Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness, #1) by Kellie Sheridan Read Free Book Online Page B

taught to
fear. Briefly, she glanced at Henrick, who had silently taken up his post in
the corner of the room, far enough away that he could play at not overhearing
whatever was on the evening’s agenda.
    The Red Queen offered a genuine looking
smile as Rose quietly studied the woman before her. She was precisely the kind
of woman you would expect in a position that had been filled by domineering,
powerful women for countless generations. Daliah Kent had already ruled for
twenty years, and everything from her coiffed hair to the glittering diamonds
she wore on her fingers screamed of luxury and beauty. She embodied the very
essence of the club that sat below her feet, and Rose felt begrudging respect
in spite of all the stories she had been taught about Wonderland’s more
infamous line of rulers.
    “Please, sit.” The rival Queen gestured
toward three empty chairs. Without comment, Rose did as she was bid, taking the
place directly across from the Red Queen. “Welcome, Rose. May I call you Rose?”
    Rose nodded, attempting to keep all
traces of awe from her expression.
    “And you will of course call me Daliah.
I may have been at this far longer than you have been, but as far as Wonderland
is concerned, you and I are equals.”
    “Your tone suggests that you do not
agree,” Rose finally responded, her tone questioning. She may not have been
raised in the homes of noblemen, but her parents had taught her that there were
moments to speak and moments to listen.
    Daliah’s eyebrows rose an inch, but Rose
couldn’t tell if it was from amusement or annoyance. “Tea?” The other Queen
reached across the table to fill Rose’s cup. Her black hair was piled atop her
head with delicate braids in a way that made her look younger than her
forty-odd years. Rose might never have guessed that there were two decades
between them.
    Twenty-one was not an especially young
age to take up one of Wonderland’s highest positions, but it was hard not to be
intimidated by her own lack of experience.
    “Thank you.” Rose smiled politely,
attempting to appear as though this was the most natural thing in the world to
her. “I do hope we can be friends. I understand you and my predecessor got
along famously.”
    Rose glanced toward the corner of the
room to see Henrick shift his weight uncomfortably. When Rose had returned to
her own palace only to inform her staff that she would be heading out again the
next day, her advisor had been quite vocal in his opposition, insisting that
she was not yet prepared to tangle with the Red Queen. It was only once she
actually sat down in the carriage that transported her across Wonderland that
he’d begun to fill her head with etiquette and gentle suggestions . Chief
among them was that Rose shouldn’t bring up the arrangement Lady Anora had had
with Daliah when she was Queen. At the time, Rose had agreed, but now she felt
compelled to lay all her cards out on the table.
    If Rose were to have any hope of
competing with this woman at the political games she had been raised to play,
that hope would not be found in a power play. No, Rose had knowledge,
incredible knowledge. Hinting at that knowledge was her smoothest route to
truly being seen as an equal by the impressive woman across from her.
    The Red Queen had knowledge of her own,
and it had clearly served her and her queendom well. Rose would let the older
woman do the bulk of the talking and see what could be learned from this
unexpected trip. Once she had a more complete picture of the current landscape
of Wonderland, then she could decide what to do with all that she had
learned over the past few days.
    “Anora was a clever woman. She
understood my vision for Wonderland.”
    “Which is what, exactly?”
    “I would have thought it would be
apparent on every street, in every one of my citizens. Progress! For too long
our people have lived at the whims of the land...”
    Rose interrupted. “We’re caretakers of
the land. Or at least we should