Chapter 12: The Things that Cause a Quiet Life

Day by day, life regains a sort of normalcy for Elizabeth. It's the little routines, like family dinners, that really help.

Philippa's birthday is a quiet celebration with just immediate family.

Elizabeth helps her youngest blow out her candles. She can't believe Philippa will be starting school already.

Philippa grows into an energetic girl who loves to dance. She has the best moves of all the Tudors. Nobody knows where she picked them up.

Elizabeth is gardening in the early evening when Carmen Raleigh approaches.

"Mrs. Tudor? I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Carmen. I'm Catherine's boyfriend."

"I remember," Elizabeth says quietly. "Catherine's inside, if you want to see her."

"Thanks. I'm here to pick her up. We're going to Luigi's, if that's okay with you and Mr. Tudor."

"As long as you're home by curfew." She smiles at the teenager. Her daughter was right; he is pretty cute. Clearly, Catherine had told him Elizabeth wasn't particularly keen on them dating, despite her recent apology. His hands are shaking. "Have a good time."

As a musician, Carmen is very passionate about current musical criticism. He sometimes has trouble letting issues go, even when he's on a date with his pretty girlfriend.

"This one idiot says that Seo's playing is too passionate, but he couldn't be more wrong, especially on that recording! One does not play Schubert with restraint! This isn't the delicate music of Haydn! He was a Romantic composer! Passion and sentiment should ooze out of every note. The music should sweep you off your feet and carry you on a wave of emotion! You should be moved to tears, I say! TO TEARS!"

"Carmen?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we stop talking about Schubert now?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry, I got carried away there. Let's get a drink! The Shirley Temples are actually pretty good."

"Do you know what that silly critic said next, Mr. Bartender? He said that Seo used TOO MUCH VIBRATO. Do you know that it is IMPOSSIBLE to use too much vibrato in that kind of piece? I mean, what kind of world are we living in? Granted, this is the same critic who said the final march in the fourth movement of Shostakovich's fifth symphony should be played slowly. What does he think the final movement is supposed to be, a funeral dirge? "

Catherine drains her glass. She's going to need something stronger to sit through another lecture on Schubert and his friend Shostakovich.

The twins' birthday comes not long after Philippa's. Robert and Elizabeth plan a big party to celebrate.

Manu Knollys-Bachelor is a friend of Jane's from school. Jane doesn't consider herself an expert on fashion, but she can't believe his mother lets him out of the house dressed like that. At least he's fun to dance with.

 James ponders about his birthday wish before blowing out his candles. There are so many things to wish for: how's a boy to choose?

He grows into a handsome young man.

Jane doesn't worry about her birthday wish. She blows out her candles as fast as she can.

She becomes a lovely young woman, who is more than ready to start school in the morning.

"Are the teachers any good, Catherine? I hope so. I can't wait to start chemistry and algebra and..."

"Did anybody ever tell you how strange you are?" Catherine asks.

"I make it a point to tell her that daily, but she just ignores me," James says idly, pulling a slice of cake from the fridge.

"Your choice of blue slippers negate the validity of your criticisms," Jane says smartly. "I mean, if you have to wear fluffy slippers, couldn't they at least match your bathrobe?"

James walks to the living room. "This is how I roll, Jane. Fluffy blue slippers are where it's at!"

Catherine rolls her eyes as the twins bicker. "Well, don't get into to much trouble on your first day, genius. I've got a reputation to maintain."

"Yeah, sure you have a reputation," Jane smirks. "By the way, nice hickey, Catherine."

Catherine chokes on her salad. "That's not a hickey. I got attacked by a rogue fish in biology..."

"Save it. James saw you making out with Carmen at our party last night."

"Well, better James than Dad, I suppose."

"Dad saw, too."

"Aww, crap..."

Elizabeth finally receives summons to come and testify against Margaret. Margaret ended up cutting a deal and testified against John Hardwick. Hardwick's employees, including his own son, who took charge of the company after his father's arrest, testified against him, and after a lengthy trial, he is convicted and imprisoned. Elizabeth can't hold back her tears when the sentence is passed: they are tears of grief for Edward mixed with tears of relief for the ending of this long and painful ordeal.

Elizabeth stays longer than she intended for personal reasons. Mary Tudor had kept her illness secret during the investigation of Edward's murder, but she can no longer hide that she is dying from uterine cancer. She asks Elizabeth to stay a little longer so that they might spend some time together. They spend hours watching old home movies, reminiscing about their childhood, and talking about how their lives turned out. Elizabeth shares her many photos of her children with Mary.

"The company is yours, if you want it," Mary says one evening. Her voice is so soft, Elizabeth can barely hear it. "I know you sold your shares back, but they're all yours. Just say the word."

Elizabeth grasps her sister's hand. "Thank you for your generosity, Mary," she replies, "but I don't want it. I think the Board of Director's decision is a good one. James Stuart will make an excellent executive."

"Our cousin is bright, isn't he?" Mary muses. "Still, I'm sorry to see the Tudor line end with me." She glances at her sister. "Yours will go on, of course. I told James there's always a place for your heirs here if they want to return."

"That's kind of you."

"You know, in some ways, I think Father was the proudest of you," Mary says, her eyes closing. "You're so independent, the way he was. You went out and made something of yourself. Maybe your legacy will be the true Tudor legacy after all."

Mary passes on a few days later, with her sister holding her hand until the end. Elizabeth honors Mary's wishes and has her buried next to her mother, their father's first wife.

Despite her grief for the loss of her siblings, Elizabeth is relieved to never have to step foot in this town again. This chapter of her life can be permanently closed.

James Stuart was baffled when Elizabeth raised no objections to him taking over the family company. "Are you sure you don't want it?" he asks when she drops off the last of the paperwork at his office. "Absolutely sure? We could work together, you know. There's enough profit to go around."

"It's all yours," Elizabeth says serenely. "I don't want anything to do with it. Take good care of the company, James. My father's legacy is in your hands."

"Wouldn't your father rather his legacy be in the hands of one of his children?"

Elizabeth shakes her head. "I like the quiet life. I'm building my own legacy. My father's legacy, I'll leave to you." She smiles at his bemused expression. "Good luck, James."


As she steps out of the taxi, Elizabeth surveys her home. She can see Robert painting in his underwear. James and Jane are playing catch in the backyard while Philippa dances to the music coming from the stereo. Catherine and Carmen are sitting at the dining room table, working on homework. A smile spreads across her face as she watches her family. Elizabeth is grateful for her quiet life.

My friend, the things that do attain
The happy life, be these I find:
The riches left, not got with pain,
The fruitful ground, the quiet mind.

The equal friend; no grudge, no strife;
No charge of rule nor governance;
Without disease the healthy life;
The household of continuance.

The mean diet, no dainty fare;
True wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress.

The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night:
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish for death, nor fear his might.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just love that last photo of Elizabeth and Robert. They look like they're dancing, even though I just caught them hugging. I tell you, having two flirty Sims in the same house who are in love with each other leads to lots of really adorable stuff in game, like spontaneous romantic hugging.

So, I'm head over heels in love with James and having a serious heir crisis. I love Jane and have the sketches of a story planned for her, but James...I mean, just look at him! He aged up in that exact outfit which cracked me up. Those pajamas are the pajamas he aged up with, too. I had to keep them. They're just that awesome. I'm going to miss him when he leaves. Why, oh why didn't I roll single with help? WHY?!

Manu Knollys-Bachelor is the child of Michael Bachelor and Lettice Knollys. The Knollys family was a family I moved in to add to the Tudor vibe. Catherine Knollys was the daughter of Mary Boleyn, Elizabeth's aunt. Her daughter Laetitia (Lettice) actually married the real Robert Dudley. Elizabeth was so furious when she found out about the secret wedding that she banished them both from court. Robert was allowed back eventually, but not Lettice. For some reason, Story Progression decided to give a white ginger boy an Indian name. There's something odd about that, considering the relationship between Great Britain and India...is Story Progression making some odd commentary on British imperialism? Ah well.

Philippa is the easiest Sim ever. She doesn't get into any trouble. Jane is annoying because she asks people to play catch all the time if she doesn't have anything lined up. Philippa just turns on the stereo and starts grooving.

For those of you who are into classical music, the piece I had in my head while writing Carmen's diatribe was the Sonata for Arpeggione by Franz Schubert. The arpeggione is a six stringed instrument that is fretted like a guitar, but bowed like a cello. It was invented in 1823, but was only used for about a decade or so. While the arpeggione is no longer played, Schubert's piece has been transposed for viola and cello and is part of violist and cellist repertoire  It is one of my very favorite concertos and I love playing it when I pull my viola out. You can find a recording of the first movement  here. The other piece mentioned, Dmitri Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, is a wonderful piece of twentieth century classical music. I first played it with my youth orchestra in 2006, and it absolutely revolutionized how I thought about classical music. That piece taught me that like everything else, music is not created in a vacuum, but influenced by the time in which it was composed, and that composers can have more deliberate intentions in what they compose beyond "Hey, this is a nice melody." The debate about how fast the final movement should go is a real debate musicians, conductors, and musical scholars have. If you want to hear samples of the march at different tempos, you can hear comparisons here. I highly recommend you find a recording of the entire symphony...it's stunningly beautiful and amazing. It's one of about three pieces where I've actually teared up on stage during a performance.

The title comes from one of my very favorite poems, "The Things that Cause a Quiet Life.". It's a sixteenth-century poem by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. His father was Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, and uncle of both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Howard was one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry. He, along with his friend and fellow poet Thomas Wyatt (a courtier who was enamored of Anne Boleyn - he wrote love poetry about her) were the first to write English sonnets that would become known as Shakespearean style sonnets. Howard was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1547 with his elderly father on charges of treason; Henry VIII was extremely paranoid at the end of his life and suspected Howard was going to attempt to supplant Prince Edward as the next king. Howard was executed on January 19, but his father was spared in the wake of Henry VIII's death days later on January 28. I hope the last stanza of the poem doesn't offend anyone. Personally, I interpret it to mean that the wife is indisputably faithful; there is no debate on how faithful she is.

Here follows a medium-length historical summery that explains the death of Mary and succession of James. For those interested, feel free to read. For those not interested, feel free to skip. 

After Edward VI's death in 1553, his half sister Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, assumed the throne after a minor scuffle. Edward named his cousin, the Lady Jane Grey, his heir, but Henry VIII's will stated that should Edward have no children, Mary was to inherit the throne. Edward was convinced to name Jane his heir by his counselors to preserve the progressively evangelical Anglicanism that Edward had supported throughout his reign. Jane had similar religious views as Edward, while Mary was a devout Catholic and had remained so throughout her father's reign and brother's reign, even though it caused a lot of friction between the siblings. While Jane reigned (reluctantly) for nine days, the people rose in favor of Mary, and Mary rode triumphantly into London after quelling the rebellion against her. At Mary's side in London was Elizabeth, who was not Catholic, but was prudent enough to realize that Mary had the support of the people. Mary was content to let Jane live, despite having usurped the throne, realizing that Jane had been manipulated by Edward's counselors. However, after another Protestant uprising in Jane's name (though without Jane's express involvement) Mary was forced to have her executed. To Mary's credit, she tried everything to avoid it. She sent priests to Jane, promising that if she converted to Catholicism (and thus, not longer serving as a focal point for Protestant revolts) she would spare her. Jane refused. The priest remained with Jane until the scaffold, begging for her conversion. Jane was beheaded at the age of sixteen. She was composed until the end, when she struggled to find the block to lay her head upon and had to be guided to it. Despite her great intelligence, as a woman, Jane was still nothing more than a pawn in the hands of men. Her death is an absolute tragedy. This painting by Paul Delaroche depicting her end always makes me tear up.

Mary reigned for five years (I shortened it in the story for purposes of speeding things along), dying of uterine cancer in 1558. She is most remembered for her reinstating of Catholicism in England and the massive persecution of Protestants, many of which were burned at the stake. I have mixed feelings about Mary. On the one hand, it is hard to excuse some of her actions, but on the other hand, she wasn't much more violent than some of her contemporaries. Her maternal grandparents, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, ran the Spanish Inquisition after all. The other thing about Mary that I pity is the fact that her life was a difficult one. Her father adored her, but after she refused to recant Catholicism, their relationship soured. He forbade her from seeing her mother, declared her to be a bastard and took her out of the line of succession, barely provided her with enough money to feed or clothe her, and his ministers constantly pressured her to abandon Catholicism. When Elizabeth was first born, Anne Boleyn ordered that Mary serve her as a maid in order to humiliate Mary. She was reconciled to her father after the death of Anne, but the religious question always hung between them. It was thanks to the efforts of her final stepmother, Katherine Parr, that Mary and Elizabeth (who was declared a bastard on the death of Anne Boleyn) were reinstated into the will of Henry VIII and into the legal succession. During Edward's reign, Mary was again pressured to abandon her Catholicism as the form of Anglicanism that Edward embraced was even more evangelical and Protestant than the form Henry VIII had instituted. So Mary's life was relatively unpleasant. She loved children and wanted to be a mother desperately, but due to her late marriage and infertility issues, she was never able to become one. I do feel bad for Mary; obviously her life was not difficult compared to the average peasant woman on the streets of London, but it wasn't the happiest life.

Despite her hatred of Anne Boleyn, Mary was genuinely fond of Elizabeth, as well as of Edward (whose mother was Jane Seymour, who helped reconcile her to her father). Tensions between Mary and Elizabeth only rose while Mary was queen because Elizabeth, as a Protestant, was used as a focal point for Protestant uprisings, although nobody really knows how involved Elizabeth was in any plots. Elizabeth did do a stint in the Tower and was later exiled in horrific quarters in an old medieval hunting lodge called Woodstock, but while Mary's ministers demanded she have Elizabeth executed, Mary refused because there was no concrete evidence of Elizabeth's involvement in any plots.

Mary was succeeded by Elizabeth, who reigned for 45 years, from 1558 until 1603. Elizabeth's reign is rightfully seen as a golden age in English history. Elizabeth is also rightfully seen not only as one of the greatest English monarchs ever, but one of the greatest monarchs ever, period. I could go on about her brilliance, but I've already written a text wall, so I'll save that for another time. She was succeeded by James Stuart (James VI of Scotland and James I of England). James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a great-grandson of Henry VIII's older sister Margaret. Under his rule, Scotland and England became united under one crown.