[Count of Monte Cristo] Love and hatred

chapter120

It was nearly ten o'clock when they arrived at Villa Auteuil.

The Count of Monte Cristo asked the butler to follow him with a lighted lamp, and came out of the house through the secret staircase in the bedroom, only to see a barren garden surrounded by low stone walls.This place was originally a well-designed garden maze, but due to the long-term lack of pruning, all the shrubs grew wildly towards the south, and the whole garden looked weird and distorted, as if there would be dead branches stretching out at any time.

The count noticed that the light source behind him was getting farther and farther away, and Bertuccio didn't seem to dare to step forward, which meant that the thing that frightened the butler must be nearby.But he didn't say anything, but walked on by himself, because he knew that he couldn't tighten the string any more at this time, otherwise it would be in danger of breaking.

When he came to a clearing under the moonlight, the butler couldn't hold back anymore, "My lord, I beg you, don't stand there!"

"Where?" the count turned around.

"Where he fell."

"Who?"

Bertuccio realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, so he didn't dare to speak nonsense.

But the Earl knew how to make him speak.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, warned the butler in an unprecedentedly stern tone, and hinted that he would know all about the assassination before long.

"It seems that Busoni has deceived me. He wrote you a letter of introduction to me, in which he introduced all the advantages of you. But now, I will write to the priest and say that he recommends you to come to me. He is responsible for his bad behavior!" The count pondered for a while, "I just want to warn you, Bertuccio. No matter which country I live in, I will abide by the laws of this country, and I don't want to do it for your sake. Disputes with the French judiciary!"

"My lord, please don't hand me over to the judiciary. I have always served you faithfully," said Bertuccio desperately.

"Then prove it to me," the earl folded his hands, "tell me everything, I can promise you, I will not report you to the judicial department, you have been with me for a year, you should understand that I have always said Did it. If you're honest enough, maybe I'll keep you by my side."

Bertuccio was silent for a few seconds, and finally said, "My lord, I did assassinate someone here, not for anything else, just for revenge."

"who's that person?"

"Prosecutor Villefort."

The count was not surprised. On the day Villefort came, he sent Bertuccio away. The butler did not know the fact that Villefort was still alive.But he didn't intend to say it now, "Please continue."

So Bertuccio began from the beginning.He had an older brother who was a lieutenant under Napoleon.His brother was assassinated at Nîmes when the Bourbons were restored.

When Bertuccio went to the court to seek justice for his brother, Villefort, who was the prosecutor of Nîmes at the time, said to him, "The followers of the traitor used to persecute the royal party everywhere. He will also be sentenced to death!"

"You are a judge, how can you say that?" Bertuccio asked in surprise.

"Are you Corsicans crazy? Think your fellow Napoleon is still emperor. You should have told me two months ago, it's too late now. Get the hell out, or I'll lock you up too." Get up," threatened Villefort.

"Well, if that's the case..." Bertuccio turned and left, but when he walked to the door, he suddenly turned around. At this time, his eyes had completely changed.

"Since you see us so clearly, you must know that Corsicans never break their word. You think it is a good thing that my brother was killed, because he was a Napoleonic and you are a Royalist. Although I Not the Napoleonic party, but I want to announce one thing to you, that is, I will kill you and avenge my loved ones!"

While Villefort was still in shock, Bertuccio quickly escaped.After that, Villefort dared not go out without a guard, and even applied for transfer to Versailles a few months later.He thought that would be safe, but in fact Bertuccio had been following him secretly and found that he was living in this Villa Auteuil.

"Then, did you assassinate Villefort at that time?" the count asked suspiciously, "in [-]?"

"I originally wanted to do that, but unfortunately something happened later."

"What happened?" The count frowned.

Bertuccio went on.At that time, he sneaked into the garden and saw Villefort having a tryst with a young girl.That woman was not Villefort's wife, and Bertuccio knew this because he had seen Renee at Nîmes.

He didn't want to hurt innocent people, so he wanted to rush out and kill Villefort as soon as the woman left.Unexpectedly, on the same night, another beautiful woman broke into the garden.Bertuccio thought it was another lover of Villefort, because when she saw Villefort in a tryst, she quarreled with him and started fighting.

Then the woman fled towards the garden gate, and Villefort pursued her.Bertuccio was a little worried about her, so he went around from the other side of the garden.

At this time, another person came to the door, because Bertuccio heard the woman call "Baros".He thought that the man would help her, but when he pushed aside the bushes, he found that the man helped Villefort catch the woman.

The Count of Monte Cristo suddenly realizes that the woman described by the butler is probably his Maisette, because he disappeared when he found out in Marseilles that his lover was coming to Paris.

So he asked eagerly, "How is she?"

"She is dead," replied Bertuccio; "I saw Villefort strangle her!"

"Aren't you going to kill Villefort? Why don't you help her?" the count asked angrily.

"I wanted to help her, my lord. But at that time, I might have been frightened, because I had never seen a prosecutor commit murder. The prosecutor should be the embodiment of justice, but at that time Villefort had a hideous face, He is totally different from his usual sanctimonious appearance, like a bloodthirsty beast. Especially when he committed all those crimes, he was still wearing the clothes he wore when he was judging others!" Bertuccio sighed slightly , "All that happened so fast, by the time I realized it, the woman had already fallen to the ground."

The count only felt a throbbing pain in his chest, and couldn't help taking a step back, half leaning against the tree behind him.

"My lord, what's the matter with you?" Bertuccio hurried over to support him.

"I'm just feeling a little uncomfortable..." the count panted, as if he was suffering from some kind of illness, and he seemed to be trying his best to calm down.

"Shall I help you to your room?" Bertuccio asked cautiously.

"No! Bertuccio, do you still remember what that woman looked like?" the count asked with the last chance.

"I never saw a more beautiful woman, my lord," said Bertuccio, "so I remember very well that she had beautiful long black curly hair, and a complexion darker than those noble ladies, like a Spaniard."

That's right, it's Mei Tess, she's Catalan.

The count gritted his teeth tightly and made a clucking sound. He would never forgive Villefort!

"My lord, where is your pain?"

The count touched his heart subconsciously, "It's okay, Bertuccio, I want you to tell me what's next!"

The butler was frightened by the Earl's stern tone, so he had to let go and began to search for those long memories in his mind.

"I heard Villefort talking to himself, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Because his lover had also witnessed it and was crying loudly. Later Villefort loaded the woman's body into the carriage. , When the carriage started, I followed quietly for a while, but as soon as they exited the intersection, they speeded up, but I know that road leads to the port on the Seine River."

Bertuccio pondered for a while, "I was annoyed that I didn't take action in time, so I kept hiding nearby, hoping to strike again when Villefort came back. Unexpectedly, I didn't wait for Villefort to come, but I waited for a team of gendarmes. They had come for the missing woman, because Villefort had told them that a Corsican had attacked him, and it was likely to be against his wife's friend."

"What a despicable and shameless person!" The count clenched his fists tightly. Fortunately, Bertuccio didn't dare to look at him at this time, otherwise he would see the count's murderous eyes.

"Yes. After that, I had to flee Paris until, some years later, by chance, I came back here again. At that time, Villefort rented the house to his former lover. Because she wore It was a loose silk dress, and there was nothing to hide her body, so I saw that she was going to be a mother soon. Then Villefort came, and he and the woman had a big quarrel, of which I only heard I read a few of them, to the effect that he will never marry her."

There was sarcasm in the earl's tone, "Another poor woman."

"Yes, later I heard the woman suddenly yelling, and then Villefort carried her back to the bedroom." Bertuccio pondered for a while, "I was determined to get rid of Villefort, so I kept hiding in the garden. When the clock struck midnight and a faint light appeared on the secret staircase, I realized that my moment had come. But I did not act at once, for I saw Villefort holding a wooden box, and was curious what he was going to do. What to do. Then Villefort came to the place where you were just now, and the spade dug a big hole, and buried the box in it. When he was stamping the earth with his feet, trying to erase all traces, I rushed up, and plunged the dagger into his breast, crying out, I am the Corsican, pay for my brother's with your life, and give his widow your treasure!"

The count shook his head, "If I'm right, it's not a treasure, is it?"

Bertuccio nodded and continued, "I dug out the box, filled the hole again, and fled to the river with the box. When I opened the box, I found a baby lying inside. His neck There are purple marks, obviously strangled. I know who did it without thinking, Villefort's lover is pregnant with his child, and he doesn't want him. I am at a loss as to what to do with the child I suddenly felt as if his heart was beating, so I tried to blow air into his lungs. Maybe it was God's will, the child really came back to life!"

"What did you do to him?"

"I wanted to return the child to his mother, but when I thought that he was a descendant of Villefort, I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Later, I sent him to a hospital for abandoned babies, and took the wooden box and the bag that wrapped the child. Half of the cloth was given to them, and I took the other half back to Corsica."

"Is there anything special about that cloth?"

"Yes, it has a name embroidered on it, Hermine, and the baronet next to it."

The count immediately realizes who Villefort's lover is, who has married another of his enemies and is now Madame Danglars.

"When I got back to Corsica, I told my sister-in-law Essouté what had happened. Unexpectedly, she felt sorry for the child, and took the other half of the cloth to the hospital to bring him back while I was out at sea. Yes. Later, we replaced his parents and named him Benedetto, which means blessing in Italian. It's just that the child seems to have his father's evil nature, and he does all kinds of evil at a young age. My sister-in-law Doted on him, but I was always worried that he would cause some trouble in my absence. Until one day, I came home to find no one, thinking that something bad had happened. When I found the port, finally Sad sister-in-law was found. She told me the baby had been taken by his biological mother."

"It's a good thing that the child has finally returned to his mother." The count clasped his hands.

"Who said it wasn't. But I felt something was wrong." Bertuccio licked his dry lips, "so I came to Paris for the third time to see how the child was doing. But I didn't Fau or the Baroness's house to find him, but . . . "

"Why didn't you say it, Bertuccio?" The count raised his eyebrows, "He threatened you, right?"

"Oh, my lord count, it seems that you know everything," Bertuccio said with a wry smile, "I saw him in an unexpected place. At that time, he had become Viscount Morcerf. And when I saw him When I saw a young and beautiful mother, I finally understood why she wanted to bring back a child who did not belong to her."

"Why?" The Count frowned.

"Because I recognized her as the woman who was strangled to death by Villefort," Bertuccio said excitedly. "Obviously, she is not dead. She wants to use that child to avenge her!"

"What, that's impossible." The count shook his head subconsciously. He heard Busoni say that the woman was brought to Fernand by the Duke of Buckingham, and it could never be Maisette.

"No, I won't admit my mistake!" Bertuccio widened his eyes, "I will never forget her face!"

The atmosphere fell into a tense silence.

The earl's blue eyes flickered, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.Is his plum Tess really alive?

If what Bertuccio said was true, why did she become Duke of Buckingham's man and then marry Fernand?He had been looking forward to meeting her again, even though he knew it was impossible.But when the opportunity finally came, he suddenly realized that he didn't know how to face her.

After returning to the house on the Champs Elysees, the count did not go to sleep in the bedroom, but sat on the sofa thinking all night.After all, he was a person who had experienced strong winds and waves. When Bertuccio saw him early the next morning, he could no longer see the slightest emotion from his face.

"My lord, where are you going today?" Bertuccio asked.

"Bertuccio, there is actually one thing I didn't tell you last night. The Villefort you assassinated back then is not dead. He is still working as a prosecutor in the Paris court," the count said with a sneer. "Now, it's time for me to visit him!"