Chapter 154: Chapter 154

The moment Barrois left the room, Noirtier’s eyes locked onto Valentine with a look that spoke volumes. The young woman understood immediately what that sharp, almost mischievous glance meant, and so did her father, Villefort. His expression darkened, his eyebrows drawing together in barely contained anger. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel_fіre.net

Without a word, Villefort took a seat and settled in to wait for the notary to arrive. Noirtier watched him sit with apparent indifference, though he cast a subtle sideways glance at Valentine that told her clearly: Stay in this room.

Forty-five minutes later, Barrois returned with the notary in tow.

"Sir," Villefort began after the initial greetings, "my father, M. Noirtier, sent for you. As you can see, he’s completely paralyzed. He’s lost the use of all his limbs and can no longer speak. We have considerable difficulty understanding what he wants to communicate."

Noirtier’s eyes turned to Valentine with such intensity and urgency that she responded immediately.

"Sir," she said to the notary, "I can perfectly understand everything my grandfather wants to say."

"It’s true," Barrois confirmed. "I told him the same thing on our way here."

The notary cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable as he glanced between Villefort and Valentine. "I must be honest with you, this presents a serious legal problem. As a public officer, I cannot proceed without putting myself at considerable risk. For any legal document to be valid, I must be absolutely certain that I’ve correctly understood the wishes of my client. But how can I be sure of the approval or disapproval of someone who cannot speak? Without clear proof of his intentions, my services here would be useless and potentially illegal."

The notary began gathering his things to leave. An almost imperceptible smile of triumph flickered across Villefort’s face.

Noirtier looked at Valentine with such profound grief that she immediately stopped the notary from departing.

"Sir," she said, "the language I use with my grandfather is actually quite simple to learn. I can teach you in just a few minutes, well enough that you’ll understand him almost as clearly as I do. What would you need to feel confident about proceeding?"

"To make a legal document valid, I must be certain of my client’s approval or disapproval. Physical illness doesn’t invalidate a legal document, but mental competence is absolutely required."

"Well then, with just two simple signals, which I’ll show you right now, you can determine with complete certainty that my grandfather is in full possession of his mental faculties. Because M. Noirtier can’t speak or move, he communicates by closing his eyes when he means ’yes,’ and winking when he means ’no.’ That’s all you need to know to have a conversation with him. Try it."

The look of tenderness and gratitude Noirtier gave Valentine was so profound that even the notary understood it.

"You heard and understood what your granddaughter just explained, sir?" the notary asked.

Noirtier closed his eyes.

"And you approve of what she said, meaning these are truly the signals you use to communicate your thoughts?"

His eyes closed again. Yes.

"You’re the one who requested my presence?"

"To draft your will?"

"And you don’t want me to leave without fulfilling your original purpose?"

The old man winked emphatically. No.

"Well, sir," Valentine said to the notary, "do you understand now? Are you satisfied?"

Before the notary could answer, Villefort pulled him aside.

"Sir," Villefort said in a low voice, "do you really believe a man can suffer such a devastating physical trauma without damage to his mental faculties?"

"That’s not what concerns me," the notary admitted. "The difficulty will be in translating his thoughts and intentions into proper legal language and getting his precise answers."

"You must see that’s completely impossible," Villefort pressed.

Valentine and Noirtier overheard this conversation. The old man fixed his eye on Valentine so intently that she felt compelled to respond.

"Sir," she addressed the notary, "that shouldn’t worry you, no matter how difficult it seems at first. I can discover and explain my grandfather’s thoughts clearly enough to eliminate all your doubts. I’ve been with M. Noirtier for six years now. Grandfather, has there ever been a single time when you had a thought you couldn’t make me understand?"

The old man’s eyes closed firmly. No.

"Then let’s proceed," said the notary. "You accept this young lady as your interpreter, M. Noirtier?"

"Very well. What do you need from me, and what kind of document do you want drafted?"

Valentine began reciting the alphabet. When she reached the letter W, Noirtier’s eloquent eye signaled her to stop.

"Clearly he wants the letter W," the notary observed.

"Wait," Valentine said, turning back to her grandfather. "Wa... We... Wi-"

He stopped her at the last syllable. Valentine grabbed a dictionary while the notary watched her flip through the pages. She ran her finger slowly down the columns until she reached the word "Will." Noirtier’s eye commanded her to stop.

"’Will,’" the notary announced. "M. Noirtier clearly wishes to make his will."

Yes, yes, yes, the invalid signaled eagerly.

"This is truly extraordinary," the astonished notary said, turning to Villefort.

"Yes," Villefort replied coldly, "and I suspect the will itself will be even more extraordinary. I don’t see how it can be drafted without Valentine’s involvement, and she may be too personally interested in its contents to serve as a suitable interpreter of her grandfather’s vague wishes."

No, no, no, Noirtier’s eye flashed.

"What?" Villefort said sharply. "Are you saying Valentine isn’t interested in your will?"

"Sir," the notary interjected, his interest now fully engaged, "what seemed impossible an hour ago now appears quite feasible. This can be a perfectly valid will, provided it’s read before seven witnesses, approved by the testator, and sealed by myself in their presence. The process won’t take much longer than a typical will. There are standard forms we must follow. As for the details, most will be provided by an examination of your current financial affairs and by your son, who manages them and can provide complete information. However, to prevent any future challenges, I want to give this document the greatest possible authenticity. Therefore, I’ll have a colleague assist me, unusual, but it will add weight to the proceedings. Are you satisfied with this approach, sir?"

Yes, Noirtier’s eye gleamed with delight at being so thoroughly understood.

What is he planning? Villefort wondered, his position forcing him to maintain composure even as he burned to know his father’s intentions. He left the room to summon another notary, but Barrois, having overheard everything and anticipated his master’s wishes, had already gone to fetch one. Villefort then called for his wife to join them.

Within fifteen minutes, everyone had assembled in the paralyzed man’s chamber, including the second notary. A brief exchange brought the two legal officers to an understanding. They read Noirtier a standard will template to familiarize him with the typical language, then the first notary began testing the testator’s capacity.