There were only two respectable hotels in May Green, and the Granville was the finer of the two. It was best known for its grand lobby – three stories tall – full of warm, polished wood and sparkling lamps. But Cecily Brayton never saw the lobby of the Granville; she entered through the back door, by the kitchen, and made her way up a secluded stair. As she glanced cautiously to and fro, she thought of Carol and how many times she must have done the same thing, risking the rampant gossip of the town busybodies in order to spend a few quiet moments with her beloved.
The door creaked open below, and Cecily paused on the landing. Looking down past the balustrade, she saw the top of James’s head as he made his way up the stair. Her stomach whirled with anticipation as she continued onward, reaching the second floor and the room labeled “201â€. Fitting the brass key into the lock, she took a deep breath and turned the knob.
It wasn’t at all what she had expected. Though Carol hadn’t gone so far as to describe the exact layout of the suite, Cecily had imagined a separate drawing room at least, where Mayhew and Carol sat and sighed at each other, but it was all one big room, and the most prominent piece of furniture in it was a massive four-poster bed. Cecily flushed at the sight of it, as though she had walked in on Mayhew lounging in his pajamas.
In her surprise, she had left the door wide open, and through it strolled James, his footsteps light and hesitant.
“I don’t think anyone saw,†he said quietly, shutting the door behind him.
“Lovely, isn’t it?†Cecily said, trying to hide her sudden discomfort. “I’ve always heard the Granville was elegant. Though I expected Mayhew to have more…rooms.â€
James surveyed the space. “It looks barely inhabited,†he said absently. “Though I suppose it would, if he’s away.†He wandered over to the desk and ran his fingertips idly along the back of the chair.
Cecily felt her heart tighten. James seemed far away suddenly – almost cold in his detachment – but perhaps it was mere nervousness. She herself had felt all of her bravado melt away when she realized just how completely – and secretly – they were alone. She had to do something to make them both comfortable again.
“Shall we sit on the sofa?†she suggested. Without waiting for him to answer, she settled on the luxurious couch. He joined her, not speaking, and sat rather stiffly, tapping his fingers against his knee.
Cecily wondered if she had made a mistake in thinking a hotel room a reasonable place for a man to propose marriage. She had hoped their being secluded from distracting family members and other interruptions might entice him to sweep her into his arms again and profess his undying love and devotion, but somehow it had provoked the opposite effect.
If I could just get him to kiss me again, she thought, conscious of the growing darkness outside and the ticking of the clock on the desk. She couldn’t bear the thought of wasting this opportunity.
“You must think I’m horrible,†she said finally. “I feel horrible.†She fixed her eyes upon her gloved hands, resting neatly in her lap.
Beside her, James stirred sympathetically. “No, Cecily, you mustn’t.â€
He sat still for a few more seconds, then moved closer and slid his arm around her, as he had in the Brayton foyer a few days before. Cecily felt a powerful surge of joy – this was exactly what she wanted.
Impulsively, she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze, and he hugged her close to him, seeming to breathe her in. So this is what it’s like, Cecily mused, once again imagining Carol and Mayhew sitting like this for hours, each one savoring the other’s warmth and nearness. It seemed a heavenly way to spend the evening.
But after a few minutes she grew impatient. How long can this last? she wondered. Is he ever going to say anything? He had been so talkative in their previous encounters, so eager to tease her and make her blush, to reassure her of his affection – but tonight he seemed content to merely hold her close and stare at the walls.
She suddenly remembered what he had said out by the café: he would not tarnish her honor. That was it! He was being careful – so careful he had shut everything down, locked everything up, like a shop closing for the night. She must do something to shake him loose from such fierce concentration! Not because she wanted her honor tarnished – she wasn’t even sure if she knew what that meant, and no one was here to see them anyway – but because she needed to hear him say he loved her, and he wasn’t going to do any such thing if he was so wrapped up in being cautious.
“Well,†James sighed, as if to bring an end to their little tryst, but before he could do anything else, Cecily jumped lightly into his lap. “Well!†he said again, smiling in mild shock. “You are bold tonight! What’s gotten into you?â€
Cecily gave a carefree shrug. “I know what I want now.â€
James’s smile seemed to move from his lips to his eyes, becoming more intense in the process. “And what’s that?â€
“You,†she said innocently. She was unaware that such an answer had multiple meanings.
(continued on Page 2)
AWESOME!! How amazing! I lkove your style of writing! I wonder how Cecily will manage, maybe Max is her ment to be lover who knows what goes on in that head of yours! LOL
OH NO!!! Cecily…how stupid of her. She was asking for trouble and she didn’t even know it. I am looking forward to finding out how this turns out. Too bad she can’t be the legacy child because she is really much more interesting than her brothers. But, they haven’t become teens yet.
Ok,I’m a little creeped!Lol.It’s just,I don’t know,but I felt uncomfortable with what Cecily did with James.I have the feeling that he’s using her,and I just wish she would somehow find Samuel still loves her!I wonder if Max is going to say anything?!Does Cecily really love James?And are James,Cecily,and Samuel teens or young adults?Just curious because they look young.Keep the updates going!
Ashley, to answer your question — James, Samuel, and Cecily are all adults. :-)
… Squee. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
*flails hands, unable to find any words* :D
Gack.
She’s DOOMED, I’m telling you! DOOMED! *falls over*
I /hope/ she’s not, b ut I’m so afraid she is. x_X;
I think she /is/ doomed, then disowned, and then looked upon as the family black sheep, and shunned, and then, generations later, her great-great-etc. grandchild (if she has one) meets one of the grandchild’s distant cousins, and the rift between late Cecily (who probably COMMITED SUICIDE. Really! I’ll bet on it!) and her family will somehow be healed from beyond the grave.
But that’s just speculation. ^^;
Ahhh! Cecily! These updates always have me on the edge of my seat! XD Wonderful job! Can’t wait for the next one. :D
Such a great update Jen and I’m so happy it’s come so soon after the last one. It’s exciting to see what happens in Cecily’s life. She seems to stir up all kinds of drama, even when she is not trying to. :lol: I can’t wait for the next one.
Oh boy! Cecily thought she would not be seen and now this….shameful LOL! Well let’s just hope for her sake that they have a quickie wedding…OyVey!
.. *rolls on the floor at Blu’s comment* :D
Hahahahaha! *falls off chair* Ow.
Sorry, just made me laugh. The mental image of the whole post. Just ignore me, I’m weird. My theory is: James will die in a freak horse-and-carriage accident leaving Cecily unconsciously chuffed but sad on the outside. Her and Samuel will bond over their grieving and get it together, leaving his fiancee to go off the rails or whatever. Their romance will become one of the most famous in history due to Samuel becoming famous by inventing highlighters (the felt tips) and he will proclaim his love for Cecily on top of buildings or horses and such and then they will have lots of babies and their romance will be spoken of throughout the generations. And finally, their family line will create the person who ends world famine and finds the cure for cancer.
:D
*joins in the rolling and falling*
Blu and Helen, I like your plots way better than the one I came up with! ;-)
AAAAAAAHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Oh no, Ceily is doomed!!!!! *falls over, ends in a coma*
Blu and Helen you guys are hilarious!!!!!!
Jen Great UPDATE!!! Can’t wait until the next.
Jess
Rolling and falling at the same time? Ouch.
Aah, I am the queen of hilariosity! Blu rocks too! w00t! I’m in an excitable mood because I just booked the plane tickets for my holiday. Holidaaaaaaaaaay! *does an Irish jig on the table* Wooo!
Most of the sim stories I’ve ever read have bored me silly, but I’m really enjoying this one. Granted now I look ahead at the chapter to see if Cecily does something overly stupid (like “the kiss”), however I love how everything ties together. How far ahead do you plan? Is everything thats going to happen set in stone, or do you think of a few scenes and see what happens between?
I’m a hopeless romantic who’s easily pleased, so whilst I was er.. routing for Samuel, now that she’s with James I want them to stay together.. although trying to think of what could happen next only one of the scenarios had that happen..
..am now a little scared of what could happen in the next update..
Hi Claudia, glad to hear you’re enjoying the Brayton stories. As for planning ahead, I have a few things planned, but nothing is set in stone. I don’t really know what’s going to happen until I sit down to write it, which is why I have to take so many pictures — I try to account for different variations of each scene. But I usually end up taking more pictures after I write the update anyway!
Oooooh, I like Helen’s take, but I see Cecily pregnant with James’ baby and Samuel deciding to do the right thing. LOL.
Silly Cecily! Her mother needs to up the ante in the haunting stakes!
WooHoo! Way to go Cecily! Oh well, it figures I’d be the only one here who actually likes James (he is a Romance Sim right?) I can’t wait to read more!