Abigail's Cousin (42 page)

Mesnager was
astonished that Mathew Prior had known poverty and actual hunger
though his friend laughed it off as a natural consequence of family
misfortune. Yet circumstances had favoured the young Prior and
Mesnager concluded it was his native wit combined with good fortune
that had allowed Prior to be educated at Westminster and Cambridge.
He was fairly certain that an impoverished Mesnager might have sunk
without trace as upward mobility depended so much more on privilege
in his native France than among the more egalitarian English.

Their
conversation was so enjoyable that they scarcely were aware of the
countryside. Enclosed in the coach with rain lashing the windows -
Maurice on Mesnager's instructions had had the window replaced -
and blithely unaware of Maurice's predicament, they scarcely
noticed the countryside and were pleasantly surprised to recognise
they were approaching Amiens. At the prospect of reaching the Veau
en Gros, Prior's appetite increased commenting to Mesnager about
savoury pies served by a delectable proprietress and Mesnager
smiled as he realised the Englishman viewed meeting again with
Madame Poulin with as much pleasure as sating his appetite for food
and drink.

However on
entering the inn, Mesnager was alarmed to learn there were no rooms
free, despite making clear on the outward journey that the party
would be back though not specifying a time. Nonetheless she was not
turning the party away but offering to accommodate both men in an
outhouse which she had had built for the purposes of such overflow.
Madame Poulin was effusive in her apologies and assured the guests
of comfort and service. In the meantime Maurice had managed to
exchange his wet clothes for a blanket loaned by the chief groom
until his clothes were dry.

Mesnager was
in a quandary wondering about the musketeers as he had not thought
of their welfare in advance. He did not even know their present
whereabouts and asked himself about his options. He might have
called upon Maurice to take a message but the foolish man was not
available. Should he leave himself to look for them but rejected it
on the grounds of leaving Prior on his own having already promised
Torcy he would not let him out of his sight. He considered asking a
third party to carry a message but in the end decided it was too
risky. He wondered seriously whether to notify his fellow envoy of
the danger and decided against in the belief that Prior was already
in danger of being compromised. How much more tense might he become
knowing he was the target of kidnappers.

In the event
Mesnager's decision seemed justified as the evening and night
passed without untoward incident and upon the morrow, Mesnager
having forewarned Madame Poulin, the carriage departed in the early
hours of the morning for the final leg of their journey to the
beach of Wissant. On their way, however, in the carriage feeling
relieved that nothing had happened and that perhaps was not going
to and anticipating the lonely dunes at Wissant, it struck Mesnager
with the effect of a cold douche that they would soon be
approaching the perfect place for an ambush, namely the dunes, the
ideal place to provide cover. He stuck his head out of the carriage
and listened to Prior's evident amusement. He could hear nothing.
What had become of the musketeers, of their carriage?

He meditated
upon the arrangements at Wissant and turned to Prior saying:
"Monsieur, je vous en prie. I beg you to tell me about arrangements
for the rendezvous with the yacht."

"Willingly,
monsieur. The skipper arranged to bring his yacht near the
rendezvous from a date in August. With my telescope I should look
for the Sprite around a time in the morning and again in the
afternoon and evening, weather conditions permitting."

Mesnager
checked his calendar saying: "It is the third day of August though
we shall not reach Wissant for many hours. It is likely that an
afternoon rendezvous be contemplated?"

Prior
answered: "Perhaps in the early evening. Having spotted the yacht
and allowed it to heave-to, were it not already, we have agreed
upon signals using our lamp waiting some minutes before repeating
it."

Mesnager
wracked his brains for the wisdom of deciding the best thing to do,
deliberating over the question about letting Prior know. The
carriage was making good time and through a part-open window,
Mesnager felt the draught and the tang of brine indicating the
approaching sea. The road would take them some miles from
Dunquerque when a bend in the road would see the carriage running
nearly parallel with the coastline until they reached their
destination, Wissant beach.

All this while Mathew Prior had observed
his companion's evident anxiety; he had observed him sticking his
head out of the window, watched his worried face become more tense
at the ever nearer proximity of the sea and decided to put him out
of his misery and leaving his sea
t and sitting beside him, said:

"Monsieur, mon
ami have you finally decided to let me in on the plot?"

Mesnager,
startled by Prior's words replied querulously:

"How long have
you known, monsieur?"

Prior smiled
and grasping his hand between his own admitted:

"Ever since I
overheard Maurice confess to you before we set out from the
Quai."

Mesnager
nodded solemnly seeming not to have been overly comforted saying
gloomily: "The truth is monsieur, I have let you down. Upon
notifying the marquis about Maurice’s confession, he was so
concerned for your safety, as was the king, that he commanded a
party of the king's own bodyguard to accompany us discretely though
it seems, I have lost them somewhere between Amiens and where we
now find ourselves."

Prior had been
relishing the thought expressed by Mesnager that the king of
France, not to mention his foreign secretary, had been concerned
for his welfare, but not for long for there were serious matters to
be addressed and he bade Mesnager to open the window again,
saying:

"If you wait
until the next bend in the road and put your head from the window
you will see them, or at least, their carriage."

Mesnager
complied and while waiting for the road's next bend said
petulantly: "But I have done this earlier and have neither seen nor
heard them."

"That is
because you were looking in the wrong direction, monsieur. Look!"
and as the carriage took a right hand bend, Prior pointed and
Mesnager having seen, sank back in his seat in evident relief.
Prior said to him quietly: "I saw their carriage leave in front of
us as we left the inn. Yet it does pose another problem as to
whether they will be near enough to help us when the time
comes."

Mesnager said
ruefully: "We need some means to defend ourselves." To which Prior
responded: "What did you do with your sword?"

Mesnager
thought a while then struck his forehead, cursing: "Mon Dieu! How
could I be so stupid. When I saw you were not wearing a sword, I
dispensed with mine as well. It is in the luggage compartment." He
thought for a moment then was on his feet scrabbling at the floor,
then turned his attention to their bench seats telling Prior about
his suspicions and together they both stood up and searched for
some movement.

"Voila!"
Mesnager exclaimed lifting a bench where below could be seen a
panel which on raising revealed an access into their luggage
compartment. Asking Prior to hold him from slipping, Mesnager
groped around as the carriage continued on its way.

"Enfin!"
Mesnager cried in exultation as his searching hand found the belt
which he tugged free with the weapon requesting Prior to hold him
until he managed to retrieve another package before emerging from
his search and shouting excitedly. Prior had to wait until Mesnager
was again on his feet having replaced the trap and seat, then
turning to Prior called out in high good humour:

"Choose your
weapon, my friend!"

"May I
?" Then swaying in the carriage as he stood, Prior fastened
Mesnager's belt around his waist watched by his amused friend who
suggested: "It seems made for you monsieur. Take it if that is the
weapon you prefer, which means I must also learn again how to load
my pistol."

Prior watched
as from the other package Mesnager unfolded its contents to reveal
pistol and ammunition. Mesnager felt underneath the pistol's muzzle
withdrawing a rod which he pushed down the barrel and meeting
nothing declared it ready to load. He emptied the contents of a
cartridge into the barrel via the muzzle followed by a ball. He
might have satisfied himself that the flint produced sparks before
pouring a little gunpowder into the firing-pan. He said to Prior:
"It would be comforting to do a test firing though I fear it might
frighten the horses."

Both men
agreed with the other that they were as ready for anything as ever
they could be and none too soon for the carriage had slowed to turn
towards the beach and was soon running parallel with the dunes
although the front carriage was disappearing as Mesnager realised
he had not agreed with the other driver-coachman where they should
wait. Yet there was little time for such speculation as their own
carriage came towards the spot where Mesnager weeks ago had halted
and it would seem Maurice recognised the place for the carriage
slowed and then stopped. The roof panel opened and Maurice called
that from his vantage point he could see a yacht.

Prior and
Mesnager looked at each other and Prior examined his fob clock.
They looked towards the dunes but could see nothing and again
Maurice shouted:

"You will see
better if you get out and stand atop the dunes." This seemed good
advice and Prior opened the door and both he and Mesnager jumped
out, closing the door and had scarcely gone a few paces when the
carriage moved off quickly. Each of them looked at the other
showing fear as they suspected treachery which seemed confirmed for
having breasted the dunes they could nothing of the yacht, even
after scanning the sea with the telescope. Clearly Maurice's false
sighting was a ruse to get them out of the carriage.

"He is off to
join his accomplices, no doubt." muttered a disgusted Mesnager as
they trudged back towards the road or rather track being an even
surface partly covered with grass and sand. On the other side of
the road was a sort of clearing with trees beyond. They looked back
the way they had come and the track merged into dunes as afar as
the eye could see while ahead the track could be seen until it
disappeared around a corner. The dunes continued on their right
following the curve of the road, while on the left was forest.

"What about
his confession?" Prior's question brought another gesture of
contempt: "It was all a sham." Prior speculated: "It may be that
having seen the musketeers go so far ahead, he changed his mind in
the belief, that the plot could succeed after all, at no danger to
himself."

Mesnager was
gloomy: "If Maurice believes our protectors are out of reach, what
hope for us unless they notice we are no longer behind and stop to
look for us." But there was no time for either to speculate further
as a carriage could be heard and both exchanged glances of joy
though their joy faded as the approaching vehicle was drawn by two
labouring horses and both Prior and Mesnager leaned on each other
for support as the carriage did not stop but both doors opened and
men leapt out and while the carriage slowed they ran towards
them.

Mesnager
cocked his pistol. Prior drew the sword.

"If you throw
down your arms and surrender, no harm will come to you." The
shouted offer was from the leading man who stopped before them. He
carried a drawn sword. In answer Prior stood on guard in the pose
before a duelling bout which the other appeared to acknowledge as
he pointed to a badge upon his coat which Prior did not recognise
and was quickly enlightened by another just behind, who
shouted:

"You are
facing Jacques, ex-swordsman to the royal house of Valois."

The swordsman
himself made a circle with his blade and as if to intimidate Prior
shouted: "Monsieur wants a fencing lesson, Gaston. Come!"

With that
little speech and gesture, Jacques lunged and Prior parried dancing
aside if only to take them both away from Mesnager who might have
been wounded. He was now engaged in circling Jacques who
occasionally flashed his weapon in an extravagant play followed by
a linge. Prior wondered whether he should take the initiative for
although a competent swordsman, Jacques seemed to be past his best
and Prior was coming slowly to the realisation that he must disarm
Jacques soon.

More relaxed
he listened to Mesnager, who shouted: "Ne bougez pas ou je tis
(Don't move or I'll fire)!" And it seemed as if there was a
stalemate until Prior caught sight of the coachman who, having
stopped his team in the clearing, leapt to the ground running
forward shouting:

"Rush him you
cowards!" The newcomer had reached his accomplices when Prior heard
Mesnager call out: "Arretez! (Stop where you are.)" The newcomer
did not stop but advanced at Mesnager. He fired and Prior in
despair heard a click. In vain Mesnager drew the hammer back to try
again but was hurled to the ground and was soon hors de combat.

Prior now
began in earnest to seriously engage Jacques who skilfully kept him
at bay. Both had realised that now Mesnager was out of action, it
was simply a matter of time before Prior was overpowered. Already
he heard the sound of a pistol being cocked. Someone called to
Jacques:

"If you cannot
overpower him, my pistol will."

Jacques
shouted angrily: "Who is the Englishman? He must not be
harmed."

At that moment
another carriage was heard and some eyes warily; others anxiously
turned towards the sound. Prior was in despair as he saw Maurice at
the reins realising the game would soon be up yet suddenly the
doors opened as before and men leapt out, uniformed men. Prior
gasped in amazement, but to Jacques they had an electrifying effect
as also upon the others. Several reports erupted. Prior saw
flashes, smoke heard more gunshots. Then through a cloud of smoke
energed a man in military blue coat with wide sleeves lined with
gold braid; yet it was his boots that astonished Prior. They
covered his entire legs widening above the knees. As he approached,
he removed his tricorn hat and bowing low swept the ground with it
before planting it back and introducing himself: