CHAPTER XXIII
THE MASQUERADE
That night it was my duty to take the guard outside the Queen'sapartments. Circumstances had made it impossible for me to have speechwith De Lorgnac, and Le Brusquet was nowhere to be seen, so that I wasunable to inform them of what I knew.
Full of the discovery I had made, and with my thoughts running on thedanger that threatened mademoiselle, I paced backward and forwardbefore the door leading into the ante-room, my long shadow keeping meghostly company. It was the night of the great masque given by theKing in honour of his Diane's birthday--the masque in which she was toflaunt in the Crown diamonds--and, as may be imagined, there was not asoul to be seen in the gallery that curved before me into dim,mysterious gloom.
Now and again I thought I heard a laugh and the sound of subdued voicesfrom within the ante-room; but, guessing that the mice were probablyplaying within, I paid no heed, and, being a little tired, seatedmyself on the coffer that lay in the shadow near the door, and staredmoodily into the silence, absorbed in my own sombre reflections.
On a sudden I heard the patter of footsteps--hasty, rapid footstepscoming towards me along the gallery. I challenged, and got thepassword on the instant in Le Brusquet's voice, and in a half-minutethe little man emerged from the gloom and stood beside me.
"I was ready to give my last pistole to see you," I began; but he putup his hand, saying in a low tone, as he pointed to the door:
"Hush! Is there anyone within?"
"Mice, I think," I answered softly.
"Perhaps a cat." And he dropped his voice to the lowest whisper."Whoever they are I must empty that room ere we speak, for I have, Ithink, as much for you as you for me."
With this he knocked twice sharply at the door. After a moment it wasopened, and putting the curtains aside Le Brusquet slipped into theroom. In doing so, whether by accident or design, he left the dooropen and the curtains drawn back, so that from where I stood in theshadow outside I could see and hear all that passed within. There wereonly two persons there, and I smiled a little to myself at LeBrusquet's caution, for one was pretty Mademoiselle Davila, seateddemurely on a tabouret, and the other was a fair-haired boy of sixteenor so, who stood with a red face and an uncomfortable air some distanceaway from her.
"Mice, as I thought," I chuckled to myself, whilst Le Brusquet, with aprofound bow, said:
"Mademoiselle, I had thought to have found M. de Lorgnac in waitinghere."
"Here! M. de Lorgnac!" replied the maid-of-honour, with a littlelaugh. "No; M. de Lorgnac never ventures here, unless compelled to."
"I suppose neither of you can tell me where he has gone? Can you, DeLorges?" And he turned to the page; but the boy only grew redder, andbegan to make a fumbling reply.
Mademoiselle Davila, however, cut in. "He has gone to the masque."And with a burst of confidence as she rose to her feet: "The Queen hasgone too, monsieur."
"To the masque! The masque she said she would never attend!"
"Oh, the Queen is a woman, monsieur! And so she has gone, and gonemasked, too, with Monsieur de Lorgnac in attendance--not a soulelse--and I have been left here--ah!" And she stamped her little foot."One cannot even hear the music. Oh! it is a grave, this place--agrave!"
"Faith! I know those who would think this little waiting-room aheaven."
"Who?" She was a good girl, but a coquette to her finger-tips, and thebait took.
Ere he answered Le Brusquet slipped his arm through that of the page,who seemed to be meditating flight.
"That, mademoiselle," he said slyly, "is a secret between De Lorges andmyself."
Mademoiselle coloured very prettily, and half turning from hertormentor, said:
"I shall never speak to you again, monsieur--never."
"Mademoiselle, if you keep that vow I shall die in a week; but see, Iwill make amends. Why not slip on a hood and go to the masque? DeLorges will be proud to escort you."
She looked around her, half delighted, half frightened at the thought,and then, with a nervous laugh:
"I dare not risk it."
"Why not? Not a soul will know; and if there is any trouble say thatLe Brusquet played an evil turn on you, and told you you were summonedby the Queen. I will not deny it; and it will still Madame de Montal'stongue. Come, De Lorges, persuade her."
"It would be a rare jest, mademoiselle!" And, trembling witheagerness, De Lorges made a step forward.
She stood wavering. There was another word of encouragement from LeBrusquet, and she took the plunge.
"A moment," she said, and vanished into the inner room.
"_Eh bien_, monsieur," and Le Brusquet turned towards De Lorges, "youhave a great trust to-night; guard it carefully."
"Monsieur," replied the boy, "with my life," and he touched the hilt ofhis little sword. He was a gallant lad this son of Montgomery deLorges.
Le Brusquet bowed to hide the twinkle in his eyes; and now MademoiselleDavila reappeared, disguised in a red hood and mask.
"No one will guess." And Le Brusquet surveyed her with a critical air,whilst De Lorges, who longed to be off, burst out: "Come, mademoiselle!I shall steal a mask and hood from somewhere later on."
But a new obstacle had arisen. "I forgot," she said, "the guard at thedoor."
"Reassure yourself, mademoiselle. It is a friend--Orrain."
"The hero!" And she clapped her hands. "Come, De Lorges." And, witha little nod to Le Brusquet, she ran to the door, followed by the page.As the two came forth she stopped.
"Monsieur d'Orrain, you will not betray us?"
"Not I, mademoiselle."
"Then as a reward I tell you there is someone you would like to seereading Marot's verses in the Queen's cabinet."
Without waiting for an answer, she tripped off down the gallery, DeLorges by her side. There was a flash of the red hood, and the twowere gone.
"_Enfin_!" And Le Brusquet sat himself down on the coffer. "We arerid of that chattering feather-brain; but, before everything, tell mewhen you will be relieved."
"Within the hour."
"That will do excellently. Now for your news. Mine can keep for tenminutes."
I told him what I had learned, and he listened without a word until theend, listened seated on the coffer, with his chin resting on his knees,his long nose drooping over his mouth, and his keen little eyes shininglike beads.
"A good day's work," he said when I had finished; "never better. Twothings are in my favour; one is that they have not got that grant yet;the other, that the three seem to be dissatisfied with their angles ofthe triangle. Each wants what the other has, like cats over theirbowls of milk; and there is an old proverb, too, about thieves fallingout, which you, no doubt, remember."
"I shall put the whole matter before the Queen, and beg her to placeMademoiselle de Paradis in safety until this is ended."
"There is much water to flow under the bridges before this will end;but it will be a good move. The Admiral too will know of the trianglein three days; and, if I mistake not, that means that the Peace ofVaucelles is waste-paper. It will stop the Spanish pensions, at anyrate for a time, and hit our vampires hard." And he chuckled as heslipped down from the coffer on to his feet. "_Mon ami_," he went onin his strange way, "to-night and to-morrow I shall be stirring thisporridge, and by noon to-morrow you will have certain news, and then wecan act. And now for your task."
"My task?"
"Yes. I knew the Queen was at the masque; she has gone there to seeDiane wearing her jewels. _That_ she will never forgive; and therewill be a bitter vengeance some day--mark my words! The Queen requiresthe attendance of Mademoiselle de Paradis. She knows of this. It wasarranged before, and she is merely awaiting the summons in the cabinetyonder, and you are to take her to the masque."
"But I have neither mask nor hood!"
"That is arranged also, and I have them ready for you. I will takemademoiselle out now, and you will meet us after your relief on thebattlements out
side the Philippine. You know the spot where thestairway leads from the gallery?"
"Perfectly."
"Then _au revoir_!" With this he slipped back into the ante-room, andfive minutes after came forth, accompanied by a masked and hoodedfigure that would have been unrecognisable except that I knew it wasMademoiselle de Paradis.
As they came out we heard, far away in the distance, the challenge of asentry.
"It is the relief," I said. "Quick!"
They waved their hands to me and sped like sprites along the gallery;and I waited, wondering what more the night would bring forth.
In about ten minutes the relief came up; and M. de Tolendal, who was incharge, was so eager to get back to the masquerade that he made noinquiries, and got off as soon as possible, dismissing me at the sametime. I let monsieur hurry back along the gallery, following at a slowpace behind him, until I came to the steps that led down to thebattlements, and passing through the archway reached the placeappointed by Le Brusquet. Here I found the two awaiting me in theshadow of the donjon, and Le Brusquet said: "Here is your hood andmask. I kept them here to save trouble in carrying them. Rememberthat mademoiselle is the double of the Queen and you of De Lorgnac.And now away with you; I have other fish to fry." With this he ran upthe stairway, and entered the Philippine.
"Mademoiselle," I asked, "can you guess what this means?"
"No, monsieur. All that I know is that it is the Queen's command, andthat we are to be there by midnight."
"It will be that soon, so come."
She put her arm in mine, and we hastened along the edge of thebattlements. We could hear music now; and as we went on the strainsgrew louder and louder, and at last we stood on the parapet overlookingthe Ladies' Terrace. Beneath us stretched the gardens of the palace,and thousands of lights glowed, in many-coloured radiance, from withinthe foliage of the trees wherein they were set; or, raised high in theair, burned in rainbow-hued arches and fantastic loops and curves.
Beneath these lights, in and out of the shrubberies, amongst theparterres, in the shadows and in the light, was an ever-moving crowdand the continuous hum of voices, and now and again merry ripples oflaughter came to us as we watched from above. A little beyond, to theright, the facade of the audience hall was ablaze with light, and onthe broad flight of steps leading to the main entrance were gay groups,the rich colouring of their dresses--orange, red, gold, andpurple--making them appear in the distance like masses of gorgeousflowers.
We were soon in the crowd below, making our way towards the audiencehall; but our progress was not rapid, for time after time a mask or agroup of hooded revellers stopped us; but with light words and merryjests we put them aside, and descending the steps entered the greathall. Here the crowd was so great that we were barely able to move;but at last we reached a pillar, on the base of which I placed mycharge, and, standing beside her, we looked here, there, and everywherefor the Queen and De Lorgnac.
"I do not see them," whispered mademoiselle.
"'Tis like searching for a needle in sand; but, if I mistake not,Madame de Poitiers will prove a magnet. Let us keep our eyes there."
With this I pointed before me towards the upper end of the hall, wherea large empty space was reserved for dancing, though for the presentthe music had ceased, and the musicians were seated idle in thegalleries above. Beyond this space was a dais, surmounted by a canopyof pale blue silk, spangled with the silver crescents of Diane dePoitiers. Behind the dais ran a huge buffet, many stages in height,rich with matchless plate, and in the centre was a sword, an enormouscross-hilted sword, said to be the Joyeuse of Charlemagne.
On each side of the dais stood the two hundred gentlemen of the King'shouse in violet and gold, the bright steel blades of the battle-axesthey bore on their shoulders reflecting back the light in dazzlingrays, and immediately in front stood the herald Montjoy with histrumpeters.
Although every soul in the crowd wore a mask and hood there were manyon the dais who wore no disguise, and amongst these was the King.Henri was clad in white, with a white plume in his cap, in memory ofthe day years ago when, arrayed in white armour, he had ridden thelists at Fontainebleau in honour of Diane, and borne her arms tovictory. Near him was Laval, the gallant Bois-Dauphin, who ran theKing hard in that gentle day, and, but for the short splintering of alance, might have been declared the victor. He too was clad in memoryof the day, all in scarlet, with a phoenix for his crest--the arms ofClaude de Foix. For the moment he was engaged in talk with a brilliantcavalier, the Bayard of his age, Francis, Marquis de Vieilleville.
But though here and there a great name, or a striking figure on thedais, might attract attention, almost all interest was centred on awoman, who stood with the fingers of one hand resting lightly on theKing's arm. It was Diane de Poitiers herself. Tall, with black,curling hair and perfect features, with dark, melting eyes, she boreherself as a queen. The royal jewels of France sparkled on her head,at her throat, and on her arms, and glittered amidst the robes of blackand white she wore. Her voice when she spoke was low and sweet, yet Ihad heard it as hard as steel, and I had seen those red lips curvewickedly, and those dark eyes had looked with sullen and pitilessindifference on scenes of hideous torture and death. There were twomasks in front of us, arm-in-arm, watching the scene as intently as wewere.
"That woman was born to be queen over men. Look at those eyes,Montaigne!"
The answer came in a dry, precise voice: "Eyes are the windows of thesoul; but _Quid tibi praecipiam molles vitare fenestras_?--and you arecourtier enough, De Brantome, to appreciate Fontanus' warning."
"I am courtier enough, my philosopher, to know that the crescent moon,for instance, is out of my reach, not like that orange mask there."
"I do not know to whom you refer."
"There, at the edge of the dais. 'Tis De Ganache, who, from the day heset foot in Court, has followed Diane about like a spaniel; and thoughI care not to gossip----"
Mademoiselle shivered, and half turned towards me; but the talk came toan abrupt ending, for the herald Montjoy made a sign, and thetrumpeters, advancing each a step, sounded a flourish. It was thesignal for the galliard. As the flourish ended the music broke forth,and in a moment the empty space before us was gay with moving colours,like a wind-stirred flower bed. Those on the dais seemed to melt away,and mademoiselle, leaning forwards, whispered: "Take me out of this!Anywhere but here!"
She took my arm again, and we edged our way back to the entrance.Here, however, we found the throng so great that it was impossible topass, and seeing a little passage to our right I turned down it. Here,amidst some foliage, was a secluded seat, and seating her there I tookmy stand beside her, at a narrow window that opened out upon theLadies' Terrace. The night was warm, and throwing back her hood andremoving her mask mademoiselle leaned forward and looked out upon thefairy scene in the gardens. The music came to us in fitful strains ofmelody, and outside was a glittering enchantment.
"Have you changed your opinion of the Court, mademoiselle?" I asked.
"No!--a hundred times no! Monsieur, I would rather be the poorestpeasant girl on my lands than Diane de Paradis."
I was about to reply when we heard a laugh and the sound of low voicesnear us. Where we sat it was almost dark; but there was a dim light inthe passage, and through the foliage we saw two figures standing sideby side not three feet from us. In the orange hood of one I recognisedDe Ganache, and the other--yes, that laugh and voice, once heard, werenever to be forgotten.
De Ganache held her hand in his. He raised it to his lips, andcovering it with kisses broke into mad, foolish words--the speech of aman who has cast aside all self-respect, all honour. Ere he had spokenten words, however, mademoiselle had sprung from her seat and steppedout into the passage, I following on her heels. At sight of her DeGanache went back as if he had been struck; but with superb insolencethe Duchess stood in her way.
"So," she said in hard tones, "this is the second time to-night!" Andthen, with a sham
eless laugh, she turned to De Ganache. "You areunfortunate, Monsieur le Vicomte; you see, I have a rival even here. Icongratulate mademoiselle on the quickness with which she has learnedthe lessons of the Court." And with a mocking bow she took De Ganacheby the arm and swept down the passage.
Mademoiselle was shivering from head to foot, and even by the uncertainlight I could see her eyes were swimming with tears. For a moment allher courage, all her high spirit, seemed to have left her.
"Oh, what does this mean?" she moaned. "What does she mean by thesecond time? I----"
"She meant, mademoiselle, that she had met the Queen, who is masked asyou are; but, Queen or no Queen," I went on grimly, "you have hadenough of this, and I will take you back at once. There! Put on yourmask, and draw your hood up--and come!"
I led her back towards the main entrance, which we managed to gain thistime without much difficulty, and thence into the gardens.Mademoiselle spoke no word, nor did I intrude upon her thoughts. Wecrossed the Ladies' Terrace, the little groups of people scattered hereand there being much too absorbed in their own business to take anynote of us, and finally stood once more upon the battlements. Alongthese we hurried until we reached the stairway leading to thePhilippine, and as we came up two figures stepped out of the shadowinto our path. My charge shrank back with a little gasp of alarm, sosudden and unexpected was their appearance, and I half drew my poniard,but put it back again on the moment, for I recognised De Lorgnac and LeBrusquet.
"I thought we would meet you here," said the latter; "but your taskends now, Chevalier. De Lorgnac will now escort mademoiselle back."
"If I am permitted the honour," put in De Lorgnac.
"It seems that to-night I must play the marionette to your pulling, LeBrusquet," I laughed as I made way for De Lorgnac; and for once thelittle man made no reply, but addressing Diane said: "The Queen hasalready returned, and you will find the salon full, mademoiselle; butbefore you go give me that hood; it might tell tales. I will see itsafely returned."
Diane removed the hood, and handed the soft silken folds to Le Brusquet.
"Messieurs," she said, her eyes shining brightly behind the mask shestill wore, "it seems that you are hiding something from me. What isit?"
"You will know in a few minutes, mademoiselle," said De Lorgnac, "forthe Queen herself will tell you."
She made no answer, but, gravely wishing us good-night, followed DeLorgnac up the stone steps, and, passing through the archway, the twowere lost to our view. When they had gone I turned to Le Brusquet.
"I too am in the dark. What did De Lorgnac mean?"
"He meant that his Majesty, by some means or other, discovered that theQueen was at the masque and who remained behind in the cabinet. Theresult was that, an hour after you took mademoiselle away, the King,attended only by the Vidame d'Orrain--both wearing masks andhoods--visited the Queen's apartments, and----" He stopped andchuckled.
"And what?" I said.
"And found the Queen alone in her cabinet reading Ronsard."