All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .
Endure
"Hey Sarah," as Toby spoke she could hear the sounds of the radio in the background, he was at their parent's house that weekend as Karen listened to the local classical station, "just calling you to warn you Mom's on the war path."
Sarah stared blankly at the piles of paper on her desk, she was in right near the end of editing her final draft of her next book and it had hit the difficult stage. She was not in the mood for Karen's histrionics.
"Er, gotta go, Mom's just picked up the phone to call you!" He rang off and Sarah had a moment to take a breath before her phone rang again.
"Sarah!" Karen declared in a tone fair but sweet, Sarah cringed, she knew what was coming. "I have just bought fresh linen for your bed in your old room and the place looks wonderful. Your father is mailing the train ticket today; we don't want a complication like last year where you could only make the weekend after Thanksgiving."
Sarah winced, it was only a two hour drive to her parents place, but her car was conveniently in at the shop this time last year, now she didn't have that excuse.
"Granny Williams has come down all the way from Seattle to be here this year, and is looking forward to seeing you."
Sarah made a sound of acknowledgement, so that was it? Granny Williams lived with her younger sister in Washington and usually visited at Christmas. It seemed Karen had planned this to the T.
"Excellent, and be sure to bring whomever you wish to invite as a guest," she added with bright hopefulness.
Sarah made a more strained noise of acknowledgement and crumpled up the page of notes she had in front of her in utter frustration.
"Your father will be pleased to see you then! Ooh, I've got to go, the pots on the boil. I'll call you later and we can talk details!"
Sarah dropped the phone onto her desk, and with a yowl of frustration threw the entire stack of edited manuscript at the wall. Only it did not hit the wall but the mirror and promptly vanished.
"Ow!" a goblin protested.
.
Sarah leaped up and ran through, thoroughly embarrassed. She and Jareth were on good terms, she was still a little cautious, but they had settled back into an easy enough friendship. It had been a relief; she did not know what to do with her feelings, not that she had any. No, a good friendship was all they needed; it balanced them both, being able to discuss things. Jareth had mentioned several betrothal contracts such as the one with Cecille and why he had declined them for reasons of politics, status or honest dislike. She had told him about her stepmother.
She gathered up her papers and cringingly gave him a tiny wave as he glanced up from his throne. He had a baby on his knee and the usual goblins about him. He stood languidly and strode across to her with the baby on his hip, a little girl by the pink romper she wore.
"Just collecting the pages and I'll leave you alone," she promised and glowered at him as he put the toe of his shoe on the last.
"You gathered enough magic to throw an item through the portal without you physically carrying it; that is very impressive. The boy who wished his sister away is still lost in the outer labyrinth, tell me what brought on such a feat?"
Sarah snatched up the last page and grimaced as she stood.
"Karen called me home for Thanksgiving," her tone said it all.
"Is Karen doing the annual 'why are you a year older and not yet married' haranguing?" he asked.
Sarah gaped at him in shock then snorted with laughter in sheer mortification.
"Wow, I never knew I complained that much that you noticed."
"You end up in the Labyrinth playing Scrabble with Sir Didymus and Hoggle afterwards and you spend days processing your irritation playing chase with the goblins. I can't help but notice every birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas without fail."
Sarah groaned, completely humiliated.
"Well here's early warning for the next round of unhappiness," she faltered as she noticed a mischievous expression appear on his face. "What is it?" she asked cautiously.
He jiggled the baby on his hip as she grew slightly restless, and she calmed.
"Why don't we enter into a mutually agreeable accord for the season of festivities?" He suggested smoothly. "I shall accompany you to your festivities at Thanksgiving and you shall accompany me to mine at Yule. In this way we shall both have a significant other to make our nagging family members back off."
Sarah blinked at him.
"You get nagged over not having a wife?"
Jareth rolled his eyes.
"I have five younger sisters, four of whom are married and one who is silly with the idea of romantic love. Then there is my mother. Nagging is a light term for what I endure over Yule."
Sarah examined him in the pale sunlight that filtered through the window behind him; his blond hair glowed like a halo of the saint he was most certainly not.
"Why do I get the impression that this is going to backfire spectacularly?"
He grinned broadly, showing his sharp teeth. Sarah raised her chin, not liking the way he gazed predatorily down at her. However, it had lifted the dread she felt over Thanksgiving.
"Okay, but there are rules, Goblin King."
"And what would those be, precious thing?" he asked with a wicked smile that did odd things to her insides. She stoically ignored them and leaned closer.
"Don't mention to Karen that I wished Toby away. I want to survive Thanksgiving."
"Acceptable. In return, when you are with me and among my family members, you will be polite and agreeable. We may argue behind doors, but never before family. We don't want to give a hint of any discord between us."
"Okay," Sarah took a deep breath. "So, how did we meet?"
"That'll be easy, we've known of each other for years but formed a closer friendship at your book signing three years back. Keep to the truth and it will serve us well. Also we have Toby as a witness to previous friendships."
"Agh! Toby! I'll have to let him know the truth!"
"How good an actor is he?"
Sarah shook her head.
"He's too honest."
"Then just let him know not to reveal how we truly met and nothing of our mutually agreeable plan."
.
Sarah stepped back into her cottage as her phone rang loudly. She inspected the caller ID and groaned. It was Karen. She ran her hands through her hair. She had an editing deadline at the end of the week, no in four days if she was supposed to stay at her parents' house to attend Thanksgiving. She did not have time to spend an entire afternoon very carefully dodging Karen's insinuations and questions.
"What's wrong?" Jareth asked, he leaned against the wall of the alcove in his castle where her gateway opened.
"Karen, she's going to take my entire afternoon, and probably the next few days arranging Thanksgiving, never mind she already has it arranged. She just wants to have someone listen to her think. I can't I have a deadline, and," she gestured helplessly at the mess all over her desk.
"Pack it up, bring it over, you can work in my study."
"You have a runner," she said cautiously.
"A young boy of twelve, he'll make it through and not cause anyone much harm," Jareth said dismissively, "I need to go and check on him soon, so be quick."
Sarah simply gathered her rucksack and jammed her pages into two folders and shoved them inside. She added her pencil bag, a bottle of water and the box of cereal bars for snacks.
She let her phone on the table to ring off.
.
Jareth left the baby with the goblins who sang and danced with her, and waved her after him as he strode into the Escher room. She hurried after him, as the room was dreadful to get lost in, even if one could see ones destination. He took her up several floors, then across and around and down, then out into a wing of the castle she had never seen before. She guessed this must be the main keep she had seen from the distance. His throne room was in one of the towers, as far as she could work out from having leaned out of the window.
She blinked as several goblin servants ran up to him, all as scruffy as those in the throne room, but gawking at her.
"Lady!"
"Kingy, you bring Lady to meet Sidonie?"
They ran off calling for 'Sidonie.'
"Who is Sidonie?" Sarah asked, realising he was ancient and very likely to have an heir.
A soft smile crept over his face just then, as a petite blond girl in a neat print dress that would not have looked out of place in a Jane Austin play darted out into the passage after the excited goblins.
"Lady Sarah!" she gushed and lifting her skirts with one hand all but skipped over to peer up at her in clear delight. She looked sixteen and with her hair done in ringlets down her back, had a stylish grace to her. Her hair and the shape of her nose were the same as Jareth's as well as her eye colour.
"This is my youngest sister Sidonie," Jareth introduced her, "Sidonie, Sarah has a book deadline, show her to my study and allow her to work. You may interrupt her for tea and dinner, but she needs to work."
Sarah almost laughed at the way the girl tried to hide her impatient wriggle of frustrated excitement and disappointment.
"I'll be sure to be quiet," she promised as a bell chimed through the hall. "Oh, you've got a runner, Jareth!" she scolded as if leaving runners was not done, "I'll look after her, go!"
.
They watched him leave and the moment he stepped out of sight Sarah found Sidonie had slipped her arm into hers and tugged her down the passage. The walls here were stone, but had decorative tapestries hung at intervals between doors of elaborately carved wood.
"This way, oh I am so pleased to finally finally meet you! The last time I tried spying Jareth put me in an Oubliette! Can you believe it? That cad!"
"That was a bit harsh," Sarah agreed as Sidonie tugged a handle at one of the doors and drew them inside. Sarah blinked. It was a room the size of the throne room, and had desks situated under the windows and in one alcove was set three comfortable chairs around a low coffee table. The wall to her left was covered in a bookshelf, and the wall to her right had several maps were pinned to it. In the middle was what reminded Sarah of a gaming board, the entire Goblin Kingdom laid out under a gridded format with various markers in various places.
"Don't touch that," Sidonie warned as she released Sarah's arm, "he's planning strategies, and hates it when people move things. He's bogged people for less." She inspected the various desks and then briskly set about stacking papers and books onto a nearby shelf.
"Here, this is where you can work. Your view is of the Enchanted Forest, it will be calming for you if editing makes you as frustrated as it does Jareth. I'll retire to the alcove to read, until we can discuss things over tea."
Sarah had to turn away not to laugh, Sidonie reminded her of an over eager puppy. She dumped her work on the desk and soon sobered, she had so much work.
.
Sarah lifted her head from her notes as she heard the clink of china as Sidonie carefully arranged a light meal with a pot of fragranced tea. Just in time, Sarah thought, relieved and went to join the girl who delicately poured and handed her a cup, then fell directly into the interrogation, though she had calmed somewhat.
"Tell me about your family, Jareth has been particularly unforthcoming, it is most frustrating."
"My family?" Sarah mused as she sipped her tea, "my mother is an actress, and my father and his current wife are both in law, and my half brother is in marketing."
"You have a half brother!" Sidonie gasped.
"Jareth's my half brother also! I'm the youngest of five sisters, we all share the same mother. Our mother is the princess apparent."
"Oh," Sarah gasped, "you're royalty?"
Sidonie laughed.
"Of course not, we're all children of petty dalliance. Mother will have to marry to have a formal heir, and then we're to be turned out of the royal court."
Sarah blinked as Sidonie helped herself to a tartlet and bit at it delicately.
"That sounds horribly unfair."
"In a way it is," Sidonie sighed longingly, "to think I could have been a royal princess, but that is how it is. I'm lucky to have Jareth, he's promised me sanctuary if my mother weds before I am of age. My sisters have all made excellent matches themselves, so they have their own standing before court and Jareth's carved his own place in the world."
"How old are you?" Sarah asked curiously.
"I'm not yet fifty," she said shyly.
"And when is a fae considered an adult?"
"At eighty five, a most spectacular party is thrown, and I do hope mother does not marry before then, because then I will have a party at the royal palace. Only, with things as they are now, I'll be around to bother my brother sooner than later."
"Is your mother considering someone?"
Sidonie's laugh was almost a snort.
"Of course not! Yet my grandmother, the Queen, is considering someone for her. My grandmother only had two children in petty dalliance and both with the same beau. She thinks that six of us, with six different fathers, are quite ridiculous and threatened my mother to adopt one of us as heir and disinherit her if she has any more children."
"Would that happen?"
"Of course not, but you can never be quite sure with my grandmother. However, she is very definite when she puts her foot down, so mother is trying to be serious about her suitors now, and there are many very eligible bachelors who would make a suitable Fae King. But enough of our boring family politics, I want to know about you and your brother!"
.
When the sun set and as the gongs rang out over the Labyrinth to signal the end of the run, Sarah packed up her books.
"Are you going?" Sidonie lowered her book in dismay.
"I have to go, it's not safe for a mortal to stay long in the Labyrinth," Sarah explained.
"Oh, but I had so much to ask you about Aboveground, Jareth never lets me even have a peek! He made a magic veil so I can't even look out of your mirror."
"I am sure I can come and visit tomorrow and we can take lunch and tea together as we did today," Sarah compromised.
"I'll make sure he allows it," Sidonie declared emphatically.
The week before Thanksgiving was the most peaceful Sarah had ever had. When not interrogating her about Aboveground Sidonie spent her time reading, or working on small spells that involved beautifully scented flowers. Sarah managed to finish her editing on the last day to her great relief. Jareth wandered in as he did occasionally, and waited at the door as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
"I'll be there to fetch you in the morning, are we still collecting Toby?"
"Yes, Laura's father has the family attending some function over the weekend."
"Wish I could go with you," Sidonie said from Jareth's side, "but Mother has called me to attend her for the Queen's Autumn Gala, I'll draw you a picture if you take a photograph of your family."
"Are you two pen pals now?" Jareth raised an eyebrow sceptically.
"Of course," Sidonie brightened at the idea, "and we'll use the alcove where Sarah's mirror is as the dead letter drop, so make us a box the goblins can't get into."
Sarah sniggered at Jareth's indignant expression.
"Woah, Sarah," Toby exclaimed as he leaned around her to peer at the Lexus at the bottom of the drive, "when you said you would pick me up you never said it would be in style."
"Yeah," Sarah said as Toby grabbed his bag and coat then shut the door and screen behind him, "about that," she trailed off as Toby raised an eyebrow at her.
"Um." She could keep her act well enough before others, but this was Toby. He deserved better.
"Okay, Sarah," he grinned as he shrugged on his coat and they hurried down the drive to the car, "if it has you fishing for words, it's big!"
Like a coward, she said nothing. She let Marcus the driver open the door for them and Toby froze as he stuck his head in. Jareth sat primly on the far side of the seat, clad in elegant yet tight black jeans, with a blazer over a silvery jersey and shirt. His hair, as always, was stuck up everywhere. Toby plucked his head out and blinked at Sarah, then peered into the car as if to check what he had seen. He straightened up outside once more and howled with laughter.
"Oh, I know exactly what you're doing! This is going to be brilliant!"
"Toby, I swear, if you say a word to Karen, a word!"
Toby handed his bag to Marcus who put it into the trunk; he then slipped into the car and grinned at Jareth, delighted at being able to play the gooseberry. Sarah slipped in beside him.
"Toby," she said warningly.
"Afternoon, Your Majesty," Toby said politely and Jareth inclined his head slightly. "What did my sister trade to get you dressed in such boring clothes?"
Jareth smirked at him.
"Merely the opportunity to likewise wear fae fashions of my choosing at the appropriate occasion."
"You're going to pretend before your folks too?" Toby gasped, "for Christmas? Oh, man, get me some photos please! This I'm going to treasure." He suddenly looked very thoughtful. "Hoggle's going to be particularly interested."
"Toby, behave yourself!" Sarah scolded, she did not need Hoggle to deliver the annual 'Jareth is a rat and not to be trusted' lecture early.
"Oh, forgive me, sister!" He grabbed her and with a squeak and wriggle, she found herself deposited on Jareth's lap and Toby had contrived to take up the remaining seat. "You have to keep your, what's it, boyfriend, lover, fiancée company."
Sarah felt her cheeks heat up as Jareth put his arms around her stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"I like the fiancée idea," he purred in her ear making her shiver and feel wonderfully warm at the same time. Why did he have to clean up so well? He smelled gorgeous.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend, that's it!" she protested. "We don't have rings and you haven't asked my father yet, so he would be scowling at you all Thanksgiving! We want to stay under the radar!"
Jareth gave a dramatic sigh, and shifted her off his lap when Marcus started the car. Sarah shoved Toby into his corner, he was still laughing at her.
"Shut up, Toby. I know you're as heartily sick of Karen's 'Sarah why don't you settle down with the nice boy down the street' talks she gives every year."
Toby nodded grudgingly then grinned broadly.
"This is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever."
Sarah slouched against Jareth and groaned.
.
They arrived at the William's Victorian house and Marcus opened the door for them. Jareth slipped out then handed Sarah out while Marcus brought Toby's bag to him.
"I will await your call, sir," Marcus said to Jareth as he closed the door after Toby.
Jareth merely gave him a nod and he climbed back into the car and drove off.
Toby hiked his bag onto his shoulder.
"Sarah, you look like you have stage fright. Mom's never going to believe it if you look so pale."
"I don't know if I can do this," Sarah held up her shaking hands and groaned into Jareth's chest as he drew her into a hug.
"Oh yes you can, and we're going to have fun. Toby, you'll not betray us, or there could be a decidedly unpleasantly scented future ahead of you."
"Wow, you just threatened me with the Bog," Toby said as if this were some kind of badge of honour. "Okay, okay, I'll take this seriously. Really!" He sauntered up to the house. "And just kiss already, the sexual tension is getting to me!"
Sarah squeaked and wriggled out of Jareth's hug, then grabbed Jareth's arm as he conjured a crystal. Toby ran for the door laughing.
"Mom, Dad!" he yelled as he pushed it open. "We're here and you'll never guess Sarah's surprise!"
Sarah released her grip on Jareth's arm.
"On second thoughts, hit him with it."
Jareth flung the crystal and it smacked Toby right in the back, dissolving over him like a wave of shimmering light.
"Woah. Not cool! What the hell was that?" Toby asked as he spun around in the door.
"A pre-emptive scent as it were," Jareth smirked with a warning in his stare, "every time you get too close to revealing us, you'll have a private reminder."
"You're not allowed to do magi- oh, hi Mom!"
They had reached the veranda steps by the time Karen appeared at the door. She had a neat skirt and blouse on and her hair and makeup done to perfection as always. She smiled at Toby and then caught sight of Jareth and his proximity to Sarah.
"Oh? Oh!" the smile broke over her face like a sunrise. "Sarah, when you said you were driving in with a friend, you never did say he was a young man."
Sarah hauled up all the acting experience she ever had and smiled shyly.
"Karen, this is Jareth, Jareth, my stepmother Karen."
"Simply charmed," Karen smiled at him as he took her hand and kissed the air over it. "Do come in out of the cold!"
Toby showed Jareth over to the coat closet and Sarah found herself dragged unceremoniously to the kitchen.
"Sarah!" Karen gushed, "why did you not say you were seeing someone!"
Sarah shrugged, and tried to keep an eye on Jareth and Toby, she didn't trust those two out of her sight for a second.
"You nagged," she said then slapped a hand over her mouth, "I mean, er…"
Karen gave a soft sigh.
"Sarah, that is only because we were looking out for you. You were always so headstrong, and you needed guidance and wouldn't listen to any subtle hints I made. Now, see how wonderful it is to have a man in your life?"
Sarah wondered how in the world she thought this would be better than just ignoring the nagging. She now had to compliment Jareth. She nodded dumbly.
"Oh this is wonderful my dear, you have to tell me everything! How did you two meet?"
"Er, well, I've known him since high school," Sarah said as Toby entered the kitchen and headed directly for the pumpkin pie slices sitting on the table for pre dinner snacks. Toby could demolish two pies and then still have space for Thanksgiving dinner afterwards; she did not know where he put it all.
"They met because of me," Toby declared and then flinched as Jareth flicked his ear as he passed.
"Really?" Karen gasped. "But Sarah, you can't have, you rarely dated!"
"We met then," Sarah ground out and shot Toby's smirk a furious glare when Karen turned to inspect Jareth. Toby then went almost cross-eyed and put his hand over his nose. Sarah thought he deserved every bit of the foul stench Jareth's spell had delivered. He set aside his pie and went to crack open a window and Jareth murmured something in his ear and he took a deep breath and waved at the air before his nose in relief and looked rather remorseful.
"Only we had several strong differences in opinion and were not in any way friends at the time."
"She ignored every one of my hopeful advances," Jareth said a tad mournfully.
Sarah's expression froze, the utter traitor. The underhanded, unreliable rat! Hoggle was absolutely right!
"Oh Sarah," Karen turned to her. "Were you horribly stubborn with him also?"
"Oh believe me," she shot Jareth a withering glower, "I had every reason to be."
"Honestly, Sarah," Karen scolded, "why do you insist on your way when in the long run it only leads you into trouble and heartache?"
Sarah blinked, abruptly trying not to cry. She knew she was stubborn and she knew she had made mistakes, but she couldn't just go with what other people said. It would destroy her. She also refused to fight with Karen; she had sworn to herself on leaving the house that for Toby's sake she would keep things civil with the woman. It had worked the most part, but right now she felt like throwing a tantrum and storming out.
She did not expect Jareth to slip his arm around her shoulders. He gave her a light squeeze.
"If she wasn't so stubborn, we would never have met again," he smiled down at her. "Or be here, for that matter," he shot Karen a cheerful smile, yet somehow with a warning to back off.
Sarah leaned into him feeling ragged, and they had not yet been in the house for ten minutes.
"Try some pie, Sarah," Toby interjected. "Is there anything I can carry through, Mom?"
.
When Toby and Karen stepped out of the room, Sarah slipped her arm around Jareth and hugged him in return.
"Sorry. I didn't realise how difficult this would be. I thought it would keep her off my back, but it's worse."
"I'm sorry to say, but I think Yule will be twice as bad," he murmured worriedly.
She laughed softly.
"We're a right sorry pair." She took a deep breath. "Let's go and enjoy ourselves, we might as well make the most of it!"
They both plastered smiles on their faces, caught the other doing the same thing and burst out laughing.
"That's good Thanksgiving spirit!" her father sauntered into the kitchen and drew up short at the sight of Jareth who still had his arm around Sarah's shoulders. "And who do we have here?"
Sarah felt like sinking into the floor. She had thought Toby hard to fool, but she just couldn't do this to her father. Jareth, like the gentleman he was, released her shoulders and stepped over.
"Jareth King, sir, Sarah asked that I accompany her as her boyfriend this evening."
Her father shook his hand with an expression of honest surprise.
"Robert Williams, a real pleasure to meet you, Mr King. Sarah has been very shy in bringing her boyfriend's home to meet us; you must be someone quite special!"
"I like to hope I am," Jareth declared.
That was why she loved her father so dearly. He never questioned any relationship of hers. Feeling vastly relieved, Sarah helped carry dishes through to the table where Karen had set another place beside where Sarah usually sat.
Aunt Gillian was there, Karen's recently divorced younger sister, but none of her family as they were spending time with her ex's family in Florida. Sarah was relieved about that; she would never have withstood the interrogation her two teen cousins would have given her. Granny Williams, her father's mother sat at the foot of the table like an old battleaxe and gave Jareth a sharp stare, then blinked at him. She then fussed herself to her feet and took her walking stick and waited as he set the roast potatoes onto the table.
"You have an air about you," she remarked. "You're of a royal lineage aren't you?"
Jareth gaped at her.
"Er, my mother, um," he shut his mouth and Sarah dumped the gravy and all but ran to his side.
"What's wrong Granny?" she asked, hoping to head off any truly revealing statements.
"I don't often see things dear, but when you were born, I told your mother you'd marry a king. She loved the idea and called you Sarah as a result."
Toby stood directly in Sarah's line of sight and had his face screwed up in incredulous horror. He then turned abruptly away to privately collapse into mirth.
Jareth laughed a bright brittle laugh.
"Isn't that remarkable," he declared smoothly, "my name, you see, is Jareth King. There could be wedding bells in our future, Sarah!"
She surreptitiously elbowed him in the gut as she felt herself blush.
"Wedding bells?"
She felt Jareth wince as Karen exclaimed loudly at the dining room door.
"Oh, I was just greeting this lovely young man of Sarah's," Granny Williams declared. "Says he's a King, and didn't I tell you that our Sarah would marry a King?"
"Yes you did," Karen sounded surprised as she recalled that then smiled very charmingly at Jareth.
"Sorry," he muttered to Sarah as he led her around the table to their places.
"I'm sorry for my family," Sarah cringed in response.
She kicked Toby under the table and he stopped laughing long enough to raise his left hand and tap his ring finger. She kicked him again and he collapsed back into laughter.
.
The usual toasts of thanks were honest, heartfelt and Sarah spent her time cringing. Granny Williams started it off.
"I'm thankful for another year of life and to have finally met this wonderful Mr King Sarah is to marry!"
Toby smirked at her.
"I'm thankful that Laura and I are still going strong, and that I have a great job, and that my sister and Jareth have made this the best Thanksgiving in ages!"
Sarah kicked him again but he dodged this time.
Karen's was ever so predictable.
"I am thankful that all my family could be around me at this time, and yes, you are most welcome into the family, Mr King. Sarah is particularly stubborn, but I am sure you will find things to be thankful for if you work around that."
Toby all but wet himself trying to contain his laughter. Her father and aunt mercifully found personal things to be thankful for and Sarah fidgeted as Jareth raised his glass.
"I am thankful for the honour of your warm welcome and good cheer, also for Sarah for allowing me to meet you all."
She found herself almost giddy with relief. Toby looked horribly disappointed and shot Jareth an exasperated stare. Jareth returned his gaze coolly.
"I'm thankful that my latest book is doing so well. Also that everyone could finally meet Jareth," she managed a bright smile and Toby gestured for her to tone it down a bit. She raised her glass instead.
The toasts, she realised were just the start of it all. All everyone wanted to talk about, bar a brief interlude where they wanted to hear the latest details of the divorce from Aunt Gillian, was about Jareth. He fobbed them off skilfully, turning many a question back on the asker. Though his luck ran out when Aunt Gillan's face cleared as if she'd just had a revelation.
"I knew I had seen you before! At that book signing in New York! You're Frederick Denholm!" Aunt Gillian exclaimed. "I've been a fan of yours for years! Oh, the book club ladies are never going to believe me when I say I've had Thanksgiving dinner with you!"
"I'd appreciate it if our relationship were not made public," Jareth said calmly, "I prefer to remain out of the public eye. You may say we met, but keep the Williams family out of it."
"Oh, is that how you do it," Aunt Gillian tutted, "they say you're a recluse. Of course I'll respect your privacy, if you'd sign my book for me?"
"A contract then," Jareth flashed her a quick deadly smile and Sarah shivered, feeling the magic. Toby twitched and eyed Jareth with warning.
Jareth signed her book for her before he left, deciding not to join them for the customary after dinner walk down to the park. Sarah stood beside him at the car to say her farewells.
"Thanks for doing this," she said with heartfelt honesty.
He reached over and stroked the side of her cheek.
"It was most insightful; I hope the editor likes your next book."
"Oh he will," Sarah declared with no small amount of pride.
"I'll let you know about Yule," he winked at her and slid into the car. She watched him depart and found a storm of butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. She was relieved she could write to Sidonie; she needed a full run down of court etiquette if she was going to survive. She turned back to the house, she felt better than she had in years. Not having to dodge Karen's nagging and invent excuses lifted a load from her shoulders, for that she would happily face a crowd of fae for Yule.