Athos chapter 02 - Dinner

Comte galloped home as fast as his horse could carry him. He bounded up the front steps taking three steps at a time and headed for the dining room where the young man had his page gather all the servants in the house. Comte ordered half the maids to polish and clean everything to its finest shine, the other half were to fill all the rooms of the house with the most fragrant and beautiful wild flowers from the meadow on the edge of the estate, the cooks were to prepare a feast fit for the king, Louis XIII himself. Agnan then went to his chambers to find his finest suit.
Meanwhile back at the inn M. de Breuil was passing nervously while Anne sat by the window admiring the country view.

"Please stop that pacing, Breuil!"
"You shouldn't have accepted his invitation, Anne."
"If my memory is correct, dear brother, I do believe it was you who accepted Agnan’s offer."
Breuil sighed heavily and sat on the edge of one of the beds in the room they had rented. Anne, seeing de Breuil’s despair got up from where she was sitting and knelt in front of the troubled man, placing her hands gently on his.
"Agnan’s offer is not all that troubles you, brother."
"We must be careful, Anne, to not draw too much attention to ourselves….if they should send someone ..."
"Hush!" Anne interrupted Breuil. "Let's not speak of that now. We must prepare for the dinner. Go order a carriage to take us to Comte’s house."

Breuil knew there was no point in continuing the conversation and therefore left Anne to change while he found the innkeeper.
Agnan’s page was frantically trying to select a suit for his master to wear. He couldn't understand why this evening was so important. All he knew was the two guests were new to the area and one of them was a priest and yet his master was acting as if the king himself were coming.

"May I ask why tonight requires so much effort, sir?" the page finally asked.
"Will you stop asking questions and pass me that suit over there!" replied le Comte.
Too busy worrying about the dinner to answer his page. Agnan had tried on every single formal suit he had, each one more dazzling and flattering than the last. Finally he tried on his last suit, a dark purple with silver thread on the edges and a diamond on each wrist. This was his best and favorite suit although he'd never worn it before for fear of it being ruined.
"Ah, sir! This is indeed the best you have tried on," admired the still confused page.
"Yes, yes, I agree. I will wear it this evening," he said to his page, and then to himself thought, "Madame will be impressed. I just hope my efforts are noticed."

The time passed all too quickly for both Agnan and de Breuil. Agnan’s servants were tired, because Agnan had made them re-clean, cook and pick since he came out of his chambers. Agnan was frantically making sure everything was perfect for his guests. M. de la Fere, the father, was troubled by the early stages of gout and had retired to his chambers for the evening.
Just as the last flowers were being placed on the table, a valet de chamber announced the arrival of the de Breuil’s. Agnan jumped to his feet and went to meet his guests in the ante-chamber; this room was decorated almost as a shrine to the la Fere family, with the walls covered by portraits of past Comte de la Feres. The largest of these was Agnan’s grandfather who had served with king Henry IV and was given his sword in return for saving the king’s life. This sword was passed down to Agnan’s father and one day it would be given to him.
Breuil was still dressed in his black priest's uniform (he had attempted to beat the dust out of the fabric) because he hadn't taken anything else when Anne and he left their home. Anne however was wearing a navy blue dress with a small pattern on the hem. Although the dress was very plain and simple, Anne wore it as if it were the finest dress in the whole of France,

"Greetings," said Agnan to his guests when he entered the room.
"Good evening, M. le Comte," Anne replied, holding out her hand for Agnan to kiss which he did with all the gentleness of the lightest feather.
Then bowing to Breuil he said,
"I hope your accommodations at the inn are suitable."
"Thank you, Comte, they are quite suitable."
"Are to still planning to live here in Berry?"

Just as Breuil as about to answer a servant entered the room and announced that dinner was on the table. Agnan naturally offered Anne his arm which she took with a smile. Breuil followed behind with a heavy heart. He knew all too well how Anne seduced men. He also knew he had lost her to Agnan. The dining room was the smallest room of the house although it was still large; it was decorated simply yet still very lavishly.

The main attraction was the large window that overlooked the courtyard and the meadow which was glowing bright orange and red from the sun setting in the distance framed by the red and gold curtains hanging on both sides. The table was filled with enough food to feed a small country; every extravagant dish known to man seemed to be laid out in front of Agnan and his guests.

"Monsieur, you shouldn't have troubled yourself to prepare all this for us, "Anne said when she entered the room.
Agnan lead Anne to her seat, pulled out her chair and replied with a smile,
"Nonsense. Are you both not guests in my house?"
"My family is renowned for treating our guests like royalty and I do not intend to break with tradition."
As the servants poured out the wine and served the food Agnan turned to Breuil, "Do forgive me, Monsieur, but I believe we were interrupted earlier. Are you planning to live here in Berry?"
Breuil looked nervously at Anne before he replied, "Yes, monsieur, we are."
"Then you will need better lodgings…unless you intended to live at the inn."
"No, Mon ..."
"There is a small cottage on the edge of Berry that is for sale. I am on good terms with the owner and would be honored to buy the house for you both."
Before Breuil could answer, Anne replied with a warm smile, "Thank you, monsieur, we would not want to inconvenience you in anyway."
Agnan’s heart seemed to melt when Anne smiled. He was completely under her spell and would do anything to please her.
"It would be my honor, Madame, to assist you both in anyway that I can."
"Now let’s begin our meal…Bon Appetite."

Dinner passed very pleasantly. The conversation ranged from politics to religion and many other topics. As the clock stuck 10, Comte and his guests retired to the ante-chamber. A messenger was announced into the room. He was in a long brown riding coat and was covered in dust and clearly he'd been riding all day if not longer. The man bowed low to Comte and his guest before he spoke to Agnan,

"Please forgive my intrusion, Monsieur. If I had known you would have guests I would have waited until morning. I have here a letter from my master."
He held out a sealed envelope to le Comte. De Breuil went very pale and began to shake while Anne kept a sweet smile on her face.

Agnan was wary of the stranger. What could be so important that it could not wait until morning. Why had he rushed in getting his letter to Agnan and, moreover, who was his master? Agnan quickly snapped himself out of his train of thought and took the letter from the messenger.

"Thank you, good sir. Will you be joining us in a drink?’’
"I am honored by your offer, M. le Comte, but I must return to my master at once."
"May I inquire as to who your master is?"
"I can not give you his name, Comte, as he wishes to remain anonymous." The man bowed low again and bid Agnan and his guests good night.

De Breuil took this as their queue to leave; Agnan led Breuil and Anne to the door and bid them good night, although Agnan would have loved to spend more time with Anne he was eager to read the letter. Almost as soon as he has shut the front door he'd opened the sealed envelope and read its contents as follows:

Dear M. le Comte de la Fere,
I write to you to inform you that I have sent my daughter and her guardian to you to work in your house; I know this is short notice but it is very important that she learn how to run a successful household and with no mother around to teach her I must send her to you to learn these skills. It is also important that her servant remain close by at all times, for reasons you will soon discover, she will arrive soon after you receive this letter.
From a devoted servant

Agnan went over this letter several times and each time a new question came to his mind; who had sent him the letter, why had he sent his daughter to him and what was the reason her servant had to remain close by? Agnan decided he would find out the answers to his questions tomorrow when she arrived. For now he was content to retire to bed and dream of Anne.

Athos Chapter 01

New Arrivals

On returning from a long journey, a young man arrived at his home in Berry. On first view of this man, an observer would note his pale blue eyes which burnt with all the fire of youth and his long dark hair that gently rested on his shoulders. This young man of merely 25 years was M. Agnan Comte de la Fere, returning from a trip to Paris.

The young Comte's father was troubled by his son. M. de la Fere was nearing the end of his life and wished his only son to be married before he died. The young Comte was 25 years and had no wife to give him an heir to the La Fere estate. The young Comte seemed more interested in hunting in the woods than seeking a wife and so M. de la Fere called his son to his study upon the young man's return.

Agnan entered his father's study. The room itself was lavishly decorated with artifacts which M.de la Fere had collected from his travels around the world. The young Comte had rarely been invited into his father's study. The last time the Comte was in this room was when his father told him his mother had died. As the young man recalled the memory of that awful day, he felt his heart fill with tears. Before the young man was able to gather his emotions, he felt his right cheek become slightly damp and quickly wiped the tear away before his father was able to see his grief. M.de la Fere beckoned his son to come closer to the desk.

"Son, I am an old man of poor health and I have no grandchild. Why is this? Why do you show no interest in finding a wife to give me a grandson?''

The young Comte thought for a moment, then answered his father, "Father, forgive me for saying so. I can not find a woman worthy of bearing the rank of 'Comtesse de la Fere.' The girls in Berry are beautiful but are just that...girls....and would not live up to the title."

"But, son," interrupted M.de le Fere, "you spend all your time in the woods and fighting the servants. How can you find a wife if you do not look for one?"

"If she is worthy of the title, she will be drawn to me father.”

At hearing this, M.de la Fere was slightly annoyed. ”So you say you wish to seduce a woman with your rank and power? That is no way to find a wife. A woman who falls in love with power alone will not be faithful.”

Seeing that he had dug himself a hole, Agnan looked for a way to escape his father's trap.
“All I am saying is when the time is right I will know and so will you.”
M.de la Fere did not wish to argue with his son and therefore gave him permission to leave, le Comte bowed gracefully and left the room.

When he had left the room, le Comte headed to the stables. His father had given him a lot to think about and he always found peace in riding around the woods on the edge of the estate. Because it had not been long since he returned from Paris, his horse had only just been unbridled and was finishing off a bucket of water. He ordered the stable boy to re-tack the horse quickly and sat on a near by hay bale. While he waited, le Comte carefully recalled every word of the conversation he'd had with his father. After a very short wait, le Comte had mounted his horse. As soon as the stable boy had opened the door, le Comte put spurs to his horse and set out for the woods at full gallop.

In a matter of seconds he was diving in and out of the trees and jumping over fallen trees and small rivers. Le Comte stopped for a while to rest his horse when he noticed a coach heading towards Berry. Normally le Comte would not have given any other coach a second look but he seemed compelled to follow it to Berry. He quickly remounted his horse and cantered towards the road, staying behind the coach but unable to see inside because the curtains were closed.
The coach stopped outside a local inn, The Golden Sun. Le Comte halted a few steps away from the coach and saw a young man get out of the coach first. The man was dressed in priest's clothes and le Comte was in the middle of surveying this stranger when he saw a beautiful young girl step out of the coach. She was as beautiful as the dawn. Le Comte had never seen such beauty. He was transfixed by her and was intent on speaking to her, so he walked his horse towards them.

The man saw the Comte coming over and tried to rush the girl into the inn but le Comte was already upon them. Le Comte dismounted his horse, walked up to the two strangers, bowed low and said,
"Good day to you both. I am Comte de la Fere the Seigneur of this district.''
The priest was still a little on edge but showed all the grace of a gentleman. “Good day to you, sir. I am M.de Breuil and this is my........sister Anne de Breuil.”
Anne smiled sweetly and held out her hand for le Comte, which he kissed gently. Anne blushed slightly although le Comte did not notice. Le Comte kept his eyes on the girl.
"What brings you to Berry?”
M.de Breuil hesitated a little before answering, “We have heard how quiet it is to live here and come to see if it is true."
"As seigneur, I have rights in welcoming newcomers. Therefore I invite you both to my house this evening for dinner.
Anne looked at her brother and tilted her head slightly. "That is every kind of you, M.le Comte. We would be honored to join you this evening.”
"Very well. Is 6 o'clock convenient for you?”
"Yes, Comte."
"Then I shall see you both this evening at 6."
"And now I must bid you both good day and take my leave.”Le Comte bowed to the two strangers, put spurs to his horse and head back home.

Introduction

Dear reader,

I have created this blog for the reason of showcasing my writing and to receive feedback on my work. I am not a profesanol writer I write purly as a hobby and feel it is time to unlock my stories from the hardrive and show them to the publich.

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Thank you
Knight of the Holy Order