Invitation to the Trial
At eleven o’clock, the valet returned to remind Villefort that the trial commenced at noon and that Madame de Villefort wished to know if she should accompany him to the Palais. The valet hesitated before relaying his mistress’s wish to be present at the trial.
The Private Interview
Villefort sent word that he wished to speak with his wife in her room. Entering, he found Madame de Villefort dressed to go out, with Edward tearing newspapers beside her. Without preamble, he ordered the boy to leave. When Edward hesitated, his father spoke so harshly that the child arose pale and trembling. After kissing his son on the forehead, Villefort bolted the door behind the departing child.
Confronting the Poisoner
“Madame, where do you keep the poison you generally use?” Villefort demanded, placing himself between his wife and the door. Madame de Villefort turned deadly pale, her composure shattering. “I do not understand you,” she stammered.
The Accusation
Villefort listed her crimes in cold detail: she had killed M. de Saint-Méran, Madame de Saint-Méran, Barrois, and his daughter Valentine. He explained that M. d’Avrigny had warned him of a poisoner in the house, and that after Valentine’s death, his suspicions had crystallized into certainty. He was no longer her husband but her judge.
Denial and Terror
Madame de Villefort attempted to defend herself, clasping her hands and begging him not to believe appearances. She questioned whether he spoke as judge or husband. “To the judge—to the judge, madame!” came the terrible reply. When she still did not answer his questions about the poison’s location, Villefort observed that she could not deny it.
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