Twenty Years After - Week 7 - thru Uncle and Nephew

[Robin P, Moderator]

This section starts with a delightful return to the good old days. After a tense start, everyone relaxes, unbuttons doublets, jokes around and Athos drinks as in old times. D'Artagnan even tells Athos that he is the one tasked with finding the two mysterious men who helped Beaufort escape. When talk turns to the past, it seems that only Athos is truly haunted by the death of Milady. Of course, just at that moment, Grimaud turns up with the big announcement. For a scene like this, I think it is helpful to remember that Dumas started as a dramatist. In a play there is a limit to the number of characters and to the time you can spend on description or events that aren't central to the plot. He certainly seems to like dramatic entrances. We see the same thing later in this section when the person who brings the letter happens to be Raoul.

Then we move to a whole new scene. I looked up about Queen Marie Henriette, wife of Charles I. She was the daughter of Henri IV, that is the sister of Louis XIII of The Three Musketeers, and the sister-in-law of Queen Anne. Apparently her poverty in France is historically accurate. Maybe this was because Mazarin didn't want to get involved, as we seen in his interviews with both sides of the English quarrel? Do you think Mazarin is just cheap? Is his deferral of decisions a matter of strategy or of fear?

Throughout this book, it is clear that Dumas' sympathies are always with the monarchs. It's possible he had no fondness for Puritans, since he was a great lover of food, wine and women. But he always supports the theory of some kind of natural superiority of the royals. I don't know if this was just for dramatic effect or if he did have a nostalgic love for bygone royalty.

Do you have any new opinions of Mordaunt/John? And Lord de Winter, who is also an old friend of ours?

[Ana]

I love the second reunion scene. Finally - things are back to normal :)
Everyone is comfortable...

Soon--strange fact--Aramis undid two buttons of his doublet, seeing which, Porthos unfastened his entirely. 🙂

...maybe too comfortable. Of course it can’t last.
We need some drama. In comes Grimaud with some bad news.

D’Artagnan’s reaction is what I would have expected:

How is it that we, four men who have faced armies without blinking, begin to tremble at the mention of a child?
Exactly! Why would they be afraid?
Unless they suspect Mordaunt would do something devious - like poison them one by one or have them arrested.

I think it’s interesting that Athos is the one feeling remorse, since he was the one who instigated and arranged the whole revenge on Milady. He found the executioner and even threatened to fight D’Artagnan when he was having second thoughts.
Perhaps fatherhood has changed Athos and has made him more sensitive.

The scene with Lord Winter and his nephew is also dramatic. It’s still not clear to me why de Winter disowned his nephew. I get that Milady was evil, but it’s not the child’s fault. He was only 3 years old. Maybe Lord Winter believed that his brother wasn’t really the father since Milady had so many affairs. I have to admit Mordaunt had a compelling argument:

Silence, sir! she was my mother!
...five men leagued against one woman, murdered her clandestinely by night--like cowards.

From his point of view Lord Winter does seem like a bad guy. He is somewhat justified in seeking revenge. Of course we haven’t seen what he’s capable of (yet).

[Lori, Moderator]

Robin P wrote: "Throughout this book, it is clear that Dumas' sympathies are always with the monarchs. It's possible he had no fondness for Puritans, since he was a great lover of food, wine and women. But he always supports the theory of some kind of natural superiority of the royals. I don't know if this was just for dramatic effect or if he did have a nostalgic love for bygone royalty."

That's kind of interesting. His father had believed strongly in the French Revolution and had been a famous soldier in Napoleon's army. Until he ended up on Napoleon's shit list for some reason. I read The Black Count a long time ago and don't remember the details of the end of the Count's life, but the French government was not good to him. I wonder if the son was bitter because of that.
There was a brief time within the French Revolution in which racism in France kind of "disappeared" (I suppose some "normal" people may have still been racist, but black people had the same opportunities as whites), but by the time Dumas the author was in school, those opportunities had vanished and he was bullied.

[Robin P, Moderator]

Yes, I remember that from The Black Count also. The main thing that turned Dumas' father against Napoleon was that he was captured by Italians (Genoans, something like that) and languished in a dungeon (possibly starting the son's interest that would lead to The Count of Monte Cristo). He may have been beaten or tortured. When he was released, he had lost a lot of eyesight and hearing and had other injuries that weakened him and led to his dying young. He tried to get the pay for the time he was imprisoned that was supposedly due to him, but never got it, and neither did his widow. Before that Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a renowned figure, very distinctive for his height and skill as well as his race.

[Hedi]

This is a very historical section. I was also looking up Queen Henrietta Mary and was surprised that she had to live on such little means being the sister-in-law to Queen Anne. I would have expected a little more female solidarity and stronger family ties.
I assume Mazarin is trying to keep all his options in a first step - an opportunistic move.

I think currently Lord de Winter has no property anymore. He mentions that he will keep Queen Henrietta’s diamond cross safe and that he would not accept if he still had the income from his estates. These might get restored to him in case Charles I wins, but nobody really seems to believe in this option.

The scene between uncle and nephew is interesting. I am wondering how much Lord de Winter really knew about a child. As the boy was kept with a nurse and then grew up with a minister he might have just shown up as a adolescent at his uncle’s and claimed to be the nephew without proper evidence. I think we need to learn more about the case to judge it properly. The next chapter is called “Paternity” - maybe it contains some answers. 😉

[Robin P, Moderator]

That's a good point, how would someone prove who he was? It seems like everyone assumes he is the son of Milady because of his looks and his temperament. But who could prove he is actually a de Winter? We know Milady had no claims to fidelity.

[Daniela]

I had to look for historical references, too. I wonder where the narration is going to, is the salvation of the English Queen the task that will put together again the four friends with a common purpose?