Elara saw a old looking man with grey hairs. Many people were there around him as he was in garden.
The other people would all crowd around once they got a look at him and their eyes would be on fire.
Tamsin, who was sitting behind Elara, felt the same way.
"Look, Dad! It's Mr. Galen!"
Jareth had anticipated exactly this. He sighed, turned around to face his family and told them "Oh good Lord, would you all just shut up already? Come on. I'm going to say hello to Mr. Galen. Think about what you're gonna say before you speak it, and remember not to be fucking obnoxious."
Tamsin's smugness was palpable. She beamed, "Dad, honestly, we'll be fine." You and I have known each other since we were seven years old, and we've been to so many parties together. Cross my heart and hope to die. But someone else needs to pay very careful attention to what she says as well as does."
Everyone in the room knew that Tamsin had actually said that deliberately loudly enough for Elara to hear.
They didn't think Tamsin's comments were inappropriate though. They had Tamsin's thoughts.
Elara was a little girl recently arrived in town from the country. She was boisterous and mischievous.
Jareth had all his life been friends with Tamsin and Caius, the rich scions of their parents. They could be pompous and arrogant, but during gatherings at least they would always be poised and proper.
They certainly had better training in social etiquette as opposed to Elara, having been drilled with such aristocratic mannerisms ever since they were toddlers.
Jareth got what Tamsin was implying too. All Elara had to do was turn up at the party.
He looked across at Elara, who sat serenely on her own looking utterly nonplussed.
Elara, I know you have social anxiety. Sit down and unwind. Your sister and brother will ride with me. You don't have to come.
Jareth stated a command, but Elara said nothing. To one who did not know them it would look as if she was an outcast and Jareth wasn't talking to her.
Maris saw Elara's poker face, and she lost it. We need to leave, she said, gripping Jareth's arm harder. Mr. Galen will not be happy if we keep him waiting."
"Duh."
With a curt nod, Jareth led the way with Maris. On his other side walked Jonathan. Tamsin brought up the rear, behind her parents. She cast Elara an arrogant lift of her brow and a know-it-all grin. Elara, did you take note? In our family this is where you belong. To us, you're disgraceful. So what if it's your blood? We are fated have different lives. Get it?
Slowly, Elara lifted her head and directed her icy glare at Tamsin. "Is that so?" She said in three words as she parted her lips.
Tamsin was half-expecting Elara to snap. Tamsin would have blown a gasket if she were in Elara's shoes and anybody talked to her like that.
Tamsin might as well have been hitting cotton. Anything she threw at Elara bounced right off.
Frankly, the longer Tamsin looked at it-the more she looked at it-she can tell herself that, the less convinced she was of her own argument. She had to look away.
Tamsin didn't understand why her legs felt like jelly.
She tried to act normal, because she wasn't, and carried on speaking to Elara but couldn't look her in the eye.
Stay as long as you like. I've got too much time on my hands not to keep you company right now. I have to go introduce Dad to Mr. Galen.'
Tamsin then caught her skirts up and ran after her parents.
As Tamsin ran, Elara didn't even look at her while she vanished into the trees.
Tamsin had been right on one count. They might have shared a family as infants brought forth in the same year, but after today their paths would never cross again.
She was never going to share Tamsin's fate.
Elara smiled a little at the thought. Then she scowled, and sipped from the cup of floral tea on the table.
The cup Elara had dropped from distaste hit something heavy. She didn't know if it was an incidental collision caused by someone.
The cup she'd set down on the surface wibbled and tipped over, plummeting to the floor.
A nearby woman's clothes were splattered with flower tea as it exploded out.
"The woman let out a yell, 'Oh my god! My outfit!'"
Elara jumped up from the chair, prepared to take the blame, sure she had hit the teacup.
But the woman gave Elara a look. She barraged Elara with obscenities before she even had a chance to answer, asking, "Are you blind? Or is your arm broken? Why can't you hold a teacup straight! Do you have any idea how much my dress costs!"
The woman must have thought that Elara was some cleaner around here since she was dressed worse than a maid and so she pushed further.
Who will miss such a fantastic show?!
Afterall today they all were competitors, if one can be less competitor then better it is .
There was quite a crowd surrounding the woman with the tea-coloured garment, but far from being disconcerted, she waxed still more insolent. "Do you hear me talking?" said I; "I bade you wash my garment on your knees! What, don't you understand?"
Elara gave a smirk.
You want me to kneel before you, she thought to herself.
"Are you imagining things?
"Let me try kneeling to see if you can handle it."
The woman got angry and reached out to pull Elara when she saw that Elara was not moving.
Stop! No one can touch her.
The sound of a frosty, old voice made the crowd halt.
When the crowd spun, they saw that the man talking was in fact Mr. Galen, today's party host. They were very polite and quickly scattered to give him room.
Mr. Galen walked to them softly with a stick in his hand.
His eyes flashed to Elara and the woman. He stopped in front of them, his indignation and fury burning clear in his face as he jabbed a finger at the woman. "Did you tell her to get down on her knees for you?"
A middle-aged man hurried forward, jerking the woman back before she could reply. He shot her a murderous look.