Doctor Who_ Grave Matter Part 6

Liz was wiping down the tables and trying not to make it obvious she was watching Madsen. Peri had seen her trying to catch his eye several times, as if she wanted to speak to him.

The rest of them - the Doctor and Peri, Madsen and Trefoil - were seated round one of the tables. Madsen was drinking whisky, turning the gla.s.s slowly round and round, so that the chunks of ice floating inside clinked against the side. Trefoil had a gla.s.s of water. The Doctor was sitting with an almost untouched pint of Fisherman's Ruin, and Peri had coffee. It was strong and dark with the consistency of syrup.

'Since his father died last year,' Trefoil went on, 'Christopher Sheldon's returned. The prodigal he was. Off to London to study at first. Due back in a few years. Then he stopped coming home for the holidays. Pretty soon he stopped coming home at all. They say he was seduced by the bright lights and the money.' Trefoil grinned. 'Bright lights, maybe.

He had money already as we now know.'

'Why's it called Sheldon's Folly?' Peri wanted to know.

'Name of the house,' Trefoil said. 'Big house it is. We call the island Sheldon's Folly now too. Doesn't have any other name, far as I know.'

'And the house?' Madsen asked. Peri had not realised that some of this might be new to him too.

'Sheldon's Folly.' Trefoil said, nodding: 'A sort of joke, it is. Built by Christopher Sheldon's great-great-great-grandfather.' He paused to tap out the 'greats' on his fingers, checking he had it right. 'He never finished it. Spent the family fortune. There are still bits that are just abandoned.

Rooms without ceilings or roofs, open to the air.'

'So,' the Doctor said, 'folly as in mistake and folly as in unconventional building.'

'You have it exactly.'

'And folly as in helicopter?' the Doctor suggested.

Trefoil laughed, banging his gla.s.s on the table. Water sloshed over the side. 'That too. But we have to allow him his little eccentricities.'

'Oh?'

Trefoil shrugged. 'He still works in London, I understand.

Some sort of government scientist. I asked Sir Edward if he knew what Sheldon does, but he was a bit vague. Don't think they know each other. Anyway, Sheldon needs to travel back and forth and the boats are slow and unreliable.'

'And you let him get away with it?' Peri asked.

'Let him?' Trefoil considered. 'Not sure it's my place to stop him.' He swung round in his chair, waving a hand ma.s.sively in an arc through the air. 'He owns this pub.'

'Really?' the Doctor said.

'And the village. And the islands.' Trefoil wiped at the damp table with the back of his hand. 'Owns the whole blooming lot.' Then he suddenly downed the drink in one.

'Good thing too,' he said. Then he pushed back his chair and stood up. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I must help Liz lock up.

Then I'll show you two to your rooms.' He nodded to Madsen.

'You see yourself out?' he asked.

Madsen finished his whisky while the Doctor toyed with his pint and Peri stared at the remains of her coffee. 'What he didn't say,' Madsen explained as he put his coat on, 'is that Sheldon's only owned the islands for about six months.'

'Oh?' The Doctor was interested. He c.o.c.ked his head to one side. 'Who owned them before that?'

'The islanders. Some sort of trust as far as I understand it.'

'What happened?' Peri asked.

'Went bust. Legs up. Just ran out of money. The trustees had to sell out.'

'To Sheldon,' the Doctor concluded.

Madsen laughed. 'Oh no, not to Sheldon. Not at first. No, the only buyer they could find was a property developer. They agreed to keep the village more or less intact - most of it is listed, after all. But they wanted to turn the whole of this island into a theme park. Rare animal breeds mixed in with roller coasters and luxury hotels. Couple of golf courses on the other islands. Even a small airport.'

'Hmm. I take it,' the Doctor said slowly, 'that the islanders weren't terribly enthralled by the idea.'

'Too right. They had protest meetings, letters to Parliament, slots on the local news. Not that they saw it, of course. Then Sheldon stepped in. n.o.body knew he had any money, they sort of a.s.sumed he was broke because of Sheldon's Folly, I think.'

'And he trumped the developers?' the Doctor asked.

Madsen nodded. 'Big time, as I heard it. Bought them off, then bought up the islands lock, stock and barrel. They were a bit apprehensive here at first, but he just told them to get on with it and pretend nothing had ever happened.'

Peri stood up as Madsen made to leave. They all shook hands, and the young doctor turned to go.

'That's a wonderful story,' Peri said to Madsen. 'So nothing's really changed?'

Madsen was facing away from her. He stopped in mid-stride, but did not turn back. 'That's right,' he said, his voice suddenly sounding tired and breaking slightly as he spoke.

'Nothing's changed at all.' He left without looking back.

Chapter Five.

Herd Instinct Liz Trefoil showed the Doctor and Peri to rooms opposite each other at the top of the stairs.

'Not much call for bed and breakfast, I suppose,' the Doctor joked, and she smiled back.

'Breakfast when you want it,' she said. 'Dad'll be up at seven to get things sorted in the cellar. I'm usually not far behind him.'

'Seven?' Peri said. 'I don't think we'll worry you that early.'

'We'll see you in the morning,' the Doctor a.s.sured Liz and let himself into his room.

Peri opened the door to her room and went in. There was a single bed made up, and a towel lying across it. She turned to shut the door behind her, but there was someone in the doorway. She gave a stifled shriek, only realising as he stepped into the room that it was the Doctor.

'Don't do that,' she hissed. 'I nearly died.'

'Sorry. You a bit jumpy?'

'I'm a bit tired,' she said. 'What is it?'

'Just saying good night,' the Doctor said. 'What do you think?' he asked her seriously.

'About saying good night?'

'About this place.'

Peri shrugged. 'Seems nice enough. Everyone's very friendly.' As she said it, the light caught the Doctor's eyes and she recalled the young man with his piercing blue eyes who had watched her. The dead fisherman's brother - Mike Neville. 'Almost everyone,' she corrected herself. 'What do you you think?' think?'

'Oh, I think you're right,' the Doctor said. But he did not sound entirely sure. 'It's just...' he added.

'Just? Just what?'

'I'm not certain. There's something. Madsen's not telling the whole truth for some reason. There must be a reason for that.' He smiled suddenly. 'Probably nothing important. Let's get some sleep, then have a look round in the morning. With luck we can find our way back to the TARDIS in time for lunch and a quick trip round the White Hole of Stelabffis.' He stared off into a corner of the room as he spoke, as if imagining the sights and wonders of the Universe.

'Great,' Peri said. 'But right now I want a quick trip to the land of nod.'

'Mmm?' the Doctor asked, jolted back to the present time and place.

'Good night,' Peri said firmly.

'Mmm,' the Doctor agreed. He closed the door gently behind him A shaft of sunlight streaming through the thin curtains woke Peri next morning. She lay still for a while, enjoying the complete lack of traffic sound. The only noise that disturbed her was the discordant crying of the seagulls outside her window. When she eventually twisted her head to see the small alarm clock on the cabinet by the bed, she was amazed to see that it was after eight o'clock.

There was a sink in the corner of the room, and she had been pleased to find the night before that there was plenty of hot water. As she washed, she wondered vaguely if there was anywhere on the island she could get a toothbrush. Perhaps there was a village shop of some sort. A post office?

Something to hunt down this morning.

She made her way downstairs, realising as she went that she was already a.s.suming they would be staying for at least another night. Well, she had to admit, she had stayed in worse places. Recently too. The smell of bacon did nothing to dampen her enthusiasm.

The Doctor was in the kitchen. He was wearing a white ap.r.o.n which barely covered his ample form. He was frying bacon over a gas ring.

'Good morning,' he said cheerily. 'Some mod cons at least.'

'That smells terrific,' Peri said, seating herself at the kitchen table. 'Where are our hosts?'

'Trefoil is sorting out his cellar, and Liz went to the farm for milk. I gather there isn't a Mrs Trefoil.' He shuffled the bacon round the pan with a wooden spatula, letting it hiss and spit in the fat. 'The bread's good,' he said without looking up.

'Home made from local flour, of course.'

It was hard to believe that the bright sunny street was the same place as the foggy village of the day before. The Doctor had called down to Trefoil that they were going out for a walk and not to worry about them. 'In case we decide to leave,' he confided to Peri.

'I like it here,' she told him. 'I'm happy to spend a day or two.'

They decided to start with the church. From there they could continue on towards Heather Hill Farm, and then to the TARDIS. Or they could return to the pub for lunch depending on how they felt. The Doctor had hinted that he wanted a quick peep at Cove Cottage where Sir Edward Baddesley was living too, and that was apparently up behind the church somewhere.

They were nearing the top of the street when a door opened. It was like deja-vu, Peri thought. She was sure it was the same door that had opened as they approached the previous day. And the same shrivelled old lady stepped out.

But this time she was not watching for a funeral procession. She was looking for the Doctor and Peri. She showed no sign of surprise that there were two strangers almost on her doorstep. Peri could believe she had been waiting behind the door, peering out from behind the net curtains in the front window of the small house, timing her exit to coincide with their arrival.

'You're the strangers,' she said. Her voice was high-pitched and cracked with age. She nodded her grey head with something approaching vigour.

'Indeed we are,' the Doctor agreed enthusiastically. 'None stranger,' he added with a smile.

She cackled a dry laugh in return. 'I'm Mrs Tattleshall,'

she said. 'Perhaps someone has mentioned...?'

'No.' Peri said, 'I don't think -'

'Of course,' the Doctor interrupted as the old lady frowned with disappointment. 'You remember, Peri. This is Mrs Tattleshall.' He gripped her hand and, to Peri's surprise and Mrs Tattleshall's evident delight, raised the back of it to his lips and brushed a kiss against it. 'Mrs Tattleshall, we have heard so much about you. It is indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance at long last.'

They stood in silence for a few moments. The Doctor still holding the withered hand and the old lady gazing fondly at him as he smiled.

'I'm Peri,' Peri said. She was tempted to add: 'and I feel sick,' but she was not sure it would be appreciated.

'And I'm the Doctor.' He shook her hand now, and then at last let go of it. 'And we really are very pleased to meet you.'

'Saw you yesterday.' Mrs Tattleshall said. She made it sound something like an accusation. 'At young William Neville's funeral.'

'Alas,' the Doctor said, 'a sad affair.'

'Tragic,' the old lady agreed with something akin to glee in her voice. 'And so soon after breaking his arm.'

The Doctor and Peri exchanged glances. But before either of them could comment on the remark, the old lady was talking again.

'You know,' she said, her voice cracked like an old record, 'I remember when his poor mother first came to the island.

Married Big John up at that church. Lovely it was. She wore white.' Her tone suggested that this was not something she had approved of or thought appropriate.

Peri took a deep breath. 'We'd best be getting on, Doctor,'

she said, tugging his sleeve. 'Otherwise we'll be late.' She turned so that Mrs Tattleshall could not see her, and then gave the Doctor a huge wink.

'Late?' The Doctor glared at her as if she were mad. Then his face cleared. 'Oh, you mean late late. Yes, well, I'll tell you what,' he said, 'you go on and I'll catch up with you later.' He winked back. 'I'm sure I can spare Mrs Tattleshall a few moments. If I don't catch you up, I'll see you back at the pub for lunch.'

'Right.' Peri smiled sweetly at the woman. 'It was lovely to meet you,' she said.