ℜ𝔬𝔪𝔞𝔫 ℌ𝔬𝔩𝔦𝔡𝔞𝔶- 𝔇𝔞𝔪𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔬 𝔇𝔞𝔳𝔦𝔡 𝔣𝔞𝔫𝔣𝔦𝔠

Chapter one

Life was smooth sailing for little miss Astor, love however had the final say. That was of course as per any love story just for a while. 

Cecilia Astor from the powerful South English Astor dynasty was met with a lot of responsibilities from a young age. Having money's never sounded like an issue but when this money is earned mainly by an established public image life gets hard. All of Josephine's life was spent learning anything and everything that would make her stand out to the press but make her seem perfect at the same time. Her father was the head of the family at the time, and he owned 90% of the musical instrument factories in the country.  Lucky for Celia she had an older brother who eventually was going to take up the business, while she had her whole life free to just be a socialite.

But as one can imagine spending your whole life doing meaningless things just to pass the time is something only empty souls can afford. Celia on the other hand, although seeming reserved and quiet, had her heart beating passionately for excitement. 

Having just graduated from secondary school, she had one whole summer to enjoy herself before university. Sadly her schedule was empty. One beautiful morning in London she was carelessly lying on her bed with her head bent over the edge and hair loosely touching the floor. In her hands, she was holding Wuthering Heights, but her mind wasn't processing any of the words she read.  All she could think about was what life would be if instead of going to uni she did something unusual and spontaneous. 

Later that same day while having breakfast with her family they were all discussing how relaxing it would be for them to go to their Italian villa for the summer. 

"- I am just so tired of visiting all of those "exotic" countries just for the experience as you Montgomery like to put it."- said Mrs. Astor referring to the last 4 summers in which the family visited a bunch of Asian and African countries by their son's request. "We have a culture in Europe, and we also have class." She looked around to see if anyone was going to say something about her purposely ignorant remark, but everybody seemed unfazed. So she went on. " Besides, I don't like Cecilia hanging around all of those sad women that have decided to give up their life volunteering at places that are lost causes. I'm afraid it would give her the wrong impression about life's meaning."

"My love, we've raised a smart young woman. Do not underestimate her. She knows better than that!" Lord Astor would always sound cold and distant. While his wife, with all the harmful things she'd say, still showed her kids affection. 

"I have a brilliant idea!" Mrs. Astor suddenly looked up from her food. "This summer we should visit the villa in Rome. But this time finally as a family." Villa di Astor was an engagement present from the Lord to his then fiancé. They had quite a few really affectionate moments there. For all 26 years of owning it the kids never stepped foot in it. 

"I'm happy as long as you're happy!" Lord Astor quickly brushed her off. It had been years since he had shown the missus a romantic experience. Perhaps she secretly hoped that returning to Italy would light up the spark again. Little did she know that the phrase When in Rome...  would apply to one other member of the family.

"I suppose now is the time to tell you that I've signed up for an archaeological expedition in Egypt starting June and ending in September." Montgomery broke his silence.

"Well that is very unfortunate Monti! Is your mind made up?" Mrs. Astor wasn't sure if she was feeling irritated or satisfied by his decision. The problem for her didn't lay in him missing the trip. As you've probably guessed, she liked that it was one less person distracting her from her husband. But she just couldn't agree to let her 23 years old son to a place where he would be doing labour work. 

"I'm afraid I have, mamma!" If it wasn't for her selfish reasons she would have argued with him on the matter. But in this case it was nice she didn't. This job would only serve a man good. It just goes to show you what kind of person Mrs. Astor was.

In the evening Cecilia didn't get a bit of sleep. She was incredibly happy to have the opportunity of going to Italy in 3 months. But staying in a villa on the outskirts of Rome for a whole summer with only her parents wasn't too tempting. In just one sitting she came up with an amazing plan to convince her parent to let her stay alone in a mansard in downtown Rome.  She would only be visiting the high-end cafés and restaurants, so she makes new and meaningful liaisons. She wouldn't be behaving badly and embarrassing the family. And hopefully one day if God allows it, the Astors will also own factories in Italy.

"Progress, my darling! That is what I call progressive thinking." The Lord was more than pleased his daughter seemed to have more interest in the business than his son. So after she told him her plan in his lunch break the next day it didn't take long for him to give his blessing. 

Of course, she never intended on doing the things she promised to do. Her actual plan was to just go with the flow and hopefully make some memories before uni. And that she did. But everything in its time.

The night before their departure for Rome, Cecilia was resting on the rooftop, staring at the stars and thinking about her purpose. Her brother Montgomery sneaked up on her and slowly sat next to her. He was a genuinely good person. But to the disappointment of his parents his dream was never owning factories. Monti preferred history and adventures. The Lord was honestly considering leaving his legacy to Cecilia. And that she feared most, because just like his brother she never had an intention on doing something like that.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked her.

"Oh Monti,  I'm just so nervous for whether I can manage on my own. It doesn't matter if its Italy or Britain or wherever. It's my first time alone, and it's scary." Even tho her parents were mostly absent while she was growing up, she was never left to fend for herself. 

"Well, I can imagine you'll have a whole delegation of servants to help you. Besides being a socialite abroad can't be harder than being a socialite at home." 

"Stop it!" she hit him playfully. "You out of all people know I will not be doing what I told dad."

"Ah, you'll be fine. Where there's will there's a way!" he said trough laughs. "Here's my advice! Don't think about image. Find yourself new friends and try to have as much fun as possible." He hugged her tight reassuringly. 

"Well what if tabloids find me and mum and dad learn? They will be so mad."

"Do not think about it! You're moving to uni after summer anyway, so you won't be communicating with them too often."

A/N: Sooooo if you guys comment with opinions I'd appreciate it greatly! As I said in the introduction chapter I'm going with the flow so suggestions as to what should happen can be left...

...here! :) <3