A little drama in this chapter. The title gives it away. Btw, I really appreciate all the support and comments on this story! That means a lot to me. If you can, leave a vote for updating this story more often in the future. The more votes I see, the faster I will update. And sorry about the short delay; I was working on an art project that took me four days to draw and color in. Not to mention I had my wisdom teeth pulled out this morning... T.T. Not fun stuff. I am in undeniable unbearable undescribable pain! I haven't eaten all day because it hurts so badly! And what's worse; no candy for me on Halloween! DX
Rant done. Anywho, enjoy the new chapter!
Alice in Wonderland: Underland's Champion
Chapter 3: Tea Party Gone Wrong
Alice breathes deeply as the carriage stops in front of Lord Ascot's home. Her mother and Margaret sit on the other side of her as they look outside the carriage. Margaret has decided to leave Stefan home under the care of her most trustworthy maid. She doesn't want him to witness anything that might go wrong between the Kingsleighs and Ascots.
A week has passed by since Alice returned home. She has spent most of her time with her family but mostly looked after Stefan whenever her mother and Margaret go out to grab some supplies. She grew quite fond of her little nephew and he seems to already know who she is. He always relaxes around her and puts on a smile every time she teases with him. Even though Alice enjoys spending time with her family, she is a little uneasy about Lord Ascot's request to have tea at his home. Helen and Margaret are mainly concerned about Alice; they aren't sure if Lord Ascot has truly persuaded his wife to forgive her. Knowing Eleanor, she isn't one to easily change her mind…
Alice sighs when the footman opens the door. He helps Margaret out first while Helen gives her daughter an encouraging look. "Just relax, dear…" She says softly. "It'll be all right."
Alice smiles weakly as the footman helps her out next. She has a little trouble climbing out due to her corset holding her up in a very uncomfortable position. She hasn't worn a corset for over four years and now it was being very unforgiving for this particular day. Alice decided to dress proper for once to hopefully ease the Ascots and give them a good impression.
Alice sighs as she stands beside Margaret and waits for Helen to climb out. Once the women are together, Helen gently pushes the girls forward. Alice could feel her heart beating in anxiety and Margaret senses her unease. She holds Alice's arm reassuringly and smiles as she pats her arm. Alice smiles back at her older sister as they walk together up to the front door.
Helen walks around the girls and knocks on the door three times. After a few moments of waiting, a servant opens the door and beckons the women inside. The Kingsleighs walk inside quietly and wait as the servant leaves to fetch for the Ascots. As soon as the family enters the room, Lord Ascot smiles widely. Hamish smiles politely while Lady Ascot's smile was tight and her eyes seem dark. Like the Kingsleighs, they are dressed properly for the occasion.
"Ladies," Lord Ascot greets Helen and places his hand on her arm gently. "Welcome to our home. I hope that your ride has been pleasant?"
"It has." Helen nods politely and smiles at Hamish and Lady Ascot. "Hello, Hamish. Eleanor."
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Kingsleigh." Hamish lowers his head respectfully. Eleanor does nothing as she holds her hands together and turns her eyes away. "Hello." She says impassively.
Lord Ascot then looks at the time. "You have arrived just in time. The servants have finished setting up the table. Shall we talk over tea?"
"That would be very nice." Helen smiles as Lord Ascot offers her and Lady Ascot his arms. Once he leads the older women into the living room, Hamish offers Alice and Margaret his own arms. The girls smile and take his arms as he leads them towards the living room. They pass through the living room and walk through double glass doors until they come upon a balcony. There is a large round table with six chairs and various sorts of sweets with an expensive tea set neatly assembled.
"It is ready, my Lord," The servant that was finishing putting down the food lowers his head to Lord Ascot. Lord Ascot smiles and nods. "Thank you. You are dismissed." When the servant leaves, Lord Ascot and Hamish lead the girls towards the table and pull out their chairs for them. Once they are nicely seated, the boys sit down. Alice is somewhat relieved to sit between her mother and Lord Ascot.
"Well now, eat up. The cook has outdone himself with the beignets." Lord Ascot chuckles as he helps himself with a small plate of food. Then he politely offers tea to everyone. Once everyone helps themselves with food and drink, they start a casual talk. Or rather, Lord Ascot is answering Helen's questions while Margaret, Alice, and Hamish listen and put in their own input. Lady Ascot is silent during the whole half hour of speaking. She occasionally glances at Alice before she focuses on the conversation.
"So in order for the trade route to work, our trade ships must travel to America, make more travel arrangements through the continent, and then pass the Pacific Ocean to reach to China?"
"That's correct." Lord Ascot wipes his mouth with a napkin. "With Alice's help, we made it possible to make it work."
"It would be a lot easier than just going around Africa to the place and back." Alice adds. "We could easily resupply in America at any time and have a short trip through the Pacific Ocean to China and back."
"I see…" Helen nods in approval.
"But isn't that risky? Trusting people that we don't even know with our equipment?" Margaret asks as she stirs her tea with a spoon.
"One of my other business partners works in the American nation." Lord Ascot states. "He always makes sure that his tasks are done correctly and I trust him with my life."
"And has Alice made consideration for finding a suitor?" Lady Ascot asks suddenly. Everyone looks at her in surprise. "I'm sorry?" Helen asks.
"Now that Alice is back, surely she must be thinking about finding a husband." Lady Ascot says quietly. "It must have been awfully dreadful and tiring to work for a business for four years without any rest. And to think that you were the only woman on a ship with over fifty men…"
Alice smiles a bit. "Actually, it was very fun working with Lord Ascot. We got to see so many new people and places. It was really wondrous. All the men on the ship were very polite and friendly; we all got along quite well."
"I see…" Lady Ascot narrows her eyes. "But have you thought about starting a family of your own?"
Alice hesitates when she sees the glint in the woman's eyes. "No… I haven't really given it much thought. I've been busy helping Margaret take care of her own son while Lowell is away."
Lady Ascot says nothing and continues to stare at Alice. Lord Ascot clear his throat awkwardly and holds up the teapot. "Would anyone like some more tea?"
"Yes, please." Helen and Margaret quickly hold out their cups and Lord Ascot pours some more tea for them. Suddenly a blue butterfly flies around the table. Annoyed, Lady Ascot tries to shoo it away until the butterfly flies towards Alice's cup and lands on the handle. Alice smiles down at the butterfly and holds him up to her finger. "Hello, Absolem." She murmurs quietly.
"Absolem? What is this Absolem?" Hamish asks suddenly. Alice grimaces when she realizes that she spoke loudly and looks at everyone. They stare at her inquiringly while the butterfly floats onto her shoulder.
"Oh, nothing." Alice says hastily. "Just a name that I overheard people calling butterflies during my travels."
Alice could have sworn that she heard Absolem call her a stupid girl. But at least her lie convinced everyone; they only nod and continue to eat and drink. Suddenly Lady Ascot lets out a shriek and bolts up. She stares down at her feet and points at a panicked white rabbit that had gotten too close to her. She tries to shoo it away but the rabbit panics and jumps onto the table. He makes a huge mess all over the table and breaks several fragile cups. The sweets splatter around the guests and everyone shouts out as they step away from the table. Absolem quietly flies away towards the foliage during the whole fiasco. Alice gasps when she sees the blue coat that is holding a pocket watch. "McTwisp!" She murmurs quietly.
"Get it! Get it!" Lady Ascot shouts as she points at the sprinting rabbit. The small creature tries to run out of the balcony but moves backwards when a servant tries to catch him. Suddenly a servant comes out of the house with a gun and aims at the bolting rabbit. Horrified, Alice rushes over to him and tries to snatch the gun away. "NO!" She shouts. The duo exchange a tug-o-war with the weapon while Lord Ascot and Lady Ascot shout at Alice to let go. McTwisp takes this as his opportunity to jump around the other servants and bolts down the grass towards the bushes. He disappears into the foliage.
Just when Lady Ascot comes too close, Alice curtly snatches the gun away but stumbles back. Lady Ascot shouts when Alice bumps into her and makes her trip over the table. The whole table collapses under Lady Ascot and all the tea and cakes splatter around her expensive dress and face. Everyone is absolutely silent as they gape at Lady Ascot before they turn to Alice. Embarrassed and horrified, Alice slowly hands the gun back to a servant as she stares at Lady Ascot with guilty eyes. Two servants help Lady Ascot onto her feet but step back when she stomps toward Alice with the teapot in her grasp. Margaret and Helen hastily step before Alice protectively while Lord Ascot and Hamish stay at their spots.
"You… Are an absolute disgrace!" Lady Ascot shouts as she throws the teapot at Alice's feet. Alice flinches at her harsh tone. Lady Ascot wipes frosting off her face and hair as she points at Alice furiously. "You may look like a proper lady, but you have the disgrace and insanity of a lunatic! You will never fulfill your family duty or find a man that will tolerate your freakish fantasies!"
Her bottom lip trembles before she pushes Margaret and Helen away and stomps into her home. The servants begin to murmur amongst themselves as they glare at Alice before they follow after Lady Ascot or begin to pick up the mess. Hamish gives Alice a very sympathetic and apologetic look before he rushes into the house after his mother. Lord Ascot is still with shock and disbelief. Then he turns to the women and murmurs, "I'm so sorry… I…"
"Lord Ascot, I think it's time that we go home…" Helen says quietly as she wraps an arm around Alice's. Margaret takes Alice's other arm. "We appreciate your attempt to fix things up, but I don't think that Lady Ascot wants to even try… I'm sorry…"
When Lord Ascot's face crumples into sadness, Helen quickly states, "But you and Hamish are free to come visit us at any time… But I think Alice needs to go home and think about some things…"
Lord Ascot smiles weakly and nods. "Let me take you back to your carriage…"
The walk is silent from the balcony to outside. Lord Ascot politely opens the door for the women and bids them farewell. He kindly tells Alice not to worry about a thing while he talks with his wife. Alice only nods and Lord Ascot leaves after he shuts the door. The women say nothing during the ride back home. Twenty agonizing minutes pass by and Alice hasn't removed her gaze from the floor.
This is all her fault…
But as soon as they arrive home, Alice pushes away all properness and jumps out of the carriage before it even stops. Her mother and Margaret call out to her but Alice ignores them as she rushes into her garden. She doesn't even notice that it has started to rain heavily.
Alice sniffles as she runs through the cold drizzle and pushes her way through the foliage. She keeps running until her legs give out and she falls down onto the mud. She whimpers as she sits up and scoots under a tree to avoid the rain. She holds her legs close and lets out silent tears as she looks up at the dark sky. The cold wind blows through her body but she ignores it as she turns to hug the tree behind her for comfort.
She doesn't fit in here… Nobody likes her for her difference… Lord Ascot only tolerates it because she was his partner and her family tolerates it only for the sake of their familial love…
She has no one… She is all alone…
This is essentially the turning point of the story. This event makes Alice make an important decision. Review or comment, please!
