monseigneur,” answered d’Arlencourt. “You yourself were a musketeer and you understand that we should not answer such questions from civilians.” But I know that you are a friend of Monsieur d'Artagnan, and therefore I will only say that you need not worry, he is healthy and is carrying out an important assignment for His Majesty.
“Thank you, buddy, that’s roughly what I understood,” I answered him with a radiant smile.
I wanted to ask Philip what order he had given d’Artagnan, but, firstly, going up to him and asking a question at the moment was a big risk; the courtiers were not yet accustomed to the fact that I would be his closest adviser. Secondly, I remember very well that d'Artagnan could see Philip today only in my presence, so Philip could not say anything that I did not hear.
"Oh yes! - I remembered. “Philippe, in order to send d’Artagnan away, recommended that he critically study the list of officers appointed to Belle-Ile!” It would be better if he sent him there for a second inspection! It was still necessary to come up with an order for the cunning Gascon yourself, and not leave this matter to the discretion of Philip! But why do I see Fouquet, but don’t see d’Artagnan next to him? This is a bad sign. After all, this suggests that d'Artagnan left somewhere on his own initiative! Today, the last thing I would like is for d’Artagnan to take any initiative!”

Chapter 262

It was not hidden from the eyes of the courtiers that the King behaved somewhat unexpectedly. Many were already aware of his new hobby and expected that Louis would resume gallant attacks on the inaccessibility of Mademoiselle de La Valli;re, and that the fortress of her honor, not so strong, if it had not been taken before, would certainly be taken today, when everything is so conducive to romanticism and bold and unexpected actions. After all, they all felt that they were temporarily in some mysterious Arabian fairy tale, where wishes are fulfilled even before they came to mind, so great was the courtesy, ingenuity and extravagance of M. Fouquet. Queen Maria Theresa, of course, did not expect manifestations of love or attentiveness from her husband, but she rightly expected observance of external decency. King Louis was not yet so self-confident as to openly give preference to his favorite in front of his wife.
The Queen Mother also sympathized with her daughter-in-law, who was also her niece twice – by brother and by her husband’s sister.
Philip had to say he had a slight cold in order to avoid long explanations and conversations with relatives. This explained the hasty departure, the lack of attention to the new favorite, and the almost complete inattention to the Queen. And among other things, this explained his silence on the way to the Louvre, as well as his thoughtfulness, and even some sadness. Philip, in fact, greedily looked at the landscape from the carriage window. Now this is his own country, everything around him belongs to him, the King of France. This had to not only be realized, but also felt. He gazed at the landscapes, at the country houses, at the fields, meadows and forests, at the houses in the cities and even peered at every passerby on the street, trying to imagine who he was, what his thoughts were, and what he thought about his King.
Meanwhile, d'Artagnan was preparing a plan to change Philip back to Louis, without attracting anyone's attention, without making a fuss, so that no one would notice this substitution. In fact, he decided to implement my plan, but only in the opposite direction. Of course, the bedroom came to his mind, replacing the false King with the King during sleep. The King's Musketeer commanded the royal guard, it would seem that the implementation of this plan was quite within his capabilities. But a slightly different hierarchical structure was built around the royal bedroom. So there was a lot to think about here.
“ Your Majesty,” he said. “We will proceed from the assumption that no one will penetrate your secret.” But since there is already one person who is probably privy to this secret, nothing terrible will happen if we turn to him for help.
“Are you saying that there is a person in the Louvre who all this time has been privy to a secret that even I myself knew nothing about?” - exclaimed Louis.
“There are at least three such people,” answered d’Artagnan. - Firstly, your mother, secondly, the one who freed your brother, captured you and placed him in your place, and thirdly, the lady who will help us.
— She is not connected with criminals? — the King asked warily.
“I don’t think so, although she was once connected with many conspiracies, and even carried out most of them herself,” answered d’Artagnan.
- You are talking about the Duchess de Chevreuse! - guessed the King. - You're right! Let's go to her! I'll hide with her until the time comes!
- Brilliant! - exclaimed d'Artagnan, pretending that the thought that had occurred to him a little earlier was only now the first to illuminate the bright mind of His Majesty.
The flattered Louis perked up somewhat.
The Duchess de Chevreuse never locked the doors of her apartments, which were located in the Louvre, but in a different wing.
However, d'Artagnan did not rule out the possibility that this lady might have guests, so he delicately knocked on the door.
- Come in, I’m not locked! - answered the duchess.
“So she is alone,” said d’Artagnan to the King. “Your Majesty, in violation of etiquette, let me enter her first, and you wait behind the first door.” She should be prepared for a surprise.
“This is absolutely not necessary,” Louis waved him off. “She won’t be afraid of my appearance, even if she thought I was dead.” This lady has extremely strong nerves.
Having said this, Louis resolutely entered first the first doors, then, passing a small reception room, into the second doors, where he found the duchess in her home clothes, that is, in that charming negligee that hid everything that betrayed her age, but left everything that was visible to the eye., which still retained its freshness and seductiveness.
- Ah, Your Majesty! - exclaimed the Duchess, hastily rising from her chair and making a respectful curtsy.
- I beg you, duchess, be quiet! - Louis answered. - Sit down and listen to me.
Seeing that the duchess was hesitating, Louis himself sat down in an empty chair and made a gesture indicating that the duchess should sit down.
- Come in, d'Artagnan! - said Louis.

Chapter 263

The captain entered, but remained in the doorway, which allowed him to simultaneously hear what was being said in the duchess’s room and even participate in the conversation, but also to prevent anyone from eavesdropping at the door of the reception room, the outer doors of which he closed with a bolt just in case, which had probably not been used since the time it was installed.
“Duchess,” said the King. “You and mother hid a secret from me that I should have known.”
- Your Majesty, the secrets of your mother the Queen remain the secrets of the Queen! - exclaimed the Duchess de Chevreuse. - I don’t know what specific secret you are talking about, but I believe that not everything that Her Majesty knows about, she decided to tell you, but still, if you are interested in something from her personal secrets, you better contact her.
“I’ll do that next time,” Louis replied. - But at the present time I am already privy to this secret, and privy to it so rudely, unceremoniously and wildly that to call it violence, an attempt, a crime means to greatly understate the guilt of those scoundrels who committed it.
The Duchess only turned her head slightly, an expression of surprised attention appeared on her face, but she did not say anything.
“We are talking about my brother,” said Louis.
“Didn’t he go with you to Vaux-le-Vicomte?” - asked the duchess.
“I’m not talking about Philip, but about another brother, my twin brother!” - the King clarified.
- Oh, that's it! - said the duchess. “Well, I promised the Queen that I wouldn’t tell anyone about this.” Should I really break my promise?
- You didn’t tell me anything, I found out everything myself, so I’m only interested in those details that will help restore the status quo, replied Louis.
“Well, in that case, I suppose I can consider myself free from this promise,” de Chevreuse agreed. — Your twin brother was named Louis-Philippe, so he is both the namesake of you and your younger brother, the Duke of Orleans. Cardinal Richelieu convinced your father, Louis XIII, that two heirs to the throne, with completely equal rights, would be too dangerous for France. Perhaps in some wild country two Kings on the throne would be quite acceptable, but not in France, split into various duchies, marquisates, where nobles and grandees not only feel themselves to be full rulers of their ancestral lands, but also believe that by their nobility they could well lay claim to the throne of France. Take for example the Dukes of Lorraine! They consider themselves no worse than the King of Navarre, so the throne of France disappeared almost from under their very noses. If Henry of Lorraine had remained alive and outlived Henry III of Valois, then he, and not your grandfather, could have become king of France, and he would have been called exactly the same, Henry IV, but not Bourbon, but Guise. The history of the royal dynasties of France could have been different. Richelieu understood this perfectly. One of the brothers could be used by one or another conspirator to overthrow the other, a protracted civil war would be going on in France, and it is completely unknown which party would win it. As a rule, the winner in such cases is the most arrogant, most unceremonious and most cruel party, which does not hesitate in means, is ready to commit crimes to achieve its goals, which does not place the interests of the state at all, and fights only for personal power. This whole picture of chaos flashed before the eyes of the great cardinal. He could have curbed the rebellion if he had been confident that he would live to see your reign. But he understood that he had little time left, and as one of the few people who think not only about what is happening to them, but also about what will happen in his state even after he himself is called Lord, the cardinal realized that the existence of two equal heirs should not be allowed. Of course, you can’t kill the king’s son. Therefore, it had to be hidden, hiding the secret of its existence from everyone. This was done. The Queen Mother shed tears for her second son, who was born half an hour later than the first, and said goodbye to him forever. Now that I have told you everything I know, will you allow me to find out how you were privy to this secret?
- Everything is very simple! - Louis answered. “I was kidnapped while I was sleeping peacefully in bed in Vaux-le-Vicomte and taken to the Bastille. I believed that they would miss me in the morning, and hoped that they would find me and release me, but nothing of the kind happened. In the morning, Captain d'Artagnan arrived to pick me up, who somehow guessed that in my place there was someone very similar to me, but not me. He also guessed where to look for me, found me, and in some way unknown to me, was able to convince the jailers to release me without telling them who I was.
- Rene! - exclaimed the Duchess. - You scoundrel! How dare he!
- Do you know the name of my kidnapper? - asked Louis.
The Duchess met d'Artagnan's gaze, saw thousands of lightning bolts in him and shook her head.
“No, Your Majesty,” she replied.
“But I think you said the name Rene, didn’t you?” - the King insisted.
“Oh, that’s...” the Duchess answered with a smile. “My father, the Duke de Rohan, taught me this curse word.” He had a manager named Rene, who sometimes got caught with minor sins. Then his father swore at him, saying: “Rene, you scoundrel!” Gradually this turned into a saying, and he began to say the same to all other guilty servants. Even when one day the hunting dog missed a boar, he said to him: “You are a scoundrel, Rene!”, and everyone laughed, even Rene, who was present here. So in our family, when we wanted to swear at someone, we used to say: “You are a scoundrel, Rene.” Do you see how simply everything is explained?
“Okay, so you don’t know the name of the kidnapper,” said Louis, who did not believe a single word of the duchess, but decided not to show it.
“I can’t even imagine who it could be!” - the duchess answered and glanced at d’Artagnan’s face, which meant: “You see, I didn’t give him away!”
“ I will find out anyway, and you will not have any role in this investigation,” said Louis. - I need shelter. At any time, a court headed by a usurper will arrive from Vaux-le-Vicomte. Monsieur d'Artagnan rightly judged that publicity of what had happened was completely undesirable. I need to take refuge in the Louvre until everyone has gone to bed, after which I will enter the usurper’s bedroom and take the place that was stolen from me, and Monsieur d’Artagnan will do to the usurper what his duty tells him to do.
“But you won’t execute him, will you?” - exclaimed the Duchess.
- What kind of execution can we talk about if I decided to hide this crime from everyone? - answered the King.
“I hope he won’t be killed secretly?” - asked the duchess.
- You seem to sympathize with the state criminal and feel sorry for him? - Louis asked coldly.
“I sympathize with your mother the Queen and her son, I believe that a person of royal blood is sacred and inviolable,” answered the duchess. “If fate tells him to remain in prison, let him return there, but only the Lord has the right to raise his hand against the King’s son.”
“I am ready to respect your prejudices and even in some way share respect for the life of this prince, but nothing more,” Louis answered coldly. “Even if initially his rights were equal to mine, although, as you yourself admitted, I am half an hour older than him, still only I was crowned king, while no one ever crowned him.” My ascension to the throne was sanctified by the Pope and the Royal Council.
“That’s true, Your Majesty,” agreed the Duchess. “I will help you return what rightfully belongs only to you, you can have complete control over me, order me, I am only your humble subject.”
- First of all, Duchess, tell me why you didn’t doubt for a second that I was Louis, and not Louis Philippe, the King’s brother? - asked Louis.
“But you came with d’Artagnan!” - exclaimed the Duchess de Chevreuse. “And the one whom d’Artagnan brought to me, he is the real King.”
“Couldn’t D’Artagnan himself be mistaken about me?” - Louis was surprised.
-D'Artagnan?! Make a mistake?! - exclaimed the Duchess. - No never! If only he had thought of it himself. No impossible!
— Did you think of it yourself? - asked the King and became wary.
At that moment, d'Artagnan burst into such Homeric laughter that involuntarily both the Duchess and even the King himself began to laugh with him.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” said d’Artagnan, wiping away with the edge of his glove the tears in the corners of his eyes that appeared after his such unexpected laughter.
“Nothing, nothing,” answered the King. “The Duchess’s idea that you, Monsieur d’Artagnan, are capable of betraying your King seems ridiculous to me, too.”

Chapter 264

Philip arrived at the Louvre like a King, the entire retinue saw him as Louis XIV, and close people, such as the Queen, the Queen Mother, Philippe d'Orl;ans and Mademoiselle de La Valli;re were distant for the entire duration of the trip.
Arriving at the Louvre, Philip announced that he still did not feel well and would like to rest from the road. First of all, he summoned Chancellor Seguier, who sealed his decree on the imprisonment of a prisoner in the fortress of Pignerol, who was incognito transferred under the protection of Monsieur Baron du Valon, and to whom he appointed Monsieur Bishop of Vannes to accompany him as the last confessor before imprisonment.
“Mr. Bishop has shown extreme mercy, he is taking part in the fate of this poor fellow, for whom he worked, and for whom he gave the most lenient conditions for his maintenance,” Philip explained to the surprised chancellor. “Don’t be surprised, Monsieur Seguier, this man is very noble, he is a foreign grandee who is involved in extremely dangerous activities, his crime is great, he should be executed, but given his high origin and the intercession of the Monsieur Bishop of Vannes, his fate will be mitigated.” He will go to Pignerol and will be kept there at the expense of the treasury in very acceptable conditions, he will not need anything.
The Chancellor bowed and sealed the order.
I took this order and left.
I didn't have to take poor Jean Ers far. To be honest, I didn't care about him at all. But I had to convince Philippe that Louis XIV was where Philippe himself had placed him. This created a feeling of complete safety for him, and his ignorance of Louis’s true location gave me the opportunity to maneuver. So I decided to play this card to the end, so I decided to take Jean Herce to Pignerol together with Porthos. I hoped to do this quickly, and to return as quickly as possible to Philip to direct his actions and thus actually lead France.
“Well, my dear Porthos,” I said when I returned to his carriage, where he was riding with Jean Ers, who did not take off his mask and did not lean out of the carriage throughout the entire journey. “We will take this young man to where he will stay for some time, not needing anything, enjoying delicious food and complete idleness, after which we will return to the Louvre for your patent for the dukedom.”
Porthos beamed like a brand new louis d'or with the happiness that my words had brought out of him. I sincerely believed that these were not empty promises, but exactly what would happen after our return to the Louvre.
We rushed to Pignerol in Porthos's carriage.
Philippe meanwhile had lunch, spent the time between lunch and dinner reading the papers that Colbert brought him, and went to bed.
D'Artagnan entered the Duchess de Chevreuse's chambers without knocking.
“Your Majesty, now it’s time,” he said.
“ You won’t even light a candle?” - asked Louis.
“This is unnecessary, I see in the dark like a cat, but you just follow me, and if you deign to lean on my hand, you will not fall,” answered d’Artagnan.
- And if we meet one of the night lackeys, what will we tell them? - asked Louis.
“I have a good fable in store for them; it will be enough for Your Majesty to confirm that everything I say is in accordance with your will,” answered d’Artagnan.
The wing in which the duchess's chambers were located was deserted, and they passed through it without hindrance, as well as the passage to the wing of the royal family.
But in this wing they immediately came across one of the watchful night lackeys.
- Eugene, come here! - D'Artagnan told him quietly but insistently.
- Mr. Captain! - answered Eugene.
“Quiet,” answered d’Artagnan. — Today the night security regime is different. “His Majesty, you know, recently read an Arabic tale about a certain Prince Harun Al-Rashid. Do you know this fairy tale?
“No, Monsieur d’Artagnan,” answered Eugene.
“It’s regrettable and shameful not to know your King’s favorite fairy tale,” answered d’Artagnan. - Find a copy today and check it out. So, this highly respected and well-known eastern Prince to everyone except you, Eugene, used to walk around his possessions incognito at night. Do you understand, Eugene?
- Like Emperor Caligula? asked Eugene.
- Fuck you, Eugene, how dare you compare some pagan with our most Christian King? - D'Artagnan got angry. - I’m telling you about Prince Harun Al-Rashid, this is a Muslim Prince, this is a completely different matter. We are friends with Muslims. Sometimes. Not with everyone, but these are not just any pagans! So, my friend, His Majesty would like to take a walk today. Not throughout Paris, mind you, and not even in the courtyard of the Louvre, but only along some corridors of the Louvre. Take a walk where chance, or perhaps his heart, tells him. Do you understand everything?
“I think I understand,” Eugene answered and smiled.
“You don’t have to understand anything, Eugene, you have to understand only one thing - this is that you didn’t understand anything, but showed complete obedience!” - D'Artagnan answered sternly. — By the way, a wonderful phrase! Even now you are not supposed to know anything except that you are not supposed to know anything! I'll take it into service. So, Eugene, I see the remnants of doubt in your face.
“Don’t get me wrong, Mister Captain, at night near the King’s chambers I obey only the King,” answered Eugene.
- That's right, Eugene! - D'Artagnan agreed. “And your King dismisses all the lackeys until five o’clock in the morning today.” Up to six o'clock. You must dismiss everyone and send them out within fifteen minutes. Within ten minutes. And so that you don’t have any doubts, let’s walk towards the light.
D'Artagnan grabbed Eugene's arm and led him to the nearest candelabra.
“ Your Majesty, could you come closer to the light?” - he said in a velvety voice, turning into the darkness.
A moment later, the King appeared from the darkness.
- Eugene, did you hear everything? - asked Louis.
- Yes, Your Majesty! - answered Eugene, seeing the King and almost speechless, because he did not expect to see him here, among the galleries, when, according to everyone, he had been resting in his bed for a long time.
- So why are you standing there, you idiot? - asked the King with a kind smile. - Do what the captain tells you. Nine minutes left.
- I obey, Your Majesty! - Eugene exclaimed and rushed to carry out the King’s orders.
Eight minutes later, in the galleries near the King's bedroom there was not a single person left except the King and d'Artagnan.
“And now, Your Majesty, it’s time for you to return to your chambers, and for me to take the usurper to the Bastille.”
- But you don’t have my orders! - the King was surprised. “Of course, I can write and sign the order, but I myself issued a decree that orders without the seal of the chancellor have no force.”
“You are right, Your Majesty, but the fact is that I have such an order,” answered d’Artagnan. - After all, I even had two orders signed by you. One order is to imprison the Marquis Inconnue in the Bastille, and the other order is to release the Marquis Inconnue. By the way, I already used the second order to rescue you from the Bastille. The order paired with it will serve to place your brother there. Even if we allowed the jailer to see your face, he would admit that I am returning there the same person whom I previously freed. But since he saw you wearing a mask, we will put the same mask on Prince Louis-Philippe, so that the impression of the prisoner returning to his former place will be complete.
“So, d’Artagnan, you had two orders of mine that you did not carry out,” the King said gloomily.
“I fulfilled them exactly, because you, Your Majesty, deigned to replace the imprisonment in the Bastille with ten days of house arrest for the Comte de La F;re.”
- Why did you leave the order with yourself? - asked the King.
“Because the Comte de La F;re took me at my word and did not demand an order,” answered d’Artagnan.
- Why didn’t you destroy the orders? - the King did not let up.
“I would not have the courage to tear the paper on which Your Majesty’s signature and the state seal are,” replied d’Artagnan.
- Why didn’t you return these papers to me or the chancellor? - asked Louis.
“Do you care enough, Your Majesty, to collect papers that have lost their power and meaning?” - asked the cunning Gascon. “And should Chancellor Segye be bothered over such trifles?” Suppose I was going to give him these papers on occasion, but the opportunity did not present itself, and then I simply forgot about them. Your Majesty, judge me for this forgetfulness! After all, without these papers, I could not have helped you in any way in such a deplorable state in which the conspirators placed you!
“That’s right, Mister d’Artagnan, everything turned out for the better, I agree, but in the future, I ask you, please be more careful with important state papers,” answered the King.
“I will definitely improve,” d’Artagnan exclaimed. “I’ve already begun to improve, and I really feel like I’m becoming a different person.” But we are wasting time.
“It’s okay, we have enough time, you yourself ordered no one to appear here until six o’clock in the morning,” said the King. - And now it’s only one in the morning. Let my brother sleep an extra ten to fifteen minutes as King. There won't be much harm from this. The more unexpected his awakening will be. Let's go.
They entered the King's bedroom.
Louis looked at his sleeping brother for some time, marveling at his extraordinary resemblance to his own face, which he knew, since he looked in the mirror quite often. Then he placed his hand on his brother's forehead.
- Louis Philippe, wake up! - he said imperiously.
Philip shuddered and opened his eyes.
“You conceived and carried out a bad deed,” said Louis. “I don’t hold a grudge against you and forgive you, my unfortunate brother, but you can’t stay in the palace any longer.” Mr. Captain will take you to where you are to stay from now on and forever.
“I just tried to return what is rightfully mine,” Philip answered.
“Mr. Captain will explain your words to you on the way to the Bastille, but now go, I’m mortally tired and want to sleep,” Louis answered coldly.
“You don’t even want to talk to me?” - Philip exclaimed. “Perhaps there are some drops of justice left in your heart, a drop of pity for your unfortunate brother, whose only fault is that he was born a few minutes later than you?” If I had been born a year later, I would now be the Duke of Orleans, officially considered your brother, the son of my father and my mother!
“I would have talked to you, my brother, if our meeting had not begun with a crime,” answered the King. “You and your accomplices criminally entered my bedroom and kidnapped me, threw me into the Bastille without explaining my guilt!”
- The same thing was done to me! - Philip exclaimed.
“It’s not my fault,” Louis replied. - This was done by our parents, without our knowledge, we are not responsible for their actions. You must answer for your actions. After all, you encroached on the rightful King, crowned and anointed king. After my coronation, all your claims to the throne are illegal.
- What will happen to me? - asked Philip.
“Nothing worse than what happened to the swami before,” answered the King. “I said that I forgive you, so your fate will be the same as our father determined it, which our mother also agreed and resigned herself to.”
“I haven’t even met her yet!” - Philip exclaimed.
“That means you won’t have anyone to be sad about,” Louis replied. “Accept your fate, my brother, and don’t hold a grudge against me, just as I don’t hold it against you.”
“It will be a little more difficult,” Philip answered.
- Who knows? - Louis objected. - How do we know who suffers more - the one who spent his whole life in captivity, not knowing freedom, or the one who was the King, but suddenly in a single minute turned into a prisoner, and who was told that he would be like that for the rest of his life? Can you say that the fate that you and your accomplices have prepared for me is easier than the fate that I leave for you?
“I don’t know,” Philip admitted.
“The Lord disposes of us all, and we are not given the opportunity to present our claims to him,” Louis answered. “Believe me, my brother, I have already loved you, my brother, and I am already suffering for you, grieving over your fate.” But I have no right to change anything in it. Give me your hand as a sign of your forgiveness, as I give you my hand in recognition of your rights as a Prince, and as a sign of sorrow that I can do nothing to help you regain these rights. Such is fate.
“Perhaps I can ask for the right to simply live a private life somewhere far from France, from Europe, just to be free and happy? - asked Philip.
“If such an opportunity presented itself, and if it did not threaten civil war, the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people carried away by the deceptions and ideas of one party or another, I assure you, I would agree to it,” Louis answered. “If such an opportunity arises, I will remember you, my brother.” Now goodbye. D'Artagnan, give Philippe the mask. I, your King, command you, Philip, to wear this mask at all times, except when you are in a cell and no one can see you. I promise you that if there is the slightest suspicion that you will again try to repeat your crime against me, against the rightful King of France, you will be destroyed. I order Mister d'Artagnan to kill you if you give even the slightest reason to suspect you of intending to reveal your identity, call someone for help, or avoid the fate that is prescribed for you by my order. Do you understand me, my brother?
“I understand you, Your Majesty,” said Philip.
“I do not require you to name your accomplices, for you have a long life ahead of you, I hope, and I do not want you to feel like a traitor for this reason,” said Louis. “It’s enough that you were an accomplice in a conspiracy, a crime against the state, that you attempted to assassinate your King.” I have already said that I forgive you for this crime. Let us embrace one last time as brothers.
Louis opened his arms.
Philip hesitated a little, but threw himself into the arms of Louis and hugged him tightly.
“I never had any family or friends,” he said. “Even a friendly hug has never consoled me.” It was the first time I hugged someone close, my brother. This is an unforgettable feeling. Well, now I will at least know that I have a brother, that he is the King of France, therefore, my King, and I will pray to God for Your Majesty’s happy reign.
After that, Philip dutifully put on the mask that d'Artagnan handed him and headed towards the exit from the bedroom, and then from the Louvre.
Having met no one on the way, they left through the front gates of the Louvre, then proceeded to d'Artagnan's carriage and got into it.
- This man, your coachman, has he been sitting on the box all this time? - asked Philip.
- What time is all this? - asked d'Artagnan. “I told him to come at one in the morning.” He's only been sitting here for an hour. Don't worry about him, he's fed, warmly dressed and happy as can be. By the way, he is mute, but not deaf.
-Will you take me back to the Bastille? - asked Philip.
“You will soon learn about this, monseigneur,” answered d’Artagnan.
“In my life there will never be another hour of such happiness as I have experienced in the last 24 hours,” Philip said sadly.
“No one can know that,” d’Artagnan answered philosophically. “As they say, if you want to make God laugh, share with him your plans for tomorrow.”
After that, he opened the window slightly to communicate with the coachman.
- Touch it! “We’re going where I told you,” he said to the coachman, and the carriage set off.

The end of the sixth book