Her father, the only person who would have believed her stories of Underland, was gone. And despite everything she had accomplished in this world, including her voyages at sea and her captain’s title, her mother still only saw her as someone in need of a husband. Her sister, on a mission to spread Christianity in Africa, agreed, no doubt.
Pulling back the curtain from a window, Alice stared out over the rooftops of London. Why was it so hard for her family to accept her? Couldn’t they see she was meant for grand adventures? Well, if they needed more proof, Alice would give it to them…starting with her meeting with Hamish. Once she had the company’s support for her new trade partnerships and she could establish herself and her mother in style, her family would have to acknowledge she’d chosen wisely. It would just take a little more time.
THE ASCOT mansion perched atop a hill at the end of a long driveway. Dozens of lanterns shone in the twilight, turning the estate into a twinkling beacon. But as the hansom cab carried the Kingsleighs up the drive, Alice’s eyes were drawn instead to the rambling woods lining the road. Leaning forward in excitement, she recognized the gnarled tree that marked the entrance to Underland.
“Look, Mother! The rabbit hole!” Alice said.
“Please don’t start that, dear.” Helen Kingsleigh’s hand floated up to her forehead, as though she had a headache.
Alice sat back quietly. She knew it was hard for her mother to believe in impossible things. There was no point in pushing the issue.
The carriage pulled to a stop, and a footman rushed forward to open the door and help the ladies out. While Alice paid the driver, the footman took her mother’s coat. Picking at the worn lace of her blue dress, Helen wished she’d had something nicer in her wardrobe. Her grimace deepened when she saw the footman’s reaction to Alice’s outfit.
“I do wish you’d worn that yellow dress,” Helen muttered to her daughter as they approached the mansion.
Alice grinned, running her hands down the traditional Chinese silk costume she’d chosen for the occasion. The collar was cut to imitate the petals of a flower, in panels of pink, yellow, and red, and beautifully embroidered butterflies circled the purple jacket. Hanging straight down from her waist, a pleated skirt of green and yellow fabric swung cheerfully against her legs. She knew nobody in London would combine those colors, let alone wear that style, but she adored it.
“If it’s good enough for the Dowager Empress of China, it’s good enough for the Ascots,” Alice said.
“Alice, must you be so headstrong?” Shaking her head, Helen sighed as they swept inside the mansion, servants slamming the grand oak doors behind them. Unbeknownst to the servants, they’d closed the doors in the face of the blue butterfly, who fluttered crossly.
Inside, Alice strode toward the grand hall, her mother lagging self-consciously behind her. They paused in the entryway.
Dressed in their finest, London’s elite flittered about on the gleaming floor. A parade of colors from gold to dark blue bustled past as the ladies sauntered by, their hair pinned up and the skirts of their dresses trailing behind them. The men wore tuxedos and white gloves; their backs couldn’t have been straighter if each had had a board tied to his spine.
Alice’s lips twitched as a flock of peacocks and toddling penguins came to mind.
“Miss Kingsleigh?” someone called. Turning, Alice saw James Harcourt, the clerk, approaching. “What are you—”
“I’ve come to give my report to Lord Ascot, Mr. Harcourt,” Alice said.
James swallowed his words, impressed once again by Alice’s cool composure. He nodded and gestured for them to follow him.
They wove through the crowd, and a ripple of whispers followed in their wake as guests raised their eyebrows and muttered about Alice’s costume. Helen wrung her hands in embarrassment, but Alice couldn’t have cared less.
Under a shimmering chandelier, they found Lady Ascot, Hamish, and his wife, all smiling benevolently at their audience. Hamish’s chest was puffed out in self-importance. At his side, his prim and proper wife, Alexandra, balanced their son in her arms.
That night they were celebrating Hamish’s success. Now that he was a lord, nobody could laugh at him ever again. Nobody would dare spurn him the way Alice Kingsleigh once had.
His piggish eyes landed on Helen Kingsleigh and the oddly dressed woman with her. That tiresome clerk, Harcourt, was leading them toward him. Blinking in shock, Hamish realized that the figure in the garish tunic was none other than Alice herself.
Lady Ascot noticed the two interlopers as well. She could not imagine why they had come uninvited, but she knew it must be Alice’s influence. Still, she was too much of a lady to turn them away
“Helen! What a surprise!” Lady Ascot pronounced, her eyebrows raised ever so slightly to register her disapproval of their breach in etiquette. She reached forward with her scarlet-gloved hand—dyed to match her dress perfectly—and clasped Helen’s arm before turning to her daughter. “And is that Alice? My, the sea and salt air have done wonders for you. When you left, you were so pale and peaked.”
“Thank you,” Alice said. Only Lady Ascot could find a way to combine an insult with a compliment.
“And, Helen, dear.” Lady Ascot turned and noted the weathered velvet of the other woman’s gown. “You look…well.” She smiled politely.
Finally having collected himself, Hamish cleared his throat. “Alice! Welcome home. Only a year late.” He rocked on his feet. “We were afraid you may never come back with our ship!”
“My ship,” Alice said, correcting him. “Hello, Hamish.”
Next to them, Alexandra sniffed loudly. “It is proper to refer to my husband as Lord Ascot. It is why we are having this little soiree, after all,” she said, her words clipped.
The baby chose that moment to squirm in her arms. Alexandra quickly held him out to the waiting nanny, who swept him off before he could dirty his mother’s gown.
“Miss Kingsleigh,” Hamish said formally. “This is my wife, the new Lady Ascot.”
Alice and Alexandra eyed each other. Alexandra’s lips seemed to be permanently pinched together as though she had tasted something bitter.
“So. Hamish tells me you’ve traveled the world these last three years,” Alexandra drawled.
“Yes, I have just returned,” Alice replied.
“Well, then! How was it?” Alexandra said.
“The world?” Alice asked.
“Yes!” Alexandra said brightly.
Alice paused to consider. Alexandra struck her as someone satisfied with an altogether ordinary life, yet Alice couldn’t help teasing her. “Highly enjoyable. You should visit it sometime.”
Behind her, James covered his mouth to muffle his laugh as Alexandra’s face registered her astonishment.
“I’ve come to give my report, Lord Ascot,” Alice continued smoothly.
“Ah, of course,” Hamish said. “If you would follow me, Miss Kingsleigh.” After nodding to his mother and wife, he guided Alice down a hall.
As she followed him, Alice could feel the waves of disapproval from Alexandra, as though it were terribly undignified for a woman to meddle in business affairs. Yes, she’s just the sort of proper society lady Hamish should have as a wife, Alice thought. Far better her than I.
Hamish led Alice to the mansion’s smoking room, which was covered in red wallpaper. Portraits of Hamish’s ancestors frowned down from their spots on the walls, as if they could smell the smoke puffed up from the pipes of the men gathered below.
The entire room of white-haired gentlemen turned to regard the newcomers. They greeted Hamish with a nod, but they stared blankly at Alice.
“Gentlemen,” Hamish said, addressing the room. “Might I introduce Miss Alice Kingsleigh. Miss Kingsleigh—the board.”
Despite Alice’s polite smile, none of the men’s expressions changed. Of course, she hadn’t expected it would be easy to win them over. Undaunted, she plunged forward with her planned speech. “Gentlemen,
we must move quickly! The profits of my voyage—”
“Scarcely outweigh the costs,” Hamish interjected.
Alice glanced at him. “Further expeditions to Ta-Kiang or Wuchang—” she began.
“There will be no ‘further expeditions,’” Hamish interrupted once more.
“What?” Alice was flabbergasted. What could he mean? Surely the company was not going to abandon the trade liaisons she had fostered.
“The risks are not worth the reward,” Hamish proclaimed. He shot the board members a quick glance to see if they were admiring his commanding presence.
Her brows creased in confusion, Alice shook her head. The cargo she had brought back was of the finest quality, and there were still many ports to explore. If he would just give her a chance to explain…“But you have only to go and see. There are risks, indeed, but the possibilities are limitless.”
Hamish waved her words off. “An extra year at sea, Alice. There were hard decisions in your absence. From everyone.” As though he were posing for a painting, he clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his head slightly.
Alice stared at him, finally realizing just how deadly serious he was. Nothing she could say would sway him; he had made up his mind. “But…what am I to do?”
“There’s a position in our clerking office,” Hamish offered. His mouth twitched smugly, and Alice realized how much he was enjoying the situation. “You’ll start in files, but, in time—”
Alice felt her face burning, anger rising inside her. “This isn’t about China at all, is it? It’s because three years ago I turned you down when you asked me to marry you!” She couldn’t believe Hamish would be so stupid, so pigheaded!
“I’m sorry, Miss Kingsleigh,” Hamish said, sounding completely unremorseful. A flush crept up his neck at the mention of her refusal. “But that is all we can do for you. No other company is in the business of hiring female clerks, let alone ship’s captains!”
Several of the board members chuckled, while others harrumphed at the thought. Only James, who had slipped into the room behind Alice, stood by quietly, wishing there were something he could do.
Alice ignored the laughter and pounded her hand on a nearby cigar table. Whatever it took, she would make herself heard. “I have voting rights and ten percent of the company! Your father set those shares aside for me—”
“Correction,” Hamish proclaimed. “He gave them to your mother, who sold them to me last year, while you were gone. Along with the bond on the house.”
Alice’s anger seeped out like air from a deflating balloon. “Her…house?”
“Secured by your father against the ship he bought,” Hamish confirmed.
“The Wonder?” Alice’s words came out strangled.
“Yes. Sign it over and you’ll redeem the house, receive a salary and a pension.” His tone might have been bored, but his eyes were fixed intently on her.
“Give up the Wonder?” Alice was aghast.
“Otherwise we cannot help you,” Hamish said, tapping a slip of paper that had been laid out on a table.
With a new rush of rage, Alice realized it must be a prepared contract for the Wonder. Helen Kingsleigh cautiously entered the room at that moment and glanced around.
“Or your mother.” Hamish’s words sent a chill through Alice. She spotted Helen’s thin shoulders from the corner of her eye, but she spun away, needing time to think.
Shoving open the door, Alice stalked out of the room. Helen raced after her, but Alice didn’t stop until Helen reached out and grabbed hold of her sleeve.
Alice turned on her, unable to contain her aggravation. Now they had no say in the company, no control in their fate. “How could you sell our shares?”
“I had no choice, Alice! With your sister on her mission and you at sea for an extra year…What was I to do?” Helen’s voice climbed higher and people started to turn toward them.
Taking a deep breath, Helen pulled Alice into a hallway, firmly shutting the door behind them for privacy. Artwork lined the walls, interrupted only by a row of windows. Alice tugged away from her mother and stared through the glass at the garden below, where moonlight cast long shadows.
“I did it for you, Alice!” her mother said fervently. “So you can make a decent start in life. So that you won’t be alone.”
Alice faced her mother. “Ten minutes ago I was a sea captain.” Her voice was tinged with bitterness. Her next voyage abroad could have secured them both a comfortable living.
“A sea captain is no job for a lady!” Helen countered.
“Good!” Alice exclaimed. “All the better! On the ocean I am free, as father was. Or would you rather have me be a clerk?”
“I’m talking about marriage, Alice,” Helen said impatiently. “Time is against you, and you are being careless with it!”
Not this again, Alice thought. Her mother did not understand that Alice’s thirst for adventure meant she could never be content to sit quietly, tending a home for a husband, as was expected. Moments like these were when Alice felt her father’s absence all the more keenly. He would have understood how she felt. He would have cheered her on as she took a different path.
“I once believed I could do six impossible things before breakfast,” Alice said softly, remembering how her father’s face used to light up as he regaled her with fanciful stories of his trips to the moon. Without realizing it, Alice rubbed the spot on her arm where the Bandersnatch’s claws had left scars, a permanent reminder of a place where anything might happen.
“That is a child’s dream, Alice,” her mother said. “The only way for women like us to have a good life is to marry well.”
Alice rolled her eyes, her anger returning. Why was her mother so closed-minded? The world was changing. You didn’t have to believe in magic to envision new possibilities.
“I’m only trying to help you,” her mother said softly.
“Well, don’t,” Alice snapped. “Because the last thing I want in life is to end up like you.”
Alice spun on her heel and stalked off, her words hanging in the air behind her. She didn’t turn back, so she didn’t see her mother lift her hand to her mouth, tears filling her eyes.
A RUSTLING OF LEAVES AND the sweet scent of flowers welcomed Alice as she entered the Ascot greenhouse. Pushing past tropical palm fronds, she wandered to a white metal bench. Through the glass roof, the moon and stars shone down on her. Almost like being back at sea, Alice thought as she gazed skyward.
Of course, Alice might never sail again. She sighed as she sat down, then pulled out her father’s pocket watch.
“Sign over the Wonder to become a clerk…and just give up on the impossible?” she said to herself. She shook her head fiercely. The thought was unbearable. If only Lord Ascot were still alive! With Hamish in charge, Alice might have to give up on her dream and her father’s legacy.
A flicker of movement caught her eye as a blue butterfly landed on a nearby orchid. As she turned to gaze at it, it lifted off and flew closer, brushing past her nose and circling her head before landing on the arm of the bench, a hairsbreadth away from her hand. Shimmering in the moonlight, the butterfly’s wings flapped open and closed several times, as if it was trying to send her a message.
What a curious creature, Alice thought. She’d never seen a butterfly behave this way. Its gorgeous, bright blue hue reminded her of Absolem’s coloring. In fact, the last time she’d spoken to him, back in Underland, he’d been building a chrysalis, so it was possible this was him. It definitely wasn’t impossible, anyway.
“Absolem?” she asked tentatively.
With a flutter, the insect launched into the air and hovered in front of her face, as if in confirmation, before swooping toward the greenhouse exit. Alice got to her feet and followed it. If it was Absolem, perhaps he was trying to lead her back to Underland. But instead of heading for the woods and the rabbit hole, the butterfly flew steadily toward the mansion.
Alice felt a burst of disappointm
ent. She would so have enjoyed a trip to Underland, where nobody would think twice about a female captain. Her friends there would roar in sympathy to hear someone was trying to take her ship away.
The butterfly paused in midair and turned to her. It wove through the air, first toward her and then back toward the house, rather insistently. Hmm. An irritable butterfly. Yes, that seems like Absolem. Well, even if he’s not leading me to Underland, I’ve nothing better to do, Alice thought with a shrug.
Wading across the grass, Alice let the butterfly lead her up to the mansion’s wide stone steps and back through the open patio doors. Now she was almost positive it was Absolem and that he needed her to follow him. Why else would a butterfly brave the noise and lights of a party? Swooping upward, the butterfly was able to float above the musicians and couples on the dance floor. Alice, however, had to dodge around the dancers to keep it in sight. A gentleman harrumphed as she bumped into him, and she paused to apologize.
By the time she turned back, the butterfly was gone. Absolem, I can’t follow you if you don’t slow down! Scanning the room carefully, she noticed a bright spot of blue on the chandelier above the dining room table. Alice hurried over and, heedless of propriety, climbed up onto first a chair and then the table itself. What could Absolem want? It must be important for him to have left Underland. She stepped over the silverware, which was fanned out on the runner, and edged past arranged plates of fruit, cupcakes, and petit fours and the rose centerpieces lining the table.
She had almost reached the crystal chandelier when her mother rushed over.
“Alice! Get down from there,” Helen ordered in a hushed voice. But it was too late. Already the other guests were falling silent, dumbfounded at the sight of Alice trooping through the desserts.
Perhaps startled by Helen’s movement, the butterfly fluttered farther down the table toward the only person who hadn’t noticed Alice.
Hamish was busy holding court with the board at the far end of the table. While he didn’t see Alice, the butterfly’s bright blue wings caught his eye.
Alice in Wonderland- Through the Looking Glass Page 2
