1001 Stories For The Road

CHAP 93  VALENTINE  Maximilien Morrel, fresh from the aborted duel, goes to visit Valentine at the Villefort home, where she announces that she has decided that finally she and Noirtier will move out together into their own quarters. Mme Danglars and Eugenie visit Mme de Villefort to announce that Eugenie will be marrying Andrea Cavalcanti, and though Eugenie says she does not wish to marry at all, she says it is at least better that she marry Andrea than a man disgraced. This is another instance of dramatic irony, for the reader understands that Andrea himself is an imposter, and as previous events in the novel have indicated, it seems only a matter of time until Andrea's past is also brought to light. Eugenie is a fascinating character, one who attempts to make her own life in a society where this kind of independence for women is rarely possible.    Valentine has been feeling faint and unwell, and she tells Maximilien that Noirtier has prescribed to her the same potion that he drinks in large quantities, a