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

[Dark Pigeon]

It took Fredrick a few seconds before he stood up himself and looked around "I bet you boys still have to find some of those chocolates" he mused and watched their faces light up "Sir John? Would you take your mother, sister and brothers into the living room so I can talk with your father in private in my office?" He looked at John and nodded, he felt a bit awkward now he had to be alone with the man. A fine bottle of whisky awaited them in his office. Knowing he had to drink some of it made him slightly nervous.

"it would be my pleasure" Sir John said and jumped out of his seat. Williams opened the door to the corridor and smiled at the small boys running past him. He nodded politely towards Jenny and Anne when the passed. Fredrick stood still inside the corridor until John came out and gestured him to come towards one of the other rooms. He hoped that John would not touch any of his drawings or comment on the stacks of papers and books.

[Scottie]

“Sir” John jumped from his seat and started to tug at his mother to move. Anne glanced at her husband before standing. Freddie and Edward sat in their seats staring at Mensdorff with fear in their eyes. Jenny coughed slightly and they snapped their eyes to her. She smiled and took Freddies hand and tugged at him slightly, she gestured her other outstretched hand to Edward who took the hand but glanced behind him at his father.


Jenny left the room with a smile, Freddie had caught sight of James and had ran off to him, Jenny held Edwards hand tight as she walked with them to the living room. Anne sat down with Tommy on her, she rested herself back as the small boy curled up against her. She started to hum soflty as the other two boys ran about searching for the chocolates. Jenny sat next to her mother and glanced at the woman, Anne sent her scowl before continuing to rub Tommys back and hum. Jenny dropped her eyes and played with her hands.
James came in Freddie tucked under his arm, he laughed at the boys running about but then John and Edward had their sights on him. They tackled him, one on each leg as James tried to walk forward towards Anne and Jenny.


John stood and tucked his chair in, his eyes on Mensdorffs back as he walked ahead of him. He nodded with a small smile as Mensdorff gestured into another large room. John entered his hands clasped behind his back, he scanned his eyes over the drawings on the wall. He had a similar reaction to Jenny in that he moved slightly closer to them but didn’t say anything. He spun and stood his arms crossed across his chest. The room was massive and grand, John had never been in an office such as this. “I thank ya again Sir for dinner. My family are thankful for your generosity” John said with a smile, his loud voice filling the room.

[Dark Pigeon]

Fredrick looked at John and could see where Jenny got the irritating habit of keeping thanking for everything he was doing. He smiled slightly nervously at the man standing inside his office and took out the bottle of expansive whiskey and poured some for both of them. "Its quite alright mister Norman, it should be me thanking you. I haven't had any guests inside this house that did not want me to jump of the roof in irritation" he said, knowing how much he hated his business diners. They where incredibly tedious and sucked all the energy out of his body. People just did not seem to share his fascination and love for buildings, even when he was a child or now he was a full grown man. But he had a job, a gift and he would not stop doing it for anything in the world. Despite it all, he loved designing and watch the buildings that he had on paper come alive in the real world. It gave him a sense of fatherly pride.

He gave the glass with a whiskey to John and gestured him to come in further "Please excuse my fairly eccentric ordering system. But it keeps my mind from going mad, we tried to keep it cleaned up but I just cant stand it." he explained watching Johns face. The whole house was perfectly cleaned no spots to be found or loose papers and books lying in places where they should not. The office was an other thing, despite that Fredrick had been 'cleaning' it still was a mess, piles of books and papers scattered around in the room. Chairs disappeared under piles as did small side tables and at least two-third of his desk. And not to mention the amount of dust....

Fredrick quickly took some books and papers of the desk and the chair standing next to it and placed them carefully on some 'clean' spots on the ground. He then succeeded to find the building plans and a small notebook and some letters from the mess and placed them on the table. "The building plans, letters about the state of the house as it is now and drawings I made as a child of some details of the house" Fredrick explained, gesturing John to sit down "Do you have any experience with building or restoring John?"

[Scottie]

John watched the man carefully as he poured him some whisky, he raised his eyebrows as Mensdorff spoke. It was odd for a man of the upperclass to enjoy the presence of a lower class family within his walls. He smiled and nodded slightly, he took the glass with a wide smile and smelled the whisky. His eyebrows shot up as he realized the expensive nature of the whisky. John scanned over Mensdorff, he was obviously trying to make an impression. John sipped a small amount of the whisky, letting it swill around his mouth. He scanned around the room, he grinned as Mensdorff mentioned something about it keeps his mind from going mad, it was true that the room stood out against the others. It looked lived in, the papers scattered everywhere and the paintings, made it seem more alive than the rest of the house.

John walked closer to Mensdorff and watched him clear away some papers and books, he kept his glass in his hand. He knew that for certain men Whisky could make them angry, John didn’t have the same reaction, but he had been around when men drunk on whisky had to be kicked out of the tavern for fighting. John scanned his eyes over the desk and sat on the chair beside the desk. He stretched his legs out slightly and sighed “Aye…Well I’ve fixed the gates in the property where I worked and me and a group of men put up the new barn.” He said smiling, thinking of the men who had risen the new barn for the housing of the animals.

------ Living Room -------
Jenny giggled loudly as James nearly toppled to the ground as the three boys jumped on him. Tommy glanced over his shoulder, he wanted to play but was mighty tired. He curled up closer and closed his eyes to his mothers humming.

Jenny stood and wagged her finger at the boys, they only grinned before John and Edward leapt at Jenny. Jenny fell with a loud thump on her bum, the boys grinning widely before trying to tickle her. She squealed loudly and tried to bat them away. James smirked at Jenny before using a deep booming voice “Don’t ya worry fair maiden I shall save ya from the evil minions” He said laughing, he picked Edward up around the waist. Edward struggled against James grip before crossing his arms and frowning.

Freddie clung tightly to James’s neck as Jenny grabbed John. She pushed herself up and tickled him back harshly, the boy laughed loudly until they were shushed by their mother. The children stopped and James stood, Edward under one arm and Freddie clinging around his neck.

[Dark Pigeon]

"Ah.. good ..good" Fredrick said and placed the whiskey on the desk. He was not planning to drink some of it, at least not if he could help it. He sat down on a chair next to John and showed him the building plans of the house and showed him the letters that described the state of the house as it was a couple of months ago. "Now I have been informed that the house itself is still in good enough a state to be lived in. The roof needs some fixing and some of the older parts, the woodwork has to be replaced. Doors, window frames, decorative woodwork inside the house .. it all needs to be inspected for woodworms, termite and rot. And if needed replaced before it damages more of the woodwork. Seeing that the house is on the seaside the wood will be damaged by the salty air. So Im afraid most of it needs to be replaced. It really is a shame, the woodwork alone is a couple of hundreds of years old, the detailing really was the best craftmanship of its day. I would hate to loose it" He stood up to pick up a small leather note book and showed John some of the drawings he made as a child "As you can see, every single piece of wood had a story to tell. I could spend hours walking around the house just watching the art before me." He smiled thinking about that period in his life and carefully placed the small notebook back on the table.

"The stables only have the walls still standing, I haven't seen the state of these myself so I am not sure if they still can be saved. I would love to have them saved as well" He took the building plans back and showed him the lay-out of the terrain the house and stables were on. The mansion was at least three times bigger than the house were Fredrick and John where in now.

..... livingroom......

Williams came walking in to see if everything was alright and smiled watching James being harassed by the small boys. "Would the Norman family want something to drink before Mister Mensdorff and Mister Norman return?" He asked and smiled. He watched Anne for a moment and watched the sleepy Tommy in her hands "I think we might have a nice warm blanket for the youngest Miss Norman."

[Scottie]

John watched the other man place his whisky down with a small frown, he kept his own glass in his hands as he was shown the plans of the house. Johns eyes went wide at the massive size of the house, his head started to make a mental list of everything that Mensdorff said. He wouldn’t be able to do this himself, he would need help and a lot of it. Every drawing was intricate and well done, he raised his eyebrows at the expertise of the drawings that Mesndorff said he did when he was younger.

John gulped slightly before looking back at Mensdorff, “I’ll need a lot of help with this Sir.” He said before murmuring to himself slightly, making a mental list of men and trying to piece together all the work he’ll have to do. “It’s a massive task Sir. But I’ll try my best” He said frowning at the drawings, he flicked his hand out to press down some papers before snatching them back and clasping his glass. Jenny had mentioned something about the man being rather particular about what people touched. John straightened his back slightly and kept his eyes on the drawings before him.

“You can save the stables Sir. But Unless you are getting some horses or something Sir there would be no points” John said bluntly, unless Mensdorff had a reason for them, there would be no point saving them.


..... livingroom......


Jenny snapped her eyes up to Williams as James let Edward go, Freddie wriggled on James back. James bent down until the small boy could touch the ground. James grinned at Jenny as he helped her up. Anne snapped her eyes to Jenny and smirked slightly. Jenny wiped her dress down, John huddled Edward and Freddie together whispering to them.
John moved forward with a grin on his face, “Sir…Mister Williams…could we get some of that hot chocolate please?” He said politely, Freddie and Edward stared at Williams, they could hot chocolate…a drink. They all grinned widely, James nodded his head slightly and sliped past Williams. Freddie frowned at his disappearance before being distracted by his brothers wanting to find more chocolates.

Anne nodded towards Williams “Please Sir.” She said softly, the small boy whinged in her arms and she held him closer. Jenny sat next to her mother and glanced at her mother with a smirk. Anne only shook her head “Just you wait till we get home Madame” Jenny pursed her lips together and dropped her eyes.

[Dark Pigeon]

"no point... NO POINT!" Fredrick jumped out of his seat spitting out those words, he heard those words far to many times, he loved that house. And he did not care for people telling him that there was no point into restoring it. He could easily design a house himself, have it build to his specific wishes. And yet he wanted a house he did not see for almost 20 years to be restored.

"I spend years to get that house of that old greedy bastards hands. Do you know how many times he told my mother that there was no point! That we should not spend money on a house so far away from the city?! Because he wanted to drag me all over europe too show of what his youngest son could do. I had to endure his bullshit for far to long! He did not want me to have the house! He found me 'to emotional attached" to it! And now you dare to tell me that there is no point into restoring the stables? My mother loved that house!! She was a equestrian, she brushed and saddled her own horses! Those stables where her live! Every single stone of it! She died knowing that it was rotting away because her husband kept telling her that there was no point to it all!" Fredrick was furious, his hands bold into fists and looking at John like he was ready to fight the man.

..... Living room....

"Hot chocolate?" Williams said and raised his eyebrow like only he could "I don't know if we still have hot chocolate milk in the house Sir John. We had a small boy yesterday that drank all of it you see." He watched the disappointment in the boys faces and squatted down. He gestured the children to come closer, when they stood close enough Williams whispered to them "But if all of the young sir's follow me to the kitchen, I think I found a secret stash... we could make the big cook make us some and secretly eat the whipping cream when he is not looking" Sir John jumped up, ready to run towards the kitchen and dragged his brother Edward with him. Freddie looked with big wide eyes, afraid to go into the kitchen where the big scary cook lived and blinked rapidly before he took Williams hand.

"I will send Mary with a blanket for sir Tommy" Williams said, grinning when the boys started to push him towards the kitchen. In the corridor he quickly spotted Mary "A blanket if you please, for young sir Tommy" he said, looking at the laughing woman who never would think to see such a sight.

[Scottie]

John blinked rapidly as the man before him changed from calm to angry, John stood slowly his hands up infront of him in a defensive stance. He listened carefully, raising his eyebrows when he realised that Mensdorff had an attachment to every part of the house. That his father had taken it from him and it reminded him of his mother.

He took a small step backwards away from the man. “I understand Sir. I meant nothing about it” John scanned over the man clocking the balled fists. He frowned at MEnsdorff, he did not approve of the angry outburst of the younger man. He was having second thoughts letting his children anywhere near this man. He glanced over his shoulder at the closed door and straightened his back slightly.

“Perhaps it might be better for someone else to restore the house Sir.” John said bluntly, his hands still up infront of him, at that moment all he wanted was to bundle his family together and leave this mans house. The childrens giggled could be heard floating around the house.


..... Living room....

Freddie clutched Williams hand tight as they walked through the kitchen. John and Edward had run on ahead they jumped into the kitchen, were James and Andrew were clearing up the cutlery and left overs. Mary nodded at Williams as he passed, she slowly made her way up the stairs to grab a soft blanket from the storage in the up stairs hallway.

Anne watched her sons run out and then she fixed her gaze on her daughter. Jenny made to stand and Anne frowned at her “You sit your arse down now missy” She said quickly. Jenny sighed and sat down, glancing at her mother. “You left out that the man isn’t religious Jenny. You know how I feel about that. And that man asking me what I do..making me feel like another skivvy” Anne said quickly though Jenny could tell Anne was more upset at herself than at Jenny.
Jenny chewed at her lower lip while listening to her mother “Ma..I didn’t know what to tell you. John told me what people were saying bout me being here. Imagine it if they knew he wasn’t a religious man” Anne snapped her eyes to her daughter “Ma nothing happened okay” Jenny said with a slight frown.

Mary appeared as Jenny assured her mother that nothing happened between her and Mensdorff. Mary beamed at the two women and entered with a few warm blankets. She handed them to Anne who grinned at the woman. Mary was more of the person that Anne wanted to talk to. Mary stopped and rubbed her back slightly “How many months” Anne asked with a grin.

Mary beamed back at Anne “5 months and bout 3 weeks” Anne smiled and patted the couch beside her. “Your first” Mary only nodded and wrapped the blanket around Tommys shoulders. “Its only gonna get worse, especially if your first was anything like Jenny” Jenny rolled her eyes at her mother.

[Dark Pigeon]

Fredrick kept an eye on John, he did not know if the man would attack him or not. His eyes flashed from the drawings to the whiskey the door and back at John listening to what he had to say. It came as a shock that John thought it was best if someone els was to restore the house, meaning.. that he did not want the job offered, his son to go to his house and far worse for Fredrick... Jenny would not come.

He stood there for several seconds, trying hards to push his anger away. His whole body was shaking, his hands still bold up into fists. He muttered angry against himself, cursing his own soul for keeping making thing worse for himself. He took a deep breath of air and looked at John. He seemed almost desperate, he wanted so badly for Jenny to come with him, help her family so she would not worry herself and grow happier than she already was. "No.. its quite alright John" Fredrick said, pushing out the words trying to make them sound friendly "I heard those words far to much, I would love to see the stables restored as much as the house itself. And I would be honored if you would be to help me to accomplice this task. Please don't make my outburst of anger change your mind"

.... kitchen....

Andrew looked down at the small lads in his kitchen, John was already trying to find the chocolates "We come to find the secret stash of chocolates sir!" Freddie boomed out, trying to mimic his fathers booming voice. "ow.. well... you got me!" Andrew said and started to get the cacao from the cabinet "So you boys want some hot chocolate milk huh? I keep cooking all night with you rascals inside the house!" James laughed, and handed over the last bit if milk. Andrew ruffled the hair of each boy that was close and smiled friendly towards them. The man was huge and build like a brick wall but incredibly gentle. "So! tell Andrew how you liked his cooking"

[Scottie]

John folded his arms across his chest, it seemed like Mensdorff was shaking his fists still balled into fists. He seemed to mutter and curse and John frowned at the man before him. He kept his posture strong as he watched the man deflate slightly. “I understand Sir. Just wasn’t expecting the burst of anger.” He said, he noted that Mensdorff hadn’t touched a drop of whisky so it wasn’t the alcohol that made him burst.

“I can help do up the stables Sir. I’ll try my best to meet every one of your expectations.” John said his eyes still dark as they watched the man before him. He was now wary of the man being around his children, he wanted the opportunity for Tommy to be healthy but he wanted his children away from the man before him.

“If I may so ask Sir. Do you get theses burst frequently?” He asked gently, not patronising, John knew when anger could take over your every thought.


.... kitchen....

The boys grinned widely at Andrew and all of them shaked their head enthusiastically, “It was BRILLAINT” john said with a massive grin. Freddie and Edward shook their heads wildly after John spoke. James sat down with a grin at the boys.

Anne sat with Mary and the two started to discuss baby topics. Jenny gently took Tommy from her mothers grip and clutched him tightly as she stood. She peered out of the doorway and walked down towards the kitchen. Tommy curled tighter in the deep blue blanket. Jenny appeared at the doorway, swaying slightly with Tommy at her shoulder. She stood for a moment before James noticed her, he stood quickly and offered him her seat. She sat and started to hum softly.

Freddie glanced up at Jenny tugging at her skirt wanting to sit in her lap as well, James rolled his eyes at the boy with a grin and picked him up holding him up. Jenny smiled at Freddie and spoke softly to Williams “Would there be another smidge of hot chocolate for another little one?” She said smiling.

With Tommy on Jennys chest and Freddie in James’s arms, Jenny was reminded of the last time they were in her home. Her mother had commented for hours afterwards how the four looked like a young family and how James would make a good husband and how nice their children would look. Jenny had only rolled her eyes and hid under the covers with her brothers.