Chapter 3: Old Faces, New Faces

"Elizabeth Tudor, is that you?"

Elizabeth looked up from her book when she heard her name. A familiar, if unwelcome, face loomed in front of her. "Bess Hardwick? What are you doing here?"

"A couple of us decided to move away and get a house together after graduation. Francis Drake, Walter Raleigh, Margaret Radcliffe and I are rooming together for awhile. So this is where you and Robin ran off to."

Elizabeth, grateful that Robert isn't here to hear Bess call him by his old nickname and surprised at the friendly greeting, gets up and shakes her old classmate's hand. "Yes, Robert and I live here now."

"Tell me, is it true that you had a huge fight with your father, packed your bags, told him good riddance and slammed the door in his face? Everyone at home is saying that you left town in a very dramatic fasion."

Elizabeth frowns. "No, I told him at dinner after graduation that I intended to move away. Robert and I left the next day."

"So you didn't tell him that you didn't want anything to do with his dirty money?"

"No, not at all."

"Was he, like, really upset?"

"No." Elizabeth is not keen on sharing the details of anything related to her father with this woman. "He was surprised, but he said he was happy for me."

"I can't believe Henry Tudor let you leave town without throwing a temper tantrum."

"Bess, he would have had to care enough about me to get upset."

Bess smiles sympathetically. "Well, I suppose the fact that he didn't care is why you left in the first place. At least you have Robin!  Nobody was surprised that he went with you. He's only worshiped the ground you walked on since elementary school.  I think it is wonderfully romantic. You were unhappy, and your sweet Robin swept you off your feet and carried you to Sunset Valley to live happily ever after. You're living a real love story, Elizabeth, everyone says so.  I mean, you met him in elementary school..."

Elizabeth listens quietly while Bess chatters, not particularly interested in hearing the town's gossip about her. She has half a mind to detail Bess's imaginings about her relationship with Robert to Robert himself. Maybe he could turn it into a novel...

"...Then, to top it off, you eloped! Nothing is more romantic than runaway lovers who get married. Did you get married on the beach? That's what I would have done. At sunset, of course. You must be so happy.  You look happy, you know. Much happier than you ever did when we were in school."

"I am happy," Elizabeth replies. "I've never been happier than I am now. But enough about me, Bess, I already know what I've been up to. What is new with you?"

"Walter and I got engaged last night! We're planning on getting married in a few days."

Elizabeth smiles warmly. Bess and Walter had been on and off throughout high school. "Congratulations Bess! I hope you two are very happy together."

"Oh, we are. I've got to dash, but I'll call you soon!" Bess says, heading for the door. "I'm so glad I found you, Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth waves goodbye, not entirely sure if she should be glad to see her old friend or not.

"You'll never guess who I ran into at the library today, Robert."

"It wasn't Christopher Steel, was it? He gave me dirty looks yesterday when I was watering the garden. He's pretty grumpy for a newlywed."

"No, not him. Bess Hardwick."

Robert furrows his brows as he looks up from his dinner. "Pray tell, what is she doing here?"

"She and a few people from school decided to move here."

"Huh. How interesting." He stabs his salad with his fork. "So, was she happy to see you?"

"Actually, yes. She seemed genuinely excited. It was like high school never happened. She told me she'd call me soon to set up a lunch date."

"I don't know, Elizabeth. I don't trust her. You know her father is your father's greatest rival in the business world. What if he's sent her here to befriend you and get insider information? That's what happened in high school. She used you then. What if she's using you now?"

Elizabeth cringes at the memory. It was a pivotal turning point in her desire to leave. "Maybe you're right, but did you stop to think that maybe she did exactly what we did for the same reasons? To get away from her manipulative father? Anyway, what kind of secrets could I have? I've cut all contact with my family. I never worked in the business. I don't know half of what Mary and Edward do."

"You don't need secrets to be a target," Robert says seriously. "Just connections. You may have cut them off, Elizabeth, but you can restore contact at any time. Everyone knows you and your father don't get along. They could try to manipulate you into finding and giving them information that would hurt him."

"That's ridiculous," Elizabeth replies. "I have no desire to hurt my father. I just don't want contact with him."

"I know that, dearest. I'm just worried that Bess and her father's cronies could manipulate you into feeling differently."

"Your concern is touching, but I think you're overreacting."

"Just keep what I said in mind. Deal?"

Elizabeth smiles. "Deal."

Elizabeth's garden is coming along quite nicely. Robert will use his cooking magic to turn these apples into delicious homemade pancakes.

"I didn't realize how much I would enjoy gardening," Elizabeth tells Robert over dinner. "It's really a lot of fun, and it's saving us so much money!"

Robert and Elizabeth are too frugal to go out to dinner or to a movie for their dates. Chess in Maywood Glen will have to do.

Luckily for them (but not for bystanders), the Tudors are naturally flirtatious, meaning any outing has the potential to turn into a romantic rendez-vous.

Robert didn't sweep Elizabeth off her feet so much as she jumped into his arms.

Elizabeth shyly suggests that their finances are stable enough to support a family...if Robert is ready to start one.

Robert is more than ready. He's been looking forward to children for quite awhile now, craving the idyllic white picket fence life that was so foreign to his own family.

Of course, what he actually says to Elizabeth is far from eloquent.

"ALL RIGHT! LET'S DO THIS!"

"...I'm right here, Robert. I'm rather fond of my hearing."

*coughs* "Right. Sorry about that."  

Sure enough, Bess calls a few days later. She has news she wants to share with Elizabeth and suggests lunch in a few days.  Robert begins predicting the worst, but Elizabeth figures it'll be news about the recent Raleigh wedding.

Elizabeth wakes up in the middle of the night one night and confirms that she is pregnant.

Robert is, of course, completely over the moon.

"Can I get you anything? Pancakes? Mac'n'cheese? I've been meaning to go to the store and get that cookie recipe. Would you like cookies?"

She actually hasn't had any cravings yet, but she wants to indulge her husband's puppy-like enthusiasm. "Pancakes would be wonderful, dear."

Robert listens eagerly, hoping to hear something.

True to her bookish nature, Elizabeth reads any pregnancy book she can get her hands on.

Bess comes calling the next day as she said she would. Clearly, her news wasn't as sinister as Robert was expecting.

"I'm pregnant! We weren't planning on starting our family so soon, but why not? We must be due around the same time, Elizabeth. Our babies can be playmates! Wouldn't that be delightful?"

Elizabeth is enthused about the idea. Robert, still suspicious of Bess and her intentions, decides to withhold judgement for the time being.

Both women feel the kicking of the other's babies.

Elizabeth and Bess enjoy a sappy romantic musical.

"I really don't understand how that actress keeps getting cast in musicals," Bess remarks. "I can sing better than she can, and I'm tone-deaf."

Robert suggests Elizabeth go to the spa to get a massage, but his frugal wife stubbornly insists that his massages will be just as effective at easing her back pain as the ones given by professionals.

Bess helps herself to ice cream. Elizabeth's current pregnancy means that the Tudors are well-stocked.

After what feels like only a few days, Elizabeth and Robert are heading to the hospital to welcome their child.

Baby Catherine joins the Tudor family. Her parents are beyond delighted.
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Presenting my feeble attempt at DRAMA!!  *dun dun dun*

Story Progression cracks me up. I created a few houses of real Elizabethans to add a historical geeky vibe to the neighborhood. One house had four roommates: Bess Hardwick, Margaret Radcliffe, Francis Drake, and Walter Raleigh.  In real life, Bess, a maid-of-honor to Queen Elizabeth I, was married to Walter Raleigh. Imagine my surprise when SP hooked those two Sims up without any intervention on my part. I had not put them in any romantic relationship in CAS or anything! Walter and Bess were meant to be, I suppose. Due to some aging glitch, Elizabeth and Robert are actually younger than Bess and her roommates, but we'll just pretend she had premature aging or something.

I really didn't mean to write Bess as the town gossip, but that's how her dialogue came out. I find it rather fitting, so I think I'll keep her that way. Maybe she's feigning her gossipy nature. We'll have to wait and find out. Her behavior in game cracks me up, so I'm planning on having her show up as often as she'll cooperate.

"Sweet Robin" was a pet name Elizabeth I had for the real Robert Dudley. Elizabeth tended to give nicknames to her favorite courtiers. She also referred to Dudley as "her eyes." William Cecil was known as "Spirit." Francis Walsingham was so tan that she called him her "Moor."

Catherine is adorable. I'm sad she's not my heir, I've grown very attached to her. She's already a child in game, and she's fun to play. The heir is the third child, whose birth will come up in a chapter or so.

The graphics on my laptop are atrocious.  I can't wait to get a new one. The terrible graphics are why I'm not posting that many pregnancy photos. My laptop makes them appear demented. If anybody has laptop recommendations, I'm more than open to suggestions.