The Pharaon has not returned. Another ship from Calcutta arrived weeks ago, but of Morrel’s vessel there is still no word. The silence tightens like a noose around the failing house of Morrel & Son.

Into this fragile quiet steps a stranger — the confidential clerk of Thomson & French of Rome. Emmanuel, anxious at every knock, fears another creditor come to press the debt that cannot be paid. He tries to intercept the visitor, but the Englishman insists: his business is with M. Morrel alone.

Cocles is summoned to lead him upstairs, and as they climb, they meet a young girl — Julie Morrel, her face pale with worry, her youth shadowed by her father’s despair. “My father is in his room,” she says softly. “Go and see, Cocles.”

The Englishman bows slightly. “It will be useless to announce me,” he says. “Your father does not know my name. Tell him only that the confidential clerk of Thomson & French of Rome is here.”

And with that, he continues upward — the quiet precision of his tone belying the fate he carries with him.

⸻

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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.