The Three Musketeers, Chapter 12 summary

What happens

1. Mme. Bonacieux guides Buckingham through servants’ passages and leaves him locked in a room until the queen appears.
2. Anne denies sending for Buckingham and insists that their duties and the hostility between their kingdoms separate them.
3. Buckingham recalls their meetings and describes plans for war as a way to gain another meeting through peace negotiations.
4. Anne condemns his proposed actions, but their matching dreams of his violent death reveal her fear for him.
5. Anne gives Buckingham a rosewood casket after he promises to leave France and return to England.
6. Buckingham kisses her hand, declares his intention to see her again, and follows Mme. Bonacieux out of the Louvre.

What to notice

Anne challenges Buckingham’s claim that devotion excuses his actions. Her reply exposes the harm behind his romantic promises, especially his willingness to provoke war.

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