Teach Your Children Well
Margaret hid a grimace, rearranged her face into a polite, if somewhat forced, smile as she greeted another nameless face in the seemingly endless line of wedding guests wishing to give their congratulations before making their way into the marque for the reception. It didn't help that her heels were killing her and she was desperate for a wee. I bet the Queen doesn't have this problem. How does one cross their legs in a dignified manner she wondered, silently willing the remaining guests to get a bloody move on as she hopped discretely from side to side. Finally, the master of ceremony announced it was time to take their seats and Margaret slipped past the guests her feet moving as quickly as they could in a sort of fast walk, shuffle/run as she dashed for the bathroom. She made it back to the entrance to the tent just in time to see Kinders offer his arm to Nan, with Richard stood next to them scanning the crowd in concern, his face breaking out into a relieved smile when he spotted her pushing her way through the crowd.
"Cor blimey! They've done a good job in here haven't they? I must say the view ain't bad either," Nan exclaimed in awe, her shrewd eyes sweeping across the tables of army personnel as she let Kinders escort her to her seat. "Some of these army blokes are a bit of alright aren't they? Shame I ain't got one of them time spinner thingies. " Nan exclaimed in awe. Bless him, Kinders' eyes were looking anywhere but at Margaret as he tried desperately not to laugh. "Do you mean a Time Turner Nan?" He asked in amusement as she stared at him thoughtfully. "Is that what it's called? Well as long as it does the job." Kinders shook his head as he pulled out her seat waiting patiently for her to lower herself as he pushed her chair in. "Cheers Kinders. You're a proper gent."
"I'll see you ladies later for my promised dance. No need to fight though, there's plenty of me to go around." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively before adding, "Do try and behave at dinner won't you? If not, don't do anything I wouldn't do and don't get caught." Margaret laughed lightly as Richard groaned next to her. He knew better than anybody that she and Nan needed no encouragement when it came to causing trouble. "What was it Jackie was fond of saying to Molly? Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you?"
"If anybody's should have had trouble as a middle name growing up it was our Molls," Nan snorted before her attention was drawn to a noise further down the table. The general buzz of chatter slowly faded as the sound of a knife clinking against the glass slowly echoed around the room, drawing everyone's attention to the front of the tent where a figure was stood. "Speaking of trouble," Nan muttered as she craned her neck, casting her sharp eyes over a nervous looking Dave. Well this ought to be interesting. Margaret's eyes moved down the table to come to rest on Molly and she frowned slightly in concern seeing the panicked storm brewing in Molly's eyes. She needn't have worried though as Charles caught her gaze, his hand gripping hers tightly until the storm receded. That's my boy! Clearing his throat nervously, Dave sent a soft smile in Molly's direction as he began his speech, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and uncertain. "To be honest with you all I weren't too sure I was goin' to get up and speak to you all today. Most of you know I ain't very good with words, but I knew that if I didn't say something I'd look back at today in years to come and regret it. I've been sat at home for days tryin' to find the right words. I even resorted to looking in one of them poetry books when I came across this quote from a bloke called Sophocles that sort of summed everythin' up for me." Nan snorted before hastily trying to cover it up with a cough. "You mean he actually read a book? Didn't think he knew what one of them was." Nan muttered, her words dripping with distain as she listened. Margaret nudged her gently. "Give him a chance Marge. He's trying." Nan sent her an arch look.
"What's that sayin? Too little, too late." Margaret shook her head gently.
"Not in the eyes of your granddaughter it isn't. Look at her. If she can give him the benefit of the doubt then why can't you?" Nan sighed in defeat as she reached for her glass of wine, begrudgingly nodding her head in acknowledgement. Margaret turned her attention back to Dave. She knew Nan would keep a lid on it for Molly's sake and nobody else's.
"He said that there is one word that frees us of all the weight and pain of life and that word is love. Molls, I know things were hard when you was growing up. You've shouldered more burdens than you should have at your age and that's mainly down to me being a complete B….." Margaret raised an eyebrow in surprise at Dave's choice of words. Those closest to Molly knew of the troubling relationship she'd had with Dave as she'd grown up and how frayed the bond between father and daughter had truly gotten, especially after Molly had first joined up. As a result, Molly had found it extremely difficult to let people in, not to mention have faith in her abilities when it came to her job. It wasn't until she'd met the boys and Charles that she'd known real friendship and love. In many ways the quote couldn't be more apt to describe Molly's journey so far. For a proud man like Dave to admit his own failings, in front of a room full of strangers no less, showed Margaret just how far he'd come in his bid to turn himself around and put his mistakes to rights.
Dave pauses abruptly, wincing as he caught the warning look Belinda sent him no doubt accompanied by a swift kick under the table knowing Belinda. Her message was clear though. Do. Not. Fuck. This. Up. They both knew how secretly worried Molly was that Dave would do something to show her up and Margaret knew Belinda would go to the ends of the earth to make sure Molly's day was perfect. If she didn't, Margaret was pretty sure Nan was on standby, desert spoon in hand, ready to gauge Dave's eyes out for messing with Molly's day. As Dave took a moment to gather himself, Margaret focused her attention on is words, eager to see how this played out. "Well lets just say I weren't the most supportive of dads to ya. What I will say is that what I've come to admire most about you is that you've always been feisty. You get that from your mum. Even when you was little, you were forever getting into scrapes and scuffles fighting to defend those who needed it. It didn't matter that you was this little half pint up against kids twice your size. As you got older you hid behind this tough as nails attitude you'd adopted to try to deal with the sh…bad hand life dealt you. Then one day you had the courage to want more from your life and you didn't let anything stand in your way. Even me." There was a murmur of agreement at Dave's words as no doubt they too recalled Dave's lack of understanding and support for Molly's career change.
"The last few years haven't been easy but I reckon they've been the making of you my girl. You've seen and experienced things in the Army few of us can understand or even begin to imagine. Even then you refused to let it break you. You rolled with the punches, bravely brushing yourself down when you fell as you got back up to do it all over again." Margaret chuckled as she caught Charles's eye down the table sending him a subtle wink. He too had been guilty of trying to knock Molly off her feet in the early days of her tour. Using his own special brand of tough love, he'd tried to develop Molly into a better solider by teaching her to harness the fire in her belly that made her push herself to go out and prove him wrong. It seems that Dave hadn't been entirely oblivious to the couple's colourful history as first thought. "Then you met Charles whilst on tour. I bet the poor sod thought he'd have his hands full with you the minute he laid eyes on you. As soon as I heard that he'd threatened to throw you off the plane I knew he was the right one for you." Margaret joined in with the laughter from the army crowd as Charles brought Molly's hand to his lips for a kiss. She remembered how she'd given him hell when he first told her how they met that night in the garden. She'd been mortified that a son of hers had behaved in such an ungentlemanly manner. The boy knew better!
She watched as Dave inclined his head in Charles' direction as he began to speak once more. "I should thank you really mate for seeing something in our Molls that we missed. In loving her and accepting her for who she is you've helped her blossom into a confident, assured and intelligent young woman. Our Molls has found a stillness and a bravery in herself since she's known you. You've shown her she can be brave, taught her to trust in herself and helped her believe in herself when she began to crumble. Most of all, I know you'll always keep her safe and care for her, which is all a dad wants for his daughter. If you don't, well, even your posh education won't save you from our Molly's right hook. She can look after herself that one. You've been warned. To the bride and groom."
Margaret felt tears sting her eyes as she registered Dave's words and witnessed the tender look that past between him and Molly as she'd whispered a soft thank you. In many ways, it was similar to the realisation Belinda had had in the dressing room earlier. A look tinged with longing and regret. It seemed to Margaret that in that moment Dave had felt the full magnitude of what he'd lost. His daughter was no longer a little girl. He'd run out of days to make those precious deposits into Molly's childhood memory bank. Nor could he rewind the clock to rewrite the unhappy memories she did have. Dave's only option now was to draw a line under the past and work to make better memories for him and Molly in the future. He'd definitely made a good start today. He'd made good on the one promise that mattered most to Molly. He hadn't let her down when it mattered. It was a good a place to start as any. Now all he had to do was get through the reception without getting completely trollied.
Margaret sighed in contentment as she sat watching the remaining couples on the dancefloor. She'd finally been able to remove her shoes and give her feet a break. The things us women do in order to look good. She'd made good on her promise to Kinders, allowing him to lead her in a rather energetic dance around the floor that had left her gasping for breath. Do these boys not know that she isn't as young as she once was? What was wrong with a nice slow sway? She'd managed one dance with Richard before her prediction had been correct and she was left a dance widow thanks to Nan who was busy throwing some seriously questionable moves with him on the floor. Both were oblivious to the disapproving stares of Eleanor as she watched from the side lines.
"Can I have this dance ma'am?" An amused voice asked from behind her and Margaret turned to meet the mischievous twinkling eyes of her son his hand outstretched towards her in invitation. "Why thank you kind sir. It would be my pleasure." Margaret laughed as he twirled her around the floor a few times before bringing her back to nestle safely into his arms. Margaret smiled as he began humming along to the music, reminding her of the little boy who used to love singing along to old 80's music and Elton John hits sat in the back of the car as they travelled the country looking for the next great James family adventure. Charles raised an eyebrow at him when he caught her looking. "What?" Margaret chuckles.
"What?" She echoed and they both burst out laughing. Margaret grinned as she watched Charles' eyes follow Molly as Qaseem proudly manoeuvres her around the floor; as if she was made from precious glass. It was lovely to see the respect and regard the two had for each other having only heard stories of the lecturer who had taught Molly so much and who was held in such high regard by Charles and his men. Margaret still couldn't quite believe they'd manged to pull off the covert operation and get Qaseem here without Molly noticing. She'd been so close to being found out when Molly had discovered the airport parking ticket in her car and asked who she had picked up. It was thanks to some quick thinking on Margaret's part that they hadn't been discovered. Margaret had managed to lie and say she'd gone to pick up one of her book club friends. It was worth it though to see Molly's face light up in pure joy at seeing her mentor again.
"Are you happy sweetheart?" Margaret asks softly drawing Charles' attention back to her. "Yeah mum I am." Margaret gives a small nod. "That's good. Though I am wondering where my little boy went? There was a time when you would barely reach my waist and would stand on my toes to dance with me. Now look at you, towering over your mum as you dance with her on your wedding day. I couldn't be more proud of you. You've grown into a proper gentleman." Margaret could feel herself getting all misty eyed with emotion. Come on keep it together. You promised you wouldn't turn into a soppy old mare.
"Aww mum. Don't cry. I learnt from the best. You and the Telegraph taught me well." Margaret's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "The Telegraph? What does that have to do with you being raised a gentleman?" Charles chuckled as he manoeuvred them skilfully around Nan and Fingers as they tried to recreate the moves from last week's Strictly. "Ahh it's a list that Molly found in the paper the other day. 39 steps to being a gentleman or something. She jokingly says I'm a proper gent as most of the suggestions apply to me. She's even posted it on the fridge and underlined the things she thinks I need to work on. Thinks of herself as a right comedian that one." Margaret looked at him, suddenly intrigued. How the bloody hell did I miss this list? I bet you Richard hid it, probably because he realised he wasn't a modern gentleman and didn't want her to shatter his illusion.
"What kind of things are on this list of yours then?" Charles bit his lip in thought.
"Humm well the first one is being able to negotiate airports with ease." Margaret nodded slightly in agreement. "That's a given, seeing as you practically lived in them at one stage. What else?"
"Lets see. Well there's one about never letting doors slam in people's faces, being able to tie your own bow tie and making sure you turn your phone off at dinner. True gentleman carry your guest's luggage upstairs, are always being polite to waiters or waitresses, they always seek out the hostess at a party and are good at remembering to tip all the staff from the gardener to the gamekeeper. Apparently gentlemen never brag about their learning, don't blow dry their hair and have read Pride and Prejudice. They can cook a mean omelette and now that facial hair is temporary and a tattoo is permanent." Charles finished in a rush, astounded that he could remember most of them.
"I would hope that you would do all of those things without being prompted seeing as I instilled good manners into you growing up. I'll let that one incident with the waitress slide seeing as you're normally very polite and don't usually send them looks that could kill." Margaret sent an arch look in Charles' direction causing him to blush in shame. "Yeah, Molls let me get away with that one to," he muttered sheepishly.
"I know you can cook an omelette and you're very modest about your achievements, too modest in fact, just like Molly. You and I both know that you look better with stubble rather than a full beard and it goes without saying I'd kill you if you ever came home with a tattoo, fully grown adult or not. Its' bad enough that you can't hold a note when drunk and get yourself arrested for being naked whilst handcuffed to a flagpole. Not to mention your proclivity for trying to escape to non-existent worlds. Anything else on the list?" Margaret regarded her son in amusement as he began to shift uncomfortably in front of her, his eye refusing to meet hers as he cleared his throat nervously. Ohh this is too much fun. He makes it so easy. "Umm well there was some stuff too about how to treat women. Things like always break up with someone to their face, always wear a rose not a carnation, umm can, cough, undo a bra one handed and ummm, cough, that it isn't a race or a competition." Charles stammered uncomfortably, as Margaret just blinked at him, trying to process everything he just said. "So that was what you were doing with your pillow and my missing bra that year you broke your arm just before you left school?"
"Mum!" Charles hissed, looked around him frantically to see if anyone had overheard. "Could you be any more embarrassing?" Margaret raised a single eyebrow in challenge, as if daring him to ask her to prove him wrong. Deciding to take pity on him (it is his wedding day after all) Margaret laughed as she steered the conversation back into familiar waters. "Well Charles all I will say, is that if you make an effort to do the things on that list that you didn't do and add that the most of the things I know you do, then Molly is a very lucky woman." The smile Charles gave her froze on his features when he saw the familiar glint in her eye that meant Margaret had been hit with another idea. "Oh and if Molly does have any complaints in that department," Margaret muttered gesturing with her hand in the direction of his waist, "Then I'd wager she'd let you know. Want my advice? Add one more to the list. Number 40: A gentleman knows that the woman is always right." Charles couldn't help but laugh as he bent down to kiss Margaret's cheek in thanks. "Trust me mum. I learnt that one a long time ago."
"What's so funny?" Margaret laughed again seeing her son's face light up as Molly and Qaseem strolled over to them with Charles reaching out to tuck Molly into his side as soon as she was near enough. Oh the boy was whipped alright. If she knew Molly she'd have him trained to follow all 39 steps in no time. No doubt she'd have added a few more in just for good measure. "Umm Bossman? I hate to worry you or out but the lads and Sam are huddled over there in the corner looking well shifty. Plus, I think I saw trays of cake so you know what that means….." Margaret sent Qaseem an apologetic look at the volley of curses that escaped Charles' mouth. "I'll bloody kill them. Didn't they learn anything the last time?" Charles muttered as he excused himself and strode away, his face a mask of grim determination. Uh oh. Captain Stern Face is back. The three of them stood and watched in amusement as Charles tore each of the lads a new one before watching them slink off towards the bar, their heads hanging down in defeat.
"Oh to be at the age where anything is possible and you feel almost invincible," Qaseem muttered wistfully. Molly grinned, her eyes trailing Sam as he edged across the dancefloor. "Talking about feeling invincible." As the men shared a confused look Molly gestured again towards Sam. "Look!" The four of them watched in amusement as Sam shuffled nervously towards Jackie only to halt half way there, turn on his heel, and slink back towards the lads who were watching his every move. Kinders gripped him by his shoulders, whispered something in his ear and spun him back around, giving him a firm push towards Jackie. Giving himself a slight shake and squared his shoulders, Sam walked slowly towards Jackie looking back over his shoulder before reaching out to gently tug her dress. Margaret's heart melted as Sam gave a slight bow and asked Jackie for a dance. Jackie grinned and took Sam's hands in hers as she allowed him to lead her to the floor. Luckily the song soon changed from a slow song to something with a bit more lively and soon enough Sam and Jackie were spinning and wiggling in time to the music in fits of giggles as the floor slowly began to fill with bodies.
"He's turning out to be a right little charmer our Sammy ain't he?" Molly asked. Charles winked. "Of course. He's a right prince charming. Just like his old man. He knows how to treat the ladies." Molly snorted and Margaret bit her lip fighting not to laugh at the affronted look on Charles' face. "Only married five minutes and she's questioning my masculinity already. What next?" He muttered before pointedly turned away from them to have a manly chat with Qaseem. The two women stood slightly away from them, watching fondly. Margaret turned away when she felt a pressure on her hand. "Molly? What is it?" Molly smiled softly at her. "I just wanted to say, whilst I've got the chance, a big thank you for everything you've done. For the way you raised Charles and the man you taught him how to be." Margaret squeezed her hand as she gently reached out to pat her cheek. "Your welcome sweetheart. But I was just being a mum. You'll see." Molly grinned fondly as her eyes found Sam watching as he enjoyed himself amongst the crowd. "You've helped me through so much. You were always so selfless and strong, no matter how bad things got. If I'm half the parent you were then Sam and any other little bleeders we have will be just fine." The two women shared a look of understanding.
"You'll be more than just fine sweetheart. I know it." The moment was broken when Charles called Molly over. "Oi Dawes! I'll show you my gentlemanly moves if you like," Charles joked throwing a wink at Margaret as he grabbed Molly's hand as she replied, "Come on then prince Charming, lets see which James man has really got skills on the dance floor. Why not show them how it's done ay? That is if you can keep up" Smirking Margaret couldn't help but laugh at the look of challenge that had sparked in Charles' eyes as he spun Molly around in circles before pulling her back against his chest. He never could resist a challenge. It seemed that even now, he still preferred to dance to the same old 80's music as the familiar strains of an Elton classic filled the air. "Now Dawes, don't go breaking my heart will you," he sang as he gazed at her lovingly, an eyebrow quirked expectantly, Molly grinned as she reached up to whisper in his ear. "I couldn't it I tried Boss." Margaret chuckled as she and Qaseem kept watch. Oh yes Molly will have no problems making a gentleman out of her boy and keeping him in line. He's half way there already.
A/N: Thanks for the continuing support with this story. I know it's been a while but I had to finish Woes first to know where how this chapter would go. Then I got distracted by a one shot that turned out not to be a one shot at all. Anyhow, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think, you're reviews are always appreciated.
Big shout out to the ladies on Our Girl Fanfiction group especially Natalie for posting the article about the steps to becoming a gentleman. There were some hilarious comments on their debating which ones fitted Captain James that were the inspiration for that part of the chapter.
The title is taken from a song by Crosby Stills