Thanks to the same influence, the Government consented to throw a veil over the misdeeds of M. de Pléneuf, and to permit him to return to Paris, though it refused to restore him his property. His daughter, however, hastened to provide for his necessities, and soon afterwards secured for him the post of secretary to Sennecterre, who had been despatched to England to discuss with the British Government the question of the restoration of Gibraltar to Spain. The question of her relations with the Condé family presented some difficulty. The Duc de Bourbon’s two brothers, the Comte de Charolais and the Comte de Clermont, were disposed to be friendly enough. With the elder, indeed, she happened to be already on amicable terms, as some three years before, during a visit to Italy, he had stayed for a time at the French Embassy at Turin, and had been much pleased by the hospitality he had received while she had earned the gratitude of the Comte de Clermont by assisting him in a love-affair with a cousin of her own. But their sisters, with the exception of Mlle. de Clermont, were less inclined to complaisance, while it was plain that _Madame la Duchesse_ looked upon Madame de Prie’s subjugation of her son with a very jaundiced eye. _Madame la Duchesse_ had very little affection for the latter, but she aspired to control all his actions, and she strongly resented the appearance upon the scene of a rival influence. For some time she made no secret of her dislike of Madame de Prie, and treated her with the coldest disdain; and the favourite had need of all her suppleness to overcome her hostility. At length, however, the princess decided to accept the situation, and, though she continued to cherish for her son’s mistress a strong aversion, their relations were, to all appearances, perfectly cordial. Next, the astute young woman proceeded to ingratiate herself with the Regent, Cardinal Dubois, and other members of the Government. By Philippe d’Orléans she was, as we have seen, already very favourably regarded, and very soon she was admitted to the circle of his intimate friends. Profiting by the knowledge that Dubois, although he had little liking for _Monsieur le Duc_, cared still less for the adversaries of the Condés, she sought eagerly for opportunities of rendering herself useful to him, and succeeded so well that before long she was able to reckon with confidence upon the support of his Eminence, who was becoming more powerful every day.