Part 17 (2/2)

With a sudden, almost violent motion, Nepath crushed the paper back into a ball. His face scrunched with the effort and emotion as he squeezed it tight. Then he hurled it into the flames.

At once the fire roared up. It seemed to leap on the ball of paper, to flow into and through it. The edges uncurled again slightly, blackening under the onslaught. A thin line of charred paper detached itself from the edge and twisted and turned its way upwards, carried on a rising current of hot air before disintegrating. The paper continued to blacken and unfurl until the fire devoured it.

Chapter Fifteen.

Torchlight They had adjourned to the study by the time they heard the door. Neither the Doctor nor s...o...b..ld was hungry, and neither mentioned the possibility of supper. It was getting on for midnight and the rain was dearly audible, blowing against the study windows.

s...o...b..ld looked up at the sound of the front door opening. The Doctor was already alert, listening. He too had heard it. They exchanged glances as the sound of the door being quietly closed reached them through the night*still of the Rectory.

'Expecting callers?' the Doctor asked quietly.

s...o...b..ld shook his head and went out into the hall. His whole body felt taut and alert, worried at who or what he might find. He relaxed immediately and let out a long sigh. 'Betty where have you been?' He started down the hallway towards her. 'You must be freezing without your coat. And wet through.'

The Doctor caught s...o...b..ld's arm, holding him back. 'I don't think so.'

'What?' He looked from Betty's neutral expression to the Doctor's grim face. 'What do you mean?' He shook his arm free.

'I don't think she felt the cold.' He raised his voice. 'Did you? And you don't seem to have got too wet.'

Now that he looked, her clothes and skin did seem remarkably dry. Yet he was sure it was pouring with rain outside.

'I avoided the rain,' she said.

'But where have you been?' s...o...b..ld shook his head as she approached. 'I thought you were asleep.'

'Had a nice walk?' the Doctor asked. His voice was level, hard.

'Thank you,' she said. 'It's lovely.'

'Is it really.' It wasn't a question.

'Oh, come now, Doctor,' s...o...b..ld retorted. He had no idea what was up with the man. 'She must be exhausted. And freezing. Come into the warm.' He led his daughter into the drawing room. The Doctor followed them, keeping his distance.

s...o...b..ld led Betty over to the chair nearest the dying fire. Once he had sat her in it, he took the poker and coaxed some life into the glowing coals. Flames licked out and the room immediately seemed warmer. When he turned back to check on Betty, he saw that the Doctor had sat himself in the chair opposite and was watching her closely.

'You know,' he said, and s...o...b..ld knew at once he was speaking to him and not to Betty, 'something's been bothering me.'

'Just one thing, Doctor?' He tried to make light of it as he stood in front of the fire.

'How did Lady Urton know that the Professor and I were inside the Grange that night?'

'She heard you,' s...o...b..ld said. 'Lord Urton too, from what you said.'

The Doctor was shaking his head. He wagged a finger in admonishment. 'I don't think so. No,' he decided. 'I think someone told them we were coming. Someone who saw us leave the Rectory, and either ran on ahead, or arrived soon after us.' He leaned forwards, staring intently at Betty's face. Or at her neck.

Her hand went instinctively to the pendant, and s...o...b..ld fancied for a moment that he could see it glowing behind her hand. A trick of the light, he decided. A reflection from the fire.

'Or perhaps,' the Doctor was saying, 'she has some way of communicating from a distance. Firelight telegraph system.'

'What are you talking about?' s...o...b..ld demanded. He was getting enough of the gist to be angry.

'Smoke signals perhaps?' the Doctor asked wryly.

'Doctor,' s...o...b..ld said with enforced patience, 'I think we deserve an explanation for these ramblings. What exactly are you suggesting?'

'I am suggesting that there is a very good reason why we have had no reply to my telegram.'

That surprised s...o...b..ld. 'What has that to do with Betty?'

The Doctor's voice was a charged whisper. 'Everything' He leaped to his feet and thrust out his hand, close to Betty's head. s...o...b..ld flinched. Betty did not move, she sat rock still as if not noticing.

'May I have the receipt?' the Doctor asked.

She did move now. Her head tilted and she looked up at him. 'Receipt?' A flash of puzzlement crossed her face, then was gone.

'The receipt for the telegram.'

'I...' She frowned and looked away, as if trying to remember. 'I lost it.' Her voice seemed to come from a long way away.

'What is this, Doctor?' s...o...b..ld asked. He was surprised at how quiet and calm his own voice was. But even as he asked he knew the answer.

The Doctor shook his head and dropped back into his chair. 'I don't think you ever had a receipt, Betty,' he said. 'Because I don't think you ever sent the telegram.' His voice was quiet, almost a murmur, a contrast to his sudden shout of anger: 'Did you!' He was on his feet again, his movement punctuating, emphasising the words.

This time she did flinch. Her whole body convulsed at his thunder*crack voice. She blinked.

'Enough!' s...o...b..ld shouted back. He struggled to control his voice. He caught the Doctor's elbow and drew him away, towards the door. 'Can't you see you're frightening her, Doctor?'

The Doctor stared at s...o...b..ld, the amazement apparent in his eyes. 'You don't see it, do you?' he asked in a husky voice. 'You really don't.'

'See what?' s...o...b..ld asked in a hushed whisper. 'You can tell she hasn't been herself lately, Doctor. Please have some respect for her feelings.'

He laughed at that, an explosion of mirthless noise. 'Feelings?' The Doctor stepped to one side of s...o...b..ld and pointed back across the room, at the figure of the girl sitting absolutely still in front of the fire. 'It was you who chided me for my lack of feeling, you will recall. It was you who was so keen to mourn the people they have killed it it has killed.' has killed.'

'Not in here,' s...o...b..ld hissed. 'I have no idea what you are talking about,' he said angrily, 'but I will not discuss this in front of my daughter, do you hear?'

The Doctor nodded. Anger and contempt mixed in his voice. 'Oh yes, I hear.' He turned and strode from the room.

s...o...b..ld watched him go, heard the sound of the front door, and looked back at his daughter. For a moment they were both still. Then she turned her head, and looked back at him.

And he could see nothing in her expression. Nothing at all.

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