Twenty Years After Chapter 38 Summary

Summary

Queen Henrietta Maria visits Cardinal Mazarin to beg aid for her husband, Charles I., who is about to face a decisive battle against his rebellious subjects in England. The cardinal greets her with formal politeness and inward calculation; he notes her fallen state yet tries to maintain an appearance of deference and affability. Henrietta frames her request plainly: if the king is defeated he may seek refuge in France, and she asks whether Mazarin will offer hospitality or send men and money. Mazarin answers evasively, weighing political risk against personal show of sympathy, and repeatedly emphasizes that a foreign-supported monarch risks losing the confidence of his people.

Their exchange grows sharp as Henrietta accuses Mazarin of forgetting past favors her family received and of failing in pity; Mazarin counters with fears of popular unrest and invokes the precarious position of Louis XIV. The queen, frustrated by circulating courtiers and by his hedging, abruptly ends the conference; she crosses the room to take the hand of Lord de Winter, the solitary English nobleman present. After she leaves, Mazarin tells Bernouin to find a young man who had been in the palace; Comminges reports that Mordaunt left on horseback after watching De Winter and the queen. Mordaunt follows the queen's carriage at a distance and then hides beneath the shadows of the Louvre, tense and unmoving, his hatred for De Winter evident though he restrains immediate action.

Key events

1. Henrietta Maria arrives and formally petitions Cardinal Mazarin for aid for Charles I.
2. Mazarin replies with polite evasion, arguing France is too unstable to harbor a dethroned king or send aid.
3. The queen reproaches Mazarin for lack of compassion and recalls past favors; their exchange grows heated.
4. Henrietta leaves Mazarin's presence and goes to Lord de Winter, showing her isolation.
5. Mazarin summons Bernouin to check on a young man; Comminges reports Mordaunt's departure.
6. Mordaunt follows the queen's carriage and then conceals himself near the Louvre, visibly agitated and focused on De Winter.

Analysis

This chapter foregrounds political realism versus dynastic loyalty. Dumas stages a duel of manners between Henrietta's moral urgency and Mazarin's cool statecraft: she appeals to familial obligation and human need, he answers with calculations about public opinion and the fragile legitimacy of Louis XIV. The scene reveals Mazarin's hypocrisy—his flattering language and visible concern for his strong box undercut his claimed devotion—while Henrietta's proud indignation exposes her diminished power. The chapter advances themes of exile, the precariousness of monarchy, and the collision of private suffering with public calculation.

Structurally, the chapter functions as both a political pivot and a character tableau: it propels the plot by clarifying that France will not openly intervene, and it deepens interpersonal stakes by showing the queen's reliance on isolated allies like Lord de Winter. The presence of Mordaunt lurking outside introduces a parallel, personal subplot of vengeance and obsession that contrasts with the formal diplomacy inside. Symbolically, Mazarin's diamond ring and the reference to winter firewood underline material scarcity and moral coldness; glass galleries and doors (which Mordaunt watches through) underline barriers—between peoples, between safety and threat, and between private hatred and public policy. The narrative voice permits direct dialogue and pointed irony, exposing character through speech and gesture rather than inner monologue, and foreshadows further conflict by leaving Mordaunt's hatred unresolved.

Important quotes

““Ah!” said Mazarin to himself, “what a sweet face; does she come to borrow money of me?””

Narrator / MazarinMazarin's private, calculating reaction on seeing the fallen queen—shows his concern for money and the performative nature of his politeness.

““I have sold even to my last diamond to aid him. If I had had a single ornament left, I should have bought wood this winter to make a fire for my daughter and myself.””

Henrietta MariaThe queen emphasizes her poverty and sacrifice to press Mazarin for concrete help, undercutting any claim that her plea is merely political.

Characters in Chapter 38

• Henrietta Maria
• Cardinal Mazarin
• Charles I
• Lord de Winter
• Louis XIV
• Bernouin
• Comminges
• Monsieur de Guitant
• Mordaunt
• Concino Concini
• Queen (the queen's daughter referenced)