Doctor Who_ Empire of Death - BBC Worldwide [27]
Nearby the men were getting restive. It was time to move on. 'Nights fall quite quickly this far north in February and we need daylight to make camp again.'
'Well, then you should have made certain we set forth a little sooner, shouldn't you, Vollmer?’
'Yes, sir. Certainly, sir. Very sound advice. Now, if you'll give the order?' Within a few minutes the contingent was resuming its journey, now having to climb around the northern edge of the dam to reach higher ground.
After satisfying her hunger, Nyssa found the Doctor consulting a heavy, cloth-bound volume in the castle's extensive library.
'There you are! Fully recovered, I hope?' he asked, peering over the top of his spectacles at her.
'Much better,' Nyssa replied. 'What are you doing?'
'Finding out a little more about Baroness von Luckner. I'm not convinced her credentials are all they could be - aha!' The Doctor read to himself. When Nyssa tried to get his attention he held up a hand to silence her. 'Nearly done... yes. I thought so! There is no Baroness von Luckner.' He snapped the book shut and replaced it on a shelf, folding the spectacles away into a pocket of his frock coat. 'So, she seems to be an impostor.'
'But her ward's abilities are genuine.' Nyssa replied. ' I could have sworn he was speaking in Adric's voice last night.'
'It was - most uncanny. I wonder how?'
'Telepathy - or a form of mental projection, perhaps. We simply thought we heard the voice of Adric. But it seemed more convincing than that.'
'Yes... I feel certain James is involved with that disturbance the TARDIS detected in the space-time continuum. But the question is, how? We need to find out more about this young man.' The Doctor related the Queen's tale of what had taken place at the séance before gently placing a hand on Nyssa's right shoulder. 'Do you feel strong enough to face James again? There's no guarantee he won't produce another manifestation...’
'I'm ready. Part of it was the surprise - Earth in the nineteenth century is the last place I expected to be haunted by Adric.' Nyssa said. 'What will you be doing?'
The Doctor smiled. think it's time to confront the so-called Baroness. She may be an impostor, but somehow she latched on to a very powerful psychic entity in James. I want to know where she found him - discovering that may answer a lot of my other questions.’ just before he left, the Doctor retrieved a slim notebook from a pocket in his coat and handed it to Nyssa. Ì found this on the floor of the Mausoleum after you collapsed last night. I don't think we want such a journal falling into the wrong hands, do we?'
Nyssa accepted his gentle admonishment and went on her way.
Sir Henry Ponsonby stood before the Queen in her private office. 'Your Majesty, I could find no evidence to support this woman's claim to any title. As far as I can ascertain, she does not even bear the name Luckner. A telegram from that noble family in Austria has denied all knowledge of such a relative, by birth or by marriage. She seems to have first appeared several years ago travelling under this name. Not long after that she began to visit the royal courts of Europe, accompanied by the young man.'
The Queen made little effort to hide her unhappiness. 'You are saying this woman is an impostor?'
‘Yes, ma'am?
'Yet she has been organising séances, raising the hopes of the recently bereaved...’
'A most regrettable situation, ma'am.'
'What about the boy, what do we know of him? His performance at the séance removed even our doubts. Surely he cannot also be a fraud?'
'Of that we are not certain. Obviously, this young man cannot be held responsible for the conduct of his guardian but their mere association calls into question all that he has said thus far,' the private secretary ventured.
The Queen rose from the desk and began to pace the room, two ladies-in-waiting shadowing her movements. 'This is simply unacceptable,' she announced. 'We will not be taken for a fool. If this woman be proved false, she shall be punished for it. We have never