Page 90 of Heartless

The White Rabbit stood at a podium on the side of the stage. Once all the judges had sampled the cupcakes, Mr Rabbit bellowed, ‘The judges will give their scores for the berry berry cupcakes made by the Vine and Flower Society!’

Three potted plants had been set on the contestants’ stand at the front, holding one another’s leaves.

‘Berry good!’ yelled the King.

‘Berry gone!’ yelled the Turtle.

‘Could have used some ground pepper on top,’ suggested the Duke, to which Catherine traded wary glances with Mary Ann, and Mary Ann mouthed back to her,Pepper?

Mr Caterpillar removed the hookah from his mouth and blew a cloud of smoke across the table. The other judges coughed politely and leaned away.

Jack, the Knave, threw his fork down beside his cupcake, having tasted only a single bite. ‘Rubbish,’ he muttered.

The potted flowers bobbed their blossoming heads at one another – pleased with the judges’ scores. Three footmen came forward to carry their planters off the stand, while another group of courtiers brought out the next dish – squares of right-side-up pineapple cake from Lady Margaret Mearle.

Margaret took her place on the competitors’ platform and squared her already-rather-rectangular shoulders. From his seat at the judging table, the Duke’s pink-tinged skin turned flaming red. He tried to smile at Margaret around his protruding tusks.

Margaret sneered and turned her chin haughtily away.

The Duke deflated.

Trying to still the fluttering in her stomach, Catherine looked out at the crowd and spotted her mother and father in the front row. They would have no idea that she’d submitted an entry into the contest, and she wasn’t sure how they would react.

Behind her parents sat Peter Peter and his wife, whose pallor was only slightly improved from when Cath had last seen her, though her eyes remained glossy and ill-looking. She was staring hungrily at the case that held the contest desserts.

Cath peeled her gaze away before Sir Peter could notice her, hoping he wouldn’t be suspicious over her spiced pumpkin cake. But why should he? He was by no means the only pumpkin grower in Hearts. He had no reason to suspect she’d stolen one from his patch.

She hoped.

Her eye drifted further back and landed on Hatta himself. He loitered at the back of the tent, the ribbon from his top hat whipping in the wind from the beach. He noticed her, too, and cast a nod in her direction, indicating the macaron hat. But he turned away before she could return the nod, his whole demeanour changing. In a moment he’d dropped the broody stance and smiled his rare, friendly smile. Then Jest was there, too, squeezing Hatta’s shoulder in greeting.

Her heart twinged, still too raw from their recent encounter.

The White Rabbit cleared his throat and Catherine forced her attention back to the stage. ‘What have the judges to say on Lady Mearle’s entry?’

‘Pineappley pleasant!’ yelled the King.

‘Pleasantly gone!’ yelled the Turtle, scraping up the last bits of cake.

‘Would be better upside down,’ said Jack, tipping back in his chair and staring at the tent’s ceiling.

‘Upside down is a fine way to be,’ agreed the Caterpillar. He had taken off one pair of house slippers and was pressing the bottoms of his bare feet into his cake. ‘I’ve spent quite a bit of time upside down myself.’

After a nervous clearing of his throat and a scratching of his ear, the Duke said, ‘Well – I thought it was splendid. Just the perfect amount of pineapple and . . . turned upward-downside just the right way, if I do say so myself. Well done, Lady Mearle. I could not have asked for a more satisfying dessert!’

Catherine rolled her eyes, but Margaret had developed a tiny grin as she was ushered away from the contestants’ stand.

‘Next!’ demanded the White Rabbit.

Cheshire’s floating head appeared, and slices of a tuna tart were presented to the judges. Cath blanched and turned away. Her gaze latched back on to Jest.

He was watching her across the tent.

They both quickly looked down, and she hoped she wasn’t the only one blushing.

‘It’s fishy fa-fabulous,’ stammered the King, his face looking a little green.

‘Fabulously gone!’ yelled the Turtle, revealing yet another empty plate.

---