The Mysteries of Udolpho

The maid Annette wakes Emily up in the middle of the night to inform her that everyone is getting ready to go. Emily fears Count Morano is downstairs, but Annette assures her that he isn’t. Neither is Cavigni. Emily gets onto a gondola with Montoni and Madame Montoni. The go out onto the water, and Emily struggles to enjoy the view of Venice as she contemplates what her future might hold.

The travelers make it to the Apennines. The mountains are impressive, full of pines and with no traces of human civilization. Still, Emily can’t help feeling that the Alps are even more impressive. At last, Montoni announces that they’ve reached Udolpho. The castle looks both gloomy and impressive with its dark gray stones.

When the travelers arrive at Udolpho, they find that Montoni’s sudden journey left the few remaining servants with little time to prepare the place. Emily sighs as she looks around the gloomy place, as she still can’t forget about Valancourt, who now seems so distant. Carlo the servant informs Montoni of all the parts of the castle that need to be repaired. Emily asks if Montoni can explain why they left so suddenly, but he refuses to answer.

Annette shows Emily to her room, and Emily marvels at how easy it would be to get lost in Udolpho. They pass a picture covered in a black veil of silk, and Emily is curious about what it looks like, but Annette refuses to take a look. Annette doesn’t know why the picture is covered, but she has no desire to find out. After Annette leaves, Emily continues to feel gloomy, as she wants to ask whether Count Morano will eventually be coming but fears learning the answer.

Emily explores her room and discovers a door that leads to a steep, narrow staircase. She tries to lock it, but there are no bolts, so she moves a heavy chair in front of it. When Annette comes back, she asks if Emily has ever heard the story of how Montoni became the owner of the castle in the first place. Emily isn’t sure if she wants to hear a secret, but Annette assures Emily it’s okay for her to hear.

Annette tells about how when Montoni was younger, he was in love with a woman named Signora Laurentini, whose family owned Udolpho. But she was in love with another person that she couldn’t marry, so she refused Montoni’s advances. One evening, Signora Laurentini went for a walk in the woods and seemingly never came back, although servants still sometimes think they see her figure wandering out by the woods.

Annette continues her story, saying that sometimes out by the chapel people hear mysterious groaning sounds. Emily calls all of this “silly tales,” but Annette remains convinced they’re true. All of a sudden, the servant Caterina comes up to fetch Annette and accidentally scares both Emily and Annette.

Alone again, Emily reflects on the story of Signora Laurentini. She is terrified not just of Annette’s stories but also of the power that Montoni now has over her. She sees that Montoni has already begun making Madame Montoni miserable. She thinks again of Valancourt’s warnings about Montoni before going to bed.