Using MAPI to get message count

I want to create a Win32 Application with VC++ .NET that will be absolutely invisible and gives a notification of some sort (I'll handle this visual) with the number of messages that are marked new in the user's profile.

I have my Outlook Express open all the time, is there a way to get the number of message that are new? Just as Outlook Express takes care of displaying a "New Mail" icon on the tray icon, I want to be able to know that I have new mail. I'm sure MAPI is the solution, but it's so involved and not very easy with C++. With VB, MsgCount does the job, but there is no such thing in C++. Let alone VB wouldn't be easy to implement either.

As far as I know, I should create a MAPI session and sign on, but how to retrieve the number of new messages without changing anything (that is, don't check for new mail or anything, make the user think that my application does not affect the mail or Outlook Express at all)?