“The second courier confirms all this, and says further that Brilland was compelled to write a letter to the _valet de chambre_, who was known to be at Poitiers, in which he requested him to come two hundred paces from the gate, as he wished to speak to him.[127] Immediately, the ambuscade which was there seized him, and he was brought to Saint-Jean. He has not yet been interrogated, but he said to those who were bringing him: ‘Ah! what a wicked woman Madame [the Princesse de Condé] is! Let them arrest her treasurer; I will tell everything frankly.’ This was done. That is all that is known up to the present. Remember what I have told you at other times. I am seldom deceived in my judgments. A bad woman is a dangerous animal (_une dangereuse beste_). All these poisoners are Papists. It was from them that the lady received her instructions. I have discovered an assassin for myself. God will protect me, and I will tell you more about it soon.... My soul, I am very well in body, but very afflicted in mind. Love me, and let me see that you do; that will be a great consolation for me.”[128] The King of Navarre did not carry out his original intention of proceeding straight to Saint-Jean-d’Angely, for, on reaching Pons, he turned aside to La Rochelle, and it was not until the evening of 29 March that he reached the scene of the tragedy. The probable reason for this delay was his wish to avoid committing himself until further light had been thrown upon the affair. The princess, although, of course, under close supervision, was still nominally at liberty, for Fiefbrun, to whom, in his capacity of bailiff of Saint-Jean-d’Angely, Henri had entrusted the conduct of the inquiry, was a devoted servant of the Condés and was naturally very reluctant to take any definite steps against her. But, on his arrival, he found public opinion in the town so hostile to the lady that he felt obliged to order her arrest. Personal considerations would appear to have been no stranger to this decision, and to the vigour with which he subsequently pushed on proceedings against the princess. The very strained relations which had existed for some time past between him and the late prince were common knowledge, and his enemies had not hesitated to circulate the report that he was privy to the death of his cousin. Théodore de Bèze had just written, warning him of this atrocious calumny, and urging him to take immediate steps to refute it: