 This proved to be a financial disaster for them, and they returned to Brussels and a life of relative poverty.In the 1840s, Zoé wrote two novels, "Fièvres de l'âme" (1844) and "Le Monde enviable" (1846), as well as an overview of biblical history for use in schools, "Abrégé de l'histoire sainte" (1848).On 21 June 1847, Zoé was appointed inspector of girls' schools for the city of Brussels.