d'Artagnan And Her Musketeers (The Cosette D'Artagnan Romances, book 1)

Chapter 5: The Bonnaires Strike Again

Cosette and Aramis helped Porthos onto the cart and made their way towards the safe place Athos mentioned. They laid Porthos out on a table to operate on his wound.

"I tell you something," said Bonnaire to Athos, "if this place is for sale, I might be interested."

"It's not."

"No, you're right. It is a bit dark. I don't suppose there's anything to take the edge off?"

"There's wine."

"Oh. Oh, I have something better. A bottle of rum bouillon. Colonists makes it out of sugar molasses. So potent, they call it killdevil. We'd best get acquainted. So, how did you know about this place?"

"I own it," Athos said.

Then it hit Cosette. Athos used to be the Comte de la Fere. She began wondering whatever happened but then also remembered that it wasn't any of her business to know Athos' past unless he wanted to share it. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when Bonnaire tried talking himself out of having to watch them path Porthos up. However, he refrained when the fifteen-year-old girl glared at him, remembering her warning if he revealed she was a woman.

Back to Porthos, Cosette hated seeing her brother-in-arm suffer.

"You must be skilled at this yourself," said Bonnaire.

"Better with sail than skin," Aramis said.

"Fine needlework, Aramis does," Porthos said with the pain shooting at his side. "Should have been a seamstress."

"Two inches deep, that blade went, but you wouldn't know, would you?" Aramis asked sarcastically. "This one I trussed up during a skirmish we had in Poitiers. Stitching that's fine enough for the Queen's chemise."

"I agree. But perhaps you should save this tour for another time, 'Mis," said Cosette. Aramis nodded and looked to Athos.

"If you could prepare the patient."

"Porthos... "Athos said. Porthos looked up to Athos, who pulled back and punched him into unconsciousness. Cosette gasped.

"Whoa, what the hell is wrong with you two?!" Cosette shouted, pointing at Porthos.

"Calm down, d'Artagnan," Athos told her.

"Calm down? After knocking him unconscious?" Cosette said.

"Hey, it's easier for us, D'Art," Aramis said.

"It's the best way with Porthos. " Athos added. "We've learned from experience."

It was well into the morning and Porthos was awake now, trying to realign his jaw.

"Did someone punch me?" Porthos asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Cosette said. Of course she knew that Porthos still felt that. After all, it was Athos who punched him to knock it out. She grabbed onto a bucket. "I'll go fetch some water."

She walked away, hearing Porthos groan one last time. She saw Athos looking at the paintings around the room. Cosette noticed that one of the paintings was ripped.

"Hey. What happened here?" Athos looked at her.

"Vandals, I suppose," Athos answered. Cosette looked at another painting. One picture of Athos and another of a man who looked like he could be a relative of Athos's. "And this? Who's this?"

"Thomas, my younger brother." Athos said. "Everyone's favourite."

"What happened to him?"

"He's dead."

"I'm sorry," Cosette quickly apologized. Cosette closed her eyes, the thoughts of losing her father crossed her mind again.

Athos knew that Cosette was thinking about her father, but he didn't say anything.

She walked away with the jug of water after stopping by at the well when Aramis called out for her. Without a second thought, Cosette threw the jug down and ran up to Aramis and took his spy glass. Surprisingly, it was not the Spanish or Bonnaire's associate. It was his wife's. The musketeers, Cosette and Bonnaire all ran out to see Marie, holding what appeared to be her wound. she claimed to have been attacked by two men in black. Cosette went to help her until Marie pointed a gun at her.

"D'Artagnan!" the musketeers shouted.

"Now, if you want to remain a pretty little girl, you'll drop your weapons," she said. Cosette immediately did so. "Drop your weapons and hand me over my husband or your friend dies."

Cosette shook her head to them. Athos wasn't going to let the boy be shot. They let their weapons fall to the ground. Emile laughed at Marie's deception and got on the horse. Cosette took up a pistol and quickly went back to the Musketeers.

"D'Artagnan, you alright?" Aramis asked. Despite saying nothing, he had become very fond of the girl after talking to her.

"Yeah," the girl answered.

They waited until they were out of view when Cosette and the others told Porthos to remain at the manor as they chased after the Bonnaires. They were greeted by the unwanted assistance of the Spanish firing at them.

Following the Bonnaires, she noticed Marie was on the road, dead and couldn't help but feel anger at the fact that Emile Bonnaire had left her on the road.

"Come on Sapphire, go girl," she urged her horse. Sapphire, always the fast horse cornered Bonniare, who was coercing his horse to move on.  Cosette rolled her eyes.

"It's a classic mistake. A horse can gallop two miles at most. If you'd have kept doing a nice, even canter, you might have escaped."

"Yes, I suppose if I was a farm girl," Bonnaire sneered at her, "I'd know that sort of thing."

Cosette nodded, giving a fake, sweet smile.

"Now..." Cosette reached for her pistol and aimed it at Emile.  "Get down. You can walk back. Give that horse a rest," Cosette keep her eye on Emile as he walked. She had Sapphire and the horse Bonnaire tried to steal to Athos' manor.  She and the other Musketeers entered with Bonnaire. However, Porthos immediately went to attack Bonnaire in a fit of rage. Cosette and Athos struggled to hold him back.

"Porthos!" Cosette yelled. Porthos yelled in pain and they could hear his skin rip up again.

"There goes my needlework," said Aramis.

"Porthos! Enough! What's going on?" Athos yelled.

"That's Bonnaire's cargo. Men, women, children. It's a slave ship. The drawings make it look far worse than it really is. Look at this one. People packed on the deck like fish at the market. I envied him. Boasting about his plans to farm tobacco. Boasted that labour is cheap out there. It isn't cheap labour, is it, Bonnaire?" Porthos wouldn't listen to any of his friends, nor to Bonnaire's excuses as Cosette looked at Porthos with sympathy. Athos made Porthos look at him.

"Slavery is cruel and disgusting, but..." Athos said, not even intimidated by Porthos grabbing his doublet. "But it's not a crime."

"I heard stories about those ships as a child. Oh, hellish stories. Know why they're shackled? Hm? To stop 'em jumping overboard. Yeah, cos... that's better... than watching your friends, your family, your children die of starvation... and sickness... and hopelessness."

"You'll get your justice, Porthos," they promised him. "The King will see to that."