Doctor Who_ Nightshade - Mark Gatiss [31]
barman shortly pushed his way through the crowd, holding
‘But not this year?’ asked Trevithick, eyebrows raised over two pint glasses in his crooked hands.
the rim of his glass.
‘I had no idea we had a celebrity in the village,’ said
‘Two missing persons,’ said Lowcock gravely. ‘Old bloke Lowcock, after paying the barman.
called Prudhoe been gone since yesterday afternoon and
‘Oh, hardly that, George. It was quite a while ago.’
now Dr Shearsmith. His cleaning woman says he’s vanished Lowcock beamed at him. ‘Aye, but we all loved it. We’d into thin air.’
never go out when you were on. How’d you end up in
‘Yes, young Robin called to see him. Found the place Crook Marsham?’
empty and the door wide open, so he tells me.’
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‘Really?’ Lowcock scratched his whiskers thoughtfully.
The Doctor was enjoying a simple meal of soup, bread
‘And now the phones are out of order as well,’ said and cheese in the Abbot’s panelled study. Winstanley had Trevithick in the most mysterious voice he could muster.
made him extremely welcome, showing him around the The one he’d used to great effect when he presented Tales of well-preserved Norman cloisters and up the spindly black Terror for the BBC Light Programme.
tower. The Doctor had been introduced to about ten of the
‘Yours too, eh? We’ve been trying to get the GPO in but...’
monks, although he would have had difficulty telling them
‘The phones aren’t working,’ laughed Trevithick. ‘Mmm, apart, so blandly unperturbed were their expressions. This, makes you realise how dependent we all are on our mod again, was in stark contrast to the Abbot, whose troubled cons.’
eyes continued to undermine his determinedly cheery They both jumped as a high-pitched scream rang out countenance.
across the bar. The Christmas merriment froze like black ice.
Now the Doctor had been invited to a little late tea and Lowcock was on his feet in an instant and Trevithick had just finished the last of the soup when Winstanley came hobbled after him as he mounted the stairs.
in.
They crossed the landing and threw open the bedroom
‘All done? Good. Excellent.’
door. Betty lay on the bed, struggling against the restraining
‘Delicious,’ mumbled the Doctor, his mouth still stuffed arms of Lawrence and Robin.
with bread.
Jill stood by the bed, a fearful look in her eye.
‘I made the soup myself. Brother Jeremy made the bread.
‘Send him away!’ wailed Betty, painful sobs breaking up It’s rather fine, isn’t it?’ Winstanley moved over towards the her voice. ‘Send him away!’
blazing fire and warmed his backside. ‘Chilly places, I’m Robin managed to force her back on to the pillow and afraid.’
pressed a cold flannel to her forehead.
‘I don’t suppose they were built for comfort,’ said the
‘What’s the matter, Lol?’ said Lowcock, furrowing his Doctor, settling into a studded leather chair. Winstanley brow. Lawrence drew Lowcock to one side but Trevithick poured two glasses of ruby port. The room glowed around managed to overhear his desperate, unbelieving whisper.
them, a miasma of dancing shadows and reflected flame
‘It’s her brother.’
underscored by the reassuring tock of the Abbot’s long-case
‘Patrick?’
clock.
‘No, Alf.’
The Doctor could see pictures in the fire. Shifting faces
‘Alf?’
and events from long, long ago. Hadn’t he once sat like this
‘Yes. She says... she says she’s seen him again. She says with... Who was it? Victoria. Of course, Victoria. Outside the he’s come back for her.’
Cybertombs on Telos. Talking about his family. Sleeping in Trevithick frowned and looked down at Betty Yeadon, his memory. Sleeping...
flailing and thrashing on the bed.
‘Penny for them?’ said the Abbot cheerfully.
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The Doctor looked up, smiled. ‘Hmm? Oh, just thoughts.
our way of life. We could go over there tomorrow, if you Just thoughts.’
like?’
It was Winstanley’s turn to look into the fire. ‘You know, The Doctor considered