s13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Queen's Party
D'Artagnan arrived back on Sunday, the next day was the party. In addition to dancing, there was also going to be a performance of the King's favorite costume play, and the King and Queen were going to be actors.
The King looked tired and worried when he arrived at the party. The Queen arrived about half an hour later, and looked even more worried than the King.
The Queen saw Cardinal Richelieu dressed in the costume of a Spanish soldier. He was watching the Queen carefully with his sharp eyes. When he saw that the Queen was not wearing her diamond sash and a horrible smile appeared on his lips. "I must tell the King this at once/ he whispered to himself, and walked over to see him.
The Queen was walking around and talking with the guests. Suddenly the King, followed closely by the Cardinal, rushed up to her. “ Madame, why aren't you wearing the diamond sash I gave you?” he asked sharply.
"I was worried that I might lose them at such a large party/' The Queen replied in a quite nervous voice.
"I am sure you will not, Madame. What is the point of me giving you beautiful things if you are afraid to wear them?"
"I will have my servants go get them." the Queen replied.
“Do so at once, Madame/' the King said coldly, "for the costume play will begin very soon.”
Both the King and the Queen then went to their rooms to change for the play.
The King came back first; he was dressed in the costume of a hunter. The Cardinal handed the king a small box. The King opened it, and saw two diamonds inside.
"What does this mean?" the King asked in anger.
“ Nothing, Sire," the Cardinal replied softly, “ only, if the Queen is wearing her diamonds, count them. If you only find ten, ask the Queen who could have stolen the two diamonds that are here.”
The King stared at the Cardinal and was about to question him, but, before he could say anything, the whole hall became quiet and all the guests spoke in whispers of great respect. The Queen had entered the hall, dressed in the costume of a huntress. She was wearing the sash covered with diamonds over her shoulder.
The King looked at her with great joy and the Cardinal stared at her with great anger, but they were both too far away to clearly count the diamonds.
At that moment the costume play began, and lasted an hour. Just as the play ended, the King, followed by the Cardinal, walked up to the Queen. “Madame, thank you for wearing your diamond sash," he said, "but I believe two of them are missing, and I have brought them back to you/,
He opened his hand and held out the two diamonds the Cardinal had given him.
The Queen smiled and pretended to look happy and surprised. “ My King is giving me two more diamonds?” she said. "How wonderful, now I shall have fourteen.”
The Cardinal walked up next to the Queen, while the King's eyes counted the diamonds on the sash. All twelve diamonds were still there. The King turned angrily to Cardinal Richelieu.
"What do you mean by this?” he asked loudly.
The Cardina’s eyes became hot and angry, but he smiled with his lips. "It means, She,” replied Richelieu, “ that I wished to give the Queen two more diamonds since this party is in her honor. Because I would not dare give them to her myself, I needed to used this method to persuade her to accept them.”
The Queen held out her hand to the Cardinal and smiled: ”Thank you, Cardinal Richelieu, I am sure these two diamonds must have cost you as much as all the others cost the King."
Only one other person in the hall understood the Queen's strange words and the angry look on the Cardinal's face. It was d,Artagnan, who was standing back among the busy crowd, watching the conversation.
A few minutes later the Queen left the hall. D'Artagnan was going to leave also, when he felt someone touch his shoulder. It was Constance. His heart jumped with excitement when she asked him to follow her. She led him into a small room and then left.
The walls of the room were covered with cloth. D'Artagnan waited there for a few minutes quietly. Suddenly he saw part of one of the walls open up like a door; he jumped up with shock. A hand and an arm came out through the small hole. The hand and arm were so white and lovely that d’Artagnan immediately knew that it was the Queen herself. He fell down on one knee, 
took the hand carefully in his and kissed it lightly. The hand then left, just as quietly as it had come. Again d,Artagnan was alone in the room. He looked down in his hand and saw that the Queen had left a beautiful ring in it. The Queen always thanked those loyal to her.
D’Artagnan put the beautiful ring on his finger and sat there staring at it. A minute later Constance Bonacieux returned.
"At last it is you!" d'Artagnan said excitedly.
"Quiet," Constance whispered, putting up a finger to his lips. "Be silent, and leave the way you came."
"But when will I see you again?”
“There will be a note at your house which will tell you everything. Now go — quickly!”
Before he could say anything else she opened the door and pushed him out. He did not argue and obeyed her like a small child, which proved that d'Artagnan was really in love.