Chapter 12: The Marriage: III
Danglars watched Fernand like a hawk, noticing how the guy kept getting paler and more agitated by the minute. Suddenly, Fernand stumbled backward and collapsed into a chair near the open window, looking like he was about to have a panic attack.
That’s when they all heard it, footsteps echoing up the stairs. Heavy, military boots. The metallic clank of weapons and gear. Voices murmuring in the distance, growing louder.
The wedding party went dead silent. Everyone froze, that sick feeling of dread creeping up their spines.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Three sharp knocks on the door made everyone jump.
"Open up! Police!" a commanding voice shouted from the hallway.
Before anyone could react, the door swung open. A stern-faced magistrate in his official uniform strode in, followed by four armed soldiers and their sergeant. The sight of them sent waves of terror through the room.
Mr. Morrel, the ship owner, stepped forward nervously. He clearly recognized the magistrate. "Uh, sir, I think there might be some mistake here. What’s going on?"
The magistrate’s expression was stone cold. "If there’s a mistake, we’ll sort it out later. Right now, I have an arrest warrant to execute." His eyes swept the room. "Which one of you is Edmond Dantès?"
Every head turned toward the young groom. Despite the shock written all over his face, Edmond stepped forward with his chin up, trying to stay dignified. "That’s me. What do you want with me?"
"Edmond Dantès, you’re under arrest."
"Me?
" Edmond’s face went white. "What for?""I can’t tell you the charges yet. You’ll find out during your interrogation."
Mr. Morrel realized arguing was pointless. This was official business, and the guy with the badge wasn’t going to budge. But Edmond’s father, old man Dantès, completely lost it. He threw himself at the officer’s feet, begging and pleading like his world was ending.
The officer actually looked a bit sorry for him. "Look, calm down, okay? Your son probably just messed up some paperwork with his cargo. Once he answers a few questions about his crew’s health records or freight documents, he’ll probably be released."
Caderousse, one of the wedding guests, grabbed Danglars by the arm. "What the hell is happening?" he hissed.
Danglars put on his best confused face. "How should I know? I’m just as shocked as you are."
That’s when Caderousse noticed something. "Where’s Fernand?"
He was gone. Vanished.
Suddenly, last night’s conversation came flooding back to Caderousse’s memory. The alcohol had worn off, and everything was crystal clear now. His blood ran cold.
"So that’s it," he whispered to Danglars, his voice shaking with anger. "This is part of whatever twisted plan you were cooking up yesterday, isn’t it? If you’re behind this, it’s going to blow up in your face."
"Are you insane?" Danglars snapped back. "I told you, I ripped up that paper!"
"No, you didn’t! You just tossed it aside. I saw it lying in the corner."
"Shut up, you drunk idiot! You don’t know what you’re talking about!"
"Where’s Fernand?" Caderousse demanded again.
"How the hell should I know? Probably ran off to save his own skin, like any smart person would. Stop worrying about him and let’s figure out how to help our friend."
Meanwhile, Edmond was saying goodbye to everyone, trying to keep their spirits up. He shook hands with his friends and gave them a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry about me, guys. This is just a misunderstanding. I’ll probably be back before dinner."
"Absolutely," Danglars chimed in, moving closer to the group. "Just a simple mix-up, I’m sure."
The soldiers escorted Edmond downstairs. A black carriage was waiting outside, the kind that screamed "government business." Edmond climbed in, flanked by two soldiers and the magistrate. The carriage rolled away toward the city.
"Edmond!" Mercédès, his fiancée, screamed from the balcony, reaching out desperately as if she could somehow pull him back.
Edmond leaned out of the carriage window. "I’ll be back soon, Mercédès! Don’t worry!"
Then he was gone, disappearing around the bend.
"I’m going after them!" Mr. Morrel announced. "I’ll take the first transport I can find and get to the city. I’ll find out what’s really happening and bring back news."
"Good idea!" several voices called out. "Hurry back!"
After he left, an awful silence fell over the group. Old man Dantès and Mercédès stood apart, both drowning in grief. Finally, they looked at each other and collapsed into each other’s arms, crying.
That’s when Fernand reappeared, looking like death warmed over. His hands were shaking so badly he could barely pour himself a glass of water. He gulped it down and stumbled to an empty seat, which happened to be right next to where Mercédès had collapsed earlier. When he realized how close he was to her, he quickly scooted his chair away.
Caderousse had been watching him like a hawk. He leaned over to Danglars. "He’s the one behind this. I’m sure of it."
"I doubt it," Danglars replied. "He’s too stupid to pull off something this elaborate. I just hope whoever did this gets what’s coming to them."
"What about the people who helped make it happen?" Caderousse pressed.
Danglars shrugged. "Hey, you can’t blame someone for a stray arrow hitting its target."
"You can when the arrow was aimed."
People started speculating about what could have gotten Edmond arrested.
"What do you think happened?" someone asked Danglars.
"Probably caught him smuggling something small-time. Some little contraband item."
"But how could he do that without you knowing? Aren’t you the cargo supervisor?"
"Look, I only know what I’m told about the merchandise. I know we loaded cotton, picked up freight from Pastret’s warehouse in Alexandria and Pascal’s in Smyrna. That’s all I needed to know."
Old man Dantès suddenly perked up. "Oh! My boy told me yesterday he’d gotten me a small case of coffee and some tobacco!"
"There you go!" Danglars exclaimed. "The customs officials must have searched the ship while we were gone and found Edmond’s little stash."
But Mercédès wasn’t listening to any of this. Her composure finally cracked, and she broke down in violent, hysterical sobs.