Disclaimer: I don't own Alice in Wonderland in any of its forms.
Read on, oh faithful ones...
...
Alice and Helen Kingsleigh rejected the Ascot's offer and left arm in arm without looking back once. When they were outside, the wind refreshing on Helen's red cheeks and spring ripe in the air around them, she took a moment to simply breathe and rejoice in the feeling of freedom, at what she'd done. No man - whether it was Hamish Ascot or anyone else - would ever tell her daughter what she could or should be; that was up to Alice and Alice alone.
"I hope you're not upset at my decision, dear? Without the Ascot's ... support, be that what it is, I may have to sell the house," Helen added. The only reason she'd agreed to Hamish Ascot's demands was because despite her best efforts, she was behind on bills, and the house was all she'd ever known since marrying her husband all of those years ago.
Alice smiled at her mother and hugged her warmly. Behind her, the mirror in the hallway shimmered so she could go back to her own time - she had no idea if she would be in Hamish Ascot's personal study or somewhere else entirely anymore, but didn't quite care, just so long as everything that had happened actually happened, the good and bad of it all. (Though, Alice would be hard-pressed to admit wanting to be back in the institution.)
"I'm not upset at all, Mother. In fact, I thought you were rather... headstrong," Alice said with a grin. "And, like the Wonder, the house is just a house. You've always said that the house is too big without me there, anyway," she added.
"Yes, I suppose you're right. I'll have to see what I can find," Helen mused, thinking of some lovely cottages she had seen.
"Now, Mother. I know this is going to sound impossible, but you'll just have to believe me," Alice said, drawing Helen out of her musings. "I'm going to go now, but I promise I'll be back soon. And don't worry about me aboard the Wonder, we'll outrun the pirates," she added, then hugged her warmly and ran back into the Ascot's home.
Helen's eyes widened in surprise and she followed her daughter immediately, only to see Alice climbing into a mirror. Helen wasn't quite sure what happened after that, but Alice seemingly disappeared. Helen pressed her hand to her mouth, her face pale, and tried to believe the impossible.
...
Aboard the Wonder, Alice looked at her map, and while she terribly wanted to continue sailing straight on for China and all it had to offer, she knew that she had to stop in at least one of her predetermined destinations. For the crew's sake as much as her employer's.
Her scheduled stop at Morocco was right on time, and Casablanca was brilliant to behold. Although, with Alice's stop brought two letters: one from Ascot and the other from her mother. Alice was surprised at both of the letters, since she hadn't expected to hear from either of them before she'd even sent her first letter herself. She counted it as one of her impossible things instead. When she was aboard and in her captain's quarters once more, she opened the letters. Not knowing which she should read first, she set them side by side.
The stories they told were both similar and then not-so-similar at the same time. Her mother said that Hamish was now Lord Ascot due to his father's passing, was now in control of the company, and he had tried to trade the Wonder for their house and to restrict Alice to a clerk job. She went on to say that she'd denied the offer, and as such, had to sell the house to relocate to somewhere smaller and more cost-affordable.
Hamish's letter said that she was fired, the Wonder had to return to London immediately to be turned over to a new captain (a male captain, the message between the lines read), and if she didn't, she would be arrested as soon as she returned to London.
Frowning, Alice read the last part of her mother's letter.
P.S. Please do be safe when you run into pirates.
Well, that settled that. Alice hadn't even met any pirates yet, and she was damned well not going to turn around now.
"Philips, get the men aboard as soon as possible; we leave tonight," Alice called.
"But, ma'am, that's - that's impossible."
"You should know, Philips, that nothing is impossible if you believe it is possible," Alice replied firmly. "Now, believe it is possible, and go find our men."
"Aye, Captain," he replied, leaving a moment later.
Alice looked back at her letters, and then tore up Hamish Ascot's with as decisive a hand as her mother.
...
James Harcourt's employment with the Ascots ended the day Mrs. and Miss Kingsleigh denied their offer and walked out without looking back. James honestly didn't mind his employment being terminated - he rather agreed with the Kingsleigh women, after all - and he was soon gainfully employed by the aforementioned Kingsleighs anyway. Well, Helen at least. She'd said something about Alice leaving, looking at the mirror before stepping into her carriage.
Helen had been the mistress of her own household for quite some time now, and knew how to handle and manage money when it was within her means of living. Selling the house and buying her new cottage helped with that, and she still knew how to stretch out two pounds to last for three weeks. James was an awfully good help, sitting in on meetings with her, ensuring that the men across from Helen referred only to her, and after the fourth or fifth meeting, he had perfected the art of staring down offensive old men who worked on The Board.
In her free time, between business meetings and worrying over her daughter (a mother's allowed to worry, James, no matter how headstrong their daughter is. Or perhaps, especially so with headstrong daughters), Helen told James all about her daughter, the things she'd done both before and after being employed by the Ascots. She relayed Alice's letters, tried to keep track of where in the world her daughter had been, what she had seen, and James found himself longing for the same adventures himself.
...
When Alice arrived back to London almost a year later, Helen and James were waiting at the port for her. As Hamish had promised, so were he and the police. Alice simply smiled at the men, not at all worried thanks to her mother's last letter. As Hamish Ascot spluttered about arrests and ships that belonged to him, Helen produced the deed to the Wonder, bought by buying out the shares of every single man on The Board, bar Hamish Ascot himself.
She had spent the last year encouraging Hamish's wild tales about her daughter's unreliable nature, meeting with the men on The Board and ensuring they'd heard every last piece of gossip. In doing this, Helen had convinced the men that there was no profit in keeping the Wonder on their register. If men on The Board were susceptible to one thing, it was money - and more specifically, money that they could profit from. With Hamish's tales increasing in their outlandish nature (Gone native! Touched in the head! Completely mad!), it only secured Helen's plans.
The men had sold their shares of the Wonder to her within eight months, all at a fraction of the cost when they believed they wouldn't get better money elsewhere (James helped with that part). At her request, not one had informed Hamish of their sales. His title still wasn't properly bestowed upon him, after all, so they had agreed to Helen's only demand, all too happy to be done with the God-awful ship with a woman for a captain. Helen gritted her teeth whenever that topic came up, the men easily forgetting that it was her own daughter they were referring to, but she had had years of experience of dealing with Lady Ascot's snide little remarks, so she knew how to smile and keep her mouth shut.
(Afterwards, James would be amazed at the utter indignation and rage that Helen kept contained within her. Not one woman in the household would think a thing of it, all of them agreeing.)
On the realisation that he had been outsmarted by Helen, Hamish snapped, threatening both of the Kingsleigh women and everything they stood for. The policemen he'd brought along to arrest Alice ended up arresting him instead, and later that week, Lady Ascot demurely signed over the last of the shares for the Wonder to Helen.
When the paperwork was signed, James took the contract and left to wait by the carriage. Helen smiled at Lady Ascot before she left and politely enquired as to how Hamish was faring in prison. Her lips pursed, Lady Ascot didn't answer, and she tightly asked Helen to leave.
Looking at the mirror in the hallway as she passed, Helen swore she could see a rabbit in a waistcoat, though when she glanced behind her, there was nothing there. She breathed in shakily, telling herself it wasn't impossible, merely ... unpossible.
...
Now that Alice had returned, James was both surprised and yet, not at all surprised, to find that the young woman really was as headstrong and stubborn as her mother had always said. Perhaps she was even more so with her amazing and outlandish outfits, and the way she recited six impossible things before breakfast, as prompt as clockwork. She had a funny habit of referring to time as a person, and James found himself thinking that if anyone could actually meet the personification of Time, it would be Alice Kingsleigh herself.
He listened to her stories, at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every time in between, about a fantastical world of bloody big headed queens, of talking rabbits and mad Hatters, of how the muchness of everyone and everything mattered the most. He heard tales of her adventures aboard the Wonder, of her meeting the Empress, of everything she'd seen and done.
At times, James found himself wondering what those people (and rabbits) in Wonderland were doing at any given time of the day. Was the Hatter making hats with his family, or was he at tea time now? Was the Cheshire Cat tormenting and teasing people with his big cheshire grin and disappearing act, or was he laying about in the sun? Did the White Rabbit ever make his very important date on time? Or was Time ticking faster to torment the White Rabbit?
...
From Alice's return, it only took four months to organise the next expedition. With the Wonder belonging to them - and the crew with it - the spices, silks, and other wonders Alice had found on her journey (there was some mention of pirates among the crew, though neither Helen nor James knew exactly what happened) were able to be sold and other sponsors found for the next expedition.
With her contacts from the last year, Helen ensured that none of them were on The Board, and they all trusted Alice no matter the rumours Hamish and the Ascots spread. The proof was in the pudding, after all, and that pudding contained some of the finest silks and sweetest spices anyone in London had ever seen.
James practically begged to go along with them, desperate to see the world for himself, rather than simply hearing about it through their tales. Alice and Helen had looked at him in confusion.
"Well, of course you're coming, James. It wouldn't be the same without you," Helen said, still looking a little bewildered.
James gave a slight cough and straightened. "Of course. Thank you, ladies."
Alice smiled over at her mother, brushed her shortened hair back from her face, and then returned her attention to her map and their projected journey for the next year.
...
The last order of business was to get the shop installed and fitted right there on the dock. Not only was it the perfect place for the new shipments they intended to send back from their voyage, but it would also annoy the Ascots that much more. Helen ensured that the sign would be well-seen no matter where one stood along the port, Kingsleigh & Kingsleigh written boldly at the top.
"We'll run the Ascots out of business in a year," Helen said to Alice, smiling at her daughter as they headed to their ship, James waiting for them.
"Captain on board!" Philips called, the sailors standing to attention as Alice boarded the ship with her mother and James a step behind her.
As Alice looked at the retreating shoreline of London, she thought to herself that a year to see the world wasn't quite time enough. Alice decided that she had the rest of her life to see the world, and she wouldn't waste a second, minute, or hour of this wonderful chance.
...
The end.
Thanks for reading!