Page 170 of The Dueling Duchess

“You mean you’d want to invest?”

“Yes, if you need somebody.” Jo didn’t tell the other woman that the Fayre was the closest thing to a home she’d ever had.

Helen smiled at her. “I’d much rather take you as a partner than some unknown—although Cecile said at least one of the men that she recently bought out might be interested. Her man of business is to pay a visit in two days. Once Cecile comes out of the counting room, we can speak to her about it, of course.”

Jo nodded.

Helen leaned closer and whispered, “Do you think we did the right thing locking them in there?”

“I think that if it hadn’t been the right thing, we’d be able to hear Cecile all the way down in the kitchen.”

Both women laughed.

“If they bridged their differences—which I hope they have—then I wonder how that will change things,” Helen mused.

Jo recalled what she knew about Guy but couldn’t yet prove and smiled. “Oh, I daresay things will change a great deal over the next few weeks. For both of them.”

Epilogue

Château de La Fontaine

Three weeks later

Cecile waved as the duke’s ancient coach rumbled off, bearing her mother and sister back to the home they’d shared ever since her sister’s husband had died in the War.

While Cecile had enjoyed their two-week visit, she had not grown close to either her mother or sister and doubted she ever would.

Perhaps it was petty of her, but the fact that her mother had willingly given her up when she’d separated from her father was something Cecile would never forget.

She turned away when the carriage disappeared from view, shaking away her conflicting emotions and smiling at Dupuy, the butler. “Do you know where my husband is?”

“Pierre just brought the morning mail up to your chambers, Your Grace.”

She nodded her thanks and crossed the grand foyer toward the sweeping staircase, her mind still on her female relations as she made the considerable trek to the ducal chambers.

Cecile had tried to convince her cousin that they did not need to stay in the duke and duchess’s rooms, but Gaston had been adamant.

“I have no wife—as yet—and have never moved my possessions into those rooms. I would be honored if you used them during your visit.”

And so Cecile had accepted his gracious offer as this would probably be the only time she came to stay at the de La Fontaine estate.

Although she’d reached an accord with the duke and his family, relations between them were stiff and likely always would be. Even though Cecile had given half her inheritance to the new duke to avoid protracted legal proceedings, Gaston’s mother and uncles were still not pleased.

Guy had been furious at the family’s demands and had accused them—thankfully only to Cecile—of behaving much like Curtis, using coercion to get her to do their bidding.

While they’d certainly used the threat of legal action to compel her, Cecile knew she had done the right thing.

The old duke could not have known that there would be anything left of his family when he’d written his will. If he had, she believed that he would have wished his heir to have at least half.

Besides, even half of the bequest left her an incredibly wealthy woman.

The duke had possessed a great deal of personal wealth which—with nobody to draw on the capital—had been steadily earning a profit over the prior two decades.

Even after giving Gaston half and settling her mother and sister in a house of their own, there was still more money than she would ever need.

Indeed, Cecile felt guilty that she’d received a windfall that she’d done nothing to earn.

Marianne, who’d found herself in a similar situation upon marrying the Duke of Staunton, had known exactly how Cecile felt even before she’d confessed her thoughts.