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agreed. The maid, who stood in the doorway smiling,
bobbed dutifully as they passed. Redvers eyed her warily,
as he remembered something Redvers had once told him:
the ready smile of a native may well be that of a crocodile.
But the Doctor continued,  ...signs, like a royal invitation
to Windsor Castle for instance. He stopped, looked sternly
it Redvers and held out his hand.
The explorer resolutely shook his head.
 Come on, Redvers, pressed the Doctor.  Access to the
royal family. Why else would Josiah keep you alive so
long?
With a sigh, Redvers produced a battered envelope with
a royal seal on it. He held it back for a moment.  Actually,
it s for Buckingham Palace. A reception. Finally, he
shrugged and handed it over.  After all, you are a member
of the Royal Geographical Society.
The Doctor held the envelope for a second and then
passed it back.
Redvers smiled gratefully.  Will you join my expedition,
Doctor?
 Not yet, he said, setting off at a pace.  First I have to
find Ace.
The maid watched them disappear. She released her
grip on the door-handle and waited, listening to the
muffled sounds of the struggle from the room.
Ace had Gwendoline in a head lock, but there was no
where to secure the vicious little Victorian and no one to
help her do it. Gwendoline tried to kick Ace s shins, but
her long skirts hampered her movements.
 Let go of me, you little brat! she cried out, still trying
to reach Ace s face with her pad.
 No way! Behind her, Ace heard the rumble of the
window sliding up. As if in answer to a prayer, a hand
appeared, clad in a lady s long and grubby evening glove.
Control, her hair dishevelled, her eyes wild and her will
broken, hauled herself in through the gap.
 Control! Help me! shouted Ace, but the creature only
stared at the struggle and muttered,  Poor Control. No
hoping. No changing, in a voice bereft of all energy.
 Oh, yeah! What about poor Ace? Well, help me, why
don t you!
Control moved forward and thrust them both out of her
way, allowing Gwendoline to break free. She rounded on
Ace again, but Control had pulled open the door and seized
hold of the maid. The startled woman was sent careering
into Gwendoline and they both collapsed in a heap.
Ace dashed out into the passage after Control, slamming
the door behind her and turning the key in the lock. From
inside came Gwendoline s most unladylike curse, followed
by a sharp slap as she took out her spite on the unfortunate
maid s face.
The door-handle began to rattle; blows started to pound
on the panelling. Control had gone by now, but Ace cared
only about finding the Doctor. She just wanted to get out
and she wasn t worried whether she saw any of the others
again: not Control nor Josiah nor any of his mad family;
not Mackenzie nor Nimrod nor Light  especially not
Light.
Josiah stalked the upper observatory, rapidly losing
patience at the lack of any news. He had tried the
telephone, but as he lifted it a beetle had crawled from the
earpiece. He threw down the receiver in disgust. When he
tried again, the line was dead.
A few minutes later, Nimrod came up the stairs.
 Where s Redvers? demanded Josiah.  I told you to fetch
him back.
Nimrod had a determined air that Josiah disliked.  My
circumstances have changed, sir. I wish to serve notice of
the termination of my employment.
This was laughable.  What? Without me you have
nothing! But suddenly Josiah was afraid. He snatched up
his pistol, held it to Nimrod s temples and forced the
manservant to his knees.  What s Light been saying to
you? Or that Doctor? I know where your true allegiance
lies!
Defying the barrel of the gun, Nimrod rose to his feet
and declared,  With myself, sir.
With a look of utter contempt, Josiah pushed his servant
away.  Where are the others? he cried.  It s almost dinner
time. Why aren t they all dead? With a final glare at
Nimrod, he disappeared down into the house.  Do I have to
do everything myself!
Light stood watching, its hand stroking the side of the
TARDIS. It studied one of the observatory s arched
windows and the darkness beyond.  I think I shall be late
for dinner, it mused.
Ace was certain that the Doctor was nearby, watching her.
If this was another of his games... She had come back
round the house close to Gwendoline s room and as she
reached the door, she thought she heard someone crying. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]