Sylvie knew firsthand how much Rene had wanted a brother. He’d basically adopted hers. “You wanted more kids?”
“Oh, yes,” Cricket answered. “I’ll be honest, Rene saved our marriage in a lot of ways. We were older for a first-time marriage back then. I had a career in college teaching. Ross and I decided to get married very quickly, and I don’t honestly believe it would have survived more than a few years if I hadn’t gotten pregnant. I might have gone back to Dallas and settled into being a spinster.”
An incredibly wealthy spinster. “But you stayed married for Rene?”
“I did, and I’m grateful I did. Ross and I were good together, especially in the end. Sometimes love grows on a person. Sometimes the things we start for the wrong reasons end up being the best thing that could have happened to us. I can’t say I love the family I married into. They’re selfish and entitled, and think the name ‘Darois’ should open all doors for them. But I love my son and, oh, my sweet girl, how I love you and hope that I one day get to hold my grandbabies. I wouldn’t change where I am now for anything in the world.”
“I love you, too.” She did adore this small family she found herself in, and she could understand Cricket holding the rest of the Darois family at arm’s length. “But I don’t think I would want to exchange the freedom to be who I am for all these things.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Cricket’s face. “I don’t know about that. I happen to know there’s a stunning Chanel bag in one of those boxes. Also, this is only part one. The personal shopper is bringing in the stuff from Neiman Marcus later on today.”
“You know what I’m saying.”
“There’s always a trade-off. No matter what we do,” Cricket said. “It’s all about finding which cage we’re willing to walk into, to be comfortable in. That’s the important thing in life. The good news is some of us get to pick our cages and others are trapped there by circumstance. But no matter who you are, there’s always a cage. I’ve heard Rene refer to it that way. I like to think of it as picking a room. You’re mostly given a choice, though it’s obviously not the same for everyone. But you’re only going to get one room. You only get to decorate it in one way. You might redecorate every now and then, but it’s still your room. It’s still the place you live. You can walk out sometimes and visit other rooms, but you go back at night and that’s where you sleep. Maybe you have children and build on to the room, but that means less chance to see other rooms. Maybe you choose not to have children and spend your time exploring when you can. Then your room might change, it might grow, but not in the same way.”
She understood what her mother-in-law was saying, and there was certainly truth to it. “We get one life and no one has endless choices.”
Cricket was quiet for a moment. “I know you think we’re living in some kind of gilded cage, but it’s a good life. Do you know what the best thing about it is?”
She glanced over at the bags. “The shopping?”
Cricket grinned, an expression that made her look younger. “Oh, that’s fun, but no. The best thing is that I rarely have to feel helpless.”
Recent history had disproven that. “I would bet you felt helpless when you lost your husband, when you found out you had cancer.”
“Death is inevitable, my dear. I wish Ross and I had more time. We didn’t get to enjoy each other the way we should have.” Cricket was quiet for a moment, as though she was trying to figure out how much to say. “We had a lot of trouble at the beginning of our marriage. I don’t think either of us took it as seriously as we should have. My husband was a good man, but he wasn’t a perfect man. We struggled a lot to find out how it could work between us. As for the cancer, yes, that was terrible, but I had it better than most. There are things we can’t change, but that’s not what I mean. Every human being will face things they have no power over. Every creature, really. Like this one. She would have died, likely, if someone with the means to save her hadn’t come along. There’s something terrible about seeing a problem and not being able to solve it.”
Sylvie turned to the woman who had very likely made it possible for her to go to Tulane. “Like a girl who can’t afford college?”
Cricket practically glowed in the afternoon light, and there was such joy in her eyes. “Yes, love, that’s what I mean. Seeing smart, ambitious children who are only held back by their lack of funds can make a person feel helpless. I didn’t understand that until I got here, you know. In Dallas, I was insulated. There was a lot of diversity there, but in my world, everyone was wealthy. Here, I can’t ignore it. It’s not something I read about in the paper. It’s something people I’ve come to care about experience. And I don’t have to feel helpless. I can make up a scholarship and those brilliant children who were so kind to my own son could go to any school they wanted.”
Sylvie snapped her fingers. “I knew Andre didn’t get in on his own. He did not have the grades.”
Cricket sat up a bit straighter. “Your brother’s talents made up for his lack of a studious mind. He’s an artist. He only needed a bit of help to get his work in front of the right people.”
Sylvie moved over to the small sofa Cricket was sitting on and sank down beside her. “The two brilliant kids thank you. I know what you mean by helping. When I got to DC, I thought that was what I wanted. I found it to be hollow. I know everyone thinks it was a huge step down to come here and take over city hall, but I think I want to stay. I can make a difference here.” She needed to be completely honest with her mother-in-law. “I’m never going to be happy as a stay-at-home mom. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the work they do . . .”
Cricket waved her off. “No one expects you to. I rather think Rene likes the fact that his wife is capable of handling this whole town. He intends to back you wherever you choose to go and whatever you want to do. I overheard him talking about putting a small landing strip on part of the estate.”
In case she wanted to go into state legislature. “That’s premature. I’m happy here for now. I want to get the town’s infrastructure modernized before I even think about making a career change.”
“I’m glad to hear that, because I want you around for a long time. I know that you and Rene married because of this situation with his family and the company.” She sat for a moment, her hand stroking Lady’s back. “But sometimes those arrangements can work out.”
“Like you and Ross?” Sylvie asked.
“Figured that out, did you? That’s why I said we likely would have divorced if I hadn’t gotten pregnant with Rene. I did it to help out a friend, and because honestly, it seemed like an adventure. After a few rough years, we turned out to be pretty good for each other. I think we would have had a wonderful retirement had he survived. Ross was a workaholic. Rene isn’t the same. He doesn’t love it the way Ross did. And the two of you have a much better base to start from. You already loved each other.”