D'Artagnan's dress was the most fashionable in Paris, and the Burgundian hillbillies could not be compared with it, and he was keenly aware of this, so he was particularly triumphant and vigorous, and he and Colbert took twelve of them, and now they were all arranged to the large dining room, and the duchess's servants took the horses of d'Artagnan and others by the hands of these people, and they were to be served as if they were their masters, and the fire was burning in the stables, dry and warm, and there were people holding brushes, brushing them clean, and then wiping their bodies with sun-dried straw, d'Artagnan specially instructed themHis lovely mount, which the king had rewarded him for his talent and loyalty, was to be fed with oats—he even refused to wait in the waiting room first, and to take in the foyer with poise to admire the views and frescoes.

At first, Colbert really didn't understand why d'Artagnan did this, but after only two or three minutes, when a maid in a long blue dress with cascading lace sticking out of the neckline and cuffs came to lead them to the antechamber, the surprised and envious looks of the people around him gave him the answer. And in the time between the antechamber and the hallway, and from the hallway to the hall, and from the hall to the library, and from the library to a small, secluded private room, d'Artagnan not only acquired a beautiful name, a silk handkerchief embroidered with initials, and many smiles, but also a vague pact, in which even Kirbel, who was not very interested in so-called love, could not help but sigh that their king could really be used by anyone.

As the maid was about to leave, d'Artagnan insisted on kissing her hand in thanks, and she reluctantly accepted, and then quickly stood on tiptoe and whispered something in the gentleman's ear, and Colbert was only a step away from them, but he did not hear what secret the lady had divulged to d'Artagnan, but d'Artagnan's smile did deepen considerably.

There were only a few very simple pieces of furniture in this room, a small round table, three chairs, and a long couch, the size and style of which did not correspond to the jacquard velvet that covered the backs and cushions, and it is surprising that they had been hastily moved here, but the couch had the same color and pattern as the wall coverings and the curtains in front of the windows, and perhaps the room had been used only as a dressing room or a lounge, but because of the sudden arrival of the king's envoys, the servants of the Duchess of Montpensier had to make some hasty arrangements。

The Duchess of Montpensier sat in the largest chair with a book on her knees, and a delicate crochet cloak draped over her long scarlet dress, as if she were reading—d'Artagnan and Colbert were accustomed to such tricks, and when the superior received their subordinates or those who asked for them, they would always act as if they were doing something, lest they should think that she/he was eagerly waiting, which was a very dishonorable act.

She even deliberately made them wait a few seconds before she looked up in surprise as if she had just discovered that they had arrived, and she looked at them with eyes that were familiar to d'Artagnan, and it would take d'Artagnan a moment to realize that the duchess was also the king's cousin, and that she had many similarities with the king, with her serene face, curly hair, beautiful eyebrows, and slender fingers, and that she was wearing a full set of pearl jewelry today, and that the pearl necklaces around her neck were the size of d'Artagnan's little finger, and that they were rounded, and that the teardrop-shaped pearls on her ears were as long as his thumb, and that d'Artagnan guessed that this set of pearls alone was worth a thousand thousand lires。

"Gentlemen," said the duchess, "I have heard that you have come by order of the king. ”

"Exactly. D'Artagnan said, "Your Majesty has heard that you have settled in Saint-Fagor, so let us see if you are well." ”

"Alas, Louis ......," sighed the Duchess in an intimate tone, "I suppose so, my brother is a very gentle and kind man, and when I left Paris, he came to see me off, but I made many mistakes and broke his heart. ”

"Your Majesty has always been fond of his family," said d'Artagnan, "but if you had known it, you would have been tempted to fall down on your knees and cry and cry and tore your hair and stabbed yourself in the chest, as the women of the savages do," said d'Artagnan, "but he has been so troubled lately that we can only inquire about him on his behalf." ”

"Thank God," said the Duchess, "I am fine, sir, as you see." ”

D'Artagnan bowed and said, "I see that you are healthy and happy, and that you are surrounded by countless friends, and that I feel that my task is done, and that I may be able to bid you farewell, and return to Paris, and tell our king the good news." ”

Colbert, who had been hiding behind d'Artagnan, noticed that the duchess's fingers twitched visibly as D'Artagnan pretended to resign, and she probably knew that it was just a trick to get away with it, but she really couldn't let go of any kindness from the court now— She was once deeply loved and respected, and lived like a princess in the Dullery Palace, perhaps because of the illusion that this life gave her, she was like any short-sighted, ignorant child who wantonly squandered the Queen Mother Anne's tolerance and love for her, or rather, she never imagined that the Queen Mother's grace could be recovered so quickly, so simply, she was the second of the ladies of the court, and could even walk in front of the Queen Mother and the Princess of England, but in only a blink of an eye, she was completely expelled, and her room, whether it was the Louvre, or the Richelieu House, or Versailles, was sorted outPacked with suitcases of her clothes and jewelry, piled up in squares, streets, and mud floors, she did not even have the courage to leave the carriage, so she left Paris crying.

The king's messenger said that she was healthy and happy, and that she was surrounded by countless friends, but did not know that when she first came to Burgundy, she almost wanted to kill herself— Her father, whom she had always loved, told her to get out of the way, and even if he was exiled to Blois, his family was still only his stepwife, and his four daughters, and even his illegitimate daughter and son, who had been loved more than she did, and for whom she had betrayed the king, and of her father, the Prince of Condé, had run to the Spaniards, and the duchess had managed to write to him, but the letters, full of tears and love, had never received any response.

She rebuilt Saint-Fargo with 200,000 livres, she invited scholars, hired orchestras, raised literati, hunted, danced, played, and celebrated Mass with people all day long—but only she knew that her heart was empty, and she could beat her voice, and she could be queen of Saint-Fargo, but to the court of Paris, she was only a provincial fool.

If in the past she could pretend to be very happy, then the arrival of the king's envoy could be said to have torn off that thin layer of disguise, and he stood there as a display of the court and the king's grace in reality, and he strode past the Burgundians, disdainful of their peeping and whispering, and he was solemn, so beautiful, and full of pride, that they had not even been able to touch the corners of her skirt, and now she was going to bow down to them.

"Ah, wait. When she saw that d'Artagnan was really going to leave immediately, the duchess couldn't help but shout: "Please come back, sir, I still have ......" She stroked her arm anxiously: "I have a letter for you to pass on to His Majesty." ”

D'Artagnan bowed respectfully to her, "That's great, the king will be pleased." He said, "Give me this letter." ”

"I'd love to," said the Duchess, "but I'm not done yet, can you stay here a few more days while I finish it?"

D'Artagnan looked embarrassed at once, but the Duchess immediately stretched out her arm, which was plump and white, and she had an impressive arm, "please take off this bracelet," she said, "and this is your reward, and if the king scolds you for this short delay, you will show him this, and he will surely forgive you for the sake of my past relationship with Your Majesty." ”

So d'Artagnan boldly stepped forward, took off the bracelet of pearls and diamonds in the midst of Colbert's stunned gaze, and kissed her hand with the grace of the duchess.

——

D'Artagnan and Colbert had two well-roofed rooms in the Château de Saint-Fagor, and their personal servants had two small couches that could be drawn from under the bed, and the Duchess's guests were so polite to see them that they were able to have dinner with the Duchess once, and never to be alone with her again, which Corbert guessed was to prevent d'Artagnan from resigning again—the Duchess's letters were so slow to write that one thought she had to learn how to write and read.

But the days at the castle of St. Fagor were quite pleasant, but as the time advanced to a week, Colbert could not help but become anxious, because they had a task on their trip.

"Don't be impatient, don't be impatient. D'Artagnan said this, and as he blew out a note, Colbert's eyes were sharp, and he saw at once that it was a note for a tryst, and although his name was not written, he knew at a glance that it was written by d'Artagnan to the maid, and they had met many times, but even Colbert did not know how d'Artagnan should have told the maid about the property with her mistress.

But before they left, the king had said that d'Artagnan was the main envoy for the trip, and Colbert did not believe d'Artagnan, but he was willing to believe his majesty, but he repeatedly stated that if d'Artagnan continued to delay, he would write to the king—and perhaps there would be another way to accomplish the work that the king had entrusted him.

"If all goes well, you'll see the results tonight. In the end, d'Artagnan had to say so.

Colbert was skeptical, he thought d'Artagnan would do something, but they just sat with the duchess and watched a new play, I have to say, it was a good play, everyone laughed when they watched it, and even Colbert forgot his worries for a while, but as soon as the curtain fell, he immediately found d'Artagnan.

"There are still a few hours left tonight. D'Artagnan said.

Colbert had to go back to his room first, but just as he was sleeping, there was a knock on his door.