Chapter 43 - The House at Auteuil

Summary

The Count of Monte Cristo, accompanied by his terrified steward Bertuccio, visits a newly purchased house in Auteuil to inspect the property at night. Upon learning from the concierge that the house previously belonged to the Marquis de Saint-Méran, whose daughter was married to the former royal prosecutor Villefort, Bertuccio becomes increasingly agitated and refuses to proceed into the garden. Under pressure from the Count, who suspects Bertuccio of hiding a dark secret, the steward eventually confesses that the garden is the site where he committed a murder involving Villefort and that a child was buried beneath a plane tree, offering details that challenge the Count's previous perception of Villefort's character.

Characters

• Count / Monte Cristo / Sire / Monseigneur (your new master, the Count of Monte Cristo) — The Count inspects the Auteuil house with pitiless curiosity, pressing his steward for answers about his past and the murder committed there. He feigns ignorance regarding the house's history until Bertuccio's confession reveals the murder, confirming the Count's suspicions about Villefort while asserting his authority over the terrified steward.
• Bertuccio / Monsieur Bertuccio (the steward) — Bertuccio accompanies the Count to Auteuil, visibly shaken by the proximity to the house where he committed a murder. He attempts to avoid the specific spot in the garden but is forced by the Count's interrogation to confess the details of his vendetta against Villefort and the burial of the child, fearing expulsion from service before finally revealing the truth under threat of being sent to the scaffold.
• concierge (concierge) — The concierge appears at the door of number 28 Rue de la Fontaine to greet the Count, confirming that the Marquis de Saint-Méran sold the house years ago after his daughter's death. He provides details about the Marquis and Villefort before accepting a gift from the Count and disappearing from the scene.