Doctor Who_ The Taint - Michael Collier [28]
He forced himself to concentrate on the Doctor's voice. 'Yeah... No, her staying over's not a problem, really... No, look, I'll take her with me on my way to work, eight-thirty... Look, honestly, it's not a problem... All right, then.
Bye.'
He rubbed his eyes, breathed deeply, leaned against the filthy glass of the phone box. Then a saintly vision of Sam in her bra and pants took shape in his head.
No. Sam's staying over, at least, wasn't a problem...
***
'Muggers, you say?' asked Roley, concerned.
'Ruffians. Thieves. Cowards. Poor Sam. 'The Doctor sighed, heavily.
'Oh... Well...' said Roley, trying to think of something to say. 'Uninterrupted sleep's probably the best medicine,' he concluded. The Doctor said nothing, still deep in thought. 'Speaking of which...' Roley added, heavily, glancing at a grandfather clock.
The Doctor smiled sweetly. 'Please, don't let me detain you.'
'You won't be needing to look at Mrs Kreiner's file now, after all, will you, Doctor?'
'I suppose not,' the Doctor concurred.
'Ah, and here's Cynthia, to light you to bed.'
Roley watched the Doctor trudge up the stairs after the maid. Then he headed for his office.
He'd lock the door. Just in case.
***
Maria wrestled with the bolts on the Restraint Room door. Wretched Doctor, making her feel her care for these people was inadequate. They were the inadequates. No good looking to Charles for support - he'd just stammered a bit before following the Doctor downstairs.
The bolts slid away. She'd barely opened the door before she was stifling a gasp.
Austen lay twitching on the floor. The amount of paraldehyde he'd taken should've left him out cold till the morning. What was going on?
His eyes snapped open and he looked at her, pleadingly.
Suddenly scared and not understanding quite why, Maria turned and left, slamming the door and bolting it shut behind her.
She moved along the corridor and into the west wing. She could call in on Charles, tell him. Talk to him. They never talked as much as she wanted them to, but with this latest breakthrough... well, he'd seemed so elated.
This could be the turning point for the two of them.
She checked her appearance in a large framed mirror, tried to spruce up her hair. But Austen's eyes haunted her memory, his face taking her attention from her own image in the glass. She shut her eyes and cursed him. Then, composing herself, she continued down towards Charles's bedroom.
She found herself trembling as she reached out to the door.
'Don't be so foolish, woman,' she chided herself. 'You're his friend. He'll be delighted to see
you.'
She looked down again at her dress, wishing it were less crumpled. It was late. Perhaps she should've got undressed for bed first, come down in her robe. That might distract him. Lord knew, he was always so tense, so pent up. If only he'd let her, she could do so much for him. Anything he wanted, she thought, blushing.
Her hand clenched into a fist ready to knock on the door. She breathed deeply, summoning her courage.
She knocked, hesitantly - then heard his footsteps coming up the stairs. He wasn't even in his room. She felt her blush deepening; she couldn't see him like this.
Maria ran like a mad thing away from Roley's door before he could spot her. She spent most of the night awake and listless.
***
The Doctor waited two hours before making his move, slipping silently through the shadows of the house. Just as he crossed the hall, a clock bonged noisily, and he shushed it indignantly before moving on.
Roley's office door was locked, but it didn't stay that way for long. Placing the hairpin back in his pocket, the Doctor slowly opened the door. The creaking