A White Legacy, Chapter 3.3

[jothirteen]

Last chapter, our gen 3 heiress Blanche finally found someone to father her kids. Nídio Moreira was his name. The only problem? He was married, to a woman named Fátima, with whom he had three already grown sons. Still, Blanche didn't care, and they started an affair which eventually resulted in two daughters. Their oldest was blonde like her father and was named Gwenllian. The youngest inherited the family's white hair, and her name was Muireann.
Then, on the night of Gwen's child birthday and Muireann's toddler one, a tragedy happened. Gwen aged without problems, but Muireann's cake caught on fire. And so did Blanche. Gauri tried her best, but she wasn't able to put out the flames, and so Blanche burned to death. :( Leaving Gauri to raise her two granddaughters. But there was still more. When coming to collect Blanche's soul, Grim let her know that her death hadn't been the result of an accident...

Even though she hadn't heard the exchange between Grim and her daughter's ghost, Gauri White was no fool. She was pretty sure someone was behind Blanche's death as well, and that thought stayed on her mind as she called Mortimer and Branwen to give them the sad news. She didn't tell them anything, though. For now, this was still only a suspicion.

And she was still too overwhelmed with grief to do any investigation.

So was her oldest granddaughter. Gauri tried to comfort the girl, but she wouldn't let her. Perhaps it was because Gauri had stolen candy from her during her infanthood, but the truth was Gwen didn't trust her grandmother.

She tried to talk to Gwenllian...
"I know you're suffering, Gwen. So am I. Blanche was my daughter. Why won't you talk to me? We have to get through this together..."

"Leave me alone. You don't understand, you'll never get it! My mom was my best friend, and you never cared about me! You mistreated me when I was a baby, even! You stole my candy! How can you think you know how I feel?"
"Gwen..."
"I hate you! And I hate stupid Muireann! It was her fault mom died! If her cake hadn't caught on fire, she would still be with us!"
...but it was no use.

Gauri was determined to make at least one of her granddaughters love her. So she raised Muireann like Blanche had raised Gwenllian.

She never stole candy from her, too. Not from Muireann. The daughter she had stolen candy from was dead, and her granddaughter hated her. She had learned her lesson.

Soon, Gauri and the little girl became best friends, which eased Gauri's pain a little.

Muireann was more like her than Gwen was, too. She might not have been a Genius like Gauri, but she truly understood what was going on around her since a very early age.

Some days after her death, Blanche's ghost started appearing around the house.

Gwen was the only one who noticed these visits at first. She was thrilled for being able to see and talk to her mother again, even if it was only for a few hours every night. At least Blanche wasn't truly gone.

Gwen also told her mother everything that troubled her, how she despised Gauri and little Muireann. Blanche, hearing this, tried her best to make Gwen understand her grandmother's reasoning, and explained her Muireann had had nothing to do with her death. This seemed to calm Gwen somehow.

Soon, Muireann became a child, and a smart and mischievous one at that. She developed the Bookworm trait, and could often be seen reading the same books over and over again.

Now that Muireann was no longer a toddler that needed her at all times, Gauri was free to leave the house every once in a while. She was going to investigate, and find out what really had happened with that cake. Her first stop was at her daughter Branwen's house.
Branwen didn't want to believe what her mother had to tell her.
"No, Mom, that can't be true. Blanche's death was an accident! A tragic one, but still an accident! Who could possible hate her enough to kill her? No one!"

"You are too nice, Branwen. You trust people too much. There are plenty of people who could have set up an "accident" with that cake. Your sister was having an affair with a married man. He and his wife are suspects. And...I suspect your half-sister Luciana too. I never trusted her."

"You can't be serious! OK, I'll admit that the wife of the guy Blanche was seeing could have done something to her, but not Luciana! You don't even know her that well, Mom! Sure, she's kinda creepy and a bit crazy, but she's harmless, really! And she was always a good friend to me and Blanche..."

"I still don't trust her, Branwen. There was always something very strange about her. I think...I'll go pay a little visit to the Goth family."
"Oh, Mom, must you really do this? This will hurt Dad a lot, I'm sure of it. You can't just accuse his daughter of murdering his other daughter. Don't do that, please, it will only cause you trouble."
But Gauri was determined to do it, and nothing that Branwen said could change that.

Before she left Branwen's house, though, she went to meet her grandson, Josué. And she was delighted to know that the boy was Evil just like her. At least that trait would live on in one of her descendants.

It was already night when Gauri arrived at the Goth mansion. Mortimer greeted her, not suspecting a thing. As always, he was happy to see the woman he loved, even though that seemingly she didn't love him back.

But as soon as Gauri entered the house, she went straight to talk to Luciana.
"So, spill it, Luciana. What did you do to that cake? I know it was you who killed Blanche."

"Gauri, you are kidding, right? Of course I didn't kill Blanche! She was my sister, and one of my best friends! I would have never done anything to hurt her!"

"I don't believe you. I know what you and Morgana Wolff said about her and Branwen when you were all teenagers. You called my daughters "illegitimate Goths, unwanted Goths". That's enough for me to consider you a suspect. Cakes don't burn like that, Luciana. I want to know what you did, and why."

"Gauri...you're not being yourself. You're not being rational. I understand, you're still suffering with grief over Blanche's death. Please try to calm down, you'll soon realize that what you're saying doesn't make any sense. Blanche was my good friend, and so is Branwen. I never wished them any harm, and I definitely did not kill Blanche!"

"Oh, really? Then what about Morgana Wolff?"
"Gauri, Morgana's been dead for ages! She died of old age long before Blanche's death. And yes, she was a little odd, but not a murderer. She didn't have any plans to kill Blanche or Branwen, if that's what you think."

"You're lying."
"No, I'm not. Now, I think we should end this pointless conversation. My father wants to talk to you, I'm sure, and I have to go look after my son. And I didn't kill Blanche, Gauri."

After Luciana left the room, Mortimer finally spoke.
"Gauri...how can you accuse Luciana of doing something like that? I also think that Blanche's death might not have been accidental, but Luciana didn't do it! She loved her sister, believe it or not. I...I'll help you find out who really did it, so that I can clear my daughter's name."

"Oh, Mortimer..." Gauri said, feeling that her world was spinning around her. "...thank you."
And she just hugged him so that she wouldn't fall. While he smiled sadly. She had never called him Mortimer before.

"Thank you." Gauri then repeated. "I...have to go now, we'll talk about this tomorrow."
"Sure." Mortimer replied.

And, with that, he kissed her. Gauri blushed a little, and then she left.

As she heard Gauri closing the door behind her, Luciana smiled as she held her toddler son Crespim. And it was a disturbing smile.

Gauri and Mortimer spent part of the next few days talking over the phone. They discussed the matter of Blanche's affair, and both agreed that Nídio's wife Fátima Moreira was definitely a suspect. Gauri also told Mortimer she had tried to visit the Moreira household a couple of times, but there was never anyone at home. They'd just have to keep trying.

Mortimer also told her some things about Morgana Wolff. It seemed she had used to visit him many times, saying that she was writing a book about the Goth family. But she had been a weird woman, Mortimer said. She had seemed to be obsessed with the Goth bloodline, and had been horrified to know that he had two illegitimate daughters. He also feared that she had influenced Luciana in a bad way. But he was certain Morgana had not made her a murderer.
Gauri just thought she would have been the most obvious suspect, maybe even more obvious than Fátima Moreira. If only she hadn't died long before Blanche's own death...

Meanwhile, while Gauri was out investigating, Muireann tried her best to get along with her older sister. But she wasn't quite succeeding.
"Just go away, Muireann. I'm eating. I don't want to talk to you, and I definitely do not want to be your friend. I still think that if you hadn't been born, Mom would still be here with us."

"Gwenllian, that's nonsense! How can you even believe that? I was a baby when Mom died, it was not my fault that she burned to death because the cake caught on fire!"
"Shut up, Muireann! You don't even feel sorry for her. It's almost as you didn't like her."
"Gwenllian...I was a baby when she died. I barely remember her. This conversation isn't making any sense, you know."
"Oh, I hate you! Always thinking you're so smart, just because you are Grandma's favourite..."

"You hate me? Fine, then do that. Seriously, Gwenllian, you're so childish. Just grow up, you're almost a teenager! I don't care if you hate me. I don't care anymore."
Gwen didn't even reply. She just continued eating, completely ignoring her sister.

Gauri was starting to get more and more frustrated as time passed. Here she was, getting closer to her death every day, and she hadn't found who had killed Blanche yet. She was a failure. The Moreira family seemed to have disappeared without a trace. She still had a suspect, Luciana, but she had promised Mortimer she wouldn't accuse his daughter again.
She was a fool.

It had to have been Luciana, it just had. She had been influenced by Morgana Wolff's ideas, Mortimer himself had said that. She could have very well killed her illegitimate half-sister so that the Goth bloodline would remain pure, or some crap like that. If only Gauri could prove it! The way Luciana creepily passed by their house every day should be enough to consider her a suspect. But sadly, it wasn't.

She ended up forgetting about Luciana and Blanche's murder for a while to focus on her oldest granddaughter. She wanted to try to get along with Gwen before she became a teen. And at least she succeeded in that.

By the time her birthday came around, Gwen no longer hated her grandmother. Only Muireann.

She turned into a beautiful but moody and unpredictable teenager, having developed the Daredevil trait.

Despite Gwen's difficult personality, Gauri felt she had to tell her about Blanche's murder and her suspicions. Her granddaughter was a teen now, she was old enough to handle the truth. And besides, she needed to know. Gauri wouldn't be around that much longer, and there were people around that the girls couldn't trust.

Gwen was more than a little shocked, though.
"What? Someone did kill Mom? And you think it might have been our father's wife? Or our aunt Luciana?"
"Yes, Gwen, that's what I'm trying to tell you."

"But...that's crazy! It means that we can't trust anyone!"
"Nonsense, you just have to be careful. You can trust me...as well as your grandfather Mortimer and your aunt Branwen. Just not Luciana or your father's family. They might have killed your mother."
"Oh, I definitely don't trust my deadbeat dad. Or his family for that matter. As for aunt Luciana, I just think she's plain creepy."

"There's one more thing I have to ask of you, Gwen. And promise me you won't freak out."
"What is it?"
"You know I won't be around for much longer - yes, I sound pessimistic, I know, but that's the truth. My mother lived to be 90, but I might not be so lucky. I might not live to see Muireann become a teen - and so I need you to look after her when I'm gone. Let go of your foolish hate for her, Gwen. She never did anything to deserve it. Please promise me you'll always protect your little sister."

"What?! No way, Grandma! If Muireann's so smart, she can take care of herself!"
"Gwen, please! Think of this as my last wish, if you want, but please do what 'm telling you!"
*sigh* "This won't be easy, but OK...I promise I'll look after Muireann. As much as I'll hate doing that, I'll do it for you."
"Thank you, Gwen."

Little did they know that Muireann had overheard the whole conversation.

She even discussed Blanche's murder with her best friend - her cousin Josué. Both children exchanged theories about the murder, as Gwen was oblivious to the whole thing, thinking that the kids were just playing.

Meanwhile, Gauri was at the Goth house, trying to talk to Mortimer. No one seemed to be home, though...but she did see Luciana running away. This was definitely suspicious. So she decided to follow her and come back to talk to Mortimer later. She had no luck, though. After a while, Luciana seemed to just disappear. So Gauri went back home.

When she returned to the Goth mansion, she soon realized she was too late. She saw Grim through the window and heard Luciana and Crespim crying - and then she knew. Mortimer had died. And she had never told him...
"...I loved you." she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. Her heart really was broken now.

Then the door suddenly opened.
"My father just passed away." Luciana said coldly. "Should I let his former mistress into my house? I don't think so."
Hearing this, Gauri just turned around and ran away, never to return to that place. And, as she left, she could still hear Luciana's crazy laughter in the distance.

Gauri went to visit Branwen again the next day. She needed to tell her about her father's death...but she didn't even mentioned what had happened with Luciana. She knew it would just hurt Branwen.

Then, when they entered the house, Gauri lost all composure and started crying on her daughter's shoulder. Branwen was just worried. Her father's death must have really affected her mother...she had only seen her cry once in her life. But still, she comforted Gauri the best she could.

As she was leaving, she was confronted by her grandson.
"I know what aunt Luciana did, Grandma. And I know she probably killed aunt Blanche as well. I want to help you getting her in jail."

"Oh, Josué...forget about that, sweetie. You're too young, it will only cause you problems. And I don't want anything to happen to any of you again."
Hearing this, Josué felt sad, because he knew his grandmother had just given up.

"Mortimer...I promise I'll join you soon. Until then, I have to make sure our daughter and grandchildren are safe."

And so Gauri spent the next few days exercising while Gwen danced next to her...

...or reading at the same time as Muireann. But since Mortimer's death, she was not the same person. She was there, but at the same time...she was not.

Of course Gwen noticed this and tried to pretend everything was OK for Muireann. But even the younger girl knew that things were far from being OK.
And, shortly after that, Muireann had her teen birthday. Gauri breathed a sigh of relief. She had lived to see her youngest granddaughter become a teen. Now she could die in peace.

After ending the chapter in this sad note, I have to remind you that it is once again time for a heir poll. There will be a poll at boolprop.com and another at Sims Writers' Guild as usual, and they will run for 2 days.
So, here are the two candidates for heirship:
Firstly, we have Gwenllian "Gwen" White, the oldest gen 4 girl. Her traits are Friendly, Insane, Good Sense of Humor and Daredevil. Her favourite colour is aqua, her favourite food is Autumn salad and she enjoys Pop music. She is an unpredictable and determined girl who has a sibling rivalry with her sister Muireann. After all this time, she still considers Muireann as the responsible for their mother Blanche's death.

And then we have Muireann White, the second gen 4 girl. Her traits are Insane, Excitable, Bookworm and Frugal. Her favourite colour is yellow, her favourite food is cookies, and she loves kids music. Muireann is a lot like her grandma Gauri in that she's smart for her age, even though she's not a Genius. She is best friends with her cousin Josué and they both have their own theories about Blanche's death. She doesn't hate her sister Gwen like she hates her...she just doesn't care.

Vote wisely! Until the next chapter, goodbye and happy simming to all.

Comments

[llamablazerinc.livejournal.com]

Great chapter update though very sad... at least Guri made it to see Muireann's teen birthday. Hmmm off to vote now... hopefully I am not too late for this one! :D

[seventeentheye.livejournal.com]

Thanks, and yes, it was a sad chapter. :( I was very relieved when Gauri made it to Muireann's teen birthday. I was afraid she would die before and that Muireann would be taken by the social worker even though Gwen was already a teen (because I'm not exactly sure if it's like TS2 here, never had it happen).
No, you're not late, and I see you've already voted at SWG. :) I think Muireann's really going to win both polls. It's the white hair, people want to see it continue being passed down. :D

[collidingwithme.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I think this is the most interesting chapter yet! All the mystery, investigations, and heartbreak with new deaths... Wow! I was sooo glad to see Blanche come back to comfort her daughter, though I'm a little sad that she didn't seem to interact with little Muireann. Are they really so not close? :( Anyway, the girls were cute as toddlers, Nídio really makes a good baby daddy, lol! (he is pretty cute himself, :P)

I'm so sorry I didn't get to vote before the poll closed. D: I wished so badly that Gwenllian had white hair so she would have won. :\

[seventeentheye.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Ning! :) I'm glad you liked this plotty chapter.
I guess Blanche and Muireann were never that close, since Blanche died before Muireann was even a toddler. And when Muireann was old enough to interact with Blanche's ghost, she really didn't do it. I think she always considered Gauri as her mother instead of Blanche. Which is sad, because Blanche loved both of her daughters dearly. :(
They got interesting genetic combinations, as I never get tired of saying. Funny how they got Nídio's chubby face but Blanche's body shape. And yes, Nídio was a very cute sim. ;)
Never mind that, there is always the next poll! :D
I'm sorry. :/ I think only you and Lala (and a couple of people at boolprop) wanted Gwen to win. Everyone else voted for Muireann because of the white hair.