#also I just realized something sad that I'll add to the relevant chapter

[eddisfargo]

CoMC Chapter 108

CHAPTER 108

The Judge

24 minutes

Whoa! The reckoning is at hand for Locusta! 

First, we get Noirtier glaring bloody murder at the murderess and then at her so-far inactive husband. Villefort promises he’ll do it--just one more day. Locusta and her son (do we even know her actual name, btw?) are playing a disgustingly adorable little fetch game with kisses, but they’re both horrible people so whatever. 

Villefort pulls an all-nighter on the Benedetto case. He takes a little nap and wakes up. 

So he wakes up like TODAY’S THE DAY. Wifey dearest is all “I sent you some hot chocolate honey, because you’re so sweet ;) <3 <3”  and he’s all “this is probably poisoned.” But then he chugs it anyway because que sera sera at this point. Turns out it was not poisoned. 

Then she’s all “OK I’m ready to come with you to your big trial baby!! I wanna see it! Should I bring our son??” and he’s all “no look we need to talk.” He tries to get Edward out of the room--Edward’s innocently destroying the things his mother is reading--and Edward’s like “umm but mommy didn’t say, so I don’t gotta.” So Villefort YELLS at him and he goes “OK OK I’M GOING GEEZ” 

Now, I don’t usually use direct quotes because that’s tricky with an audiobook, and even when I happen upon them while I relisten at 2x speed to write these sometimes, I tend not to use them because I don’t want to set a precedent, hahaha. But this one has stuck in my mind since this morning when I heard it (like 12 hours ago), and would have even if he hadn’t repeated it 2 or 3 times. He asks his wife, “Where do you keep the poison you generally use?” Which is just so BRUTALLY casual. And she’s like “w-w-w-whaaaat??” And he’s like “you know, the poison you killed my entire family with. That poison.” 

So it’s out there. He recaps everyone she’s poisoned so far, she doesn’t deny it. She asks if she’s speaking to her husband or to the judge, and he’s like “TO THE JUDGE” (hence chapter title). 

So he gives her a choice. Find the poison she “generally uses,” and dead herself up before he gets home from court today. If not, she’ll swing on the scaffold. . He��d rather the poison so as not to bring dishonor on his house. Because obviously if yet another person gets poisoned in this household where 4 people have already died, everyone will just be like “tralala that’s fine.” 

And she’s actually expecting him to let her live!! After killing his beloved, innocent daughter and several other people! Just like she was expecting to somehow get away with this ridiculously unsubtle crime. It’s a shame she won’t live long enough to find two brain cells to rub together. 

(Probably got that idea from that post someone did with a table of people’s brain cell count vs perceived brain cell count in this book. Will definitely share that when I finish. I want to say I saw it on @edettethegreat‘s? But I try to avoid your blog until I’m done, haha. Especially since I went to one of your friends’ blogs and saw something about MC’s big reveal to Morrel before I actually got there. I didn’t read it! Just saw that there was a scene where he revealed his identity, which I pretty much knew there had to be. Luckily stopped before I saw more). 

So, got to admit I’m a little disappointed in Villefort’s actions here. Team Avenger was promised a REALLY HORRIBLE reckoning, the likes of which would MAKE YOUR HAIR CURL or something (he definitely never said that, but it was implied to be just appalling). And it turns out it’s… suicide or face legal punishment for your crimes? I mean yeah, that’s pretty much the default options, barring “get away with it.” 

Aaaanyway, prediction time I guess. What will be Locusta Villainfort’s choice? If her husband finds her alive when he returns home, she swings. Clearly poison’s the better choice, right? Uh-oh, he left a loophole. If he doesn’t find her home at all, she probably thinks she can survive this. She’s probably wrong, but w/ever. Ooooh, maybe she’ll go to THE GUY WHO GAVE HER THE POISON. That’d be interesting!! And what would he say? “Whaaaat? I gave you MEDICINE for your FAINTING SPELLS! I was NEVER expecting you to POISON people with it!”? 

Also, further predictions: Valentine’s got to wake up soon, right? Cuz like. She can’t just live with no heartbeat or breath or food in that vault for long, I presume. Pretty sure Juliet woke up like, the next day. I’m guessing she doesn’t… decompose, since she’s NOT DEAD, I’m still pretty solid on that. And I know the potion is basically handwavy magic-style science, so who knows what its properties are, but here’s what’s bothering me. It’s pretty assured that Morrel is supposed to be miserable for another solid month (to the hour) after his suicide attempt, which obviously means no Valentine. She presumably is going to walk in right as he starts to shoot himself or whatever the heck. I’m… not currently able to make the timing work out. Does he revive her (has he already) and then just… hide her for a month, for some reason? Is she off in Hayding? (get it? Hiding with Haydee? Did that work? Probably not. They are legit pronounced the same though, according to my audiobook)

Guess we’ll see!