She died, but Villefort continued to make mysterious visits to this house, where he kept a young lady. The house formerly belonged to Saint-Méran, the father of the woman who was Villefort's first wife.The Count questions Bertuccio about his unnatural fear of the country house, and we learn that: (This house will be the scene of one of Monte Cristo's most startling 'revelations.')īertuccio, Monte Cristo's steward, is clearly but unexplainably upset when he hears the word 'Auteuil' later, he crosses himself fearfully when he learns that he will have to live in the house with Monte Cristo. When Monte Cristo returns to his city residence, he prepares to sign the necessary papers to buy his 'country house,' and we discover that instead of its being outside of Paris, it is in Paris, in the suburb of Auteuil, opposite the Bois de Boulogne, an enormous park within the city environs of Paris. After he leaves, Mercédès questions her son: Does Monte Cristo like Albert? Is Albert fond of Monte Cristo? Albert defends Monte Cristo with great fervor, not noticing that his mother is deeply absorbed in her own thoughts, her eyes closed. Monte Cristo, however, is even paler than Mercédès, and he soon excuses himself, explaining that he has yet to see his new house in Paris. She explains her unusual behavior as only that of any mother who suddenly meets the man who has saved her son's life. Both of the Morcerfs are deeply grateful to Monte Cristo for saving Albert's life, but Mercédès is obviously stunned when she first sees Monte Cristo. Fernand apparently does not recognize the immensely wealthy and distinguished Monte Cristo, whom he knew years ago as Edmond Dantès (we discover later that Mercédès recognized Dantès immediately). Later, in the salon of Albert's parents, Monte Cristo meets Mercédès and his old rival, Fernand. Monte Cristo admires the portrait (it is a stunning likeness of the beautiful and beloved Mercédès, who is, we will learn, Albert's mother Albert's father is Fernand, who 'bought' his title of Count de Morcerf as soon as he was rich enough to afford it). Clearly, Monte Cristo is one of the most extraordinary men whom any of the young Parisian noblemen have ever known.Īfter the others have gone, Albert shows Monte Cristo around his apartment, pointing out an oil portrait of his mother dressed as a Catalan fisherwoman.

But Monte Cristo says that he has already chosen a mistress she is his 'slave,' whom he bought in Constantinople, and who speaks nothing but modern Greek. They are all stunned at such costly originality, and thus, they beg to introduce him to a Parisian mistress of their choice. The young men enjoy the story and are so impressed by Albert's guest that they plead to be allowed to help Monte Cristo secure a lodging, but the Count tells them that he already has a Paris address - 30 Champs Elysées (Paris' most famous boulevard). In turn, Albert tells Monte Cristo about his fiancée, Eugénie Danglars (the daughter of the purser on the Pharaon, that Dantès was once to have commanded). Over lunch, Monte Cristo impresses them all with his pillbox, fashioned out of a magnificent, hollowed-out emerald then he tells them of his daring adventures with Luigi Vampa, the bandit king, and mentions that his steward, Bertuccio, was once a bandit and that he, Monte Cristo, was influential enough to save the life of the handsome Peppino, Vampa's bandit-liaison. But, at the very stroke of ten-thirty, Monte Cristo is announced.

One of the guests says that no such 'Count' exists he knows all of Europe's nobility, and he has never heard of the Count nor of the island of Monte Cristo.

Young Morrel, it is revealed, once saved a nobleman's life in Constantinople, and because Morrel's father's life was once 'miraculously' saved, Maximilien tries to do 'some heroic action' every year.Īlbert then tells his guests about his own 'miraculous' rescue by the Count of Monte Cristo. Among the other guests is Captain Maximilien Morrel, a tall, dark, and broad-chested young man who is the only son of Monsieur Morrel, the owner of the lost Pharaon, which Monte Cristo financially 'resurrected' and thereby saved Morrel's shipping firm. The first guest to arrive is Lucien Debray, the tall, blond Secretary to the Minister of the Interior (we discover later that he is Danglars' wife's lover). In Paris, three months later, Albert impatiently awaits the arrival of Monte Cristo for a luncheon party.

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