The Rapist Caper and Other Stories
The Knights of the Rose and Cross - concerned about Aleksei's tendency to get into trouble - send a Poor Knight to babysit him, the ex-slave Marie-Celeste Minuit. She joins the heroes in their regular habit of rotating homes to drink and talk and quarrel, and hears Aleksei inform his friends that a relative of his has been abducted by a one-handed man. Discussion of how to find this one-handed man is cut short, however, by the arrival of Sebastien, who has come from the house of Lady Christine with news that a friend of hers is in trouble.
The Affair of the Handkerchief
Sebastien had gone to see his paramour and heard sobbing inside; convincing Christine's maid to allow him entry, he discovers Lady Christine with a friend, Madame du Vere. Mme. du Vere - the wife of the Chevalier du Vere, a hero in army at El Morro - has been intemperate, and allowed a handkerchief with her initials to fall into the custody of Monsieur du Trois, a well-connected nobleman with a villainous reputation towards women. Indeed, Aleksei has heard stories of the Comte du Trois inviting impressionable women to salons and - so go the rumors - drugging them and stealing their virtue.
Now, M. du Trois is threatening Mme. du Vere: he says he will send her hot-headed husband the Chevalier the handkerchief, potentially ruining her, if she does not submit to him. Sebastien promises help and goes to join his friends at Aleksei's apartment, where they all agree that this situation is intolerable. After some discussion, the heroes decide that they will stop him: not just by returning the handkerchief to Mme. du Vere, but also ruining M. du Trois so that he cannot perpetrate such villainies again.
Marie-Celeste and the Comte du Trois
The newest of these four friends is the first agent in achieving their plan. At a party at Le Labyrinthe, Marie-Celeste - an exotic beauty, to be sure - gains the confidence of M. du Trois, who invites her back to his hôtel. Sebastien trails her to the Hôtel du Trois to make sure of her safety, but she goes inside with the Comte.
Retiring to a salon, M. du Trois asks his manservant Desean to fetch two glasses of the Bordeaux '57. Fearing drugged wine, Marie-Celeste demurs, saying she likes rum, and so Desean brings those glasses instead. The glance that goes between master and servant makes plain to the Knight that these glasses, too, are drugged. An intricate dance follows: Marie-Celeste asks du Trois to play the harpsichord, and then distracts the comte as she swaps the glasses. She drinks and so does he, and as the drug takes hold she guides him to his room and drops him there senseless.
She searches the room and finds a handkerchief with a kiss and the initials "A.V." - Amelie du Vere - and proceeds to make her escape. She leaves, however, just as Sebastien sees a coach with L'Empereur's arms clatter up to the hôtel: it is Rémy du Montaigne, arrived for some unknown purpose. A pistol shot in the air distracts Remy from seeing Marie-Celeste, who escapes notice.
Meanwhile, Aleksei and Julien - the latter in a ridiculous costume as a Vodacce physician - have been at the party spreading word that M. du Trois will be holding a masquerade two days hence: after all, the easiest way to make a man hold a party is to invite people to it. In this, they are quite successful.
Aleksei and Julien Intimidate a Servant
The next two days are spent preparing for the party; Aleksei, who now knows Remy du Montaigne is in town, makes sure he is known to be the guest of M. du Trois in hopes of forcing an appearance at the party. Then they place their plan in motion on the afternoon of the party.
First, Marie-Celeste visits the Comte du Trois again, claiming she lost an earring two days earlier. She manuevers the Comte out on a balcony, while below Julian pulls up in a carriage and calls for Desean, M. du Trois' servant. Julien steps out and hands Desean a handkerchief - one that looks very much like Mme. du Vere's gage - as Marie-Celeste directs du Trois' attention towards Julien and Desean. M. du Trois sees Desean hand the handkerchief back to Julien and then Julien hands Desean a bag of small coin. Julien then leaves, as Marie-Celeste observes the Comte appear greatly disturbed. He attempts to go seek out Desean, but Marie-Celeste convinces him to take her shopping, leaving him unable to contact the servant before the party.
As Marie-Celeste leaves with M. du Trois, Aleksei rides up in his carriage and tells Desean to get in. There, Aleksei explains - as Julien looms over his shoulder - that Desean has been trapped in the affair of the handkerchief, and his master believes he has stolen it. They tell them that they still have the handkerchief (in truth, Sebastien has long ago returned it to Mme. du Vere) and that if he does them a favor this evening they will give it back to him so he can save himself from his master's wrath. With some hand-wringing, he is convinced: Aleksei and Julien tell him that at the stroke of 11 he must drug the wine of several key people at the party, including the Vodacce ambassador. Now terrified, Desean agrees and is released.