Dead of Winter - James Goss [43]
‘Indeed?’ She arched an eyebrow. ‘Does it not strike you as wrong that a cure is available only for those with influence?’
‘Well, no,’ I said without thinking. ‘After all, there’s rather too many people aren’t there? Something like this, good for thinning out the common herd.’
I can’t think why, but she just blinked at that, bade me a good day, and left me. As I said, women are unfathomable creatures!
The treatment itself is unaccountable. My memories are of a pleasant daydream and of Stoker, the dog I had when I was a child. Oh, there was never such a hound as faithful Stoker. Why, he smelt like a drain, but he was ever so good-natured. Funny how one suddenly remembers such things.
In other news, this place continues to be a veritable madhouse. Those three new visitors turn out to be crazy – the two men were pretending to be each other as some piece of foolery, or worse. I ask you Octavius – what kind of chap pretends to be a lady’s husband? That sort of thing is all very well for poets, but not at a respectable resort. Of course, one of the men is now reported to be on his deathbed, which serves him right, if you ask me.
As ever, your faithful servant, etc.
Henry
Dr Bloom’s Journal
7th December 1783
Win them over with kindness! It works as well with enemies as it does with difficult patients.
The Doctor walked into the conservatory. Neutral ground. I bowed to him.
‘It is a pleasure to meet you properly, my dear sir,’ I said to him. So, I thought, looking him up and down, this is the creature that The Sea is so interested in, the brain so interesting it hid itself. There we were, scrabbling for Amy Pond or for poor blithering Mr Williams, and there he was all the time, neatly evading us.
Can what Kosov whispered to me have been true – that this was a man, not just from beyond this world but from beyond time itself? Personally, I thought he looked like a rather haughty student from my home in Geneva, right down to the studiously ramshackle attire. Yet, those eyes – those eyes were flashing with intelligence. He’d certainly done a lot to avoid the attempts of The Familiars from The Sea to read him – which merely made them want to read him all the more. They hungered for him so much I could feel them pushing down on my thoughts. With an effort, I cleared my head.
I noticed the Doctor just stood there, wary. Waiting for my move.
‘It is all right, my dear sir, rest assured… I had Kosov call for you with only the best of intentions.’ I tried on a warm smile. ‘If I could wave a flag of truce, I would.’
‘Go on,’ he seemed arrogant, smug. Well, that would go in a minute. I nodded to Perdita, and the dear angel laid down two cups of steaming chocolate for us. The Doctor sat, scraping his iron chair across the tiling and made an elaborate fuss of looking around before settling himself, as wary as a caged animal.
‘Well, I must say, this is all very civilised but it’s not the same without a marshmallow.’ The Doctor glared at the cup of chocolate that my Perdita had put in front of him. I ignored the rudeness.
‘All the same, monsieur, it is excellent, I assure you. Perdita makes an unparalleled cup of chocolate.’
The Doctor sipped experimentally at the cup and then smiled. He nodded to Perdita. ‘Wonderful, madame. My compliments. And not poisoned either.’
Perdita returned his nod with more politeness than he deserved.
I forced a chuckle. ‘Come now, Doctor. Neutral territory, sir.’
The Doctor glared at me.
‘Come, let’s be reasonable,’ I said, spreading my hands out.
The Doctor banged his hands on the table. The cup jumped. A little chocolate spilt over the edge. ‘I am being reasonable. Where is Rory?’
‘He is… indisposed.’
‘What does that mean? You’ve kidnapped him?’
‘Not at all… I regret to say…’ It’s hard doing this. Imparting bad news. Even to someone you can’t actually stand. I have always hated causing pain. Physical or mental. Sometimes it is like striking a physical blow.
‘Your friend. Mr Williams…’ I continued.
‘What have you done to him?’
‘Nothing. Believe me, dear sir. But he