‘You – a warrior!’ Nanon said, with a shrug of the shoulders.
‘Why not? Dammit! I’m not saying that I’m any Dunois, Duguesclin, a Bayard or a fearless, blameless knight.48 No, I am not arrogant enough to say that I have not a few small things to reproach myself with, and I would not, like the illustrious condottiere Sforza, ask what is meant by fear.49 I am a man, and, as Plautus says: Homo sum, et nihil humani a me alienum puto, which means: ‘I am a man and nothing human is foreign to me.’50 So I do feel fear, as a man is entitled to feel it – which does not prevent me from being brave on occasion. I perform quite prettily with the sword and with the pistol, even when I am obliged to do so. But my true leaning, my definite vocation, you see, is for diplomacy. Either I am very much mistaken, my dear Nanon, or I shall become a great figure in the world of politics. Politics is a fine career: look at Monsieur de Mazarin: if he is not hanged, he will go far. Well, I am like Monsieur de Mazarin, so one of my fears, even perhaps the greatest of them, is being hanged. Fortunately, you are there, dear Nanon, and that gives me a lot of confidence.’
‘So you’re a warrior.’
‘And a courtier when necessary. Oh, I made excellent use of my stay with Monsieur de Longueville.’
‘What did he teach you?’
‘What princes are taught: how to make war, how to plot, how to betray.’
‘And where has that got you?’
‘To the very top.’
‘And you lost this eminent position?’
‘Why, Monsieur de Condé has certainly lost his. One does not control events. My dear sister, I, here before you, governed Paris!’
‘You did?’
‘Yes, I did!’
‘For how long?’
‘For one hour and three-quarters, by the clock.’
‘You governed Paris?’
‘As an emperor.’
‘How did that happen?’
‘In the simplest manner. You know that the coadjutor, Monsieur de Gondi, the Abbé de Gondi – ’51
‘Very well!’
‘ – was absolute master of the city. Well, at that moment I was with the Duke d’Elbeuf. He is a prince from Lorraine, and there is no shame in being with Monsieur d’Elbeuf. However, at that time, d’Elbeuf was the enemy of the coadjutor. So I staged an uprising in favour of Monsieur d’Elbeuf, in which I seized…’
‘Who? The coadjutor?’
‘Not at all. I should not have known what to do with him, I should have found him most awkward. No, I took his mistress, Mademoiselle de Chevreuse.’
‘But that’s dreadful!’ Nanon exclaimed.
‘Yes, isn’t it dreadful for a priest to have a mistress? That’s just what I thought. My idea was to capture her and take her so far away that he would not see her again. So I told him what I had in mind. But, do you know, that devil of a man has arguments that are irresistible: he offered me a thousand pistoles.’
‘Poor woman! Being bargained for like that!’
‘What do you mean? On the contrary, she must have been delighted: it proved how much Monsieur de Gondi loved her! It takes a man of the cloth to feel such devotion to a mistress. My belief is that it comes from their being forbidden to have one.’
‘So you are rich?’
‘Me!’ said Cauvignac.
‘Of course, thanks to this brigandry.’
‘Don’t talk about it! Look, Nanon, something dreadful happened to me! Mademoiselle de Chevreuse’s chambermaid, whom nobody thought to buy back from me, and who had consequently stayed with me, ran off with the money.’
‘At least, I hope, you kept the friendship of those whom you had served by your attack on the coadjutor.’
‘Oh, Nanon, anyone can see you know nothing about princes. Monsieur d’Elbeuf made it up with the coadjutor. In the treaty between them, I was sacrificed. As a result, I was obliged to sell my services to Monsieur de Mazarin, but Monsieur de Mazarin is a coward. So much so that, as he was not prepared to make the reward equal to my services, I accepted an offer that was made to me to start another riot in honour of Councillor Broussel, the aim of which was to appoint Chancellor Séguier. But my men, the incompetent oafs, only half bludgeoned him. It was during that scuffle that I faced the greatest danger that has ever threatened me. Monsieur de La Meilleraie shot a pistol at me almost at point-blank range. Fortunately, I ducked. The shot went over my head and the illustrious marshal only killed an old woman.’
‘What a tissue of horrors!’
‘Not so, my dear sister. These are the realities of civil war.’
‘Now I understand how a man who is capable of such things dared to do what you did yesterday.’
‘What did I do?’ Cauvignac asked with the most innocent look in the world. ‘What did I dare to do?’
‘You dared openly to pull the wool over the eyes of someone as important as Monsieur d’Epernon! But what I don’t understand – and what, I must admit, I should never have dreamt of – is that a brother whom I have showered with my generosity should have coldly devised a plan to ruin his sister.’
‘Ruin my sister! Me?’
‘Yes, you. I did not need to wait to hear what you have just told me, which proves that you are capable of anything, to recognize the writing on this letter. There! Can you deny that this anonymous letter is in your handwriting?’
Indignantly, Nanon placed in front of her brother the letter of denunciation that the duke had given her the previous evening.
Cauvignac was not the slightest disconcerted as he read it.
‘Well, now,’ he said. ‘What do you have against this letter? Do you by any chance consider it badly expressed? If so, I’m sorry for you, because that would prove that you have no feeling for literature.’
‘It’s not a question of style, Monsieur, it’s the content. Was it or was it not you who wrote this letter?’
‘It was undoubtedly me. If I had wanted to deny the fact, I should have disguised my handwriting. But it would have been pointless: I have never intended to hide myself from you. I even wanted you to recognize that the letter came from me.’
‘Oh!’ Nanon exclaimed, with a horrified gesture. ‘You admit it?’
‘It’s a remaining trace of modesty, dear Sister. Yes, I have to tell you, I was driven by a sort of desire for revenge…’
‘Revenge!’
‘Yes, quite natural.’
‘Revenge on me, you wretch! Just think what you are saying… What harm have I done you, for you to have the idea of taking revenge on me?’
‘What have you done? But, Nanon, put yourself in my position. I leave Paris because I have too many enemies there – that’s the misfortune of all politicians – I come back to you, I beg you… Don’t you remember? You got three letters from me – and don’t say that you didn’t recognize my handwriting. It was exactly the same as that on the anonymous letter, and those letters were signed. I write you three letters to ask you for a hundred miserable pistoles – a hundred pistoles, from you who have millions! It was a pittance. But, you know, a hundred pistoles is my figure. Well, my sister rejects me. I come to call on her, and my sister has me shown off the premises. Of course, I make enquiries. Perhaps she is in distress, I think; this is the moment to prove to her that her generosity did not fall on stony ground. Perhaps she is not even free. In that case, she may be excused. You see: my heart was seeking excuses for you, and that’s when I find out that my sister is free, happy, rich… very rich! And that some Baron de Canolles, a stranger, is usurping my privileges and being protected in my place. Well, jealousy turned my head.’
‘You should say greed. You sold me to Monsieur d’Epernon, just as you sold Mademoiselle de Chevreuse to the coadjutor. What was it to you, may I ask, if I had a relationship with the Baron de Canolles?’
‘To me? Nothing, and I should not even have thought to bother about it, if you had continued your relationship with me.’
‘Do you know that if I said a single word to the Duke d’Epernon, if I made a com
plete confession to him, it would be the end of you?’
‘Certainly.’
‘You heard just now from his own mouth what he intends to do to the person who took that letter of attestation from him.’
‘Don’t talk about it. I shuddered to the marrow of my bones at the thought of it, and it took all my self-control not to give myself away.’
‘And aren’t you still shuddering, since you admit yourself that you feel fear?’
‘No, because a straightforward confession would prove that Monsieur de Canolles is not your brother, and in that case the words of your letter, addressed to a stranger, have unfortunate implications. Believe me, it is better to have made an outright confession like the one that you have just made, you ungrateful girl – I don’t say “blind”, because I know you too well for that. But think how many advantages that I have foreseen will result from this little drama that I have cooked up. At first, it was very awkward for you, and you were scared that Monsieur de Canolles would arrive and, not having been warned, would flounder around quite horribly in the middle of your little family fantasy. But my presence, on the contrary, saved the day. Your brother is no longer a mystery. Monsieur d’Epernon has adopted him and done so like a true gentleman, I have to say. Now the brother no longer needs to hide: he is part of the household. Hence letters, meetings outside and even here indoors, as long as the brother with the black hair and eyes is not so ill-mannered as to look the Duke d’Epernon full in the face. One cloak looks very like another. And when Monsieur d’Epernon sees a cloak coming out of your house, who will be able to tell if it is or is not the brother’s? So you are as free as air. The only thing is that, in order to be of service to you, I have rebaptized myself: I’m called Canolles, which is a pest. You should be grateful to me for the sacrifice.’
Nanon, struck dumb, did not know what argument to offer against this verbose flood, pouring out from such incredible insolence. So Cauvignac, taking advantage of the success of his storming attack, went on: ‘And, my dear sister, since we have been reunited after such a long absence and you have found your brother again after so many setbacks, you might even admit that from now on you will sleep more soundly thanks to the protection of my love. You can live as peacefully as though the whole of Guyenne adored you – which is not the case, as you know. But it will have to do as we wish. I am setting up home right beside you, Monsieur d’Epernon is having me appointed colonel, and instead of six men, I have two thousand. With those two thousand men, I can perform the twelve labours of Hercules. I am made duke and peer. Madame d’Epernon dies, Monsieur d’Epernon marries you…’
‘Before all that, two things,’ Nanon snapped.
‘What things, dear Sister? Carry on, I’m listening.’
‘First of all, you will give the letter of attestation back to the duke. You heard the sentence from his own lips. After that, you will leave here at once, or else I shall be hanged, which is nothing to you, except that you will destroy yourself with me. I hope that that argument will make you consider my position.’
‘Two replies, dear lady. The letter of attestation is my property, and you cannot prevent me from having myself hanged if that is my wish.’
‘God forbid!’
‘Thank you. It’s not going to happen, don’t worry. I told you just now how little I favour that form of death. So I’ll keep the letter of attestation, unless you have an urge to buy it from me, in which case we can agree a price.’
‘I don’t need it. I’m the one who issues such documents.’
‘Lucky Nanon!’
‘So, are you keeping it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Even though you know what might happen to you?’
‘Don’t worry, I know where it’s kept. As for retiring, I shall not commit such an error, since I am here thanks to the duke. And, moreover, in your hurry to get rid of me, you are forgetting one thing.’
‘Which is?’
‘The important mission that the duke mentioned to me, which is to make my fortune.’
Nanon went pale.
‘You wretch!’ she said. ‘You know very well that this mission was not intended for you. You know that to misuse your position would be a crime and one that sooner or later will be punished.’
‘So, I’m not going to misuse it – just to use it.’
‘In any case, Monsieur de Canolles is named in the commission.’
‘So? Aren’t I called the Baron de Canolles?’
‘Yes, but there they not only know his name, but also his face. Monsieur de Canolles has been to court several times.’
‘At last! A good reason – the first you’ve given me. And so, as you see, I submit to it.’
‘You would meet your political enemies there,’ said Nanon. ‘And it may be that your face, your true one, though under another name, is no less well known there than that of Monsieur de Canolles.’
‘Oh, that won’t matter if, as the duke said, the mission is meant to do a great service to France. The message will vouchsafe the messenger. A service of that importance implies a pardon, and an amnesty for the past is always the first condition of political conversions. So, believe me, dear Sister, it is not for you to impose your conditions on me, but for me to offer you mine.’
‘And what are they, then?’
‘Firstly, as I just told you, the first condition of any treaty: a general amnesty.’
‘Is that all?’
‘Then a settlement of our account.’
‘What you’re saying is that I owe you something?’
‘You owe me the hundred pistoles that I asked for and that you inhumanely refused.’
‘Here are two hundred.’
‘At last. That’s more like you, Nanon.’
‘But on one condition.’
‘Which is?’
‘That you undo the harm you have done.’
‘Fair enough. What must I do?’
‘You must mount your horse and ride down the Paris road until you meet Monsieur de Canolles.’
‘So I have to lose his name?’
‘You give it back to him.’
‘Saying what?’
‘Give him this written order and make sure that he leaves at once to carry it out.’
‘Is that all?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Does he have to know who I am?’
‘Quite the opposite: it essential that he should not know.’
‘Oh, Nanon! Are you ashamed of your brother?’
Nanon did not reply. She was thinking. After a moment, she said: ‘But how will I know that you carry out my request properly? If anything were sacred for you, I should ask you to swear by it.’
‘You can do better than that.’
‘How?’
‘Promise me another hundred pistoles after the job is done.’
Nanon shrugged her shoulders.
‘Agreed,’ she said.
‘Well, then, listen. I’m not demanding any oath from you: your word is enough for me. So, a hundred pistoles to the person who gives you, on my behalf, a receipt from Monsieur de Canolles.’
‘You talk about “the person”: don’t you expect to come back yourself, then?’
‘Who knows? I have business of my own near Paris.’
Nanon could not repress an involuntary movement of delight.
‘Ah, now, that’s not nice!’ Cauvignac said with a laugh. ‘But don’t worry, Sis, no hard feelings.’
‘No hard feelings. Now, be off.’
‘I will, immediately. Just the time to drink a stirrup cup.’
Cauvignac poured the remains of the bottle of Chambertin into his glass, waved farewell to his sister with a gesture full of deference and, leaping into the saddle, vanished in a cloud of dust.
X
The moon was starting to rise as the Viscount de Cambes, followed by the faithful Pompée, left Master Biscarros’s inn and set off down the Paris road.
After around a quarter of an hour, during which
the viscount was entirely taken up with his thoughts, and during the course of which they had covered about a league and a half, he turned to the groom, who was bouncing along gravely on his saddle three yards behind his lord and master.
‘Pompée,’ the young man asked. ‘Do you by any chance have my right glove?’
‘Not as far as I know, Monsieur,’ said Pompée.
‘So what are you doing with your saddlebag?’
‘I’m making sure that it is properly attached and tightening the straps so that it doesn’t clink. The sound of gold is fatal, Monsieur, and leads to unfortunate encounters, especially by night.’
‘Well done, Pompée,’ said the viscount. ‘I like to see you so attentive and cautious.’
‘Those are very natural qualities in an old soldier, Viscount, and perfectly consistent with courage. However, since courage is not the same as foolhardiness, I must admit that I am sorry Monsieur Richon was unable to accompany us, because it is a hard task guarding twenty thousand livres, especially in stormy times such as those we live in.’
‘What you say is very sensible, Pompée,’ said the viscount. ‘I agree with you on every point.’
‘I might even be so bold as to say,’ Pompée went on, emboldened by the viscount’s approval, ‘that it is rash to venture out as we are doing. Let’s pause for a moment, if you don’t mind, while I inspect my musket.’
‘How is it, Pompée?’
‘The wheel52 is working well and anyone who tries to stop us will get a nasty surprise. Oh, oh! What can I see over there?’
‘Where?’
‘In front of us, about a hundred paces, to your right. Look, over there.’
‘I can see something white.’
‘Oh, dear! White! Some leather jerkin, perhaps. On my honour, I should rather like to make for that hedge to our left. In wartime, it’s called entrenching. Let’s entrench, Viscount.’
‘If those are leather jerkins, Pompée, they are worn by the king’s men, and soldiers of the king do not commit robbery on the highway.’
‘Don’t believe it, Monsieur, don’t believe it. On the contrary, one hears constantly of robbers who adopt the uniform of His Majesty to commit a thousand foul deeds, each more accursed than the other, and recently in Bordeaux they broke two of the light horse on the wheel, who… I think I can recognize the uniform of the light cavalry, Monsieur.’
The Women's War Page 13