[M] My Fair Lady (ScottishGal/ Dark Pigeon)

Frederick would not leave this room without Jenny by his side. "I should have known that you went to see Andrew. I hope you are feeling better now." he asked her sweetly as he walked with her to the dinningroom. "Whenever your mother is ready, I can tell her to story of both these ghosts. I.. might not mention the others though. Houses like these tend to have a few of them... I mean, old houses... this house is nearly 400 years old you see. Many things have happened, it has seen a lot. But there is no need to fear them" He wispered, making sure nobody but Jenny could hear them.

As everyone was seated, and grace was said, dinner was being served. It was a Montgomery tradition! LEFTOVERS! All the jummy snacks, all the tasty things, everything that was left over from the feast before. All of them neatly served and ready to be eaten by hungry little children and equally hungry adults. Frederick leaned towards Jenny and smiled "Leftovers is a tradition that comes from my grandparents family, nothing goes to waste. And who doesn't love day old pie?" He asked her as he took a big serving himself before he helped Jenny to her meal

Jenny let her gaze drift over his face, she could see the sweet mixture of concern and joy at her return. She nodded softly before truly responding, "Maybe another night." She didn't want to scare her mother away and never have her return to the house. Her back thanked her for the seat and she felt her muscles slowly relax as even a short while on her feet was starting to tire her out. The boys were about ready to lunge at the food until their mother coughed gently. First grace, then they could eat. Grandfather Montgomery led the grace and they all said their Amens before starting on the glorious meal.

Jenny's fork hovered before her, laden with food as Frederick told her what the tradition was. Her eyes found her mother and father who were suddenly red faced as they dropped their gaze. Leftovers in the world of the rich was a tradition...in their world it was a necessity. You ate whatever was left until it nearly had mould growing on it. You begged for scraps of other peoples leftovers. Leftovers were a way of life...not a family tradition. "Yes, of course." Jenny gave Frederick a wide beaming smile as her brothers brought the room to life with their rambling conversation. Freddie was talking to his parents and grandparents about his day so far. Tommy was attempting to babble alongside him. John was talking to the Montgomery's asking about their home, about their horses as excitement filled his eyes. Edward was nearly off his seat beside Miss Rachel as he tried to drain every bit of information from her skull. Jenny chuckled softly and brushed her fingertips over Frederick's arm. "The house will be so quiet when they have all wandered away home."

Grandfather Montgomery smiled as he watched the others fill up their plates. "Do the boys wish to hear the story, as to why we wat the leftovers on the first day of the year?" He asked them as Sir John had his faced stuffed with pie. The boys nodded, all their small faces were turned towards the older man, who smiled as he now had their attention. "The Name Montgomery has not always held such power. Where it now makes many a powerful man shiffer in fear, it was a name that was connected to nothing before. My great grandfather was a man who, like you, had a history of begging for every single bite of food. No matter if it had mold growing on it... it brought flavor to a meal he said. Or if maggots roamed in the soup, just more meat he would tell us. HIs family tended to be poor, poor enough that their house was bidl out of twigs, mud, straw, and horse-shit" Grandmother Montgomery whacked at her hushands head as he said shit, the boys just lauged and made dirthy faces.

"My grandfather's father was a man that drank away his worries. Every single day he tried to earn some coin so he could pay for food, for coals, for anything really. Despite his upbringing he was a very cleaver man. A man that could get the most out of everything. When he earned money, he always knew how to make more of it, no matter the odds... he knew how to make gold out of coal, diamonds out of gold. But he was unlucky to be born in poverty and never been granted that one single change to truly show this world what he was made off. One day, when he was drunk and wandering the streets, he walked up against a wealthy man. Oh the anger! Such a lowly man, brushing up against someone as important as that horrible snob! A horroble snob that.... luckily for my great-grandfather... had a horrible gambling addiction. The man started shouting and humiliating my grandfather. Telling him how lowly he was, how little he knew, how he should be kisssing the streets the rich were walking upon. Then, without blinking my father told the man that if he was able to answer a simple question he would indeed kiss the ground the rich would walk upon for a full week. BUT! if he did not know... he would grand him a job only worthy for a man like him. Now... this rich snob took the bate, for such a lowly man could not possibly know something he did not know. So, with withnesses gathering around the bet was placed. And there my great-grandfather sat, thinking of the perfect riddle.

"Of no use to one Yet absolute bliss to two. The small boy gets it for nothing. The young man has to lie for it. The old man has to buy it. The baby's right, The lover's privilege, The hypocrite's mask. To the young girl, faith; To the married woman, hope; To the old maid, charity. What am I?" My grandfather asked as he looked at the boys, who all.. were absolutely confused to what the question was.. nor the answer. "Oh that rich man did not dare to ask for the question again! Such shame! From what I heard he turned pale, then red faced, then his lip started to wobble.. then .. he gave up as he said "I... this is impossible.. there is no answer to that riddle" he told my great-grandfather "A kiss. THe answer is a kiss"

Grandfather Montgomery smiled proudly, for this was a story that was told over and over again. The reason of the inmens riches that the Montgomery had... was because of a riddle. "THe rich man was angry, of course he was. But he kept his promise and gave my great-grandfather a job worthy of that of an man quite like the rich man himself. IN the first year the Montgomery's earned enough to buy a house, the second year he had worked himself up to be the boss of this rich man, the third year he bought the company, the fourth the bought a mansion. The sixt they were well known for their witts and smarts. The nineth they nearly owned the city. The 12th his children owned their own shops and companies. And all because a rich man thought to lowly of him. TO remember their poverty, to remember what they have and what they gained. They will eat the leftovers of the old year, in the new year.. until there is not a single bite left. We give jobs to those who are worthy of it, no matter their upbringing. We lend money to those with good bussiness sense, and buy small bussinesses that do good work... but that need more money to truly grow. We become the smaller partner, so that the power stayes with its owner. This is how we build our wealth.... and help others building theirs. "

Grandfather looked so proud telling his story! The reason why the Montgomery's were feared was how they helped smaller businesses that had a good fighting change to become bigger, more powerful. Taking power from the bigger ones. They were able to kill the bussiness of powerful men, and still become rich because of it. "So, we eat the leftovers until there is nothing left. Reminding us of how things were. I know its small, but it is what we do" he said as he proudly smiled as he leaned back.

Every Norman boy was overwhelmed with such news. Their eyes grew wide and hope filled their little bodies. If Grandfather Montgomery's great grandfather could do it....so could they! It was Grannie Greene who could not form a smile during the story. It was a grand story, it was something for the ages. A poor man that managed to trick a rich man. It was the small glances between those older in the room that had Jenny shifting in her seat. She enjoyed the story, she didn't know much about the Montgomery's background but it was interesting to hear that they came from a similar place to them. It was the second glance that Jenny received from her Grannie Greene that had Jenny's stomach reaching her shoes. Her family would still be in that place...they would still be eating the mould off of bread and having week old soup...if she hadn't tricked a rich man.

Jenny knew that she hadn't tricked Frederick but doubt was constantly eating away at her mind. She laughed at all the right places and kept a smile on her face but it didn't reach her eyes. Anne and John shifted in their seats again as their sons squealed with glee. They were so excited, they could go out and find a rich man to trick. They could get a big house for their parents, they could feed their family for years and years. Edward beamed at the story, his mind already conjuring up scenarios where it could work. The hope they had was overwhelming and Anne wanted to bundle her children up and hide them. They couldn't get that. That was years and years ago. Rich men, excluding Frederick and the Montgomery's, wanted only to squash the poor. She remembered the way they spat at her when she tried to get a job washing clothes or even cleaning toilets.

Jenny squeezed Frederick's hand gently when the story ended and she gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "So your family were like us one day long ago?" John asked in an innocent voice. Grandfather Montgomery nodded, "Similar, they were a big family..lots of mouths to feed and my great grandfather did whatever he could to get food on the table." John nodded violently before slyly turning his eyes to Frederick. "Frederick?" He asked sweetly until Frederick responded. "I have a riddle for you...one you'll never get." A cheeky smile blossomed onto his cheeks and the Normans chuckled at their son's bravery.

Frederick chuckled at how boldness of young John "I bet you do, but I am not offering you anything right now am I? My grandfathers great-grandfather had been very lucky. Such luck is rare John, many a poor man has been tricked out of everything they own by the rich. And lets not forget that this man kept his word, he did not need to do such. If you ask me, one has more luck finding a pink horse-sized elephant, than having a rich man keeping his word towards a man of poverty." Frederick told the boys, understanding that they now wished to do the very same. Frederick knew that it would only end up in distaster, that it would break the very spirit of these boys.

"But Jenny tricked you, didnt she? Now she is rich to!" Freddy said loudly, not understanding what he was saying. Frederick took Jenny's hand in his and smiled as he looked at her before his eyes turned towards the boys. "Gods no, I tricked her. I dared to think myself far above such a girl like her. Tricking her into believing that without my help she could never become anything better. With my help - so I told her- she would be able to be more, earn more.. become something else than the poor little girl she was. To be honest, I said many a horrible thing that day, things I do not wish to repeat." He told the boys as he looked back at Jenny, shame in his eyes as he thougth back of those days. "To be honest boys, I was tricked by my very own heart. The very first time I saw your sister, hardly even truly seeing her... I felt my heart sing out towards her. While my mind was telling me the most horrible of toughts. I found myself unalbe to sleep, unable to think of anything else but the vision that was your sister. There was nothing else I thought of. I went to the very same spot I had seen her, watching her every single evening as she went to work. If it had not been for my friend Darling, who tricked me into speaking to her... I would still have been that same hate-filled, lonely soul I had been those years before."

This was not what the boys had expected to hear. It sounded horrible to them, all that love and properly kissing as well! "I like Grandfather Montgomery's story better" John said silently before taking a big bite out of his cake "I do too" Frederick said as he gave Jenny a cheeky grin.

John pouted at Frederick as he refused to accept his request for a riddle. His shoulders dropped as Frederick told him that they should not get their hopes up. John glanced at his parents before letting his eyes drop to his plate. It was as if someone had told him never to climb a tree again. Anne tensed her jaw as Freddie spoke his innocent mind. Jenny felt her stomach drop as she attempted to keep a smile on her face. She appreciated that he told them that he had tricked her. She let her gaze flick to him as he apologised almost about the harsh things he had said all those months ago. Jenny loved hearing this story but she didn't need to hear it in this context. She kept the strained smile on her face and she kept her hand in his.

Jenny chuckled with John's soft grumble and tried to tempt her family to eat again. "Please. There is chocolate cake waiting." That had Freddie gulping his food down. Soon enough the room was filled with conversation again. First it was Grannie Greene stating that her sponge cake was much better than Andrew's chocolate cake. That had a small debate going on in amongst the grandparents. Jenny squeezed Fredericks hand tight once more before returning to her meal. She strangely ate everything on the left hand first before moving to the right hand. She also ate her carrots with a slathering of honey.

The words "Chocolate cake" always worked wonders around the boys. Now that everyone was talking about this and that, Frederick took his change to talk to his wife alone. "I see that you take a liking to the carrots" He said sweetly as he himself took one as well, making sure that he had as much honey on it as possible. He tasted it first before he smiled and nodded "quite lovely. I ... hope you did not mind me sharing our story. I .... see how it was selfish of me to do so.. I am terrible sorry of you did not want me to tell the boys. " He told her as he brushed his fingers over hers.

The room buzzed with conversation and Jenny felt on the outside of it. She wasn't included in any conversation and she felt like there was a massive split down the centre of the room now. A story that was meant to bring their families closer...just drove a wedge between them. Her plate had the most carrots on it. Andrew knew her new obsession, he had made her as many carrot things as possible. A soft voice to her right brought her out of her thoughts. Her eyes flicked over to Frederick and a soft smile graced her features. "It's a new thing, I am sure I will hate them next week. It happened with apples a while back." Her forehead crinkled as she chuckled softly. He had nearly drowned the carrots in honey. A sweet tooth was obvious in her husband. It was the pause in his words that made her meet his eyes again. Her hand left the table, moving out from under his fingers. Her fingers gently brushed his cheek as she moved closer to him. "Do not worry, Frederick. It is a story that I would rather we tell them.....than they find out on the streets themselves." The smallest of kisses was pressed to his lips before she returned to her carrots. "You taste of honey." She told him with a wink.

Frederick smiled and licked his lips "I do, I do taste like honey" he said before he took a bite of another honey soaked carrot. "Do not eat to much carrots though, they will turn you orange' he told her sweetly as this was a very well known fact.. one that was still common sense and not some idiots story. "Though I would still love you then, if you eat to many carrots then I will do so as well.. lets be the orange couple shall we?" he whispered to her, as they both sat there like young lovers. THey boys just thought it to be yukkie, they most certainly would never love any girl like that themselves! Both Grandparents Montgomery watched the two as they rolled their eyes.

Jenny wrinkled her nose as she chuckled. "Oh hush." She told him with a soft whack of her hand against his arm. "I will not turn orange...just the baby." She winked at Frederick before letting out a gentle cackle. His words brushed her cheek and she felt pink grace her skin. "Quiet you." Embarrassment forced her cheeks to bloom with colour and her eyes to drop to the table. Her brothers made a face before trying to get back to their previous conversations. Andrew brought out tea and juice as well as a small yellow drink for Jenny. She gave an disgruntled face to the large chef who merely stuck his tongue out and ran from the room. Jenny let the liquid slide down her throat before scrunching her nose up and trying to return to her dinner.