From the time Cecily Brayton was 12 years old, she had pursued one goal: to become Mrs. James Haddaway.
To this end, each week did not seem complete until she had been invited to Haddaway Hall, where she might catch a glimpse of James passing through the foyer, or with luck be able to take tea with him in the drawing room. Of course, his mother and grandmother were always present, leaving little opportunity for Cecily to talk to him, but she was happy merely to be in his presence. “The more he sees me,” she wrote in her diary, “the greater the chance that he will fall in love with me.”
Naturally this chance was diminished when James went to college, which left Cecily feeling utterly lost. She no longer had anything to look forward to each week, and sitting through Mrs. Haddaway’s etiquette lessons during tea became tiresome when there was no hope of spying James anywhere. For weeks she wandered Brayton Hill in a cloud of melancholy so thick that even her father had to take notice.
“Cecily, are you ill?” he asked her one day as she languished on the sofa. He walked over and rested a hand upon her forehead, which felt warm, but not unusually so.
“I feel fine, Father,” Cecily said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m just tired.”
Now, Harry Brayton was a smart man and an excellent physician, but he was generally ignorant when it came to the hearts of young women. He grew up in a house full of boys, after all. If he had only stopped to think about the situation, he might have comprehended it — why, he himself had pined for someone not that long ago. But he was mysteriously dim when it came to Cecily, so when she said she was merely tired, he believed her and went about his business.
Harry’s wife Arianna, who was busy with her “votes for women” campaign, reacted much the same way. Only Carol, the maid and nanny, seemed concerned for Cecily. Carol had been orphaned at a young age and knew it must have been hard for Cecily to grow up without a mother. She also suspected the reason for Cecily’s behavior and was determined to keep an eye on her lest she do something rash.
Things continued on in this manner until one warm Sunday afternoon, James Haddaway’s younger brother Samuel showed up on the Braytons’ doorstep. Carol answered the door and let the young man in.
“Is Cecily here?” he asked eagerly. “I have something for her.”
Carol smiled, noticing the thin brown parcel Samuel was holding behind his back. Just then Cecily entered the parlor, having heard Samuel’s voice. She genuinely liked Samuel and was pleasantly surprised that he should come calling at Brayton Hill, especially bearing a gift.
“What is it?” Cecily asked by way of greeting.
Carol noted it was the first time in weeks that Cecily had shown interest in something. She quietly left the two young people to themselves.
Samuel handed Cecily the parcel, which she unwrapped with careful excitement. Beneath the brown paper was a stack of sheet music, all brand new, except for the last one, which had a more rumpled appearance. Cecily put that last one on top of the stack and admired the curvy print of the title, which read “I’m Looking For A Sweetheart”.
“I thought you might like that one since you like ‘I’ll Be Your Sweetheart’ so much. I’ve even learned how to play it, if you’d like to hear it.”
“Yes, very much,” Cecily said, her eyes bright. Eager for a distraction, she led him to the piano. Samuel settled himself on the bench while Cecily rested the sheet music on the ledge.
As Samuel began to play the jaunty tune, Cecily felt her melancholy melt away. Samuel wasn’t a very good piano player, she had to admit, but his flubs were quickly corrected, and he sang in a warm tenor voice. If Cecily closed her eyes, she could almost imagine it was James singing to her instead.
“Bravo!” Cecily exclaimed when the song was over. Samuel stood and bowed.
“Now, promise me you will learn it and play it next time you visit our house,” he said. “I’d like to hear how it’s supposed to be played.”
“I promise I will.” Cecily stood an awkward moment just smiling at Samuel, then remembered her manners. “Would you like to stay for tea?”
Ooooh. So creepy and so sad! She should be happy with Samuel, James comes across as arrogant anyway. Ah well, life sometimes isn’t so black and white. Might not even be for Sims either! Wonderful update!
Aww! That was really sad. I have been reading your stories for a while, but I have been to busy to respond. Your graphics are great, you stories are great, and you.. are great haha. I was worried for a while because you hadn’t written anything but I understand moving, even though I am only 15..oh well. Anyway happy moving in to your new home. Don’t get too exhausted!
Awwww! She should forget James and go with Samuel. It’s clear they get along well enough and James barely notices her.
Wow, awesome update, although very heartfelt. Which is good! ;-) Poor Samuel and Cecily. I feel so bad for them both. I hope everything turns out alright!
I’m glad to hear what’s up with Jen these days. I have to admit, I too was getting worried. I’m glad everything’s fine. And congrats on moving! I’m sure you’ll miss you’re current house, thoguh. I’ve had my experience of moving and I’m gald it’s over. Good locj on everything, Jen!
aww teenage angst I lvoe it :D Samuel’s really cute… I can’t believe Cecily is still going after James when her true love is right in front of her! ah well… can’t wait for the next updates! it’s so intriguing this family ^^
Wow that was awsome! I am amazed how you could write such a wonderful story in so little time! It was great but awfully upseting. It gave me a creep down my spine when reading about the ghost. Execelent Work!
P.S Glad your back!
Thanks for updating even in the midst of the turmoil surrounding you. Hope you enjoy your new house. Love the way you incorporated the ghost. oooooooooo.
My heart bleeds for poor Cecily, her heart torn as it. I hope she soon sees where her true love lies.
Aww, poor Cecily. Her mother’s ghost serously freaks me out!
I hope Arianna has an easy pregnancy with Baby No. Three!
E-Liz :)
Hey Jen! Splendid job darling, just splendid! Whew, moving back to our time..
Anyway, I wonder what the new baby will look like. Also, I had an idea. What if Carol and James were to meet…say, unexpectedly? Wouldn’t it be awesome if he fell in love with her and married her…to the utter shock of his family!? Hehe, just an idea.
I love this update as usual and though I love knowing about Cecily and her teenage love I can’t wait to see how Arthur is turning out. I’m not trying to nag! I just can’t wait to see how the heir’s life is turning out.
Hey everyone, thanks for the comments and feedback! I know the Brayton saga has been very Cecily-centric lately, but rest assured that the next post will feature more of the rest of the family. And Arthur will get his moment in the spotlight…someday. ;-)
Vivi, your suggestion made me chuckle because I almost did that!
I don’t like Cecily. Her infatuation with someone she hardly knows seems really childish. x.o But seeing as how her father was “having a boychild” obsessed, I suppose that would cause me to attempt to break away too… x.x
Wow. o_O more likea story than a sims2 thing, eh?
What have you created, Jen?! xD
Wait, hey, I LIKE Cecily! :D A lot. I hope that when she marries and moves out you’ll continue on with her story. I’ve become a bit obsessed with her since you started focusing so much on her.
Thank you so much for the time you put into this, hon. I am so utterly pregnant that coming in to look at your blog always makes me cry in that wonderful, heartwarmth way. You are a real inspiration to Sims2 Storytellers. Thank you so much for everything you do.
Good luck with the move!
Oh! By the way, Jen, can you please go ahead and change my link on your site? I’m sorry it took me so long to let you know about that and I only just noticed that I’ve been posting my comments with the old address. Whoops! Sorry about that!
Oh, I wonder what will happen to cecily… and what that poem means… please Jen, keep writing!!
How did the move go??
Jen what a great story so far.
Sorry I’m getting here a bit after the fact but I’m posting now.
Being a military wife I know all too well the joys of moving to a new home. Enjoy!
Questions:
* What interaction was that photo from when both Cecily and Samuel have looks like they just tasted sour lemons?
* Okay …What does that sentence in the poem mean?
Goodness poor Cecily I hope she finds her happy place and you continue with her story. Poor girl just needs one heck of a hug LOL :)
BTW I just posted an update so when you get a free minute from unpacking please stop on by.
Toodles…V :)
Mieko – Thanks for your comment; I welcome criticism! As long as you don’t mind if I defend Cecily a little. ;-) You’re right, her behavior is childish, but she’s only about 15 years old and haunted by the ghost of her mother, which would probably make anyone a little off-kilter. Also, I remember being around that age and crushing heavily on guys I barely knew, just because they were cute. It happens! But I totally see your point.
Becki – Thanks, I’m so glad you’re enjoying these stories. I think yours are awesome, too!! I’ve updated your link, BTW!
Yannick – I’m moving Thursday – Sunday, should be interesting! I’ll let you know how it went!
PRMami – Hi Vilma! Thanks for stopping by. To answer your questions: about the “sour lemons” photo, I honestly can’t remember what interaction caused that. I think Cecily might have tried to “Caress” or something equally high-level in the romance arena, and their relationship wasn’t quite high enough yet for that, so he declined it.
As for the poem, I don’t want to give anything away, but if you want to read the whole poem (it’s short, only two verses), you can maybe draw your own conclusions. ;-)
Hi Jen. wow you are moving this weekend. Oh i hope you will have plenty of help. I love the update. I kinda saw some of that happening but like i said in my last comments i think your are going to drift us to Samuel. I think you are going to bring more twists to this story. I’m really enjoying this family and your approach to this Legacy challenge.
But more than anything i’m truely enjoying your writting skills and your story telling.
Thanks for all your hard work. :-)
Happy simming. So looking forward to your next update.
Yes…I can relate to the girl.
I keep forgetting she’s still just a teenager. xD The outfit makes her look grownup. o.o
Hey!
Love the outfits and the toddler bed. They are soooo cute. You are a great writer. I love the sims2 too! Im not as great though!:)