Chapter 2- A strange, new visitor
"I'm sorry, boys, but the Mrs. says there's to be no more interviews today." The Kingsley maid said, followed by many groans. "Try again tomorrow."
The Hatter walked up the path in confusion, while a mass on men went the opposite direction. Noticing the maid, he tried to call her attention while he pushed through the crowd. "Excuse me? Miss!!"
"You'll have to come back tomorrow sir, Miss Kingsley has retired…" The maid said offhand, brushing him away.
Alice…
"Wait, Please!" The hatter said finally breaking through the crowd, running up the steps toward her.
"I don't know what to say to you sir! Mrs. Kingsley said that all the suitors are to go home and try again tomorrow. I'm sorry Mr…" The maid gave him a questioning look, from the eccentric looking outfit, to his fiery ginger hair and bright green eyes, the man definitely stood out.
"Hightopp." Tarrant said with a huge grin, bowing down very low. "A personal friend of Miss Kingsley."
The maid stared at him strangely, giving him another look over, "Oh? I've never seen you here before. How is it that you came to know her?" She questioned
"Umm…" The Hatter's eyebrows crinkled, thinking. "I…."
"Clara, who's at the door?" He heard Alice called from inside. The hatter's heart jumped.
"There's someone out here who claims to know you Miss. Says he's personal friend of yours…" Clara said rudely, by suspicious of the Hatter.
Then, standing in the door way was Alice, more beautiful than he had remembered her.
"Hatter?" Alice asked in surprise.
"Hello Alice." He replied in a heavy lisp.
Alice rushed into his arms to give him a huge hug. Tarrant chuckled, his arms wrapped around her waist, spinning her in a circle.
Seeing this spectacle of a reunion, Clara quickly ran into the house to get Alice's mother.
"I'm so glad to see you!" Alice smiled, putting her hand on his cheek, earning a huge smile from the hatter.
"I missed you too!" He said knowingly, holding onto her hand.
"Hatter, did you ever find out why a raven is like a writing desk?"
"No. But I'm sure someday, we will figure it out together…" He looked at her straight in the eyes, almost as if he was trying to read her thoughts.
This was when Alice noticed the color change in his eyes. Instead on the normal green, they were slowly changing to a lilac color.
"Hatter," Alice started to say something when she noticed her mother coming out of he house.
Helen Kingsley first shock was the look of the man. He wore odd, colorful clothes and a large top had upon an extremely red mass of curls.
The next thing she saw shocked her even more though, for there was her daughter, holding hands with the strange man.
"Alice? What is the meaning of this?" Helen asked giving them both a very disapproving look, causing them both to separate. "How do you know this man?"
"He's a friend of mine, Mother. I meet him when I was traveling." Alice lied seamless once more.
"Oh." Mrs. Kingsley relaxed a bit. "And what is you name sir?"
"It's Mr. Hightopp, Ma'am, like I told you." Clara interjected, making the Hatter feel a little bit uncomfortable.
"Mr. Hightopp, huh?" Mrs. Kingsley walks down the steps towards her daughter and the man. She then began to examine him with her eyes.
This made the Hatter remember something.
"Well, Lord actually, But I prefer to be called just Mr. Hightopp, or Tarrant if you like, though you can call me whatever you want, I mean…" He began to ramble because he was nervous.
"Hatter!" Alice shouted to calm him down. Her mother gave her a questionable look.
Alice cured herself inside for letting that slip out. Hatter her slip out also.
"Or hatter if you like…" He added nervously.
Alice gave him a desperate look. How can a perfect moment go totally wrong?
"Why is that?" Alice's mother continued to interrogate, to see the relationship between this strange man and her daughter.
"Well…it's my hobby you see…making hats that is….I make all kinds of hats…top hats, bonnets, large hats, tall hats, fat hats, small hats…"He lisped out, squeaking on the last part.
Alice giggled. If they had been in a different setting, she could just imagine the Hatter yelling out, "I do believe I just made a rhyme!"
The Hatter was thinking of he same thing, and noticed Alice's outburst.
Before her mother had a chance to as another question, Alice burst in. "So what is it that made you visit, Hatte…. Tarrant?" Alice corrected herself, making a mental note not to call him that again, unless they were way from her mother.
"Well to visit you of course!" The Hatter said with his toothy smile.
Alice's mom was not very happy about this, but Alice was elated. She had missed him most of all.
"I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd stop by." He added, making Alice's mother relax a bit.
"Do you have any place to stay?" Alice asked worried.
"Alice!" Her mother warned. It was very improper of her to ask.
"Not at the moment but I'm sure I'll find some place…" The Hatter said, looking around in the dark.
"Hatter, its nine o'clock at night. What place do you expect to find, especially when you are unfamiliar with the area. You can stay here." Alice said moving towards him, with sympathy in her eyes. She held out her hand for him to grab.
He looked down at Alice's hand, his heart beating fiercely in his chest. He then glanced over at Mrs. Kingsley, who was glaring at him. Alice had again use the strange nickname.
"I couldn't possibly impose myself on you…" He said politely, walking away from Alice a bit, even though that was the complete opposite of what he wanted to do.
Helen's glare lighted at this.
"Don't silly, its no problem…" Alice reached out and took his hand in hers.
The Hatter still seemed hesitant, glancing over at Alice's mother again.
"Right mother?" Alice asked hopefully, pleading with her mother in her eyes.
"Fine. I don't see why not." Helen said softly, not meeting either of the pair's eyes.
It was only one night, and he was Alice's friend after all. It was only for on night.
"Come on I'll show you around the house!" Alice tugged him inside, passing Clara who was still giving Tarrant strange look.
"What do you make of this visitor, Mrs. Kingsley?" The maid asked her employer.
"We will see, Clara. We will see." Was all Mrs. Kingsley said before she followed her daughter and her new visitor inside.
"Alright, now here's the sitting room, and over there is the dining room. Do you want any tea? I can get you some!" Alice offered excitingly. She was very happy that the Hatter was there with her, and wanted him to feel comfortable.
She had been dragging him around everywhere, wanting to show him everything about her life and her world, just like he ha in Underland. Not once ha she let go of his hand.
"No, no. I'm fine." The Hatter responded sweetly, rubbing the back of her hand with his.
Alice smiled softly back at him, her eyes locking on his again. "So how's Underland?"
"Oh, ummm…good, fine." The hatter didn't say much because he really hardly knew. He had been out of it for so long that he didn't really take much notice of the goings on around him.
"And how are you?"
The Hatter looked up into her gaze. "I'm very glad to see you Alice."
Alice stroked his cheek lightly with her hand. "Same here. Now, let me get you a room." Alice said, breaking the moment between them s quickly as it came.
She then pulled him up the stairs into the hall where all the bedrooms were.
"Now that's the bathroom, that's my mother's room, and this…" Alice trailed off, opening a door at the end of the hall, "Can be your room."
It was a small bedroom, but lovely. It had light green wallpaper, and a white bed with a canopy above it. In the corner he noticed was a large desk, cluttered with papers and shelves full of books.
"This was my father's study. All that over there was his work stuff. I thought you might like this room. I don't know… you're a lot like my father in some ways…."Alice blushed embarrassed by what she had said.
"Thank you." The Hatter said kindly, giving her hand a little squeeze when he realized she hadn't yet let go. "I like it very much. Has a bit more color than all the rest of this world. Everything's so dull, I don't know how you can stand it Alice." The Hatter continued talking while he walked around the room, looking at things. Alice just watched him from the doorway, smiling.
"You know, my father would have really liked you." Alice said bluntly, causing the Hatter's heart to leap, knowing that that was the biggest compliment she had ever given him.
"Really?" He asked somewhat in surprise.
"Oh yes…"Alice giggled, "He always said that the best people are mad!"
The Hatter glowed at this, smiling his toothy smile, then plopped down on the bed.
"Well…I guess I'll let you sleep then… Good night." Alice said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" The Hatter said, getting up from the bed. " Where is it that you sleep? You never showed me!" He said silly.
Alice just grinned at him, "If you need to find me, I'm right next door. Door on the left." And with that Alice left him to sleep, and he dreamt about what life would be like if he really was a married to Alice.
The next morning, Alice awoke early and rushed downstairs in hopes of being the first one up. Then, after discovering that she was, she then decided to make breakfast. She wanted it to be special, what with being the Hatter's first real day in her world. So she decided to many raspberry pastries, cinnamon toast, and her own, special, peach tea that she made only on special occasions. After this was all done, she decided that she had better get dressed before anyone would wake up, so she rushed to her room and threw on a light blue dress, with dark blue ribbons on it.
Then she went back down stairs to find that she wasn't the only one awake at that hour.
"I smelt tea…" The Hatter explained, who was still in the same suit he was wearing the night before, only he was wearing just the vest, shirt and pants.
Alice smiled and walked over to the stove to get the pot. She then brought out two teacups from the cabinet and poured them each a cup.
"How did you sleep?" Alice asked as he took a sip.
The tea was very delicious, some of the best he had ever had in fact.
"This tea is exquisite…" He sighed appraisingly
"Really? You like it?" Alice cried excitedly, it was after all her very own recipe.
"That would be an understatement my dear…" He grinned before taking another, larger sip.
"Hatter, do I still have my muchinesss?" Alice asked him something that had been bothering her a lot since Absolem had visited.
"Well. It's hard to tell at the moment, but from what I can, I don't think you've lost one bit of it, Alice." The Hatter smiled, then finished off his cup.
Alice felt a large sense of relief fall over her. "Would you like some more?" She asked, lancing down at his empty teacup.
"Oh yes please!" He cried
"Alice why on earth are you up…"Her Mother started to ask as she walked in to the kitchen only to find the two of them together this early in the morning.
"I'm making tea mother, would you like some?" Alice asked innocently
"It amazing. Really I doubt I have ever tasted tea this good!" Tarrant praised.
"Well coming from you, Tarrant, that means a lot." Alice blushed, making sure to use the proper name this time.
"Why?" Her mother asked suspiciously, crossing her arms in front of her self, now fully away that she was still wearing her nightclothes.
"Why because Tarrant is such an expert of tea! He has tried all different kinds, haven't you?" Alice said warmly, walking up behind his chair, placing her arms on it.
The hatter just turned and smiled up at her, liking the new closeness that they seemed to have acquired.
"Really Mr. Hightopp, you make hats, you a tea expert, is there anything you don' do?" Her Mother asked incredulously
"I can't play an instrument." He replied, taking the question literally, "Though my father did play the bagpipe many years ago. Maybe I would be able to…." Tarrant voiced stopped, emotionally, thinking of his family that had all die when the Red queen was on the throne.
Alice noticed his reaction, and rested her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
Tarrant in turn rested his hand over hers, not wanting her to leave.
Helen Kingsley witnessed all of this and it made her wonder if maybe there was some sort of an understanding between them. She knew Alice probably wouldn't want to tell her even if there was one, because she would never approve of the match. So she could think up of no other way but to ask.
"Is there something going on between you two?" She asked very seriously, causing the Hatter to spit out his tea.
"Mother!" Alice cried, shocked
"Well I have to ask! I know you would never tell me if there was!" Her mother defended.
"I…" The Hatter attempted to interject.
"No, mother, he's just a good friend. Why can't you understand that?" Alice asked heatedly, wondering why her mother couldn't just leave her alone.
"Well I saw the way you two were looking at each other just now and I couldn't help but wonder!"
"We…." The hatter tried again, unsuccessfully.
"Well you thought wrong, as usual…" Alice added stubbornly.
The hatter glanced over at Alice, sitting in a chair near him. So she didn't feel anything for him then…. Maybe he really was mad for thinking that she could have felt the same kinds of feelings that he had.
"Fine. Then since you are not a couple, you, Alice, will have to continue to see suitors today."
Alice glanced over at the Hatter, who wore a sad look on his face, staring down at the table. He reused to meet her eyes.
"Mother, please, not today…" She said still looking at the hatter, wondering why he was so glum all of the sudden. She wanted to help him I some way, but how?
"Alice!" Her Mother lectured.
"I said not today mother!" She looked from her mother to the Hatter with meaningful look. She needed to help him. "Please…"
"Fine you can have today off, but remember the ball tonight. I will choose which of the suitors to invite, and you have to dance with them all, is that understood?" Helen said forcefully.
"Yes mother. That's fine…" That was all Alice said before she offered her hand to the Hatter and they walked off in the way of her gardens.