Emily Considers Warnings of Montoni’s Character
The rumors alarm Emily, who has long felt uneasy around Montoni due to his harsh, proud, and fierce demeanor. While the unsubstantiated warnings do not override her existing convictions about duty and the impropriety of a clandestine marriage, they revive her inner conflict and force her to confront the possibility of the dangers Valancourt describes.
Valancourt’s Final Plea for Marriage
Convinced the journey to Italy with Montoni will bring Emily ruin, Valancourt argues that scruples about a hasty, clandestine marriage are trivial in the face of imminent danger, and begs her to let him become her lawful protector. Emily remains firm, noting the rumors are unproven and Valancourt is exaggerating the threat out of passion and fear. When Valancourt accuses her of not loving him, her tears and soft, heartfelt words quickly convince him of her devotion, though she still refuses his proposal.
The Sorrowful Farewell of Emily and Valancourt
Realizing they must part to avoid Emily being discovered and subjected to censure, the pair share a final, anguished farewell. Valancourt begs her not to forget him, vows to bear their separation with fortitude for her sake, and laments that he will not be able to recall her face perfectly once she is gone. After lingering for a final moment, they part: Valancourt hurries up the avenue, while Emily walks slowly back to the château, listening to his footsteps fade until only the quiet of night remains, before retiring to her chamber where sorrow keeps her from rest.
CHAPTER I
This opening section of Chapter 14, titled CHAPTER I, is prefaced with an epigraph from Oliver Goldsmith affirming that one’s heart will always turn to their home no matter where they travel. It establishes the immediate context of Emily’s pre-dawn departure from the Thoulouse château, following a night of restless, anxiety-ridden dreams, and introduces her deep, concealed grief over her permanent seeming separation from Valancourt, which she attempts to hide from her critical aunt Madame Montoni.
Pre-Departure Sorrow and Chiding
On the morning of the family’s departure, the bustle of domestic staff moving through the galleries wakes Emily from troubled sleep, leaving her torn between vague, terrifying premonitions of her future and the very real pain of having parted with Valancourt. She tries to mask her sorrow with quiet, resigned composure, but Madame Montoni scolds her for her visible melancholy, dismissing it as unseemly, excessive grief over an improper romantic attachment. Emily flushes with wounded pride but says nothing, as Montoni enters the breakfast room, speaking little and clearly eager to leave.
Farewell to the Pyrenees
As the carriages pull away from the château, Emily feels no regret for leaving the estate itself, only grief that its location is so close to Valancourt’s home. From a small rise in the road, she looks back at Thoulouse, the distant Gascon plains, and the Pyrenees peaks lit by the morning sun, mourning the uncertainty of ever returning to the mountains or reuniting with Valancourt, until the overhanging trees along the road finally block her view of the range.
Roadside Reunion with Valancourt
Before the Pyrenees vanish from sight, Emily spots a figure walking along the roadside embankment: when the sound of the carriage wheels reaches him, the figure turns, and she recognizes Valancourt, who sprints to the road, slips a letter into her hand through the carriage window, and tries to smile through the despair written on his face. Emily watches from the window as he stands on a knoll of the broken bank, following the carriage with his eyes until distance and a turn in the road hide him from view entirely, the memory of his pained smile etched into her mind.
Reading Valancourt’s Letter
The travellers stop to pick up Signor Cavigni at a roadside château, and Emily is placed in a second carriage with Madame Montoni’s personal servant, who prevents her from opening Valancourt’s letter for fear of her private emotions being observed. She is only able to read the letter when the party stops for a midday meal, and its tender, repeated assurances of Valancourt’s undying devotion lift her spirits; she tucks the letter away to comfort her during future moments of sorrow, and resolves to honor his request to think of him at sunset each day to feel connected to him.
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