Gankutsuou Fan Fiction ❯ Sin of the Father ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: arislan

Albert�s good mood had evaporated long ago, and though he regarded Valentine with sorrow, his anger was growing by the minute.

�How can this be?� he asked in exasperation, �Cavalcanti was supposed to be rotting in prison! Not to mention the authorities know he�s not right in the head. Is Eugénie still in New York? She can�t come over her if�if Cavalcanti�s about. She�s too connected to him, it wouldn�t be safe.�

Valentine smiled sadly, �I already told her that, but she�s insisting on coming. In fact, her plane is due to leave in a few hours. She should be with us tomorrow.�

Albert felt irrationally annoyed, but couldn�t explain it. Of course Eugénie would come - headstrong girl that she was. He was a little surprised that she was coming straight here rather than going to see her mother first, but then, since she and Valentine were both Cavalcanti�s half-sisters�

It all seemed so surreal. Just when things seemed like they might have been recovering after the fateful events of that summer� this had to happen. If he thought about it rationally, he supposed Eugénie was right to want to come back to France. He certainly knew that�s what he would have done, and Franz, too.

Maximilien had remained silent since Valentine had first begun speaking; he rested his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful. �So what do you think we should do?� he said, half talking to Albert and Valentine, half to himself.

�Inform the authorities at once, obviously,� Albert said promptly, �Cavalcanti is a sneaky, manipulative, violent identity thief - we at least know he�s in the country, now; they might have a chance of catching him.� Valentine looked unconvinced. �� I know that solution doesn�t solve anything for the moment, but� now we�re aware of it, we�ll all do everything in our power to help.�

Maximilien nodded, and took Valentine�s hands.

�Albert�s right. Cavalcanti is still a wanted criminal - it can�t be possible for him to get away with doing whatever he likes now.� He smiled reassuringly at his wife. �I�ll go and take care of that now - you stay and have breakfast, Valentine, you still haven�t eaten.� Maximilien gave her hand a last squeeze and turned to hurry out of the room.

Valentine sat down with a sigh, and reached for some bread. Albert tried to think of something comforting to say, but knew all the generic statements of reassurance - �It�ll all be okay�, �there�s nothing to worry about� - would ring hollow; he knew they were meaningless anyway, so stayed quiet, contemplating the situation. If Cavalcanti really had resurfaced� it was definitely bad news. But it just didn�t make sense; what could he possibly want that it was worth risking his illegitimately gained freedom? Revenge? Money? Perhaps the man had just been driven even more insane than he had been previously.

The light cascaded brightly onto the breakfast table, completely at odds with the solemn, thoughtful mood that now filled the room. Albert watched Valentine pick glumly at her bread; appetite clearly gone, much like Albert�s own. Truth be told, he couldn�t help but feel nervous about the fact that Eugénie was arriving, here, tomorrow. Indeed, if it hadn�t been for the gravity of the situation, he probably would have tried to politely take his leave and start heading to Paris before she arrived in Marseille. He couldn�t even make sense of it himself; they had parted on good terms, but after all this time� it would be -- awkward. And he hated feeling awkward around Eugénie.

He was startled out of these thoughts as Maximilien entered the room, and found that he had absent-mindedly squashed his brie into purée with his fork.

�Well, it�s done,� Maximilien said, though he sounded unhappy about it, and Albert could see the bitterness in his face, �but they didn�t sound too interested - said they already knew he was out, and that they were too busy to place him high up in their priorities.�

As the drinks turned cold, staff came into the room and began to clear away everything on the table - those seated around it had barely touched a thing.

Valentine looked horrified, �but how can that be? He�s already as good as threatened my father, and Eugénie�s mother too!� She clenched her fists, evidently frustrated.

Albert felt his own anger at the blond madman grow, �Valentine�� he stood up suddenly, hands planted on the now empty table in determination, �please don�t fret. If the police aren�t interested, then we�ll deal with Cavalcanti ourselves.� His mouth was set in a thin line, eyes hard as he remembered what had been done to Eugénie. �We can�t allow him to hurt anybody else.�

Maximilien stood up as well, and nodded firmly in agreement. �Exactly,� he and Albert shared a glance, �whatever he may think, Cavalcanti does not have the upper hand - any way you look at it, he�s on the run, and most likely has no-one to turn to. And we�re aware of his intentions now, so��

Valentine did appear to be slightly comforted by these words, and looked gratefully at the two young men in front of her. �Yes, thank you,� she rested her hands on her stomach, and tried to force a smile. �I�m sure I� overreacted. But, even so� I do hope you won�t be offended, Albert, if I don�t accompany you around Marseille, today? I should really be with my father at a time like this.�

Albert shook his head hurriedly, �of course, Valentine. It�s more than understandable. Would you like company?�

�Oh no, no,� she looked slightly apologetic, �please, you go out and see the town; I�d hate for you to miss it on a lovely day like this on my account. Maximilien, you were going to go out to the port today, weren�t you?�

The ex-soldier brightened a little and turned to Albert, �indeed, we�re due to get in a shipment today, so I really ought to be there. You�re very welcome to come along, though - if you walk you get to see most of the town along the way.�

Albert smiled and inclined his head, though he still couldn�t help but feel concerned by how worried Valentine was. Of course, her attitude was understandable, but he knew someone would have to persuade her soon that she wouldn�t be able to protect her father simply by spending all day with him. �That would be perfect.�

�Well, then!� Maximilien looked faintly pleased, but this expression disappeared as he saw the faint, strained smile that Valentine gave them before she hurried away upstairs. ��I�ll see you outside by the gate in about an hour, Albert?�

�Sure.� And with that, Maximilien nodded briskly and strode to leave via the door at the other end of the dining room. Albert felt a little strange being left on his own like this; he wandered over to one of the larger windows and sat in the bay seat for a moment, looking out over the pretty front gardens. It was late spring, and all the flowers were beginning to bloom. Though some of them looked a little battered from all of the recent storms, the gardens were still dotted with bright splashes of colour. The trees were covered in fresh young leaves, and the whole garden radiated with a sense of new life in the pleasant, warm weather.

�A - Albert?� He glanced up in surprise at the sound of his name, and turned to see Camille standing nervously in the doorway. �I�m sorry to disturb you, but� I couldn�t help but hear about what�s happened, and��

Albert sighed, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. �Ahh, yes� I suppose you would; the staff do seem to like to gossip.� Camille looked embarrassed, but there was also a hint of worry and curiosity in his face. �Look� it�ll probably be all right, but I don�t know how long it�ll affect the duration of our stay here, so I�m sorry about that.�

Camille seemed unconcerned about that, and watched him a little more intently. �Are you okay? You seem very troubled��

Albert nodded, turning to face the window again. �Yes, of course. Although partly that�s--� he broke off and laughed softly, annoyed at himself for still worrying over something which was, in comparison to recent events, utterly unimportant, �-- well, I�ll be seeing an old� friend again shortly. I haven�t seen her in� a long time, and,� he shrugged, �you know how these things are. It�ll be awkward.�

Camille�s eyes had widened slightly at this, but then a frowned a little, sadly, and looked determined. �I�m sorry.� He shook his head, eyes concerned. �But� it�ll turn out okay. You�ll see.�

And then, suddenly, he was gone. Albert raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering about the impromptu visit; although in a way he was quite glad Camille had known already, because it saved him having to break it to him later. After all, depending on how things turned out, he could be staying here for quite a while.

Albert tucked his legs up and rested his arms on his knees; it felt so peaceful here, despite what was now happening. Inadvertently, he let his eyes slip shut�

He was awoken with a jump by a loud shout from upstairs, heart beating wildly. A distinct thump and clattering sound followed, and Albert leaped up, eyes narrowing as he began to run towards the stairs.

It couldn�t possibly be� could it? 

His chest felt tight and he nearly tripped as he made it up the last few steps.

When he rushed forwards and banged open the door at the end of the hallway, he was fully prepared to see an irate Andrea Cavalcanti displaying his characteristic viciousness. But he froze, hand half out, as the scene before him finally registered; Cavalcanti was nowhere to be seen, and the only two occupants of the room were Valentine and her father.

Villefort was leaning forward in his chair, eyes fixed intently upon Albert�s face, breath coming in laborious gasps. His blond hair was unkempt and had clearly not been brushed, and his face had a strange pallor to it; deathly pale aside from the dark rings which rimmed his confused eyes. Valentine was standing a few feet away from him, but looked as though she had been in the midst of attempting to pacify him from afar; her arms had been outstretched upon Albert�s arrival, but they now hung loosely at her sides as her cheeks flushed with - what was it? Mortification?

The room itself was something of a mess; a delicate blue vase lay broken in pieces on the floor, various surfaces were covered in ripped paper, and the pillows from the bed looked as though they had been hurled to their current positions under the window.

Monsieur de Villefort; it had to be. Albert reached up and rubbed at his neck awkwardly - he could tell from Valentine�s expression that she hated for him to see her father like this. He could barely believe it himself; he�d grown up knowing Monsieur de Villefort as the fearful - yet respectable and gentlemanly - Court Judge. But seeing him in his current condition� he was barely recognisable. Villefort�s breaths were still coming raggedly, and his gaze seemed to be fixed even more closely on Albert.

�Bene�de�tto�� Villefort choked out the name with the utmost effort, and Valentine ran over to return to his side. Albert�s eyes narrowed and he moved closer, so that he could lean down and ask the necessary questions at his eye level.

�Did you tell him?� he asked Valentine, without breaking the silent communication he seemed to have formed with the other man. She shook her head quickly.

�Of course not! It would only have worried him unnecessarily� there was no reason to. I left for a moment to fetch something, and when I returned he was so very agitated.�

�And yet, he knows�� Albert frowned, and made sure he had Villefort�s attention before speaking again. �How? Who told you?�

For a few long moments, there was absolute silence. Not even the ticking of a clock could be heard. But finally, the left side of Villefort�s mouth twitched just a little, and transformed into something that could almost be considered a smile.

��servant�� he practically spat out the word, but seemed particularly pleased with himself. Albert looked up at Valentine to see how she was doing; she did not seem well. He stood up, and moved to lean against the wall, thinking. A servant told him? Surely not. At least, not straight out anyway. It must have been� gossip. Overheard gossip; that was it.

How careless. He couldn�t believe that employees would talk about the matter when Monsieur de Villefort was anywhere in earshot. Valentine looked unconvinced, but seemed to want to let it go for the moment.

�Look,� Albert leaned down again, and felt Villefort studying him coldly, �we didn�t want to keep it a secret from you� but your daughter loves you and is trying to look after you. You finding out can�t have helped anything.�

Albert felt a little ridiculous talking to such an unresponsive figure - secretly he felt that the effects of Monsieur de Villefort�s �episode� were a perfect illustration of why he shouldn�t have been told, but he felt it was safer to not point this out.

Valentine now rested her hands on the backs of her father�s shoulders; she patted him lovingly and reached for the hairbrush which lay on the mahogany dressing table behind her.

�Albert,� she began softly, a small smile on her lips, �do you know, this is this first time I�ve felt really optimistic since the news.�

He quirked an eyebrow, curious, �why is that?� Villefort�s expression seemed to have sunk back in to its blank, glazed-over state, so Albert stood up and faced Valentine.

�Why? Albert, he responded to you! He answered you!� She held the blond hair in one hand and gently ran the brush through it with the other. �It�s so rare he does that, even with me; frequently he�s completely silent. But, it�s just so wonderful that he talked with you of his own will. Perhaps this means he�s getting better��

Albert bit his lip, not wanting to voice his doubts and shatter Valentine�s brief moment of happiness.

�Valentine�� he walked towards the door and gave her a last look, �you should probably look into which maid it was that made him aware of what�s going on.� She nodded determinedly, and It was then that Albert suddenly noticed the time on the clock behind her.

�Oh! I should go,� he smiled apologetically and turned, �I promised I�d meet Maximilien outside before we head out to the base; it�s almost time.� The thought of that made Valentine smile, and she nodded, ushering him out of the room and following him to the top of the staircase. Her eyes looked happier as she studied him, �I do hope you have fun - try and get to see as much as possible!�

He grinned and gave her a little wave, watching as she turned and headed straight back to the room where she had left Villefort.

He had to admit he felt rather strange about that whole exchange - Villefort�s apparent lucidity, coupled with those extreme bouts of anger was not a promising combination. But, if it made Valentine happy� 

He walked down the steps and came across Maximilien just as he was leaving to go and wait outside in the courtyard.

�Maximilien!�

�Ah, Albert,� he smiled genially, and gestured in front of him, �care to leave, now? We still have plenty of time before dinner.�

�Sure,� Albert replied absently, and followed Maximilien out of the hallway and into the bright sunlight on the doorstep. The gravel on the driveway crunched underfoot as they headed towards the large iron gates. Albert was quiet as they made their way outside, still lost in thought about the earlier events. Maximilien kept shooting him curious, sidelong looks, but Albert simply didn�t notice, and nearly ended up walking straight into the back of his friend when he paused to open the smaller side gate.

Maximilien looked at him in amusement, pushing open the gate with a quiet screech, and leading the way through it out onto the road. �Albert�� They walked side by side, taking in the quiet sounds of the sea, and the sun upon their faces. �Is something bothering you?�

�Hm? Oh�� He paused for a moment, not entirely sure if he should voice his concerns to Maximilien or not. But as he glanced up and saw the other�s concerned expression, he couldn�t help but be swayed. �Well, it�s Monsieur de Villefort. He� he knows about Cavalcanti; though we�re not sure how much.

�What?� Maximilien looked astonished, and then his features darkened, brows drawing together in thought. �How can that be? He can barely communicate with anyone, and Valentine certainly wouldn�t tell him.� He pondered the matter a little more, and finally his eyes lit upon Albert again, faintly accusing. ��was it you, Albert?�

Albert frowned indignantly, �certainly not! The only reason I went to his room was because I heard loud noises while I was downstairs; I was thinking about the Cavalcanti situation at the time, so I was probably a little over-paranoid, but��

�Ah, sorry,� Maximilien smiled sheepishly, and they turned the corner at the end of their long road, �so� do you know how he became aware of it, then?�

Albert nodded, gazing up at the tall architecture around them as they walked, �yes. He couldn�t specify, but we know it was a maid. Perhaps purposefully, or perhaps he just overheard a conversation he wasn�t supposed to hear. It�s hard to say.�

The ex-soldier sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose wearily, �I suppose it can�t be helped. Though I fear it will just make his attitude even worse. And with his current state of mind� who knows? Maybe he�d even want to see Cavalcanti.�

Their walk was taking them down towards the main square of the town, and from their current vantage point Albert could see hints of the blue sea, glittering between the gaps in the houses.

�Perhaps. But� um, Valentine��

Maximilien looked up sharply, �what?�

�It�s�� Albert shifted uncomfortably, and stuffed his hands in his pockets awkwardly, �I really don�t want to seem like I�m interfering, but I just� don�t like to see Valentine get her hopes up so high. About Monsieur de Villefort�s chances of recovering, I mean.�

Maximilien�s expression relaxed a little into one of regret. �Yes. It�s alright, Albert - I know what you mean. I�ve tried to talk to her about it, but she can be stubborn when she wants. She�s convinced herself that if she spends enough time with him and encourages him enough, then somehow he�ll eventually manage to get back to how he used to be.�

They reached the centre of the town square, and paused for a moment to gaze up at the impressive fountain which was spraying sparkling water high up into the air before it cascaded down, covering them both in a cool, moist mist.

Maximilien shrugged, and they began to move on, the cobbled ground beneath their feet glistening darkly because of the fountain. �We�ve had doctors look at him, and they all say the same thing; they can�t manage to identify the poison Cavalcanti used on him at the trial, they don�t really know what�s wrong with him, and chances of any kind of recovery are low. But still Valentine insists�� he trailed off, glancing at his companion unhappily.

�Mm.� Albert considered this as they turned down a small, twisty side street to head towards the harbour. �I suppose, also� it�s not really just the poison that cause the problems, is it.�

�That too,� Maximilien conceded, �he underwent massive trauma that day in addition to the poison - so his mental state probably wouldn�t have ended up as very healthy anyway. But� I like her to have some hope,� he added, shaking his head slightly, �it might be naïve - but Valentine always used to be quite a pessimistic person, so I� I quite like her being this positive.�

�That�s understandable.� Albert gave him a little smile, and they finally reached the end of the small, dark street and exited out into the brightness onto the road which ran parallel to the seashore. The wind was brisk and refreshing, and insisted on constantly blowing Albert�s hair into his eyes and face, much to Maximilien�s amusement. They walked over to the railings together, and Albert leaned over, gazing rapturously out at the vast, dark ocean. There were very few clouds in the sky, so today the sea seemed far more blue than grey.

These days, there were infrequently ships to be seen. Other than small boats and the occasional pleasure cruise, Marseille�s harbour was rarely in use. It still greatly added to the charm of the town, though, Albert thought - he could easily see how he might grow to love this place as his mother had, and as Valentine and Maximilien had, too.

They shared a companionable silence for a while, and Albert realised that he truly appreciated Maximilien as a friend; he now found it a little hard to believe that there had once been such hostility between them. But, looking back, he saw his immaturity, and was very glad that all of that was in the past.

�It�s beautiful, isn�t it,� he murmured, smiling appreciatively and watching the waves froth and wash upon the shore. Maximilien nodded, though as a local did not regard the view with nearly as much interest as Albert.

Maximilien simply looked� at home; as if there was nowhere else he belonged more. The sun was peaking in the clear sky above them, but its rays were not fierce, and it merely bathed those below in a welcome, gentle warmth. Albert gripped the rusting iron bar in front of him tightly, and they stayed there in silence, each lost in thought.