Story so far
Undone by learning that Noirtier—grandfather of his intended bride Valentine de Villefort—killed his royalist father in an 1815 duel, Franz d'Épinay leaves the old man's chamber with 'trembling step and agitated countenance.' Two hours later he sends Villefort a cold, formal letter declaring 'the utter impossibility of any alliance' between the families and expressing his shock that Villefort had not withdrawn first. So the honorable young man severs the engagement he can no longer in conscience keep, freeing Valentine to her true love Maximilian Morrel though he cannot know it. With his part in the marriage plot ended, Franz withdraws from the affair, the mystery of his father's death at last resolved into a wound that makes the match forever impossible.
Appearance
A handsome young man in his mid-twenties with bright eyes, black hair and a glossy moustache, in mourning dress, his features still marked by shock.
Role
The bridegroom who formally renounces the marriage into his father's killer's family.
Relationships
Villefort — His would-be father-in-law, to whom he sends the cold letter ending the engagement.
Noirtier — The old man revealed as his father's killer, making the marriage impossible.
Sources — 8 recorded facts, by chapter
Chapter 31
- A cool, cultured young Parisian traveller who stumbles on Sinbad's hidden Monte Cristo palace and shares his hashish dream.
Chapter 33
- Franz reaches Rome for the Carnival, unsettled to hear the bandit Vampa was befriended by the mysterious 'Sinbad the Sailor'.
Chapter 35
- Franz confirms that Sinbad, the Colosseum conspirator, and the Count of Monte Cristo are one man, and recoils from his creed of vengeance.
Chapter 37
- Franz raises Albert's ransom and turns to the Count, watching him command Vampa and shudder at taking Albert's hand.
Chapter 38
- Full of foreboding, Franz confides the Count's mysteries to Albert, fails to shake his trust, and parts for Venice.
Chapter 74
- Arrived in Paris to wed Valentine, Franz attends the Saint-Méran funeral and, ever courteous, agrees to sign the contract at once—until Noirtier summons him.
Chapter 75
- Franz reads aloud the account of his father's death, only to learn the killer was Noirtier himself—the grandfather of his intended bride.
Chapter 78
- Shattered, Franz quits the Villefort house and sends a cold letter formally renouncing the marriage into the family of his father's killer.