The Three Musketeers go in search of Constance Bonacieux

1. L’Abbaye Ste Lavine 2011the 3rd
Musketeer Tale from Bayko Baron

2. • D’Artagnan - known to his friends as Alice – arrives at the Abbaye to rescue
Constance, Royal dressmaker and go-between, but also his ‘companion’. He
is directed to the tradesman’s entrance

3. • Chanel (Aramis has been re-branded) checks at the graveyard
that they are not too late

4. • The infirmary, isolated but open to the public – the perfect
hiding place, but no sign of Constance there.

5. • Today is also, by fateful coincidence, the annual visitation of Bishop
‘Big Boy’ Grasp

6. • Accompanying the Bishop, just to make sure his misuse of church property is not
exposed, is our old friend Armand Duplessis, Cardinal, Duke D’Richelieu, and his cronies

7. • The Musketeers meet with Cedric the Cellarer – a man overeflowing with
benedictine good-will. Perhaps Constance has been hidden in the cellars?

8. • D’Artagnan is called aside by Brother Bernadette behind the Chapter House – strange
lad, but popular with the other monks. Bernadette has seen a young woman in the
Scriptorium, where the scribes work

9. • Alice rescues Constance – eventually – she was helping the brothers
illuminate their manuscripts !

10. • Outside his comrades have been very thorough – ‘wossername’ isn’t in the cellars. But
the group have been discovered, by none other than Richelieu’s agent, Milady
D’Lateautumn

11. • D’Artagnan hustles Planchet and Constance towards the postern
leaving his comrades to recover

12. • Hard by the duck-pond the first of the Cardinal’s Guards arrive,
Brother Bernadette spots an opportunity and opens a book

13. • The profits mount as Alice carves his way to safety – but the odds are lengthening

14. • D’Artagnan reaches the side-gate and pushes Constance and Planchet through to
safety – then turns to meet his fate.
• Yet rescue is at hand – Bishop ‘Big Boy’ has heard the sounds of swordplay!

15. • The casualties are collected while D’Artagnan talks for his life – overcome
by his career of debauchery and violence he had come to seek absolution,
only to run straight into his old enemies – the rest was just…. Habit!

16. • Appalled, yet impressed by the young man’s courage, Bishop Grasp lets
him go with an admonition
• From behind the Bishop, Richelieu nods approval of D’Artagnan’s
discretion. In return he will let both him and Constance live.

17. • But what, I hear you ask, of Chanel, Bathos and Pathos?
• They were discovered two days later, tired and emotional and still in the cellars with Cedric.
• They were handed over to the Provost Marshall who gave them a chance to sober up outside the
monastery almonry