It was getting close to mid-day the following day, when Therese first caught a glimpse of the coast of France. The confirmation of seeing it made her heart jump with excitement. The entire trip was made in thought and now it held in her heart, if those thoughts would come to pass. The hazy line of mist finally gave way to the coastal splendour of St. Brieuc, the same place she left from in misery, but now returning to in joy. Even the brightly painted buildings took on a cheerier complexion.
As the ship was docked and being unloaded, Therese made sure her belongings were kept together and secure. It was the familiar voice of Marie, that made her heart leap with joy when she heard it. She turned to look down the pier and saw Marie, standing by a carriage, smiling and waving to her.
The women came to each other and met in a warm, loving embrace. To Therese, Marie was the only thing close to a mother left in her life. They kissed each other on the cheek and held each other at arms length. Tears of happiness filled both their eyes, as rejoining brought an end to a separation neither had wanted to happen. The carriage was brought up and Therese's belongings were stacked on the tail section and tied securely to it. The driver helped Therese and Marie into the carriage, then climbed up to his seat, before giving the command to go and Therese was excitedly on her way back to Chateau de Trecesson, home.
The trip was spent telling Marie, of Douglas Wallace, how horrid a man he was and her refusal to commit to the agreement and then about Garreth. She told Marie everything that happened from being knocked over, to her final farewell kiss. Marie hugged her in happiness, feeling Therese had had enough misery in her life already and this was a much needed change to it.
As Trecesson came into view between the line of oaks, Therese felt a lump come to her throat, the heart-felt joy becoming over-whelming and tears trailed from her eyes. Once the carriage stopped in the courtyard, Therese alit on her own ground for the first time. The feeling of being the Lady of the Chateau hadn't quite sunk in yet, but the servantry treated her with all the graces of her title. She turned full-circle, taking in everything, as if for the first time.
Once unpacked and settled, she made her way to the small chapel in the Chateau and prayed for her parents souls. She had a couple of the young girls gather flowers and had them brought to her parents graves and placed carefully, on the now grassy mounds. It would be one of her first duties to do, the commissioning of their portraits done, to hang in prominence in the great hall. Of the several smaller ones of them, she wanted grand masterpieces to commemorate them by. She walked back inside and stood in the hall, imagining them hanging there in front of her. She turned to her right and imagined two more portraits adorning the wall. One of her and one of Garreth.
Her first night was spent with Marie and several of the female servants, telling them stories of what Scotland and the men were like and they told her everything that had happened since she was gone. Now that Therese was back, the Chateau and estate would be put back in her hands and no longer under the Sheriff's, his appointment by the King now over. They discussed everything about the imposter who killed her parents and how the plot to take over the Chateau almost worked.
It was the imposter's fake seal of the real Henri de Trecesson, that was his undoing. The papers were identified as fakes, after they were compared to others by the Sheriff. The imposter Leon St. Gilbert, had been caught with other forged documents, implicating him in other crimes of murder and fraud. In two days, she would be in Paris and face the man who nearly took her life away.
The joy of riding through the estate the next morning and seeing everyone again, made Therese happier than she could remember. Seeing people who had worked for her parents and now working for her, stopping to greet her and welcome her back, made everything seem right again in her world. She spent time with each and every person she came across, sharing their lives and getting to know them all over again. Many expressed their sorrow at her parent's passing, letting her know they missed them and prayed for their souls regularly.
The next day found her nervous with anticipation and dread, as she prepared to attend the sentencing of her parent's killer. Her conscience weighed heavy on her mind, wanting justice for her parents death, but dreading having to see him face to face, as was required of her to bring her charges to a close, as the accuser.
Her carriage ride to Paris, took her along the same roads she had travelled with Arabella. What seemed like a lifetime ago now, brought back happy memories of their time together. She hoped Garreth asked Grayson and soon she word hear word from Arabella again. She imagined her now with several children and enjoying the life of a Lady with Logan. She imagined the day Garreth and her would be together, raising a family, the two life-long friends, bringing their families together even closer.
The splendour of Paris, compared to the primitive, bleakness of Scotland she had just left, had her feeling more like the lady she was. The beautiful buildings being constructed, along with a magnificent new bridge, Pont Neuf, had her staring at the dawn of the Renaissance era. As she approached the Office of the Sheriff, her stomach started feeling queasy and unsettled, the thought of seeing that murderous man and what he had done, made her weak in her resolve and she did her best to steady and calm herself.
As the guard led her into the building and then to the office, Therese looked at the splendour of the architecture and the artwork adorning the hall. After being bade entry, the guard bowed and left, closing the door and putting a beginning to an closure, to a sad part of her life. Therese looked at the man standing before her and knew him from several visits he had made to the chateau to see her father. Some seemed like friendly visits, while others sounded like serious trouble was going to, or did happen.
The Sheriff showed Therese all the investigations that were carried out and the evidence found of a plot to kill her. Therese was satisfied that they had done a thorough job and signed the Royal papers, closing that chapter. It was the next chapter, Therese wasn't sure she wanted to know about. As was the law, Therese was required to watch sentencing and the punishment. For the crimes against her parents and those of others, he was to hang, later that morning.
Ormand brought out the charter and decree by King Henri III, titling Chateau de Trecesson and all its holdings to Therese. Her heart skipped a beat, seeing her new title for the first time, Lady Therese de Mornay de Trecesson. The decree came with instructions to have a new seal made, denoting her new title and have it registered with him to confirm authenticity.
