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Chapter 49
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Three Musketeers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship and Loyalty
Honor
Class and Power
The Secrets of the Past
Seduction and Romance
Summary
Analysis
Milady still doesn’t know what is going on. She assumes it has something to do with d’Artagnan and his friends, but she doesn’t understand how they could have acted so quickly. She is also surprised by Lord de Winter’s resourcefulness; she always took him to be a bit of an oaf. Lord de Winter asks Milady why she came to England. In response, Milady lies and tells him that she came for his sake. Lord de Winter doesn’t believe her; he always knew she was a liar and now he has d’Artagnan’s letter on his side as well.
Milady underestimates Lord de Winter and the extent of his knowledge. After all, how could Milady know that he knows she wants him dead? This is information that he only came to possess because d’Artagnan overheard it while hiding it Kitty’s closet. On the flip side, Lord de Winter does not underestimate Milady. He knows exactly what she is capable of and takes every possible precaution to ensure that she cannot escape.
Active
Themes
Before long, Milady realizes that d’Artagnan told Lord de Winter that she wants to kill him for his money. This scares her because she knows Lord de Winter will not let her go if this is truly the case. Sensing Milady’s anxiety, Lord de Winter promises her that her stay will be a comfortable one; or, at least as comfortable as a stay can be when one is behind bars. Angry, Milady tries to hit Lord de Winter. As she does so, he grabs her arm and refers to the brand that he now knows is on her back. This, too, stuns Milady. She realizes that Lord de Winter now has the complete upper hand.
Although Lord de Winter despises his sister-in-law, he doesn’t plan to treat her cruelly. However, he also knows that he cannot make her stay too comfortable; if he does, she will undoubtedly find a way to escape. Meanwhile, Milady starts coming to terms with the fact that she is dealing with a much more formidable adversary than she previously thought.
Active
Themes
Before he leaves, Lord de Winter warns Milady that her jail cell is impossible to escape from. He also lets her know that she will be guarded by John Felton, the same stoic man who transported her to the castle in the first place. Lord de Winter assures Milady that Felton is fiercely loyal and will not give into her seductive ways. Even so, he takes the time to warn Felton that Milady will lie and attempt to seduce him at any chance she gets. Felton tells Lord de Winter that he understands his task and swears to protect him at all costs. Finally, Lord de Winter leaves and Milady is left to ponder her current circumstances.
