Madame de Villefort said nothing more, her mind completely absorbed in studying this man who'd made such a powerful impression from the first moment she saw him.
While Madame de Villefort was distracted, Monte Cristo examined the boy she held in her arms, lavishing tender affection on him. The child was small for his age and unnaturally pale. A mass of straight black hair that refused all styling fell over his prominent forehead and down to his shoulders, making his already mischievous eyes seem even more lively. His mouth was large, with particularly thin lips that hadn't yet regained their color. The deep, cunning look dominating his face belonged more to a twelve or fourteen-year-old than such a young child.
