14 Lord de Winter’s Revenge

CHAPTER 14 Lord de Winter's Revenge "At last!" D'Artagnan cried when he learned the news. "Thank you, Athos. It was a great idea to meet at the Bastion Saint- Gervais. The Cardinal even seems to like us more for the bravery we showed there. And I've come up with an idea for warning the Duke and the Queen. We will write letters to each of them." "I believe we should write to Lord de Winter, instead of the Duke," Aramis said. "With the Cardinal's spies everywhere, we

would never be able to get a letter to the Duke. And Lord de Winter may be able to stop Milady." The others agreed, and Aramis began to compose a letter. "If I am to warn Lord de Winter about his sister-in-law, I will need more information about her," he said. "What else do you know about Milady?" D'Artagnan looked at Athos, who thought for a while before finally telling the others about her. "She is a thief," he said. "She escaped from prison and married Lord de Winter's brother, who died shortly afterward. It is likely that she killed him to inherit his fortune." "How did you learn this?" Porthos asked. "I knew her before she met Lord de Winter's brother," Athos said. "She was my wife. When I discovered her secret, she tried to kill me."

"It seems we Musketeers are not so lucky in love," Porthos said, and laughed bitterly. "How do we warn the Queen?" Athos asked. "If we go to her, the Cardinal will surely see us." "I can help," Aramis said. "The woman I love is one of the Queen's seamstresses. She has helped us in the past. The last time the Duke was in Paris, in fact." So Aramis wrote one letter to Lord de Winter, and one to his love, asking her to warn the Queen. The Musketeers sent Planchet to London with the letter for Lord de Winter, and asked Bazin to deliver the letter to the seamstress. Meanwhile, Milady was on a ship headed for London. She was furious with D'Artagnan for insulting her and with Athos for threatening her. She was anxious to complete her mission in London so she could return to France and take revenge.

After several days, her ship approached London's harbor. Before they landed, a smaller boat came out to meet them. A young man dressed in a naval officer's uniform boarded the ship and asked Milady to come with him. "But I'm Lady Clarik," Milady said with a perfect English accent. "Lord de Winter is my brother-in-law." "I'm sorry," the young officer said. "You must come with me. Those are my orders." When they reached the shore, the young officer took her to a castle far from London. He walked her to the tower and led her to a small room with a heavy door that locked from the outside. "I see I am a prisoner," Milady said. "Is this to be my cell?" "Please stay here," the officer said. "Someone will explain everything soon." Milady was even angrier than before. The

Musketeers must have warned the Duke of Buckingham, she thought. After a short time in her cell, Milady heard the door open and Lord de Winter entered. "Hello, sister-in-law," he said. "Welcome to my castle." "You!" she said. "Then I am your prisoner? What is this about?" "You've decided to return to England," he said, ignoring her question. "I came to see you," Milady said.

"What's wrong with wanting to see my brother-in-law?" "Come, Milady," Lord de Winter said. "I know your secret. I received a letter from the Musketeers. I believe you know them. One of them used to be your husband. I know you and the Cardinal have some mischief in mind for the Duke of Buckingham. Well, none of that will happen. You will stay here for a time and then I shall have you sent far away. If you ever return to England, I will make sure you are sent back to prison." Lord de Winter left and Milady sat next to the window watching the sea. She tried to think of a way to escape. After a few days in her cell, Milady learned that the young officer who had brought her to the castle was named Felton. He came to see her several times a day, to deliver food and ask if she needed anything. This gave Milady an idea. She knew men found her