Ball at the Hotel de Ville

The Ball at the Hotel de Ville, also known as the Ballet of La Merlaison, was the carefully orchestrated public event at which Cardinal Richelieu intended to expose Queen Anne of Austria's infidelity to the Duke of Buckingham. The king, prompted by the cardinal, had commanded the queen to wear the diamond studs he had given her—studs she had in fact passed to Buckingham. The ball became the stage for a decisive confrontation between the queen and the cardinal, and its outcome hinged on the successful return of the studs from England, a mission undertaken by d'Artagnan.

The King's Command and the Queen's Peril

Eight days before the ball, the king, acting on the cardinal's persistent suggestions, informed the queen of the upcoming fete at the Hotel de Ville and demanded that she appear in ceremonial costume, "above all, ornamented with the diamond studs which I gave you on your birthday." The queen, realizing the cardinal knew of her gift to Buckingham, was struck with terror, believing herself lost. She had already given the studs to the duke, and they were in London. In her desperation, she confided in her loyal seamstress, Constance Bonacieux, who devised a plan to send a messenger to Buckingham to retrieve the jewels. The queen wrote a letter to the duke, sealed it with her private seal, and gave Constance a valuable ring to fund the journey.

The Return of the Studs and the Cardinal's Countermove

D'Artagnan, having learned of the queen's plight through Constance, undertook the perilous journey to London. He reached Buckingham, who, upon learning the queen needed the studs back, discovered that two of the twelve were missing—stolen by Milady, an agent of the cardinal. Buckingham had the two missing studs replicated by his jeweler, Mr. O'Reilly, within two days, and d'Artagnan returned to Paris with the complete set of twelve. Meanwhile, the cardinal, having received word from Milady that she had the two stolen studs, presented them to the king on the night of the ball, telling him, "if the queen has the studs, which I very much doubt, count them, sire, and if you only find ten, ask her Majesty who can have stolen from her the two studs that are here."

The Queen's Triumph and the Cardinal's Humiliation

At the ball, the queen appeared in a hunting costume, and on her left shoulder sparkled the diamond studs. The king, seeing her, trembled with joy, while the cardinal was seized with vexation. During the ballet, the king could not ascertain the number of studs, but after the dance, he approached the queen and said, "I thank you, madame, for the deference you have shown to my wishes, but I think you want two of the studs, and I bring them back to you." He then presented her with the two studs the cardinal had given him. The queen, feigning surprise, replied, "you are giving me, then, two more: I shall have fourteen." The king counted and found all twelve studs on her shoulder. He then called the cardinal, who was forced to claim he had merely wished to present the queen with the two studs himself. The queen, with a smile that proved she was not the dupe of this "ingenious gallantry," thanked the cardinal, saying she was certain the two studs alone had cost him as much as all the others cost the king.

The Aftermath and d'Artagnan's Reward

Following the queen's triumph, d'Artagnan, who had been watching from the crowd, was led by Constance Bonacieux to a dark closet adjoining the queen's apartment. Through a tapestry, the queen's hand and arm appeared, and d'Artagnan, kneeling, kissed her hand. The hand withdrew, leaving in his a ring—a reward from the queen. This moment marked d'Artagnan's entry into the queen's favor and his recognition as a key player in the court's intrigues. The ball thus concluded with the cardinal's plot in ruins, the queen's honor preserved, and d'Artagnan's fortunes dramatically elevated.