“Because, your eminence,” Athos said, inclining his head in a perfunctory bow and, tired of sitting while his foe stood, standing in turn, “I have not come with guile. Or with any complicated plan. I have, in fact, come to offer your eminence my services.”

“Your services?” Richelieu said, and now sounded completely shocked. He couldn’t have looked any more surprised had Athos grown a second head right there, in front of him. “Do you mean to tell me…” His hand reached for the chair opposite the one that Athos had just vacated, and held onto it, as if for support. “That you are ready to abandon Monsieur de Treville’s service, and you chose mine instead?” He looked up at Athos’s face with a speculative, evaluating look. “I’m honored beyond my deserts, but won’t your friends resent it? Won’t they think some pressure must have been brought on you to change allegiance so dramatically? Are you doing it for the freedom of this… what is his baptismal name? Ah, yes, Boniface? Because if you are, noble though it is, I must tell you, the exchange is a bit high, a count for a servant.”

Athos should have been offended. Athos was offended. That he would consider trading the allegiance to Monsieur de Treville, who guarded the King himself; that he would ever think of letting the Cardinal put his stamp on him. Richelieu must be mad. Only of course he wasn’t. What he was doing was trying to anger Athos, to see what lay behind the hand Athos clutched to his chest. And Athos, unlucky at cards though he might be, was not such a bad strategist. “No, your eminence. Considering all the good people in your service, Monsieur de Rochefort and all those fine sword fighters-what is the name of the one that D’Artagnan wounded two days ago? I can’t quite remember, but I hope he’s doing well. Has he recovered from his wound?”

The Cardinal’s face betrayed only the slightest hint of annoyance before closing into a placid look. “No. If you mean Herve, poor fellow, his Maker has called him home.”

“Oh. You have my sympathy. The poor man. And twice D’Artagnan’s age too. But at least he’ll be joining his comrade who helped him fight D’Artagnan and who died of his wounds at the scene of the duel.”

The Cardinal made a gesture of impatience, hastily suppressed. “But if you haven’t come to offer me your services, may I ask…”

“But I have come to offer you my services,” Athos said. “I said so.” He lifted a hand, as he saw Richelieu open his mouth. “No, pray, allow me to explain. I came to offer my services, but without leaving Monsieur de Treville’s service. No, before you seek to insult me by insinuating I am willing to spy for you, let me stop you. There are insults, your eminence, that will make me forget that you’ve given up your sword.”

“I trust your honor better than that, Monsieur le Comte. You would not kill an unarmed man.”

“I wouldn’t trust my honor, Monsieur le Cardinal. I am, in fact, human, and flesh and blood can only stand so much.”

The Cardinal inclined his head. “I won’t accuse you of wishing to play a double role, then,” he said. “At any rate, it is more likely that your friend Aramis or your friend D’Artagnan would succeed at such a game. But if you want to take up my service without giving up Monsieur de Treville’s, what else am I to understand? I have enough people to guard entrances and doors, and if you mean that you’ll stand such a sort of double shift, again, much as I regret to tell you, it is not the thing that is worth the life of a servant who murdered someone.”

Athos wasn’t about to argue that Mousqueton hadn’t murdered anyone. At any rate, he would bet that Richelieu knew that already. Instead, he inclined his head, and looked at the pattern of the carpet upon the floor for a while before speaking. “No, no. While I am a good guard, I claim no particular acuity. After all, it was past my guard that the Duchess de Dreux was murdered. Forbid the thought that your eminence should likewise succumb to murder while I guarded the entrance.”

Richelieu shuddered, the shudder unmistakable, then focused his gaze on Athos, with renewed sharpness. “So you know of the conspiracy to kill me. I assume Treville told you so. And Treville being Treville, and no more likely to understand conspiracy or plotting than you are, I presume he foolishly told you that I am holding Mous-ah, Boniface, to get the Queen to confess to her part in the conspiracy.” He raised eyebrows at Athos. “Do you play chess, Monsieur le Comte?”

“No, your eminence. My father did. You remind me a great deal of him.”

This got him a quizzical look. Then the Cardinal shrugged, minimally. “Ah? Very well. However, I am sure you know that a Queen is worth more than a pawn. The trade won’t be made.”

“I quite understand,” Athos said. He allowed his more typical smile, tinged with a good deal of bitterness to elongate his lips into a smile. “I am not one of those who reposes a great deal of belief in the natural benevolence of women.”

A long enquiring look back, and Richelieu opened his hands wide, not quite in a show of helplessness, but more as though he were laying out a hand of imaginary cards. “What, then, do you propose to do?” he asked. “I have something you want-that is your servant back. And you have, presumably, something to offer me in return, else your coming in like this and wishing to deal would seem even more foolish than it is.”

Athos allowed a dry chuckle to escape him, without betraying the slightest expression of amusement. “A good description of the situation, your eminence. And the only answer I can make is that I’ve come to strike a bargain with the devil.”

The eyebrows went up. “Truly? How strange of you to seek him in the home of a churchman.”

“Not so strange, when you think about it, your eminence,” Athos said. “I do not listen to gossip, but one cannot help but hear some portion of it, as one goes about one’s business.”

The Cardinal said nothing. This meant, Athos supposed, the time for talk was over. He nodded, as though acknowledging the end of a part of the game and the beginning of the other. As much fun as it might be to needle the Cardinal, Athos had come here for a purpose.

He opened his hands in turn, displaying his palms. “I want Mousqueton’s freedom. Mousqueton’s freedom and his exoneration from these ridiculous charges.”

“And I want a strong France where noblemen can’t challenge the power of their sovereign,” Richelieu said. “We all want things. The question is, what do you propose to do about it? And what can you do about it?”

“In return for the freedom and life of Porthos’s servant, I offer my services in unraveling the conspiracy against your eminence.”

A surprised look. “Oh? I thought you meant to offer me something of value?”

Perhaps Athos deserved that, for the unprovoked insults against the Cardinal, or perhaps this was just the way of the Cardinal’s enjoying himself in turn. Athos bowed his head slightly, in acknowledgment of a hit, and answered back, “I’m sure it has value enough. You are aware that in the last year we have unraveled murders that baffled everyone else.”

“And bested me not a few times? Yes. But for that, you had the help of your friends. Am I correct in saying that this time you are on your own, and that none of your friends knows of your effort, much less is prepared to help?”

Athos opened his hands, displaying his symbolic cards. “Alas, I can only offer myself,” he said, while in his mind he calculated things quickly. There was D’Artagnan, on whose loyalty and cooperation he was fairly sure he could count. And there was Porthos, who would protest at the idea of doing anything for the Cardinal, much less anything to defend the Cardinal. But he would do it, nonetheless, for the sake of Mousqueton. And Aramis… ah, Aramis. There was no telling what Aramis might do. Even when he told you what he was going to do.