Here we are with a new story.
Inspired by the Luxe novels from Anna Godbersen with all the GG characters. I do not own GG characters or the Luxe novels. N/S mostly but also B/C
I hope you will like the new story. Open your eyes was written, 75% was written when I started to post which is not the case here so update might take 2 weeks sometimes.
I am writting this story but some ideas are from my friend Golnaz who is a Serenate fan too :)
Xx,
...
1899, Oakdale, NY
Cemetery, Willam Van Der Woodsen's funeral.
It had been a very short ceremony and except people from Oakdale and his family, nobody else came to William's funeral. Nobody came because when the Van Der Woodsen left NYC in 1892, they were almost ruined and they had to put their old lives behind them. They had been away from New York City for 7 years now. It had been really hard for Lily but it had been for the best or this what they thought when they left.
In New York City, everybody knew that they left because they had money problems but nobody really knew how bad it was except may be the Van Der Bilt. At the beginning, people sent them letters and invitations but as Lily had no money to buy new dresses for her or her daughters, she had to turn down all the inviations, invitations that disappeared with the years.
However, Lily wanted to inform few of her old friends about her husband's death but her parents did not let her. Richard and Cece always helped Lily and William. They were now living in Rhode Island but they were spending a lot of time in Oakdale with Lily and their granddaughters, Serena, Erica and Olivia.
They arrived 2 weeks before William died as they were supposed to spend Thanksgiving and the end of the year all together. Thanksgiving was in two days but things had changed and plans were different now. So when Lily expressed her desire to have her old friends with her for William's funeral, Cece reminded her daughter in which world she was living. The house of Oakdale was a big house but nothing to compare to the townhouses of the 5th avenue and the UES. Also they had no maids except Jenny Humphrey who was helping with everything, cleaning, cooking...
...
Two days ago, Lily and Cece talking in the kitchen
« What do you expect Lily, do you want them to come and see what a miserable life you've got here. Do you want Anne Archibald or Ava Willing to see where you are living, to see that your three daughters are wearing dresses restitched more times that it is acceptable even for farmers. No, Lily, I am sorry I won't let you do this. You haven't seen them for years and right now the timing is not right to think about them. »
Richard approved his wife's comment. Lily was a bit annoyed but she knew that her parents were right. If it would not have been for Richard and Cece as they had enough money to buy black dresses for Serena, Erica and Olivia and herself, they would have been to the funeral with their casual dresses...
Her parents tried to help William when he started to have big money problems in New York City 10 years ago but Lily was not their only daughter and they could not spend all their money, trying to cover William's debts. So they gave Lily her a part of heritage and the house of Oakdale.
William was a brilliant doctor but he was working on vaccines, he was spending money, too much money on his researches, convinced that sooner or later he would get vaccines 100% effectives and they could finally live happy and with money for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, in Oakdale they slowly got into the same desperate situation that they were when they had to leave New York City and actually it got worst. Before William died from a heart attack, he told Lily that he was sorry to abandon her in such a delicate situation. More than for herself, Lily was worried about her daughters and so were her parents.
Cece said that they needed to go to New York City to see their notary to know what Lily really had and from there decide what to do. As usual Cece had already many ideas to fix the situation and in this case she had a pretty good idea of what she was going to do. She was not really sure of how she was going to make it happens but she was confident, it was going to work.
...
Cemetery
Lily was holding the hands of her youngest daughters, Erica who was a beautiful and wild 16 years old teenager and Olivia who was a lovely 10 years old blondie girl, looking at the casket, William's casket. Her husband was dead, she could not believe it, she did not know how she was going to survive with her 3 daughters as she had no money. She was giving piano and ballet lessons for more than 2 years now but it would never be enough to survive.
She raised her head and looked for her oldest daughter, Serena. Serena was leaving the cemetery, destroyed by the grief she could not even walk properly, Richard Rhodes, Lily's father, was helping his granddaughter and Cece was walking behind them, protective as always.
Serena was the most beautiful young lady of Oakdale and the area, may be of the state and Cece did not like the fact that Serena knew how to use her charms. Specially with few of the boys from Oakdale like Daniel Humphrey, Jenny's brother, who used to help William in his laboratory. She knew that Serena joined him few times at the bar of the village and this was not Serena's place. Cece was afraid that Serena could compromise their reputation and create more problems than they already had. Also Cece insisted, Serena could not loose her virginity before to get married. Serena or Erica because Erica was only 16 years old but she was wild and her beauty was already getting too much attention.
She had to find a way to send them back to New York City as soon as possible. New York City where they belong with people from their social class. Lily and her daugthers did not belong in Oakdale, surrounded by farmers. However, when she told Lily that the best option was to marry Serena, Lily was not so sure about the idea.
« She is 20 years old Lily, it is about damn time to think about it. If we don't do it now, someday she will cross the door and announce that she wants to marry a guy like Daniel Humphrey or worst she could tell us that she is pregnant. » Cece told Lily the night before the funeral.
3 daughters and no money and even if Serena could marry someone Lily did not want her to marry just someone, she wanted the best for her daughters but she did not know how this could be possible now. Erica was 16 years old and as Serena she was beautiful but again she could not let Erica be with just someone and she was not ready to marry her 16 years old daughter to save the situation. Olivia who was 10 years old, was just too young, thankfully.
Cece told her that they were going to fix this complicated situation, she asked Lily to trust her but Lily was a bit worried because sometimes her mother could take some drastic decisions just to save the appearances and she knew that her mother had everything planned already.
...
On the evening after William's funeral,
After Olivia went to bed, Cece and Richard told Lily that they got a letter from their notary.
« We have to be there tomorrow, in New York City » said Richard
« Serena, darling tomorrow you will have to take care of your sisters, we have to go to NYC with your mum. I ask you to do not drag your sisters out of the house. Your father just died, it would be inappropriate. » started Cece before to be cut by Serena
« I won't, I promise we are just going to stay home but I have to say that I don't understand why suddenly I have to stop to leave my own life. » replied Serena a bit upset
She was devastated by the loss of her father and she did like the fact that her grandmother was telling her what to do as if she was 5 years old.
« Because this is not your life Serena. Your father is dead and we are all very sad but he dragged you to this place which is not yours. » replied Cece with a very serious facial expression
« And where do we belong, » asked Erica who was looking at her mother, grandmother and sister at the same time
« To New York City young ladies this is where you belong. » said Richard
« But we left New York City like 7 years ago and I can't even remember the people from there or the place where we used to go. And if we have no money how are you going to send us back to New York City. » asked Serena confused
« Yes, Serena is right, how. Because I am not going to be a maid. » said Erica who was already imagining the worst
Cece laughed
« Oh you won't Erica, you won't. Now, go to bed, we have to talk with your mother, in private. » she said before to Kiss Erica's forehead
...
In Serena and Erica's room
It was a small room compared to what they were used to when they were in New York City . At the beginning, it had been complicated to share the space as they were not used to it but now they were happy to share the same room and they did not care if it was small. They like their white beds with the pink blankets and pillows, the white curtains, the bookshelf that they painted in red few months ago to give a touch of pop color to the room, their books and their tiffany's lamps of course...
Serena and Erica were having a serious conversation about what was going on since their father's death.
« I am scared Serena, I mean we know how Grandma is and the way she looked at us, she had an idea and I am scared because I like Oakdale and I don't want to go back to New York City . »
« I know Erica and I am scared too but I have to say that I miss New York City . I read so many things about New York City in the newspapers, so many things to see there, to do and I am bored in Oakdale.» confessed Serena in a sigh
« Serena don't you remember the last months that we spent in New York City, when we had to sell the house, when mom's friends were coming home and we had to stay in our rooms because mom did not have enough biscuits for everybody. All the comments that we heard on the streets, no I don't want to go back.» said erica who crossed her arms as a sign of protest
« Well, get use to the idea Erica because I think that we will be in New York City before the new year, may be even before december.»
«Hum, we will see but I don't know how you can be so relax, I mean S, come on don't you see what is coming»
«Hum no, what do you think is coming» asked Serena who had an idea about what her sister meant but she needed to be sure that her sister was thinking what she was thinking.
«Hello, what is one of the first thing that grandma asked you when they arrived last week, just before daddy died. If you were still virgin.»
«She always asked this question since I got my period and she asks you the same question» laughed Serena. It was not funny but the fact that Cece was always asking about this was kind of embarassing
«Did you lie» asked Erica as Serena was laughing
«No, I did not, why did you» asked serena offended by her sister's question
«Of course not even if I definitely won't wait to be married to have sex. I spoke with some of my friends from the village and some got into the thing already and said that it was painful the first time and sometime the second aswell but after it was like the best thing on earth and I don't wanna wait to be married to someone to enjoy it. But anyway the point is that I think that they want us to move back to New York City because they want to find an husband for you.»
«Erica, this is ridiculous, I mean we are poor now. Nobody is going to ask for my hand.» murmured Serena
Yes, her sister was thinking the same and it was scary because Serena did not want to get married to someone that she did not know, someone picked by her grandmother. Erica read the fears and sadness in her sister's eyes and look for a way to make her smile. After few minutes of silence she got an idea that may be her sister could like.
«May be Nathaniel Archibald could.»
Nathaniel Archibald, Serena had not hear that name for so many years now. They were friends when they were kids. Nathaniel, Nate or Natie as she used to call him was the loviest kid on earth, she really liked him. But he was a Van Der Bilt, he was rich, she was kind of poor and she hadn't seen him for years. He did not even try to send letters after they left New York City.
«Erica, Nate probably doesn't even remember who I am now and I am not sure that I could recognize him either. I mean he is a man now and last time I saw him he was 14 years old.»
«But he kissed you.»
«He did kiss me, it was a goodbye kiss. I believe that he really liked me when we were kids that's all. And he is a Van der Bilt Erica, the richest family of the country so forget about that and also I don't want to marry someone that I am not in love with. Nathaniel was a sweet boy and he had amazing blue eyes but I don't know who he is anymore, he is a stranger and I am a stranger for him aswell. And he is probably engaged anyway.»
It was late and Cece who saw the light under the door and heard the voices of her granddaughters decided to listen their conversation. She frowned and got a very good idea, this time she had THE plan to save her girls and their reputation. Few minutes after she stepped into their room and told them that it was late.
«Ladies, time to go to bed. I love you girls» she said with a glorious smile before to close the door behind her