Part 12 (1/2)

'From the Abbot's spy, Marshall,' he murmured confidentially before hurrying after the Abbot. Outside they ignored the Huguenots although Lerans inclined his head with a mocking smile to an unbending Duval.

Maurevert was average in height and build and as faceless as most of the thousands who thronged the Paris streets.

He was indifferently dressed in a plain blouse, hose with buckled shoes and a floppy hat without a plume.

Only two features distinguished him: his eyes which were pale blue and alert, always darting from side to side, and the oblong box he carried under one arm. When he came to the house on the corner of a street with a commanding view of le Grand Pont le Grand Pont and the Louvre he looked about him, took some pa.s.skeys from his pocket, unlocked the door and slipped inside. and the Louvre he looked about him, took some pa.s.skeys from his pocket, unlocked the door and slipped inside.

'Ah, our loyal Admiral!' the King called out as de Coligny approached the two thrones. 'Give us your thoughts on how to dispose of that object sitting in the Bastille.'

'Why, my Liege, I'd make it a present for Spain,' he replied with a smile, 'delivered by our force of arms.'

The King shrieked with laughter but the Queen Mother and the other Catholics were not amused.

'Your proposed Spanish adventure is an obsession,'

Tavannes snapped.

'Not so, Marshall,' de Coligny retorted, 'it reflects my determination to give France a common cause and so prevent further civil strife.'

'The royal marriage has achieved that,' the Duke of Anjou said.

'If that were true then I should find myself doubly blest,' Henri of Navarre replied, 'but I fear it is not so.'

'Oh, what scares you, cousin?' Anjou retaliated.

'An incident blown up out of all proportion to put Paris in a tumult,' Navarre answered.

'But who would do such a thing?' the King enquired.

'They are called fanatics, sire,' de Coligny said.

Tavannes snorted with derision. 'Are you not one, Admiral, with your talk of war with Spain?'

'If you count my will to bring Frenchmen together, not torn asunder by religious polemics, as the act of a fanatic,'

de Coligny threw back, 'then, yes, I also am one of them.'

'As we are too, good Admiral,' the King echoed, jumping to his feet, 'so let us prepare for war.'

The Queen Mother stood up and faced her son. 'We cannot bear the expense of a war with Spain,' she stated.

'So you keep telling us, Mother endlessly,' he snarled and then began to cough and retch. The Queen Mother walked from the Council Chamber whilst the others waited in an embarra.s.sed silence until the King recovered, wiping the flecks of blood from the corners of his mouth.

'We adjourn this Council until three o'clock this afternoon,' he gasped and, leaning on the arm of a courtier, left the Chamber as they all bowed respectfully.

Throughout the audience one Catholic had not said a word. He was Francois, Duke of Guise, and the brother of the Cardinal of Lorraine. Their father, also Francois of Guise, had instigated and led the ma.s.sacre at Wa.s.sy ten years earlier, only to be a.s.sa.s.sinated himself a year later and there were still rumours that de Coligny was implicated in the murder.

For generations now the Guise family residence had stood on a street corner which dominated both le Grand le Grand Pont Pont and the Louvre. and the Louvre.

The Doctor and Steven's final mission was to be a joint a.s.sault on the Cardinal's palace so they made their plans together. The Doctor's objective was the Abbot's office and a piece of parchment bearing his seal; Steven's was the cells and the rescue of Anne and her family.

'There shouldn't be any major problems,' Steven said.

'We need the Abbot out of the way but Duval, preferably, at his desk. So you, as the Abbot, order Duval to hand over Anne, her brother and her aunt into my custody as your secret agent and whilst we're down in the cells '

'I purloin the page of parchment and put his seal on it,'

the Doctor interposed. 'The writing can be done later. No, dear boy, I foresee no difficulties at all.'

Steven leant forward confidentially across the table.

'What about the a.s.sa.s.sination of Admiral de Coligny, Doctor?'

'What about it?' The Doctor's voice had an edge.

'Aren't we going to do anything?'

'I'm not in the habit of meddling with history,' the Doctor replied frostily.

'Oh,' Steven sounded surprised. 'But isn't getting Anne out of prison meddling; isn't the parchment meddling?'

'Not at all. I, as myself, play no part in these deceits,' the Doctor protested. 'The person responsible is the Abbot of Amboise who, by chance, resembles me.'

'That's called begging the question, Doctor,' Steven retaliated.

'Absolutely not, not at all.' The Doctor was most indignant.

'Do you know where and when it will take place?'

Steven paced out his words.

'Of course, I do,' the Doctor snapped back. 'I've read my history books!'

'But you'll do nothing to avert it.'

'Not even lift my little finger,' the Doctor replied, raising it. 'Don't you understand? I cannot, simply cannot.

Nor can you,' he added adamantly.