“Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned,
Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked, or charitable,
I will speak to thee.”
—Hamlet
At last, Count de Villefort received a letter from the advocate in Avignon. The lawyer encouraged Emily to make a formal claim for the estates left by her late aunt, Madame Montoni.
Around the same time, another messenger arrived from Monsieur Quesnel with news that made legal action unnecessary. The only person who might have challenged Emily’s right to the property was no longer alive.
A friend of Monsieur Quesnel, who lived in Venice, had sent him an account of Montoni’s fate.
Montoni had been arrested and brought to trial with Orsino, who was accused of being his accomplice in the murder of a Venetian nobleman.
Orsino was found guilty.
He was condemned and executed upon the wheel.
However, the investigation found no evidence that could prove Montoni’s involvement in the crime. His associates were also cleared and released.
Montoni alone remained imprisoned because the Venetian senate considered him a dangerous man for other reasons.
Later, reports reached Venice that Montoni had died in prison under mysterious circumstances. There were even suspicions that he had been poisoned.
The source of this information was considered trustworthy, and Monsieur Quesnel had no reason to doubt it.
He wrote to Emily, telling her that she now only needed to complete the necessary steps to claim her aunt’s estates.
He also promised to personally assist her with all the legal arrangements.
The lease on La Vallée was nearly expired as well, and Monsieur Quesnel advised Emily to travel there through Toulouse.
He promised to meet her in Toulouse and believed that she should take possession of Madame Montoni’s estates there.
He assured her that he would help her overcome any difficulties caused by her lack of knowledge about managing such matters.
He believed she should arrive in Toulouse within three weeks.
Emily could not help noticing that her uncle’s sudden kindness seemed to have awakened only after learning of her increased fortune.
He appeared to respect the wealthy heiress far more than he had ever cared for the lonely and helpless orphan.
The news brought Emily great happiness, but her joy was mixed with sadness when she remembered Valancourt.
There had once been a time when she regretted not having wealth because she wished to share it with him.
Now, however, she knew that he was no longer the man she had believed him to be.
Remembering the Count’s wise advice, she forced herself to put aside her sorrow and focus on gratitude for the unexpected blessings that had come to her.
One of her greatest comforts was knowing that La Vallée, the home of her childhood and the place where her parents had lived, would soon belong to her again.
She decided that she would make it her future residence.
Although La Vallée could not compare with the grand château at Toulouse in size or magnificence, its peaceful landscapes and the memories connected with them held a special place in her heart.
She had no desire to exchange such precious feelings for empty displays of wealth.
Emily immediately wrote to Monsieur Quesnel.
She thanked him for taking such active interest in her affairs and told him that she would meet him in Toulouse at the appointed time.
When Count de Villefort and Lady Blanche came to the convent to share the advocate’s advice with Emily, he learned the contents of Monsieur Quesnel’s letter.
The Count sincerely congratulated her on her good fortune.
Emily noticed, however, that after his first expression of happiness faded, a serious look replaced it.
She could not help asking what troubled him.
“It is nothing connected with your affairs,” replied the Count.
“I am troubled by the confusion my family has fallen into because of their foolish belief in superstition.”
“Strange rumors are spreading around me. I cannot prove them true, yet I cannot prove them false either.”
“I am also deeply concerned about poor Ludovico. I have discovered nothing about what happened to him.”
“I believe every part of the château and the surrounding area has already been searched, and I do not know what more can be done.”
“I have even offered large rewards for anyone who can find him.”
“The keys to the north apartments have remained in my possession since his disappearance.”
“And tonight, I intend to keep watch in those rooms myself.”
Emily was seriously frightened for the Count.
She joined Lady Blanche in begging him not to carry out such a dangerous plan.
“What should I fear?” said the Count.
“I do not believe in battles with supernatural beings.”
“As for human enemies, I shall be prepared.”
“In fact, I promise I will not keep watch alone.”
“But who, dear sir, would have enough courage to watch with you?” asked Emily.
“My son,” replied the Count.
“And if I am not carried away during the night,” he added with a smile, “you shall hear the story of my adventure tomorrow.”
Soon afterward, the Count and Lady Blanche left Emily and returned to the château.
There, the Count told Henri about his plan.
Henri agreed to accompany him, though he secretly felt some reluctance.
When the plan was mentioned after supper, the Countess was terrified.
The Baron and Monsieur Du Pont joined her in urging the Count to abandon the idea.
They begged him not to challenge whatever force had frightened Ludovico.
“We do not know the nature or power of an evil spirit,” said the Baron.
“And now it can hardly be doubted that such a spirit haunts those rooms.”
“Be careful, my lord, how you provoke its anger.”
“It has already shown terrible cruelty once.”
“It may be true that spirits of the dead are allowed to return only for matters of great importance.”
“But perhaps the importance of this matter is your own destruction.”
The Count could not help smiling.
“Do you truly believe, Baron,” he said, “that my destruction is important enough to bring a dead soul back to earth?”
“My good friend, there is no need for supernatural powers to destroy any person.”
“Whatever mystery exists there, I hope to uncover it tonight.”
“You know I am not superstitious.”
“I know only that you refuse to believe,” interrupted the Baron.
“Call it what you wish,” replied the Count.
“I mean only this: because I am free from superstition, if anything supernatural truly exists, I believe it will reveal itself to me.”
“If some terrible event threatens my household, or if some strange secret is connected with this place, perhaps tonight I shall discover it.”
“At the very least, I intend to search for the truth.”
“And since I expect a human enemy more than a ghost, I shall make sure I am properly armed.”
The Count said good night to his family with a cheerful expression.
But beneath his forced happiness, he carried a heavy sense of uneasiness.
He went to the north apartments with Henri.
The Baron, Monsieur Du Pont, and several servants followed them to the entrance, where they wished him good night before leaving.
Inside the rooms, everything appeared exactly as it had before.
Nothing had changed.
Even the bedroom remained untouched.
The Count had to light his own fire because none of the servants could be persuaded to enter the chamber.
After carefully examining the bedroom and the oriel window, the Count and Henri placed their chairs near the fireplace.
They set a bottle of wine and a lamp on the table.
Their swords rested beside them, ready for use.
As the fire burned brightly, they began speaking about ordinary subjects, hoping to pass the long hours of the night.
But Henri often became silent and distracted.
From time to time, he looked around the gloomy room with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
The Count gradually stopped talking as well.
He sat quietly, sometimes lost in thought, and sometimes reading a volume of Tacitus that he had brought with him to make the night pass more quickly.