The king’s boredom allows the musketeers the opportunity to accompany him to Paris and, from there, to continue to the convent with the letter from Queen Anne authorizing the release of Constance Bonacieux.
In a romantic novel such as this one, coincidences often play a large part in the plot. Thus, the piece of paper with only the name of a town, “Armentiers,” written on it, proves to be a very valuable find because the musketeers feel sure that this is the town where they will be able to find Milady.
At the convent, we again witness Milady’s knowledge of psychology and her ability to win the confidence of such different people as the Abbess and Constance Bonacieux. We also see additional proof that Milady is corrupt to the core; she does not even know the young and innocent Constance Bonacieux, but she fiercely desires her death—in order to get even with d’Artagnan. A woman who would sacrifice the life of an innocent victim only to satisfy her own selfish lust for revenge deserves the worst punishment available.
The death of Constance Bonacieux at the very moment that her supposed savior, d’Artagnan, arrives is typical of nineteenth-century melodramatic romanticism. This scene is one that still affects most readers-in spite of its overt use of sentimentalism and contrived timing. The death of this young woman causes Athos, who earlier had been so secretive about his past, to reveal that the scheming, vicious Milady is his wife and that he will take personal charge of punishing her.
