Poisoning Attempt
The Poisoning Attempt marks a decisive escalation in Milady's war against d'Artagnan, shifting from open combat to a stealthy, intimate form of assassination that exploits his trust in his closest friends. The event exposes the depth of her malice and her willingness to use deception and poison to destroy him, while simultaneously revealing the vulnerability of the Musketeers' bond when it is turned against them.
Background and Motive
By the time of the poisoning, Milady had already tried and failed to have d'Artagnan killed by hired assassins in an ambush near the camp at La Rochelle. That attack, in which two soldiers fired at him from behind a hedge and a rock, had been thwarted by d'Artagnan's quick reflexes and his capture of one of the gunmen. From that wounded man, d'Artagnan learned that Milady had paid a hundred louis for the attempt and that she was the one who had ordered the abduction of Constance Bonacieux. Enraged by her repeated failures and by d'Artagnan's survival, Milady resolved to strike again, this time using a method that would bypass his guard entirely: poison, delivered under the guise of friendship.
The Forged Letter and the Wine
Milady's plan was executed with cold precision. She forged a letter purportedly from Godeau, the purveyor of the Musketeers, addressed to d'Artagnan. The letter stated that Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, after a riotous dinner at Villeroy, had been confined by the provost of the castle, but that they had sent a dozen bottles of their favorite Anjou wine for d'Artagnan to drink to their health. The letter was dated from Villeroy and signed with Godeau's name. D'Artagnan, delighted by the thought of his friends, accepted the gift without suspicion. He invited two fellow Guardsmen to share the wine, and the feast was set for the following day.
The Feast and the Death of Brisemont
On the day of the banquet, d'Artagnan sent his servant Planchet to prepare the meal. Planchet, in turn, enlisted the help of Fourreau, the lackey of one of the invited Guardsmen, and Brisemont, the wounded soldier whom d'Artagnan had spared after the ambush and who had since entered his service. As the wine was being decanted, Brisemont poured the lees from the first bottle into a glass, and d'Artagnan, out of kindness, told him to drink it. Before the guests could lift their own glasses, the cannon sounded, calling them to their posts. They rushed out, leaving the wine untouched. When they returned, they found Brisemont on the floor, writhing in agony. He died accusing d'Artagnan of poisoning him, crying out that the wine was poisoned. D'Artagnan, horrified, swore on the Gospel that he had been about to drink it himself. The poison had been meant for him.
Consequences and Revelation
The death of Brisemont confirmed to d'Artagnan and his friends that Milady's hatred was implacable and that she would stop at nothing. Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, who had arrived with the king's escort just as the feast was beginning, realized that the forged letter and the poisoned wine were the work of the same woman who had already tried to have d'Artagnan shot. The event shattered any illusion of safety and forced the four friends to recognize that they were engaged in a war to the death. It also deepened the bond between them, as they understood that Milady's vengeance was directed not only at d'Artagnan but at all who stood with him. The poisoning attempt became the immediate catalyst for their decision to pursue Milady to Bethune and ultimately to bring her to trial and execution.
