Return To Wonderland

Chapter 2: Engagement Party

The carriage ride was shorter than expected and finally stopped in front the Wickett Manor. The footman opened the door of the carriage and held it for the 3 ladies as they stepped out of the carriage. 

"I wish you would have worn the other dress and did you have to wear that coat?" Helen sighed at her youngest daughter but Alice just held her head up in pride and smiled slightly.

"I like this dress and if this coat is good enough for the Dowager Empress of China then it's good enough for the Wicketts" Alice looked at the coat she was wearing, it was purple with colorful and gold fabric and had long sleeves that went up to her wrists. 

Alice, Helen and Margaret entered the manor as the big doors opened up for them. Inside people were talking and they all wore plain clothes, there wasn't any color. Some people danced and Alice recognized that dance. 

"Quadrille.." Alice muttered and sighed. She never liked that dance, it was boring and wished she could see Hatter do the Futterwacken instead. 

"At last, you've arrived" A lady walked toward them with a cold, stern look on her face which could rival Lady Ascot's face. 

"Hello Lady Wickett, thank you for inviting us" Helen curtsied but Lady Wickett's eyes focused on Alice with distaste. 

"So this is Alice, she's lovely but-" Lady Wickett was cut off by another young woman that whispered in her ear then walked away. 

"Alice, my son Victor is waiting to dance with you. Go." The way she said it sent shivers down Alice's spine and to her, those words sounded way too familiar.

Once Alice walked away to the dance floor, Lady Wickett turned to Helen and Margaret.

"Everything is set. Alice will marry my son unless she wants to be sent to prison." Lady Wickett said with no expression on her face but Helen and Margaret had worried looks on their faces.

"Lady Wickett, please be reasonable. I'm not sure forcing Alice to marry will help and prison is no place for a lady." Margaret said, trying to help her little sister. 

"It is by law that once both families have agreed to the betrothal, the people who are arranged to be married must marry. If one of them refuses, that person  will be sent to prison. Your mother has already agreed so the proposal is set." Lady Wickett glared at both of them coldly and walked away to a group of women making small talk. 

Alice danced the Quadrille with the Wickett's son, Victor who had dark black hair and dark brown eyes. She was bored and was reminded of the time she had to dance with Hamish. She remembered when she turned down his proposal and tried to dance her own Futterwacken, that made her laugh slightly.

"What's so funny?" Victor asked a little rudely but he still kept dancing.

"I had a vision of all the ladies in trousers and the men wearing dresses" Alice lied but wanted to see what his answer would be to that. 

"That's ridiculous. Women shouldn't think such things, just please remain silent." Victor said even more rudely which made Alice frown.

She saw a dragonfly fly in the sky which reminded her of a rocking horse fly she saw when she was little and first found Wonderland. She seemed to be distracted by it when she bumped into another dancing couple.

"So sorry, Miss Kingsleigh's head is in the clouds," Victor said to the couple then grabbed Alice's arm (quite tightly) and pulled her to the corner of the dance floor then whispered, "Pay attention, you'll make me look bad if you can't dance properly." 

"I was wondering what it would be like to fly" Alice said, frustrated and a little angry at Victor for thinking image was more important. 

"What nonsense! Why would you think of such an impossible and silly thing?" Victor snorted in a very not gentleman like way.

"It's not silly, my father believed in impossible things and he was a great man." Alice replied, getting more frustrated, thinking about walking away. This man who she was dancing with was very rude and seemed to think he was better than everyone else, he was the opposite of Hatter. Her Hatter was a true gentleman and very kind, he loved his friends and was never selfish. 

"He must have been completely mad, it's a shame you got that weird trait" Now Alice was really angry. He just insulted her father, it was one thing to insult her but another thing to insult her father. 

"He was a great man! I'm actually glad I got his mad trait because he used to tell me all the best people are mad!" Alice yelled then started to run away. leaving Victor to stand alone and she went to a corner of the party where there was a tree and a bench so she sat there for a while.

"We have a secret to tell you!" Alice looked up to see that the Chattaway sisters had found her.

"Why would you tell me if it's a secret?" Alice realized this conversation was starting to get way to familiar, it reminded her of..it couldn't be.

"If we tell her she might not be surprised, will you be surprised?" The other Chattaway sister asked, there was excitement in her tone.

"She won't be surprised if we tell her this is her engagement party and Victor will ask for hand!" The other Chattaway sister said then quickly covered her mouth, Alice's jaw dropped with shock.

"Girls, I told you to stay quiet, this was supposed to be a secret!" Helen came over to them then took Alice by the hand and both of them walked  the other way.

"Why didn't you tell me?! Don't I have a say in my own life?! And I have to marry that awful man?!" Alice yelled, angrier than ever before.

"I'm doing what's best for you Alice! So you won't become a spinster like your Aunt Imogene!" Helen yelled back but tried to keep a straight face. 

"But I don't love him! He's rude and he's probably worse than Hamish if that's even possible!" Alice kept yelling. Her mother promised her that she wouldn't push another suitor in her face but this was worse. Another engagement party that she didn't know about. 

"You will marry Victor Wickett unless you want to be sent to jail. I already agreed to the betrothal because I don't want to see you die in prison, it's no place for a lady!" Helen tried to reason with her daughter but Alice was even more stubborn.

"I'd rather be sent to jail than marry that rude, selfish man!" Alice stormed away but turned back to her mother, "If I ever get married, I want it to be for love, not advantage or for money." 

Alice ran as fast as she could into the woods, trying to get away from the party before anybody found her and forced her to go back. She didn't know which way she was going but she didn't care as long as she didn't go back to that dreaded party. Finally she reached some familiar looking rose bushes and wandered around till she found the same gazebo where she was proposed to (which she rejected) and then ran in the same direction where the rabbit hole was. 

"I'm going home" Alice said to herself with a smile and finally reached the tree. She was so relieved when she found the rabbit hole was there. Without hesitation, she leaned closer and closer into the hole then started falling. DOWN.