The Conspiracy Against Buckingham and His Assassination

The plot orchestrated by Cardinal Richelieu and executed by Milady to eliminate the Duke of Buckingham, culminating in Felton's fatal act.

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The Cardinal's Orders to Milady

A Deadly Mission The Secret Meeting Cardinal Richelieu meets Milady at the inn of the Red Dovecot and instructs her to go to England. She is to warn Buckingham that the cardinal knows all his secrets and will ruin the queen if he continues the war. If Buckingham persists, she is to arrange his assassination. The Cardinal's Carte Blanche Richelieu gives Milady a signed safe-conduct, authorizing her actions in the name of the state. This document is meant to protect her from prosecution. However, Athos, who overhears the conversation, later forces Milady to surrender the document, using it to protect d'Artagnan. A Plan Set in Motion Milady accepts the mission with enthusiasm, seeing it as an opportunity to serve the cardinal and to exact revenge on Buckingham, who once spurned her. She sails for England, unaware that her plans will be thwarted by the four friends.

Felton's Seduction

A Puritan's Fall Imprisonment Lord de Winter, warned by d'Artagnan's letter, captures Milady upon her arrival in England and imprisons her in his castle. He places her under the guard of John Felton, a devout Puritan officer who is initially immune to her charms. The False Story Milady feigns piety and tells Felton a fabricated tale of how Buckingham seduced and branded her. She plays on his religious hatred of the duke and his sense of justice. Felton, moved by her story and her beauty, falls in love with her and agrees to help her escape. The Escape Felton files through the bars of her window and helps her flee to a waiting ship. He then goes to Portsmouth, determined to kill Buckingham as an act of divine justice. Milady's manipulation of Felton is complete; she has found her instrument of vengeance.

The Assassination of Buckingham

A Fanatic's Deed The Fatal Moment Felton gains access to Buckingham's palace in Portsmouth by claiming to carry a message from Lord de Winter. He finds the duke in his dressing room, preparing to embark for La Rochelle. Felton demands that Buckingham sign an order releasing Milady, but when the duke refuses, Felton stabs him with a knife. The Duke's Last Words Buckingham, mortally wounded, thinks only of the queen. He asks his servant Laporte to read a letter from Anne of Austria, which warns him of the assassination plot. He dies with her name on his lips, sending back the tokens of their love: the diamond studs and a letter. Aftermath The assassination shocks England and France. Lord de Winter arrives too late to prevent it but captures Felton. The cardinal's plan succeeds, but at a great cost. Buckingham's death removes a major obstacle to the siege of La Rochelle, but it also deepens the enmity between the cardinal and the Musketeers.

during the siege of La Rochelle, evening at the Red Dovecot

during Milady's captivity at Lord de Winter's castle

23 August 1628