- D’Artagnan takes the scenic route home and dreams the whole time of the pretty Madame Bonacieux.
- He draws closer to Aramis’s house when he spots the figure of a woman, heavily cloaked.
- The two of them are going in the same direction. The woman heads to Aramis’s house, but instead of going inside, she taps on the window.
- The shutter opens and the woman shows someone inside the corner of a handkerchief. The two figures then exchange handkerchiefs. The woman walks past D’Artagnan briefly and, shocker!, it’s Madame Bonacieux.
- D’Artagnan decides to follow Madame Bonacieux. She realizes that she has a follower. She runs. D’Artagnan runs after her and easily catches up.
- She freaks. Understandable.
- D’Artagnan soothes her quickly, and they have a rapid conversation. It goes like this:
- D’Artagnan: Why were you at my friend Aramis’s house?
- Madame Bonacieux: I don’t know anyone by that name.
- D’Artagnan: You’re pretty.
- Madame Bonacieux: Do you promise not to meddle?
- D’Artagnan: Fine. But I love you!
- Madame Bonacieux returns to Aramis’s house, and D’Artagnan continues on his way. When he gets home, Planchet has terrible news. Athos has been arrested. He purposely didn’t tell the Guards his true identity in order to give D’Artagnan a three days head start on cracking the case of the Bonacieux abduction.
- As for Porthos and Aramis, Planchet was unable to find the two men, although he did leave them messages to go to D’Artagnan’s house.
- D’Artagnan issues Planchet a new set of directions—Porthos and Aramis are now to meet him at the Pomme-de-Pin since the house may be watched.
- D’Artagnan then leaves to find Tréville and give him the update.
- Tréville is not at home; he is at the palace. Why? The narrator says Tréville’s company is on guard at the Louvre (the palace), but we suspect a neat plot device.
- We offer as proof the fact that D’Artagnan then bumps into none but Madame Bonacieux.
- With a guy who looks suspiciously like Aramis.
- Although the two have obviously taken pains to disguise their appearances, D’Artagnan becomes convinced that it really is Aramis and Madame Bonacieux walking arm in arm.
- Cue feelings of angry jealousy.
- The man and woman realize they are being followed, and start running.
- D’Artagnan stops in front of them, and then realizes that the man is, in fact, not Aramis.
- The man wants to continue on his way, but D’Artagnan holds his ground. He then addresses Madame Bonacieux, who chides him for breaking his promise to her.
- The man tries to leave with Madame Bonacieux, which only angers D’Artagnan more. He draws his sword. The man draws his sword.
- Madame Bonacieux throws herself between them and "accidentally" reveals that the man is the Duke of Buckingham.
- D’Artagnan apologizes, citing his love for Madame Bonacieux as influencing his actions. Then he slyly points out that the Duke knows what it’s like to love.
- D’Artagnan offers his services to the Duke, who asks him to kill anybody who follows them.
- Madame Bonacieux and the Duke of Buckingham make it to the palace with no problems.
- He meets up with Porthos and Aramis and tells them nothing of what happened, only that all issues have been resolved.
- The narrator then signals that the story will shift to the adventures of Madame Bonacieux and the Duke.