Doctor Who_ Peacemaker - James Swallow [0]
In the town of redwater, the Doctor and Martha learn of a snake-oil salesman whose patent medicines actually cure his patients. But when the Doctor and Martha investigate they discover the truth is stranger, and far more dangerous.
Caught between the law of the gun and the deadly plans of intergalactic mercenaries, the Doctor are about to discover just how wild the West can become. . .
Featuring the Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit series from BBC television.
Peacemaker
BY JAMES SWALLOW
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Published in 2007 by BBC Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing. Ebury Publishing is a division of the Random House Group Ltd.
© James Swallow, 2007
James Swallow has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.
Doctor Who is a BBC Wales production for BBC One Executive Producers: Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner Series Producer: Phil Collinson
Original series broadcast on BBC Television. Format © BBC 1963.
‘Doctor Who’, ‘TARDIS’ and the Doctor Who logo are trademarks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
The Random House Group Ltd Reg. No. 954009.
Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at www.randomhouse.co.uk.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978 I 84607 349 6
Series Consultant: Justin Richards
Project Editor: Steve Tribe
Cover design by Lee Binding © BBC 2007
Typeset in Albertina and Deviant Strain
Printed and bound in Germany by GGP Media GmbH
For Colin Ravey
Contents
Prologue
1
One
7
Two
15
Three
23
Four
31
Five
39
Six
45
Seven
55
Eight
61
Nine
67
Ten
71
Eleven
79
Twelve
87
Thirteen
95
Fourteen
105
Fifteen
113
Sixteen
121
Seventeen
127
Eighteen
137
Nineteen
145
Twenty
155
Twenty-One
161
Acknowledgements
167
The sun rising over the top of the distant mountains made them shine like polished copper, and Matthew Belfield held up a hand to shield his eyes from the glow. He felt a grin tugging at the corners of his lips and let it come. Was this going to be a good day? He wanted very much for it to be so. Things had turned so hard and sorrowful over the past few months, but finally, after everything that had happened, after all the trials he and his wife had faced, Matthew was daring to hope that their lives were taking a turn for the better.
He blew out a breath, resting a moment across the top of the fence post he’d been fixing since the predawn light. He stood there in the valley and listened to the quiet of the place.
It was the quiet that had made him pick this parcel of land to build their homestead on. Matthew remembered it clearly, climbing off his horse and wandering out across the plain for the first time, just walking. Just listening. It was like. . . Well, it was like he could hear the breathing of the earth itself, the gentle noise of the wind through the grasses. It was then he knew he was going to spend the rest of his life in this valley, carving a future out of the rough lands of the West.
He turned slightly and looked back at the house. Celeste moved past one of the windows, not seeing him, a water jug in her hands.
She’d be making a draught of tea for them both once the stove was stoked, and then maybe some breakfast. Matthew was pleased to see his wife on her feet again, walking around and laughing like she used to. It was almost as if the sickness had never