*Ms Tamara*
"Elizabeth?..." Theodore muttered, his gaze remaining on both the older lady and the youthful woman. Looking at her, she didn't seem much older than Tamara. Hell, they might have been the same age for all Tamara knew.
Emerging from the crowd, Eileen called out Tamara's name before approaching her. Seeing the small group that formed, that was when she proceeded to say, "I am not interrupting anything, am I?...".
"No, no..." Theodore replied immediately after. "Not in the slightest.".
With that, Theodore looked at Tamara, and as if she felt his gaze on her, she looked his way. "As a matter of fact, I was just about to step away...".
With that, she lowered her gaze away from him before she greeted him and the two women with a curtsy. Then, she turned around before walking away.
Eileen did the same, showing a curtsy before turning around and racing her way to catch up to Tamara.
"How was the dancing?..." Tamara asked Eileen.
But instead of replying, Eileen proceeded to ask her back a question. "Who were those two women back there?".
A moment of silence took over the conversation between both Eileen and Tamara. With Tamara turning and facing her sister, that was when she spoke. "Would you like to sit somewhere... there are some things I have to tell you...".
"Is everything okay, Tamara?" Eileen enquired.
"I am not too sure myself... but maybe talking about it might make me feel better?".
"Of course... let's go and sit down somewhere," Eileen responded as she took Tamara's hand into hers and they both began to scavenge for a free set of chairs.
Managing to find a place for them both, both Tamara and Eileen took their seats.
"Now... tell me what's bothering you, Tam..." Eileen spoke out.
"To begin, I have no clue who those two women were. But by the looks of it, they seem quite close to Theodore," Tamara replied. She took a deep breath before continuing, "Elizabeth is the name of the younger of the two women...".
"Yeah, she seemed like the daughter of the older lady," Eileen commented.
"If that were to be the case, then she'd be his sister..." Tamara responded. In her chest, she felt as though that wasn't the case.
"That was Mr Theodore's mother?".
Tamara nodded her head to her sister's words. "He told me a few things about his family. None of which were good...".
Eileen furrowed her brows ever so slightly at her sister's words. "He talked to you about his family?".
"It was our topic of conversation. We talked a bit about Henry and then the question came up about him and his family," Tamara replied.
"She did seem rather cold..." Eileen agreed with Tamara. "Make it them both actually.". A small pause occurred. "I am telling you, like mother like daughter.".
---
*Mr Theodore*
"What are you doing here?" he asked his mother just as Tamara left.
"Who is she?..." she asked, disregarding his question.
"No one you should be concerned about..." he replied. "Now you tell me what you're doing here.".
To his words, his mother developed a slight smile on her lips. "Can't a woman like me enjoy herself at a social gathering just as I am passing by? I got invited by the wonderful Henry.".
As if her saying her name brewed up magic, he appeared out of a break of the crowd, his face gleaming with a smile. "Ms Baraville!".
"Henry, dear! No need for such formality! I have known you ever since you were a child," she responded.
"My apologies, Ms Victoria, but you yourself know better than me that I can't do anything about it. It was how I was raised," he replied, the smile remaining on his lips.
In response, Victoria smiled as she kept her eyes on the youthful groom. "Such a good child...". Her smile receded ever so slightly when she gave a side eye to her son. "Still wishing mine would come even close to that.".
Biting his tongue, Theodore tried to calm his nerves. A result of his mother's harsh words.
"No need for such nonsense, Ms Victoria..." Elizabeth spoke up, her eyes remaining on Theodore, giving him a smile when he looked her way.
"I am not too sure I asked for your input in the matter, Elizabeth...".
"But I just thought that the words you said to him weren't all that nice," Elizabeth replied. "Plus, it would, after all, decrease his eligibility.".
Victoria snorted at Elizabeth's words. "Wouldn't harm him. Because he already has a woman of optimal choice, of his parent's approval.".
Letting a small smile grow on her lips, Elizabeth proceeded on looking at Victoria. "Oh my, you have found me leading myself in circles. How could I disregard such...". Her smile only grew when she noticed Theodore's gaze upon her.
A smile of discomfort crept its way onto his lips, however, Theodore tried to make it seem not as such. He knew the only remedy to make himself feel better. "Excuse me, mother...". Then, looking at the woman whose hand was still wrapped around his mother's, he muttered, "Elizabeth...".
Turning on his heels, he left into the crowd. For tonight, at least, he knew he'd feel better if he'd distanced himself from both Elizabeth and his mother.
"Not too pleased seeing us I see..." Elizabeth commented.
Victoria let out a scoff. "That woman with whom he was with..." she began. "She's something more than what he claims her to be...". She let a small break creep in between her words. "I bet she is the one poisoning my son's mind with all sorts of wicked ideas...".
"Likely so..." Elizabeth agreed. "Sounds like you got to keep an eye on her...".
"Seems so..." Victoria replied, a smile growing ever so slightly on her lips.
---
Walking through the crowd, his only objective was to move as far away from the two women as possible, but then, he crossed paths with Gertrude. "Mr Theodore!".
A small smile made its way to his lips. A pleasant change as compared to only minutes ago. "Ms Gertrude...". He stopped before taking her hand into his and lifting it up until his lips touched the back of her hand. A greeting.
"How are you enjoying your afternoon here with us?" She inquired.
"I am having a pleasant time," Theodore replied. Then, taking in a deep breath, he added, "I just wanted to thank you once more for inviting me to such a joyous gathering. Congratulations once again.".
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr Theodore. We are glad you could have made it," Gertrude responded. "And thank you again, Mr Theodore.".
"You are very much welcome, ma'am.".
With that, Gertrude let a smile dwell on her lips for a second before she furrowed her brows. "Mr Theodore? You haven't happened to have seen my sisters around here, have you?".
With that, he paused. Froze. Tamara walked away from him as he talked with his mother, that's what he remembered. And before that, she spent her time with him...
But should he say such a thing? That was the thought that lingered in his mind. 'It's out of the question, it's not a matter of should, but must. Why so? Well, I'd like to think that someone else would do the same for me.'. With that, he paused midthought. 'But... would Tamara, herself, do the same for me?...'. His brows furrowed ever so slightly at such a question. In the end, he left it unanswered.
"She was with me for a little while. I saw her outside for a moment or so.".
"Outside? Was she alright, did she feel unwell?" Gertrude asked.
"She was fine. It's stuffy in here, so she just needed some fresh air," he replied. He felt relieved to see the slight worry on her face slowly begin to subside.
Gertrude nodded at Theodore's words. "I know that she is safe if she is with you, Mr Theodore. Tell her that I was looking for her.".
Initially, her words threw him off guard, but a smile evolved on his lips. "Thank you, Ms Gertrude. I will ensure to pass her on your message," Theodore responded, a small smile evolving on his lips.
"For that, I'll be most grateful, Mr Theodore," Gertrude responded. "I hope you enjoy the rest of the celebration...". With that, she greeted him with a curtsey before walking away and back into the crowd.
Theodore stood in his place for a second more before beginning to walk where his feet led him. He knew his next task and it was to find Tamara.
He walked through the crowd of people, his eyes looking left and right, at times following the movement of his shoulders and arms, other times counteracting them.
"Mr Theodore..." a male voice stopped him in his tracks. Turning around, that was when he saw the face of a man who held a sense of familiarity.
And then, a second later, it clicked. Pavel.
"Mr Pavel," Theodore reciprocated the greeting, bending his head as Pavel did the same.
With that, muteness took over the conversation between both Theodore and Pavel.
"I-..." Pavel started, breaking the silence. "I am surprised to see you here, Mr Theodore, if I were to be honest.".
Almost immediately, Theodore furrowed his brows at Pavel's words. "And... why is that so, Mr Pavel?". With him finishing his sentence, Theodore sharpened his gaze upon Pavel ever so slightly.
"I didn't think you'd be the type to come to a gathering such as this..." Pavel began. But then clearing his throat, he continued, "Of course, no offence was intended with such a presumption of mine. And my apologies if I have offended you in any way, Mr Theodore.".
The gaze that Theodore had upon Pavel softened ever so slightly, that was upon him hearing the slight warmth in Pavel's voice, implying that his words really came with no intent to cause harm.
"None taken..." Theodore quickly responded.
And with that, the silence returned once more.
It wasn't until Theodore proceeded on clearing his throat that the silence between the two men was broken. With that, Theodore spoke up again, "I have noticed you are close with one of the Clarke sisters. Ms Tamara Clarke...".
Theodore spectated Pavel as he furrowed his brows once more ever so slightly, simultaneously, his eyes moved, showing he was mid-thought. All it took was a second for him to respond. "Yes. Not all that close, but close enough...". Pavel paused for a mere moment. "Or so I'd like to think...". Another pause took its place right after his words. "Ms Claire is a rather eligible woman. Any man would be more than lucky to have her...".
Theodore blinked twice before nodding his head in agreement.
"She's so sincere, with so much beauty, both inside and out..." Pavel carried on, his gaze redirected at Theodore from time to time.
"Yes..." Theodore finally verbalised his response, furthermore agreeing with Pavel. "I agree.".
As if it has come to the new norm between the two men, silence, once again, descended amongst them both. Despite there being a crowd of people around them, the muteness between them both was deafening.
A sudden inhale of air caught Theodore's attention. Pavel began speaking, this time though, it was a question for Theodore. "Do you have any sort of relationship with Ms Tamara yourself, Mr Theodore?".
The question caught Theodore off guard, to say the least. But with him clearing his throat, he spoke up, "Ms Tamara is a family friend, more of an acquaintance.".
"Acquaintance?" Pavel asked.
Theodore, hesitantly, shook his head.
With that, a small smile grew on Pavel's lips. "Quite a pleasant thing to hear, Mr Theodore...".
---
*Ms Tamara*
"You know... after Henry came for her, I don't think I've seen Gertrude ever since..." Tamara spoke out, as she had her arm around Eileen's.
"I'm sure Henry is taking grave care of her," Eileen responded, looking out and into the crowd.
"I am sure of it too..." Tamara responded, her tone fading out as she finished her sentence.
The two women continued walking, giggling as they both walked. At one point, they looked into one another, chuckling and only further talking.
But all of a sudden, a broad frame in front of them halted their walk.
Looking up, that was when Tamara's gaze was met with Theodore's.
"Mr Theodore..." Tamara greeted him. Eileen did the same.
Around them, music played as the gaze amongst them both remained uninterrupted.
"Ms Tamara... Ms Eileen..." Theodore replied with a greeting.
"Can we help you with anything, Sir?" Tamara asked.
His gaze wandered from Tamara down to the ground, showing a bit of the timidity that he tried his hardest to hide. "I would like to talk to you, Ms Tamara.".
Confusion stirred up within Tamara. Why would there be a need for Theodore to talk to Tamara? 'Had something happened?' she thought to herself. "Is everything alright, Mr Theodore?".
"I wanted to apologise..." He began.
With that, as if feeling it was her cue to leave, Eileen unravelled herself from Tamara's arm. "I'll be close by...". Excusing herself, she walked off into the crowd.
"Apologise for what?" Tamara inquired.
"I didn't expect my mother to be here," Theodore responded.
A small, sheepish smile evolved on Tamara's lips. "There is no need to apologise for such.".
As if caught like a cold, when he looked at her, a small smile also grew on Theodore's lips also. "I saw the discomfort in your eyes, Ms Tamara. So... I thought I should apologise.".
A distant voice boomed from afar. "The dance will begin! The dance! The dance!".
"The dance?" Tamara asked, confused.
"The dance between the groom and the bride," Theodore responded, looking up as he saw all the guests heading into the dancing hall.
"But... hadn't they already danced earlier?".
"By the sounds of it, it doesn't seem like that was the one," he replied. "Shall we go?".
Tamara's gaze stayed on Theodore's as a slight surprise took over within her. But with a slight smile, it acted as some sort of affirmation to Theodore.
With them both beginning to walk toward the crowd, she couldn't help but tease him for his actions. "Out of so many women whom you could have offered to spend your night with, I see you've chosen me.".
"Don't take it to heart, Ms Tamara, as you are, after all, in the minority of the women with whom I've already been acquainted," Theodore responded, smiling as he hoped his words would have been taken in a comedic sense.
But his words caused Tamara to feel a kick in her chest, some sort of discomfort that she was unfamiliar with. And when he hoped to hear a reply from her, all he was greeted with was her silence, which only lasted a few seconds.
"Well perhaps then you should acquaint yourself with more women, so then you can walk hand in hand with the one you desire the most," her words came out before she could have had the chance to filter them out. They carried slight venom with them, something she didn't mean for her words to convey.
Now it was Theodore who was left speechless. If anything, her words gave him an insight into the fact that his words didn't lay quite right with Tamara.
He thought about being silent, but only a second passed before he decided against it. "I am not really the best when it comes to socialising, Ms Tamara...". He wanted to add something more, but nothing else came to mind. So silence took over.
"So I've noticed..." Tamara's voice broke the silence.
And then, clearing her throat, she added. "Look, the dance is about to begin.".
With Victoria being with her sister and Elizabeth conversing with Diana, Victoria saw her son and 'that woman' beside him. With that, she proceeded on asking. "Who is that woman who is around my son, Marissa?".
"Where?" It took Marissa a second to see what Victoria was. "Her name is Tamara.".
"Tamara....." Victoria's voice trailed off, prompting her sister to state what her second name was.
"Clarke," Marissa followed through with her sister's prompt.
"Clarke?... Clarkes... First time I've heard of them...".