#Ashley Torricelli

[sweet-vanilla-sims]

Year 1671 - Part 2

The night before the wedding the family spent the entire day getting what used to be their guest room ready for the new couple the small family of four would hopefully be growing soon but by the look on Giuliano's face when Giulia mentioned future grandchildren, she had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps they weren't going to be as far into the future as the wedding might allow.

The wedding ceremony was attended by all of their local family members and was very heartfelt as both families were delighted to see their families come together through love.

The young couple was very much not subtle when they snuck off to enjoy some alone time while their families mingled.

Ashley's other cousin couldn't help but be somewhat jealous at her cousin's match though she tried to keep it hidden how attractive she found Giuliano.

The other guests were excited to just be there and meet their new extended family. Gianna got to know Katharine and Orsa and Orsolina got an extra chance to catch up given the big family event. Orsolina was also glad to make friends with her brother's mother-in-law and despite the age difference they both made fast friends as widowed mothers who raised or are currently raising young children.

Orsa was happy to steal the groom for a bit to get his thoughts on marriage and was relieved to hear that her brother was happy though was slight exasperated to find that their mother's suspicion had been true that Ashley was expecting but she was happy nonetheless for her little brother. A wife, a thriving farm, and a baby on the way.

Despite how well they had been hiding it, the day of activities wore on Ashley and now that she was officially married they saw no more reason to hide their new arrival and she went in private to loosen the corsets she had tied to hide the pregnancy.

It was immediately clear that they had been hiding their pregnancy for sometime when she returned to the party but in the spirit of keeping things lively they decided to simply not mention it... at least for the rest of the ceremony.

Of course the wedding was rife with emotions and Gabriella couldn't help but cry at the sight of her eldest married and expecting, clearly grown up and moving away. Though Ashley was sentimental at the idea of moving away she couldn't help but laugh since she wasn't moving all that far, in fact, the Morosini home was just a little bit further from the Torricelli home than it was the Carlisle-Rossi home so it wasn't as if they wouldn't see each other. Still, the tears were happy tears that both mother and daughter shared.

Wrapping up the year, Ashley officially moved into the Morosini household and Giulia was happy to get to know her daughter-in-law better now that they were to share more of their lives together.

[sweet-vanilla-sims]

Year 1671 - Part 1

Even though the family in Tartosa had grown closer following the loss of Osana, her death was still felt deeply by each of them.

Little Juliette grew into a calm infant now that she was old enough to focus more on things besides napping and eating. Francois was glad for his daughter's health though he had wished for a son and the more he thought on it now that Juliette was able to give him the time to think the more he resented the fact that he didn't have another son with Osana.

Gianna's pregnancy was progressing well despite her advanced age but when her husband and Alessandro had left town to sell their wares, she was a fixture in the Carlisle-Rossi home. Orsa was happy to have the help of two experienced hands while she tended to her daughter and it was nice to be able to help with her mother-in-law's pregnancy as well.

It was one of those times when their husbands were out of town when Gianna went into labor, Orsa was quick to help and on January 12, Alba Rossi was born.

With the older Morosini children dealing with their own children now or marriage prospects, the gap between them and the younger ones deepened considerably but with both children being old enough for lessons they could bond over that. Giovanni Cesare was glad to show his little sister the ropes in caring for the garden though that was also because he didn't really want to do it himself.

At the Collari home, Jolene's son turned six and was more than happy to spend time with Orsolina's boys between their classes. He was also more than happy to spend time with the other members of the household as well.

Though all was not well between Landon and Jolene because after years of marriage the two who had originally got on well together were very much at odds at all times.

The start of summer brought with it the fact that Giuliano had reached his goal to officially marry Ashley but after speaking with Giulia, she advised him not to marry until things slow down in the winter that way they'd both have more funds for the harvest this year and they could spend more time together during the downtime and Giuliano, while impatient, couldn't exactly argue with her logic.

A letter came in from Antonio cheerfully announcing his youngest daughter's sixth birthday hopefully as a distraction from all the loss the previous year.

As summer came to an end, it was time to start seriously considering Giuliano's marriage and after talking it over with his sister and mother Giuliano presented his case to Gabriella and once again asked for Ashley's hand to which she agreed knowing the young man had exceeded her expectations. From there most of the talks at the Morosini home had been about wedding plans. Olimpia was excited to have a new sister while Giovanni Cesare was confused as to why it was such a big deal when the couple were visiting each other so often anyways that they might as well have been married already.

Cristofolo celebrated his sixth birthday with his family although the tense atmosphere between his aunt and uncle did sour a lot of the feelings of joy he felt.

Back at the Arnault household, Osana was horrified to see her daughter left to her own devices while her husband had remarried to his noble lover who the pair of them felt it fine to neglect her daughter while the two children they shared were living lavishly. She was angry at her husband but more she was ashamed for thinking he was worth the time of day anymore than Landon was. She spent her time as a spirit caring for her young daughter and worrying for her.

With the preparations all set, one of the last things to do was to officially ask the question to Ashley. Though that itself was just a formality as she was already saying yes to the question before Giuliano could even open his mouth.

Benetta celebrated her sixth birthday in the midst of her cousin's wedding planning and her older brother's wedding planning though her older brother wasn't as in a rush to wed as her cousin.

[sweet-vanilla-sims]

Year 1667

A letter came in from Antonio early in the year telling Giulia of how his youngest daughter, Luisa, had grown into a little girl which he was happy to write about how his children were faring well all things considered after the plague but since his mother joined them in Henford the previous autumn he was proud to talk about his work on the docks which made Orelia light up as her mother recounted the contents of his letter to her children.

Giuliano shared his first kiss with Ashley as Giulia and Katharine lingered near by to keep things within reason. Katharine rolled her eyes at the blatant displays of affection the young couple stole while Giulia thought it sweet that her son was finding love though she hoped that there wasn't too much love happening as she didn't want another one of her children to have a child outside of marriage though she knew her son would be responsible enough to ask for her hand if that happened, the point was that she wanted them to wait.

As spring approached, Osana cherished the last time she would care for her son as he would soon grow too old to hide their relationship if she remained in the Collari home. She was happy that he was in good health and that he had a brother to play with. Once she returned home, it would be a new start for her ideally.

Little Cristofolo grew up and very obviously took after Osana though those who weren't in the know about his birth figured that the child merely took after his maternal grandfather as Osana was very much her father's child.

With children taking after their mother's Benetta was no exception. She was an inquisitive child with a passion for learning and while her father wasn't sure how much she would continue to take after her mother, he and Tala appreciated that they could see Felicita in her.

Osana returned to the Morosini home in May and found the farm life to be much harder than she had remembered before leaving to the Collari family.

With summer in full swing, Giulia approached Orelia with news that she was planning to see her daughters all wed before their 23rd birthdays since she wanted to make sure that their futures were secure. She had already sent out the notice in Talia's tome so that the other holders of the Tome could help in her search for son-in-laws. Orelia was shocked, she was nineteen so four more years did feel like a significant amount of time but it was also so short and... she wasn't sure she even wanted to marry but her mother looked so happy thinking of seeing her daughters married and established how could she say anything to that?

With marriage talks being the focal point of the warmer seasons, Giuliano tried his best to avoid them when he could though he couldn't believe that his friend Katharine was betrothed to Leonardo Ludovici. He thought about his future with Ashley and while he liked their relationship he was still fifteen and didn't really want to consider being an actual adult just yet. He was perfectly content to defer to his mother except when it came to the physical labor he prided himself on being able to complete.

Orelia tried to busy herself with her hobbies to distract herself from her mother's announcement but it hung over her heart like a vise. Marriage... a life as someone's wife where she would likely be beholden to her husband and his will much like her mother... it felt threatening to her.

While Osana was very clearly not suited for outdoor work, she loved lavishing her two young siblings with attention and they loved having her around more frequently.

Osana spent a lot of her time at Tala and Orsa's home though looking through Talia's tome speaking with her Uncle and the spirits of her late relatives.

Orelia enjoyed speaking with her baby brother though he wasn't much of a baby anymore. It was an odd feeling watching him grow up because of their large age gap but she delighted in hearing the little one ramble.

Eventually Osana's correspondence with her Uncle led her to be invited to visit with a guest which when she told Orsa, Orsa and Alexis admonished her saying it was a terrible idea to travel to a foreign land because of wanting to avoid their mother's matchmaking and give her the chance to marry for love. Osana tried to appeal to Orsa's romantic side but Orsa mentioned that she didn't really have the best track record to choosing men which insulted Osana but Orsa did relent to the fact that her sister was an adult who could make terrible choices if she wanted. Osana was insulted that her sister thought her choices were bad but accepted that that was likely the best she'd get from her.

While Osana plotted to leave town with Orelia, who was itching to escape marriage, December snuck up on them and Giovanni Cesare celebrated his sixth birthday with his family.

Despite Orsa's disapproval for her sisters' plan to leave town in secret, she still saw them off as the two of them left in the night hours before the new year was ushered in.

[sweet-vanilla-sims]

Year 1666

In the early days of January, Landon's noble bride arrived in Tartosa with her son from her first marriage. Both of the betrothed were excited to meet one another and quickly arranged for their wedding to go ahead with minimal fanfare especially in the wake of the disaster the plague had brought with it.

At the Ludovici household, Benetta grew into a darling baby who was thankfully a calm child which helped the household adjust to the changes the previous year had caused better.

Leonardo grew into a fun-loving young man with a penchant for parties. While his grandmother would have refused to have him as the heir to the family due to his Laurent mother her passing made it easy for his father to ignore that but his personality was rather irresponsible so the Ludovici head decided that his new daughter was more likely to inherit which honestly relieved Leonardo.

February brought with it Giulia's twin daughter's birthday as they turned eighteen.

In a lot of ways the older girls' birthday was rather bittersweet as it was wonderful that they had reached a new milestone but it was also proof that Giulia's children were growing up very fast. Giulia was ever more aware that little Olimpia would soon not be so little anymore.

In early March, Tala approached Giulia with a proposal. Tala was getting on in years and needed more consistent help with the Carlisle home and now that Felicita was gone and Vincente was gone long enough to have no more say in the land, Tala wanted to leave the land to the grandchild that would truly appreciate it, Orsa. Of course, Giuliano would appreciate the land too but he was to inherit the Morosini home and both him and Orsa loved the farming life deeply and the Carlisle home was a bit easier to maintain to be honest. Giulia was floored at the idea of course she had wondered what Tala was planning with her childhood home but to give it to her daughter was touching. Giulia was saddened at the thought of another one of her daughters leaving home but she also knew that her daughter would be happy with that.

As expected, when Tala brought up the idea to Orsa after getting Giulia's approval, Orsa was thrilled after she got over the initial disbelief. Orsa asked why Orelia wasn't chosen since she had started helping first but Tala reminded her that Orelia wasn't the type to want to be a farmer she just wanted to help, Orsa actually wanted it. There was little fault that Orsa could find in that.

Over the next few days, the Morosini family helped move Orsa's belongings to the Carlisle home and Orsa couldn't help but feel like this is where she belonged.

Olimpia grew into a little girl to the delight of her family.

Giulia might have missed how little her children used to be but with them getting older the little ones weren't any less affectionate, in fact, they seemed to be more insistent on getting her attention.

With Orsa being more independent and her home being less chaotic, she found more time to spend with her oldest sister and nephews. It felt like it had been way too long since they had been able to spend any proper length of time together.

While Orsa was getting used to her own household with her grandmother, Giuliano and his outgoing nature had led to him getting close to some girls in town specifically a pair of cousins, Ashley and Katharine. He had known Ashley for years since she grew up in Tartosa but Katharine recently moved in with her maternal aunt following the loss of her father and brother to the plague. It was sad that the reason they met was because of the circumstances but Giuliano cherished both of his relationships with the girls.

Katharine was a passionate young woman who had a tendency to get carried away and while Giulia kept an eye on the teens to make sure nothing inappropriate occurred, Giuliano wasn't interested in her in that way and Katherine was well aware that nothing would come of any attraction she had towards him.

Katherine was certain of it because Giuliano and Ashley were as close as could be without getting into improper territory. Katherine was happy for her cousin though mostly she was annoyed with chaperoning the pair since it was very easy for them to get caught up with each other leaving her to feel rather left out of their friendship.

October brought with it Jolene's son becoming a little boy which, despite Orsolina's initial reluctance to accept the stepchild of the man who broke her sister's heart, she couldn't bring herself to deny the boy or his mother for an arrangement that unbeknownst to them hurt Osana. So by the time the boy was old enough to play with the Collari boys, he was welcomed by them openly.

[sweet-vanilla-sims]

Year 1678

TW/CW: Death Mention, Miscarriage

The began with the Ludovici family making preparations for Benetta's thirteenth birthday in October but with that also came talks of future matches though through talks with the Collari family between Leonardo and Alessandra it was agreed that Benetta would marry Jolene's son from her first marriage since he had a noble background but no titles for his own. Alessandra was the one who broke the news to Benetta who admitted that the match was a good one for them and the Collari family who wished to strengthen their ties with their family even if the bond would be indirect with the young man marrying into the Ludovici family.

By February the youngest Morosini boys were roaming the home chasing after their older siblings to the family's joy.

April brought with it Jolene's oldest son turning thirteen as he grew into a rather studious young man.

With Tala gone for nearly a year, Alessandro was once again pushed to marry though given his track record with his wives, he worried but he knew his children needed a mother and his own simply couldn't keep up with three children while he hand his father worked. So he discussed his plight with his daughter hoping for her blessing to remarry though he secretly hoped that she would refuse so that he wouldn't risk the loss of a third wife but Marina hoped her father would find a more permanent happiness and gave her approval.

In late July, Alessandro married Alessandra both of which had little illusions of the practicality of their union. For Alessandro, a wife would be good help for his children and the land and her high status background meant that her connections could lead to his children finding better matches in the future. While Alessandra married lower than her status to remove herself from succession since she had a reasonable claim to her household just like her young niece but she wished to leave that to the one who wanted it and not be a threat going forward besides, her actual lover was already married so it made sense that she should marry as well.

Taking heavily after the Carlisle side of the family more each day, Luisa celebrated her thirteenth birthday in Newcrest as her little sister grew into a little girl.

Sadly, Ashley was gripped with pains one day in early August only to find that she had lost a pregnancy before she had even known about it.

But despite the loss, the family was happy to celebrate Bastiano and Borthola turning six. Both children grew into traits that didn't necessarily suit their farm life as Bastiano had a love for the arts and Borthola was enamored with books and now that she was old enough to do things on her own she spent most of her time reading when she could.

While the older children could not get along when they were younger, the twins were practically attached at the hip all the time.

Back at the Rossi home, Alessandra learned that she was with child as September came though she was confident that the child was Alessandro's given the fact her love was elsewhere for the past weeks, she was disappointed that her child was not her lover's despite the fact that problems would arise for both of them since they were both married to other people. Still, it was more practical that her child was Alessandro's since she had nothing against the man.

At the Collari home, Cristofolo celebrated his thirteenth birthday as well. Though the puppy love he shared with a village girl had secretly bloomed into a silent romance as after the celebrations with his family he snuck out to see her. His love, Antea.

Still, in a way Cristofolo was also grateful to his little cousin since while he was more ambitious than his brother, Cristofolo being third-in-line to the head of house position was more than happy to hand it off if it meant that he could marry for himself.

Giulia was saddened by the news of Orion's passing in Newcrest shortly before Cristofolo's birthday though news didn't reach Tartosa until October.

At the Ludovici household, Benetta celebrated her thirteenth birthday with her brother, his wife and their son.

Borthola lamented that there was no way she'd be able to do much studying in the future when she grew up when Giovanni Cesare made an offhand comment specifying unless with the church. But the comment when he spoke it felt like a light had been raised in Borthola's mind towards the future. Giovanni Cesare could see the visible shift in his niece at his words when her mind registered his statement and went to his brother to tell him his thoughts. It seemed that Giovanni Cesare's slip of the tongue wasn't a foreign thought when Giuliano mentioned it to his wife and after a brief discussion that Ashley relayed to Borthola they decided that if this love for study persisted then perhaps in a few years down the line she would join the church and live in the nearby convent.

Late October, Giovanni Cesare ran home from his work in a hurry a foreign ship was taking servants to the colonies and had room for a few willing participants. With Marcello having to wait to even get the chance to go and even then might take years, Giovanni Cesare knew that this opportunity might not come again and so he spoke to the man in charge and signed up for a few years of labor once he got there but in a week's time he'd be headed to a new land with new people. Giulia was not pleased with her son's course of action, ships wrecked often and the labor he had signed himself into was long and had little reward but the deed was already done. As much as she wished to fight, she chose instead to spend her last moments with her son cherishing him and using what money she had set aside on new clothes and as a gift for his journey so he could start a life when his service was done with.

After his family went to sleep Giovanni Cesare spent his nights just walking through Tartosa, he'd miss it but he couldn't help but feel excited for his new life. November came with Giovanni Cesare's departure on the boat and for the next several weeks through the end of the year, the boat was his home.