The Price of Innocence (The Legacy Series) Read Online Free Page B

watch such sadness.”
    “No!” Suzette pulled away and stood her ground. She patiently watched the workers fill the hole. It was difficult to believe that her father’s sacrifice had brought him to such a disgraceful end.
    Edgar Rousseau incurred a large unsecured debt in order to purchase a perpetual plot for his wife inside the Père-Lachaise Cemetery. He commissioned a sculpted weeping angel for placement over her grave. Suzette never knew the financial cost of his expression of love. In addition, he had taken out several other loans to pay for her private education, a governess, and household expenses.
    How ironic that he would never spend eternity alongside the woman he so ardently loved. Instead, in five years, his bones would be exhumed and thrown into a pit to rest with thousands of others, unmarked and unnamed until the day of resurrection. She thought the final destination a terrible price to pay just to give his departed wife dignity in death.
    The men patted down the last clods of wet soil. The burial was over. Suzette felt a warm arm wrap around her waist.
    “Monsieur Pelletier and I have been talking, my dear. We wish you to stay with us for a while until you get back on your feet.”
    “Yes, Suzette,” he heartily agreed. “It’s the least we can do, but I’m afraid it cannot be for long.”
    Suzette looked at her neighbors while drying her cheeks with her handkerchief. They glanced at each other with painful expressions.
    “I appreciate your offer of generosity.”
    “You see, Suzette, before your father died, Adele and I made arrangements to move at the end of the month to Rouen to be with our daughter.” He glanced at his wife and continued. “We can only keep you for two weeks, and then I’m afraid you’ll have to make other arrangements.”
    Suzette felt dead and akin to the corpses underneath her feet. She merely accepted their proposal, afraid to think beyond the moment.
    “Yes, of course, I understand. I sincerely appreciate your help. I’m sure I will find something soon.” A feeling of dread clawed at her heels as she turned away from her father’s grave.
    * * *
     
    After the burial, Suzette was plagued by sleepless nights and sickening grief. She cried for days, unable to receive comfort from her neighbors and refused any food they brought for her to eat.
    A court order arrived setting a date for the estate sale. Suzette would be allowed to remove her own personal items, such as clothing and other essentials, but all other property was to be tagged, priced, and set for auction.
    Employees from a Parisian auction house arrived a few days beforehand and began to inventory the contents of their apartment. Suzette insisted on standing nearby as they sifted through the household goods. She collected what she could keep for herself, along with a few pictures of her mother and father. Items deemed of value were set aside for auction, while those deemed as trash were hauled away.
    By the end of the week, movers arrived to clear the apartment. The entire contents were stripped bare before her eyes, and what remained of her earthy belongings, fit into a small suitcase. The apartment landlord took the keys and made arrangements to rent out the residence she had once called home.
    Totally destitute, her neighbors showered her in sympathy and gave her the divan in their parlor as a bed. To her chagrin, however, they had begun to pack for their move to Rouen. Suzette felt threatened and insecure. As the time drew closer to their departure, the hopelessness of her situation gnawed at her heart.
    All her life someone had taken care of her. Somehow, she needed to find the strength to survive on her own, but she was frightened. Suzette listened to the kind advice of her neighbors, seeking wisdom on what to do next.
    “I think it’s time, Suzette. Perhaps you should talk with Father Joseph about temporary housing.”
    Monsieur Pelletier’s sympathetic voice offered the suggestion in earnest. He