Chapter 54 Chapter 52: The First Day of House Arrest

Let's talk about Milady again, and for a moment we looked up at the coast of France, and we left her alone. We must find her again in her desperate situation, where we left her; she is digging for herself, with dark thoughts, an abyss, a dark hell, at the gates of which she has almost renounced everything. Hope, for the first time she had doubts, the first fears. In two cases she lost her chance, in two cases she found out she was betrayed and was betrayed, and in both cases she was dealing with what God had undoubtedly sent against her. Nemesis, to make her a miserable defeat: d'Artagnan overcomes her, the authority of this invincible evil.

He had fooled her love, insulted her self-respect, shattered her ambitions; and now he is ruining her future, he is destroying her freedom, he is even threatening her life.What's more, he uncovered a corner of her mask, the aegis she used to cover herself and make herself extremely powerful. She hated Buckingham as much as she hated everyone she had ever loved, and d'Artagnan, for Buckingham, reversed Richelieu's use of the queen's life to threaten him.Like all women, like the whim, she once had an irresistible tigress-like desire to conquer Walder, but was replaced by d'Artagnan.She had sworn that she would kill anyone who knew her secret, and it was d'Artagnan who knew this terrible secret.Finally, just when she had obtained a blank document and relied on it to avenge her enemy, the blank document was snatched away again, and it was dArtagnan who made her a female prisoner and was about to send her Into some filthy Bodani Bay, or to some dishonorable Tyburn of the Indian Ocean.

Because d'Artagnan caused all of this to her, if he hadn't piled on her head, who would have so much shame come from?Only he can pass all these terrible secrets to Lord Winter, because these secrets are destined to be discovered by him one by one.He knew her brother-in-law, he must have written to him. How much hatred she summed up!She stood there motionless, her fiery eyes fixed on her empty room, she seemed to let out a series of dull wails, with the breath bursting out from her chest, harmoniously rising with the long waves of the sea , roaring, roaring, like eternal and helpless despair, hitting the rocks under the dark and proud castle standing on the shore.In the flickering gleam of her mind she seemed to conceive, in her fury, some great plan of vengeance against Madame Bonacieur, against Buckingham, and above all against d'Artagnan, lost in the vista of the future.

Yes, but liberty is necessary for vengeance, and to be free the prisoner must break through the walls, tear down the iron gratings, and break through a floor, all these tasks a patient and strong man can eventually accomplish, but one who is eager A violent woman who seeks success is bound to fail in the face of such a project.Besides, it would take time, months, years, to accomplish all this, and she, according to Lord Winter, her brother-in-law and dreadful watchman, told her she had only ten or twelve days. However, if she is really a man, she can try it, maybe she can succeed, but why is God so blind, insisting on putting the soul of such a man in this fragile and small body of a woman? !

The first moments of captivity were also horrific: she was punished for her feminine weakness by bouts of frantic convulsions she could not overcome.But gradually, she got over her fits of rage, and the nervous shudder that throbbed her body disappeared, and now, like a tired resting snake, she curled up in reflection. Well, well; I'm so stupid to get angry like this, she said, leaning towards the mirror, where the burning look in her eyes was reflected, and she seemed to ask herself, don't be rough, Roughness is a sign of cowardice.In the first place, I have never had success by this means: if I had used this brutality on some women, I might have had the luck to meet someone more cowardly than I, and to fight them in the end; but now I fight Most are men, and to them, I'm just a woman.I will fight as a woman, my strength lies in my cowardice.

Then she seemed to think of her own face, which was so varied, that she could force her own face, full of extraordinary expressiveness and magical mobility; All these expressions are transformed by gentle tenderness, from the most touching geniality to the most charming smile.Then her hair was twisted into waves by her deft hands, and she believed that the waves alone would add to the charm of her face.Finally, satisfied with herself, she murmured: See, nothing is lost, I am still beautiful. About eight o'clock in the evening.Milady saw a bed; a few hours' rest, she thought, would not only clear her mind and thoughts, but refresh her countenance.But before going to bed, she had another whim.She had heard talk of dinner.She has been in this room for an hour, and someone will bring her food soon.

The female prisoner didn't want to lose time, so she decided to try to find out the truth from that night, and study the temperament of those sent to guard her. A ray of light peeked out from the edge of the door, and this ray of light signaled the arrival of her jailer.Milady, who had risen to her feet, immediately sank back into her armchair, face up, her hair cascading down, her bosom half-naked under crumpled lace, one hand on her bosom, the other drooping. Someone opened the latch, the door creaked along its hinges, and footsteps stepped into the room and walked inside. On that table, said a voice; the prisoner could hear it was Felton.

Do it right away. Go get some torches, and send for a changing of the guard, Felton continued. The young lieutenant's two orders to his companions showed Milady that her attendants were her guards, that is to say, soldiers. Moreover, Felton's orders were carried out with quietness and swiftness and decisiveness, which makes it clear that the discipline he maintained was very strict. Felton, who had not yet looked at Milady, turned to her. ah!ah!He said, she fell asleep, it's fine, let's eat after she wakes up. He took a few steps to go out. But, said the Lieutenant, a soldier who had approached Milady beforehand but was not as composed as his superior, the woman was not asleep.

What, she didn't sleep?Felton asked, what is she doing then? She fainted; she was pale, and I did not hear her breathing for a while. You are right, Felton did not take a step towards Milady, but stood still and looked at him and said, "Go and tell Lord Winter that his female prisoner has fainted, because he did not expect this situation, so I do not know what to do. The soldier obeyed his commanding officer and went out; Felton sat down beside him in an armchair near the door, and waited in silence.Milady possessed that feat that all women are good at figuring out, and seemed to be able to catch everything through her long eyelashes without opening the eyelids.She caught sight of Felton with his back turned to her, and she continued to look at him for about ten minutes, during which time the grim warden did not once turn to look at her.

Then Milady thought that Lord Winter was coming, and that on his arrival he would give new strength to his jailers, for her first experiment had failed, and she swallowed like a woman and expected a new one like a woman. So she raised her head, opened her eyes, and sighed softly. Hearing this sigh, Felton finally turned around. aha!You are awake, madam!He said, then I have nothing to do here!If you need anything, just call. ah!God, God!What a pain!cried Milady softly; that harmonious cry was like the practice of ancient witches, capable of fascinating all who would kill her. She stood up straight on the armchair, taking a more graceful and natural posture than when she was lying down.

Felton stood up. There will be three times a day for you, ma'am, he said, at nine o'clock in the morning, at one o'clock in the afternoon, and at eight o'clock in the evening.If you think it is not suitable, you can put forward your time, and I don't have to modify it. At this point, we must meet your wishes. But am I always alone in this big, dark room? asked Milady. A woman nearby has been notified that she is coming to the castle tomorrow, and she is on call. I thank you, sir, the prisoner humbly replied. Felton nodded lightly, and then walked towards the door.Just as he was about to step out of the gate, Lord Winter appeared in the corridor, followed by the soldier who had gone to report to him that Milady had fainted, holding a small bottle of smelling salts in his hand. Well!How is this going?What the hell is going on here?Seeing his female prisoner standing, Felton was about to go out again, Lord Winter asked sarcastically, this undead has come back to life again?Seriously, my child, don't you see that you're being treated as a young boy, and that you're being given the first act of comedy, which we'll probably see with pleasure in its entirety. I have thought well, my lord, said Felton, but after all, a prisoner is a woman, and I would give a woman the respect that every man of good birth should have, if not for her. For my own sake, but at least for my own sake. Milady shivered all over.Felton's words flowed like a stream of icy water through her veins. That is to say, Lord Winter said with a smile, this delicate and flowing hair, this fair and tender skin, and this listless eyes have not seduced your hard-hearted heart? No, my lord, replied the cold-faced young man, trust me fully, it will take a little more artifice and ostentation to seduce me. If so, my honest lieutenant, let Milady find another way, and we go to supper; ah!Don't worry, she has a rich imagination, and the second act of the comedy will immediately follow the first act. After saying these words, Lord Winter took Felton's arm and pulled him away with a smile. snort!I'll find what I need, Milady murmured through her teeth: Don't worry, poor false monk, poor converted soldier, your uniform is made of French vestments. By the way, said Lord Winter, standing at the gate, this failure should not displease you.Taste this chick and these fish, I didn't put poison on my reputation.I am quite modest about my cook, and, as he has no right to my estate, I have full confidence in him.You do as well as I do.Goodbye, dear sister-in-law!See you next time you pass out! Milady could bear it no longer: her hands convulsed in the armchair, her teeth chattered, her eyes were fixed on Lord Winter and Felton closing the door; A fit of despair struck her; her eyes fell on the table, she saw a gleaming knife, and she rushed to grab it; but she was too disappointed: the blade was perfectly round, and the edge was wrapped in soft silver foil. A burst of uproarious laughter rang out from behind the unclosed door, and the door was opened again. aha!exclaimed Lord Winter, aha!See you, my honest Felton, do you see what I told you, the knife was for you; my child, she could have killed you; you see, this It was one of her queer ways of killing anyone who displeased her in one way or another.If I'd listened to you, and the knife was sharp and hard steel, then there would be no more Felton, and she'd stab you through the throat, and after that, kill everybody.Do you see, John, how well she handles that knife. Milady's convulsed hand was still wielding the assault weapon, but these last words of Lord Winter's, these extremely insulting words, made her hand, her strength, even her The will is all loose. The knife fell to the ground. You are right, my lord, said Felton, in a tone of extreme disgust; the disgust that shook Milady's heart, you are right, but I was mistaken. The two men walked out the door again. This time, Milady paid more attention than the first time, and she heard their steps go away, disappearing at the end of the corridor. I'm lost, murmured Milady, I'm in the hands of capable men, men like bronze and stone, I can't do anything more, they read my heart, they fear none of my weapons. But it must not end like they think. Sure enough, just as this last reflection shows the revival of the instinct of hope, the emotions of fear and weakness did not float for long in this deep soul.Milady sat down to table, ate a few dishes, drank a little Spanish wine, and felt restored to her body all her resolve. Before going to bed, she had argued, analyzed, and interpreted every aspect of Lord Winter and Felton, every point, every word, every step, every movement, every gesture of them, down to her jailer. She also examined each of her silences one by one, and from this profound, delicate, and accomplished research, she finally came to the conclusion that of the two persecutors, Felton was the most vulnerable. Especially the female prisoner remembered a sentence that Lord Winter said to Felton: If I listen to you. Since Lord Winter had not been willing to listen to Felton, it must have been to her advantage that Felton had said it. Vulnerable or hard, repeated Milady, there was still a ray of pity in this man's soul; and I would light that gleam into a conflagration that would kill him. As for the other, he knew me, he was afraid of me, and he knew what was waiting for him should I escape from his grasp, so there was no point in trying to work on him.As for Felton, that's another matter; he was a naive young man, very simple, and seemed very honest, and this man had a way of making him fool. Milady went to bed, and fell asleep with a smile on her lips; and whoever saw her soundly asleep would have said that it was a big girl dreaming of a crown of flowers, and would wait until the next great festival to bring it to her. A crown of flowers is worn on his head.