I love the way Bertuccio responded when Benedetto said he thought the Count was his father. Bertuccio seems to have true loyalty/respect for the Count.

So Bertuccio has come to tell Benedetto who his father is, on the eve of his appearance in court, where his unknowing father is going prosecute him. Bertuccio said he came on his own and no one sent him, much like Haydée said she came on her own to testify against Fernand. Do you believe him? Or do you think the count sent him?

For my money, I'd like to think that the count trusts Bertuccio a little. (Since he knows where the count buried 20 million francs, he must trust him.) He’s also been in the count’s service for at least nine years. I’d like to think that since he knows Bertuccio wants revenge on Villefort that at some point he pulled him aside and let him in on at least part of the plan. I don’t know if he’d tell him his own reasons for wanting revenge, but he could have framed it just by saying something like “Let me help you, or I know someone else he wronged and I’m here for justice. Leave him to me for now and when the time comes you’ll be able to help me strike the final blow.” Your thoughts?

The only problem with that theory is that every time we've seen the count interact with anyone, including Bertuccio and Haydée, and the topic of his three targets has come up, he's acted completely nonchalant, so I have a hard time actually picturing this. I just can't see him tell anyone he needs help, he's all about getting people to do what he wants without them realizing it.

But if he doesn’t do something like that, what do you are/were the chances that Bertuccio tries to finish his vendetta on his own and muck up the count’s plans?

That's pretty much just one topic, but it's all I thought about as I read it.

Last line:

“Tomorrow!” replied the steward.

Link to the last discussion.

The next discussion will be up on Monday.