The events that followed Emily’s hurried departure from Venice happened so quickly that some important details could not be told earlier. They must now be explained.
On the morning when Emily was supposed to leave Venice with Montoni, Count Morano went at the appointed hour to Montoni’s mansion, expecting to claim Emily as his bride.
When he arrived, he was surprised to find the entrance unusually quiet.
The servants who usually gathered around the entrance were nowhere to be seen. The grand house seemed strangely empty.
At first, he only felt confused.
But confusion quickly turned into disbelief, and disbelief into furious anger when the door was opened by an old woman.
“My master and his family left Venice early this morning,” she told his servants. “They have gone to the mainland.”
The servants immediately returned to the Count and repeated the message.
Morano could hardly believe what he heard.
“Impossible!” he shouted.
Leaving his gondola behind, he rushed into the mansion himself.
“Where is Montoni?” he demanded. “Where has he taken Emily?”
The old woman, the only person left to guard the house, repeated the same answer.
“He has gone away with his family.”
Morano searched the empty rooms himself, hoping to discover some mistake.
But the silent halls and deserted chambers proved that the woman was telling the truth.
Suddenly overcome with rage, he seized her arm.
“Tell me everything!” he demanded.
He asked question after question so quickly and angrily that the frightened woman could hardly answer.
Then, realizing she knew nothing more, he released her and began pacing wildly through the hall.
“Montoni has escaped me!” he cried.
He cursed Montoni.
He cursed himself for trusting him.
And he cursed the situation that had allowed Emily to be taken away.
When the old woman finally recovered from her fright, she told him the little she knew.
Although she had very few details, she said enough for Morano to discover that Montoni had gone to his castle in the Apennine Mountains.
The Count immediately decided to follow.
As soon as his servants prepared everything necessary for the journey, he set out toward the castle with a close friend and several attendants.
His purpose was clear.
He would either obtain Emily or take revenge on Montoni.
After his first violent anger had passed and his thoughts became clearer, Morano began to understand why Montoni had acted so suddenly.
But one question troubled him.
How had Montoni discovered his secret plan?
Morano had believed that no one knew his true intentions.
Yet Montoni had somehow understood them.
The truth was that evil minds often understand each other.
A person who has the same weaknesses and ambitions as another can sometimes predict exactly what that person will do.
This was what had happened between Morano and Montoni.
Montoni had already suspected that Morano’s wealth was not as great as he pretended.
He had finally discovered the truth.
The Count was not rich.
He was deeply in debt.
Montoni’s interest in the marriage had never been based on concern for Emily’s happiness.
His motives were selfish.
His pride would be satisfied by forming an alliance with a Venetian nobleman.
His greed would be satisfied because Emily’s estate in Gascony had been promised to him after the marriage.
For a long time, Montoni had suspected that Morano’s extravagant lifestyle had damaged his fortune.
But it was not until the evening before the planned wedding that he obtained undeniable proof.
Then he immediately concluded that Morano intended to marry Emily only to gain control of her property and escape his own financial problems.
This belief became even stronger when Morano failed to appear for their arranged meeting that night.
The meeting had been arranged so Morano could sign the legal document guaranteeing Montoni’s reward.
A different man might have considered that Morano simply became distracted by the preparations for his wedding.
But Montoni did not think that way.
He immediately assumed the worst.
After waiting several hours without seeing the Count, he ordered his servants to prepare for departure.
He intended to remove Emily from Morano’s reach and avoid any further argument.
If Morano truly wished to act honorably, Montoni believed, he would follow them and complete the agreement.
But Montoni cared so little about Emily’s happiness that he would still have sacrificed her to a ruined man if doing so benefited him.
He deliberately kept the true reason for their sudden journey from Emily.
He feared that if she discovered the possibility of escaping Morano, she might become even more determined to resist him.
With these thoughts, Montoni left Venice.
And with completely different thoughts, Morano followed him across the dangerous Apennine roads.
When Morano finally arrived at the castle, Montoni assumed he would not dare appear unless he intended to keep their agreement.
So he allowed him to enter.
But the Count’s angry expression immediately destroyed that belief.
Morano entered the room filled with fury.
He demanded Emily.
He accused Montoni.
Yet he never once mentioned the agreement about the money.
Montoni quickly realized that the situation was not what he had expected.
At last, tired of the argument, he postponed the discussion until the next day.
Morano left with a small hope that Montoni’s hesitation meant he might still succeed.
But later, alone in his room, he thought carefully about everything that had happened.
He considered Montoni’s character.
He remembered his past acts of deception.
The hope disappeared.
Morano decided he could no longer wait.
If Montoni refused to give Emily to him, he would take her himself.
He called his trusted servant.
“I will remove Emily from this castle,” he said.
The servant was ordered to find someone among Montoni’s servants who could help them.
The Count wisely allowed him to choose whoever seemed most useful.
The servant soon found the perfect person.
It was a man whom Montoni had once treated badly.
The man was bitter and willing to betray his master.
He secretly guided Cesario through the castle.
He showed him a hidden passage leading toward Emily’s room.
He also showed him a shorter route out of the building and obtained the keys needed for escape.
The servant was well paid for his betrayal.
But the reward Morano received for trusting him was already becoming clear.
Meanwhile, old Carlo accidentally overheard two of Morano’s servants.
They had been ordered to wait outside the castle with a carriage.
They were surprised by their master’s sudden secret departure.
The Count’s valet had told them only enough to carry out their duties.
However, they began guessing what was happening.
Carlo listened carefully.
From their conversation, he quickly understood the danger.
Before informing Montoni, however, he wanted proof.
So he placed himself with another servant near Emily’s chamber door, which opened onto the corridor.
He had not waited long when the dog’s growling almost revealed his presence.
But he remained hidden.
Soon he discovered that Morano was inside Emily’s room.
After listening long enough to understand the Count’s plan, Carlo immediately warned Montoni.
Because of him, Emily was saved from being taken away.
The next morning, Montoni appeared as usual.
The only difference was that his injured arm was placed in a sling.
He went to inspect the castle walls.
He watched workers repairing the fortifications.
He ordered more men to continue the work.
Then he returned inside and received several visitors who had just arrived.
They were taken to a private room where Montoni spoke with them for almost an hour.
Afterward, Carlo was summoned.
“Take these men to the old servants’ rooms,” Montoni ordered. “Provide them with everything they need.”
Carlo obeyed.
After finishing the task, he returned to his master.
Meanwhile, Count Morano remained in a small cottage near the woods below the castle.
He suffered from both physical pain and anger.
His wounds hurt badly.
But his desire for revenge against Montoni hurt even more.
The servant he had sent to find a doctor returned the next day.
The doctor examined the Count’s injuries but refused to say whether they were dangerous.
He gave Morano medicine to calm him and remained at the cottage to observe his condition.
Emily, after the frightening events of the previous night, had been allowed to sleep peacefully.
When she finally woke, she remembered that she was free from Morano’s pursuit.
A great part of her anxiety disappeared.
But another fear remained.
She remembered Morano’s warnings about Montoni.
He had claimed that Montoni had terrible plans for her.
At the time, Emily believed he had said this only to persuade her to seek protection with him.
She still thought that might be partly true.
But his words had left a disturbing impression.
When she considered Montoni’s past behavior, she could not completely dismiss the possibility.
Still, she refused to surrender herself to fear.
She decided to enjoy this brief moment of safety.
She took her drawing materials and sat beside the window.
She tried to capture the surrounding landscape.
While she worked, she noticed the strangers who had arrived at the castle walking along the ramparts below.
Their appearance immediately caught her attention.
Their clothing was unusual.
Their expressions were fierce.
She stepped away from the window as they passed.
But curiosity soon brought her back.
They seemed strangely suited to the wild mountain scenery.
Their rough appearance looked exactly like the figures of bandits she might have imagined in her paintings.
When she finished sketching them, she was surprised by how powerful and realistic the figures appeared.
But she had copied only what she had seen.
Carlo returned to Montoni after arranging everything for the strangers.
Montoni was still trying to discover which servant had helped Morano enter Emily’s room.
Carlo refused to betray a fellow servant.
Although he was loyal enough to protect his master, he would not send another servant to punishment.
So he pretended not to know who had helped the Count.
He only repeated that he had overheard some strangers discussing the plan.
Montoni naturally suspected the porter.
“Send Bernardine here,” he ordered.
Carlo hesitated.
Then he slowly went to find him.
Bernardine denied everything.
His calm expression and confident manner made Montoni uncertain.
He could not prove the man guilty.
But he also could not completely believe him innocent.
Eventually, Bernardine was dismissed.
The real traitor escaped discovery.
Montoni then went to his wife’s room.
Emily followed soon afterward.
But when she entered, she found Montoni and Madame Montoni arguing fiercely.
She immediately turned away.
Then her aunt called her back.
“Stay,” Madame Montoni said. “You shall witness my resistance.”
She turned toward her husband.
“Now, sir, repeat the command that I have refused to obey so many times.”
Montoni looked coldly at Emily.
“Leave this room,” he ordered.
Madame Montoni immediately objected.
“No. She shall stay.”
Emily wanted only to escape the unpleasant scene.
She also wished she could help her aunt.
But she knew she could not calm Montoni.
His anger burned visibly in his eyes.
“Leave the room,” he repeated in a voice that allowed no argument.
Emily obeyed.
She went to the ramparts, where the strangers had already disappeared.
There she thought sadly about her aunt’s unhappy marriage and her own lonely situation.
Madame Montoni’s foolish choices had created much of their suffering.
Yet Emily’s gentle nature still felt compassion for her.
Her aunt’s pain made her forget her own injuries.
At that moment, sympathy overcame resentment.
As Emily walked along the ramparts, Annette suddenly appeared at the castle entrance.
She looked around carefully before approaching.
“Dear ma’amselle,” Annette said, “I have been searching everywhere for you.”
“What is it?” Emily asked.
“If you come with me, I will show you a picture.”
“A picture?” Emily repeated.
She immediately felt uneasy.
“Yes, ma’am. A picture of the former lady of the castle.”
Emily grew pale.
“Is it covered?”
Annette stared at her.
“Dear ma’amselle, why do you look so frightened? Are you feeling ill?”
“No,” Emily replied. “I am perfectly well. But I do not wish to see it. Please return to the hall.”
“Not see the lady of the castle?” Annette exclaimed. “The lady who disappeared so strangely?”
Emily smiled faintly.
“You enjoy mysteries too much, Annette.”
Annette laughed.
“But what else can one do in such a place if one cannot talk? Even in a prison, if they allowed me to speak, I would talk to the walls.”
She insisted that Emily follow.
Emily hesitated.
“Are you certain it is a picture?”
“Yes, ma’amselle.”
“Have you seen it?”
“Yes.”
“Is it covered?”
“No.”
The certainty in Annette’s answer surprised Emily.
She hid her emotions behind a smile.
“Very well. Show me.”
The portrait was in a dark room near the servants’ quarters.
Several other portraits hung there, all covered with dust and cobwebs.
“There it is,” Annette whispered.
Emily stepped forward.
The painting showed a young woman of extraordinary beauty.
Her features were noble and expressive.
But she did not possess the gentle sweetness Emily had expected.
Nor did she have the quiet sadness of a suffering but peaceful spirit.
Instead, her face showed pride, passion, and impatience.
She looked like someone who had fought against misfortune rather than accepted it.
“How long has it been since this lady disappeared?” Emily asked.
“About twenty years,” Annette replied.
Emily continued staring at the portrait.
“I think the Signor should place this picture somewhere better,” Annette said.
“She gave him all his wealth. Surely he should honor her by displaying her in the finest room.”
Then she lowered her voice.
“But some people say he has lost both his fortune and his gratitude.”
She quickly placed a finger over her lips.
“Not a word of this!”
Emily hardly heard her.
“She is a beautiful lady,” Annette continued. “The Signor should not be ashamed to place her where everyone can see her.”
Emily turned around.
“Where is the other picture? The veiled one?”
Annette replied:
“It would hardly matter. Nobody sees it anyway. That room is always locked.”
“Let us leave,” Emily said.
“And remember, Annette, never tell anyone that you know about this portrait.”
Annette looked surprised.
“But it is not a secret. All the servants have already seen it.”
Emily stopped.
“All the servants?”
“Yes.”
“When? How?”
Annette looked confused.
“There is nothing strange about that. We were simply more curious than you were.”
“But I thought the door was locked,” Emily said.
Annette looked around.
“If it was locked, ma’amselle, how could we have entered?”
Emily understood.
“Oh. You mean this portrait.”
She quickly regained her calm.
“Very well. There is nothing more here. Let us go.”