The Count of Monte Cristo

Bertuccio Accuses M. de Villefort of Wrongdoing

Monte Cristo’s cloak-concealed figure reminds Bertuccio of M. de Villefort, prompting him to reveal that it was indeed Villefort involved in the events. When Bertuccio declares that this man with his spotless reputation was actually a villain, Monte Cristo finds it impossible to believe. Bertuccio insists his accusation is true. Monte Cristo asks if he has proof, and Bertuccio admits he had proof but lost it—though it might be recovered through careful search.

Monte Cristo Agrees to Hear Bertuccio’s Tale

Monte Cristo sits on a garden bench and tells Bertuccio to collect himself and tell everything. Bertuccio admits he has only related the story once before, to the Abbé Busoni during confession in the prison at Nîmes, and that such things are only told under the seal of confession. Monte Cristo responds sarcastically that he refers Bertuccio to his confessor—whether he becomes a Trappist or Chartreux—but makes clear he will not keep servants afraid to walk in his garden, nor does he want a visit from the commissary of police. Fearing dismissal would mean the scaffold, Bertuccio agrees to tell everything, and Monte Cristo listens as the steward begins to collect his thoughts.

Chapter 44. The Vendetta

In Chapter 44 of The Count of Monte Cristo, Bertuccio recounts to the Count the origins of his vendetta against Villefort, a story involving his brother’s assassination, his oath of vengeance, and a shocking discovery in a hidden garden. Chapter 44, titled “The Vendetta,” continues Bertuccio’s narrative to Monte Cristo, recounting the fate of the abandoned child, his return to smuggling after his brother’s assassination, the reclamation of the child Benedetto by Assunta, Benedetto’s corrupt upbringing and rejection of smuggling life, a 1829 smuggling raid on the Rhône, and Bertuccio’s overhearing of a crucial conversation between the Caderousses and a Parisian jeweller about a diamond supposedly bequeathed by Edmond Dantès. Monte Cristo periodically interrupts to ask precise questions that guide Bertuccio’s recollections. Chapter 44, “The Vendetta,” unfolds through the retrospective narration of Bertuccio to Monte Cristo, recounting events at Caderousse and La Carconte’s inn during a Beaucaire fair. A jeweller named Joannes comes to purchase a large diamond allegedly left to the couple by the deceased Edmond Dantès through the Abbé Busoni. After lengthy negotiation, the stone is sold for 45,000 francs. As a violent thunderstorm breaks, the jeweller departs, but the couple’s whispered plotting—hinting at murder and robbery along the road—gives way to terror when the jeweller unexpectedly returns. The chapter closes with the ominous image of La Carconte double-locking the door behind the unsuspecting guest, foreshadowing the violent “vendetta” to come.

Chapter 44. The Vendetta

In Chapter 44 of The Count of Monte Cristo, Bertuccio recounts to the Count the origins of his vendetta against Villefort, a story involving his brother’s assassination, his oath of vengeance, and a shocking discovery in a hidden garden.

Bertuccio Begins His Story for Monte Cristo

Bertuccio asks the Count where he should begin his tale. Monte Cristo, who knows only vague details from Abbé Busoni seven or eight years prior, encourages him to proceed. Bertuccio settles on the year 1815 as his starting point, and Monte Cristo notes that 1815 “is not yesterday.”

Bertuccio’s Early Life and Brother’s Imperial Service

Bertuccio explains that he had an elder brother who served as a lieutenant in a Corsican regiment under the Emperor. Orphaned young—Bertuccio at five and his brother at eighteen—the elder brother raised him like a son. In 1814 the brother married, and when Napoleon returned from Elba, he rejoined the army, was wounded at Waterloo, and retreated with the army beyond the Loire. Bertuccio notes these events as the familiar history of the Hundred Days.

Brother’s Return After Waterloo and Assassination

After the army’s disbandment, the brother wrote from Rogliano at the tip of Cap Corse, asking Bertuccio to leave money for him with an innkeeper at Nîmes along his return route. Rather than send the funds, Bertuccio resolved to bring his thousand francs himself, leaving five hundred with his sister-in-law Assunta. Adverse winds delayed his smuggling boat four or five days on the Rhône, but he eventually reached Arles and proceeded overland to Nîmes.