The Mysteries of Udolpho

Valancourt’s Pleas for Understanding Are Rejected

When Emily revives, she sees Valancourt holding water for her, but immediately turns away, suppresses her tears, and composes herself to thank the Count and Henri without acknowledging Valancourt at all. This coldness devastates Valancourt, who begs her for a few moments of conversation to ask what has been said to cause her changed behavior, but the Count interjects that Emily is too indisposed to speak with him that day, promising she may see Valancourt the following morning if she is better. Valancourt is left heart-struck, questioning what he has done to deserve her rejection.

CHAPITRE XIII.

This chapter fragment opens in the immediate aftermath of the Count’s public confrontation with Valancourt, as Emily is forced to confront alarming allegations about her former lover’s character and weigh her future conduct toward him.

Emily Agrees to See Valancourt

Haunted by Valancourt’s successive expressions of surprise, grief, and silent supplication, Emily languidly agrees to see him the next day if he accepts the Count’s permission. Valancourt accepts the terms, though his initial reaction mixes pride and resentment toward the Count before he catches and corrects himself.

Valancourt’s Tender Farewell at the Château

When the group reaches the château door, Valancourt lingers, his earlier resentment fully faded. He bids Emily a farewell so full of tender grief that it pierces her already wounded heart, then offers a slight bow to the Count and disappears.

Emily’s Inner Turmoil Over Valancourt’s Conduct

Retiring to her apartment, Emily is overwhelmed by anguish as she cycles through conflicting thoughts about Valancourt. She oscillates between believing the Count’s claim that Valancourt has degenerated into a worthless, vicious man she must learn to despise, and suspecting the Count has been misled by an enemy or acts from selfish motives to separate them. She dismisses the latter suspicion almost immediately, as the Count’s established integrity and lack of motive for such cruelty make it untenable, and she knows he speaks from personal observation and his son’s experience. Tormented by the prospect of parting forever from the man she once loved—a pain she finds more agonizing than his death or marriage to a rival, as it forces her to renounce the cherished memory of the good man he once was—she cannot yet resolve to dismiss him permanently without further proof of his misconduct, and decides she will judge him by his demeanor when she hints at his recent behavior.

Strained Dinner with the Count’s Family

Emily dries her tears and forces herself to join the family for dinner. The Count treats her with delicate, careful attention, while the Countess and Mademoiselle Bearn chat idly about trivial matters. Lady Blanche watches Emily with quiet concern, and Emily can only respond with a mournful smile, unable to engage with the conversation or explain her distress.

Lady Blanche’s Concern for Emily’s Sorrow

After dinner, Lady Blanche follows Emily to press her on her obvious sadness, but Emily is too overwhelmed to answer her questions and begs her friend to spare her the subject. Blanche leaves, pitying her friend’s unassuageable sorrow.

Emily Resolves to Retreat to the Convent

Emily secretly decides she will depart for her convent within a few days, as the Count’s family’s company is unbearable in her current state. She hopes the convent’s seclusion and the abbess’s kindness will help her regain control of her emotions and accept the impending permanent separation from Valancourt, which she has concluded is necessary for her peace.

Valancourt Requests an Earlier Meeting

Emily’s distress is interrupted by a distraught note from Valancourt, written in evident mental anguish, begging her to move their scheduled meeting from the next morning to the upcoming evening. The request throws her into fresh agitation: she longs to end her suspense and learn the truth about his conduct, but shrinks from the painful confrontation ahead.

Emily Consults the Count on the Meeting

Unable to decide how to respond on her own, Emily sends for the Count to request his advice in his library. After reading Valancourt’s note, the Count advises that if Emily is strong enough to endure the encounter, they should meet that evening to spare both parties prolonged distress, noting Valancourt’s sincere affection for her and their mutual suffering. Emily agrees to the earlier meeting, and struggles to fortify herself with composure for the agonizing encounter, a cruel reversal of the happy reunion she had once eagerly anticipated.