@xaenyth @flauschtrud @Belalucina
1300s - WEDDING PREPARATIONS - TUESDAY - DAY 3
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The next morning, after eating breakfast, Ian and Reginald headed off to the De Baskerville cottage to construct the sleeping shelter for Parson Bernard. They were meeting some of the neighbors and taking a wagon up to the cottage. Once they were done with the construction, Reginald would be heading to the Knights' Stronghold to arrange for carriage service for the De Baskerville's and the Fletchers for tomorrow's wedding. Gwendolyn and Thaddeus headed off next. Their travel was not as far, as the Thatcher Farm was just next door, but Gwendolyn did have some items that she needed to bring, and so, they loaded up the hand cart and soon Gwendolyn and Thaddeus were on their way.
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William headed outside and it was raining. Perhaps it had been a good idea to have the wedding tomorrow, and he hoped the weather would be better. He started walking towards Finchwick, where he would be meeting Colette. Even after the reassurances of his mother and brother, Reginald, he was not looking forward to choosing items with her for the wedding.
By the time William reached Finchwick, it had stopped raining, and he saw Colette over by a floral cart admiring some flowers. After exchanging pleasantries and congratulating each other on their engagements, it was time to choose the florals for the bouquets.
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Colette: "I cannot go into detail about the dresses, but it is spring, and perhaps the bouquets should reflect that..."
William nodded his head and noticed the prices of the bouquets ranged from $85 simoleons to $130 simoleons. Once they decided on the florals, he would haggle with the street seller to see if he could get a better price.
Colette: "What about those? They look pretty..." she said pointing to some chrysanthemums.
William: "Oh no...you don't want to use those in a wedding bouquet. That flower is called a chrysanthemum, and is normally used for funerals. Definitely don't want a flower symbolizing death in a wedding bouquet..."
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Colette looked shocked, "Oh my! I didn't realize that flowers had symbolic meanings. I am so glad that you came with me, or I would have made a fatal mistake..."
William smiled at the compliment and was actually thankful now that she had invited him to come.
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William picked up a bouquet and showed it to Colette, "What about this one? It has a lot of colors in it, and it looks spring-like to me. The flowers are daisies, and the daisy symbolizes purity, innocence, new beginnings, joy and cheerfulness. It would be a good choice for a wedding bouquet. Afterall, we will all be starting a new beginning tomorrow..."
Colette looked at the bouquet, but wasn't happy with it, "It does look spring-like...and I see that there are three of the same bouquets. But I was hoping...well, I was hoping that each of us could have our own special bouquet..."
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William nodded, and looked at some other bouquets. He picked one up and held it out to Colette, "If not daisies, then I would go with my personal favorite, roses. There are several bouquets that have roses in them, but each is a bit different, and the roses are a different color. And these roses are superb. I had bought one here the other day and gave it as a gift to Francesca."
Colette: "So, roses are a good flower to have in a wedding bouquet?"
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William smiled and held up another one, "Oh yes. The rose symbolizes love and passion. A most fitting flower for a wedding bouquet. Don't you think?"
Colette: "Oh yes! I think they are beautiful, and they smell...they smell so lovely..."
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After looking over the bouquets, Colette and William decided on a red rose bouquet for Colette, a white rose bouquet for Francesca, and a mixed blush rose bouquet for Isabelle. As William paid the flower seller, he thought that things weren't going as badly as he had thought they would.
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As they walked towards the bakery, William turned to Colette, "So, um, Colette, I have been thinking of getting Francesca a wedding gift, but I am just not sure what I should get her. Is there anything that she has been wanting that you know of?"
Colette: "Oh that is an easy one. I am surprised she didn't talk to you about it on your date. She certainly had mentioned it to Reginald when they were first introduced..."
William frowned: "Oh? Reginald knows what she would like? Maybe she told me on our date, and I just forgot..."
Colette laughed, "No...I don't think you'd forget. But maybe the topic didn't come up on your date. It's probably because Reginald rides that she spoke to him of it..."
William still looked puzzled.
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Colette smiled: "Ever since Francesca was young, she's wanted a horse...and has never stopped bugging Uncle Bernard about getting her a horse. Even had a name all picked out...Buttercup. A rather silly name for a horse if you ask me. But alas, horses are expensive, and Uncle Bernard could never afford one. But she still has dreams, I guess..."
William stood there thinking, "A horse...Francesca wants a horse. Hadn't Reginald just told him the other day that some knights had found some stray drought horses and were going to sell them at auction soon. Perhaps he would be able to go and buy Francesca a horse. He had some simoleons saved up, and if they weren't too expensive, he might be able to afford one. It would be the perfect gift!"
William smiled then and realized that his day with Colette was going better than he had thought.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Reginald had been working hard all morning and was just putting the finishing touches on another board. Reginald and Ian had coordinated the construction, and also the moving of furniture from the house to the shelter, and to a barn storage area. It was hard work, and after the shelter had been constructed, the neighbors had bid good day and left.
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Ian and Parson Bernard were inspecting the shelter. It had been a run-down storage shed, and was now a solidly constructed sleeping shed. Parson Bernard could not get over how wonderful it looked.
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Isabelle had been busy inside, scrubbing floors, washing the linens, and re-arranging some of the furniture with the help of the neighbors. She had just finished baking some cheese rolls when Ian and her uncle came inside.
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Parson Bernard: "Isabelle, the sleeping shelter is finished! Oh, and I see that you have been busy in here, too. I have never seen the house so spotless. Your sister, Colette, and Reginald will truly appreciate all the effort you did today. Good job, my dear."
Isabelle: "It was my pleasure. And I know that Colette has many tasks that she is undertaking today...choosing the florals...the cakes...and purchasing other items for tomorrow. She is probably busier than I am. And Francesca probably has more work than me to clean a house that hasn't been lived in for awhile..."
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Parson Bernard: "My dear child, how could I be so lucky to have three such wonderful, hard-working nieces? And I am so happy that you will be marrying into the Fletcher family. Ian and I have both said that we can't thank the matchmaker enough for matching our two families."
Isabelle set out the cheese rolls and everyone helped themselves. After they ate, Parson Bernard asked Ian if he could help him bring some firewood close to the house. Ian smiled and was happy to help, which left Isabelle and Reginald alone.
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Reginald looked around the house, "Isabelle, everything looks really good. And don't you worry...my brother Thaddeus will ensure that everything is working at the Thatcher Farm. And my mother was bringing over some new linens..."
Isabelle: "I know everything will be in order, but I understand from your father that you were supposed to inherit the Thatcher Farm?"
Reginald: "Yes, but I felt that it was better suited for Thaddeus. He will have his own blacksmith shop...the one thing he always wanted. Plus, Colette wanted to be here with your uncle, and as I will be busy in knight training, I felt it was better if I lived here..."
Isabelle: "Thank you, Reginald...having his own blacksmith shop really means a lot to Thaddeus. But, it's a good thing that you will be living here, because Colette really loves this kitchen. That's one thing that Colette is really good at. Cooking. So, I know that you will be well fed..."
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Reginald laughed, "And from the taste of these rolls, my brother Thaddeus will be well-fed, too..."
Isabelle gushed.
Reginald: "Isabelle. I wanted to ask if you knew if there was anything that Colette would like...I mean...well, I wanted to get her a wedding gift, but was not certain what she wanted..."
Isabelle looked around, "If I tell you, promise you won't tell my uncle I told you..."
Reginald: "Your secret is safe with me..."
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Isabelle: "Well, Colette had some recipes from our mother that called for nectar, but Uncle Bernard would never allow any of us to purchase any. There was one dish in particular that she was clambering to make. I believe it was called coq au vin. It was roasted poultry served with carrots, onion, mushrooms and cabbage, with thyme and rosemary sprinkled over top. But the dish was cooked in red nectar, so she was never able to make it..."
Reginald: "It sounds heavenly. And a recipe of your mother's...that would be quite special. So, do you think if I secured a few bottles of nectar for her that she would be happy?"
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Isabelle: "Oh yes! And then she would make the dish for you, I am sure."
Reginald sat there thinking, "So...Colette wanted nectar for a special dish. They were nearly finished their time here, and then he had to head to the Knights' Stronghold to arrange the carriages for tomorrow. Perhaps one of the knights would know where he could purchase a few bottles of nectar. If not there, then he would head to Finchwick and talk to the barkeep at the Gnome's Arms Pub. He was feeling good about this, and he knew that if he could get a few bottles, that it would make Colette so very happy..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thaddeus was hard at work in the blacksmith shop. He hadn't realized how many repairs the Thatcher Farm had needed, but, for now, at least the main house was ready. He still had a lot of fence to repair if they were going to keep any chickens from wandering off. But that would have to wait until he was living there. It was still hard for him to believe that this would actually be his home, and that tomorrow he would be getting married to an incredible sim, who he had been thinking about all day.
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His mother, Francesca and the neighborhood ladies had wasted no time in washing the floors and scrubbing all the surfaces of the house. Some of the ladies had gone out to the garden and around the house, removing most of the weeds. His assistance was needed from time to time when his mother had called him to carry some furniture to the barn. But mostly, they left him to his work, ensuring that the outer buildings were in order, inspecting the chimney and chopping some wood for the fireplace.
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Thaddeus was just finishing off repairing one of the barn boards, when he heard his mother call him into the house. The neighborhood ladies had already left awhile ago, and his mother and Francesca were doing some last minute touches in the house. When Thaddeus entered, he thought he had entered a different house.
As they sat down to eat, they chatted.
Thaddeus: "I can't believe what a change the house has undergone! I was a bit worried with all the cobwebs and that mouse hole we found, but it looks....it looks so homey..."
Francesca laughed, "You mean the mouse hole that I found? And I was just trying to get the little fellow out, if he was in there, when that lady...Mrs. Turner...came over brandishing her broom and swatting at the hole. I thought she was going to swat me! Anyway, if there was a mouse in there, it probably ran off and won't be coming back anytime soon..."
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Gwendolyn: "Oh yes, Mable Turner can be a formidable woman with a broom!"
Thaddeus: "Well, I found the hole on the outside of the house and patched that up. So, no more unwelcome visitors will be coming in..."
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Gwendolyn gathered the dishes and left Thaddeus and Francesca alone to talk.
Francesca: "I brought some of Isabelle's needlework items from the house and placed them in the corner. Isabelle had an area in our house that she placed all her needlework, so I thought I would do the same here."
Thaddeus nodded, "It looks quite nice, Francesca...thank you. Needlework is very important to Isabelle,"
Isabelle: "Oh, I know...that and collecting herbs. But I really think that she has focused more on needlework, especially since Colette told her our mother was skilled at it..."
Thaddeus: "Yes, she did tell me that. Francesca, I was wondering if you knew of anything that Isabelle had mentioned that she needed or wanted. I was thinking of getting her a wedding gift, and just wasn't sure of the right gift..."
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Francesca: "Oh, that's an easy one. Since she joined the Weaver's Guild, all she has talked about is the giant loom they use. She had seen smaller ones, and has said how wonderful it would be to have one to weave new cloth, and even to make clothes."
Thaddeus shook his head, "So, she would like a loom? I wouldn't even know where to begin to look for one..."
Francesca: "Oh, well maybe Mabel Turner can help you. She is in charge of the Weaver's Guild you know..."
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Thaddeus: "She is? Oh...how fortunate. Thank you, Francesca, I will go right after we finish here and speak with her..."
And Thaddeus sat there thinking of how surprised Francesca would be when she opens her gift. But first, he has to get it for her, and he certainly hoped that Mabel Turner could help him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After a long, hard day, Thaddeus and Reginald went their separate ways. When Ian and Gwendolyn arrived home, William was not back yet either. They sat in front of the fire together and held hands.
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Ian: "It seems like just yesterday that we ourselves were getting wed. I still remember how beautiful you looked...and you had those flowers in your hair..."
Gwendolyn: "Yes, daisies...it was my cousin's idea...and that night..."
Ian: "...oh, yes, I was so nervous...I just wanted everything to be perfect..."
Gwendolyn: "...and then just as we were heading to the bedroom, the chickens somehow came in through the door, and they were clucking and squawking and feathers were flying everywhere..."
Ian: "...and after we managed to get them out, we had a good laugh..."
Gwendolyn: "...and then you kissed me..."
Ian: "...and I wasn't nervous anymore...and everything just worked out..."
Gwendolyn: "Yes it did," she said and kissed him, "Yes, it did...and it will work out just fine for our sons, too..."
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
William and Colette headed to Tartosa to choose the wedding bouquets and cakes. I had never actually bought bouquets in the game before, and was so happy that William could actually hold a bouquet. It did look like he was looking at various bouquets before buying them.
