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  “We’ll keep this to ourselves,” Dickce promised. “Tell An’gel how much you need, and she’ll write you a check.”

  “Two thousand dollars,” Jacqueline said. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but if I don’t get the money to the florist today, there won’t be any flowers for the wedding.”

  “We certainly can’t have that,” An’gel said. “I’ll get my checkbook, and we’ll take care of this right now.” She patted Jacqueline’s arm before she rose from the sofa.

  “Let me get you some tissues,” Dickce said. Jacqueline was sniffling, and her face was turning blotchy from crying. Dickce got up and went to the bathroom in search of the tissues.

  An’gel came back with checkbook and pen in hand and resumed her seat next to her goddaughter. “Would you like me to make it to you, or to the florist?”

  “To the florist would be fine.” Jacqueline supplied the name. “Thank you, Tante An’gel.”

  Dickce returned with the tissues and handed them over. Jacqueline smiled her thanks and began dabbing at her eyes. She accepted the check from An’gel with a slightly watery smile.

  An’gel glanced at Dickce, as if asking her sister a question. Dickce nodded, and An’gel spoke in a brisk tone to her goddaughter. “I tell you what, my dear. Why don’t you let this be one of our wedding gifts? It would be our pleasure.”

  Jacqueline’s face reddened, and she didn’t speak for a moment. “You’re being far too generous, but I thank you. You’ll never know how much.”

  For a moment An’gel thought her goddaughter was about to burst into tears, but Jacqueline collected herself. She thanked the sisters again as she folded the check and tucked it into the pocket of her pants.

  “I’d better get back.” Jacqueline rose. “Maman will be wondering where I am. You’ll be coming up for breakfast soon?”

  “Yes,” An’gel said, “and if there’s anything we can help with this morning, do let us know.”

  Dickce echoed her sister’s words, and Jacqueline thanked them. “I think we have everything under control. Estelle is still here, so it’s breakfast as usual.”

  “Is Mireille going to fire her?” An’gel asked.

  Jacqueline shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. After Estelle’s behavior last night and Sondra’s ultimatum, I thought she’d be gone this morning. But there she is in the kitchen as if nothing happened. I tried to talk to Maman last night about Estelle, but she told me she would take care of everything in her own way and not to pester her about it.”

  An’gel wasn’t surprised. Mireille could be stubborn, and her loyalty to Estelle, though puzzling to everyone else, might turn out to be more important to her than having her granddaughter follow family tradition in wearing the antique wedding gown. An’gel had no doubt Sondra would follow through on her threat not to wear the gown when she saw Estelle still in the house.

  “I’m sure Mireille will do what she thinks is best for everyone,” An’gel said with a confidence she was far from feeling in her cousin.

  “Two more days, and this will all be over.” Jacqueline sounded weary, An’gel thought. “I’ll see you up at the house in a bit.”

  Dickce showed her out. She leaned back against the closed door and regarded her sister. “Horace must be having serious problems if he can’t come up with two thousand dollars to pay for the florist.”

  An’gel nodded, her tone grim when she spoke. “Definitely. I’m concerned about Jacqueline. She has money of her own from Terence’s estate and should have been able to pay the florist herself. The fact that she had to come to us for money is deeply troubling.”

  Dickce returned to her place on the sofa near An’gel. “I had forgotten that. I hope Horace hasn’t squandered Jacqueline’s inheritance.”

  “I don’t remember the terms exactly, but I thought Jacqueline had only the income from a trust for her lifetime,” An’gel said.

  “If that’s the case, then she’s probably okay,” Dickce said, “but I suppose she could be giving money from her trust income to Horace.”

  “Very possibly.” An’gel sighed. “There isn’t anything we can do about it, though, other than counsel Jacqueline if she should ask for further help.”

  “On the other hand, she could be using her income to help Mireille,” Dickce said. “Maurice didn’t leave Mireille all that well off; otherwise, she wouldn’t have had to go into business with the bed-and-breakfast scheme.”

  “True,” An’gel said. “I hope that’s the answer, rather than giving money to Horace.” She pushed herself up from the sofa. “It’s close enough to breakfast time; we might as well head on up to the house.”

  Dickce nodded. “I’ll go check on Benjy and see if he’s ready.”

  “I’ll meet you outside in a moment.” An’gel headed to the bathroom to wash her hands and have one last check on her makeup. As she stared into the mirror, she realized she had forgotten to ask Jacqueline about Sondra’s car. She was curious to find out what had happened with the brakes. She would ask her goddaughter at the earliest opportunity.

  A couple of minutes later she came out of the cottage to find not only Dickce and Benjy awaiting her, but Peanut and Endora as well. Peanut was on the leash, but the cat rode on Benjy’s shoulder.

  In response to An’gel’s expression of surprise, Benjy explained, “Mrs. Champlain told me last night that I could bring the guys to the house with us. She said she loves animals, and she’s never seen either a Labradoodle or an Abyssinian before.”

  “If Mireille okayed it, then it’s certainly fine with me.” An’gel stared at the animals. “But you two have to be on your best behavior, all right?”

  Peanut woofed in response, and An’gel couldn’t help but smile. Endora, on the other hand, stared at An’gel like a small Sphinx.

  “I’m sure Endora will be a perfect lady,” Dickce said. “Won’t you, sweetheart?”

  Endora turned her head in Dickce’s direction and meowed. Dickce shot a triumphant glance at her sister.

  An’gel was slightly piqued that Dickce could elicit a response from the cat and she rarely could. Peanut was rapidly becoming her favorite, because he at least appreciated her attention.

  “Let’s go,” An’gel said and headed for Willowbank.

  Benjy, with Peanut and Endora, soon overtook the lead, thanks to the Labradoodle’s enthusiasm. Twice the dog wanted to hare off after something only he could sense, but each time Benjy called him to heel, and he obeyed quickly. Benjy praised him, and Peanut wagged his tail happily and barked as if to acknowledge the command.

  “Such a smart boy,” An’gel murmured after the second foiled attempt.

  “He sure is,” Benjy said over his shoulder in response.

  They soon reached the house, and moments later were at the front door. Before they could ring, the door swung open, and Jackson’s smiling face greeted them.

  “Well, now, who is this?” Jackson extended a hand to Peanut, and the dog sniffed and then licked it. Jackson rubbed the dog’s head as Benjy introduced him.

  “He sure is a friendly dog,” Jackson said. “And what about Miss Precious sitting there on your shoulder. I reckon I never saw a red cat like that before.”

  “This is Endora,” Benjy said. “She’s an Abyssinian.”

  “Do tell.” Jackson shook his head. “She come all the way from Africa?”

  “A few generations ago,” An’gel said with a smile. “Isn’t she lovely? She’s not particularly friendly, though.”

  As if to give the lie to An’gel’s claim, when Jackson reached out toward the cat, Endora butted her head against his open palm and meowed as if to thank him for the attention. Jackson laughed. An’gel shot the cat a sour look.

  “I reckon she’s friendly enough,” the butler said. After a moment he drew his hand back. “Y’all come on in. We’re just getting breakfast set on the sideboard in the dining room.” He waved them in and shut the door behind them.

  The butler led them into the dining room, where An’gel cou
ld see Estelle moving dishes from a serving cart onto the sideboard. The housekeeper did not acknowledge them when she finished. Instead she wheeled the empty cart out of the room as if she hadn’t seen them.

  An’gel walked over to the sideboard to examine the choices: scrambled eggs, biscuits, sausage and red-eye gravy, three types of jelly, and grits. Almost as an afterthought, An’gel noted, there was a large plate of sliced melon, pineapple, and grapes.

  “We certainly won’t go hungry,” An’gel said.

  Peanut, obviously entranced by the smell of food, strained at the leash. “No, boy,” Benjy said. “That’s people food. You’ve already had your breakfast.”

  Peanut looked up at Benjy and whined. Benjy shook his head. “No.” With that, the dog settled down, though An’gel thought he looked sulky.

  “Good morning,” Mireille called out as she entered the dining room. She smiled when she spotted the animals. “Oh, how beautiful they are.” She approached Benjy and the animals, and he quickly introduced the cat and the dog to his hostess. Mireille gave them both attention, and An’gel decided grumpily that Endora would be nice to everyone except her.

  “What sweet babies they are.” Mireille switched her attention from the animals to her cousins. “Please don’t wait, go ahead and help yourselves to breakfast. I have something to attend to, but I’ll be right back.”

  A howl of rage echoed through the lower portion of the house, and An’gel and the others started. Peanut barked excitedly, and Benjy worked to calm him.

  The source of the noise appeared in the dining room doorway. Sondra stormed in and marched straight up to her grandmother.

  “What is that woman still doing here?” Sondra screamed the words. “I told you I wanted her out of this house.”

  What happened next startled An’gel so badly she almost dropped the plate she had picked up.

  In response to Sondra’s outburst, Mireille drew back her hand and then slapped her granddaughter resoundingly.

  CHAPTER 9

  “It’s about time you learned who runs this house.” Mireille put her face close to her granddaughter’s. “I say who works and lives here, and no one else.”

  Sondra started to speak, but her grandmother cut her off.

  “The only thing I want to hear from you is an apology.” Mireille’s cold tone surprised An’gel even further. She had never heard her cousin speak in such fashion. “If you can’t apologize and act in a civilized manner, then you can leave this house yourself. Do you understand me?”

  Sondra stepped back, the mark of Mireille’s hand showing red in stark contrast to the pale skin of her face. Her breath came harshly, and she stared wildly at her grandmother. Suddenly she turned and ran, and An’gel heard her going up the stairs.

  Mireille, after a moment, turned to regard them coolly. “If you’ll excuse me, I must do something but I’ll be back in a minute.” She walked out of the room.

  An’gel and Dickce stared at each other. An’gel found her voice first. “Heavens above, I never thought I’d see the day, but the worm finally turned.”

  “I’ll say she did,” Dickce replied. “I guess last night’s little episode really was the final straw.” She walked over to the sideboard and picked up a plate.

  An’gel noticed Benjy appeared uncomfortable. She felt suddenly impelled to apologize for her cousin and for bringing him along and subjecting him to these family scenes. She explained this to him, and he gave her an uncertain smile.

  “It’s not your fault.” He shrugged. “If you’d like, I guess I could get a plate and take it back to the cottage. I don’t want to be in the way if there’s serious family stuff going down.”

  “As far as we’re concerned,” Dickce said, “you are our family, An’gel’s and mine.” She gave an impish grin. “You don’t have to claim the rest of them, though.”

  Benjy laughed, and An’gel shot her sister a look of gratitude for lightening the atmosphere.

  “I guess we’ll stick around, then,” he said. “Because I am starving.” He looped Peanut’s leash around a chair leg and told him to stay. He put Endora in a chair and told her to stay, and to An’gel’s pleasure, the cat did as she was told.

  The three humans filled their plates, and the sisters poured coffee for themselves while Benjy chose orange juice. They sat together at the far end of the dining table to keep the animals out of the way. Peanut whimpered a couple of times, but Benjy responded with firm no’s. Endora curled up placidly in the seat of the chair next to Benjy.

  Before they had taken more than a few mouthfuls of their delicious breakfast food, Mireille returned with Jacqueline in tow.

  To An’gel’s practiced eye, it appeared that there was tension between mother and daughter. Mireille’s shoulders had a rigid set, and Jacqueline kept darting furious glances at her mother.

  Sondra had no doubt gone to her mother to complain about Mireille’s behavior toward her, and An’gel was sure Jacqueline was unhappy over the incident. She hoped they would restrain themselves during breakfast, because she didn’t want to sit through another meal fraught with emotion.

  That was not to be, she discovered quickly.

  “I can’t believe you are more loyal to Estelle than you are to your own granddaughter.” Jacqueline stood at her mother’s back with fists clenched while Mireille calmly filled her plate with food.

  “Frankly I don’t care what you believe.” Mireille used the tongs to pick up a couple of biscuits to add to her choices. She set the tongs down and turned to face her daughter directly. “Sondra will soon be married and out of this house, and I have to think about my needs for once. Sondra couldn’t care less about how any of this affects me, and I am tired of pretending that she cares about anything other than herself. She barely pays attention to her own child, Jacqueline, much less to anyone else.”

  The rest of them might as well be invisible, An’gel decided. Mireille behaved as if only she and her daughter were in the room. Jacqueline didn’t appear to care about having an audience either.

  “I know she’s selfish, Maman,” Jacqueline said in a weary tone. “She’s been that way since she was a baby. But she does love you, in her own way. She loves me, too, and she adores Tippy.”

  “You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself,” Mireille said. “You needn’t waste any efforts on me, however. I’m too old at this point to care any longer, and I have finally decided I don’t give a damn about what Sondra thinks or wants.”

  “I suppose you’d like it if Horace and I moved out as well.” Jacqueline plopped down in a chair next to her mother’s seat at the head of the table. “I just don’t understand you. How could you suddenly be so cruel, so unfeeling?”

  An’gel watched the scene unfold in horrified fascination. She wondered whether she should interrupt but quickly decided she would do better to keep her mouth shut, at least for the moment. She checked and saw that Dickce and Benjy were staring at their plates and that Endora had climbed into Benjy’s lap. No doubt the cat was unsettled by the rampant tension in the room. She didn’t blame Endora for seeking comfort. She wouldn’t have minded some herself, because it pained her greatly to see her cousin’s family unraveling in so nasty a fashion.

  “There is no need for you and Horace to move out.” Mireille ate a bite of her eggs. “If you want to move out, however, I can’t stop you.”

  “Maman, how can you be so hurtful?” Jacqueline burst into tears. After a moment she jumped up from her chair and ran out of the room.

  Mireille put down her fork and sighed. “I’m sorry you all had to witness that.”

  Benjy pushed back his chair. “Mrs. Champlain, ladies, Peanut and Endora need to go outside, if y’all don’t mind. We’ll be back in a little while.”

  An’gel nodded, and Dickce said, “Of course.”

  Mireille nodded, and when Benjy and the animals were out of the room, she gazed at the sisters with a sad smile.

  “Do you think I’m being horrible and hurtful?” />
  An’gel got up from her place and took the chair Jacqueline had vacated. Dickce moved to sit on the other side of their cousin.

  “My dear, I honestly don’t know what to think.” An’gel patted Mireille’s hand, then squeezed it. “I know you’ve had a lot to bear over the years, and it’s no wonder you’re weary of it.”

  “You sure have,” Dickce said. “We hate to see you and your family in such a terrible state. Is there anything we can do?”

  “Thank you both,” Mireille said. “Your support means a lot. I can’t quite believe myself that I have finally spoken up to say ‘enough is enough.’” She sighed heavily. “I guess I don’t want to spend whatever time I have left dealing with all this drama. Sometimes it’s like living in the middle of a soap opera, and I’m weary from trying to keep things calm and stable around here.”

  An’gel felt a mild chill at the words whatever time I have left. Was that simply an expression, or did it have a deeper meaning in Mireille’s case?

  She decided she might as well ask. If she didn’t, Dickce would. Her sister was too nosy sometimes.

  “Mireille, are there any health problems you haven’t told us about?” she asked.

  Mireille gave a faint smile. “My heart isn’t in the best shape, I’m afraid. My doctor says I’m good for a few more years, though.”

  “Oh, my dear,” Dickce said, and An’gel could see her sister’s eyes welling with tears. She had to blink back a few herself. She didn’t want to distress her cousin by breaking down, however.

  “Then you certainly deserve to rid yourself of whatever stress you can.” An’gel spoke in what she hoped was a firm, reassuring tone. “Is Jacqueline aware of this?”

  “No,” Mireille said. “I’d rather you didn’t tell her. She’s going to have enough to deal with, because I refuse to deal with my granddaughter anymore.”

  “I should think not,” Dickce said.

  “I’m so happy you’re here.” Mireille glanced at each of them in turn. “I don’t feel quite so alone now.”