dour, dower

Dour or dour means stern or gloomy--
The old woman's dour expression brightened when she saw her grandchildren.
The curmudgeon's dour manner never improved, even when he had visitors.

Dower or dower ( rhymes or nearly rhymes with dour ) describes property left to a woman, in general. It may mean property left by her deceased husband, or property that remained hers even when married, or that legally remained the woman's property, even when women couldn't own property, as a sort of trust--
This has been passed down through generations of her female ancestors as dower property.
The widow is legally entitled to one third of the estate; it will be the dower portion while she lives.
Dower may also be an old-fashioned word for "dowry", meaning money or property set aside in a woman's name when she married--
She won't marry without a proper dower; she's afraid of what might happen if she should be widowed.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The dower portion of the estate will relieve her financial worries, and perhaps improve her dour disposition."