Summary
Milady is now furious with de Wardes, believing he has trifled with her affections. She asks D'Artagnan to kill the Comte de Wardes in order to avenge her honor. Still overwhelmed by his attraction to her, D'Artagnan agrees. The pair make love, and afterwards D'Artagnan tries to stall on the idea of killing de Wardes. Not knowing what else to do, D'Artagnan admits that he had tricked her the previous week, and that the man she thought was de Wardes was him all along. Milady flies into a rage and tries to stab him; in the struggle, D'Artagnan glimpses a fleur-de-lis tattoo on her shoulder. This mark is used to identify criminals and prostitutes; when Athos told his story about finding out that his wife was a thief, it was the same mark which identified her. Kitty helps D'Artagnan to flee from the house.
D'Artagnan goes to the home of Athos and tells his friend everything that has happened. They agree to sell the ring Milady gave D'Artagnan to cover the costs, and leave for the war as quickly as possible. Kitty catches up to D'Artagnan and asks him to help her find a new household to work in. D'Artagnan asks Aramis for help, and he sends Kitty to Tours. Before they can leave Paris, D'Artagnan receives two notes. The first comes from an anonymous woman, asking him to observe a carriage at a specific time but not to intervene in any way. The second invites him to meet with the Cardinal. D'Artagnan goes to the appointed spot, and witnesses Constance Bonancieux being driven in a carriage. Later, accompanied by a group of musketeers, D'Artagnan goes to meet Cardinal Richelieu.
The Cardinal makes it clear that he knows everything D'Artagnan has been up to. He offers D'Artagnan a place in the Cardinal's guards, but D'Artagnan refuses. The Cardinal warns him that he forfeits any protection by refusing. As the group heads off to war, D'Artagnan sees Milady point him out to two men who are also serving in his company. Once he is stationed at La Rochelle, D'Artagnan is almost assassinated by the two men from his own company. One of them admits that they were hired by Milady. D'Artagnan is also able to recover a letter from the assassins in which Milady rebukes them for failing to secure a certain woman. D'Artagnan is able to piece together that the Queen was able to uncover the location where Milady was keeping Constance Bonancieux and spirited her away. The night he saw Constance in the carriage was to signal to him that she had been moved. He believes that she is now in a convent, and asks Aramis to get his mistress to try and figure out which one.
The next night, D'Artagnan narrowly avoids drinking poisoned wine. He and the other musketeers conclude that this was another assassination attempt by Milady.
Analysis
Despite his cocky gesture of tricking Milady, D'Artagnan quickly finds himself in over his head. He would never have anticipated that she would seek the death of the Comte de Wardes: Milady responds in a stereotypically masculine way by seeking vengeance and blood when her honor has been compromised. She cannot physically attack the Comte herself, but she can use D'Artagnan to do this work for her. Her request for him to avenge her echoes the earlier event when Constance Bonancieux entrusted him with the mission of warning Buckingham and protecting the Queen. The differing nature of their requests reflects the difference in character between the two women. Constance was drawn to protecting other women and supporting true love. Milady is infuriated by the notion of rivals, and as soon as someone hurts her, all of her love for them turns to hate.
Nonetheless, despite the rage and brutality D'Artagnan now glimpses in Milady, he is still drawn to her. He pretends to accept the mission to assassinate de Wardes because he knows he is likely to be rewarded by intimacy with Milady. D'Artagnan never got to be rewarded for fulfilling his mission on behalf of Constance, so he may be all the more eager to commit himself a second time. D'Artagnan also continues to naively believe he can exert some form of control over Milady. Backed into a corner after the two have made love, he chooses to simply confess what he has done. He still seems to hope that she will simply forgive him, and this wishful thinking reveals that D'Artagnan has no idea who he is dealing with.
Milady reacts to D'Artagnan's betrayal with the same vengeful rage as she had initially shown towards de Wardes. This fury only increases once D'Artagnan catches sight of her shameful secret band. Milady's identity and security rests on being able to control how much others know about her. She can skillfully manipulate her public image, and use her charm, beauty, and manners to hide her secrets. However, her body betrays her because it is indelibly marked with her past. Paradoxically, Milady's body gives her power to manipulate men, but it also makes her vulnerable. If anyone sees too much of it, her true self will be revealed. This setup echoes the mythical idea of the monstrous woman, such as the figure of Melusina. In these stories, a woman would have some sort of revealing mark that hinted at her true nature, and would often go to great pains to conceal it. When D'Artagnan glimpses Milady's brand, he also has the chance to fully understand her evil nature. Because of these betrayals and the vulnerable position in which she now finds herself, Milady will not rest until D'Artagnan is dead.
While his new enemy puts him in a precarious position, D'Artagnan's fortunes are otherwise positive. Constance Bonancieux seems to be in a less precarious position, although it is ironic that D'Artagnan is only assured of her safety after he has betrayed her by falling for another woman. More significantly, the Cardinal himself is now interested in D'Artagnan's bravery and skill. D'Artagnan's loyalty to men seems to be greater than his loyalty to women, because he steadfastly refuses to reconsider his loyalties. This conversation affirms D'Artagnan's character, but introduces a new complexity into the figure of the Cardinal. As Richard Pevear writes, the Cardinal "is a politician, that is, a relative, mixed character, capable of cold cruelty, but also, when it suits him, of generosity and a just appreciation of merits" (pg. 6). This revelation that he can be fair and respectful shows that the role of the villain in the narrative is shifting: the Cardinal is being revealed to be more and more humane, just as Milady is revealed to be more and more chillingly evil.
