Elara saw a man, he looked old and had grey hair. There were many people around him, she must be in a garden.
The rest of the people would start to come running then, their faces shining like stars. Tamsin was always as excited as Elara was.
Look who's come, Dad! It's Mr. Galen!
Jareth had expected that, and looked round at his family bidding them, "Don't make a fuss, all of you! Come with me. I've got to meet Mr. Galen. And mind your tongue and manners. Be respectful."
Returning Tamsin's gaze, his daughter's eyes glinted. "Dad, honestly, we'll be fine!" Letting out a sotto voce sigh of despair Jonathan whispered to himself, "I've known her since I was twelve and been to a million parties with her parents. She's NOT going rogue. Someone else in this relationship…."
Indeed everyone believed that tautly spoken comment had intended Elara as its collateral damage.
And they did not think Tamsin had said anything wrong. They agreed with Tamsin.
Elara was a little girl who had just come back from the countryside. She was wild and mischievous.
Jareth had grown up with Tamsin and Caius who were rich born from their parents. At important events, they can be actually kind of cultured or at the very least they pretend to be, for all their arrogance and dominance.
They have been taken to proper etiquette classes and taught how to act in high class situations since they were babies along with Elara, but unlike her.
Jareth understood what Tamsin was implying too. Just as long as Elara came to the party.
He spun round to look at Elara, who was sat quietly by herself and looked unconcerned about anything.
Elara, I know you don't like crowds. Why don't you sit here and relax. Your sister and brother are coming with me, you don't have to. "
Jareth issued a command yet Elara remained silent. To anyone else they would appear as strangers, Jareth was not talking to her.
Maris caught Elara's poker face and snapped. "We should go," she said, squeezing Jareth's arm tighter. "Mr. Galen won't want to be kept waiting."
"Obviously."
With a nod, Jareth stepped forward, flanked on one side by Maris. On the other side of him stood Jonathan.
Tamsin was at the rear, walking with her parents. She sent Elara a small complacent arch of eyebrow and smug smile. Elara, did you see that? In our family, this is where you belong. Unremarked upon. You are our disgrace. And yours? Yours joined with ours some day soon. So get used to it.
Slowly Elara lifted her head and looked at Tamsin with a stare so cold that Tamsin could almost see the icy breath in it. "Is that a fact?" she said, and barely opened her lips to make the three words.
Knowing it was coming didn't prepare Tamsin for the snap. If Tamsin had been Elara, someone would be dead right now, if they'd talked to her like that.
Tamsin always felt that speaking to Elara was like punching cotton; it made no impact on Elara at all.
The more Tamsin daren't look, because she was certain staring too hard would alert something to that fact, the more she had too.
Tamsin was puzzled why her legs felt like water. She kept herself together, not that she needed to really, and continued talking to Elara without looking at her.
Stay as long as you like. I've got entirely too much time to waste on you today. I have to go introduce Daddy to Mr. Galen.
Tamsin then picked up the hem of her skirt and scurried after her parents.
Tamsin was right about one thing. They might have been born of the same family but they were never meant to be a part of the same fate.
She was never meant to share Tamsin's fate.
Elara smiled faintly at the thought, then scowled after she took a sip from the floral teacup on the table.
The rose tea Tiernan had given her, made with roses he'd plucked from the garden, was so much nicer than that top flower tea that used flowers flown in.
Elara sighed and threw the cup away in disgust, but the next moment something heavy slammed into her back. She didn't know if it had been thrown at her on purpose.
The cup she had placed onto the surface wobbled and dropped to the floor.
A near woman's clothing was slathered in floral tea as it exploded out.
The woman screamed, "Oh my god! My dress!"
Elara jumped up from her seat and was about to say sorry, knowing she should be the one to apologize for bumping into the teacup.
But the lady didn't give Elara a chance to speak at all. She just bombarded Elara with curses and then asked her, "Are you blind? Or have you fractured your hand? Can't you hold a teacup steady? Do you know how much my dress costs?"
The lady probably thought she was a cleaner because she was dressed worse than one, so she continued.
You have to apologise to me on a kneeling position. If not, I will ask the boss to fire you and ensure that you can never find a job in Casier for the rest of your life.
All but a couple of people around her had not recognized Elara, and none of them had reminded the woman who she was.
Who 'd wanna miss such a great show?
And hey, they were all rivals today - if you can knock out one big contender...
The woman in the tea-colored dress had an audience, but far from appearing discomfited, she grew only more haughty. "Did you hear me speak?" she said. "I told you to clean my clothes on your knees. Can't you hear?"
Elara gave a smirk.
You want me to kneel before you, she thought to herself.
Are you imagining this?
"Let me give this a try and see if it is something that I can do."
The woman, angry now, leaned forward and grabbed at Elara when she did not move.
In an Instant.
Stop! No one can touch her.
The voice of a cold old man made the audience come to a stand still.
When the crowd turned, they saw that the man speaking was Mr. Galen, their host for the day. They were polite and split apart to let him through.
Mr. Galen came up to them quietly, with a cane in his hand.
His eyes narrowed over Elara and the lady. He strode up to them, and a scowl of censure — and fury as he pointed his finger at the woman. "Did you order her to grovel at your feet?"
A man of middle years hurriedly stepped in front of the woman before she could answer him, giving him a baleful look.