Chapter 30 Summary
Milady leaves the church in a carriage, and d’Artagnan cannot follow on foot. He borrows two horses and tries to convince Athos to come along and help with his investigation into Madame Bonacieux's whereabouts. Athos refuses, saying that women are not worth saving and that d’Artagnan should let his mistress remain lost. This does not discourage d’Artagnan, who orders Planchet to come along instead.
As they ride up the road, d’Artagnan and Planchet happen to see Lubin, the lackey who serves the Comte de Wardes, the gentleman d’Artagnan injured in a duel during his journey to England. Planchet offers to speak to Lubin and find out what happened to his master. D’Artagnan agrees. Because he does not want to be recognized, he leads both horses behind a hedge, out of sight.
While d’Artagnan tries to eavesdrop on the lackeys’ conversation, Milady arrives in her carriage. Lubin happens to step into his master's house just as Milady’s maidservant runs into the yard with a sealed envelope. She assumes that Planchet is Lubin, gives him the note, and says, “This is for your master.” Planchet accepts it, but he does not explain who his master is.
Planchet gives the note to d’Artagnan, who reads it eagerly, laughing when he sees that Milady wants the Comte de Wardes to meet with her in secret tomorrow night. Meanwhile, Planchet relays the information he heard from Lubin. As it turns out, de Wardes is still very weak from the injuries he sustained in his duel with d’Artagnan.
D’Artagnan pockets Milady's note and follows her. He watches as she stops and argues with a man in the road, an English gentleman whom d’Artagnan vaguely recognizes from one of his earlier adventures. The argument is in English, a language d’Artagnan does not understand, so he approaches and asks if the lady needs help.
Milady and the man both seem annoyed by d'Artagnan's interruption. She coldly explains that the man is her brother-in-law and that their argument is a private matter. With that, she departs, and d’Artagnan introduces himself to the man, who turns out to be an English baron called Lord de Winter. These two men find each other annoying, and their two countries are at war. For these reasons, they arrange a duel for the upcoming evening. Both men promise to bring three friends to the fight.
D’Artagnan returns home and informs his friends that they are going to fight some Englishmen. This pleases them greatly, and they begin to prepare themselves. D’Artagnan, for his part, withdraws to consider what to do about the note he intercepted from Milady.
