Epilogue

Summary

      Officially the end of the novel! On October 28, 1628, after a year of fighting, England surrenders and the French win the siege of La Rochelle. On December 23^rd, King Louis enters the city, proud as can be. He is welcomed heartily by all of Paris. D’Artagnan then takes over the Musketeer regiment. Porthos leaves the service and marries Madame Coquenard; and now is quite rich. That is all fine and well, but again, I disapprove of Porthos and Madame Coquenard’s shallow, money-based relationship. What really makes the wedding excellent news is that dear Mousqueton’s dream finally comes true. All his young life, Mousqueton wanted to have a fancy uniform and drive a gilded carriage, and now he gets exactly that! One thing I appreciate about Porthos is his treatment of Mousqueton, who is awesome and deserves all the gilded carriages and uniforms he wants. 

     Aramis, true to his word for once, does become an abbe in a convent, and unfortunately and disappointingly does not stay in touch with any of the other Musketeers or servants. Bazin also gets his dream fulfilled though, which is nice – he becomes a Brother in a convent. Athos stays with d’Artagnan in the Musketeer regiment for five years, upon which he retires with Grimaud in a nice little Russian cottage that he inherited. I hope he never hurts a woman again, allows Grimaud to speak over there, and stays in his hilariously, zany, and peaceful mode! Rochefort and d’Artagnan duel a bunch of times, but eventually hug and become friends. Yep. I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. M. Bonacieux retires and lives off the cardinal’s money. He doesn’t care to find out what happened to his wife. And now, for the news you’ve all been waiting for….Planchet! Our lovely little Planchet becomes a sergeant in the Piedmont regiment! Ah Dumas, at least you wrote Planchet’s ending perfectly.

Reaction

     This is a very bittersweet ending! The Fearsome Four splitting up makes me quite sad, but I can hope that at least Athos, Porthos, and d’Artagnan still hang out regularly. The Hungry Quadruplets of Joy probably do hang out – they all seem to have a more stable friendship than the Fearsome Four anyways. However, the epilogue has its nice moments. All the servants are happy, which makes me glad, and all the ‘good guys’ have relatively pleasant lives.

     I’m a bit upset that Dumas decided to tell us M. Bonacieux’s fate while ignoring those of many other characters.  I mean, M. Bonacieux? Really? He is just so irrelevant at this point. 

Here is a list of characters whose fates I would rather hear about: 

• Lord de Winter
• Felton
• Queen Anne
• Kitty
• The Comte de Wardes
• The Duchesse de Chevreuse
• M. de Treville
• Laporte
• Aramis’s cousin
• Madame Bois-Tracy
• dad’Artagnan
• mom’Artagnan
• horse’Artagnan
• The Swiss man
• The man in the red cloak
• The groaning curator
• Lubin
• Bicarat
• Jussac
• Cahusac
• Bernajoux
• M. Seguir, keeper of the seals 

Anyone but M. Bonacieux. 

Chapter 67: Conclusion

Summary

     Wow, time flies like an arrow (and fruit flies like a banana! Ha…ha.). It’s over! Last chapter, my lovelies. Well, there is an epilogue, but this is the last real chapter. It starts off with a melancholy tone. The Queen can hardly believe that the duke is dead and only Laporte’s arrival and story can convince her. She is devastated when she accepts the truth. The king, on the other hand, is overjoyed. Dingbat. He is not sensitive about it at all, and doesn’t even pretend to mourn. Poor, poor Queen Anne. I wish she could divorce him, pronto. The king is sad though, when he must return back to La Rochelle under the cardinal’s orders. The Fearsome Four are also lugubrious. They troop along silently, looking down and not joking with their companions. Athos, however, looks up every once in a while with a bitter smile. Creepy. So creepy. When they get to La Rochelle, guess who’s there to welcome them? My pal Rochefort! He greets d’Artagnan by name, quite cordially. Ha! I love this guy. He’s practically the only non-servant in this novel with a sense of humor. D’Artagnan starts to attack him, upon recognizing the letter thief, but Rochefort says that d’Artagnan must report to the cardinal, because he is under arrest. The Musketeers force Rochefort to leave, but not before cruelly implying that Milady isn’t available to talk to, and actually promising to go straight to the cardinal when they reach camp. Rochefort is concerned, and also heads back to camp to find out what happened to Milady.

     D’Artagnan then keeps his word and talks to the cardinal, who is outside his quarters waiting. The cardinal says that d’Artagnan has been accused of a lengthy list of crimes, including treachery. D’Artagnan derails the conversation by casually saying the Milady is dead and was branded with a fleur-de-lis. The cardinal is apparently a huge traitor, because after thinking about the whole situation for a while, he decides that Milady’s death is a positive development. He actually promotes d’Artagnan to a lieutenant in the Musketeers. Say what? D’Artagnan and the cardinal now part as allies, and he tells d’Artagnan to go make nice with Rochefort. Rochefort and d’Artagnan exchange stiff greetings but leave immediately. I don’t blame Rochefort for being angry – he must be quite distraught over his BFF’s death. D’Artagnan then proceeds to try offering his promotion to all of his comrades, but each one refuses. Athos says that it is ‘too much for Athos, but too little for the Comte de la Fere.’ Excuse me, but he does realize that he is speaking in third person about himself as if he is two people? Porthos says that M. Coquenard died during the La Rochelle campaign, so he will marry Madame Coquenard for her money. Porthos, alas – what have you become? Aramis refuses the offer, and says that he is going to really become an abbe this time. He sounds like a little kid: “No, I mean it! This time I’m really going to run away! *Cue violent sobbing.*” D’Artagnan then has no choice but to accept the promotion himself. He feels as if this accomplishment has been bittersweet though, and cries a bit. Athos comforts him in his odd, overdramatic way.   

Reaction

     Well, I feel a bit deprived! I can see that the epilogue is quite short, and I’m not sure how it will satisfy all my questions and all the plotlines. Firstly, I cannot believe that the Musketeers have switched allegiances to the cardinal’s side! What about poor Queen Anne? She will continue to be victimized by the cardinal. Also, what about the cardinal himself? Why in the world does he not ‘dispose of’ the Musketeers? Not that I want him to, but I supposed that they would have to fight a bit harder to reach safety. The implications of the cardinal’s change of heart make me kind of uncomfortable. It’s almost as if Dumas is saying that Milady’s influence made the cardinal a ‘bad guy’ and since she is dead, he is free of evil influences. This is unfair and unpleasantly reminiscent of the sexist ‘siren’ or ‘evil temptress lady’ characters – they seem to be blaming Milady for an awful lot. The splitting up of the Musketeers also makes me kind of sad. I hope they all visit often and stay friends. I also hope that the Hungry Quadruplets of Joy are happy and also stay friends. The loss of Rochefort and Milady’s beautiful friendship also is quite depressing. However, I am happy that all the heroes and most of the people we care about are alive, healthy, and relatively happy. 

Chapter 66: Execution

Summary

     Yep. The title pretty much sums it up – they band together, tie Milady up, and kill her. It is the worst, most horrifyingly gruesome chapter I have read…ever? I just don’t understand. Why, Dumas?? Dumas, you make my soul weep. Milady killed Madame Bonacieux. I understand that – and as I said last chapter, she ought to be jailed for life and put on heavy guard. BUT – who are these pompous nitwits to judge someone’s life by themselves? And who do they think they are, ganging up on a tied up and terrified person like that? This is a painful, painful chapter, but I’ll try to blog it thoroughly. So they tie Milady up, and drag her out of the cabin. They force Grimaud and Mousqueton to drag Milady along to the river. Milady begs, threatens, and bribes the poor servants. They hesitate slightly – um probably because they are good people! – but Athos just makes the other two servants drag her along. 

     Milady is terrified, and calls them cowards for being ten men ganging up against a woman. Athos tells her that she is not a woman (wow, shut up Athos, you shouldn’t tell anyone that) and that she is a demon, so it is okay if they kill her. Right. The man in the red cloak – let’s call him Jigglypuff, shall we? – grabs her and begins carrying her to the river. Milady is frightened out of her mind, and asks in horror if they are going to drown her. She is pleading so heartrendingly that even d’Artagnan, who isn’t the most sensitive of men, is touched. Somehow, he is the only one (other than the Hungry Quadruplets of Joy; they are not mentioned for the rest of the chapter) who is disturbed by what they are doing, and sits down on a rock, his head buried in his hands. Milady sees his guilt and calls out to him, begging for help. Oh no, Milady begging is going to make me cry. D’Artagnan gets up to help her, but Athos (I’m starting to really dislike Athos here) steps in his way and draws his sword. He refuses to let anyone stop the killing. D’Artagnan, defeated, sinks down to his knees and begins to pray. 

     Before Jigglypuff does his deed of goriness, Athos, d’Artagnan, and Lord de Winter condescendingly pardon Milady. Athos’s pardon of course, is terrible and unfair. Does he realize how unreasonable he’s being? D’Artagnan’s pardon is the nicest, because he asks pardon himself for his “ungentlemanly” trick. It’s still pretty bad though. No d’Artagnan, you do not get to ask her pardon as you let her get murdered. Milady realizes that she going to die unless she can flee, and casts a quick and searching glance all around her to see if she can escape. She sees nothing that can save her. Jigglypuff grabs her and hauls her onto a boat in the river. Athos gives Jigglypuff some money in return, but Jigglypuff ‘nobly’ *snort* throws the money bag in the water. What a waste. I hate everyone. The boat with Jigglypuff and Milady begins to move away from the bank, and everyone watching is so overwhelmed by what is about to happen that they all fall to their knees. No. Get up. Get up and do something, you lousy sacks of snot. 

      Meanwhile, Milady, the wily little devil, has managed to untie her feet and leaps onto the opposite bank, about to escape. However, the bank is slippery and she falls to her knees. Despairing, she clasps her hands and prays to God. As she prays, that awful jerk of a Jigglypuff sneaks up behind her and chops off her head. The observers on the bank hear her cry out and then see her head fall. Jigglypuff then happily takes of his cloak and wraps Milady’s head *shudder* and body in it, and throws her corpse into the water. He calls out something about God but I’m too horrified to care about Jigglypuff. AND THEN DUMAS PROCEEDS TO GET HUNGRY AND TAKE A BREAK TO EAT SOME BREAD AND CHEESE AND WINE AND WHEN HE GETS BACK HE’S ALL SLEEPY FROM THE GOOD FOOD SO HE IS LIKE “SCREW IT” AND JUST SKIPS TO THREE DAYS LATER IN THE PLOT. Because that’s seriously the only explanation I have for the end of this chapter. Dumas, as I mentioned in caps lock rage mode, skips to three days later when the Fearsome Four are back in Paris. He doesn’t mention any guilt, any horror, anything about Lord de Winter, anything about Milady – he better revisit everyone’s reactions in the next chapter. He better.

Reaction

     I hardly know what to say. Again, I am absolutely appalled. The best, most fascinating, most complex character in the novel is dismissed as ‘evil’ and killed unceremoniously. The only modicum of joy I could glean from this chapter was the fact that the Hungry Quadruplets of Joy are not mentioned after Dumas says that they had to drag Milady to the riverbank. In my mind, they just left, unwilling to be bystanders to such nonsense. I hate Jigglypuff.

     The best line was the ending, where Dumas skips ahead. It’s so casual and awful that my jaw literally dropped open in horror, and then I began laughing hysterically because it’s so terrible. Enjoy:

“Three days afterward the four Musketeers were in Paris; they had not exceeded their leave of absence, and that same evening they went to pay their customary visit to M. de Treville.

‘Well, gentlemen,’ said the brave captain, ‘I hope you have been well amused during your excursion.’

‘Prodigiously,’ replied Athos in the name of himself and his comrades.”

PRODIGIOUSLY AMUSED?! Go sit in a corner and eat some paper, Athos.

Chapter 65: Trial

Summary

     Basically, this chapter consists of the four Musketeers, Lord de Winter, and the man in the red cloak – well mostly Athos and d’Artagnan, acting very creepy, freaking Milady out, capturing her, and ‘sentencing’ her to death. Uh-oh. The chapter begins with the traveling Musketeers, Lord de Winter, and the man in the red cloak reaching the other servants. Grimaud then takes them to Milady’s hideout. She is in a small cabin, sitting pensively in an armchair. They appear suddenly and stare menacingly at her. Athos literally smiles sinisterly. When Milady sees him smiling so, and looking at her through the window, she screams in horror. Everyone enters the cabin ominously. They hold a ‘trial’ where they take turns accusing her in a totally biased manner. She is rightly accused of murdering Madame Bonacieux, and then baselessly accused of murdering her second husband. They then claim that Felton’s murder of the duke, and Felton likely being sentenced to death, are her fault. Everyone shudders in horror, thinking of ‘poor’ Felton. Screw that noise. I thought we went over this, Dumas. Milady did not force Felton to murder the duke. She did not even ASK him to. He committed the deed of his own volition. Felton’s a big boy. He ought to be able to handle the consequences – as ought Milady – but at least Felton will get a fair trial! The procedure then gets about 1.6 times more disgusting when Athos suddenly steps up, all a-quiver with self-righteousness.

     Trembling, Athos tells everyone how he married Milady and thought he loved her when he figured out that *GASP* she once stole some pots! So, quite naturally, he tried to kill her. And no one in the room seems to realize how messed up that is. Milady demands proof, and the man in the red cloak steps forward. He finally unveils himself. Good grief – finally done with all the histrionics! He is her old executioner. The executioner then dramatically recounts how Milady had ‘seduced’ a priest and how he had stolen some sacred pots so they could run away and live together. They were caught, and the man who stole the pots was branded. And…he also was the executioner’s brother. Of course. The executioner also decided to brand Milady, because he sucks like that. Then, she abandoned the priest and married Athos. The priest hung himself with guilt, because the executioner was imprisoned in his place when Milady and the priest fled. Okay. The executioner demands that Milady die. Everyone else agrees in creepy voices. I hate everyone in this room. Except the Hungry Quadruplets of Joy – I must give all of them kudos on not participating in this disgrace.

Reaction

     What. The. Fresh. Heck. Is. This. Plotline. I honestly don’t know – did Dumas just give up or something? Wasn’t there a better way to resolve this other than making me hate all the main ‘good guys?’ I can hardly believe the crazy double standards they have. Seriously – the only legitimate crime that Milady has committed and needs to be held accountable for is the poisoning of Madame Bonacieux. That is a second-degree murder, since it was not premeditated. I looked it up, and in the modern day United States, she would get life imprisonment. Sounds fair to me – she certainly ought to be put in jail so she can’t hurt anyone else! But death without a proper trial? Aw, no way. And what was up with the man in the red cloak? He literally added nothing to the story. His story just makes me feel the unfairness even more, because Milady didn’t even actually *steal* the pots, that dumb-butt priest did. And they all used way too much drama and suspense and silliness for my liking. For goodness sakes, they literally used creepy voices and unnerving repetition of the death sentence when sentencing Milady. I couldn’t say I had a favorite line – the whole chapter was terrifying, but this part best shows how sinister everyone was acting:

“‘Monsieur d'Artagnan,’ said Athos, ‘what is the penalty you demand against this woman?’

‘The punishment of death,’ replied d'Artagnan.

‘My Lord de Winter,’ continued Athos, ‘what is the penalty you demand against this woman?’

‘The punishment of death,’ replied Lord de Winter.

‘Messieurs Porthos and Aramis,’ repeated Athos, ‘you who are her judges, what is the sentence you pronounce upon this woman?’

‘The punishment of death,’ replied the Musketeers, in a hollow voice.

Milady uttered a frightful shriek, and dragged herself along several paces upon her knees toward her judges.

Athos stretched out his hand toward her.

"Charlotte Backson, Comtesse de la Fere, Milady de Winter,’ said he, ’your crimes have wearied men on earth and God in heaven. If you know a prayer, say it--for you are condemned, and you shall die.’”

Sounds like a horror story, right?

Chapter 64: The Man in the Red Cloak

Summary

     Athos summons the servants, and gives them some instructions. Hmm, I should make a name for the group of servants. They deserve a good one. How about the Hungry Quadruplets of Joy? Yes, that’ll do nicely. So Athos tells the Hungry Quadruplets of Joy that they are to each leave for Armentieres by a different route, and seek Milady. They have an advantage since they know Milady, but she does not know them. Ha! I knew Milady would regret omitting the servants in her list of threats! Planchet is to use the route that Rochefort’s servant took by carriage, because he’s cool like that. If they find Milady, three of them will guard her, and the other will go back, inform the Fearsome Four, and lead them to Milady. The Hungry Quadruplets of Joy head off on their mission dutifully. Athos also leaves the hotel himself. It is about 10 o’clock in the evening. Then, Athos proceeds to say a few words to local people, watch them overdramatically recoil in terror, and be pointed a certain direction. After a while of these tedious locals helping him out, Athos reaches his destination. The man-who-Dumas-will-not-name takes Athos into an eerie little lab with jars and experiments and lizards, and invites him to take a look. He’s currently assembling a skeleton. Wow, this is getting weird.  The man is pale, with black hair and a black beard. Athos is impatient with the lab equipment, and wants to talk of other things. Athos then requests something of the man-who-Dumas-will-not-name. He follows the local custom of recoiling in fear, but eventually acquiesces. Athos shows him a piece of paper with two lines and a seal on it, and then goes home.

     In the morning, d’Artagnan demands to know what they are going to do. Athos says that they must wait. Presently, Madame Bonacieux’s funeral takes place. It is a solemn affair, but it has a nice choir.  D’Artagnan is feeling pretty blue during the burial ceremony, and tries to catch Athos’s eye for comfort. But Athos is gone! He left to continue his mission. Wow, rude. Athos follows Milady’s footsteps out of the garden, and finds where she entered the carriage. His suspicions confirmed, he heads back to the hotel. There, he finds Planchet impatiently waiting for him. Planchet, too, had followed Milady’s footsteps, but had gone even further than Athos. He went to an inn and pretended to be an out-of-work servant, and managed to find out that a lady had arrived shortly before, saying that she would stay for a while. So, basically, the Hungry Quadruplets of Joy have found Milady. In the evening, Athos fetches the mysterious man, who is wearing a red cloak. The whole party – including Lord de Winter and excluding Grimaud, Mousqueton, and Bazin, who are guarding Milady’s location – is present. Everyone is a bit confused about Athos’s new friend, but they don’t question it. Then, Planchet begins to lead the way to Milady’s hideout.

Reaction

     I adore how far the Hungry Quadruplets of Joy have come. They used to be minor characters, but now they have basically become some of the most indispensible people on the royalist side. Planchet, especially, has come a long way. From a hobo, “making rings and splashing in the water” under a bridge, to a veritable hero! The man in the red cloak being kept a secret from everyone is kind of silly though – why, does Athos want a big dramatic reveal or something? Also, Madame Bonacieux’s funeral would have been sadder if Dumas actually tried to focus on her for even a second. Like I said, she’s become a plot point – the focus was never on her.

     My favorite line is the melodramatic introduction of the man in the red cloak: “The man whom Athos had come so far to seek, and whom he had found with so much trouble, introduced him into his laboratory, where he was engaged in fastening together with iron wire the dry bones of a skeleton. All the frame was adjusted except the head, which lay on the table.” Uh…is this The Three Musketeers or a cannibal thriller mystery novel?!

Chapter 63: The Drop of Water

Summary

     Now this chapter is fairly horrific. My fears are coming true! Milady starts off by conspiratorially telling Madame Bonacieux that Rochefort is only pretending to be a messenger from the cardinal, and is actually her brother. To back this up, she takes Madame Bonacieux to the window and calls out “adieu, brother!” to Rochefort as he is galloping away. He sees the pair of women and without hesitation waves cheerily to Milady. Milady then is easily able to convince the oddly oblivious Madame Bonacieux that she ought to go with Milady when her ‘brother’s’ carriage comes to fetch her. Milady then excuses herself to pace around in the garden and finalize her plans. After an hour, Madame Bonacieux calls her. They dine together, so that they will be able to flee anytime they need to. And indeed, that time comes soon. They hear hoof beats. Madame Bonacieux is again suddenly weak and helpless, and is paralyzed with terror. Milady goes to check who is coming, and to her dismay, it is the Fearsome Four! She tells Madame Bonacieux that the cardinal’s guards had arrived and that they must flee, but Madame Bonacieux can barely walk. Milady tries to lift her and drag her, but the Musketeers are almost at the door! So, she does something terrible. She unscrews the top of a ring she is wearing, and pours some red powder into a wine glass. She then tells Madame Bonacieux to drink it for strength. The uncharacteristically meek woman does as told without questions. Milady mutters that she did not want to get revenge this way, but she must do what she can. She then leaves quickly from the back door and escapes through her planned route.

     The Fearsome Four sprint into the room, and find Madame Bonacieux alone. She and d’Artagnan have a nice moment, but then the effects of the poison start to work and Madame Bonacieux is pale and dying in agony. Oh no. She mentions her companion, who had ‘mistaken’ them for the cardinal’s guards. All of them desperately ask her who her companion was, and she finally is able to say that her name was Lady de Winter. Madame Bonacieux, weak and dizzy, calls for help. Then, in great pain, she kisses d’Artagnan and then sighs. She is dead. D’Artagnan is devastated and begins to sob over her body. Porthos and Aramis try to revive her, but to no avail. D’Artagnan faints. Suddenly, Lord de Winter shows up. He had set sail immediately after Milady, and had been relentlessly trying to find her. Now he is a minute too late, again. This is so sad! He sternly asks the Musketeers if both Madame Bonacieux and d’Artagnan are dead. They explain that d’Artagnan has only fainted (I’m not sure if this part was meant to be funny, but it was). Athos hugs d’Artagnan when he comes to, and swears revenge on Milady. Athos suddenly has taken charge. He looks as if he has a plan. He puts his companions up in a hotel, and says that they need time to grieve and to sleep. He then takes the paper with ‘Armentieres’ written on it, and tells everyone that as the husband of Milady, it is his turn to act.

Reaction

     I…have mixed feelings about this chapter. Very mixed. On one hand, I, like d’Artagnan, am devastated that Madame Bonacieux is dead. But I am devastated for more reasons than he is. I am highly upset that she was turned into a weak, helpless kitten in the chapters before her death. I refuse to believe that an intelligent and successful spy would be so gullible. Worse was the way that everyone acted after her death. They all called her an angel, and Dumas’s narration implies that she was pure, chaste, and gentle. This irritates me. The Madame Bonacieux I know was strong, spirited, and knew what she wanted. But the more egregious crime in my opinion is that now she has turned into a plot point. Do you see what Dumas has done? He warped Madame Bonacieux’s character as I described in order to make Milady look evil, and to give d’Artagnan and Athos a motive for revenge on Milady. This is awful to me, especially since I told you all in my rant how much I am fascinated by Milady’s character. Simplifying her character into ‘evil lady’ does not help anyone. And, of course, I liked the burgeoning character of Madame Bonacieux, and I am distressed that we will not get to learn more about her and see her develop. I also hate that everyone, including Milady talks about Madame Bonacieux and d’Artagnan as if they are lovers and d’Artagnan loves her more than life. I mean, her dying kiss was their first kiss! And d’Artagnan was very disloyal to her repeatedly. Milady ought to know that!

     My favorite line is Athos randomly being selfish and overdramatic while d’Artagnan is weeping: “‘Weep,’ said Athos, ‘weep, heart full of love, youth, and life! Alas, would I could weep like you!’” No comment.  Just enjoy the insanity.  

Chapter 62: Two Varieties of Demons

Summary

          This chapter was super fun to blog, because I got a little help from my new friend, the Comte de Rochefort! The title refers to, of course, the charming Milady and aforementioned Rochefort. The pair makes pleasantries and then discusses their various crimes casually, as if talking about what they had for breakfast. Rochefort praises Milady for pretending to be Madame Bonacieux’s friend, and they gossip condescendingly about the oddly gullible woman. They also talk about the Fearsome Four. Milady says that the only dangerous ones out of the four are Athos and d’Artagnan. She says that Porthos is stupid and she knows about Aramis’s mistress, so she has blackmail material. I notice that she omitted their servants. Not wise, Milady. After some discussion about transportation, they decide to meet at Armentieres. Amusingly, Rochefort just cannot remember the place’s name. He promises to repeat it in his head until he memorizes it, but both are kind of afraid that he will forget, so Milady writes the name on a piece of paper. She is dubious about doing so, but Rochefort insists. Rochefort sticks it in his hat lining carefully. He then inquires how she knows this place so well. Milady explains that she was brought up near the convent. Wow, d’Artagnan always suspected that she was secretly French! I guess he was right. Rochefort then makes sure he got all the important points of their talk by reviewing it out loud. Heh, he seems to have a terrible memory. 
He summarizes this chapter quite well. So without further ado:

Rochefort’s Summary

     “Buckingham dead or grievously wounded; your conversation with the cardinal overheard by the four Musketeers; Lord de Winter warned of your arrival at Portsmouth; d'Artagnan and Athos to the Bastille; Aramis the lover of Madame de Chevreuse; Porthos an ass; Madame Bonacieux found again; to send you the chaise as soon as possible; to place my lackey at your disposal; to make you out a victim of the cardinal in order that the abbess may entertain no suspicion; Armentieres, on the banks of the Lys. Is that all, then?”

(Back to mine!)

     Not bad, Rochefort, are you trying to replace me?! Milady reminds him that he forgot to ask her if she has money. He asks her how much she needs. Milady humorously demands all that is in his pockets. He complies and she fills her purse. They then bid each other farewell, and Rochefort rides away. 

Reaction

          This chapter was so simple, and may be dismissed as mere filler – except for the beautiful dialogue. It was so beautiful that I just want the rest of the novel to be Milady and Rochefort being spies and best friends and the servants also being spies and all of them going on secret missions together for justice and yeah, I really want a spin-off novel. Basically, without Dumas saying so directly we can still see that Milady and Rochefort are pretty close and know each other well. They converse easily and without drama or romance, and it’s very refreshing. They sound like good friends. I wish we’d seen more of them before - their dialogue is light-hearted and fun! With great chapters, I often have a hard time picking a favorite line, but I chose their farewell banter:

Milady: "Capital! Adieu, Chevalier."

Rochefort: "Adieu, Countess."

Milady: "Commend me to the cardinal."

Rochefort: "Commend me to Satan."

And then they smile at each other and part ways. This is the best friendship in the novel! They joke; they talk naturally! It’s great. 

Rochefort’s Reaction

     Geneyric likes our dialogue; our farewell was funny; there should be a spin-off novel. Is that all, then?

Yes Rochefort, that is all. You are so funny. Now leave. 

Chapter 61: The Carmelite Convert at Bethune

Summary

     As the Fearsome Four ride along the road to Bethune, we come to Milady’s story. The blessedly lucky woman managed to make it across two ports without suspicion, and even was able to send the cardinal a quick note informing him that her mission was complete and that Buckingham is dead. She also informed the cardinal that she would be hiding out in the convent of the Carmelite in Bethune. So Milady finds herself in that convent, and as per the cardinal’s orders, is given a chamber to stay in. She wants to make that the abbess that is hosting her is on her side, so she acts very charming and sweet. Soon, the two chat daily. Milady tells the abbess amusing tales of the court. However, Milady cannot tell if the abbess is a cardinalist or royalist. So, she takes a risk by claiming that she is a victim of the evil cardinal. The woman accepts this readily, and thus Milady learns that she is a royalist. Furthermore, the woman says that she has another victim of the cardinal in the convent, sent to her by someone named Kitty. Milady is taken aback, and wonders if this Kitty is her Kitty. So, Milady asks to see the young lady held in the convent.

     The next day, the abbess brings the young woman to visit. Oh no. As I’m sure you have realized, this convent is the same one that Madame Bonacieux is in, because both places are described as being in Bethune. And this young woman sounds a lot like Madame Bonacieux! The two ladies survey each other, not unkindly. They are both beautiful, but in very different ways. They begin to talk, and Milady pretends to love the queen and to know M. de Treville. This makes Madame Bonacieux forget her suspicion and lose all prudence, explaining that she too knows both. She asks Milady if she knows the Fearsome Four. Milady claims that she does, and praises them convincingly. Milady suddenly realizes that the woman is Madame Bonacieux! She exclaims her revelation out loud, and says that she is delighted to find her. Milady pretends that she is friends with d’Artagnan, knows all about Madame Bonacieux, and is very happy to see her in one piece. Calling her Constance, she embraces the hapless woman.  To my disappointment, Madame Bonacieux is very much in love with d’Artagnan, and says that he is so amazing that he is going to rescue her soon.  She also says that suffering for him is not suffering, but actually happiness. Uh, who are you and what have you done with Madame Bonacieux?!? Suddenly, hoof beats are heard outside. Milady is for once terrified – she fears that it is Athos and the Fearsome Four. To her delight, it is the Comte de Rochefort! She tells Madame Bonacieux that she must speak to this man, and to wait for her inside. She lets out a cry of joy upon seeing him.

Reaction

     This reaction will be another in which I ramble. But first, let me talk about the actual chapter. I love the idea of Milady and Madame Bonacieux meeting – they are the two best women in the novel! However, I disliked the way that Dumas played up Madame Bonacieux’s innocence and gentleness in order for her to contrast with Milady. I would love for them to NOT contrast – it would be so much more powerful. I feel as if that choice of Dumas’s made Madame Bonacieux into a weak character, pining over a man and waiting for him to heroically save her. I really disliked that, since she showed no signs of ‘loving’ him so much before her kidnapping, and was a capable, sensible, and awesome spy. What happened to that? I feel cheated. I hope the two women have a duel, though – it would redeem this chapter. Or, they should team up. I actually would not mind if Milady switched sides. To be honest, I feel like Milady was never given a chance to be ‘good.’

    After having been given all the pieces of her life story, I have a better picture of how tragic her life was. I think that previously, I kind of ‘forgave’ Athos for trying to kill her since she is currently such an awful person. However, I realize that I was being unfair. Milady did not deserve death at the time that Athos tried to kill her. Her later actions do not justify Athos’s behavior in the least. Also, how awful is she really? I went back, and put together her life story so we can figure this out: First, as a young woman, she steals some pots from a sacred place. Shame on her, right? But her punishment does not fit the crime – she is permanently branded as a criminal. Wow, talk about ruining a life! Next, her life takes a turn for the happier when she marries a handsome, noble, kind man. Yay! But wait, his love for her is so shallow that when he sees the brand, he does not wait for an explanation – he tries to KILL her in cold blood. Luckily, the poor woman escapes from that madman. She then goes into hiding, and marries an Englishman. However, this Englishman dies soon after, leaving her a helpless widow. Now she cannot marry again without creating much scandal, and she is stuck with a sarcastic, mocking brother-in-law who has all the power in the family. So, she secretly wishes that this brother-in-law would die, because then at least she would be rich! Awful, but you must give her credit for not actually trying to kill him despite Athos trying to kill her. Milady is actually being the better person here in comparison to Athos.

     During this time, she also enters the service of the cardinal, who sends her on exciting and awesome spy missions. Yes, she is working for the ‘bad side,’ but could she work on the good side with a past like hers? Everyone on the royalist side seems very judgmental towards women and Milady’s fleur-de-lis brand, so it is unlikely that she would have been accepted. In her spy missions, she indirectly causes the death of at least a few people. I would say that is wrong, and inexcusable for obvious reasons. However, the Fearsome Four also kill numerous cardinalists just because of the queen/cardinal tension. How are they any better than Milady?  Next, Milady falls in love with the Comte de Wardes. We never know how he feels about her, but she seems to adore him. Soon, love-struck d’Artagnan shows up. As I have discussed before, he treats her awfully by impersonating de Wardes, taking her ring, and sadistically breaking her heart with that letter. Milady decides to have de Wardes killed for this transgression. I thought that proved her cruelty when I read it. However, thinking about it in the context of the novel, where pride is everything and the Fearsome Four duel with and kill people who offend their pride and I do not criticize them at all (think: the duels with guards, the goat-field, etc.), I was again being unfair. Milady is using the same dubious morals that I have accepted for the Musketeers, so I accept them for her also. She uses d’Artagnan as a tool to get her revenge. Clearly, that is manipulative and wrong. But it’s true that d’Artagnan absolutely does the same to Kitty. We must also remember that she knew that d’Artagnan ruined her spy mission and is on the queen’s side, so they are already enemies. In contrast, d’Artagnan has no reason to manipulate Kitty.

     Then, d’Artagnan reveals his cruelty towards Milady. She is rightfully furious. He also sees her fleur-de-lis, putting her in great danger. Milady tries very hard to kill him after that, even hiring assassins to stalk him. Keep in mind that d’Artagnan himself admits that his behavior towards Milady “bore a strong resemblance to treachery.” Then, the stovepipe eavesdropping incident happens, and Milady and Athos confront each other. He almost kills her and takes her paper. Then, at the meeting of the Musketeers, they all want to kill her except for noble Aramis, who refuses to allow them to kill a woman. Indeed, condescending, but it’s good of him. Then, Milady is kidnapped by Lord de Winter, and sentenced to exile. Lord de Winter mocks her and threatens her during her imprisonment. He also knows about her shoulder brand and lets her know that he knows. She manipulates and lies to Felton to escape. Mr. Felton falls for her tricks, and of his own volition, decides to kill the duke. Milady is glad that the duke is dead. Here is where I really began to dislike Milady again. She genuinely seemed thrilled to hurt people. Looking at the big picture, I realize that this was her job – to make sure the duke is killed. So these assassinations are part of her job description. What a terrible job! But her job is one place where she feels safe. The cardinal himself mused that Milady is very loyal to him only because she wants to keep her secret (the fleur-de-lis) safe and the cardinal is the only person powerful enough to protect her.

     I honestly think that Milady is the most fascinating character in the novel. Mistreated at a young age, she has turned into a monster. Basically the whole point of this rant is that Milady is a complex and multi-dimensional character, and it kind of sucks to see that I never noticed – I thought she was evil the whole time, whereas she deserved far more sympathy than I gave her (I was on her side during the whole de Wardes/d’Artagnan/Kitty fiasco though). If Athos hadn’t tried to kill her, and if she hadn’t been branded, how awesome of a ‘good guy’ would she have made? The whole story is very tragic. I’m also upset because I really love her spirit and how she attacks life and how professional and intelligent and skilled she is, and it personally kind of hurts my heart to see how she is making a gradual descent into evilness. And I’m afraid that she will do worse after this chapter. I will conclude my Milady ramble with this: Dumas’s biggest accomplishment in this entire novel is the character of Milady. I really am impressed. 

Chapter 60: In France

Summary

     The king of England decides to try and conceal the news of the duke’s death from reaching his soldiers, because they would lose their morale. Meanwhile, back at the French camp, the king is getting bored. The cardinal is tired and allows him to go to the festival of St. Louis at St. Germain. M. de Treville accompanies him, and takes the Fearsome Four along to help guard the king. The four are more eager than usual to go to Paris, because they heard word from Aramis’s cousin in a coded letter that said that Madame Bonacieux is ready to be released. After they reach St. Germain, M. de Treville settles the king down, and the Fearsome Four have some free time on their hands. They decide to pool their money together, get horses, and fetch Madame Bonacieux from the convent. As they discuss their plans, d’Artagnan suddenly lets out a cry, drops his wine glass, and runs out of the tavern they are in. The others follow him. They have seen the letter-thief! The man unfortunately gets away, but he drops a letter on which the location he is going to is written – it is Armentieres. They decide not to give chase, and set off at full speed to the convent. They plan to visit Armentieres later and seek the ‘mysterious’ man.

Reaction

     I feel like the Fearsome Four have way too much free time. M. de Treville really is an indulgent mentor! Also, I love how the king acts like a spoiled little child, and the cardinal is like his exasperated mom. Hmm, I’m a bit confused about why d’Artagnan is so hung up on the letter-thief, or, as we know him, the Comte de Rochefort. I mean, we readers already know who he is, and he isn’t a very big deal – just one of the cardinal's many men. D’Artagnan needs to take a deep breath, stay on his guard, and go find Madame Bonacieux. My favorite line is: “"That cursed man, my evil genius, whom I have always met with when threatened by some misfortune, he who accompanied that horrible woman when I met her for the first time, he whom I was seeking when I offended our Athos, he whom I saw on the very morning Madame Bonacieux was abducted. I have seen him; that is he! I recognized him when the wind blew upon his cloak.” Calm down d’Artagnan, won’t you?

Chapter 59: What Took Place at Portsmouth August 23, 1628

Summary

     Wow, I read this chapter on the 384^th anniversary of the titular event! And wow, is this event intense. This chapter gave me many feelings, plenty of which were unwanted. You shall soon see what this mysterious event is. Or, maybe not so mysterious. Because Felton is walking towards Buckingham’s quarters with a purpose. He carries the paper that Buckingham must sign in order to sentence Milady to prison/exile in Tyburn. He is feeling jubilant and vengeful. Mr. Felton soon arrives at Portsmouth, looking crazy with passion and heat. Meanwhile, the duke has just finished a splendid bath. Felton is admitted to the quarters due to his note. Just as he arrives outside the duke’s chamber, so does another messenger, who is also dusty and frantic. Patrick, the duke’s valet, decides to let Felton in to talk to the duke first, since Felton named Lord de Winter, and the other messenger refused to name anyone. Felton thus ends up in the Duke of Buckingham’s chamber. The duke, fresh out of the bath, is carefully grooming himself, while lounging in a lavish gold-embroidered robe. He then proceeds to change out of this robe, and into a blue velvet shirt, which is set with pearls. Geez, I just can’t with this man. The duke is so sheltered and powerful, it’s like he’s living in his own world.  It’s simultaneously frustrating and amusing how spoiled he is.

     Felton, dirty and red in the face, provides a nice contrast to the immaculate and richly dressed duke. He then politely hands the duke the order to send away ‘Charlotte Brackson’ (the fake name that Lord de Winter used for Milady). The duke looks at it, and calmly sits down to sign it. Felton, incredulous, asks him if he realizes that ‘Charlotte Backson’ is Milady. The duke coolly replies in the affirmative. Poor, foolish Felton, drunk with love, demands that the duke not sign it. Buckingham, taken aback, says that Milady certainly deserves to be exiled to Tyburn, and he will certainly sign the paper. Felton then orders him to stop. The duke, naturally, refuses, but then lunges for his sword when he sees Felton throw himself forward with a knife. He had kept the knife that Milady used to ‘stab’ herself! Patrick comes in at that moment with a letter from France (that’s what the other messenger had!). As soon as he hears the word ‘France,’ Buckingham’s mind jumps to Queen Anne. To my horror, Felton takes advantage of this distraction and plunges his knife up to the hilt into the duke. Crying out, the duke sinks down. Patrick screams for help. Felton makes a wild dash for the exit, but runs into Lord de Winter, who is entering the chamber at that moment. When he sees Felton’s expression and the blood on his hands, he seizes him viciously, yelling that he had suspected that Felton would be a traitor. At Patrick’s scream, the French messenger rushes into the chamber. It is Laporte! He is the queen’s valet, in case you forgot.  The duke recognizes him and begs him to read the message from the queen, before he dies. However, the duke suddenly is still. Lord de Winter and other friends also have entered the chamber, and the sad news has already spread halfway around the city – everywhere, people are crying. A cannon sounds to announce his death.

     But wait! The duke is still alive! He wakes up, annoyed at Laporte for not reading the letter. Lord de Winter, wracked with guilt, says that he will never console himself for what Felton has done. The duke says that he is not to blame. Lord de Winter bursts into tears, devastated at this turn of events. Laporte eventually reads the letter aloud. Sadly, it is a dry message asking the duke to end the war between France and England. Laporte passes on two more important messages – Queen Anne warns him to stay safe (alas! Too late!) and also tells him that she loves him. The duke then sighs with joy, and says that now he can die happy. Laporte breaks at that, and begins to sob. The Duke of Buckingham asks Laporte to give the queen the casket that he had kept and her letters to him. The duke’s eyes are growing unfocused. The duke convulses, and tries to smile, but death freezes that last expression on his face. Patrick calls out, and the whole chamber is plunged into grief.

     A surgeon arrives, too late, and affirms his death. Lord de Winter rushes toward Felton in blind rage, and demands to know why he has done this terrible deed. Felton, the misguided fool, covers for Milady by claiming that he killed the duke because Buckingham failed to promote him or bestow any favors. Lord de Winter is stunned. One thing, however, gives Felton away. At every noise he hears, at every movement he sees, he imagines Milady running to save him, to explain why he did this deed. But Milady does not come. He suddenly turns pale. Out on the waters, he sees a ship sailing away. It is Milady’s! Deathly white, he puts a hand to his breaking heart. Trembling, he asks Lord de Winter what the time is. De Winter realizes what is going on, and tells him that it is but ten minutes to nine. Milady departed as soon as she heard the canon, leaving Felton behind. Felton at once perceives the treachery, but does not speak. He says to himself “God has willed it!” but he is unable to tear his eyes from the departing ship. Lord de Winter follows his gaze, and guesses all. He tells Felton that he will be isolated in his cell – no more helping Milady. Lord de Winter swears that he will get his revenge on her. Felton lowers his head, defeated and speechless. Irons are clapped around his wrist, and he is dragged away by prison guards, as his love-struck eyes still seek the white outline of the sail.

Reaction

     I feel sick. I truly do. Dumas, you just blew me away. My summary honestly does not do justice to the genius writing present in this chapter. My heart is bleeding for the duke and Felton, and I don’t even like either of them that much. I hope Milady falls overboard on the way to France, and has to swim all the way back and gets into trouble with the cardinal and then Planchet defeats her and then she is sent to Tyburn to rot. I cannot believe this woman. Don’t get me wrong – Milady’s ‘seduction’ or whatever is absolutely not to blame for Felton’s actions. He chose to murder someone; Milady did not force him to. In fact, she did not even ask him to! However, my heart is breaking. How dare she orchestrate murder? Actually, how dare the cardinal order such a thing?! Felton’s life is ruined. The duke is DEAD. Lord de Winter lost a friend; Queen Anne lost her love; and we all lost the generous, passionate, well-intentioned duke. And the end! Oh, the end. I have so many feelings. Milady couldn’t even wait another hour to make Felton’s ‘sacrifice’ worth it! What a tragic, tragic scene.

     It was very difficult choosing a favorite line from this chapter, but since I must, my favorite is the duke’s demise: “Felton took advantage of this moment, and plunged the knife into his side up to the handle. ‘Ah, traitor,’ cried Buckingham, ‘you have killed me!’ ‘Murder!’ screamed Patrick. Felton cast his eyes round for means of escape, and seeing the door free, he rushed into the next chamber, in which, as we have said, the deputies from La Rochelle were waiting, crossed it as quickly as possible, and rushed toward the staircase; but upon the first step he met Lord de Winter, who, seeing him pale, confused, livid, and stained with blood both on his hands and face, seized him by the throat, crying, ‘I knew it! I guessed it! But too late by a minute, unfortunate, unfortunate that I am!’” This part is so terrifying and appalling – I almost jumped out of my chair when the duke was stabbed.

Chapter 58: Escape

Summary

     Luckily for her, Milady’s wound is not serious. She rests all night, with the hope that Felton would arrive by breakfast time. To her horror, he does not. Instead, Lord de Winter pays her a visit in the evening. He seems quite happy with himself. He says that he has sent Felton away because he noticed that the poor Puritan had been getting corrupted by Milady. Unsurprisingly, Milady is distraught. Her beautiful plans are ruined! The wind screams around her prison, and she howls in rage and frustration along with it. However, after a while, she hears a tapping on her window. It is Felton! He snuck back to break her out. She is ecstatic! Felton files through the bars on her window while Milady pretends to sleep for an agonized hour. Then, he gallantly carries her down. They just manage to escape being noticed by a patrol. Then, Felton takes Milady to a small vessel that he has hired. The captain will not be paid all of his fare until Milady is safely taken to France. Milady is still upset about failing her mission, and blurts out that she wishes the Duke of Buckingham would not sail either. Felton stares at her, and then says that the duke will not sail. Milady realizes that Felton wants to kill the duke, and is overwhelmed by weird, evil, affection for Felton. She praises him, and cries out that if he dies, she will die with him. It’s nice to see her being kind to Felton, but she seems so frightening in this scene! I’m not sure why, but she really does scare me with her coldhearted intentions here. She agrees to wait till 10:00 for him, and then sail if he does not arrive. The vessel takes Milady to a safe bay, where it will wait until 10:00. Felton leaves to complete his mission and find the duke.

Reaction

     Wow! Intense. Dumas wrote this chapter very well – I began to lose my admiration for Milady, and start to be a little scared of her again. She seems so genuinely heartless over here. She is ruining Felton’s life. Now he is going to try to kill the duke, for an imagined crime! I really hope he fails and escapes, and forgets about Milady. She is dangerous.

     My favorite quote is from the ship’s captain, who randomly exclaims “Safe and sound, as true as my name's Jack Butler” which is so weird, because that was in the middle of an important moment between Milady and Felton! But I really think that Dumas has a talent for the minor characters. They just leap off the page and have so much personality, I love it. 

Chapter 57: Means for a Classical Tragedy

Summary

     Milady continues her tale of woe. And guess what? She is a genius – she says that the man branded her with the fleur-de-lis so that she wouldn’t tell anyone what he did to her! Felton begs her pardon for being her guard, and falls at her feet, dazed with love. Oh lord – do none of these men have impulse control? Milady furthers his emotional torture by claiming that the man who kidnapped her was Buckingham! Puritans hate Buckingham, so this works for Felton. Then, she tells the first truthful bit of the whole story, saying that someone wrote to Lord de Winter to tell him about her branded shoulder. Felton says that he loves her and will help her escape and retain her honor. They even kiss. Wow, what a traitor! Hilariously, Lord de Winter then visits. He misses the kiss, but he sees them talking. Milady realizes that all is lost unless she does something drastic, so she stabs herself with the knife. She is a smart woman, so she aims it at her corset, so that her life is saved. She is bleeding though, and Lord de Winter fetches a physician.

Reaction

     Milady is a master of manipulation. I felt sad at seeing the noble Felton reduced to a pathetic puppet. Milady will stop at nothing. My favorite line was the final stages of Milady’s plan clicking into place: “‘Pardon! Pardon!’ cried Felton, ‘oh, pardon!’ Milady read in his eyes LOVE! LOVE!” I really like Dumas’s style sometimes.

  

Chapter 56: Captivity: The Fifth Day

Summary

     That evening, Lord de Winter pays his customary visit. He hardly speaks; just checks the doors and windows to make sure Milady cannot escape, and then leaves. At midnight, Mr. Felton shows up, making an excuse to the sentinel, claiming that he has received orders to be on suicide watch for Milady. The sentinel believes him, and Felton enters Milady’s chamber. Milady cannot help but feel gleeful that this clean Puritan man just lied for her. Once inside, he reluctantly hands her a knife, as he had promised to do. She examines it, thanks him, and sets it on her table. Then, she begins a remarkably well-crafted tale of woe. 

Since Milady speaks as if the story is true, I will recap it in the same manner, despite its obvious falseness:

Milady’s Fake Tale of Woe

      As a young woman, Milady was kidnapped by a man who had been pursuing her. He drugged her by putting a narcotic in her water glass, and raped her in her stupor. Then, the next day, she found herself in a small chamber, imprisoned. He wanted her to stay until she submitted to be his mistress. The next day, a tray of food was served to Milady. She ate little, trying to avoid liquids that could be drugged. Instead of drinking the water on the tray, she drank water out of a little fountain in the chamber. Her tormentor must have been watching her, because for the next meal he drugged the entire fountain. She only drank a bit of water, since she noticed its odd taste, but it was enough to put her into a swoon and have the man rape her again. Felton is horrified by this recital, and highly indignant on her behalf. The next day, Milady used a breadknife to try and stab her capturer. However, he was wearing a suit of chainmail, and was saved. The man said that he would return the next evening. He said that he would not release her until she promised not to tell anyone what he had done.

Reaction

     Milady’s story is remarkably well-thought-out. I suppose she spent all evening thinking it up? It is very manipulative, and it is actually offensive how she uses a fake rape story as a way to get sympathy. I feel sorry for Mr. Felton. He seems like a gallant man. My usual admiration for Milady’s intelligence isn’t as strong in this chapter since she uses it for such awfully scheming tricks, but I do understand that she wants to be free and is doing all she can to escape. My favorite line was Milady’s hysterics in her story – at least her odd way of expressing rage is true to life! In her story, she narrates: “‘Till tomorrow evening, then!’ replied I, allowing myself to fall, and biting the carpet with rage.” Okay Milady, you do that.  

Chapter 55: Captivity: The Fourth Day

Summary

     The next morning, when Mr. Felton walks in, Milady is on a chair with a rope in her hands, reaching for a hook. These suggestions of suicide and Milady’s religious earnestness and acting skills make Mr. Felton finally willing to listen to her ‘story’ of why she has been captured. He says that he will come again after midnight to hear her tale of woe.

Reaction

     Go Milady! I am impressed by her manipulation and acting skills. Poor Mr. Felton. Being a nice man, he never stood a chance.  My favorite line is Milady’s incredulous triumph when Mr. Felton leaves and promises to come back after midnight: “‘My God,’ said she, ‘what a senseless fanatic! My God, it is I--I--and this fellow who will help me to avenge myself.’” Indeed, Milady! Poor Mr. Felton is not quite wary enough to escape her clutches. 

Chapter 54: Captivity: The Third Day

Summary

     Milady knows that Mr. Felton has feelings for her, but she must translate that into a willingness to help her. So, she tries to make him hold conversations with her. He enters the room when she is praying, and they start to talk. She keeps implying that he knows Lord de Winter’s ‘ghastly plans.’ He denies this strenuously, and is curious as to what plans Lord de Winter has for her that are worse than death. She then pretends to be suicidal, begging him to leave her with a knife. Mr. Felton leaves, since Lord de Winter walks past the door. Milady only hopes that Mr. Felton does not tell Lord de Winter about her ‘suicidal’ urges, because she knows that he will call her bluff and hand her a knife gladly. Lord de Winter walks into the room, with an order written up for Milady’s execution. His visit’s purpose is to kindly inform her that now she will be taken to Tyburn, a notorious prison, in four days under a false name. The Duke of Buckingham will sign the notice. Milady is slightly nervous, but hopes the four days are enough to completely win over Mr. Felton. After her brother-in-law leaves, Milady sings a religious song again. She thinks she sees Mr. Felton watching through a grating, but she is not sure.

Reaction

     Milady’s plan to get Mr. Felton on her side is going swimmingly. I am actually horrified that a guard would allow himself to get corrupted so easily, but Milady is a terrific actress and is very convincing. My favorite line is: “The door opened gently; the beautiful supplicant pretended not to hear the noise, and in a voice broken by tears, she continued: ‘God of vengeance! God of goodness! wilt thou allow the frightful projects of this man to be accomplished?’ Then only she pretended to hear the sound of Felton's steps, and rising quick as thought, she blushed, as if ashamed of being surprised on her knees.” Knowing Milady, this is laughable, but I see how Felton’s religious nature would cause him to be sympathetic.