Chapter XXIX: In Which d'Artagnan Begins to Fear the Investment of Planchet and Co. Might Be Lost

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Spoiler Notice: This page reveals key events from Chapter 29 of Between Two Kings. If you haven't read this chapter yet, proceed with caution.

Summary

D'Artagnan's men carry the padded coffin containing General Monck into the king's house at Scheveningen. The musketeer had commissioned a custom-built box in Calais — a padded, ventilated trunk designed to transport a man secretly across the sea. For two days and nights, d'Artagnan guarded the prisoner personally, armed with pistols and sword to deter both escape and mutiny from his crew. His trusted lieutenant Menneville oversaw the box once ashore.

After dismissing his men with promises of doubled reward, d'Artagnan opens the coffin in the king's antechamber and cuts Monck's bonds. He presents the general to Charles II, but Monck refuses to recognize any king of England. Declaring he has been taken in an infamous trap, Monck vows never to speak another word. Charles, after studying the prisoner's implacable resolve, praises d'Artagnan's independent and heroic devotion. Then the king drops a devastating revelation: Athos, the Comte de La Fère, had gone to Newcastle to arrange secret negotiations — negotiations that d'Artagnan's unilateral kidnapping violently cut short.

Key Events

• A custom-made padded coffin containing General Monck arrives at the king's residence, carried by six of d'Artagnan's men under Menneville's command.
• D'Artagnan explains the elaborate precautions taken during the sea crossing: he remained beside the trunk for two days and nights, armed, while Monck refused all food and drink.
• The crew is dismissed with a promise that their reward will be doubled once Charles becomes king within six weeks.
• D'Artagnan releases Monck from the box and cuts his bonds in the antechamber, then presents him to Charles II.
• Monck delivers a defiant speech rejecting Charles's authority entirely and vows permanent silence.
• Charles acknowledges d'Artagnan's service as a selfless act of devotion, undertaken without orders, avarice, or hope of reward.
• The king reveals that Athos had traveled to Newcastle intending to arrange a conference — a negotiation that d'Artagnan's kidnapping of Monck has abruptly ended.
• D'Artagnan, initially proud of his success, realizes he may have committed a catastrophic error.

Character Development

d'Artagnan: The chapter tracks the musketeer's emotional arc from triumph to dread. He presents Monck with professional pride, having executed a daring abduction with meticulous planning. Charles's gratitude initially validates his actions. But the revelation about Athos's parallel diplomatic mission transforms his victory into a potential disaster. His anxiety suggests he understands he may have undermined not just Athos's efforts but also his own financial partnership with Planchet.

Charles II: The exiled king demonstrates the perceptiveness and magnanimity that define effective rulers. He studies Monck's face and recognizes genuine, unyielding resolve rather than posturing. Instead of responding with anger or threats, Charles makes a deliberate choice to speak calmly, praise d'Artagnan, and reveal the larger diplomatic picture. His handling of the situation shows strategic patience and royal dignity.

General Monck: The Puritan general embodies implacable stoicism. Having refused food and drink for two days in captivity, he emerges from the coffin expecting death. His speech is definitive and final — he acknowledges his own foolishness in falling into the trap but declares his mind and soul beyond reach. Monck's refusal to engage transforms him from passive prisoner into a formidable moral presence.

Athos (mentioned): Though absent from the scene, Athos's offstage diplomatic mission becomes the chapter's pivotal revelation. His attempt at peaceful negotiation at Newcastle reframes d'Artagnan's bold action as a potentially ruinous interference.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The Coffin as Symbol: The padded trunk represents both d'Artagnan's ingenuity and the dehumanizing nature of his methods. Designed for comfort yet equipped with a shutter that could smother cries, it embodies the tension between practical necessity and moral compromise.

Action Versus Diplomacy: The chapter dramatizes the collision of two approaches to power. D'Artagnan's direct, physical solution — abducting the enemy general — clashes with Athos's attempt at negotiated settlement. Charles must reconcile these competing strategies in real time.

Silence and Speech: Monck's vow of permanent silence creates an asymmetry that shifts power in the room. By refusing to engage verbally, he denies Charles the satisfaction of dialogue or submission. His silence speaks louder than any concession could.

Loyalty Tested: D'Artagnan's loyalty to Charles is never in question, but the chapter raises the unsettling possibility that loyal action can be counterproductive when undertaken without full knowledge of the broader situation.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 29 transforms the narrative's trajectory. Until this point, d'Artagnan's abduction of Monck appeared to be a masterstroke of daring and loyalty. The revelation that Athos was simultaneously pursuing a diplomatic solution recontextualizes everything. D'Artagnan's fear that "the investment of Planchet and Co. might be lost" — referenced in the chapter title — connects his military misstep directly to his personal financial stakes. The chapter also establishes the psychological dynamic between Charles and Monck that will drive subsequent events: a king who chooses patience over force and a general whose integrity makes him more valuable alive and willing than broken or dead.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Monck refuse to speak after his initial declaration, and what does his silence achieve?

Monck refuses further speech because he views his capture as an act of treachery carried out in Charles's name. By declaring his position and then withholding all words, he denies his captors any satisfaction of dialogue, negotiation, or submission. His silence transforms him from a defeated prisoner into a moral claimant, forcing Charles and d'Artagnan into the uncomfortable position of holding a man they cannot reach through argument or threat. It is a strategic refusal that preserves his dignity and controls the emotional terms of the encounter.

2. How does Charles's handling of the situation differ from what d'Artagnan expects?

D'Artagnan appears to anticipate that Charles will either interrogate Monck forcefully or dispose of him as an enemy. Instead, Charles responds with measured graciousness. He publicly thanks d'Artagnan, defends the musketeer's honor against Monck's accusation of treachery, and then calmly reveals the existence of Athos's diplomatic mission. Rather than exploiting his advantage over a captive enemy, Charles demonstrates the patience and perspective of a king who understands that long-term political outcomes depend on more than a single act of capture.

3. What does the chapter title mean by "the Investment of Planchet and Co.," and why does d'Artagnan begin to fear it might be lost?

The "investment" refers to d'Artagnan's financial partnership with Planchet, the former musketeer turned grocer. D'Artagnan has staked his future prosperity on ventures connected to the royalist cause. When Charles reveals that Athos was negotiating with Monck at Newcastle — negotiations that d'Artagnan's kidnapping disrupted — the musketeer realizes his bold action may have damaged rather than advanced the king's interests. If his interference derails a peaceful restoration, the political and financial rewards he anticipated could vanish, threatening his entire investment.

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