Chapter 69: Goblin King, Goblin King, Make me a Match
Halfway through the dance, someone tapped Jareth's shoulder. "Excuse me, Your Majesty, but may I cut in?" Robert Williams stood there, grinning.
The Goblin King hesitated a long moment, and then gave in with a good grace. Sarah flashed him a beaming smile over her father's shoulder, and Jareth nodded to her and went to claim Bevelyn for the remainder of the dance.
When it finished, he escorted her back over to where Sarah and her father now stood on the sidelines, and introduced them just as if they hadn't all been lounging around in his study the week before. "Robert, please allow me to present Bevelyn, a fae noblewoman and a good friend of Sarah's and mine. Bev is an excellent dancer," he hinted strongly.
Robert grinned and took the hint. "Lovely to meet you, Bevelyn; may I have the next dance?" They went off together, both still chuckling.
Sarah sidled up to her fiancé and took his arm. "What are you up to?" she asked suspiciously.
He shrugged. "If he is so badly in need of a partner that he must needs steal mine in the middle of a dance – well, I merely provided him with his own, so he'll leave mine alone."
Sarah pursed her lips, looking sceptical.
Innocently, he continued, "Your father is not currently married, is he?"
She shook her head. "No. Both my mother and Toby's mother cheated on him, so he's said he'll never marry again."
Jareth smirked, watching the couple dance. They were talking easily and laughing together, and looked to be having a fine time. "I wonder if he would ever change his mind, if the woman were incapable of cheating?" He caught Sarah's shocked expression and cocked his head. "Bev has been alone for a hundred years or so, now. She might be starting to get lonely."
"You know, that kingly persona of yours is such a façade," Sarah teased him. "Underneath it all, you're really a softie!"
He tipped his head back at a haughty angle and gazed down at her. "Oh, that we were alone, and I could demonstrate just how wrong you are!" he exclaimed. "I assure you, by this time tomorrow night, I'll be showing you no mercy."
Sarah licked her lips. "What makes you think I'll be asking for any?"
A/N: In the words of a famous hat we all know, "Woo, woo, woo!"