The Mysteries of Udolpho

Valancourt’s Secret Meeting with Emily

Devastated by the news of her impending separation from Valancourt, Emily avoids dinner to remain in her rooms, but is forced to attend the meal. After the repast, when she attempts to advocate for her engagement to Valancourt, Madame Montoni becomes enraged at the challenge to her and Montoni’s authority. As Emily leaves the dining room, she encounters Valancourt, who has entered the house secretly to demand an explanation for the broken engagement. Fearing Valancourt will act violently against Montoni, Emily leads him to a private parlor, where she extracts a promise from him that he will not seek revenge through force, no matter how Montoni treats him, before Madame Montoni discovers them and reprimands Valancourt for seeking a clandestine meeting with her niece.

CHAPTER XIII

This chapter details the mounting opposition to Valancourt and Emily’s engagement from Madame Montoni and Montoni, Madame Clairval’s passive acceptance of the couple’s forced separation, Valancourt’s repeated failed attempts to secure an interview with Montoni or communicate with Emily, Emily’s profound grief over the impending permanent separation, their secret nighttime reunion in the château pavilion, their anguished exchange of love and sorrow, and Valancourt’s proposal of a clandestine marriage to avoid being parted forever.

Madame Montoni’s Rebuke of Valancourt and Denial of His Request to See Emily

Madame Montoni delivers a harsh rebuke to Valancourt, lamenting that her earlier compassion for the couple led her to cede full control of the engagement matter to Signor Montoni. Though Valancourt’s heartfelt, measured arguments make her feel shame for her unworthy conduct, she feels no remorse, instead hating Valancourt for forcing her to confront her own guilt. His calm, implicitly accusatory tone leaves her no excuse for her resentment, and her anger grows so severe that Valancourt is forced to leave abruptly to avoid losing his own self-respect, concluding he can expect no pity or justice from a woman who feels the pain of guilt without the humility to repent.

Madame Clairval’s Passive Stance on Valancourt and Emily’s Engagement

Madame Clairval adopts a passive stance on Valancourt and Emily’s engagement. She initially approved the match under the false belief that Emily would inherit Madame Montoni’s fortune; even after realizing this assumption was incorrect at Madame Montoni’s wedding, she took no steps to block the union, and now she is secretly relieved Valancourt is free from an engagement she deemed financially unsuitable given his superior merit. Though her pride is wounded by the rejection of her family member, she only expresses her resentment through silence, refusing to take any action to support the couple.

Montoni Rejects Valancourt’s Interview Request and Returns His Letters Unopened

Montoni rejects Valancourt’s request for an interview, claiming a meeting would only spark unproductive argument and serve no purpose. Over several days, Valancourt sends repeated letters pleading for a farewell meeting or even permission to write to Emily, but Montoni remains inflexible, unmoved by the agony described in Valancourt’s letters or his earnest remonstrances. Eventually, Montoni returns all of Valancourt’s letters unopened, and when Valancourt travels to the château to demand access, he is refused entry to both Montoni and Emily. Madame Montoni also intercepts all letters addressed to Emily, burning the one in which Valancourt, in despair, asks for a secret meeting outside of Montoni’s knowledge.

Emily’s Deep Anguish Over Impending Separation from Valancourt

Emily is overwhelmed by intense anguish at the thought of her impending permanent separation from Valancourt. Having always imagined a future with him as her lifelong companion, she cannot conceive of happiness without him, and the thought of being separated by vast, impassable distances—including the formidable barrier of the Alps—with no way to even hear of each other’s existence fills her with despair. She struggles to hide her grief from Madame Montoni, who rebukes her for her sorrow and forbids her from speaking of Valancourt, but on the night before she is set to leave Toulouse, her grief becomes unbearable, and she roams the château unable to sleep, convinced she has seen Valancourt for the last time.