In this swift and sudden way Richelieu fell from power. The position in which he now found himself was difficult enough. He was the Queen-mother’s chief friend and confidant in the early days of her exile at Blois, and the head of her council, but he was surrounded by mischievous rivals, some Italian, some French, who played him false and undermined his influence. The Queen’s household, following its royal mistress’s lead, was all plot and intrigue, delusion and fury. Almost the only wise person, besides Richelieu himself, was his old friend Madame de Guercheville, Marie’s lady of honour. She, at least, saw good cause for the Bishop of Luçon’s endeavour to keep the little captive Court at Blois in favour with the Court of the Louvre by a constant and civil correspondence with the almighty Luynes. She saw the force of the Bishop’s reasoning--that the actual state of things must be accepted--that the King was the King, and his subjects, including his mother, might as well rebel against Heaven. Therefore Richelieu was doing his best for Her Majesty--and incidentally for himself too--by representing her and her servants as absolutely devoted to the service of the King. It is natural enough that Luynes, listening to Richelieu’s enemies, was not inclined to trust him, either as to the Queen-mother’s peaceable loyalty or his own. But he made no mistake as to the Bishop’s political genius; and therefore, it seems, he decided to deprive the Queen-mother of his services. The intrigue is not very clear, even to this day. Richelieu had a letter from his brother, the Marquis, warning him that the King was displeased with him and that he would shortly be ordered to retire to his diocese. Afterwards it appeared that the information, conveyed by friends at Court to Henry de Richelieu, was false, or at least premature. But the Bishop acted on it without delay. Knowing that Marie would not willingly part with him, he asked for a fortnight’s leave of absence and went to the Château de Richelieu. From thence he wrote to the King and to Luynes, protesting his loyalty and complaining of the calumnies of his enemies. The King sent a cold reply, advising him to attend to the duties of his diocese and to remain within its bounds till further orders. Marie de Médicis was passionately angry, and wrote furious letters to her son and the favourite. It was treating her not like a mother, but like a slave, she said, thus to affront her by removing her most capable servant. But her bitter complaints were of no avail.