Miss Emma white stared at Alice for a while before she pointed out.
"That's not the dress you should be wearing."
Alice was taken aback, was she pre-informed about that horrible dress? One look at her, you could tell the woman had great fashion sense as she donned a baby pink dress,slim fitted to her hourglass figure, with a slit to the mid-thigh.Everything on her was perfect, even the nude nail polish.
'Did she give her consent to her daughter's humiliation.'
Words failed Alice as she struggled to reply to her mother.
"Go change."Mrs White ordered. She turned to face miss Sarah and her minions who had been smirking at each other.
Alice watched them, her rage growing,she could feel her throat stink.The flexibility of the plot can't always be in her favour. The vagueness of some characters meant she had to decide for herself if they were on her side or not, just like Maria, Miss white had also been vague with the writer simply describing her as tender and amiable. So what had she done wrong?
The woman walking away was nothing close to tender and amiable, she wasn't loving towards her, neither was she welcoming, instead she raked her eyes over like she was some specimen she was examining.
"I prefer what I am wearing" she called out to her, if she was going to have the maids respect her which was the first step to liberating herself from endless bullies and changing her doomed future, she should either have her parents backing or show them she didn't need their it. Well it seems she had to go with the latter.At last with her mother.
"Pardon?" Mrs White asked daringly, Alice was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice the older woman coming close to her.
By the time she heard her voice there was barely an inch between them.
She gulped hard.Her emotions were no longer in check and she could feel her eyes beginning to water.
"What's happening my love, is she ready?"A deep voice interrupted them. Alice felt like hugging the elderly man standing behind them.
Mr David white was exactly like his name, classy, strong and handsome regardless of the slightly visible element of old age on his face and hair. At a first glance, he looks indifferent but on a closer look, something about his eyes made them unintentionally soft. Maybe it was the ocean blue iris or the slight wrinkles around his orbits. Alice watched him with interest, praying earnestly there was more to the indifferent father portrayed in the book.
Mrs Emily stepped back a few feets, before she turned to her husband giving him one of her dazzling smiles.
" No Honey, she's just about to get changed." she replied sweetly.
Alice tried to comprehend what was going on, the woman was like a coin with two sides and she had just switched to the sweet and amiable side!! She racked her brain for a way to get out of the situation without seeming rude to her. If she didn't play her game right, she might end up getting caught in the web.
'If I don't have mother on my side then at the very least I shouldn't have father against me' she thought.
"Why? She looks beautiful or don't you like the cloth Alice?" Mr White asked incredulously, tilting his head to the right. Whether he meant what he was saying or he just wanted them to hurry, Alice didn't have time to care, she was just so happy with the opportunity she was given.
" Of course I love it father, it was just some mishap with Mummy here , but I am all done." She replied giddily silently thanking God.
Mr White gave a small chuckle, shaking his head at her, she was like a breath of fresh air from the people he was used to seeing, who were more uptight and rigid with the rules.
"Father, can I take your hand? I am a little nervous." Alice chuckled nervously. She knew she was pushing her luck. It's all or none, if her father rejected her, which she really hopes he wouldn't....
"Why not?"
He replied, tapping the junction between his arm and forearm. Alice nearly skipped to him almost bumping her mother on the way which earned her a glare from her.
"I'm sorry mother." she said though she didn't mean it.
Miss white merely grunted a response as she made an excuse to go check on Alice's siblings.
Alice carefully took her father's arm, her face all smiles, he gave her a smile of his own before he said.
"There's nothing to be nervous about, you are Alice White, the first child of your father, David White. Those out there are all gathered there for you, to earn your attention, your favour and your time."
Alice felt overwhelmed with joy at his words, unknown to him, his words were of more importance to her than he could ever imagine, they became her comfort pillow that she could always run to, she looked at her father, not just with admiration but with love this time, he didn't disappoint her, he was more than the author had deemed him to be".
"Thank you father." She replied quietly to which he simply nodded and they walked side by side in a comforting silence along the hallway, not before Alice turned and sneaked a wink at the awestruck maids.