The Musketeers BBC / I can't breathe without you

Second Day

Compared to the rest of the day, the evening was very quiet. Constance joined Anne in her rooms for dinner to keep her company. The menu for tonight consisted of duck a l'Orange with a foil potato and salad, with strawberries for desert.

"Oh, Constance, I completely forgot to tell Treville that I want to visit my brother's bank tomorrow and meet with the accountants. Do you think it will be enough if we let him know tomorrow morning?" Anne looked at her friend questioningly.

"Don't worry, I will go to his office and leave him a message."

"No, I don't want to bother you with that. You need your rest as well."

"It's no bother. I want to take a little walk before I go back to my rooms anyway, so just write him a note."

Anne went over to the writing desk and wrote a short message.

Constance got up. "Do you need me to prepare anything for tomorrow?"

"No, thanks. Shall we meet at 9 o'clock for breakfast?"

"With pleasure. Have a good night."

"You too, thanks."

Constance left and Anne went into the bathroom to get ready for bed, while the servants cleared away the dinner dishes.

-----

Constance was already able to find her way around the chateau, so she arrived at Treville's office a short time after she had left Anne. There was still light inside, so she knocked on the door and slowly entered when she heard a "come in" from inside. She saw that all four bodyguards were still sitting in front of the desk.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't want to interrupt anything," she apologized, blushing.

"Don't worry about it. Please, take a seat." D'Artagnan jumped up and offered her his chair.

"Oh, thanks," Constance said, blushing even more, "but that will not be necessary. I just came to let you know that Anne wants to visit the bank and the accountants tomorrow. Here's a short message from her for you, Monsieur Treville." She handed over the letter.

"Thank you, Madame Bonacieux," Treville replied. "I'll organize everything for tomorrow. Do you want someone to see you to your room?"

"No, thanks, I can find my own way. I don't want to bother you any longer."

D'Artagnan looked after her retreating form until he heard Treville pointedly clearing his throat. The young man sat down again, pulling his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Seems like we'll have a busy day tomorrow." Aramis stretched out his legs, trying to find a more comfortable position on the hard chair, as they still needed to talk about the schedule for the next day.

"I think we should have two men inside and two outside, plus chauffeurs and a quick response team on standby." Athos was already back in planning mode. Treville simply nodded and pointed out strategic spots and possible danger points on the map. The meeting ran deep into the night.

"I think we covered everything. D'Artagnan and Aramis inside? Will you be able to stay professional?" Treville gave the two men in question a searching look.

"Who, we? We're the textbook definition of professional," Aramis said, grinning at him.

"Good, then Athos and Porthos, you two will be responsible for outside security. You'd better take two cars, that should make it more difficult to know who is in which car."

"Okay, in that case I'll go and get some sleep. We need to be well rested for tomorrow." Porthos got up and left, with the others following him.

-----

Anne was getting ready for the coming day. She had chosen a pastel pink sheath dress with matching peeptoes. Her makeup already done, she now tried to select some jewelry.

"Take the pearl bracelet, it always makes you look very elegant."

"Oh, Constance, I didn't hear you come in," Anne said, noticing that her friend had decided on brown suede boots, skinny jeans, a blouse and a matching blazer. Her only jewelry was a long necklace and a pair of earrings.

"Breakfast is ready. Oh and I was able to deliver your message to Treville in person last night."

"Oh good, then let's eat."

On the way over to the table, Anne put in a pair of earrings and closed the clasp on the bracelet.

Both women took their seats at the table and Constance poured coffee for the two of them, while Anne did the same with the orange juice. They had just about finished the last bite when they heard a knock on the door. Constance moved to get up, but Anne stopped her. "It's okay, I'll get it." She went to open the door and found D'Artagnan standing before her.

"Good morning. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. The cars are waiting for you," the young man said.

"Thanks, we'll be ready in a moment."

D'Artagnan left again as Anne closed the door.

"I already packed our handbags, so we're good to go," Constance said, handing Anne a Burkin bag and a thermo cup.

"I hope that's large enough," Anne said, laughing. "If we'll be spending the whole day dealing with numbers, I'm going to need a lot of coffee."

Constance laughed with her.

-----

Handbags and coffee cups in hand, the two women went down to the front door, where the four bodyguards were already waiting for them. After a short round of greetings, the women were ushered into the cars. Anne was surprised.

"Why do Constance and I have to take separate cars?" she asked.

"It's for your safety, Madame. this way no one knows who is in which car." Aramis turned around to explain the situation to Anne, while Athos concentrated on driving.

"Well, we certainly need to change that. I will speak with Monsieur Treville when we get back."

It was obvious that Anne was not happy with the situation. However, the quiet ride and the beautiful landscape outside quickly made her forget her irritation and she enjoyed the short drive.

When the small convoy had reached its destination, Aramis opened the door for her.

"Thanks, that's very kind," Anne said, giving him a brief smile, before she remembered that she wasn't here for pleasure. With Constance at her side, she entered the bank.