Franz stumbled out of Old Man Noirtier's room, his hands trembling and face pale as a ghost. Even Valentine, who had every reason to celebrate, would've felt sorry for him if she'd seen how shaken he looked.
Inside his study, Villefort, the powerful prosecutor, had managed to stammer out a few barely coherent words before retreating to hide behind his desk. Two hours later, a letter arrived that made everything worse.
The letter was cold and formal: After this morning's revelations, there can be no alliance between the Noirtier family and the d'Epinay family. Franz d'Epinay is shocked that Prosecutor Villefort, who clearly knew about these circumstances, didn't have the courtesy to cancel the engagement himself.
