Le Mousquetaire Femme

Chapter 10

The streets of Paris were packed full of eager people waiting to see the Royal carriage pass by. Anna followed her brethren on horseback as the Musketeers provided 'security' for the King and Queen.

"Stand back." Aramis warned the masses as they passed.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate screaming crowds?" Anna sighed as she steered her horse down the streets alongside Athos, Aramis and Porthos.

"Not in the last 5 minutes." Porthos chuckled before she responded with a grimace.

"HELP!" A voice rang out over the crowds and the four turned to locate its owner. "THIEVES!"

"Stay with the carriage." Athos told her as he and Aramis rode off to assist the man. With a sharp nod she slowed and waited for the carriage to catch up.

"What is going on?" Treville asked as he caught up.

"Thieves." She told him as the carriage came into sight. Pushing her horse forward she led the royals ensuring no one attacked from the front.

The sound of thundering footsteps filled the street as the procession sped up and no one noticed a young girl run from the crowd and jump onto the carriage. Screams replaced the horses' footfalls as she fell and the carriage rolled to a stop. Anna turned her horse and galloped to the girl.

"Stay there your Majesty." She told the Queen who was leaning out of the carriage's small window to check on the girl. "It's not safe." Pulling on the reigns of her horse she jumped from its saddle and bent to check the girl.

As she checked for any signs of life she could vaguely hear the Captain order the carriage to move on.

"Was she armed?" Treville asked as he and Porthos joined her.

"Only with this." She sighed, giving up any hope of the girls' survival as she held up a small note.

"Let us through! I know her!" A woman's voice called to a guard that was restraining her. Seeing it was Constance, Anna nodded to Treville who sanctioned her to join them.

"What's her name?" Anna asked gently as Constance cradled the body.

"Thérèse Dubois." She said quietly as she copied Anna by checking for any sign of life.

"What was she doing?" D'Artagnan asked her as he too joined them.

"I don't know." Constance whispered before taking the now unravelled note from Porthos and reading it quickly. "Fleur?" She called out to the crowd. "What does this mean?" She stood presumably to speak to the girl she was calling for. "Fleur?" She scanned the crowd for her. "FLEUR?"

"I can't bear the thought of Fleur alone! Lost in Paris!" Constance paced the parlour of her home as Anna tried to comfort her.

"We'll find her; I promise." She assured her friend as D'Artagnan urged her to sit.

"What am I going to tell her father?" She sighed. "He's my husband's cousin."

"How long have you known her; Thérèse?" Anna asked as she sat opposite Constance.

"A month or so? There is one thing that might help...Countess de Larroque had taken an interest in her. She was teaching her to read and write."

"Many enlightened nobles show kindness to their servants." D'Artagnan mused as Anna nodded in agreement.

"This was more than that... Thérèse knew Greek and Latin and even studied the stars! Fleur attended some of her lessons too...they went in secret." Anna and D'Artagnan shared a look before the former rose to get some wine for her friend.