Hatter's Heart - Erin Bedford Page 0,8

be kept for real problems or in the bedroom not for your friends.

I waited for Mop to finish going around the table filling our cups with tea before I spoke. "If I'm to be honest, I do not know exactly what Hatter is missing. Last night, I thought it might be the part of himself he lost in the Bandersnatch but now I'm not so sure." I shook my head and blew on my tea before adding on, "I do not know what has gotten into him lately. It's not like him at all to go off on his own without telling me. Certainly, not leaving me with babysitters."

Mop opened his mouth to argue.

"Do not try to talk your way around that one. I know a babysitter when I see one. Kat did it to me often enough in the beginning. I have only just gotten her to trust me enough to go to the Underground and back on my own without an escort." I huffed and crossed one leg over the other. "As if I could cause any more trouble with the Shadow man gone."

Mop and Trip tensed at the name.

"Ye ain't who ye were before." Mop patted my hand in reassurance. "Ye reformed. Even Trip likes ye now. Doncha Trip?"

Trip nodded eagerly. "Oh, yes. Trip like Alice. Trip like Alice very much. Not the Bad Lady. Not at all."

I smiled politely in return and busied myself drinking my tea.

Hearing them call me the Bad Lady and being reformed ate at my pride. I made mistakes. Of course. Everyone does. However, the circumstances were highly unusual. I was only a girl after all. I only wanted to stay with them forever.

Hatter. I corrected myself. I only wanted to stay with Hatter.

Everything would have been fine had the Seelie Princess not acted like such a whiny ninny. Really, who kills themselves because they see their lover kissing someone else? Talk about dramatic. My mother would have had a field day with that one.

"So," Mop sat his cup down with a clank of china, "what be on yer agenda fer today?"

Lifting my brows, I sipped my tea before answering, "I'm going to see Kat and then I'm going after Hatter. If you would like to tag along, you are welcome to. He did say to keep me company, did he not?"

Mop's mouth dropped open and Trip hid behind his ears.

"But ye canna do that!" Mop finally caught up to himself and dropped his teacup down, tea sloshing over the side. "Hatter wouldna be wantin' ye to go after ‘em an' ye know it."

I shrugged a shoulder and stood, giving them the smile I reserved for my worst clients. "Well, we do not know that for certain since he didn't say so. His lack of disclosing his opinion on such an action allows me to do as I see fit. And I have decided I want to find out what he's up to. Now, if you will excuse me. I need to dress."

Sweeping from the room before either of them could argue, I stalked up the stairs. I might not have shown it at the kitchen table but Mercury disappearing this way without a word one way or another about where he was going or how long he would be had me fuming. I couldn't remember the last time I had been so mad.

It took everything I had not to slam the door to my bedroom as I went in. Alone in my room, I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the ceiling. Breath in, one, two, three, four. Breath out, one, two, three, four.

"Get a hold of yourself, Alice." I commanded myself in the mirror. "You are better than this. You're not going to have a panic attack. You are in control of yourself and your future." Feeling a bit more at ease, I took one more deep breath before pushing my magic into my clothes.

Normally, I would have chosen from the array of outfits Kat had made sure I had for my job out of the closet, but I was going back to the Underground. They didn't wear pants suits there. I needed to fit in but be protected.

My robe and nightgown transformed into a blue dress with many layers of white skirts beneath. The skirts landed just below my knees and twirled when I spun around. Thigh high white stockings covered my legs and black with gold buckled shoes sat on my feet. A thick blue corset