The Count of Monte Cristo

Valentine Reveals Stepmother’s Resentment Over Her Inheritance

Valentine explains to Maximilian that her stepmother, Madame de Villefort, resents her deeply because Valentine is the sole heir to the Saint-Méran family fortune, which will more than double upon the deaths of M. and Mme. de Saint-Méran, while Madame de Villefort has no independent wealth of her own and envies Valentine’s inheritance.

Valentine Confesses Fear of Defying Her Father

Valentine confesses she feels trapped in a life of bondage, too timid to resist her father’s commands for fear of utter ruin: her father Gérard de Villefort is a powerful, widely respected public figure with close ties to the king who could crush anyone who opposes him with a single word, and she avoids defying him as much for Maximilian’s safety as her own.

Maximilian Defends His Suitability as Valentine’s Suitor

Maximilian argues that he is a suitable match for Valentine despite class differences, noting that outdated noble distinctions no longer hold weight in France as old royalist families have intermarried with imperial military families; he cites his promising military career, his small but unencumbered fortune, and his late father’s reputation as an honorable Marseille shipowner to support his case.

Valentine Laments Her Late Mother’s Absence

Valentine laments the early death of her mother, saying that if her mother were alive, she would have no fear of her father’s disapproval, as her mother would protect her and Maximilian; Maximilian ruefully notes that if her mother were still alive, Valentine would likely never have noticed him given her high social standing.

Valentine Recounts Reading News of Maximilian’s Legion of Honor Appointment

Valentine recounts the day Maximilian’s appointment as an officer of the Legion of Honor was announced in the newspaper: she had been reading the paper to her paralyzed grandfather Noirtier, and was so nervous to speak Maximilian’s name aloud in front of the household that she nearly skipped the paragraph, only reading it to avoid raising suspicions about her secret affection for him.

Valentine Repeats Her Father’s Derogatory Remarks About the Morrel Family

Valentine repeats the harsh derogatory remarks her father made about the Morrel family after hearing Maximilian’s name: he called the Marseille Morrels violent Bonapartists “good for nothing but food for cannon,” praised the current government for continuing the emperor’s harsh policy of punishing Bonapartist sympathizers, and joked that Algeria would be a useful location to implement this policy.

Maximilian Notes Contrast Between His Father and Noirtier’s Views

Maximilian notes the contrast between the political views of his own father and Noirtier, observing that his father held similarly harsh anti-Bonapartist views, once joking that the emperor should send regiments of lawyers to the hottest battlefronts to die in place of more useful men, showing both men held intolerant views despite being on opposite sides of the political divide.

Valentine Shares Grandfather Noirtier’s Approval of Maximilian’s Honor

Valentine shares that after the conversation, she realized her grandfather Noirtier had been deeply agitated by her father’s and Danglars’ derogatory remarks about Bonapartists; when she asked if he approved of Maximilian’s Legion of Honor appointment, he signaled yes, which Valentine attributed to his strong Bonapartist loyalties and fondness for the young man.

Valentine Is Summoned by a Servant Announcing a Visitor

Valentine is interrupted by a servant who calls out to her from behind the garden trees, telling her that Madame de Villefort is searching for her everywhere because there is a visitor in the drawing-room.

Valentine Learns the Count of Monte Cristo Is Visiting

Valentine asks who the visitor is, and the servant replies it is a grand, high-ranking personage, reportedly a prince, the Count of Monte Cristo, prompting Valentine to agree to come to the drawing-room immediately.

Maximilian Ponders Monte Cristo’s Connection to M. de Villefort

The mention of the Count of Monte Cristo shocks Maximilian, who leans on his gardening spade and wonders how the count comes to be acquainted with Valentine’s father, Gérard de Villefort.