'More letters!' said Catherine. 'Our melancholy Hyacinth is as enamoured of his pen as of our daughter.'

'Madame, my friend was given some of these letters by Monsieur de la Mole and some by Monsieur de Coconnas. There is one for the Queen of Navarre from La Mole, and one for Madame de Nevers from Coconnas. The others are to be taken to people outside Paris.'

'What! Have our young gallants involved themselves in other love affairs! It will go ill with them when our two young ladies discover their infidelities. I will look through them and return them to you, resealed, in a very short time. You may go now. Let nothing, however seemingly trivial, be allowed to pass without my scrutiny.'

'Everything shall be brought to Your Majesty.'

Left alone Catherine started on the letters. It was a pleasant pastime-reading letters which were intended for other people. Here was a letter from La Mole to Margot, professing undying devotion and hope for the future. She was to meet him this afternoon at a house on the corner of the Rue de la Vannerie and the Rue Monton. He was all impatience. And here was another letter. This was for Madame de Nevers from Coconnas, expressing his undying devotion, his adoration, his hope for the future; he begged Madame de Nevers to remember that she was meeting him at a house on the corner of Rue de la Vannerie and the Rue Monton this afternoon . . .

Catherine laughed. Ah well, let the foolish creatures frivol their time away. It kept them from meddling in state affairs.

And now for the letters which were to be taken out of Paris. These too were in the handwriting of La Mole and Coconnas. Catherine broke the seals and read, and as she did so, a cold fury took possession of her. She had been foolish; she had read their stupid love letters when letters such as these must have been passing out of the palace without her knowledge. It was clearly due to a little carelessness on the part of the lovers that these letters had fallen into het hands. How long had they been deceiving her? These were not the outpourings of lovesick suitors, but the clear, concise phrases of conspirators; and they were not addressed to foolish young women, but to none other than the Marshals Montgomery and Cosse.

She read on, and although her expression did not change, there was murder in her mind. This was treason. This explained that friendship between Alencon and Navarre which Charlotte could not break. Those two were together in this. They were plotting-those two whom she had kept in semi-captivity-to escape, to join Montgomery and Coss& and to get together a Huguenot army to march on Paris.

Conceited Alencon no doubt thought that his brother could not live long and, with Henry away in Poland, here was his chance to seize the throne. Navarre doubtless was prepared to play a waiting game and meanwhile ally himself with Alencon.

Catherine's anger cooled. This was great good luck. How grateful she was to her dear Cosmo and Lorenzo Ruggieri, who had aroused her interest in the lover of her daughter!

Margot and Henriette, wrapped in their cloaks, slipped out of the Louvre to the house at the corner of the Rue de la Vannerie and the Rue Monton. They took off their masks as soon as the concierge let them in.

'The gentlemen have arrived?' demanded Margot of the woman.

'No, Madame. They are not yet here.'

They went upstairs to a room in which a table was laid for four; on this were the choicest delicacies, and the best wines that France could offer. A banquet fit for a Queen and her friends. Margot looked at the table with pleasure, but she was uneasy.

'There is no message to explain why they have been delayed?' she asked of the woman.

'No, Madame.'

When Margot had dismissed her, Henriette said: 'Margot, you don't think they have ceased to love us!'

'If they had,' said Margot, 'they would have been very early. They would have been most chivalrous, most eager to assure us of their fidelity.'

'They were most eager to assure us of that last time we met.'

'I cannot believe my Hyacinth could deceive me. Something has happened to detain them . . . nothing more.'

'Your brother would not detain them. He knows they come to meet us, and he is most friendly to you and eager to please you.'

'It may have been some other small matter. Come, drink a cup of wine, and you will feel better.' Margot poured out the wine and handed it to Henriette.

'I shall be most piqued when they do come,' said Henriette. 'Margot, you do not think, do you, that it is your husband who may have detained them?'

'Why should he?'

'Jealousy.'

'He does not know the meaning of jealousy. "Do not stand in the way of my pleasure," he says, "and I will not stand in the way of yours!" ' She turned to her friend. 'Perhaps the Duke of Nevers . . .'

'But he would have stopped only Annibale. That does not excuse La Mole. They are both late. Could it be Monsieur de Guise?'

Margot was pleasurably excited at the possibility of her former lover's jealousy. She dismissed such thoughts hastily. Must it always be so? Must she always wonder how her actions were going to affect that man!

'Nonsense!' she said. 'That is finished. Listen. Someone is coming up the stairs.'

'They are very quiet, Margot.'

'Hush! They creep in order to surprise us.'

There was a tap on the door.

'Enter!' said Margot; and to her intense disappointment and also that of Henriette, it was the concierge who entered, not their lovers.

'Madame, there is a lady downstairs who says she must speak with you at once. Shall I allow her to come up? She says it is of the utmost importance. She has news for you.'

'Send her up at once,' said Margot; and in a few seconds one of her attendants came into the room. The woman's face was pale and it was obvious from her expression that the news which she brought was not good.

She knelt before Margot and cried: 'Madame, I regret to be the bearer of such news. The Comte de la Mole and the Comte de Coconnas cannot come to you.'

'Why not?' demanded Margot. 'Why have they sent you instead?'

'They are prisoners, Madame. They are already in the dungeons of Vincennes, whither the Duke of Alencon and the King of Navarre have also been sent. It is said that the Marshals Montgomery and Cosse have been arrested. There is said to have been a plot which the King discovered.'

Henriette fell on to a couch, covering her face with her hands. Margot stared blankly before her. Why, why could they not leave their foolish plots; why could they not be content with love?

Margot lost no time in driving to Vincennes. She knew that she would not be allowed to visit her lover in the dungeons below the castle, but it would be a simple matter to have a word with her husband, who was lodged in apartments there.

Navarre was nonchalant.

'What could have possessed you to be so foolish?' she demanded.

'My dearest wife, it was not I who was foolish. It was those lovesick idiots of yours and Henriette de Nevers. It was through their carelessness that notes, not intended for her, reached your mother's hands.'

'Do you think you can escape punishment this time?' 'That question gives me cause for reflection.'

'What a fool you were to attempt escape a second time!' 'There might have been no need for a second time but for your interference. Your brother and I might be free men now but for you.'

'You are so irresponsible, both of you. You have involved these two men in your schemes, and they will be the ones to suffer for your misdeeds.'

'Dear Margot!' he said. 'Always so solicitous on behalf of your lovers! You make me wish that I were one of them myself.'

'Do not let us waste time. What can we do?'

He shrugged his shoulders and she stormed at him. 'Do not stand there smiling as if this was of no account. Other people have been led into danger.'

'Say "La Mole", not "other people". It is so much more friendly . . . and is after all what you mean.'

'You must admit that you and my brother are responsible for this.'

'It is not entirely true, my dear. There was a letter in La Mole's handwriting: there was also one in that of Coconnas. These letters show these two men to be deeply involved and quite knowledgeable as to what we planned should take place.'

'You must save them,' said Margot.

'You may be sure I shall do what is possible.'

'We must deny there was a plot. That is possible, is it not?'

'We can always deny,' said Navarre. 'Even when confronted with proof, we can deny.'

'I do not think you care for your own life or for any one else's.'

'It may be that it is better to die young than to grow old. I often wonder.'

'You madden me. Listen to me. I am going to draw up a document which I shall present to the Commissioners if there is any sign of your being brought up for questioning.'

'You . . . write my defence!'

Why not? I am your wife. I am also a writer of some ability. I swear that I can present your case with such sympathy and understanding that I will make those who believe you to be guilty believe in your innocence.'

He smiled at her. 'Why, Margot, I think there may be something in this. You are a clever little chronicler. When I read your accounts of what happens here at court I find myself believing you to be a poor, innocent, misjudged and virtuous woman. And that in spite of all that I know! Yes, if you can tell such pretty stories about yourself, why not about me? Come, draw up this document. I put myself in your hands. I will say what you advise.'

One of the guards was knocking at the door.

'Come in,' said Margot.

'The Queen Mother is coming this way,' she was told.

'She shall not find me here,' said Margot. 'But remember what I say. Confess nothing. It is imperative that you remember that although you and my brother may escape punishment, those two poor men, whose services you have so carelessly used, may not.'

'My love,' said Navarre, kissing her hand, 'you may trust me to remember.'

Now that Catherine had decided how she should deal with the further rebellion of her son and son-in-law, she lost no time in putting her plan into action. She did not intend that this plot should be generally known. There must, she knew, be a certain leakage, but she was going to do all in her power to make it as small as possible.

Montgomery and Cosse were under arrest and could do no more damage for the moment. She was thinking that it might be a good idea to ensure that they never did again. They could be murdered while they were in jail. Not yet, of course. It would be necessary to employ great caution with such well-known men. She would have the news that they were ill circulated, and later on it could be said that they had died of their illness.

She did not wish the Huguenots to know how nearly the plan of their leaders had succeeded. She did not wish them to know that Alencon and Navarre considered themselves as Huguenot leaders. They had been represented as having changed their faith, and she wished the Protestant population of France to continue to regard them with contempt. Therefore the plot must be kept secret as long as possible.

But it must not be taken for granted that men could enter into treachery against the King and the Queen Mother, and, escape merely because it was not wise to let the country know of their plots. She would make an example; and she had the scapegoats in mind. They were La Mole and Coconnas. Those in the immediate entourage of Alencon and Navarre would know why disaster had overtaken these two men. But the outside world must think that it was for some other reason.

What wisdom there was in obtaining information regarding every little detail! For how could one be sure that the little thing, which seemed so trivial, might not supply the key for which one was looking?

When she had ordered the arrest of La Mole and Coconnas, she had said to her guards: 'Arrest these two men. On the person of the Comte de la Mole you will find a small wax figure. This wax figure will be wearing a cloak which, it will be apparent, is a royal cloak; and there will be a crown on that figure's head. If this figure is not on the person of La Mole, then search his lodgings until you find it: The figure had been found on the person of the amorous Count, and now, wrapped in a silk kerchief, it was in Catherine's possession.

When it was brought to her she lost no time in going to the King.

Charles was failing more than ever, and each day showed a difference in him. He could not walk now, but had to be carried in a litter. Every time she saw him, she thought: shall I send a message to Poland? If only she could have been sure of dealing with him as she had long desired to do, she could have sent that message to Poland long ago. But the King kept those three women at his side and would not allow them to leave him, even if they would. Either Marie Touchet, the Queen, or Madeleine was always with him Nothing touched his lips unless one of them had superintended its preparation. What a terrible position for a great Queen to be in-the mother of the King, and to be treated so by these insignificant women!

The little wax figure gave her just what she needed; it justified her in what she was about to do. It would put into her hands the lives of those two men who she had decided should die, and it would explain to the Touchet and that stupid old nurse as well as to Charles' wife, why the King's health had declined so rapidly.

'I must speak to you, my son. It is of the utmost importance.'

She looked at Marie, who quailed before her; but Charles clung to his mistress' hand.

'You are not to go, Marie,' he said.

Catherine gave the trembling girl her cold smile.

'No, you must not go, Marie, for you love my son even as I do myself, and for that reason I love you too. And you will be needed at hand to comfort him, to assure him of our love when I tell him of this wicked plot against his life.'

'What plot is this?' asked the King suspiciously.

For answer she took out the silk kerchief and, unfolding it, held out its contents to the King.

'A wax figure!' said Marie.

'Do you see whom it represents?' asked Catherine. 'It wears a crown,' cried the King. 'It is myself!'

'You are right. And you see this pin which pierces the figure's heart? You know what that means, my son. You know why, during these last weeks, your state of health has declined so rapidly.'

'It is magic!' said the King. 'Someone has been trying to kill me.'

'You have not always trusted your mother,' said Catherine. 'Your enemies have whispered about her and it has pleased you to believe them. Well, Charles, I forgive you. I only ask you to remember that it is your mother who, through her zealous efforts on your behalf, has discovered this plot against you.'

His lips began to tremble and the tears ran down his cheeks; soon he was sobbing in Marie's arms.

'Take courage, my dear lord, my darling,' whispered Marie. 'Her Majesty has discovered this plot, and doubtless she will also have discovered its perpetrators.'

'You speak truth there, Marie. I have the wicked men under arrest,' said Catherine.

'Who are they?' asked Charles.

'The Comte de la Mole and the Comte de Coconnas. 'They shall die,' said Charles.

'Assuredly they shall,' promised Catherine. 'This is treason. We will bring them to trial for conspiring against your life. Though there is little need of a trial. These men are guilty. This image was found on the person of La Mole when he was arrested.'

'They shall all die,' agreed Charles. 'All . . . all concerned with this wicked plot against me.'

Catherine watched him; he was too weak for, violence nowadays. He slumped in his chair like an old man, his lips twitching, the mad light in his eyes and the tears running down his cheeks.

She left Marie to comfort him and went immediately to Vincennes. There she had Alencon brought into Navarre's apartments and the rooms cleared of all guards and attendants. She faced the two of them, smiling coldly.

'So, Messieurs, your further infamy has been uncovered. Here is a pretty state of affairs. What do you plan? A civil war? You are mad, You pretend to be friends, do you not? My son, why does Henry of Navarre assist you, do you think? Why does Alencon work with you, son-in-law? What a pair of featherbrained fools you are! Now to business. You should be wiser than to enter into such fruitless plotting, such absurd folly. Now I wish you to tell me that, if any has said you were involved in such a plot, they have lied. You two were unaware of any plot, were you not?'

Alencon could not understand her. He began to shout. 'There was a plot! I am kept in semi-captivity. Do you think I will endure that? I am the brother of the King and I am treated as a nobody. I will not endure it, I swear. I will not have it. I am determined to take my due. One day I may be King of this realm; then, Madame, you shall see . . . you shall see . . .'

'As ever,' interrupted Catherine, 'thoughtless, speaking without care. So you will be King of France, will you, my son? Make sure first that your brothers-your two brothers-do not see that you pay the penalty of treason.'