Chapter 42.

Monte Cristo arrives at his Champs-Élysées residence, efficiently received by Ali and his staff. He greets his steward, Monsieur Bertuccio, and asks after the notary and newly engraved calling cards, which have already been delivered, including one to Baron Danglars.

In the small salon, Monte Cristo meets the notary to conclude the purchase of a “country house.” Learning it is in Auteuil, the count professes indifference while Bertuccio turns pale. Despite Bertuccio’s urgent offer to find another property farther from Paris, Monte Cristo signs at once and pays 55,000 francs—more than the stated 50,000—then dismisses the astonished notary.

Alone, Monte Cristo unlocks a private notebook, verifies the address—Auteuil, Rue de la Fontaine, No. 28—and alludes to a revelation he expects to confirm within the hour. He summons Bertuccio, questions him about familiarity with Paris’s environs, and notes the steward’s trembling denial and alarm at Auteuil.

Resolute, Monte Cristo orders the carriage to go to Auteuil and commands Bertuccio to accompany him, since they will reside there. Overborne by the count’s authority, Bertuccio reluctantly obeys, signaling that the location conceals a disturbing chapter of his past which Monte Cristo intends to uncover.