We arrived at the Ascot manor and headed around to the gardens where the party was going on. Alice and I followed mother as she hurried towards Lord Ascot and Lady Ascot.
"At last! We thought you'd never arrive," Lady said looking slightly red in the face. She looked at Alice. "Alice, Hamish is waiting to dance with you. Go!" She commanded.
Alice glanced at mother and I before heading down into the gardens where the dance area was. As Alice walked away, Lady Ascot turned her attention back to us. "You do realize it's well past four. Now everything will have to be rushed through!"
Mother frowned. "I am sorry."
Lady Ascot shook her head, cutting mother off. "Ohhh, never mind," she hissed, before walking off.
"Go on," mother said gently pushing me towards where Alice went off to.
I walked down the steps, slowly making my way through the crowd of people as I looked around for Alice. I glanced back to see Lord Ascot and mother talking. I sighed bored with this party already.
I found a place out of the way and watched as Hamish and Alice danced. I turned to find the Chattway twins, Fiona and Faith standing behind me, smiling like crazy.
"Can I help you?" I asked looking back and forth between them.
"We have a secret to tell you," Faith said grinning.
"If you're telling me then it's not much of a secret," I said looking at them with confusion.
"Perhaps we shouldn't," Fiona said looking at Faith.
Faith looked at her. "We decided we should!"
"If we tell her she'll probably tell Alice! Then she won't be surprised," Fiona said.
"Tell Alice what?" I asked, tilting my head. "Now you've brought it up, you have to tell me."
"No we don't."
"In fact, we won't." They both snickered.
I huffed. "I wonder if your mother knows that you two swim naked in the Havershim's pond?" I asked giving them a smug look as they shared a shocked look with each other.
"You wouldn't!" Faith said.
"Oh, but I would." I looked over to see their mother. "There's your mother now," I said pointing over to her and they both looked over real quick at her then back at me with panicked looks.
"Hamish is going to ask for Alice's hand!" Fiona said.
I sighed turned and went off to look for Alice. Hopefully I could warn her.
I finally found her over in a corner of the garden by herself. She rushed over to me. "I've been looking for you!" She said.
I nodded. "I've been looking for you also. I found out from the Chattway twins that this is an engagement party."
She looked at me. "For who?"
I frowned. "You and Hamish. They said he's going to ask for your hand." Just as I finished saying that, Margaret, Alice and I's older sister came over and yanked Alice away from me. "You ruined the surprise." She pulled Alice off with her, but before they got too far Alice quickly grabbed my hand pulling me along with them.
"Some surprise," I muttered, making Alice elbow me in the side.
Margaret glared at me. "I could strangle you! Everyone went to so much effort to keep the secret."
Alice and I glared back at her. "Don't talk to her like that." Margaret gave her an annoyed look. Alice looked around, frowning. "Does everyone know?"
"It's why they've all come. This is your engagement party. Hamish will ask you under the gazebo. When you say yes," Margaret said, but Alice cut her off.
Alice stopped walking and turned to look at Margaret. "But I don't know if I want to marry Hamish."
Margaret looked at her shocked. "Who then? You won't do better than a lord." Alice and I looked over at Hamish, both of us disgusted as he blew his nose and was looking at his handkerchief.
"You'll both soon be twenty." Margaret gave me a look before looking back at Alice. "Those pretty faces won't last forever. You don't want to end up like Aunt Imogene." We all looked over at our aunt. "And you don't want to be a burden on mother, do you?"
Alice and I looked at each other, frowning. "No," she replied looking at Margaret.
Margaret smiled. "So, you'll marry Hamish." Margaret grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her with her again, making Alice tug me with them. "You will be as happy as I am with Lowell and your life will be perfect. It's already decided."
Just then Lady Ascot walked over to us. "Alice, dear, shall we take a leisurely stroll through the garden? Just you and me?" She asked staring Margaret and I down.
Margaret grabbed my hand. "We'll leave you to it," Margaret said, before pulling me with her.
I huffed, pulling my hand from Margaret. She stopped walking and turned to me, glaring again. "Listen, Kitty, I know Alice and you are close. You two are after all twins, but you two need to learn independence. You're both going to get married and have to be separated. Do you honestly think that your future husbands will deal with you two attached at the hips? No, they won't. You and Alice are going to be separated when she and Hamish get married, then you will. You'll live with your husbands and have families with them. It's already decided."
I glared at her. "I know this, Margaret, Alice does too. Besides, what if we don't want it to be decided for us?" She huffed.
She opened her mouth, getting ready to say something again. I glanced over her shoulder to see a white rabbit in a blue waistcoat holding up a pocket watch. "Excuse me." I quickly rushed past her, following the rabbit around some bushes. I followed it back into the maze. I caught a glimpse of it before it hopped around a hedge. I ran after it, rushing around the hedge only to run into someone and fall back on the ground. The person I ran into groaned as did I. I got up, dusting my dress off and rubbing my head as I did. I looked up to see Alice in front of me doing the same.
"Alice, did you see it?" I asked.
She looked up at me, rubbing her head. "The rabbit?" I nodded. "Yes, I was talking to Hamish's mother when he ran through her white roses." We headed out of the maze, ending up right where Aunt Imogene was sitting by herself.
"Aunt Imogene! I think we're going mad. We keep seeing a rabbit in a waistcoat," Alice said as we came to stand next to Aunt Imogene.
She ignored us and started talking about her "fiance". Alice and I shared a look. I looked up just in time to see the rabbit hop through the bushes next to the steps that led up out of the garden. "There, Alice!" I said, pointing over at him.
We both ran off after him again.
We were walking the gardens and looked into a little closed off area to see Lowell, Margaret's husband kissing another woman. We walked closer. "Lowell?" Alice asked.
They stopped kissing and turned to us with panicked looks. "Ah, Alice, Kitty, we were just, um," Lowell pushed the woman away, making her walk away as he stepped closer to us, pulling out his handkerchief and wiping his mouth. "Hattie is an old friend."
"We can see you're very close," Alice said, frowning.
"You two won't mention this to your sister, will you?" Lowell asked, smiling slightly.
Alice and I backed away from him. "We don't know," I said, glaring at him. "We're confused," Alice said, glaring at him also. "We need time to think."
He stepped closer to us. "Well think about Margaret. She would never trust me again. You two don't want to ruin her marriage, do you?" He said, reaching out with both hands to touch our chins.
We pulled away frowning at each other. "Us? But we're not the one sneaking around her back-," Alice said turning around and gasping.
I turned to see Hamish standing there looking at Alice annoyed. He looked her up and down. "There you are," he said, reaching out and grabbing her hand. He started pulling her down to the gazebo where everyone was headed now.
I glanced back at Lowell to see him smirking as Alice was drug off by Hamish. I sighed, following after them.
