Chapter 38: Full House

Time passed. Amice and William grew older but remained as in love as they’d ever been.

Adelina’s small florist did so well that she was able to buy herself a shop on Main Street and hire staff to help her run it.

Her flowers were so fragrant that they put everyone who entered her shop into a good mood and business boomed.

James, the eldest of Amice and William’s children, was inspired by her and started tinkering with machines in hopes of becoming a great inventor and starting his own business one day.

Although Amice had pressured him to take a wife since he’d come of age, he showed little interest in anything but accumulating wealth.

Their second child, Harry, was a gentle soul who loved music and art.

Unfortunately this meant that his head was often stuck in the clouds and he battled academically, narrowly escaping being sent to military school.

Their youngest, Jonny, was active and outdoorsy like his father.

But with everything else happening on the estate that had grown into a giant home packed with people, he did not get much attention.

So Jonny had an imaginary bunny friend who’d come to visit him when he was lonely.

And who wasn’t creepy at all. No, not at all.

The happy family life in the estate came to an abrupt halt when Marissa inexplicably collapsed.

She did not make it through the night. Simon took the loss of his dear wife incredibly hard.

It was not long before he followed her into the next life.

Though his children and grandchildren were devastated, it was a small comfort that his portrait would forever watch over them.

---

Start reading at the beginning

Custom content shout-outs

My little house (little, ha!) is entering the Victorian Era now. Some of the critical Victorian goodies to make the look:

Wallpapers from the 1860s and 1870s by fruitsymphony
Victorian-Gothic Set by Adele
Homey Touches: The Nursery Set~ 16 New Meshes by sweetswami77 

Chapter 33: Family business

Amice was so excited about the expected bundle of joy that she wouldn’t stop talking about it to anyone who’d listen.

Late one night when she was down in the pantry getting herself a midnight snack, she went into labour!

She delivered a bouncing baby boy who they called James.

Everyone in the family was besotted with the child – to the point where Amice had to lock herself in the nursery to get any alone time with her son at all (and also so that poor James could get some sleep and not have relatives playing with and feeding him 24/7).

Meanwhile, Adelina had grown into a beautiful and ambitious young lady.

She enjoyed flower arranging.

She’d sworn to herself that she’d never be poor as her parents had been, so she decided to start selling her arrangements – even though the family had no need of any financial contribution from her at all.

Adelina had seen how volatile wealth could be and she feared that Marissa and Simon would pass away, leaving William – a falconer of all things – as the sole provider for his expanding family.

She set up a small flower shop at the edge of the property, selling her arrangements on weekends.

---

Start reading at the beginning

Adelina’s stunning dress is Teen Regency Dress from All About Style.

Chapter 31: Wedding!

When Amice wrote to her father of her engagement, he was so delighted that he decided to sponsor a wedding gift (of her choosing) on top of her handsome dowry.

Amice elected to have the piece of land where William had proposed turned into a small lake that let out into a swimming pool. This gave William – who loved the outdoors – the ability go fishing whenever he desired…

Amice a pool to bathe in…

and the couple a beautiful location for the nuptials.

William’s friends from the academy attended.

It was a stunning Spring wedding.

---

Amice’s wedding dress is Meryton Ball from AllAboutStyle.

 

Chapter 30: Amice

William graduated from Guildenstern Academy at the end of the year.

He parted reluctantly from his friends, with promises to write often and to invite them to visit at the estate.

His heart was not too heavy though. He was taking the girl he’d been courting, Amice, home to meet his family!

He introduced her to Marissa first.

Marissa was immediately impressed.

“You should marry this girl,” she said. “She’s good-natured, from a good family.”

William was doubtful at first – he was so young! But the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of having Amice join the family.

He took her for a picnic in the field beside the house.

And while they sat under the blue sky, he started making vague inquiries about whether her family would be open to the match.

She revealed that her father had already returned to her home country. She’d been meant to join him, but had elected to rather visit with William.

“I’d find it very difficult to be parted from you,” she confessed, colour rising in her cheeks.

William thought that was the perfect opening to get up on one knee…

Amice jumped to her feet in surprise. Then…

She said she’d be delighted to accept.

William was a bit concerned that he’d rushed things. He cared very deeply for her, but he feared he might not be ready for marriage.

---

I’m convinced William has found the prettiest NPC in the entire game. Amice’s outfit and hair is by JenFold.

Click here to start at Chapter 1.

 

Chapter 29: Guildenstern Academy: Part two

The following entry in the Legacy Family annuals takes the form of a letter home from William, still studying at the prestigious Guildenstern Academy.

Dearest Mother and Father,

I hope all is well back at the estate and that young Adelina is continuing to excel in her schooling.

The Academy is most agreeable. I am not wanting for intellectual stimulation or comforts.

I wrote to you last that my associate, Mr Rosencrantz Speare, professed himself quite well-traveled and well-versed in matters of the heart.

It seems the boot is on quite the other leg. I have since discovered that he spends the majority of his days in deep study.

His roguish attitude is but a sham he spins in the hopes of attracting impressionable young ladies!

I wrote to you also that my associates were dangling after our local bluestocking, Hawise – the dean’s daughter. Her intellect is impressive and I must admit that I, too, held a little torch for her.

We all expected she would choose the affections of our resident gabster, Mr Romeo Prince. I dare say no one was more surprised than the man himself when she approached Mr Heath Cliffe and gave him a kiss!

She is a thoroughly modern women, but even so none of us can comprehend why she should choose to be so free with her affections when it comes to old Cliffe! The man is committed to his studies, I’ll give him that, but some of his ideas seem dangerous.

Why, just the other day he managed to make his entire body invisible! It was quite the sight to behold. I do not blame you if you do not believe me, had I not seen it myself I would be very skeptical indeed.

I hear that Mr Speare felt rather desperate after Hawise’s revelation and took himself down to the wishing well at the bath house to plead fate for a match. What he wouldn’t tell me is what the outcome was.

Apparently – and this is word from Romeo Prince so take it from whence it comes! – his wish was granted in the form of an old woman of 60  years! Apparently – and again I would not necessarily trust Mr Prince’s word on the matter – they shared a romantic interlude. I do not know whether Speare will pursue this relationship. 

Speaking of relationships, and do forgive me for taking so long coming to this piece of news, I have met a young lady myself!

Her name is Amice and she is the daughter of a highly regarded diplomat who was visiting the academy. 

If you approve, I will be bringing her home to meet you when I complete my studies next month. 

Kindest regards, 

Your affectionate son,

William

Chapter 28: Guildenstern Academy: Part one

William took residence with four other young gentlemen and a young lady who had been granted special dispensation to study at the college as her father was the Dean.

He quickly became friends with a group who called themselves the “young romantics”.

Rosencrantz, whose room was next to William’s, was a philosopher who wanted to travel the world and capture the beauty of life in art.

Heath was an anxious young man who wanted to build the machines of the future. “Steam is the future,” he’d tell a disinterested William. “We can harness the power of the sun to build machines of im…immense power.”

Romeo was the least complicated of the three. He liked women. All women.

The four would study together and talk philosophy late into the night.

Meanwhile, back at home, the estate seemed very empty with only Simon and Marissa living there. Marissa had grown too old to have more children, but she longed to hear their laughter echoing down the halls.

When she discovered that a man killed in an accident at the docks had a young daughter who he’d been raising alone, she knew she had to take her in.

Her name was Adelina.

 

Marissa soon came to love the little girl as her own.

 

Click here to start at the beginning

 

Chapter 27: Where there’s a Will…

With Anita and the twins’ departure, Legacy Estate was quieter than it had been in years.

(With the exception of regular ghostly encounters).

While Simon tried to impart as much wisdom as he could to his son, William was just not challenged enough and struggled academically.

The family wanted to send him to a local, highly-respected, tutor. Unfortunately the family had gained a reputation. With Anita’s bastard children and Marissa working (!) for her father, the tutor declared that this was “not the sort of family we want associated with our establishment”.

Marissa was upset and quite inconsolable at the thought that she was preventing her son from having the education he deserved. Luckily, as she was walking in the garden one night she came upon an old lamp…

As she examined it, she saw an engraving and attempted to rub some dirt away to see it.

A genie appeared!! It asked her what she wanted most in life and she said “peace of mind.” Her wish was instantly granted and she never worried about a thing again. (Although to some it might appear as if she had spent some time in an opium den, as she began to walk around with a little smile and a far off look in her eyes.)

William started to show a keen interest in the outdoors and as he grew it became clear that birds were a firm favourite.

The family elected to send him away to the highly respected Guildenstern Academy to learn more about the animal world (and the world in general).

 Click here to start at the beginning

Chapter 26: Freedom

Anita cast aside her finery and prepared to leave with Todd for life’s new adventure. She was nervous. Todd, meanwhile,was second-guessing her decision to come with him instead of following the more traditional route. Would she be happy living his life?

Anita left in the middle of the night, leaving a letter with Marissa for her brother. She knew that no matter what Simon’d said about allowing her to make her own choices, this move would be too drastic for him. There was no chance he would approve.

Unknown to her, he watched from an upper-story window and waved silently, wondering if he’d made the right choice letting her leave.

Todd’s abode may have been small, but it opened on the wide, blue sky. It was a large playground, a schoolroom more enthralling than anything Anita had known in her childhood.

She was happier living that simple life than she’d ever been at the Legacy Estate.

 

Click here to start at the beginning

Chapter 25: Difficult decision

Anita was still thinking about what she wanted to do regarding her feelings for Todd now that she had Simon’s blessing to follow her heart.

In the end it was Todd who found her in the library and asked her if she still had feelings for him.

“I do,” she said. “But it’s not the same as it was before, since the babies.”

“I have those two little girls now and they have to come first.”

“I agree,” said Todd,” They have to come first.”

“I’ve been thinking for some time now, and I know what must be done,” he said.

Then he dropped to one knee…

“Anita, I should have done this a long time ago. Would you be my wife?”

Anita was completely overwhelmed, “But you said… about commitment…”

“Yes,” Todd acknowledged, “But I want to be there for my children.”

Anita was happy to be engaged to Todd, but something about it didn’t sit right with her. She knew that he had proposed because what he really wanted was to be near his girls, and he seemed to think that marriage was the only way to accomplish that.

Anita had a heart-to-heart with Marissa. “It doesn’t feel right to make him live here. He hates this building, he says it’s like a cage. Could I live with myself if I did that?”

Marissa, who’d become a close friend, took Anita’s hands and said, “Haven’t you always felt the same about this house?”

And just like that, Anita realised what she wanted to do.

She went to find Todd and decided to propose an alternative. “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “How about instead of you coming and living with us here, we went back and lived with you.”

The words sounded crazy coming from her lips, she knew how small his cottage was and how simple his existence, but at the same time she couldn’t help but laugh with joy.

“I would love that more than anything,” Todd said, joining in her laughter.

 

 Click here to start at the beginning

Chapter 24: This mortal coil

True to his word, Todd came to the house almost every day to visit his daughters and to help care for them.

As they grew, Arabella in particular was inseparable from him, often following him around the house.

However, Anita still kept her distance. She felt conflicted, knowing how strongly her family disapproved of her having any relationship with Todd (ghosts included) – not to mention the universe at large that seemed to punish her whenever they got close.

The family was rocked again with Abigail’s death, one evening while she was babysitting.

Young William was too small still to understand what had happened, asking Anita when granny was coming home.

Anita was feeling so torn up inside that she approached Simon. She suddenly wanted to talk to him about Todd, she wanted his blessing to open her heart to him.

Blessing was not forthcoming. In fact, Simon had a few strong words to say about Todd before storming away.

Aunt Elizabeth returned from her travels to pay her respects and to help the family through this difficult time. She was delighted to meet Marissa. “I’m sure we’ll be best friends!” she declared.

Anita was relieved to see her. “Everything’s been so awful since you left!” she sobbed.

Anita told Elizabeth everything that had happened, including how she came to be a mother and how Simon would not let Todd come near her on pain of death.

Before she left, Elizabeth took Simon aside and had a word with him. She said she understood his desire to look after his sister but that he had to remember he wasn’t her parent. Maybe she needed Todd?

After she’d left, Simon found Anita in the Drawing Room. “Can  you talk for a minute?” Simon asked. Without waiting for answer he plunged on. “Listen, I know we’re born only a few hours apart, but I’ve always thought of you as my baby sister.”

“Not only that, but you’re my very best friend,” Simon continued. “I want what’s best for you.”

“How do you know that being with Todd isn’t what’s best for me?” Anita challenged.

“Well that’s just the thing,” Simon said. “Aunt Elizabeth made me realise that I can’t possibly know that. Regardless, it’s your choice to make.”

Anita wasn’t sure she knew what the answer was either, but it made her heart glad to know that she had Simon’s support.

Click here to start at the beginning