Doctor Who_ Father Time - Lance Parkin [81]
‘You like the house?’ the Doctor asked. ‘Interiors keep asking me to do a photoshoot.’
‘You’ve moved up in the world since I first met you,’ she told him. ‘Remember that farmhouse?’ They’d arrived here having driven through leafy, prosperous suburbs. Flat countryside, with money almost growing from the trees – the pavements and driveways were lined with new BMWs and Mercedes Benzes.
‘I need to look after Miranda,’ the Doctor said. ‘My priorities have changed. I need to make sure she has a good start in life, that she isn’t denied any opportunities.’
‘But where did you get all that money?’ Debbie asked.
‘Oh, it’s absurdly easy if you know how. I’ll explain later.’
‘It’s nothing like Greyfrith,’ Debbie noted. ‘Does Miranda even remember who I am?’
‘Oh, yes,’ the Doctor said.
‘She didn’t seem very chatty yesterday.’
The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. The drive home from Dinah’s had passed in silence – the Doctor so relieved to see his daughter alive that he hadn’t asked her why she seemed so upset. ‘She’s safe, that’s the important thing.’
‘And she’s in the fifth form?’ Debbie asked.
‘That’s right.’
‘Does Miranda remember anything about her home? Her real home?’ Even in the privacy of the Doctor’s kitchen, she couldn’t help but speak cryptically.
‘Her real home is here,’ the Doctor said firmly. ‘But, no: remember, she was only a month or two old when she came here. She doesn’t need to know. I want her to have a normal upbringing.’
‘She doesn’t know she’s an alien?’
‘She doesn’t need to know,’ the Doctor repeated.
‘OK. So I’ll be careful what I say. What have you told her?’
‘I’ve told her everything about me. Well, nearly everything. She knows I’m older than I look; she knows I don’t know who I am. She doesn’t know anything about time travel; I didn’t tell her anything Zevron told me.’
‘What have you told Miranda about her?’
The Doctor smiled over at her. ‘Well, you know she thinks her parents died in a car accident. That’s it, really. She knows she’s different. I’ve helped her come to terms with that, taught her some tricks – holding her breath for a long time, a bit of self-hypnosis.’
‘When are you going to tell her?’
He looked at her, puzzled.
‘You’ll have to,’ Debbie insisted. ‘She must be nearly old enough to know.’
‘The Dawkinses wanted her to have a normal life. We find Ferran, we stop him, then everything gets back to normal.’
The Doctor returned his attention to the coffee maker, the conversation over.
There was a creak on the stairs, and a moment later Miranda entered the kitchen.
‘Morning.’
Miranda had been quite a late developer, but she’d made up for it now. She had a fantastic figure (she’d been a keen swimmer, Debbie remembered), she’d got a loose perm. In her school blazer, with a big grin on her face, she reminded Debbie of the Doctor. She had the same confidence, the same slightly otherworldly air. And she clutched her lapels as he was wont to do when he was particularly pleased with himself.
‘Good morning, Mrs Castle.’
‘You can call me Debbie.’
‘You look well.’
A twinge of guilt... Her husband, the man she’d been married to, had been butchered, just a couple of days ago, but she felt better than she had in years. The last time Miranda had seen her, she’d been the dumpy, put-upon housewife. Now she was free. A horrible slogan on one of those posters in the sports centre came to mind: TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘You’re going to school today?’ the Doctor asked.
Miranda looked a little confused. ‘I didn’t realise it was optional.’
The Doctor nodded his head, clearly worried, but not saying anything. Surely not telling Miranda about Ferran would put her in more jeopardy? Debbie quickly suppressed the urge to tell Miranda everything – that there was an alien prince on her trail, out to assassinate