Alice in Wonderland
I’ll accept?
Margaret laughs as if she’s joking.
MARGARET Hamish will ask you under the
gazebo at dusk. When you say
“yes”, musicians will play…
ALICE But I don’t know if I want to
marry him.
MARGARET Are you mad? Look around you.
ALICE I wouldn’t be marrying his
house. I’d be marrying Harnish.
She looks at Hamish who’s blowing his nose. He studies the
contents of his kerchief before he folds it and puts it in his
pocket.
MARGARET Do you have someone else in mind?
ALICE Not at the moment.
MARGARET Well, you won’t do better than
a Lord. And you can’t wait much
longer.
(as if she’s Mathusela)
You’re almost twenty, Alice.
That pretty face won’t last
forever. You don’t want to end
up like Aunt Imogene.
They look at their middle-aged aunt, IMOGENE, with over-rouged
cheeks and a yellowing white dress that’s too young for her.
MARGARET Such a embarrassment. And now that
Father is gone, you can’t depend
on Mother to support you. You don’t
want to be a burden, do you?
She’s succeeded in making Alice feel not only insecure but
guilty as well.
ALICE Of course not.
MARGARET So you will marry Hamish. You
will be as happy as I am with
Lowell and your life will be
perfect. It’s already decided.
Lady Ascot appears. She entwines her arm around Alice’s.
LADY ASCOT Walk with me through the rose
garden and we’ll get to know
one another.
Alice looks back at her sister who nods with encouragement.
EXT. THE ROSE GARDENS – CONT.
LADY ASCOT You’re such a lovely girl, Alice.
You’re certain to have gorgeous
children. Do you know what I’ve
always dreaded?
ALICE What’s that?
LADY ASCOT Ugly grandchildren. But with
you that’s not a possibility.
1-lamish tells me you’re quite
imaginative.
ALICE My father encouraged me to…
Lady Ascot sees something off.
LADY ASCOT Incompetence! The gardeners planted
white roses when I specifically
asked for red.
ALICE I like white roses.
LADY ASCOT You couldn’t possibly. They’re
too bland.
She hurries her onto a winding path up a hill.
LADY ASCOT (CONT.) As lady of the household it often
falls to me to make difficult
decisions, even to be ruthless.
LADY ASCOT (CONT.) Do you think you could be ruthless
if you had to be?
ALICE I doubt it very much. I can’t even
kill a gnat.
LADY ASCOT Now look what they’ve done! They’ve
left the topiary unclipped? The
gardeners will all have to be let go.
Just then, Alice hears a jingling sound. She catches a glimpse
of SOMETHING LaRGE AND WHITE dart past.
ALICE Did you see that?
LADY ASCOT See what?
ALICE Something ran past. A rabbit,
I think.
LADY ASCOT Yes. We’re plagued with them. I
set the dogs on them whenever I
can.
She leads Alice relentlessly up the hill towards the gazebo.
LADY ASCOT (cont.) Shall we discuss dining? If my
son eats the wrong things he
is certain to get a blockage.
Alice hears a string quartet warming up. She sees musicians
positioned discreetly in the shadows, for dramatic effect no
doubt. She glances up at the sun. It’s just above the hill.
LADY ASCOT (cont.) Alice? Are you listening?
ALICE A blockage.
She hears that jingling again and catches a fleeting glimpse
of a LARGE WHITE RABBIT in a waistcoat, standing on its hind
