Early in the morning, the carriage that would carry Emily and Madame Cheron to Thoulouse arrived at the château.
Madame Cheron was already waiting in the breakfast room when Emily entered.
The meal was quiet and sorrowful. Emily could hardly speak, and her sadness was obvious.
Madame Cheron noticed her niece’s gloomy expression and, feeling annoyed that Emily’s sorrow drew attention away from herself, criticized her instead of offering comfort.
Emily had one final request before leaving.
“May I take Manchon with me?” she asked. “He was my father’s favourite dog.”
After some hesitation, her aunt finally agreed.
Madame Cheron was eager to depart.
“Bring the carriage to the door at once,” she ordered.
As her aunt moved toward the entrance, Emily turned back for one last look.
She entered the library again, remembering all the moments she had spent there with her father. Then she looked across the garden, taking in every familiar path, tree, and flowerbed, before forcing herself to follow Madame Cheron.
At the doorway stood old Theresa, waiting to say goodbye.
“May God always protect you, my dear young lady,” Theresa said.
Emily could not find the words to answer.
She only held Theresa’s hand tightly and gave her a weak smile, though her eyes were full of tears.
When the carriage reached the gate of the estate, several of her father’s old dependants were gathered there to wish her farewell.
Emily wanted to stop and speak with them, but Madame Cheron impatiently refused to delay the journey.
Emily quickly gave away almost all the money she carried to those faithful people.
Then she sank back into the carriage, overwhelmed by sadness.
Soon afterward, as they travelled along a road between high banks, Emily caught sight of the château once more.
It appeared among the tall trees, surrounded by green hills and beautiful woods.
The Garonne River flowed beneath the shade of the trees, sometimes disappearing among the vineyards and then appearing again in the distant fields with greater beauty.
Far away, the great peaks of the Pyrenees rose against the sky.
Those mountains had once filled Emily with excitement and admiration during her journey with her father.
Now, however, they brought only painful memories.
She watched the château and the lovely landscape until the road turned and the view disappeared.
After that, her mind became filled with grief, and she could no longer pay attention to the conversation Madame Cheron had started about some meaningless subject.
Soon both women travelled in complete silence.
Meanwhile, Valancourt had returned to Estuvière.
His thoughts were completely occupied by Emily.
Sometimes he allowed himself to dream of a happy future with her.
But more often, he worried about the difficulties he might face from her family.
Valancourt was the younger son of an old Gascon family.
He had lost his parents when he was very young, and the responsibility for his education and small inheritance had fallen to his elder brother, Count de Duvarney, who was nearly twenty years older than him.
Valancourt had received an excellent education and had learned all the accomplishments expected of a gentleman of his time.
He possessed a passionate spirit and a noble character that made him especially admired in activities considered heroic.
His small fortune had been reduced by the cost of his education.
However, his elder brother believed that Valancourt’s talents and abilities would make up for what he lacked in wealth.
A military career offered him the possibility of advancement, and it was also one of the few professions considered suitable for a gentleman without damaging his family’s reputation.
Therefore, Valancourt entered the army.
His brother did not fully understand the depth of his character.
Even as a child, Valancourt had shown a strong love for everything noble and beautiful, both in nature and in human behaviour.
Whenever he saw someone commit a cruel or dishonest act, he felt deep anger and openly expressed his disapproval.
Because of this, his tutor often criticized him for having a violent temper.
The tutor frequently praised patience and gentleness, yet seemed to forget that Valancourt was always kind and compassionate toward those who suffered.
When Valancourt had travelled through the Pyrenees, he had obtained permission to leave his regiment.
That journey had brought him to meet St. Aubert.
Now his leave was almost over, and he felt increasingly anxious to introduce himself properly to Emily’s family.
He expected resistance because his fortune, although enough to support a modest life when combined with Emily’s, would not satisfy people who cared greatly about wealth, social status, or ambition.
Valancourt did have ambitions of his own.
He imagined a future where he could rise through the army and improve his position.
But he also believed that, while waiting for that success, he could live happily with Emily even within the limits of a simple income.
His thoughts were now focused on finding a way to contact Emily’s family.
However, he did not know their address.
He hoped Emily would provide it.
Unfortunately, he was completely unaware that Emily had already left La Vallée suddenly.
Meanwhile, Emily and Madame Cheron continued their journey.
Emily repeatedly tried to appear cheerful, but her sadness always returned.
Madame Cheron believed that Emily’s grief came only from being separated from her lover.
She also suspected that Emily’s continued sorrow over her father’s death was partly an exaggerated display of sensitivity.
She therefore tried to make Emily feel ashamed of grieving for so long.
“How long do you intend to continue mourning?” Madame Cheron asked.
“You must learn that life cannot stop because of one loss.”
Emily remained silent.
Her aunt’s words only increased her pain.
At last, their uncomfortable conversation ended when they arrived at Thoulouse.
Emily had not visited the city for many years and remembered very little of it.
She was surprised by the luxurious appearance of her aunt’s house and furnishings.
The difference between this place and the simple elegance of her father’s home was enormous.
She followed Madame Cheron through a large entrance hall where many servants stood wearing expensive uniforms.
They entered a grand sitting room that displayed more wealth than true taste.
Madame Cheron immediately complained of tiredness.
“Order supper at once,” she said.
Then she threw herself onto a large sofa.
“I am happy to be back in my own house again,” Madame Cheron said.
“I enjoy having my own servants around me.”
“I dislike travelling, although perhaps I should enjoy it. Everything I see abroad only makes me appreciate my own château even more.”
She looked at Emily.
“Why are you so quiet, child?”
“What troubles you now?”
Emily quickly held back a tear and forced herself to smile.
She was thinking of her own home.
Compared with the warmth and simplicity of La Vallée, her aunt’s pride and display of wealth felt cold and unpleasant.
“Can this really be my father’s sister?” Emily thought.
Yet the knowledge that Madame Cheron was her father’s relative softened her feelings.
Emily wanted to be kind.
She wanted to believe there was something good in her aunt and wished to avoid judging her too quickly.
So she listened politely while Madame Cheron proudly described the magnificence of her house, the many parties she hosted, and the behaviour she expected from Emily.
Madame Cheron considered Emily’s quiet nature to be arrogance mixed with ignorance.
She did not understand that Emily’s silence came from modesty and self-doubt.
Emily was afraid of displaying her thoughts because she feared being judged.
Her sensitive mind made her believe that others noticed faults more easily than she did herself.
Therefore, she often chose silence as a protection from criticism.
She had frequently seen people admired for bold manners and meaningless conversations.
Instead of encouraging her to imitate them, such scenes had made her withdraw even further.
Madame Cheron viewed her niece’s shyness with almost contempt.
Rather than encouraging Emily with kindness, she tried to correct her through criticism.
The arrival of supper interrupted Madame Cheron’s proud conversation and Emily’s painful thoughts.
The meal was made unnecessarily grand by the large number of servants and the excessive display of silverware.
After supper, Madame Cheron retired to her room.
A female servant came to lead Emily to hers.
They climbed a wide staircase, passed through several long corridors, and then turned toward a smaller back staircase.
This led to a short passage in a distant part of the château.
The servant opened a small door.
“This is your room, Miss Emily,” she said.
Once alone, Emily could no longer control herself.
She finally allowed the tears she had been holding back to fall.
Anyone who has ever loved a familiar place understands how deeply the heart becomes attached even to ordinary objects.
A room, a garden, or a simple possession can become like an old friend.
Leaving such things behind feels like losing part of oneself.
Emily had been taken away from the only home she had ever known.
Now she was surrounded by unfamiliar people and a place that seemed unpleasant in many ways.
In her loneliness, even her father’s old dog became precious to her.
Manchon came close and comforted her as she cried.
He licked her hands and looked at her with affection.
“Oh, poor Manchon,” Emily whispered.
“I have nobody left who loves me except you.”
Her tears flowed even more.
After some time, Emily remembered her father’s advice.
She recalled how often he had warned her against allowing sorrow to become useless and overwhelming.
He had taught her that courage and patience were necessary.
He had told her that the mind grows stronger through effort until it can overcome suffering and rise above grief.
These memories slowly calmed her.
Her tears dried.
Her heart became peaceful again.
She felt a gentle desire to follow the lessons her father had always tried to teach her.