The Count of Monte Cristo

Noirtier Rewrites Will Leaving Entire Estate to Valentine

The next day, Noirtier summons a notary, tears up his original will, and creates a new one that leaves his entire fortune to Valentine, on the condition that she never leaves his side. Rumors quickly spread that Valentine, already heir to the Saint-Méran marquis and marchioness’s fortune, will now have an annual income of 300,000 livres.

Morcerf Proposes Marriage for Son to Danglars

While the Villefort family handles the broken engagement, Count Morcerf visits Baron Danglars to formalize a long-discussed marriage proposal for his son, Viscount Albert de Morcerf, to Danglars’s daughter Eugénie. Morcerf, dressed in his full lieutenant-general uniform adorned with all his crosses, assumes Danglars will accept the proposal, as the match had been discussed for eight years.

Danglars Rebuffs Morcerf’s Marriage Proposal

Danglars refuses to give a definite answer to Morcerf’s proposal, citing unforeseen circumstances that have changed his mind in the last fortnight. When Morcerf presses for an explanation, Danglars hints at calumnies against Morcerf but refuses to elaborate, eventually suggesting they delay the match indefinitely. Morcerf is furious but leaves without forcing a full explanation, as Danglars avoids confirming if his refusal is personal to Morcerf.

第七十八章 We hear From Yanina

Chapter 78, “We hear From Yanina,” opens after Danglars’s evening gathering and centers on the fallout from a newspaper article published in Beauchamp’s journal. The article reports that a French officer named Fernand betrayed the castle of Yanina to the Turks, and Albert de Morcerf recognizes this as an attack on his father’s honor. The chapter traces Albert’s urgent search for Monte Cristo, their meeting at a shooting gallery, their extended counsel in the count’s study, and Albert’s subsequent demand for a retraction at Beauchamp’s office. Throughout, Monte Cristo advises restraint and suggests Albert consult Haydée for the truth, foreshadowing a deeper revelation about the past.