By God, they have so many plans, plans that still seem so wild and impossible, for all Aramis and Porthos swear by them. The thought of so much change so swiftly, when he has barely found his footing as it is, forces Athos to swallow back panic. His gaze settles on the ceiling as he struggles to contain his expression and his thoughts. He had known all this before he had decided to accept their offer, had promised himself that he would never stand in the way of their overflowing happiness, even when it overwhelmed him. He must keep that promise now.

“The money doesn’t trouble me,” he assures them, a touch of amusement entering his voice when he adds, “So long as it does not end with all of us in debtors’ prison. And I have no complaints about a house in the countryside.” Athos looks at one of them, and then the other, and all at once it dawns on him that they might be as afraid to lose him as he is to lose them. He swallows back a lump in his throat. “I’m not going anywhere, gentlemen. I swear.”