by Kevin Berry
A door in the back wall opens, and the apothecary, a young woman, emerges. She’s dressed entirely in black, and her wig is tinged with red. She gives you a warm smile.
“Well, I don’t have Cardinal’s Guards in here very often. How may I help you, Lieutenant cadet?” she says.
You pull the vial from your pocket. “Can you tell me what this contains?”
She takes the vial from you and peers closely at it. “It’ll take me a few minutes. Will you wait?”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
“That’ll be one livre.” She holds out a hand, the one not holding the vial.
“A whole livre? For just a few minutes?”
“Yes. For my expertise. It’s a matter of knowing how to analyze it. If you could do it yourself, you would. Now, take it or leave it.”
“All right.” You pay up grudgingly.
She pockets the silver coin and goes over to a counter at the back of the shop, beside the doorway from which she entered. First, she tips a tiny amount of the white substance from the vial into a shallow dish, then adds a small amount of water. The grainy substance dissolves in it.
She pours a little more into another shallow dish. Now you start to worry that she might use it all up with her testing. Then what will you do if it turns out to be harmless or, worse, medicine for the king’s ailments?
The apothecary lights a candle and sprinkles some of the grains onto it. They fizzle and burn. She nods knowingly. You’re just grateful that she didn’t blow up the shop.
“Any idea what it is yet?” you ask, in case her experiments will become more dangerous.
“Yes,” she says. She takes a pinch of the grains between her thumb and forefinger, and deposits them on her tongue. “Mmm.”
You frown. “What is it, then?”
“Sugar. It’s a rare substance, not found naturally in France. My guess is it came from one of the Spanish trading ships. It’s expensive. Very expensive.” She paused and gave you a questioning look. “Did you bring it from the palace?”
“Yes. I did.” You decide not to elaborate. She can make up her own mind about why you asked her to check it out.
“Only the extraordinarily rich can afford this,” she continued. “I believe they put it in drinks or in baking.”
“For what purpose?”
She tilts her head and looks at you as if you’re a few slices short of a baguette. “It makes everything taste nicer. Sweeter.”
“So … it’s an expensive alternative to using honey?”
“That’s right. And another thing—it’s highly addictive. Once someone has the taste for it, they will crave it.”
You thank the apothecary and leave her shop, taking the vial with the remainder of the sugar in it, and hurry back to the palace.
You walk swiftly through the muddy streets. Why the secrecy surrounding this? Why must the vial of sugar be delivered covertly and then hidden? Then you finally realize. The apothecary explained it. Because the sugar is so expensive and so addictive, if servants or others in the palace knew about it, they might be tempted to take a little … and soon there would be none left for the king.
You’re at least half an hour late for delivering His Majesty’s hot chocolate. Will you get into trouble for that? Moments later, you burst into the kitchen, puffing and sweating from your exertions.
“Oh! It’s you, cadet,” the cook said. “You nearly gave me half a fright. You’re late, you know. But—luckily—His Majesty has only just called for his hot chocolate. I almost have it ready, and then you can take it to him.”
“Very well.” You smile. You’re not in any trouble at all, and now you know what the vial contains, you won’t worry about it. And perhaps you can manage a quick sip of the hot chocolate for yourself on the way to His Majesty’s chambers.
Congratulations, this part of your story is over. You chose to take a commission in the Cardinal’s Guards, in which you have the company of your friend Hubert. You’ve picked up your new uniform, which, though it looks a bit like a tent cut into four pieces, still allows you to effect a dashing figure. You choose one of two tasks the cardinal offered, that being to deliver the king’s hot chocolates each day after covertly adding a secret ingredient, but because you were not sure what that substance was, you had it checked out by an apothecary to make sure it was safe. Well done. You can rest easy, and the cardinal need never know about that.
But what if you’d made one of the other choices when faced with this task? Also, there are other paths in the book that you may wish to try. What if you choose the other task? Or took a commission as a King’s Musketeer instead?
It’s time to make a decision. You have three choices. Would you like to:
Return to the previous section and choose again?
Or
Go to the list of choices and start reading from another part of the story?
Or
Go back to the beginning of the story and try another path?
Tell the queen about the vial
You’re reluctant to put something in the king’s drink when you don’t know what it is, and asking the cardinal to explain would indicate that you’re not under his spell and show your lack of trust in him—probably a bad career move. You’re not sure about going to an apothecary, in case the apothecary turns out to be one of the cardinal’s many spies.
So that leaves the queen. You can tell her your concerns.
Of course, you have to find her first. The palace covers a large area, and she could be anywhere. You hurry across the bridge and make your way to the palace entrance. Two courtiers are just leaving as you arrive. Once they’re out of earshot, you speak to one of the Swiss Guards posted at the door.
“Have you seen Her Majesty today, by any chance?”
“No, Lieutenant cadet. I have been here since dawn, and she has not left the palace this way.”
“Thank you.”
You dash inside. The time for the king’s hot chocolate is fast approaching. You want to speak with the queen before delivering it, but you’re running out of time.
A few minutes’ walk leads you to the queen’s private apartments, which are separate from the king’s. Servants bustle about, each performing their particular tasks.
You stop a passing housemaid. “Do you know where Her Majesty is?”
She nods and barely pauses before dashing past. “She’s taking a turn in the gardens.”
A turn? Then you remember, it means taking a walk in the gardens.
You leave the palace through a side exit that leads into the gardens and immediately spot Queen Anne strolling, parasol aloft, side by side with her companion, the duchesse de Chevreuse. Quickly, you stride towards them. When they see you approaching at such haste, they stop.
“Lieutenant cadet, whatever is the matter? Your face is flushed,” the queen says when you reach her and doff your hat.
“May I speak with you privately, Your Majesty?”
“Anything you have to say can be said in front of my companion.”
“Very well.” You withdraw the vial of the white substance from your pocket. “I’m concerned about this. The cardinal gave me the task of delivering His Majesty’s hot chocolate. He instructed me to discreetly put some of these white grains into the drink before I give it to His Majesty, but I do not know what this is. I thought I should inform you, Your Majesty.”
Anne and the duchesse laugh. “It’s sugar. Have you not seen it before?”
You’re confounded. “No, Your Majesty. It looks like salt, but I knew it wouldn’t be that. What is ‘sugar’?”
“It’s extremely sweet, like honey, but better. The Spanish trading ships bring it. It has to be handled discreetly because it’s so expensive. We don’t want the servants to use it up.”
“No, of course not.” Your face reddens more, but this time it is from embarrassment rather than your exertions hurrying around the palace and its grounds. Will the queen think you a fool or be angry at you for wasting her time
?
No. She smiles at you. “What’s your name, Lieutenant cadet?”
You give her your name.
“Well, I can see you are intelligent and have a strong sense of duty. You’re wasted in the Cardinal’s Guards. I can make arrangements for you to be transferred into my own company of Musketeers if you wish. You’ll have the opportunity to travel with me and serve as my personal bodyguard, at times.”
You bow. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I am honored, and would be delighted to join the Queen’s Musketeers.”
“Bravo!” the duchesse de Chevreuse says. For the first time, you look directly at her. There’s a strange gleam in her eyes that you can’t interpret.
Congratulations, this part of your story is over. You chose to take a commission in the Cardinal’s Guards, in which you have the company of your friend Hubert. You’ve picked up your new uniform, which, though it looks a bit like a tent cut into four pieces, still allows you to effect a dashing figure. You choose one of two tasks the cardinal offered, that being to deliver the king’s hot chocolates each day after covertly adding a secret ingredient, but because you were not sure what that substance was, you went to the queen to tell her about it. She was so impressed with you that she offered you a position in her own company, the prestigious Queen’s Musketeers.
But what if you’d made one of the other choices? Also, there are other paths in the book that you may wish to try. What if you choose the other task? Or took a commission as a King’s Musketeer instead? Everything would have turned out differently. With a You Say Which Way book, you can try again.
It’s time to make a decision. You have three choices. Would you like to:
Return to the previous section and choose again?
Or
Go to the list of choices and start reading from another part of the story?
Or
Go back to the beginning of the story and try another path?
Accuse the cardinal of wanting to poison the king
You fume. Surely, the only explanation is that the cardinal wants to secretly poison the king. That’s why you have to administer the mysterious white grains covertly, so no one will know. He probably isn’t trying to kill the king, but merely keep His Majesty weak so he is bedridden. That allows Richelieu to run France as he wishes himself.
And, of course, you’re taking the risk of adding the poison to the king’s drink. If you’re caught, the cardinal will deny everything. You’re the one sticking your neck out, and it’ll be you facing the executioner.
Well, you’re not going to go along with that.
You stare into the waters of La Seine from the bridge, planning your move. You decide you can’t challenge the cardinal face-to-face, alone—he will use his hypnotic or sorcerous powers to overpower you, like he did Hubert. Therefore you’ll have to confront him publicly.
But won’t he simply deny everything? Probably. But you remember he had a vial of the white substance of his own in his pocket. If you accuse him in front of the king, then you can point out the vial in the cardinal’s pocket. He won’t have a chance to dispose of it first, and it’s incontrovertible evidence.
Yes, your mind is made up. You’ll do it.
You cross Pont Neuf and head toward the palace. Cardinal Richelieu will not use you as his pawn to slowly poison King Louis XIII. Not while you have breath in your lungs, a brave heart and a rapier by your side.
Once inside the palace, you don’t head to the kitchen to collect His Majesty’s hot chocolate as you should. Instead, you make your way directly towards the king’s private apartments. As a Cardinal’s Guard, your presence in the palace is accepted without question. You can go wherever you want, as long as it looks like you’re on official business.
Near the king’s apartments, you stop and look for a place to hide. Your plan is to wait until the cardinal comes past to speak to the king, which he does frequently. Then you’ll use the opportunity to reveal the cardinal’s treachery in front of His Majesty.
You look around. The room you’re in is, like most of the rooms in the palace, opulently furnished. Gilded portraits hang on the walls. Fine furniture faces an elegant fireplace in which a fire burns brightly, even though the room was empty when you entered it. A crystal chandelier dangles from the ceiling, reflecting the light from the fire all around the room.
You choose a spot near the doorway to loiter. You’ll be able to hear anyone going past, then take a quick look to see who it is.
Luckily, your wait is short. A mere ten minutes later, the cardinal saunters past, his raven hitching a ride on his hat. Peeking around the doorframe, you see him enter the antechamber to the king’s bedroom.
You allow a few minutes to pass. Butterflies whirl in your stomach, but you quell them. This is it, you tell yourself. Now is my opportunity to denounce the cardinal as a traitor and a poisoner, save King Louis XIII, even save France itself.
Full of confidence, you stride down the corridor and through the door to the king’s antechamber.
“Can I help you, Lieutenant cadet?” The Head of the King’s Wardrobe, the compte de Chalais, approaches you. He is a slightly overweight and fancily-dressed man, a bit of a dandy.
“I must see His Majesty—and the cardinal—urgently about a matter of state security,” you declare. You may be young, but you try to sound important.
The compte strokes his short beard. “And you are?”
You tell him your name.
“And your information is?”
“For the ears of His Majesty only!” you say.
“I see. Well … His Majesty and His Eminence are presently discussing matters of state and will not welcome any interruptions. But you may wait.”
“No.”
“You will not wait?”
“No. I will not wait.”
The compte frowns. “This matter must be something of great importance for me to interrupt His Majesty and His Eminence.”
“It’s a matter of life and death!” You emphasize every word.
“Yours?”
“His Majesty’s!”
The compte sighs. “Very well. I will let you into His Majesty’s presence. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Of course I do, you think impatiently. The compte pads towards a door in his glittery slippers. You follow. He throws open the door dramatically and enters.
There are two Cardinal’s Guards on the other side of the door. You nod at them, recognizing them, though you do not know their names. The king and the cardinal swivel their attention to you.
“The cadet here insists upon an audience to deliver some important information,” the compte says, then withdraws.
“Let’s hear it,” the king says. He’s sitting up in bed, his face frowning.
You glance at the cardinal, whose expression is one of barely-concealed fury. Whether that is because he has guessed you are about to accuse him of treason, or whether it’s simply because he knows you did not deliver the king’s hot chocolate, you can’t tell.
Here goes, you tell yourself.
You face the king. “Your Majesty, that man”—you point at the cardinal—“intends to poison you. I have the proof of his dastardly intentions!”
Out of the corner of your eye, you see the Guards at the door place their hands upon their swords. They are the cardinal’s troops, of course. Whom will they seize, you wonder. The cardinal, or you?
“Outrageous lies!” Richelieu snarls. His raven caws and turns its beady gaze on you. “Are you mad, cadet?”
“Not at all.” You lower your arm and turn to face the cardinal. “You’re keeping His Majesty weak by poisoning him so you can run France according to your own desires!”
“Contemptible untruths!” the cardinal says. “You will pay dearly for this insult, Lieutenant cadet.”
“Wait. I have the proof of which I spoke. This white grainy substance.” You pull the vial out of your pocket and hold it aloft.
“I have a question,” the king says. �
�If it is poison, and you have it in your possession, on what grounds can you accuse His Eminence? Surely, you are the culprit here.”
There is a quiet sound of metal on metal as the two Cardinal’s Guards at the door draw their swords a short way out of their scabbards.
“On the grounds that His Eminence gave it to me to secretly put in your drink, Your Majesty. Let him deny it if he wants. He has a vial of the same substance in his own pocket. That is all the proof you need.”
“Is this true, Richelieu?”
“Certainly, Your Majesty. Here it is.” The cardinal pulls out the vial he showed you earlier. “It’s always good to have a spare.”
“But what is it, exactly?” Louis asks from his bed. “I can’t see it properly from here.”
“What else could it be, but poison?” you say. “It certainly isn’t salt.”
Richelieu shakes his head, dislodging his raven in the process. “It’s not salt.”
“Not salt,” agrees the king, even though he is in no position to know either way. “So … what do you have to say about this, Richelieu?”
“The grains are sugar, Your Majesty. They’ve been bought from Spanish traders, who have obtained the raw substance from overseas. It’s very expensive.”
Sugar … have you heard of this before? No, you don’t think so. But the way the cardinal is talking, it doesn’t sound like poison or anything deadly. There’s a tight feeling in your throat. Perhaps you’ve got this all wrong. Very, very wrong.
Richelieu continues. “We use it to counteract the bitter taste of the cocoa, Your Majesty. It sweetens the drink. Makes it very tasty.”
“Ah. That’s what the secret ingredient is. So, what shall we do with the cadet here? Treat this whole incident as a joke? A misunderstanding? What do you think, Richelieu?”
“A misunderstanding, certainly,” the cardinal says, though the glint of his eyes indicate he is certainly not treating it as a joke. “I demand absolute loyalty from my officers, and that has been lacking in this one. Leave it up to me, Your Majesty. I will make sure this never happens again.”