Chapter 7- Another party, a confession…

"Look what I found…" Lowell said, to Mrs. Kingsley once she opened the door.

"Alice! What on earth were you doing?" Her Mother asked, surprised at her appearance.

"Having a tea party mother," Alice looked at the hatter with a smile, "and having a wonderful time!"

"Disgraceful…" Her mother said before grabbing her by the shoulders and leaning her inside to take a bath.

"Fairfarren Alice!" the Hatter shouted as the mother pushed her up the stairs.

Alice smiled over her shoulder at him before her mother forced her into her room.

This left Lowell and the Hatter alone together.

"So, tell me the truth man… Have you be…you know…" Lowell hinted crudely, confusing the Hatter, "you know…you and Alice… I know technically she's my sister, but you know, I can see that…"

The Hatter still gave him a confused look, not exactly sure what he was referring to.

"So, Tarrant, buddy…you won't mention what you saw earlier to Margaret or her mother will you? I don't want to mess things up, I'm sure you understand… Oh, and I promise I won't say anything about what I saw you two doing either…" Lowell winked at him.

"What?" Tarrant said, surprised that Lowell had seen them.

"I didn't see much, but from what I did see and hear, I think Mrs. Kingsley, wouldn't act too kindly to you once she finds out…. If she finds out that is…which she won't if you promise not to tell on me and make sure that they don't find out. A secret for a secret, if you get my drift," Lowell held out his hand, "So what do you say?"

The Hatter glanced down at Lowell's hand. What choice did he have? Lowell had made it so that he didn't have any choice but to agree.

"Alright." The Hatter said, still staring at Lowell's hand in confusion.

"Great!" Lowell took his hand away, and disappeared down the hall. The whole deal left a guilty feeling in Tarrant's stomach that wouldn't go away.

"Come on sir, let's get you clean up." The same butler that had tried to smooth out his hair appeared behind the hatter, ushering him towards his room.

Then, walking pass Alice's door, Tarrant caught some of Alice's conversation with her sister.

"I saw him Margaret…. I'm so sorry…"

He then heard sobs escaping from Alice's room as the butler pushed him into his room and shut the door.

Later that day, once Alice and Tarrant were cleaned up, they decided to join the other's downstairs.

When walking down the stairs however, Tarrant almost tripped over something.

"Why, Hello there…" Chessur said from the step, looking up at them.

"Chessur! What are you doing here?" Alice said, startled, looking around frantically, to make sure no one in the next room could see him.

"Oh, just checking in…" He said s he fly up in a circle, so that he was level with their faces. "How's it going, Tarrant?" Chessur spoke to the Hatter, his eyes darting over towards Alice.

"What's going?" Alice asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"We are…" The Hatter grabbed her arm, and tugged her down the stairs.

"Goodbye then, Hatter…. I think the White Queen will be very pleased with your…. Progress…" Chessur lifted his eyes when he said the last part, before disappearing into thin air.

"Hatter, what was that all about?" Alice asked him, as he continued to pull her in the direction of the sitting room. Lowell, Margaret, and Mrs. Kingsley all stood up when they noticed the new arrivals.

"Will you tell me later then?" Alice whispered to the Hatter.

"Perhaps…."

"Tarrant! Alice! Nice to see you both without a sugary coating!" Margaret teased, trying to keep the mood in the room light.

Alice moved towards her sister and the Hatter heard Alice whisper, "Do it now…. He will have to admit to it… We are all here supporting you…"

Alice then sat down on the couch and Tarrant moved to sit there as well. Margaret stood from her chair.

"I have something to say…" Margaret said, glancing at all of them before stopping on Lowell.

"I know you have been having affairs…." Margaret spoke painfully.

Lowell glanced angrily towards a frightened Tarrant, who knew what the Lowell placed all responsibility on him.

"Oh my goodness…" Mrs. Kingsley yelped, scandalized.

"Margaret, sweetie…" Lowell cooed, moving towards her.

"I saw you Lowell! Tarrant and I did. Stop lying!" Alice stood up, infuriated by the man's behavior.

"And why don't you tell mother what you two were doing when you saw me…" Lowell said dangerously.

"We already told her. Having a tea party." Alice said, noticing when the Hatter's eyes drooped to the floor.

"Fine. If that's what you want to call it…"Lowell said slyly, sitting back down in his chair, examining his nail.

Alice's mother glared at her daughter and Tarrant.

"Mr. Hightopp, you will leave this house this instant!" Her mother spat, making Lowell smirk.

"But mother…" Alice protested

"I will deal with you later," That was all Mrs. Kingsley said before making the Hatter back out of the room with her gaze.

When he didn't leave all the way, and his eyes darted frantically to Alice, Mrs. Kingsley shouted at him, "Go!"

And with that, the Hatter ran out of the house, not sure of his destination.

Alice paced back and forth in her room that night, worrying about the Hatter and where he could have possibility gone off.

She then heard something tapping on her window. Pulling back the lace curtains, she saw the Hatter perched up on a tree outside.

"Hatter! What are you doing there? You're going to hurt yourself!" Alice panicked, motioning for him to come inside.

Stepping inside, Tarrant noticed the light blue walls and the white bed that looked almost identical to the one in his old room.

"Hatter, I'm so sorry about everything. My mother has behaved awfully…. I didn't realize Lowell saw us…" Alice rambled on.

"Well I guess, at least now I get to see your room!" the Hatter joked.

Alice laughed a little, following Tarrant as he looked around her room.

"Very Alicey…" He finally remarked.

"Is that a good thing?" Alice asked, plopping down on the bed.

"Oh course it is!" He said enthusiastically.

"Hatter, what are you going to do now?""

"I'm not sure, my dear. I guess find a place in the gardens to find out…."

"Wait, you mean you still going to stay?" Alice asked surprised, "After all that happened…"

"Yes… Unless you don't want me too…" Hatter sat down next to her, resting his hand on top her on the blanket.

"Don't be silly…" Alice said, leaning forward, planting a kissed soundly on his mouth.

"I'll take that as a yes then…" the Hatter smirked, getting up.

"Don't go…not yet…" Alice grabbed his arm as he stood up, pulling him back towards her. "It's cool outside."

The Hatter smiled at her, taking off his hat and setting it on a nearby table before sitting back down on the bed.

"So, tell me something about yourself, and I'll tell you something…" She took Tarrant's hand in her own, drawing little nothings on his palm.

"Well…I like parties and games…." He said, not being able to come up with anything else.

"I hate peas…" Alice said bluntly, causing the Hatter to giggle.

"I enjoy staring at the stars, and making up my own names for them…"

"I've never gone fishing…." Alice stated.

"What is fishing?"

"Then apparently you never have either…" Alice laughed. "I have traveled to Asia and I learned Chinese…"

"Really? Now do you say interesting in Chinese?" the Hatter asked, intrigued.

"I'll get back to you on that…"

The Hatter laughed at this and then continued saying things about himself, wrapping one arm around her.

"I love playing pretend!"

"Me too!" Alice said excited, "I used to pretend almost everything…"

"I hate peas…" He said proudly.

"Hey! You stole mine!" Alice protested, hitting him lightly on the chest.

"No one said that wasn't allowed. Maybe we are just too much alike…." He said happily.

"I guess so…" Alice eyes flickered to his mouth, and then the hatter kissed her passionately.

"Perfect match…" He said against her lips, before claiming her lips once more and standing up.

"You're leaving?" Alice said, disappointed.

"I'm afraid so, dearest. For if I don't leave now, I doubt I ever will…" And with that he was out the window once more, shutting it behind him.

He gave her one more smile through the glass, and then disappeared into the darkness.

The next morning, a visitor arrived at Kingsley Manor.

"Good Afternoon, Mrs. Kingsley. I'm not sure if you remember me, but my name is Calvin Barker. I had the pleasure of dancing with your daughter last night, and I thought I'd make a call."

Calvin was a tall, broad shouldered man with golden blonde locks and an everlasting smirk on his face.

"Oh! Yes! Mr. Barker! How kind of you to call!" Mrs. Kingsley said enthusiastically, leading the guest into the drawing room. "Alice!" She called.

"What is it mother?" Alice said annoyed, stomping down the steps.

"Mr. Barker is here to see you!"

"Oh, please," He said with a bow, "Call me Cal."

Alice gave the visitor a shifty look, recognizing him from the night before.

"Come, come, sit both of you." He mother motioned for them to both sit on the couch.

When Alice proceeded not to talk, her mother continued, asking the new suitor questions. "So, Mr. Barker…Ever traveled?"

"Oh, indeed ma'am. I love to travel. I'm away a lot of the time on business, so I'm almost constantly traveling."

"Did you hear that Alice?" Her mother continued her matchmaking, "Alice loves to travel as well. She took over her father's old company?"

"Really?" Cal said, excitedly, though Alice just nodded in response.

"Mother, don't we have to visit the Parsons today?" Alice said, trying to escape.

"Oh, yes indeed. You know what, I will go, you stay here and keep Mr. Barker company." And off Helen Kingsley went, leaving Alice alone with this stranger.

"So…Alice…did you enjoy the ball?"

"Yes…" Alice responded awkwardly…"You?"

"Oh, yes, quite…"

Not being able to stand the awkwardness any longer, Alice stood up, "Really, Mr. Barker…"

"Cal…" He insisted.

"Cal…" She said in distaste, "I really think I ought to be going."

"So soon?"

"Yes, well I'm afraid so…" Alice muttered, walking up the stairs as Cal followed her.

"Are you going to the Cunningham's party then?" He called after her, making her stop on the stairs.

"What party?"

"The one at the end of this week." He said clumsily, "The engagement party of their son Thomas to Miss Nicole Whitmore…"

"Oh…." Alice pretended to recall, "That party. I'm not sure… Goodbye Mr. Barker!" She shouted, jumping up the stairs.

"Goodbye, Alice…" He said softly after she left, placing his bowler hat back on top of his head and letting himself out of the house.

"Hatter…" Alice whispered, crouching down in the bushes, looking for where he could be hiding. It was dark out and she had brought him some food from dinner that evening, but she couldn't' seem to find to find his hide out.

She had looked at the swing first, but he had not been there, and now she was continuing on into a deeper part of the woods, surrounding the garden.

She also had with her a few things the hatter had left in his room, a spool of thread, a few scrapes of material, and a hand held mirror.

The sewing tools Alice had expected, but the mirror surprised her.

Looking at it again, she began to turn it around in her hands, wondering what the Hatter was doing with it. Then…

"Tarrant? Are you there?" the White queen appeared in the mirror, causing Alice to drop it.

"Hatter? Is something wrong? Have you convinced Alice to come back?"

Alice listened in shock at what the queen was saying. He was sent to bring her back?

"How pretending to be Alice's suitor going?"

Tarrant appeared through the bushes, coming to see the source of the noise, only to hear the last part of that the queen had said.

He then noticed Alice, crouched on the floor, staring up at him, her eyes showing a mix of emotions, hate, betrayal, sadness, and disbelief.

Without waiting for the Hatter to explain, Alice just ran in the opposite direction of him.

"Alice!!!! Wait!!! Please!!" He called after her, running after her through the mass of bushes. The Hatter soon caught up to her, and almost tackled her to keep her from running away again.

"Alice let me explain!!" said next to her ear, the Hatter hugging her tightly

"Let go!!" She shouted angrily. The Hatter did what she asked, with a sad expression on his face. She was angry with him; he didn't want her to be afraid of him as well.

"Please, Alice…" the Hatter pleaded, making her stop in her tracks, "Let me explain. The White Queen assigned me to come here and convince you to come back to Underland, to fulfill a prophecy. In order to see you, I was to pretend to be one of you suitors, but when your maid turned them all away, I had no choice but to tell the truth about being your friend. That's all. Everything else that has been said… done…has nothing to do with the White Queen's assignment." He said, desperately looking into her eyes.

He reached out his hands to her, hoping that she would come into them.

"Really?" Alice said hopefully, slowly stepping towards him.

"Everything…"

Alice rushed into his arms and hugged him dearly, as he kissed her cheek and face.

"I love you Alice…" He whispered into her ear, making her gasp in surprise.

"I love you too, Tarrant…" Alice cooed, looking into his eyes before cuddling her head into his chest. He then kissed the crown of her head softly and they stayed their in a comfortable embrace for what seemed like hours.