Part 5 (1/2)

The large man seemed to come to a decision. He reached inside his jacket and pulled something from round his neck. It gleamed in the firelight as he drew it over his head. A metal chain, silver perhaps, s...o...b..ld thought. And attached to it was a small figure, also silver. Nepath leaned forward and held out the necklace. The Doctor reached across and took it. He held it up so that everyone could see it as he examined the small figure.

'A good luck charm?'

'I suppose so. It has certain sentimental values.'

The Doctor hefted it experimentally. 'Heavy. Silver?'

Nepath nodded, watching as the Doctor handed the figure and the chain to s...o...b..ld. It was a male figure, naked with a large belly overhanging thin legs, about an inch and a half tall. The face was round, the features intricately cast in the heavy metal. On its head the figure wore a head*dress, like a crown, but made of fire. The chain was threaded through a hole in the centre of tallest tongue of flame. The figure was certainly not attractive, but there was something intriguing about it, a quality that drew the eye, inspired the curiosity. Almost reluctantly, s...o...b..ld pa.s.sed it to Lord Urton.

Urton took the figure and pa.s.sed it straight on to his wife. She too did not even look at it, but handed it directly to Gaddis.

'I obtained it in southern India,' Nepath said, watching Gaddis's interest keenly. 'It is a representation of the G.o.d Agni.'

'G.o.d of fire,' the Doctor said.

Nepath's attention snapped towards him. 'You are are well informed.' well informed.'

'As I said, I have travelled.' The Doctor leaned forward so as to point out features to Gaddis, who held the figure dangling from the chain so that all could see it. 'His belly is full because fire consumes everything. Note the flames on the head*dress. They a.s.sumed there was an essentially human form for the G.o.ds of the elements. Anthropomorphism in their deities.'

Nepath too was watching the small figure as it spun slightly on the chain, reflecting the light from its polished surfaces. 'Wherever there is fire, Agni is born,' he said. There was a note of reverence in his voice unmistakable to s...o...b..ld. Because he is present in every home, he can hear all secrets,' Nepath went on.

Dobbs took the necklace from Gaddis and returned it to Nepath. 'Superst.i.tious mumbo*jumbo,' he said. 'Though I dare say the silversmiths make a profit from it.'

s...o...b..ld could see from Nepath's expression that the man was not amused. 'In your scientific scientific opinion,' Nepath said shortly. opinion,' Nepath said shortly.

Dobbs nodded dumbly, apparently taken aback by the strength of Nepath's retort. s...o...b..ld quickly intervened. 'I do apologise,' he said to Lord Urton, 'but I shall shortly have to take my leave.' He folded his napkin and placed it beside his empty plate. He smiled round at the others. 'It is my daughter's seventeenth birthday today. I promised I would return and bid her good night. She does not like to be kept up late.'

In response, the Doctor pulled a watch from his waistcoat pocket and consulted it. 'Indeed,' he agreed, nodding his head emphatically. s...o...b..ld could see the face of the watch clearly the white background, the Roman numerals. But it had no hands. 'How the time goes,' the Doctor added as he returned it to his pocket and for a moment his eyes met s...o...b..ld's. Then he folded his napkin, set it down exactly as s...o...b..ld had, and stood up. He gently pulled on the back of s...o...b..ld's chair encouraging him to stand. 'We must be on our way,' he said to the a.s.sembled diners.

s...o...b..ld turned as he rose, the question obvious on his face.

The Doctor frowned in response. When he spoke, his voice was an impossibly quiet whisper. s...o...b..ld seemed to hear it inside his head rather than through the air. 'I am sorry,' the Doctor murmured. 'I understood that Lord Urton had agreed with you that I should lodge at the Rectory.'

And, because it seemed such a reasonable request, because it seemed merely to confirm how Urton's manners and humour had deserted him, because he did not wish to embarra.s.s the Doctor or Lord Urton or the others, s...o...b..ld said: 'Of course, Doctor. We must be on our way. Betty will be wondering where we have got to.'

Everyone else rose to their feet to bid their farewells. Lord and Lady Urton were reserved and clinical in their demeanour as throughout the meal. Both Dobbs and Gaddis seemed genuinely friendly. Nepath was polite, but beneath his smile was a hard edge, a suppressed anger. It was only as they finished shaking hands and made their way to the door that it occurred to s...o...b..ld that they had all a.s.sumed that the Doctor was his guest, that they were together. Yet Nepath had asked the Doctor his name. And neither Lord nor Lady Urton had made any allusion to seeing the Doctor again soon, or given an indication that they had met before.

The realisation caused s...o...b..ld to pause just inside the dining room door. Mrs Webber was standing in the doorway, ready to see them out. He turned back to face the Doctor. The Doctor had also paused, his head c.o.c.ked slightly to one side as his eyes again met s...o...b..ld's. As if s...o...b..ld had given him the idea he turned back towards the table.

'I understand that Professor Dobbs and Mr Gaddis must also find accommodation.' As they nodded their agreement, the Doctor turned back to s...o...b..ld. 'Perhaps they would be glad of a lift?' But there was more in his meaning than in his words.

s...o...b..ld cleared his throat. 'Of course,' he said. 'They are welcome to join us at the Rectory, if they do not mind being a little cramped. It is not,' he said pointedly, 'a large house. But what room we have is of course at the disposal of our friends.'

Dobbs and Gaddis exchanged glances. Dobbs murmured a few words which s...o...b..ld did not catch, and then both men rose to their feet.

'You are too kind, sir,' Dobbs said. He looked from Lord Urton to Nepath, his feelings apparent. 'Extremely hospitable.'

Nepath seemed to grow larger at the implication. He drew himself upright and turned to face s...o...b..ld. For a moment, for a split second, something in his att.i.tude made s...o...b..ld shudder. But then Nepath's face split into a smile. 'I feel awkward, I confess, at having been the instigator, however unwittingly and unwillingly, of these gentlemen's situation.' He was holding the tiny figure of Agni in his hand, extending that hand towards s...o...b..ld as he approached. 'Your daughter's birthday, you say?'

s...o...b..ld nodded. He made to speak, but his throat felt hot, constricted and no sounds came out. He found himself taking the necklace from Nepath.

'Give her this,' Nepath said. 'With my... blessing. A gift. Recompense in some small manner for your enforced hospitality.'

'Thank you,' he stammered. 'But surely... Great sentimental value, you said...'

Nepath dismissed the objection with a wave of his hand. 'My collection of such trinkets is enormous,' he purred. 'I can spare you a little good luck, I think.' He reached out and put his hand under s...o...b..ld's, folding s...o...b..ld's fingers round the pendant.

s...o...b..ld was aware of Gaddis and Dobbs now standing beside him at the door. The Doctor was waiting in the corridor outside with Mrs Webber. s...o...b..ld looked down at his closed fist, and drew a deep breath. Then he pushed the necklace into his pocket, nodded to Nepath, and hastened from the room. Behind him he could hear a log s.h.i.+fting in the grate the sudden flurry of disintegrating wood and the hiss of rising sparks.

Chapter Six.

By the Light of the Fire A light sprinkling of snow misted the late evening sky. Dobbs and s...o...b..ld watched as the Doctor and Gaddis hefted the luggage on to s...o...b..ld's cart. Once loaded, there was little room for anyone but s...o...b..ld himself.

'Don't worry,' the Doctor a.s.sured him. 'The walk will do us good.' He seemed to know the way to the Rectory.

'I'll ask Betty to make up rooms for you. They should be ready by the time you and your colleagues arrive,' s...o...b..ld said as he took the reins.

'Colleagues?' The Doctor frowned. Then his face cleared. 'Of course, yes,' he said.

A thought occurred to s...o...b..ld, as he encouraged the horse to start moving. 'Don't you have a coat?' he asked. The man was standing there in only his jacket, snow scratching at its surface and evaporating.

'I did have one, once,' the Doctor said. 'And a hat. But they weren't really my style. So I picked this up instead.' He gestured down at the bottle*green velvet. 'It seems much more me. somehow.' He turned back to Dobbs and Gaddis.

It took s...o...b..ld only a few minutes to get back home. The snow was beginning to settle on the driveway as he stabled the horse and called for Betty to help him with the bags. He could have left them until the others arrived, but that was less than hospitable.

Betty stood in the doorway and watched as he reached down the last of the luggage. 'I take it,' she said, 'that these are not birthday gifts from Lord and Lady Urton.'

'You take it correctly, my dear.' He caught his breath in the cold air and went to kiss her. He could feel her stiffen as she awaited an explanation. 'We have guests,' he said. 'I'm sorry.'

'How many?'

'Three. Betty, darling, there was nothing I could do. They need somewhere to stay.'

She regarded him for a moment in the moonlight. A flake of snow landed on his shoulder and she brushed it off. She sighed. 'Of course not,' she said. 'It's a cold night.' She smiled weakly. 'I'll make up beds. I think we have enough sheets.'

'Thank you.' He collected the first of the luggage and struggled with it into the house. 'I don't know what I'd do without you.'

She was already disappearing upstairs. 'Nor do I,' he heard her say. 'But maybe one day we shall find out.'

He smiled as he returned for the rest of the cases. It did not occur to him that she might not be joking.

The snow was deep enough now for them to leave footprints. She could see the faint trail of dark blotches behind the three men as they approached the Rectory. She stood at the window of a small bedroom, shaking a pillow into its case. The pale light within the room reflected her image back at her white face framed by dark hair. She could only make out the vague shape of herself as she focused through the gla.s.s on the approaching men.