Part 5 (2/2)

As she watched, one of them, the one with long dark hair, suddenly threw back his head and laughed silently. She could imagine the sound, the humour and mirth and life in it. She could tell he was not from anywhere nearby. She could tell he had a life, interesting things to do, interesting people to meet and places to go.

The men pa.s.sed beneath the window, out of sight as they reached the door. Just their footprints were left, fading beneath the virgin snow that fell into them. She refocused on the gla.s.s in the window, on her reflection, and tried to smile. Her image did not smile back.

Drawing a deep breath, she turned and threw the pillow on to the bed, pummelling it into shape.

Despite himself, Professor Dobbs was enjoying the conversation. The Doctor showed a remarkable grasp of the latest discoveries and a keen interest in Dobbs's opinion of them. He also seemed exceptionally curious about Gaddis's fields of expertise.

'You pick up some resonance, some vibration or feeling from other people?' the Doctor asked as Gaddis explained about how he had felt no emotional feedback from Lord Urton.

They were approaching the Rectory and their feet were melting holes in the thin crisp of snow adhering to the gravel driveway.

'Nothing. And again, when Lady Urton joined us for dinner nothing.'

'Yet you discerned her emotions, her tension with her husband earlier, you said.' The Doctor nodded as he walked, head down. staring at the snow. 'How curious.'

'It's a rare gift,' Gaddis agreed. But Dobbs thought the Doctor had been referring to the emotional state of the Urtons.

'A question of tuning, I suspect,' the Doctor said. He looked up and smiled, his face caught in the moonlight as it reflected off the gathering snow. 'I think we are all aware of the emotions of others, tipped off by a million signals and receivers. Clues we have either forgotten or never knew how to interpret.'

'Oh?' Gaddis seemed unsure.

'And you are lucky enough to be tuned into this non*verbal communication.'

'There you are Gaddis,' Dobbs said with a snort of laughter. 'A scientific, rational explanation for this gift of yours.'

'An interesting theory, no more,' Gaddis replied with a sniff of disdain. 'I think there is more to it than that.'

At this the Doctor threw back his head and laughed. 'You're right of course,' he said through his sudden mirth. 'There is always more to it than that.' As abruptly, he was serious again. They were almost at the door now, and the Doctor turned to Gaddis. 'What do you get from me?' he asked, his voice a hush of mist in the cold night.

'From Lord Urton, I got nothing,' Gaddis said slowly. 'And later from lady Urton too.'

The Doctor nodded with an eagerness that contrasted with his slight frown.

'From you...' Gaddis paused, his eyes narrowing in concentration. 'From you, Doctor, I get too much.'

The door was opening, and the Reverend Matthew s...o...b..ld welcomed them into his house.

Both weary from a day's travel, Dobbs and Gaddis took their leave of s...o...b..ld and the Doctor almost immediately. s...o...b..ld helped them with their luggage and Betty showed them to the rooms she had prepared.

It was only as he returned downstairs that s...o...b..ld realised that they had taken all the luggage to Dobbs's and Gaddis's rooms. He found the Doctor in an armchair in the drawing room. He was leaning forward, chin resting on his cupped hand as he stared into the dying embers of the fire. s...o...b..ld raked through the cinders, sending up a shower of sparks, then added more coal.

'I could not help remarking,' he said as he took the armchair opposite the Doctor, 'that you seem to have no luggage.'

The Doctor did not move. His attention was still firmly fixed on the fire. 'Mmm,' he murmured. 'Just one small box. I prefer to travel light.'

They sat in silence for several moments, s...o...b..ld unsure quite what to say. It was the Doctor who broke the silence. 'Won't you introduce me to your charming daughter?' he asked.

Startled, s...o...b..ld turned, and found Betty standing in the doorway. He was not sure how long she had been there, but she was leaning against the door frame, watching him.

'I'm sorry, Betty. I was just...' His voice tailed off. He was not altogether sure what he had been doing. He stood, and went to his daughter. Behind him the Doctor was also getting to his feet. 'This is the Doctor.'

Betty nodded. She was smiling, a genuine smile, not just a formality born of politeness. 'Doctor,' she acknowledged.

He gave a short bow. His mouth twitched into what might have been a smile. 'I'm afraid,' he said gravely, 'that I haven't brought you a present.'

She laughed. s...o...b..ld loved his daughter's laugh. He had forgotten how much until he heard it again above the crackle of the fire. And he found that he was laughing too.

'That's quite all right, Doctor,' Betty said. 'It's the thought that counts.'

'I know, I know,' the Doctor a.s.sured her. 'And thoughts are so much more difficult than gifts.'

'Gifts, of course.' s...o...b..ld exclaimed. 'I'm so sorry, my dear. I have something for you' He went out to the hall in search of his coat. 'I had forgotten.'

'But, father, you've already '

'Oh, not from me.' He rummaged through his pockets, coming at last upon the pendant. 'It's from Mr Nepath.' He examined the figure on its chain as he came back into the drawing room. 'Though whether you will appreciate it...' he began dubiously.

Betty was already lifting the ornament from his hand, holding it up to twirl in the firelight. 'It's beautiful,' she said. The light reflected off the surfaces of the silver, glittering in her eyes. 'Such detail...' Carefully, she lifted the thin chain and hung it around her neck, continuing to look down at the small figure resting on her blouse.

'It's some Indian G.o.d,' s...o...b..ld explained. 'Their G.o.d of fire, apparently.'

'Agni,' the Doctor said from across the room. The name sounded harsh and ugly when he said it. Betty let go of the figure.

'Thank you,' she said.

'Well, as I say, it's from Nepath,' s...o...b..ld reminded her. 'But happy birthday.'

'It's lovely.' She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. 'Thank you for everything, father.' Then she turned and walked quickly from the room. 'See you in the morning,' her voice floated back to them, followed by the sound of her footsteps on the stairs.

When he turned back, s...o...b..ld saw that the Doctor was once again in the armchair. He held a small box, a plain black cube about two inches along each side. He was turning it over in his hands, as if looking for a way to open it. After a few seconds he tossed it into the air, caught it, and stuffed it into his jacket pocket.

'Are you not tired, Doctor? After your travel?'

'Oh, I'm used to travel,' the Doctor said. 'It's sitting still doing nothing that tires me.' He turned to face s...o...b..ld, and their eyes met. 'Are you you tired?' tired?'

And suddenly s...o...b..ld found that he was not. He was wide awake and alert. Curious, even. 'Can I offer you a small gla.s.s of sherry, perhaps?' he asked.

The smile spread slowly across the Doctor's entire face, as if thawing it out after a hard winter. 'I'd like that,' he said. 'Yes, I'd like that very much.'

They sat in silence for many minutes. s...o...b..ld watched the Doctor. The Doctor watched the fire. Occasionally, the Doctor raised his sherry gla.s.s and took a sip. The firelight, captured in the facets of the crystal, threw patterns dancing across his face.

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