The Reluctant Rescue

At once, the crowd erupted in an uproar. Louis immediately held out his hand for his younger brother Philip to take, then returned at once to Queen Mother Anne's side. Curiously, not one of the noble ladies—who would normally faint at the slightest incident—collapsed at this moment. Pale with terror, they clustered around the Queen Mother, clutching handkerchiefs and smelling salts. The bravest among them was undoubtedly the Duchess of Montpensier. She seized the Queen Mother and kept demanding that she assign some soldiers to accompany her to Turbigo Street, where Prince of Condé had been attacked.

Queen Mother Anne was unwilling. Why should she be willing? Prince of Condé had humiliated her only minutes ago. And if soldiers were to be deployed, they ought first to escort the King, the King's brother, and herself back to Richelieu Residence before they could possibly go suppress the rioters. Besides, Prince of Condé had troops of his own; he had no need of the King's protection.

But such words could not be spoken aloud. She looked at the Duchess of Montpensier and had just begun to say something when the Duchess saw through her.

"Very well!" The Duchess rose to her feet and cried, "Ah, God bear witness—you are unwilling to save him, though he once saved you! No, Your Majesty, perhaps you even want his life!" She raised a hand to touch her neck, where the emerald necklace Prince of Condé had given her still hung. "I should never have come to beg you. He is your benefactor, yet you are his enemy. I was mistaken, Your Majesty. Now your wish will be fulfilled. His servant still lies beside the theater steps, and my skirt is still stained with his blood. Soon, the Prince's blood will stain my lips as well!" She glared at everyone present, the threat in her words plain as day—the close kin of an innocent man punished by the ancient Romans would smear his blood upon their lips and swear vengeance for him.

The scene ought to have been profoundly solemn, but unfortunately, a loud snort of laughter turned it somewhat ridiculous—as if the little play from before had not yet ended, only shifted among these distinguished people.

The snort came from little Prince Philip. "My dear cousin," he said acidly, "Clara Clémence, the younger Prince of Condé's wife, is not dead yet."

His words were no less than a vicious slap across the Duchess of Montpensier's face. Several noble ladies hid their faces behind handkerchiefs and fans, giggling softly. As we have said before, a respectable lady might lose her senses over a lover outside her marriage, and people would even sympathize with and pity her. But for an unmarried girl, it was a disgrace. The loudest laughter, however, came from Mali Mancini, whose teeth showed as she laughed. Rarely, Queen Mother Anne did not rebuke the girl with a stern glare. She smiled too—only a slight smile, scornful and cold. "You are exceedingly rude, my niece," she said. "This is not your concern." Then, more softly, she said, "We should go back."

The Duchess of Montpensier went pale, looking as though she might collapse at any moment, yet she stubbornly remained standing in the middle of the street, refusing to leave. "If you will not go, then give me soldiers," she said even more bluntly. "Otherwise, I will tell every person I meet that Prince of Condé's attack was carried out at your secret instigation."

Queen Mother Anne was so furious that she laughed instead. "Very well!" she cried. "I would like to hear who would be willing to listen to you." She had already decided that, the moment they returned to Richelieu Residence, she would confine the Duchess of Montpensier with all the treatment due a hostage.

"Wait," said the King.

"Mother, please take Philip back to Richelieu Residence first. My musketeers and I will go to Turbigo Street," Louis said. Queen Mother Anne was still far too indecisive. From the beginning, she should have sealed the Duchess of Montpensier's mouth instead of allowing her to spout nonsense there. Now the Duchess had placed this filthy hat upon the royal family's head. If they still returned to Richelieu Residence as though nothing had happened, it was hard to say whether certain interested parties might fan the flames. Louis had learned from Mali that many people in Paris already resented Prince of Condé's failure to receive the reward he deserved from the royal family. Though he had done almost nothing, it was indeed because of him that the royal family's life in exile had come to an end. If Prince of Condé were truly gravely wounded or even killed in this assassination attempt, people would see only how "cold-hearted" and "ungrateful" the royal family was. With Duke of Orléans Gaston forever watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, a second uprising would likely be imminent.

Queen Mother Anne rejected Louis's request almost without thinking. Louis sighed inwardly. The Queen Mother was not a political creature; that was both his good fortune and his misfortune.

"I have to go," Louis said. "Only if the King risks his life to save Prince of Condé can this matter avoid becoming a disgusting scandal."

Queen Mother Anne nearly burst into tears, but the King could wait no longer. He pushed Philip into the Queen Mother's arms, took hold of the horse brought over by the musketeer captain, and, after mounting, bent down to tell him, "Pick twelve of your quickest and bravest good men for me. The rest will escort my mother and brother back to Richelieu Residence." He looked toward Mali. Mali stepped forward, and Louis hesitated, but ultimately shook his head. Even if Mali's identity as a witch was an open secret, it was still a secret.

"What about Mazarin's men?" the musketeer captain asked.

"Give each of them one gold louis, as long as the Queen Mother and the others all remain safe," Louis said. "Each of your men will receive two, while those going with me will receive five."

"They'll be mad with joy," said the captain. He knew that many of his men often found their income unable to cover their expenses. Weapons, horses, and clothing were all major expenditures, and they always had one or two lovely sweethearts as well. He himself had a good woman always on his mind. He had been fretting over how to provide his dear girl with a fine outfit for Saint Catherine's Day—on that festival, every girl dressed herself in Saint Catherine's likeness. Now the King's reward had solved that problem for him.

The captain immediately brightened and went to select the men. Prince Philip linked his arm through the Queen Mother's and glanced at Louis. How dearly he wished to be with his brother—but he also knew that was almost impossible. He had to return to safety at once, in case anything happened. France could not be without a King, and he did not want that hateful Gaston to wear the crown that belonged to his brother or live in his palace.

The Mayor of Paris was ordered to guide them. Here, the location of the Red Children Market must be mentioned. As everyone knew, Louvre Palace stood beside the Seine River, while the Red Children Market lay to its upper left. Richelieu Residence, where the King and Queen Mother were temporarily staying, was above the Louvre Palace, directly opposite it, with a street between them. To the lower right of the Louvre stood City Hall, where mobs frequently gathered. Thus, neither the Queen Mother nor Prince of Condé would choose that route. Instead, there was Turbigo Street, which Prince of Condé had taken when he was attacked. Turbigo Street was only a few steps away from the Red Children Market.

The King had no intention of marching over openly and grandly. There ought to have been several narrow alleys connecting Turbigo Street to the market, but the mayor "did not know," and neither did his son. Although Louis knew very well that they shrank back merely from cowardice, he still felt a flicker of disappointment. Just then, two respectable gentlemen came running up, panting for breath. One was Sebastian, who had waved his hat at the King, while the other was his friend. The moment they heard that the King was taking men to rescue Prince of Condé, they had rushed out eagerly, wanting to join this brave company.