(no subject)

[fiery_ring]

The school hall is crowded with parents. Carlotta approaches the back door to it and turns back to Teja and Demeter.

"Remember, you're my aunt and uncle Fernandez from Spain, on my mother's side so not really communicating with my grandmother and father, who are also here. Have you chosen first names?"

Comments

[fiery_ring]

The polite smiles from the couple change to a look of poorly concealed horror. They exchange rather shocked glances, then turn back to Demeter and Teja.

"Now look here, we've worked very hard to get Carlotta into this school and mixing with decent, ladylike people." her father says seriously. "I don't know how she managed to organise this, and I will be having words with her for making you both come out here. She doesn't need your kind tempting her."

At this moment, the curtains open, and the play begins. A very shy and timid-looking girl enters dressed as the Countess, gives the audience a terrified look, then allows herself to become so deeply absorbed in the part that she manages to forget they are there.

Carlotta enters in the second scene, and is sufficiently shocked to see Demeter and Teja sitting with the relatives she just told them to be careful with, that she forgets her lines.

[wheatencrown]

Demeter smile is dangerous and still warm as she says,

"I run a winery, my dear man. Don't presume."

Then she turns to enjoy the show, giving Carlotta one of her best smiles.

[ostro_goth]

Teja scowls, silently, and concentrates on the play.

When Carlotta just stands there, he looks at her, trying to convey that he is here for her, that all will work out.

[fiery_ring]

Carlotta recovers her lines, but messes up her scene a little. There's a bit of nudging and whispering from some of the girls from other classes watching; it's not like Carlotta to get stage fright.

"Good Lord." Mrs Brown can be heard to whisper to her son. "Alcholics as well!"

[wheatencrown]

Demeter completely ignores them and focuses on Carlotta since she's what's important not these snobs.

[ostro_goth]

Teja sits beside her, the look on his face reminding one of a very localised thundercloud.

[fiery_ring]

Carlotta's part is a humerous role, and apart from fluffing her lines out of nervousness, she plays the part of the Count well.

"Anything up old thing?" Bobby whispers to her off-stage a few scenes through. "Not like you to get stage fright."

"You remember how I told you my aunt and uncle weren't really on good terms with my grandmother and father?" Carlotta says. "Well they've gone and sat next to each other, and I can sense them squabbling from here! I didn't even tell grandma and father I was inviting the others."

"Golly!" Bobby exclaims, almost forgetting to be quiet. "Are you going to get into a row over it?"

Carlotta nods worriedly.

Bobby looks thoughtful.

"Don't worry, I think I can seperate them at half time. I'll tell everyone to speed up a little bit."

Subtly, the play begins to increase its pace.

Back in the audience, Carlotta's father glances back at Demeter.

"I don't suppose if I were to use my vast fortune in paying you to go away and not bother her again, you would accept?"

[wheatencrown]

"I would recommend that you discuss with your daughter before you send anyone away. I love her and think she's beautiful and brilliant. Perhaps if you tell her that more often, you wouldn't have to worry so much about other members of her family."

[ostro_goth]

"If there is a break, I would speak to you alone,if you are not afraid," Teja says to the man. He suspects reason within him, that might be reachable -- but not in the old woman.

[fiery_ring]

As the play reaches its interval, Plan A is put into operation.

Subtly, a very innocent looking girl appears at the back, carrying two large jugs of lemonade. As she walks down the aisle, past the group, she gives a magnificently realistic trip and falls over. The lemonade goes splashing all over Carlotta's grandmother, who gives a screech.

"Oh Doris, you clumsy girl!" Exclaims Miss Jenks, hurrying over. "Mrs Brown, I'm terribly sorry, let me take you to find some dry clothes."

As the teacher takes the grandmother away, with Doris apologising in a most meek manner, there may be a little winking between some of the second form.

[wheatencrown]

Demeter does her best to look concerned and Demeter whispers to Doris,

"Tell Carlotta that I won't cause anymore trouble and my daughter always calls me meddlesome."

Then she goes over to help clean up the lemonade and saying various platitudes at Carlotta's grandmother.

[ostro_goth]

Teja gives a deep look at Carlotta's father. "It seems you will talk with me, now," he states, "unless you are so afraid that you would run."

[fiery_ring]

"Of course not." Carlotta's father says in bewilderment, stepping out towards the back door and more or less ignoring his mother's plight.

Doris gives a subtle nod to Demeter and scurries meekly off. The girl might be heard to give an explosive snort of laughter as she disappears in the stage door.

[wheatencrown]

"Is there anything I can do to help you, my dear? Oh look at your poor dress."

Demeter uses a bit of divinity to make the dress drier, she doesn't think it will do that much good but its a start.

[ostro_goth]

Teja leans back against the wall beside the back door, and steadily regards Carlotta's father.

"One assumes you loved your wife, or you would not have married a woman from foreign lands, that you family must have found unsuitable," he begins.

[fiery_ring]

Mr Brown stares at Teja, with a look of anger.

"You know perfectly well that she had left your sort when I met her." he says. "One cannot help who they are born to. You must understand just how hard I have worked to take Carlotta in, to help her to fit into society and get the best possible chance in life. I cannot allow such influences as you to destroy all that."

Whilst angry, his tone is also one of assertiveness rather than agressiveness.

"Not to mention the fact that I know you both to be frauds. My wife had one sister, who I met many years ago. Carlotta doesn't have another Aunt and Uncle. I can therefore only assume that you are circus folk. You're lucky I didn't go out and call the police for impersonation. I certainly won't allow you to take advantage of my daughter, who I love very much."

He shakes his head. "You are a fool if you think that you can dictate what I say on this matter. I am her father, and her legal guardian, and my word on all matters will be final."

Inside, Carlotta's grandmother is led away by Miss Jenks to get dry clothes. Carlotta takes the opportunity to run down to Demeter.

"What are you doing?!" She exclaims as quietly as possible. "I told you to be careful around them! It's entirely possible that Father might know I don't have an Aunt Ada and Uncle Theo, he was married to my mother after all, he would have met her family at the wedding."

[wheatencrown]

"Trying to understand and I'm sorry."

Demeter gives her a quick hug,

"I think I need to find Teja before he makes things worse. We'll leave and say that I'm sick. I'm sorry, I thought things would be easier."

She then gives her a much stronger hug and goes off to find Teja and Mr. Brown.

[ostro_goth]

"I do not wish for any advantage," Teja says, looking at the man. "She is dear to us, and we merely wished to see that she is well, and safe, and loved, and treasured for the strong and intelligent girl that she is! What I have, where I live..."

He pauses, smiling.

"... what you call your wealth pales to insignificance, compared to that! You will need it, too, to pay for her schooling, and her wedding. I think you do not realise the true quality of your daughter. Listen to her more, and tell her less of what she should do. Try to see who she is, and treasure her! That is all I ask."

He turns, seeing Demeter come towards him. "My dear, what is wrong?" he asks her -- he is still pretending to be her husband, is he not, even if they have been exposed at not being Carlotta's blood relations?

[fiery_ring]

Carlotta dashes out of the back door after them.

"Please don't go!"

Mr Brown looks between the three.

"No, Carlotta is right, please don't leave. It will attract attention." He moves back towards the hall. "I am very disappointed with you for telling lies." he adds to Carlotta, with a stern look. "Go back to your class."

Carlotta shoots a worried look at Demeter and Teja, then does as she's told.

[wheatencrown]

"Don't blame her for our lies. We worry about her so much and as her friends we wished to attend but this was the only way we could find it. It was our idea and blaming her will only make her worry more. Let tonight be a good night and we will sit elsewhere so you don't have to suffer."

Her voice is sad as she strives to make things easier in this hard position and takes Teja's hand, leading him to sit at some open seats near the back. Though she did say quietly,

"I have been estranged from my family for a long time because they made a choice for my daughter without asking her or me. Think carefully on what you want your daughter to learn from you."

[ostro_goth]

"Do not try and force her to be less than she is; for all that she is, together, is a bright and brilliant thing," Teja quietly says to the father, in parting.

Then, with an attempt at levity, he says, "But I must follow my lady; you know how it is!" before he walks with Demeter to wherever she wants him to be.

[fiery_ring]

"You have no right to tell me how to raise my daughter." Mr Brown says quietly but firmly, sitting down with a now dowdily dressed Mrs Brown.

Carlotta performs somewhat better in this half of the play, but shoots nervous glances over at both parties.

[wheatencrown]

Throughout the rest of the performance, Demeter holds Teja's hand quite tightly, its so hard not to worry.

She's seen how badly things can go wrong and the way he used right just hurts. Its important to be able to listen and learn and clearly they don't wish to.

[ostro_goth]

Teja holds on to her hand, trying to convey calm. He will tell her, later, what Carlotta's father has said; it was not all bad, as he understood it. The man was unsettled, and of a small mind -- but he loves his daughter, and that is the one thing that counts.

[fiery_ring]

At the end of the play, Carlotta carefully sees her grandmother and father off, though not before getting a stern private lecture from both of them. Then she comes back through the hall to Teja and Demeter.

"I'm awfully sorry." she says. "I should have been more careful to explain things to you both instead of expecting people to follow my web of lies. It means a lot to me that you came, really it does."