The next morning, Valentine found her grandmother still in bed. The fever hadn't decreased, in fact, her eyes glittered and she appeared to be suffering from severe nervous agitation.
"Oh, dear grandmother, are you worse?" Valentine exclaimed, seeing these signs of distress.
"No, child, no," Madame de Saint-Méran said. "But I was waiting impatiently for you so I could send for your father."
"My father?" Valentine asked uneasily.
"Yes. I need to speak with him."
Valentine didn't dare oppose her grandmother's wish, though she didn't understand the reason. A moment later, Villefort entered.
"Sir," Madame de Saint-Méran said without any roundabout phrasing, as if fearing she had no time to lose, "you wrote to me about this child's marriage?"
"Yes, it's not just planned, it's arranged."
"Your intended son-in-law is Monsieur Franz d'Epinay?"
"Yes."
"Isn't he the son of General d'Epinay, who was on our side and was assassinated shortly before the usurper returned from exile?"
