Forever Wonderland CHAPTER 10
Characters: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland characters, and OFCs
Rating: G to PG-13 for some fighting sequences
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to claim Wonderland and all it's gloriousness, I cannot. Therefore, I give all credit to Lewis Carroll, Disney and Tim Burton.
Summary: Imagine being the granddaughter of the great Alice of Wonderland. Imagine for a minute that you wished you could go to the place where you heard the stories? Could it be possible? This world makes you think that it couldn't be, but really, could it?
“Melody! Do hurry! We are going to be late!” Tarrant yelled up the stairs.
“Coming!” Melody responded back, peeking out of her door to him. “Give me just a few more minutes!”
She quickly ran back into the room and looked in the full length mirror. She brushed her hands against the fabric of the dress that Tarrant created for her three days ago. Her blonde hair was piled high in ringlets except for one that cascaded over her collarbone on her right side. She leaned a little into the mirror to check her makeup. Mirana had sent a little kit for her of glitters and rouges. She appreciated that since she did miss her makeup a little. She turned sideways glancing at her figure. She couldn’t believe how well the dress fit. Tarrant was a genius.
Melody quickly ran down the stairs as best as she could. She was in new shoes; shoes that she was unfamiliar walking in. They were little high-heeled boots like Alice wore. She was also trying to manage walking in a skirt this pouffy. She hadn’t worn a dress like this since her cousin’s wedding two years ago. Though she enjoyed dressing up, it was still hard to run in a flouncy skirt.
Tarrant turned around when he heard Melody coming down the stairs. He felt his heart just about threaten to pound itself out of his chest. She looked radiant. He smiled wide when she emerged into the room. Melody bashfully lowered her gaze.
“Well?”
“You look...magnificent.”
She rolled her eyes, batted her hand in the air and turned her head.
“I have something for you,” Tarrant spoke as he stepped closer. “Open it.”
“Tarrant you have been too good to me already.”
“Open it.”
Melody took the little box that he presented in front of her. She pulled the ribbon and took the top off. She gasped when she saw a string of crystals and matching earrings glittering in the light.
“Tarrant,” she exclaimed.
He took the necklace out of the box and moved behind her. She moved the ringlet gracing her neck out of the way. He leaned in to her and moved his arms around her neck placing the string on her. He let his fingers grace her skin when he closed the clasp. Melody shivered at his touch. What was going on inside of her?
“You must tell me who created such a wonderful piece of clothing,” he playfully commented. “I do think I want him or her to prepare a wardrobe for me.”
Melody smiled. “Tarrant, I think your ego has swelled a little.”
He lifted his chin playfully in the air and smiled, pulling at the hem of his coat. Melody giggled and gave his shoulder a little push.
“Shall we?” he asked presenting his arm.
“Indeed,” she replied linking her arm in his.
Tarrant helped her into the carriage and followed behind her taking his seat across from her. He tapped the top of the carriage signaling for the driver to leave. Melody was struggling to place the earrings on her ears as they took off. Tarrant smiled as he watched her face contort.
“You think that funny, do you?” she retorted.
“Yes, in fact I do. You make the strangest faces.”
She playfully glared at him. When he smiled back at her, she felt her stomach flip and her cheeks flush. She hadn’t felt like this...ever. She lowered her eyes and played with the intricate stitching on the skirt.
The ride to the castle was painfully quiet. Melody tried to make conversation with Tarrant but when she did, nothing would come out of her mouth. All she could do was smile at him and look away. Occasionally, Tarrant would raise his eyes to look at her and he saw her looking out the carriage window. The pinks and oranges from the sunset played against her skin as she gently rocked with the sway of the carriage.
They finally made it to the castle and Melody was helped out by one of the footmen. She adjusted herself and felt her hair to make sure that it was still in place. Tarrant stood next to her while she primped.
“How do I look?” she asked as she sweetly shifted her weight to left, bending her right leg, arms bent, palms raised to the sky.
“Absolutely marvelous.”
Melody blushed and fidgeted with her fingers. Tarrant came and wrapped his arm through hers and pulled her along.
“No need to be nervous, my dear. You will be fine. And besides, I will be here for you along the way.”
“I am nervous. All of Underland is going to be here to congratulate you, Tarrant. I am not used to being in front of so many people.”
He placed his other hand on top of hers and squeezed it tight. Melody noticed his hands were warm and clammy. She wondered if he was nervous as well. Tarrant was a quiet man. She thought for sure that he wasn’t too fond of the crowds either. But she kept her lips closed. She didn’t want to embarrass him on his special day.
The doors opened to the Great Hall and they walk in and stood at the top of the stairs.
“Name please?” the caller asked.
“Um, Tarrant Hightopp and Melody, uh?” Tarrant questioned. He never knew her last name.
“Butler,” Melody blurted. “Melody Butler.”
“Butler,” Tarrant whispered to the caller.
The caller tapped his staff hard against the floor. A few heads turned, but mostly they just ignored the announcement.
“Master Tarrant Hightopp and Miss Melody Butler,” he projected in a flat English tone.
Conversations ceased and all heads turned to see Melody and Tarrant. Melody felt her breath catch in her throat as all eyes transfixed them. She clasped Tarrant’s hand harder. Tarrant in returned hers as well, his eyes wide with nervousness.
“It w-will be alright, m-my dear,” he stuttered.
“Mhmmm,” she answered back nervously, her voice cracking.
They could feel the glares radiating off the crowd onto their shaking forms. Murmurs slowly circled throughout the audience. People whispered in each others ears, hands shielded their mouths all the while looking at the odd pair. Tarrant and Melody felt awkwardly exposed.
A flash of white swooshed in front of them.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” came the gentle, but firm voice. “It is my privilege as Queen to announce to you Tarrant Hightopp, Champion of the White Queen,” she said as she comically pulled Tarrant from Melody’s grasp in front of her. He wearily waved at the folk standing in front of him. “And, Melody,” she said, a little softer, offering her hand with a smile to Melody, “the great-great-granddaughter of Alice, Slayer of the Jabberwocky.”
Melody felt her heart beating a thousand miles a minute in her chest. She stomach flopped over and over and she tried to look at Tarrant for a reassuring smile. But he was just as frightened at she was.
Mirana started clapping lightly and the rest of the people in the hall echoed her gesture. They smiled wildly, gazing on the new sung heroes.A trio of girls, maybe late teens, approach Melody.
“Are you really a descendant of the great Alice?”
“Did you really come from Overland?”
“What was it like killing the Black King?”
With that last question the girls pulled Melody away from them.
“Oh, well, really, I, um...didn’t” she stuttered as the girls pulled her down the stairs.
Melody looked back at Tarrant who had taken a step forward to get her. She was scared out of her whits and wanted Tarrant beside her.The White Queen had placed a hand on his arm holding him back. The girls continued to pull her away from the stairs and into a little huddle. Tarrant watched Melody disappear among a bustle of colorful skirts and eccentric hair-dos.
“Let her go Tarrant. She needs to be with her people,” the White Queen stated. “She will never get over her nerves nor feel comfortable in the kingdom if either you or I are the only ones she knows.”
“What do you mean ‘her people’? She isn’t Underlandian.”
A smile crept on Mirana’s lips.
“What do you know, your Majesty?”
“All in good time, my dear friend.”
Tarrant remembered how much that line angered Melody when he told her. Now he knew what she was feeling. He hated not being able to know what was going on.
Melody was bombarded with questions from all the squealing girls that surrounded her. She tried answering their questions, but kept getting interrupted by another question.
“So,” came a deep male voice behind her.
The girls stopped chattering and looked behind Melody. A tall, dark-haired man, of about twenty-seven years, stood before them. The girls’ mouths dropped at the sight of the handsome man standing before them.
He wore a deep burgundy tuxedo jacket over black pants. His ascot was neatly wrapped around his neck. He stood proud; one hand clasping the front of his waistcoat, the other straight at his side.
“This is the famous Melody that the Queen has spoken about. Let me take a look at her.”
He pushed his way through the girls that were crowding around her and grabbed her hand. He pulled her close to him and grabbed her other hand. He held her arms out at her sides and gave her a once over.
“My, what a fine creature you are, indeed!”
Melody felt uncomfortable and flitted her eyes around the ball. She tried desperately to find Tarrant and call to him to rescue her. She finally found him talking with some people. By the look of his stance and the wave of his brow, he wasn’t enjoying his time either. But he, at least, was trying to be friendly. Melody pulled her eyes away from him and tried putting on her best smile she could muster.
The man bent in a low bow, taking Melody’s hand and kissing it. The girls behind her all giggled and sighed.
“The name is Alec. Son of Lord Hylinder. And I say we should dance,” he proclaimed, spinning Melody around in a circle.
“I-I-” she tried stuttering. Before she knew it she was out on the dance floor.
She came to a sudden stop as she watched the handsome, but crude, man turn and stand in front of her. She leaned forward a little and noticed she was standing in a line of women. She grimaced to herself. Underlandians practiced the art of dance in the way of Elizabeth Bennett time, she thought.
“Sir,” she whispered across to her controlling partner, “you do not understand. I don’t dance. And I don’t know Underlandian.”
The music started and the men stepped forward.
“You have nothing to worry about. Follow the women and men. Just don’t step on my feet,” he whispered in her ear.
“But-”
Before she could even get another word out, the women moved up to the men and waltzed around them. She clumsily stepped forward, looking at what the women were doing and quickly followed suite. She reluctantly took the man’s hands and stepped closer to him. He took her hands, twisting them around his sides and moved her around in a circle.
“I told you not to step on my feet,” he chuckled regaining the time of the dance.
“In all fairness, sir,” she breathed, trying to keep up with the hopping steps, “I warned you that I did not know Underlandian.”
“Indeed you did. But you are keeping up well. Do you dance like this in your kingdom?”
The women were all in a line again and Melody once again stepped back in line, getting a few looks from the other couples. They were back at the beginning of the steps and the men moved forward to the women once again.
“No. It’s quite different. It’s not as structured. And I do not have a kingdom.”
“What I meant was, ‘in your kingdom’ in general. Do they not have kingdoms in Overland?”
Melody started feeling her cheeks start to flush. She was warm from all the jumping and the dress wasn’t helping. Silently, she cursed Tarrant for making so many layers. “Well, yes, there are, but not like here, I suppose.”
“I see.”
The final notes of the dance ended and the couples applauded happily. Alec looked at Melody and smiled. “Shall we dance again, yes?”
Melody felt slightly irritated. Had he not gotten the hint previously when she said that she didn’t dance? She wasn't going to tell him that the only dance she knew was Fudderwacken. He would, for sure, expect great things from her then. She bit the inside of her lip and breathed deep, gaining composure.
“I do not believe I can, sir. But, thank you, all the same,” she said in a polite curtsy. She turned to move away, looking for Tarrant.
“Wait!” Alec said grabbing Melody’s arm, “I see some friends that I do believe wish to make your acquaintance.”
Melody groaned under her breath and rolled her eyes as he pulled her along. The group turned to them as they approached. Alec took her arm and linked it in the crook of his elbow.
“Ah, my friends!” he said. “I want you to meet Miss Melody Butler.”
An older woman, who looked old enough to be Alec’s mother, turned to face them. She smiled as she fanned herself. “My dear. You look awfully flushed.” The lady took a cup of punch of the tray from the passing server and handed it to Melody.
“Too much dancing, I presume,” Alec butted in before Melody could let a word out of her open mouth. “I fear I may have exhausted the poor thing. She really is a horrible dancer.”
Melody sharply turned her head and gave him an evil look. Horrible dancer? She thought she did her best trying to keep up with a dance she has never done in her life.
“In my defense, sir, I warned you that I did not know the dance, yet you proceeded to pull me along and let me embarrass myself.”
“Did you really do that, Alec, dear? Make the poor girl dance that dreadful piece without knowing the steps? Shame.”
“Yes, well...” He felt an irritation slowly creep under his skin. He did not like being told that he was wrong.
The music started up again and Alec’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I love this song! Come, Miss Butler, you must dance with me again!”
He took the cup of punch from her lips, handed it to one of the gentlemen standing in his circle of friends and grabbed her hand. He started walking off and was tugged back.
“I told you that I...can’t...dance,” she said annunciating the last word. “Please don’t force me to again.”
“But this is a much easier one to learn.”
“Alec!” The older woman chided. “The girl clearly is not one for dancing. Let her be.”
He breathed in deep, unclenched his jaw and showed a tight smile. “Then, my dear, would you be so kind as to walk with me in the garden. I would enjoy getting to know more about the granddaughter of the famous Alice.”
Melody thought for a second. All she wanted to do was to find comfort in Tarrant. But she gazed over the crowd and did not see him. She had to think of something to get out of this situation.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I am feeling a bit tired after the last dance. I am going to take the air,” she said.
“Then I will come with you.”
“No!” she blurted. “No. I’m sorry for the outburst. But, I would like some time alone. I am not fond of crowds, you see, and I am feeling a little suffocated.” She bent in a curtsy. “Good evening to you all.”
Alec watched Melody as she hurried out of the room. He felt his blood boil. He needed information. And if he didn’t get it soon, his whole plan would go to pot. Something needed to be done and done quickly. He lifted his eyes to the White Queen. A smirk danced on his lips at the idea he was brewing inside head it. It just might work, he thought to himself.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4
Chapter 5/ Chapter 6/ Chapter 7/ Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Rating: G to PG-13 for some fighting sequences
Disclaimer: As much as I would love to claim Wonderland and all it's gloriousness, I cannot. Therefore, I give all credit to Lewis Carroll, Disney and Tim Burton.
Summary: Imagine being the granddaughter of the great Alice of Wonderland. Imagine for a minute that you wished you could go to the place where you heard the stories? Could it be possible? This world makes you think that it couldn't be, but really, could it?
“Melody! Do hurry! We are going to be late!” Tarrant yelled up the stairs.
“Coming!” Melody responded back, peeking out of her door to him. “Give me just a few more minutes!”
She quickly ran back into the room and looked in the full length mirror. She brushed her hands against the fabric of the dress that Tarrant created for her three days ago. Her blonde hair was piled high in ringlets except for one that cascaded over her collarbone on her right side. She leaned a little into the mirror to check her makeup. Mirana had sent a little kit for her of glitters and rouges. She appreciated that since she did miss her makeup a little. She turned sideways glancing at her figure. She couldn’t believe how well the dress fit. Tarrant was a genius.
Melody quickly ran down the stairs as best as she could. She was in new shoes; shoes that she was unfamiliar walking in. They were little high-heeled boots like Alice wore. She was also trying to manage walking in a skirt this pouffy. She hadn’t worn a dress like this since her cousin’s wedding two years ago. Though she enjoyed dressing up, it was still hard to run in a flouncy skirt.
Tarrant turned around when he heard Melody coming down the stairs. He felt his heart just about threaten to pound itself out of his chest. She looked radiant. He smiled wide when she emerged into the room. Melody bashfully lowered her gaze.
“Well?”
“You look...magnificent.”
She rolled her eyes, batted her hand in the air and turned her head.
“I have something for you,” Tarrant spoke as he stepped closer. “Open it.”
“Tarrant you have been too good to me already.”
“Open it.”
Melody took the little box that he presented in front of her. She pulled the ribbon and took the top off. She gasped when she saw a string of crystals and matching earrings glittering in the light.
“Tarrant,” she exclaimed.
He took the necklace out of the box and moved behind her. She moved the ringlet gracing her neck out of the way. He leaned in to her and moved his arms around her neck placing the string on her. He let his fingers grace her skin when he closed the clasp. Melody shivered at his touch. What was going on inside of her?
“You must tell me who created such a wonderful piece of clothing,” he playfully commented. “I do think I want him or her to prepare a wardrobe for me.”
Melody smiled. “Tarrant, I think your ego has swelled a little.”
He lifted his chin playfully in the air and smiled, pulling at the hem of his coat. Melody giggled and gave his shoulder a little push.
“Shall we?” he asked presenting his arm.
“Indeed,” she replied linking her arm in his.
Tarrant helped her into the carriage and followed behind her taking his seat across from her. He tapped the top of the carriage signaling for the driver to leave. Melody was struggling to place the earrings on her ears as they took off. Tarrant smiled as he watched her face contort.
“You think that funny, do you?” she retorted.
“Yes, in fact I do. You make the strangest faces.”
She playfully glared at him. When he smiled back at her, she felt her stomach flip and her cheeks flush. She hadn’t felt like this...ever. She lowered her eyes and played with the intricate stitching on the skirt.
The ride to the castle was painfully quiet. Melody tried to make conversation with Tarrant but when she did, nothing would come out of her mouth. All she could do was smile at him and look away. Occasionally, Tarrant would raise his eyes to look at her and he saw her looking out the carriage window. The pinks and oranges from the sunset played against her skin as she gently rocked with the sway of the carriage.
They finally made it to the castle and Melody was helped out by one of the footmen. She adjusted herself and felt her hair to make sure that it was still in place. Tarrant stood next to her while she primped.
“How do I look?” she asked as she sweetly shifted her weight to left, bending her right leg, arms bent, palms raised to the sky.
“Absolutely marvelous.”
Melody blushed and fidgeted with her fingers. Tarrant came and wrapped his arm through hers and pulled her along.
“No need to be nervous, my dear. You will be fine. And besides, I will be here for you along the way.”
“I am nervous. All of Underland is going to be here to congratulate you, Tarrant. I am not used to being in front of so many people.”
He placed his other hand on top of hers and squeezed it tight. Melody noticed his hands were warm and clammy. She wondered if he was nervous as well. Tarrant was a quiet man. She thought for sure that he wasn’t too fond of the crowds either. But she kept her lips closed. She didn’t want to embarrass him on his special day.
The doors opened to the Great Hall and they walk in and stood at the top of the stairs.
“Name please?” the caller asked.
“Um, Tarrant Hightopp and Melody, uh?” Tarrant questioned. He never knew her last name.
“Butler,” Melody blurted. “Melody Butler.”
“Butler,” Tarrant whispered to the caller.
The caller tapped his staff hard against the floor. A few heads turned, but mostly they just ignored the announcement.
“Master Tarrant Hightopp and Miss Melody Butler,” he projected in a flat English tone.
Conversations ceased and all heads turned to see Melody and Tarrant. Melody felt her breath catch in her throat as all eyes transfixed them. She clasped Tarrant’s hand harder. Tarrant in returned hers as well, his eyes wide with nervousness.
“It w-will be alright, m-my dear,” he stuttered.
“Mhmmm,” she answered back nervously, her voice cracking.
They could feel the glares radiating off the crowd onto their shaking forms. Murmurs slowly circled throughout the audience. People whispered in each others ears, hands shielded their mouths all the while looking at the odd pair. Tarrant and Melody felt awkwardly exposed.
A flash of white swooshed in front of them.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” came the gentle, but firm voice. “It is my privilege as Queen to announce to you Tarrant Hightopp, Champion of the White Queen,” she said as she comically pulled Tarrant from Melody’s grasp in front of her. He wearily waved at the folk standing in front of him. “And, Melody,” she said, a little softer, offering her hand with a smile to Melody, “the great-great-granddaughter of Alice, Slayer of the Jabberwocky.”
Melody felt her heart beating a thousand miles a minute in her chest. She stomach flopped over and over and she tried to look at Tarrant for a reassuring smile. But he was just as frightened at she was.
Mirana started clapping lightly and the rest of the people in the hall echoed her gesture. They smiled wildly, gazing on the new sung heroes.A trio of girls, maybe late teens, approach Melody.
“Are you really a descendant of the great Alice?”
“Did you really come from Overland?”
“What was it like killing the Black King?”
With that last question the girls pulled Melody away from them.
“Oh, well, really, I, um...didn’t” she stuttered as the girls pulled her down the stairs.
Melody looked back at Tarrant who had taken a step forward to get her. She was scared out of her whits and wanted Tarrant beside her.The White Queen had placed a hand on his arm holding him back. The girls continued to pull her away from the stairs and into a little huddle. Tarrant watched Melody disappear among a bustle of colorful skirts and eccentric hair-dos.
“Let her go Tarrant. She needs to be with her people,” the White Queen stated. “She will never get over her nerves nor feel comfortable in the kingdom if either you or I are the only ones she knows.”
“What do you mean ‘her people’? She isn’t Underlandian.”
A smile crept on Mirana’s lips.
“What do you know, your Majesty?”
“All in good time, my dear friend.”
Tarrant remembered how much that line angered Melody when he told her. Now he knew what she was feeling. He hated not being able to know what was going on.
Melody was bombarded with questions from all the squealing girls that surrounded her. She tried answering their questions, but kept getting interrupted by another question.
“So,” came a deep male voice behind her.
The girls stopped chattering and looked behind Melody. A tall, dark-haired man, of about twenty-seven years, stood before them. The girls’ mouths dropped at the sight of the handsome man standing before them.
He wore a deep burgundy tuxedo jacket over black pants. His ascot was neatly wrapped around his neck. He stood proud; one hand clasping the front of his waistcoat, the other straight at his side.
“This is the famous Melody that the Queen has spoken about. Let me take a look at her.”
He pushed his way through the girls that were crowding around her and grabbed her hand. He pulled her close to him and grabbed her other hand. He held her arms out at her sides and gave her a once over.
“My, what a fine creature you are, indeed!”
Melody felt uncomfortable and flitted her eyes around the ball. She tried desperately to find Tarrant and call to him to rescue her. She finally found him talking with some people. By the look of his stance and the wave of his brow, he wasn’t enjoying his time either. But he, at least, was trying to be friendly. Melody pulled her eyes away from him and tried putting on her best smile she could muster.
The man bent in a low bow, taking Melody’s hand and kissing it. The girls behind her all giggled and sighed.
“The name is Alec. Son of Lord Hylinder. And I say we should dance,” he proclaimed, spinning Melody around in a circle.
“I-I-” she tried stuttering. Before she knew it she was out on the dance floor.
She came to a sudden stop as she watched the handsome, but crude, man turn and stand in front of her. She leaned forward a little and noticed she was standing in a line of women. She grimaced to herself. Underlandians practiced the art of dance in the way of Elizabeth Bennett time, she thought.
“Sir,” she whispered across to her controlling partner, “you do not understand. I don’t dance. And I don’t know Underlandian.”
The music started and the men stepped forward.
“You have nothing to worry about. Follow the women and men. Just don’t step on my feet,” he whispered in her ear.
“But-”
Before she could even get another word out, the women moved up to the men and waltzed around them. She clumsily stepped forward, looking at what the women were doing and quickly followed suite. She reluctantly took the man’s hands and stepped closer to him. He took her hands, twisting them around his sides and moved her around in a circle.
“I told you not to step on my feet,” he chuckled regaining the time of the dance.
“In all fairness, sir,” she breathed, trying to keep up with the hopping steps, “I warned you that I did not know Underlandian.”
“Indeed you did. But you are keeping up well. Do you dance like this in your kingdom?”
The women were all in a line again and Melody once again stepped back in line, getting a few looks from the other couples. They were back at the beginning of the steps and the men moved forward to the women once again.
“No. It’s quite different. It’s not as structured. And I do not have a kingdom.”
“What I meant was, ‘in your kingdom’ in general. Do they not have kingdoms in Overland?”
Melody started feeling her cheeks start to flush. She was warm from all the jumping and the dress wasn’t helping. Silently, she cursed Tarrant for making so many layers. “Well, yes, there are, but not like here, I suppose.”
“I see.”
The final notes of the dance ended and the couples applauded happily. Alec looked at Melody and smiled. “Shall we dance again, yes?”
Melody felt slightly irritated. Had he not gotten the hint previously when she said that she didn’t dance? She wasn't going to tell him that the only dance she knew was Fudderwacken. He would, for sure, expect great things from her then. She bit the inside of her lip and breathed deep, gaining composure.
“I do not believe I can, sir. But, thank you, all the same,” she said in a polite curtsy. She turned to move away, looking for Tarrant.
“Wait!” Alec said grabbing Melody’s arm, “I see some friends that I do believe wish to make your acquaintance.”
Melody groaned under her breath and rolled her eyes as he pulled her along. The group turned to them as they approached. Alec took her arm and linked it in the crook of his elbow.
“Ah, my friends!” he said. “I want you to meet Miss Melody Butler.”
An older woman, who looked old enough to be Alec’s mother, turned to face them. She smiled as she fanned herself. “My dear. You look awfully flushed.” The lady took a cup of punch of the tray from the passing server and handed it to Melody.
“Too much dancing, I presume,” Alec butted in before Melody could let a word out of her open mouth. “I fear I may have exhausted the poor thing. She really is a horrible dancer.”
Melody sharply turned her head and gave him an evil look. Horrible dancer? She thought she did her best trying to keep up with a dance she has never done in her life.
“In my defense, sir, I warned you that I did not know the dance, yet you proceeded to pull me along and let me embarrass myself.”
“Did you really do that, Alec, dear? Make the poor girl dance that dreadful piece without knowing the steps? Shame.”
“Yes, well...” He felt an irritation slowly creep under his skin. He did not like being told that he was wrong.
The music started up again and Alec’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I love this song! Come, Miss Butler, you must dance with me again!”
He took the cup of punch from her lips, handed it to one of the gentlemen standing in his circle of friends and grabbed her hand. He started walking off and was tugged back.
“I told you that I...can’t...dance,” she said annunciating the last word. “Please don’t force me to again.”
“But this is a much easier one to learn.”
“Alec!” The older woman chided. “The girl clearly is not one for dancing. Let her be.”
He breathed in deep, unclenched his jaw and showed a tight smile. “Then, my dear, would you be so kind as to walk with me in the garden. I would enjoy getting to know more about the granddaughter of the famous Alice.”
Melody thought for a second. All she wanted to do was to find comfort in Tarrant. But she gazed over the crowd and did not see him. She had to think of something to get out of this situation.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I am feeling a bit tired after the last dance. I am going to take the air,” she said.
“Then I will come with you.”
“No!” she blurted. “No. I’m sorry for the outburst. But, I would like some time alone. I am not fond of crowds, you see, and I am feeling a little suffocated.” She bent in a curtsy. “Good evening to you all.”
Alec watched Melody as she hurried out of the room. He felt his blood boil. He needed information. And if he didn’t get it soon, his whole plan would go to pot. Something needed to be done and done quickly. He lifted his eyes to the White Queen. A smirk danced on his lips at the idea he was brewing inside head it. It just might work, he thought to himself.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1/ Chapter 2/ Chapter 3/ Chapter 4
Chapter 5/ Chapter 6/ Chapter 7/ Chapter 8
Chapter 9