The next morning, Emily sat in the small parlour beside the library, still thinking about the strange events of the previous night. Suddenly, Annette rushed into the room in a state of complete panic.
She tried to speak, but she was so overwhelmed that she could only collapse into a chair, unable to catch her breath.
Emily quickly approached her.
“What has happened, Annette? Why are you so frightened?”
For several moments, Annette could not answer. At last, she cried out:
“I have seen his ghost, madam! I have seen his ghost!”
Emily stared at her impatiently.
“Whose ghost do you mean?”
“It came in from the hall, madam,” Annette replied. “I was crossing over to the parlour when I saw it.”
“Who are you talking about?” Emily demanded. “Who came in from the hall?”
“It was dressed exactly as I have seen him before, again and again,” Annette said. “Oh, who could have imagined such a thing?”
Emily was beginning to lose patience and was about to scold Annette for allowing her imagination to run wild when a servant entered.
“Madam, a stranger outside requests permission to speak with you.”
At once, Emily thought of Valancourt. Her heart suddenly tightened, but she forced herself to remain calm.
“Tell him that I am occupied and cannot receive anyone.”
The servant left and soon returned.
“The gentleman insists upon his request, madam. He says he has something important to tell you.”
Annette, who had been sitting silently in amazement, suddenly jumped up.
“It is Ludovico! It is Ludovico!”
She rushed out of the room.
Emily immediately turned to the servant.
“Follow her. If it truly is Ludovico, bring him here.”
A few minutes later, Ludovico appeared, accompanied by Annette, whose happiness was so great that she completely forgot her usual respect toward Emily. She could hardly allow anyone else to speak because she wanted to tell everyone how he had returned safely.
Emily was filled with surprise and joy at seeing Ludovico alive. Her happiness increased when he handed her letters from Count De Villefort and Lady Blanche.
The letters explained their recent adventures and their current situation. They were staying at an inn among the Pyrenees because Monsieur St. Foix had been injured and Blanche had also become unwell.
Lady Blanche informed Emily that her father, Baron St. Foix, had arrived and intended to take his son back to his château until his wounds were completely healed. Afterward, he would return to Languedoc.
She also told Emily that she and her father planned to arrive at La Vallée the following day.
Blanche added:
“We hope you will join us for the coming wedding. Please prepare yourself to travel with us to Château-le-Blanc in a few days.”
For the explanation of Ludovico’s strange disappearance, she directed Emily to ask Ludovico himself.
Although Emily was extremely curious about how he had vanished from the north apartments, she patiently waited. She allowed him time to eat, rest, and speak with Annette, whose happiness was so overwhelming that she behaved as though Ludovico had truly returned from the dead.
Meanwhile, Emily read the letters again.
The affection and kindness expressed by her friends brought her comfort, especially because the recent meeting with Valancourt had awakened painful memories and deep sorrow within her.
The invitation to Château-le-Blanc was offered with such warmth by the Count and his daughter, and even strengthened by a message from the Countess, that Emily could not refuse.
Although she wished to remain peacefully at her childhood home, she knew it would not be proper to stay there alone now that Valancourt was once again nearby.
She also thought that a change of surroundings and the company of her friends might restore her peace of mind better than solitude.
When Ludovico returned, Emily asked him to explain everything that had happened in the north apartments and how he had become involved with the bandits among whom Count De Villefort had found him.
Ludovico immediately agreed.
Annette, who had not yet had enough time to question him, prepared herself eagerly to listen.
She could not resist reminding Emily of how she had once doubted the existence of spirits at Udolpho, while Annette herself had always believed in them.
Emily blushed when she remembered her own fear and superstition.
“If your story proves Annette’s beliefs correct,” she said, “then perhaps you would never have been here to tell it.”
Ludovico smiled at Annette, bowed respectfully to Emily, and began.
“You may remember, madam, that on the night I stayed in the north chamber, Count De Villefort and Monsieur Henri accompanied me there. While they remained with me, nothing unusual happened.”
“After they left, I made a fire in the bedroom. Since I had no desire to sleep, I sat beside the fireplace with a book to distract my thoughts.”
“I admit that I sometimes looked around the room nervously.”
Annette immediately interrupted.
“Oh, I am certain you did! And I am sure you were trembling from head to foot.”
Ludovico smiled.
“Not quite that badly. But when the wind howled around the old castle and shook the windows, I sometimes imagined I heard strange sounds.”
“Several times I stood up to look around, but I saw nothing except the gloomy figures woven into the tapestries. They seemed almost to stare angrily at me.”
“I had been sitting there for more than an hour when I again heard a noise. I looked around carefully, but nothing appeared.”
“So I returned to my book. When I finished the story I was reading, I became sleepy and eventually fell asleep.”
“But soon I was awakened by the same sound I had heard before.”
“It seemed to come from the area near the bed.”
“I do not know whether it was because of the frightening story I had been reading or because of the terrible rumors surrounding those rooms, but when I looked toward the bed, I thought I saw a man’s face hidden among the dark curtains.”
Emily trembled when she heard this. She remembered the terrifying sight she herself had witnessed there with Dorothée.
Ludovico continued:
“I confess, madam, that my courage almost failed me at that moment.”
“But then I heard the noise again, and my attention was drawn away from the bed.”
“I clearly heard a sound like a key turning inside a lock.”
“What surprised me most was that I could see no door where the sound seemed to come from.”
“Then suddenly, the tapestry beside the bed began to rise slowly.”
“A man appeared from behind it, coming through a small hidden door in the wall.”
“He stood there for a moment, almost as if he wanted to retreat. His head was lowered beneath the tapestry, which hid most of his face except for his eyes, which looked fiercely beneath the cloth.”
“When he lifted the tapestry higher, I saw another man standing behind him, looking over his shoulder.”
“I do not know what happened to me, but although my sword was lying on the table nearby, I could not move to seize it.”
“I sat completely still, watching them with my eyes half closed, pretending to be asleep.”
“I suppose they believed I was sleeping because they began whispering together.”
“They remained there for nearly a minute.”
“Then I noticed other faces appearing in the darkness beyond the doorway, and I heard more voices whispering.”
Emily interrupted.
“This hidden door surprises me. I understood that the Count had the tapestry removed and the walls searched because he suspected there might be a secret passage through which you escaped.”
Ludovico shook his head.
“It is not so surprising, madam. The door was hidden in a narrow section of the wall that appeared to be part of the outside structure.”
“If the Count had not examined that exact place, he would naturally have believed there could be no passage there.”
“The truth was that the passage ran inside the thickness of the wall itself.”
He continued:
“But to return to the men. They did not leave me uncertain about their intentions for long.”
“They rushed into the room and surrounded me.”
“Fortunately, I managed to grab my sword before they reached me.”
“But what could one man do against four?”
“They quickly overpowered me, tied my arms, covered my mouth, and forced me through the hidden door.”
“They left my sword on the table, saying that it would help those who came searching for me the next morning to fight against the ghosts.”
“They carried me through many narrow passages that seemed to have been built inside the walls.”
“Then we went down several flights of stairs until we reached the underground vaults of the castle.”
“They opened a stone door that looked exactly like part of the wall itself.”
“Beyond it was a long passage, followed by more stairs carved into solid rock.”
“At last, another door opened into a cave.”
“After wandering through twisting passages, we reached the entrance and I found myself on the seashore beneath the cliffs of the château.”
“A boat was waiting there.”
“The men forced me into it, and soon we reached a small ship anchored nearby.”
“Other men were waiting there.”
“Two of those who had captured me remained on the ship, while the others rowed back to shore.”
“Then we sailed away.”
“I soon understood their purpose.”
“They landed in Roussillon and remained near the coast for several days.”
“Then some of their companions came down from the mountains and carried me with them to their fortress.”
“I was kept there until my lord arrived unexpectedly.”
“They prevented my escape by blindfolding me during the journey.”
“Even without the blindfold, I doubt I could have found my way through such wild and unfamiliar country.”
“When I reached the fortress, I was watched like a prisoner.”
“I was never allowed to go outside without two or three men accompanying me.”
“I became so miserable that I often wished for death.”
Annette looked surprised.
“But they allowed you to speak, did they not? They did not keep you gagged after you left the château.”
“So why were you so desperate to die? Especially when you might have had the chance to see me again.”
Ludovico smiled.
Emily also smiled and asked:
“Why did these men carry you away?”
“I soon discovered the reason, madam,” Ludovico replied.
“They were pirates.”
“For many years they had hidden their stolen treasures in the vaults beneath the castle because its location near the sea made it convenient.”
“To prevent anyone from discovering their secret, they spread rumors that the château was haunted.”
“After finding the hidden passage to the north apartments, which had remained closed since the death of the Marchioness, they easily created the illusion.”
“The old housekeeper and her husband were the only people living there for years.”
“They became so frightened by the strange noises they heard at night that they refused to remain.”
“Soon everyone believed the castle was haunted.”
“The rumors became even stronger because people remembered the strange circumstances surrounding the Marchioness’s death and because my lord never returned to the place afterward.”
“But why did they store their treasure in the castle instead of keeping it in the cave?” Emily asked.
“The cave was accessible to anyone,” Ludovico explained.
“Their treasure would eventually have been discovered there.”
“But the vaults beneath the castle were perfectly safe as long as people believed the place was haunted.”
“They brought their stolen goods from the sea at night and stored them there until they could sell them.”
“These pirates were connected with Spanish smugglers and mountain bandits living among the wild regions of the Pyrenees.”
“I remained with this dangerous group until my lord arrived.”
“I shall never forget my feelings when I first saw him.”
“I thought he was lost forever.”
“But I knew that if I revealed myself, the bandits would discover who he was and might murder all of us to protect their secret.”
“So I stayed hidden.”
“I watched them carefully and prepared myself to fight if they threatened my lord or his family.”
“Soon afterward, I overheard them planning to murder and rob the entire party.”
“I managed to secretly inform some of my lord’s servants.”
“We discussed what should be done.”
“Then my lord became angry because Lady Blanche had disappeared, and when the bandits gave an unsatisfactory answer, he and Monsieur St. Foix became furious.”
“We decided that was the right moment to reveal the truth.”
“I rushed into the room shouting, ‘Treachery! My lord count, defend yourself!’”
“My lord and the chevalier immediately drew their swords.”
“A fierce battle followed, but we finally defeated them.”
Emily listened with great interest.
“This is truly an extraordinary adventure, Ludovico. Your courage and wisdom deserve great praise.”
“Yet there are still things about the north apartments that confuse me.”
“Did you ever hear these men speak about those rooms?”
“No, madam,” Ludovico replied.
“I only heard them laugh at the old housekeeper’s belief in ghosts.”
“One of them once described how he nearly frightened her.”
Emily immediately asked him to explain.
Ludovico continued:
“One night, while one of the pirates was inside the bedroom, he heard someone approaching through the next room.”
“He had no time to open the hidden door, so he hid inside the bed.”
“He remained there until the housekeeper and another person came close.”
“Thinking they were going to examine the bed, he decided the only way to escape was to frighten them.”
“He lifted the blanket, but that was not enough.”
“Only when he raised his face above it did they run away as if they had seen the devil.”
“He then escaped without being discovered.”
Emily could not help smiling.
The explanation showed that the terrifying vision which had frightened her so greatly was nothing more than a trick.
She wondered how she could have allowed herself to be so completely deceived.
Yet she understood that once the mind accepts superstition, even small things can appear convincing.
Still, she remembered the mysterious music heard at midnight near Château-le-Blanc.
She asked Ludovico whether he could explain it.
“I cannot, madam,” he answered.
“I only know that it did not belong to the pirates.”
“I heard them laugh about it and say they believed the devil himself was helping them there.”
Annette immediately brightened.
“I knew it! I was certain that either the devil or his spirits had something to do with those rooms.”
“Now you see that I was right!”
Emily smiled.
“It cannot be denied that strange forces seemed very active in that part of the château.”
“But I am surprised the pirates continued their activities after the Count arrived. Surely they must have expected to be discovered.”
“I believe, madam,” Ludovico replied, “that they intended to continue only until they had removed their remaining treasure from the vaults.”
“They had already begun doing this shortly after the Count arrived.”
“But they had only a few hours each night, and they were also involved in other schemes.”
“When they captured me, the vaults were only half emptied.”
“They were delighted that my disappearance would strengthen the rumors of ghosts.”
“They carefully left everything exactly as they had found it so the deception would continue.”
“They often laughed among themselves, imagining the fear they had caused inside the castle.”
“They removed me because they feared I might reveal their secret.”
“They believed the château almost belonged to them.”
“But later I learned from their companions that they nearly exposed themselves.”
“One night, when they went to the north rooms to create the usual frightening noises, they heard voices coming from the bedroom.”
“My lord later told me that he and Monsieur Henri were inside the room at that very moment.”
“They heard strange cries and sounds of mourning, which were actually made by the pirates.”
“My lord admitted that he felt more than ordinary surprise.”
“But for the peace of his family, he decided not to investigate openly and ordered his son to remain silent as well.”
Emily suddenly understood the change she had noticed in Count De Villefort after his night watching in the north chamber.
Now she knew the reason.
After asking a few more questions about the strange events, she dismissed Ludovico and went to arrange preparations for the arrival of her friends the next day.
That evening, Theresa arrived, despite her injured leg, to return the ring that Valancourt had entrusted to her.
When Emily saw it, she was deeply moved.
She remembered seeing Valancourt wear it during happier times.
However, she was displeased that Theresa had accepted it from him and firmly refused to take it.
Although receiving it would have brought her a painful kind of comfort, she believed she could not accept it.
Theresa pleaded with her.
She described Valancourt’s sadness when he had given her the ring and repeated the message he had asked her to deliver.
Emily could not hide her sorrow.
She began to weep and remained lost in thought.
“My dear young lady,” Theresa said, “why must everything be this way?”
“I have known you since you were a child. You know I love you as if you were my own daughter.”
“I want nothing more than to see you happy.”
“I have not known Monsieur Valancourt as long, but I love him almost like my own son.”
“I know how deeply you love each other.”
“Otherwise, why would you cry so much?”
Theresa continued despite Emily’s attempt to stop her.
“You are so alike in your hearts and your ways.”
“If you married, you would be the happiest couple in the whole province.”
“So what prevents it?”
“It pains me to see people throw away their own happiness and then mourn as if they had no choice.”
“Learning is a wonderful thing, but if it does not teach people how to live happily, what good is it?”
Emily respected Theresa’s age and loyalty, but she did not wish to explain the reasons behind her decision regarding Valancourt.
She only said:
“Theresa, I cannot discuss this subject again.”
“I have reasons for my actions that I cannot reveal.”
“The ring must be returned, with the message that I cannot accept it.”
“And please do not bring me any more messages from Valancourt.”
“I value your kindness and your friendship too much to let this continue.”
Theresa was deeply saddened.
She tried once more to speak on Valancourt’s behalf, but Emily’s unusual seriousness finally forced her to stop.
She left the room full of confusion and sorrow.
To distract herself from painful memories, Emily devoted herself to preparing for the journey to Languedoc.
While Annette happily spoke about Ludovico’s safe return, Emily thought about how she might secure their happiness.
If Ludovico’s love for Annette remained as faithful as her simple and honest affection for him, Emily decided she would provide Annette with a marriage settlement and give them a home on part of her estate.
These thoughts reminded Emily of her father’s ancestral property.
Her father, St. Aubert, had once been forced by financial difficulties to sell those lands to Monsieur Quesnel.
Emily often wished to regain them because St. Aubert had always regretted losing the estate that belonged to his ancestors.
It had been his birthplace and the place where he spent his earliest years.
Emily felt little attachment to her property at Toulouse.
She decided that she would sell it and attempt to purchase her father’s old lands again if Monsieur Quesnel could be persuaded to part with them.
Since he often spoke of moving to Italy, she believed such an arrangement might not be impossible.