Marc Shaiman
A Letter From Cecile (SMASH Cast Version)
[IVY ("CECILE")]
Dear Sophie...
At the convent of St. Ursuline
Under lock and key we always felt secure
We were taught that Heaven is divine
And all who enter it are innocent and pure

And inside those medieval walls
We had no reason to believe it wasn't true
But it's hard to stay strong when one leaves those holy halls
And, Sophie, that is why I'm writing this to you

For there's this man, you see
This man, Vicomte Valmont
A second cousin to the cousin of my mother
Who would look at me
As he played faro with my aunt
And he wasn't looking at me like a brother

He is with us in Deauville
As my dear mama prepares
For my marriage she's brokered and arranged
But last night as I lay still
I heard him coming up the stairs
And now, Sophie, I am permanently changed!
He arrived just past eleven
Saying we would fly to Heaven
And before the night was over he was right
Now, nuns say Heaven's for the strong
But I'm afraid he's proved them wrong
And he's bringing Heaven back tomorrow night

[MADAME VOLANGES]
Cecile, what's that racket? I don't hear your lesson, what are you doing in there?

[IVY ("CECILE")]
Oh, oh, yes Mama! I'm working out a very hard passage

At the convent of St. Ursuline
We were sheltered from the evil ways of men
We were warned that they would pour your wine
And could seduce you with just paper and a pen

And beneath the chapel and its dome
We had no reason to believe the nuns would lie
But if Heaven's what I felt upstairs in Madame Rosemonde's home
Well then, Sophie, I am not afraid to die

But there's this man, you see
Monsieur Gercourt's his name
And he's expecting a young wife who is intact
How enraged he'll be
When he learns of Valmont's game
For now he will not be the first, and that's a fact
And if that were not enough
Love and music stole my heart
When my tutor, Danceny, made my harp sing
But our future's looking rough
And our young love may come apart
Since Valmont exposed my harp and plucked the string

As my corset he unlaced
I pleaded, "Heaven calls the chaste"
I begged, "Don't spoil me, sir, before you I do kneel"
But then spoil me he did
So now I say Heaven forbid
I'm never stopping, I'm in Heaven
Signed your loyal friend Cecile