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Foreshadowing
Explanation and Analysis—Diamond Memories:
In Chapter 12, the Duke of Buckingham meets with Queen Anne of Austria and implores her not to break off their affair. When she tells him that it is absurd to fuel an empty hope for their relationship with a smattering of happy memories, the duke uses a metaphor that foreshadows the predicament he and the queen will find themselves in a few chapters from now:
How else do you expect me to live, since I have only memories? They’re my happiness, my hope. Each time I see you, I add another diamond to the treasure in my heart.
The duke tells the queen not to scoff at his memories of the few nights they have shared because they are all he has to sustain himself. He compares each memory to a diamond, and the collection of memories to "the treasure in my heart." This metaphor is comical because he is trying to get the queen to understand his love by comparing it to something she surely understands: riches. The duke also comes across as a bit ridiculous for claiming that he has "only memories." He is in fact very wealthy and has what many people would kill for: land and a title.
Still, the main joke is that, later in the chapter, the duke convinces the queen to give him a token of her love. What she gives him is a set of real diamond jewelry that was originally a gift from the king. As it turns out, the duke would have been better off sticking with his imaginary diamonds. The cardinal gets wind of the queen's gift to the duke. Jealous of her affections, he encourages the king to throw a ball and ask his wife to wear the diamonds. The duke and queen must then scramble to cover up the fact that she just gave the diamonds away. With the help of d'Artagnan and the musketeers, the queen and the duke successfully hide their affair this time around. But the duke makes dangerous enemies of the cardinal and Milady in the process.
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