‘No. But in any event you can’t warn hundreds of people; it would take you days.’
‘What can we do?’
‘We must do what’s possible, and save as many as we can.’
20
By Saturday evening, Duke Henri was in a tantrum, possessed by the rage of a young man who finds that the world does not work in the way he confidently expected. ‘Get out of my sight!’ he yelled at Pierre. ‘You’re dismissed. I never want to see you again.’
For the first time ever, Pierre was as scared of Henri as he had been of Henri’s father, Duke Scarface. He had a pain in his guts like a wound. ‘I understand your anger,’ he said desperately. He knew his career would be over unless he could somehow talk his way out of this.
‘You predicted riots,’ Henri roared. ‘And they didn’t happen.’
Pierre spread his arms in a helpless gesture. ‘The queen mother kept the peace.’
They were at the Guise palace in the Vieille rue du Temple, in the luxurious room where Pierre had first met Duke Scarface and Cardinal Charles. Pierre felt as humiliated today as he had in this room fourteen years ago, when he was a mere student accused of dishonestly using the Guise name. He was on the brink of losing everything he had gained since then. He pictured the looks of pleasure and scorn on the faces of his enemies, and he fought back tears.
He wished Cardinal Charles were here now. The family needed his ruthless political cunning. But Charles was in Rome on Church business. Pierre was on his own.
‘You tried to assassinate Coligny and failed!’ Henri raved. ‘You’re incompetent.’
Pierre squirmed. ‘I told Biron to give Louviers a musket, but he said it would be too big.’
‘You said the Huguenots would rise up anyway, even though Coligny was only wounded.’
‘The king’s visit to Coligny’s sickbed calmed them.’
‘Nothing you do works! Soon all the visiting Huguenot noblemen will leave Paris and go home in triumph, and the opportunity will have been lost because I listened to you. Which I will never do again.’
Pierre scrambled to think clearly under the onslaught of Henri’s fury. He knew what had to be done, but in this mood would Henri listen? ‘I have been asking myself what your Uncle Charles would advise,’ he said.
Henri was struck by that notion. His wrathful expression moderated a little, and he looked interested. ‘Well, what would he say?’
‘I think he might suggest that we simply act as if the Protestant rebellion has, in fact, started.’
Henri was not quick on the uptake. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Let’s ring the bell of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois.’ Pierre held up the black leather-bound notebook in which he had written the names of the paired assassins and victims. ‘The loyalist noblemen will believe that the Huguenots are in revolt, and they will slaughter the leaders to save the life of the king.’
Henri was taken aback by the audacity of this plan, but he did not immediately reject it, and Pierre’s hopes rose. Henri said: ‘The Huguenots will retaliate.’
‘Arm the militia.’
‘That can only be done by the Provost of Merchants.’ The title meant the same as mayor. ‘And he won’t do it on my say-so.’
‘Leave him to me.’ Pierre had only a vague notion of how he would manage this, but he was on a roll now, carrying Henri with him, and he could not allow himself to stumble over details.
Henri said: ‘Can we be sure the militia will defeat the Huguenots? There are thousands more staying in the suburbs. What if they all ride into town to defend their brethren? It could be a close-fought battle.’
‘We’ll close the city gates.’ Paris was surrounded by a wall and, for most of its circumference, a canal. Each gate in the wall led to a bridge over the water. With the gates locked it was difficult to enter or leave the city.
‘Again, only the Provost can do that.’
‘Again, leave him to me.’ At this point Pierre was ready to promise anything to win back Henri’s favour. ‘All you need to do is have your men ready to ride to Coligny’s house and kill him as soon as I tell you that all is ready.’
‘Coligny is guarded by the lord of Cosseins and fifty men of the king’s guard, as well as his own people.’
‘Cosseins is the king’s man.’
