Team: Montrose Magpies
Position: Beater 2
Prompts: (Quote) 'If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it' - Andy Rooney, (Occasion) An engagement
Word Count: 2991
Rags to Riches
Theodore Nott stood on the raised platform next to his father, Lord Cantankerus, awaiting the arrival of the woman who was to be his future bride, thinking back on how he had come to be here.
If anyone had asked him as a child where he would see himself at the age of eighteen, this situation would never have entered his mind. In fact, until he turned eight, he never would have expected to know his father at all.
~o~o~o~
As a young child he had been raised on the estate belonging to Lord and Lady Granger. His mother worked in the kitchens there as a cook, a job which she had held there since shortly after his birth and had been most fortunate to land, given her status.
He could remember, clear as day, the first time he encountered the Grangers' daughter, Lady Hermione.
~o~o~o~
He had been just shy of his second birthday and was only just learning how to walk.
"He's kind of wobbly, isn't he?" someone said, giggling.
Theo looked up from his position on the floor and saw her. The little girl who stood in front of him was a little bit taller than he was. She had a round face with rosy cheeks and dimples and she had the brightest smile on her face. Her big brown doe-like eyes sparkled with glee and her equally brown hair was styled perfectly into ringlets that framed her face. Theo thought that she was almost as pretty as his mum.
"Indeed he is, Mistress Hermione," the young woman next to her answered, "but you have to understand that he is only just learning to walk."
"Then we should help him," the little girl decided, steadily walking over to him. "Come on, get up."
The little girl offered him her hand and Theo looked from the hand to her face and back again, before casting a glance over at the young woman who had accompanied Lady Hermione, who gave him a subtle nod.
Theo placed his tiny hand in her equally small one and allowed her to pull him to his feet, causing her to tumble backwards.
"Mistress Hermione," the woman gasped, rushing over to the little girl's side.
"I'm okay, Miss Maria," Hermione whispered, climbing to her feet and giving Theo a charming smile. "I just wanted to help the young master see that we all fall down sometimes."
Theo returned Lady Hermione's smile and from that day on he felt as if he had found his first friend.
~o~o~o~
He didn't see Lady Hermione up close again until he turned five years old and his mother took him to a part of the manor that he had never seen before, the solar. It was here that he was informed that Miss Maria Temple, governess to Lady Hermione, would fulfil the role of his teacher as well, something that he was reliably informed was a great honour.
By all accounts, Lord and Lady Granger were very good to him indeed and actively encouraged a friendship between him and their daughter. Until that moment in his life he hadn't realised that some Lords and Ladies allowed their children to mix with the lower born children, however Theo would come to learn, the hard way, that this was an unnatural occurrence amongst the high born in society.
~o~o~o~
Theo never questioned the fact that he never had a father until one day, after one of their lessons with Mistress Maria, Hermione asked him where he was. It was a question that got his mind churning; eventually he couldn't take not knowing any longer.
"Mum, why don't I have a daddy like Lady Hermione?" he asked as they walked through the extensive grounds belonging to the Grangers.
"Theo, let's go and sit down," she suggested, guiding him towards one of the trees.
They ambled towards the tree in silence and the little boy wondered what his mother would tell him. He was eagerly anticipating getting answers to the many questions that he had had about his father for the last few days.
His mother opened her mouth several times as she unsuccessfully attempted to get the words out.
"Theo, your father and I didn't have what you would call a conventional relationship," his mum told him.
"What does that mean?" he asked
"It means that we were never married. We were together for a short while, and we had every intention of getting wed, but it wasn't meant to be." His mother paused for a moment, and swiped a tear from her eye. "Your father and I parted ways, never to see each other again. I didn't find out I was expecting you until a few weeks later. I never had a chance to tell him."
Theo looked up at his mother and could sense that there was something she was holding back, but decided not to question it. He had some of the answers he wanted.
He had a father, a father who didn't know about him, which in Theo's view was a lot better than discovering he had a father who didn't want him.
The little boy jumped into his mother's arms and gave her hug.
"I love you, mum," he whispered into her hair.
"I love you too, my beautiful boy," she answered, kissing him on the cheek.
~o~o~o~
And then, one day, Theodore's life changed forever and set his life on a course that he could never have imagined in his wildest dreams.
It had been one of his mother's rare days off and to celebrate his recent birthday she had taken him to a meadow that was located a short distance from the Granger's estate, in the middle of a forest. It was a place that she took him as often as possible, but had always told him he mustn't go to on his own.
"Oh, Theo, isn't it beautiful," his mother sighed as they entered the large
meadow full of every species of flower Theo could imagine. "It's so light and open."
"Indeed it is, mother," he answered, removing his hand from hers and venturing off to explore as he so often did. "Look, arabbit, oh—and is that a deer over there?"
"Oh, why yes it is, Theodore, well done," she laughed as she began unpack the picnic.
Her demeanour changed as suddenly as the weather on a day in April.
She abruptly stopped laughing and her eyes darkened as she beckoned him back to her.
"Theo, I want you to do something for me," she rushed out.
"Anything mum."
"I want you to run; I want you to run and keep running until you reach the house and, whatever you do, don't look back."
"Why?" Theo asked, feeling completely confused.
"There's no time for that now. Just do as I say," she implored.
"Okay," he answered, nodding his head.
"Go! Now!" she instructed him, turning Theo around and giving him a gentle push on the back.
Theo stumbled a little as he broke into a gentle run towards the forest entrance. He wasn't more than a few paces into the forest when he heard the gunshot.
The eight year old whirled around on the spot to see his mother backing away from a man who was pointing a rifle directly at her chest.
He bit on his trembling bottom lip as the man exchanged inaudible words with his mother before pulling the trigger.
It felt as though everything was happening in slow motion for Theo. The bullet escaped its captor and travelled through the air, hitting his mother square in the chest.
"Mum," he whispered quietly as she fell slowly to the ground and tears streaked down his cheeks.
He watched as the man kicked his mother's lifeless body and a loud sob erupted from him. The man's head snapped up and looked directly at him; a sneer sneaking onto his face as he stalked towards him.
Instinctively, the little boy turned on his heel and started to run faster than he had ever ran in his life.
He tore through through the forest, running through a dirty puddle that splashed up and stained his new pure white trousers; the sleeves of his thin jumper got caught on twigs, loosening the stitching and tearing threads from it.
The clothes he was wearing were effectively ruined but Theo couldn't find it within himself to care, he knew he was in danger and had to get away from it.
Theo stumbled over a log and fell to the ground, cutting his hands on sharp thorns and gravel as he used them to break his fall. He picked himself straight back up and cast a wary glance over his shoulder as he heard the footsteps of the murderer grow louder.
He continued to run and finally found himself in a place he vaguely recognised. He remembered playing here last Spring and hiding from his mother in a bush by the river. It had taken her quite a while to find him and Theo figured that it was the best hiding place he could hope to discover.
He pushed the branch that hung low over the small entrance to the bush and climbed inside.
Theo had only been there a few minutes when he heard the loud footsteps approach.
"Find the boy," he heard a voice say from his hiding place, "and whatever you do, don't harm him. Lord Cantankerus wishes his son to be unharmed. His orders were clear: do what we must to the mother, even if it means killing her, but keep the boy safe."
Theo slowly shuffled further backwards and deeper into the large bush trying his best to make no sound at all and hold back the shrieks and cries of pain that wanted to burst out of him.
He pulled his legs close to his chest as he began to rock back and forth. He knew that he was facing some form of danger—how could he not, when his mother had been murdered by the very same men who now seemed to be hunting for him?
Theo felt his nose start to tickle.
No, not now, he thought to himself as he let out an almighty sneeze.
"What was that?" he heard the voice say.
"What do you mean?" a gruffer voice said in response
"I heard a noise from over there. Rosier, go and check it out."
"Yes Sir," the man, who Theo suspected must be named Rosier, answered.
Theo cowered further back in his hiding place, pulling at the twigs of the bushes hoping to shield himself from view.
He closed his eyes tightly and sent a silent prayer up to the gentle and kind God his mother always told him about.
And then two arms roughly grabbed his legs, dragging him from his hiding place.
"Get off me," he sobbed quietly, kicking his legs. "Please, leave me alone. I won't tell anyone what I saw. I promise."
"Quiet boy, we aren't going to hurt you," the man from earlier whispered, pulling him to his feet. "We've come to take you home to your father."
~o~o~o~
The journey to Nott Manor took two days by horse and carriage. Whenever Theo got a glance at his surroundings, all he could see were fields that stretched out for miles ahead of him.
He had no idea what would await him when he finally met the man these men claimed to be his father, but whatever it was he was sure it could be nothing good.
How could it be when his father's men had killed his mother?
~o~o~o~
Theodore quickly learnt that Lord Cantankerus was the opposite of Lord and Lady Granger in every way possible.
Where they had been attentive parents to Lady Hermione and had taken a keen interest in how her studies were coming along, the man he now had to call father was never around and only appeared to care about how well he could fire a gun. However, whenever his father got an update, he always seemed to be disappointed.
~o~o~o~
Yes, if anyone had asked him as a child if he thought he would end up here, he would have told them they must have had a bump to the head.
And now he was about to be introduced to the woman he would marry, whether he liked it or not. Theo knew hardly anything about who she was, only that she was the daughter of a high powered Lord, and reportedly the fairest maiden in all the land.
"Presenting, Lord and Lady Granger, and their daughter, Lady Hermione," one of his father's men announced.
Granger?
Lady Hermione?
It cannot be, Theo thought to himself as the double doors were thrown open and in walked the familiar, albeit older, figures of three people he had missed a lot when he moved to Nott Manor.
"Son," his father said, drawing Theo from his thoughts, "I'd like you to meet your future bride, the lovely Lady Hermione Granger."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hermione," Theo said, extending his hand towards the beautiful young woman stood in front of him.
Lady Hermione smiled up and him knowing look, and took his outstretched hand.
"It's delightful to meet you too," she answered.
Theo bent down on one knee and kissed the hand he held.
"Well now that acquaintances have been made, shall we finalise the dowry and start making plans for the handfasting whilst the young couple get to know each other better?" Lord Cantankerous suggested.
Lord and Lady Granger nodded in agreement, and left Theo alone for the first time with his new bride-to-be.
"Theo, I cannot believe you are here," Lady Hermione exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "I thought for sure something bad had happened to you, especially after—"
Hermione stopped talking and glanced up at Theo with a look of worry in her eyes.
"After my mother passed away," Theo finished. "Don't worry, I know what happened. Some of my father's acquaintances brought me here almost immediately afterwards. I wish I could have said goodbye, but they wouldn't let me."
Theo lowered his eyes to the ground, not wanting to let Hermione see how upset he was.
"It's alright," she said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder. "We have all the time in the world now."
"Indeed we do," Theo answered, offering her a smile.
~o~o~o~
The weeks flew by and soon the day of Theo and Hermione's engagement party arrived. It was to be a grand affair; every Lord and Lady for miles had been invited and no expense had been spared on decor, food and entertainment.
As the guests arrived, Theo and Hermione shook hands with each and every one of them as they offered their congratulations; with smiles planted on their faces.
"Is your face as sore as mine from all this smiling?" Theo asked after the latest guests to arrive left.
"Probably," Hermione laughed. "How many more guests do you think our parents invited?"
"Heaven knows," Theo answered, "by the looks of it though, they've invited every man and his horse."
~o~o~o~
After they had greeted all the guests, Theo felt as though the evening began to progress at a much quicker pace.
First, their parents welcomed everyone to the handfasting and said a few words about how pleased they were about the up and coming union between the pair.
This was swiftly followed by the pair of them making their declarations before all the guests and formally accepting each other as their future spouse.
After the ceremony the food was served and Theo had to admit that it had been money well spent. It was the best roe deer that he had ever tasted in his eighteen years on the earth.
Soon afterwards, he and Hermione had taken to the dance floor and became lost in one another, and the rhythm of music. Theo felt as though they were the only two people in the vast ballroom.
As they danced, the servants made their way around the room either offering to refill their guests wine, or carrying a platter of hors-d'oeuvres
"My Lady, would you like to go outside for some fresh air?" Theo asked as the latest waltz came to end.
"That sounds most agreeable, My Lord," Hermione responded, linking her arm around his.
As soon as they were outside, Theo began to guide Hermione towards his favourite spot on the vast estate.
"I'm so happy you're going to be my wife," Theo whispered when they reached the lake.
"I am as well, Theo," Hermione sighed. "Who would've thought that we would end up together, after all those years apart?"
"Indeed," Theo agreed, wrapping his arms around his bride-to-be.
As Theo watched the water gently ripple, he recalled something that his mother had once said to him: "If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it." And as he looked out to the distance, he could safely say that he finally understood what she had meant—Theo was the happiest he had ever been and he couldn't imagine the smile he was currently wearing leave his face.
~o~o~o~
As it turned out, Theo was correct. He smiled every day for the rest of his life, but never as much or as broad as on the day that he first laid eyes on his twin daughters.
He vowed to himself that he would love them with every fibre of his being and that he would always be there for them. In short, he promised them that he would be the polar opposite of his own father, who had always been an absent figure, even when Theo had been living with him.
And when his daughters were old enough to understand what they meant, he repeated the same words to them that his mother had once told him:
"If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it."