Chapter 52: High Stakes

Jareth made a slight bow to Alia, then grabbed Sarah's hand and dragged her toward the outside door. His businesslike, long-legged stride made her trot to keep up, and she wondered if that was how he had won a foot race with a unicorn!

Once outside, he tugged her into a darkened corner of the garden. He pulled her into his arms and held her so close she could hear his racing heartbeat. "Is it true?" he murmured. "Did you actually agree to marry me, Sarah?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" she teased.

In answer, he captured her lips with his own and nothing more was said for several minutes. When they finally parted, Sarah frowned a little. "One thing's puzzling me, though, Jareth: how on earth did you ever beat Arien's father in a foot race?"

"It was winter," he said. Seeing she still didn't understand, he elaborated. "I wore ice skates, and we raced across the lake. Taliu couldn't keep his footing."

"Wasn't that cheating?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to win."

"So you could marry his daughter?"

He laughed. "No. He hadn't even met Alia by then. We were both still in the double-digit ages. I just wanted to win the bet."

"Aha!" Sarah cried. "I might have known there was a bet involved! You and your games. What did you win?"

Jareth looked quite chuffed. "My kingdom." He smiled at her look of amazement.

The amazement rapidly turned into suspicion. "One more thing I have to ask, Jareth, my love."

His smile softened. "Continue calling me that and I'll give you anything you ask."

"How much did you win on me?"

"Pardon?" He looked uncomfortable.

She poked him lightly in the chest. "I want to know how large a pot you had going, and how much you won from your various bets when I accepted your proposal?"

"What makes you think…?"

She just gave him a look, and he sighed. "You know me too well, Sarah. Let's just say that when you agreed to marry me, you made me not only the happiest man in the Underground, but one of the richest as well. All of the other rulers know our history, so hardly any of them thought you would want to have anything more to do with me."

"So they all bet against me, whereas you…"

"Remained hopeful that you would yet decide to grace me with your hand." Seeing that she was more amused than angry, he drew her back into his arms. "The unicorns were on my side, because they had met you. Every other monarch bet against you. I've won quite a large amount from them; I shan't have to collect taxes this year, thanks to you."

Sarah's chuckle turned into a full-fledge laugh and she threw her arms around Jareth. "I love you," she told him, still laughing.

He gasped and clutched her convulsively. She held him close to her. "Jareth, are you all right?"

"You should warn me before telling me something like that," he joked. He drew her into another kiss that soon had her body buzzing with desire.

"So how soon can we marry?" she whispered, pressing her lips to his neck.

His reply was amused. "Tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough for me, love. But Daxon might take it amiss if we were to steal his thunder. We should definitely decide tonight, though, as we'll have to announce a wedding-date tomorrow."

The mood shifted from passionate to prosaic as they went to sit together on a bench at the edge of the garden. "I also have graduation coming up," Sarah mused. "Not that it matters if I'm not going into business like I thought… but I've worked hard on that degree and I would like to actually receive it."

"I know that you'll be giving up a lot of things for me, Sarah," Jareth said. "I do want you to know how much I appreciate it—but one thing you shan't have to give up is your degree or the knowledge that earns it. If you want the truth, I was quite happy to hear of your studies in business management—it sounded to me as if your studies are exactly what a queen-in-training would have done."

"Really?" Sarah asked, pleased.

He nodded. "You've learned how to manage people, which is close to the same thing as learning to govern them. I would say you've done well; you'll make a good queen."

She smiled. "So let's plan the wedding for after graduation, then. Boy, won't Toby be thrilled! He'll be able to come visit again; he loved it here."

"Shall we petition your father for custody of him, then?" Jareth asked. "I could get a private tutor for him, and he could come and live with us until he is of age. I remember you saying that his schooling was not a happy experience for him."

"It's a possibility," Sarah said thoughtfully. "Oh, Jareth, what am I going to tell my father? He's going to think this is awfully sudden. Come to think of it, I think it's awfully sudden too!"

He smiled. "Tell him that you're madly in love with me and don't want to wait any longer than you have to, to marry me."

"Yes, and that's true—" Sarah was interrupted by a kiss, and she gave that her full attention for a few moments before continuing "But what shall I tell him about where we live? What you do for a living? That sort of thing."

"We shall tell him we live somewhere in the British Isles—which is true, since there are spots there that connect with the Underground—and that I am heavily involved in politics. Tell him I've offered you a job for my company. You shall come to work for me there. None of that is a lie."

Sarah sighed in relief. Everything sounded so logical, the way that Jareth shaded the truth to sound as un-fantastical as possible. "Okay. That sounds good." She paused for a moment and asked, "What's going to happen to Terrillia?"

Jareth's lips tightened. "When we return tomorrow, Terrillia will be transported to the dungeons in my own castle. I shall think of something suitably… inventive… to do with her."

"Wouldn't want to be her!" Sarah chuckled. She sobered. "We still have a lot of things to talk about, though, Jareth," she told him seriously.

"We'll have time, love," he said, drawing her into his arms to kiss her again. And again. This went on for several enjoyable moments, until they were interrupted by a loud growl.

Jareth's slanted eyebrows shot up in surprise. Sarah's face turned red as she clutched her stomach. "Um, Jareth? Do you suppose… maybe… we can go find me something to eat? It's been a really long day."