Chapter 12 - Father and Son

Summary

Noirtier Villefort arrives unexpectedly at his son Gérard's Paris hotel, revealing himself as the vice-president of the Bonapartist club in Rue Saint-Jacques and claiming responsibility for General Quesnel's death. He explains that he intercepted a letter from Elba addressed to him, which Gérard destroyed to protect his career, and asserts that Napoleon will succeed in his return to France while the Royalists remain blind to the reality of the situation. After changing his appearance to evade the police description Gérard provided, Noirtier instructs his son to remain inactive and return to Marseille, promising to protect Gérard's position if the Bonapartists regain power. Gérard, terrified yet compelled by obedience, destroys the evidence of his father's disguise and rushes back to Marseille, shaken by the revelation that his father's political faction is far more informed and dangerous than the Royalist government.

Characters

• Villefort / Gérard (son, Monsieur le Magistrat, deputy prosecutor) — Villefort is shocked by his father's appearance but listens as Noirtier explains the Bonapartist plot and the fate of General Quesnel. He attempts to warn his father about the police description, which prompts Noirtier to alter his look. After his father departs, Villefort burns the discarded disguise items, leaves Paris immediately, and returns to Marseille, deeply troubled by his father's political insight and the threat he poses.
• Noirtier / M. Noirtier (father, vice-president) — Noirtier enters his son's room, reveals his leadership in the Bonapartist club, and explains that General Quesnel was murdered for betraying the Emperor's plans. He dismisses the Royalist threat, claims superior intelligence through devoted followers, and alters his appearance to avoid police identification. He orders Gérard to remain passive and return to Marseille, promising to protect his son's career if the Bonapartists win.
• Germain (valet) — Germain answers the door to Villefort's visitor and is silenced by a look from Villefort, who later calls his valet before settling his account with the hotel and leaping into the waiting carriage.