The Hightopps and Kingsleighs sat at a large rectangular table. They ate scones and biscuits and drank tea. Laughs erupted here and there and eventually, even Mrs. Kingsleigh was having a good time. She and Tarrant's parents chatted for the longest time then Alice spoke up about her adventures out at sea and Helen joined her. The Hightopps made her forget a bit about upperland. 'Maybe this place is real' Helen thought as she sipped the last drop of her tea. 'But how exactly did I get here and why' was the question that lingered in her mind. Helen looked at Alice, who was in a deep conversation with Tarrant and his relatives and thought 'Maybe her madness has rubbed off on me and I'm hallucinating.' She really couldn't get her head around any of this yet she was enjoying herself with these wonderful people.
"...and we escaped them and now here I am still in one piece," Alice finished telling her story of that one time when she and her crew escaped the pirates and made it out alive. Tarrant's cousins seemed very intrigued by this girl's stories. "Tell us more please," Paloo begged. "Darling, it's getting late," Tyva said before Alice could go on, "we best be getting to bed now, we don't want to be late for the queen's wedding. Alice and Helen must be tired too." She looked at them and smiled. "Tarrant, please show these ladies to their room," she ordered her son. "Right this way," he nodded his head towards the stairs and Helen and Alice followed him up to the third floor. "Your room," he opened the first door on the right and let them in. The room was enormous and the walls were a light blue color. There was a large elegant bed in the center. "Do you, by any chance, have nightgowns?" Alice asked. "In there," Tarrant said, pointing to a small drawer hidden in the far right corner. "If you need anything else, I'll be downstairs. Goodnight." he said, smiling at them. "Thank you, Hatter," Alice called out to him as he left the room.
Downstairs, the Hightopps were cleaning up the table and washing the dishes. "Alice is a lovely girl, son," Zanik told his son while he was helping Tyva to dry the plates. Tarrant popped the last of a scone he was eating into his mouth. He smiled at his father while Tyva agreed with Zanik. "You should marry her," Zanik smirked. Tarrant choked on his scone and rushed to get some tea to wash it down. Mr. Hightopp laughed at how a blush creeped onto his son's pale face. Hatter turned to his parents and just simply said, "She's my friend." Zanik then whispered, "You're not getting any younger, boy," and he patted his back.
Four hours passed and now it was one in the morning. Alice was wide awake while Helen was turned away from her in a deep sleep. She could hear light snores coming from her mother. Alice quietly got up from the bed, careful not to wake Mrs. Kingsleigh, and headed towards the door. She shut it silently behind her and began to walk down the stairs. She walked only with her tip toes being careful of not to disturb Tarrant's family. She made it down to the first floor and being as curious as she was, Alice wandered around until she stumbled upon one of the most beautiful pianos she had ever seen. Her finger mindlessly went to one of the keys and pressed down on it. It made the softest noise she had ever heard from a piano. She sat down before it and started to play it in a delicate manner. It was loud enough as to only be heard from the first floor and quiet enough as to not wake anybody up and she absolutely loved it. "You can play?" Alice heard someone say directly behind her and she whipped around to see who it was. "Hatter, you startled me," she whispered to him. "Pardon," he had an apologetic look on his face. Tarrant sat down beside her. "Couldn't sleep, could you," he said in a low voice. She nodded, "Hardly." He faced her and said, "Me neither." He glanced down at her hands still on the piano keys and continued, "I didn't know you played." Alice smiled down at the instrument and softly stated, "My father taught me to play," she paused, "In fact, it's the only instrument I can play." She commenced to press down on the keys again, ever so lightly, creating a delicate melody. Tarrant joined her. Together, they produced a pleasant song. They smiled at each other as they finished it. "Not bad," Alice quietly commented. "It's Hightopp tradition to learn to play an instrument," he said. "You should be going to bed now. Tomorrow's a big day and my parents and I have a surprise for you and your mother." Alice rose from her seat and said, "Right. Well, goodnight Hatter." Tarrant smiled back at her in response. She hurried up the stairs and thought 'I wonder what this surprise is.'