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

• 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

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

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

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

• 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

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

• 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

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

• 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

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

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

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

• 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!

• 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!

• 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.

• 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