Curiouser and Curiouser

by Melanie Karsak

  Chapter 13: A Mad Tea Party

  “Alice! You’re late again,” Bess said the minute I opened the door. “And what are you wearing?”

  “Lord Dodgson gave it to me. He didn’t want me to go to the Great Exhibition looking like a servant. It’s just a loan.”

  “Oh! Did you go? You must tell me everything. First, go knock on Henry’s door. Tell him it’s time for supper.”

  I headed across the hallway and rapped lightly on the door.

  Henry opened the door a crack.

  “It’s time to eat,” I said flatly.

  “What are you wearing?”

  I frowned at him then turned to go back.

  “Alice, please come inside a minute.”

  I sighed then turned back. Today was turning out to be exhausting.

  Henry opened the door and led me inside. His flat was a jumble of ribbons, fabric, buttons, bows, and all manner of sewing paraphernalia. But that was nothing new. When he wasn’t busy getting himself in trouble, Henry was a prolific hatter, and his works were stunning. He closed the door behind me.

  “Pretty,” I said, picking up a hat that was decorated with peacock feathers.

  “I don’t know what to say. You haven’t told Bess anything?” The lines around his eyes wrinkled with worry.

  “No, because it appears you learned your lesson this time.”

  “Not about me, about you and Caterpillar.”

  “I’m just working a job.”

  “That I got you into. Alice, I’m so sor—”

  “Don’t be. He used you to drag me back into his world.”

  “Alice, you need to be careful.”

  I waved my hand dismissively. “I’m always careful.”

  “I’m talking about with Caterpillar.”

  I looked Henry in the eyes. He was like a brother to me. He was the first friend we made after we’d left Jabberwocky’s house. It had been love at first sight between him and Bess. But he didn’t know William. That was one problem. The other problem was that while he didn’t know William, he did know that I carried a broken heart and that William was the cause.

  I sat down. On the table in front of me was an enormous top hat upon which Henry had situated a teapot. I lifted it. It took some effort, but I was able to balance it on my head.

  “Who in their right mind orders a hat like this?” I said.

  Henry laughed. “You answered your own riddle. Who in their right mind? It’s for a tea party for a ladies’ group. They’ve ordered six of them.”

  I laughed out loud.

  “Alice…are you still in love with that man?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t know.”

  Henry shook his head. “The things I’ve heard about him…”

  “That’s the life, not the man. The man is one thing. Caterpillar is quite another.”

  “There is not one without the other.”

  “There is. But he has to choose. And he did. He chose that life.”

  “Then what are you doing back in the middle of it? For me? If it’s just for me, then—”

  “No. For him.”

  “Why?”

  “Because…” Because I don’t want anything to happen to him. Because I still have hope we can be together. Because…I still love him.

  Henry sighed, picked up another of the teapot hats and put it on, then sat down beside me. He patted my hand. “I know, Alice. I know.”

  “You know, you’re entirely right. This is all your fault,” I said with a joking smile. “Your mistake is forcing me to face my past, forcing me to finally examine my buried feelings. It’s all rather heart-wrenching. It’s almost enough to make me hate you.”

  Henry smiled softly. “Very sorry.”

  “Don’t gamble again,” I warned him. “Next you’ll have me dealing with my parents’ death. Don’t you know it’s easier to repress such feelings? Ignore them. Bury them. It’s the best way, don’t you know?”

  “I do. Why do you think I gamble?”

  I laughed, but then turned serious. I took Henry’s hand in mine. “Be done with it. Please. We’ll find another way.”

  He nodded. “I am.”

  “You said that last time.”

  “I know. But the only person I was hurting last time was me. Now, I see, there is more to my life than just me.”

  “So you promise?”

  “Yes.”

  “Has Bess seen these hats yet?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  I leaned over then and picked up a third hat. This one featured a stack of teacups at the top. “Let’s go,” I said, taking the extra hat with me.

  Laughing, Henry and I headed across the hallway. The moment we walked inside, Bess burst into laughter.

  It was the best sound I’d heard all day.

  Chapter 14: Clockwork Hearts

  I woke up the next morning to a knock on the door. I opened my eyes sleepily. Bess was already at the door.

  “Yes?” I heard her whisper.

  There was a muffled reply.

  Sleepily, I sat up.

  A boy stepped into the room and set a large crate down on the door. He tipped his hat to Bess, put an envelope in her hands, then left.

  “What is it?” I asked drowsily.

  “I don’t know,” Bess replied, pushing her curls away from her face. “It’s for you.”

  I rose and took the envelope from her hand. Inside were two tickets for the Great Exhibition and a note:

  Tickets for Bess and Henry. She should see the wonders for herself. Carriage will arrive at 9.

  I’m sorry I missed you yesterday. Meet me at eleven at the big house?

  W.

  I paused, unsure if I should lie or not, then handed the tickets to Bess.

  “What are these?” she asked.

  “Tickets for the Great Exhibition. For you and Henry.”

  Bess gasped.

  “A carriage will be here at nine to take you.”

  Without thinking, Bess turned and opened the door, rushing across the hall to Henry’s flat.

  Dinah wove through my feet then paused to investigate the box, sniffing it daintily.

  I bent down to take a look.

  There was a tab on the lid that read, pull me.

  Motioning for Dinah to move back, I pulled the tab. The lid clapped open then all four sides of the box fell away.

  Lying inside was the clockwork cat from the German exhibit.

  Dinah meowed at it.

  Reaching out, I turned the lever, activating the mechanical creature.

  Its wide aquamarine-colored eyes popped open and it rose. It looked around the room then turned and faced me. Once more, it gave me that wide toothy grin.

  I laughed.

  “Oh! Oh, my. What is that?” Bess exclaimed, her eyes full of wonder.

  She sat down on the floor to look at it more closely, Henry following into the flat behind her.

  “Our new cat, of course,” I replied, reaching out to stroke the back of its ear.

  When it started purring, Bess laughed out loud. The cat turned and smiled at her. “Just look at that smile,” Bess exclaimed.

  Dinah meowed questioningly at it.

  “Where did you get it?” Bess asked.

  I cast Henry a passing glance, but the expression on his face told me he’d already riddled it out.

  “An old friend.”

  “Which old friend?”

  “That is a conversation for another time.”

  “Alice,” Bess said, with a soft warning in her voice.

  “Later, Bess. I promise.”

  Bess rose and stood beside me. She pushed a stray hair behind my ear then smiled, patting me gently on the cheek. “Okay, Alice. When you’re ready. Now, what are we going to name this new creature of yours?”

  The cat turned to look at me. “Cheshire…we’ll call him Chess for short.”

  “Chess,” Bess said. “Well, what do you think, Dinah?”

  Our little calico, her y
ellow eyes wide, meowed once more then stepped toward the clockwork cat and rubbed her head under its chin.

  To our surprise, both cats started purring.

  We laughed.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Nearly eight,” Henry replied, pulling out his pocket watch.

  “The carriage to take you to the Great Exhibition will be here by nine. Can you go?” I asked Henry.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I just need to deliver the tea party hats first.”

  “Oh dear, Alice,” Bess exclaimed. “I’m so excited. You must thank your friend. But whatever am I going to wear?”

  “Take the red dress.”

  “The one Lord Dodgson lent you?”

  I nodded.

  “But what if I spill something on it? I can’t risk ruining it.”

  “It will be fine.”

  “But what if,” Bess said then paused. “What if I get one of my nose bleeds?”

  I wrapped my arm around my sister. “Take a handkerchief and don’t worry. Today is going to be a beautiful day, and you are going to see the wonders of the world.”

  At that, Chess meowed.

  Chapter 15: Fool Me Twice

  It felt strange to knock on the door of the house I’d considered my home most of my life. But there I was, just before eleven, standing in front of Jabberwocky’s big house wondering why I was outside and William was inside. But then, of course, I knew the answer. It was my fault, my choice. I’d put myself there.

  I knocked.

  A few moments later, Mister Sloan, Jabberwocky’s butler, opened the door. “Alice,” he said with a smile. “Come, my dear. William told us to expect you. He’s in the library.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s good to see you. Maggie said you were by the other morning. Sorry I missed you. How is Miss Bess?” He tried to hide his worry when he asked about my sister, but it was plain on his face all the same.

  “She’s doing very well,” I said.

  “Ever-pleasant girl, your sister,” he said with a nod. “Now, let me tell Maggie you’re here. She’s been cooking ever since William said you were coming.” The look on his face revealed something unexpected: hope.

  I smiled, nodded, and then went to the library. There, I found William looking over some papers. I wasn’t able to get a good look, but I’d sworn I’d seen the word Aphrodite.

  “And what do we have there?” I asked.

  He shook his head, folded up the paper, and set it aside. “Nothing,” he said then turned and opened a chest sitting on his desk. From inside he pulled out a glass bottle and set it on the table.

  “What’s that?”

  “Powder. We mix this with a spritz of water and it creates a powerful acid that can melt just about anything. Of course, if we breathe it in we’ll be dead in a matter of minutes. If we touch it, it will melt our hands off. So, suffice to say, handle with care,” he said then set the powder back in the box and closed the lid. “Did Bess receive the tickets?” he asked, turning his back to me as he fussed around with the contents on his desk. Was he shielding himself from my reaction?

  “Yes. Thank you. She was very excited. It was thoughtful of you to include a ticket for Henry as well. I’m sure he’ll be a much better companion to her with all his fingers intact.”

  “His debt is forgiven. I saw to it. He doesn’t have anything to fear.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  He turned and looked at me. “Why wouldn’t I? Did Bess know who sent the tickets?”

  “She suspected.”

  “And what did she say?”

  I remember Bess’s pitying glance. If anyone knew my true heart well, it was my sister. And worse, it was William. I smiled then shrugged.

  He grinned. “Did my gift arrive intact?”

  “It did. Do I dare ask how you procured it?”

  “I’m offended. I purchased it, of course. I thought you’d approve more that way.”

  “I do. But why does that matter?”

  “It matters that you approved. It matters that you liked it. Do you?”

  I swallowed hard. “I do. Thank you. I named him Chess.”

  William smiled. A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Maggie stuck her head inside. “Would you like your lunch in the dining room, sir?” she asked, pausing just a moment to smile brightly at me.

  “Can you bring it here? You won’t be able to eavesdrop as well, but Alice and I have work to do.”

  She frowned at him. “I never…Well, I’ll just bring the serving cart, then. Hello, Alice.”

  I grinned at her. “Hello, Maggie.”

  “Now,” William said, dropping onto a couch near the front window. “What do you think? Night job?”

  I sat down beside William. The sun shimmered in through the window. The light and dark flecks of blue in his eyes sparkled. He seemed so easy, so delighted to have me there. It felt so comfortable between us. In that moment, I did something I probably shouldn’t have, but I did it all the same.

  I took William’s hand in mine. “What’s happening here?” I whispered.

  “What do you—”

  “Not between you and the Queen of Hearts or the business or anything else. Why am I here? What is this all about?”

  William leaned forward and took my other hand in his. “This past year has been hell for me. I can’t live without you. Life is just…it’s nothing. There is no point to any of this. I know you can’t come back. I’m trying to make good on the promise I made the day Jabberwocky died. I’m trying to tie up all the loose ends, and then I want to be done with it.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going to pass the business to Jack. I’m trying to get out. I have been all this time. It was just such a disaster. Jabberwocky was in over his head, much more than we knew. There were so many problems to clean up. You wouldn’t come back. I couldn’t just leave. The man was like a father to me. But I’m close now. This job…”

  My heart pounded in my chest. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

  “I thought I could finish it. I nearly had the matter settled. Jabberwocky was indebted to the Queen, and I needed to clear that debt. Until that was done, there was no way I could leave. I had a plan, but it fell apart. The diamond is the last key to my freedom.”

  I shook my head. “The Queen of Hearts is a maniac. You’ve seen with your own eyes what she really is. Don’t tell me you can just forg—”

  “Never,” William whispered. “But I have no choice. To get back to you, I must pass through her. And I would do anything to get back to you.”

  “William,” I whispered. I closed my eyes. Understanding, then pain, racked me. So much of this was my fault. I had left William to deal with this on his own and had judged him for it. It was just after all we’d seen, I couldn’t imagine staying a moment longer in the life than I had, dealing with creatures like the Queen of Hearts.

  William and I had seen what the Queen of Hearts did to Anna. What we’d seen in that room was nothing. I’d last seen her just days before the job with the banker. I’d never forget the night Jabberwocky had woken me well past midnight with a job that had rocked me to my soul.

  * * *

  “Alice,” Jabberwocky whispered so not to wake Bess. He rocked my shoulder softly. “Alice, wake up.”

  “Sir?”

  “William is downstairs. I need the two of you to go, now, and take a package to the Queen of Hearts.”

  “What? Now?”

  I looked at Jabberwocky. He looked ashen. He’d been sleeping less and less these days. Something was terribly wrong here. “Get dressed,” he whispered then left.

  Moving quickly, I pulled on a pair of black pants and a shirt. This time, I equipped every weapon I owned, keeping the White Queen on hand. I quietly slipped out of the room only to hear William and Jabberwocky on the third-floor landing above me.

  “Alice,” Jabberwocky called.

  He looked down the stairwell and motion
ed for me to come upstairs.

  When I reached them, I looked briefly at William only to discover that he was as confused as me.

  Jabberwocky motioned for us to follow him up the narrow stairwell that led to the roof of the house.

  Once we reached the roof, both William and I were surprised to see an airship hovering above the house. Airships were prohibited from coming low into residential neighborhoods. The airship had its lantern off. I eyed the balloon. In the dark of night, it glowed a dim orange color. The insignia looked like Medusa. I didn’t know the ship or its captain, but the whole thing just felt wrong. A rope ladder wagged in the breeze.

  “The ship’s captain will take you to the Queen’s manor. She’s expecting you. Deliver the package and come back immediately.”

  “Excuse me for saying so, but the last time we—” I began, but Jabberwocky cut me off.

  “Do your job, girl, or you and your sister will be on the street. Get that package delivered and take what she gives you. I don’t care what you see,” he replied sharply.

  In all my years of living and working for Jabberwocky, he’d only ever been kind to me and Bess. I was shocked.

  “Yes, sir,” William said then headed up the ladder.

  I stood staring at the man who’d practically raised me.

  “Mister Mock,” I said softly. “You’re in trouble. What can I—”

  “Deliver the package,” he said, his tone softening. “Just…just deliver the package.”

  He said then turned and headed back inside.

  I climbed up the ladder behind William and slipped aboard the airship.

  Without a word, one of the crew pulled up the ladder and the captain, who looked like he’d prefer if I didn’t notice him, turned the airship toward the Queen’s manor.

  “Bloody hell,” William whispered.

  “I was asleep. How in the world did you get here?”

  William shook his head. “Messenger woke me up, told me to come at once. I arrived the same time the airship got here.”

  “Do you know what the package is?”

  William shook his head.

  We stood at the side of the ship and watched as the streets of London slipped past us as the airship made its way to the Queen’s abbey. William took my hand. His fingers were cold. He stood clenching and unclenching his jaw. I eyed the crew. None of them were making eye contact.