Prologue
Katherine de Gallois poured the vintage claret from a bottle and into two crystal goblets. She put down the bottle, picked up the goblets and walked towards the balcony where her husband stood, enjoying the night sky. "Here you are mon amour." She passed Remy one of the crystal goblets and they raised a silent toast, clinking the goblets together, before kissing passionately on the lips.
Her husband, Remy de Gallois was a handsome man with bright blue eyes that were full of life. He broke the kiss after a long moment and stroked Katherine's curly dark hair with his hand. He looked deeply into her large brown eyes. "You look beautiful tonight Katherine." Katherine smiled and gave a low curtsey, her long and elegant purple Renaissance robe resting on the floor as she did. "Why thank you monsieur!" she replied demurely.
Remy took a sip from the goblet and put his arm around his wife's shoulders as they gazed up at the stars above them. "This is an excellent wine. My uncle's vineyard?" he asked and Katherine nodded. Remy squeezed his wife around the waist, pulling her towards him. "You always were his favourite," he teased, "no wonder I just had to marry you!"
Katherine nudged Remy playfully. "He has a Vicomte's natural good taste!"
Remy breathed in deeply, a smile playing over his handsome face. "It's a wonderful spring night!"
Katherine nodded contentedly and took another sip of her wine. "I'm tired," she yawned, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm going to bed."
"I'll be along in a moment," Remy replied, sipping from his wine again.
"Don't be too long!" Katherine smiled wickedly up at Remy and then left the balcony and her husband to enter their chateau and the bedroom. Remy half turned to see her blow out the candles nearest their bed and then take off her robe and climb in. He drunk the last remaining drops of his wine and gazed up at the stars and moon again – what a lucky man he was!
A shadow flitted briefly across the moon. Remy looked up but could see nothing. Then he heard a sudden noise coming from underneath the balcony that sounded like a malevolent chuckle. He bent over the balcony to get a better look and saw a shape scuttle amongst the shadows beneath. Frowning, he leant even further and then his face froze in terror as a black shape rose swiftly to engulf him.
1.
The TARDIS tumbled through the multicoloured miasma that was the Time Vortex.
Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor stood in front of the central console as the pillar of brilliant light rose and fell to show that the TARDIS was in flight. He looked around the massive, oval chamber that was bathed in golden, orange light and breathed out slowly. Was she right? Did he need some one to stop him going too far? Should he have tried a little harder in persuading Donna to come with him?
His thoughts turned to his last adventure and he smiled at the madness of it all – who would've thought that he would pursue a runaway bride up a busy motorway in the TARDIS? The Doctor broke into a grin and silently wished Donna well for the future – whatever that might be!
The strange grinding sound of the TARDIS materialising shook the Doctor out of his thoughts as the Time Rotor slowed to a halt. He checked the controls of the TARDIS to see where he was and found that he had landed on Earth; France to be exact, and in the middle of the eighteenth century. The scanner revealed a huge palace set in beautifully tended gardens filled with ornate marble statues. Judging by the purple and orange sky and the lit torches inside the palace, dusk was just slipping away.
The Doctor grinned as he put on his long brown coat over his suit jacket. Renaissance France was definitely civilisation! But then he paused as he operated the TARDIS doors and remembered Reinette and his last visit to this time period. He frowned; he had been hurt by becoming too involved; but not again.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped from the TARDIS and closed the door behind him, locking it with his key. There was a nip in the air and he could just see the swirling gas of his breath in the dim light. The Doctor looked around and then down at the beautiful palace "A chance to mix with the aristocracy I think? Experience some of their bonhomie perhaps!" he mused. Whistling 'La Marseillaise', he set out to explore.
2.
The Doctor strolled through the fabulous gardens as they grew darker and marvelled at the wonderful topiaries, delicate arches entwined with leaves, sumptuous rosebushes of every imaginable colour and scent, and the extensive, manicured lawns. Whoever owned the magnificent palace before him certainly knew their way around a trowel!
The Doctor reached a set of large and ornate wooden doors and knocked on them confidently, glancing around at the elegant stonework of the palace. To his surprise and delight, the doors opened after only a few seconds to reveal a young male servant wearing a smart embroidered jacket, blue pantaloons and stockings, and with a light grey powdered wig.
But instead of inquiring his business at the chateau as the Doctor had expected, the man bowed low and stepped back to allow him to enter.
The Doctor grinned with amusement at the servant and stowed away his unused psychic paper in his jacket. Then he put his hands into his pockets and walked confidently into the huge, magnificent marble hallway. Several doors led off from the hall and a huge staircase in the centre of the room led up to a surrounding gallery. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
As the Doctor looked around, another man opened one of the doors and entered the hall, walking towards the Doctor with a welcoming smile on his face. The man was handsome with a square jaw, close-cut dark hair that was just starting to turn grey, and dressed very elegantly, complete with a royal-blue silken coat. He gave a short bow in front of the Doctor. "Ah, welcome my friend, you are late!"
"Am I?" replied the Doctor, still a little puzzled at the warm reception.
"Indeed, but it is no matter. You will find a room prepared upstairs." The man clapped his hands together and the servant that opened the door for the Doctor appeared next to them and gave a short bow. "Henri will show you the way," the aristocrat smiled, "until tomorrow then?"
Amused and slightly bewildered by the French aristocrat's instant acceptance of him, the Doctor was for once a little lost for words, so he just smiled and gave a short bow instead. "Thank you, I'm most grateful."
His host just nodded in return. "Not at all, sleep well." He then turned and walked across the hallway and through another door leaving the Doctor alone with Henri.
3.
"This way, monsieur" said the manservant politely as he gestured towards the stairs. After a brief hesitation for the Doctor to follow, Henri started up the marble sweeping staircase and onto the gallery.
The Doctor glanced at the many paintings on the walls next to the staircase as he followed Henri up the stairs. Most were portraits of regal men and women; others depicted scenes of riders hunting through woodlands astride magnificent horses and followed by faithful hounds. As he climbed the stairs, the Doctor also admired the superb crystal chandelier that hung from the ornately decorated ceiling.
More doors and corridors led off from the gallery. Henri walked along one of the long corridors before stopping at one of the ornate wooden doors. He opened it and then stood to one side to let the Doctor enter. "Your room monsieur?" he said respectfully.
The Doctor smiled delightedly. "Merci, Henri." The servant bowed again solemnly and then walked away along the corridor and then down the stairs, leaving the Doctor alone.
The Doctor paused at the doorway to his room and looked up and down the corridor. It was empty. His curiosity was burning. Perhaps he should look around and explore a little? He glanced into his room and saw a large four poster bed and then he grinned. His curiosity could wait a while. Next to the bed was a table set for an elegant supper with silver dishes and bowls. A carafe of red wine stood next to a crystal goblet on the table.
The Doctor walked into the bedroom and across to the dinner that was laid out on the table. He lifted one of the silver serving dishes to reveal a whole roast duckling in a rich, dark and sticky sauce. Another tureen held freshly cooked and steaming vegetables. Taking off his brown coat and throwing it on the bed, the Doctor poured himself a large goblet of red wine, pulled up a red velvet chair, and sprawled back into it.
"You know Doctor," he said to himself as he relaxed in the chair and took a sip of the delicious wine from the goblet, "on this trip the monsters can wait a while. I'm taking a little holiday!" He raised the crystal goblet to his absent, though gracious, host. "Bon appetit, mon ami!"
4.
A figure had watched from the shadows as the Doctor had gone into his room and closed the door behind him. The figure chuckled, revealing perfect teeth. He knew it only had to be a matter of time before the Doctor would arrive, even if he had regenerated since they last had met, so he was pleased with his preparations. After a moment, he crept away down the corridor of the chateau and into the darkness.
*********************
The crow soared through the night air, wings fully stretched as it glided silently searching for prey in the fields and woods below. It passed over the group of large stone buildings and the square areas that had been cut and tailored to make gardens and suddenly saw something unusual below it.
The crow turned abruptly with a caw and swooped down to land on the square wooden roof of a blue box that sat in the gardens. It scuttled around the lamp on the centre of the roof and cawed again.
Then suddenly its eyes glowed with an eerie, purple hue.
*********************
The next morning, the Doctor woke just as the grey dawn crawled across the sky. He had never needed much sleep, but the occasional night or two made a galaxy of difference. He stretched lazily and then bounded out of bed. He dressed quickly and then went downstairs into the hallway where there were a few servants busying themselves with their chores.
To the Doctor's delight, he recognised Henri amongst them and walked over to him. "Bonjour Henri. Where is my good friend this fine morning?" the Doctor bluffed.
"The Vicomte is out riding as usual Monsieur," Henri replied with a short, respectful bow. "You may borrow a horse from the stables if you wish?"
The Doctor grinned; he hadn't ridden a horse for ages! This was getting better and better.
*****************
It was a beautiful sunny morning and the fresh air was twice as exhilarating from horseback. The Doctor breathed in deeply as he cantered along a rough muddy track astride a magnificent white stallion. He had been told that his illustrious host, the Vicomte de Gallois, had ridden in this direction. Perhaps it was now time to find some answers?
5.
The Doctor rode quickly to the top of a small hill and looked around him. The Vicomte's estate and palace looked idyllic in the early morning sunshine. In the distance, and lower down in a valley about half a mile or so away, the Doctor saw not one, but two figures on horseback standing next to each other. One, astride a chestnut stallion, was clearly the Vicomte in a plum riding jacket and black boots. The Doctor frowned and sighed as he recognised the other figure. It was a handsome man, also dressed in a riding jacket, but in emerald green and riding upon a grey horse. The Doctor dug his heels into the flanks of his horse and rode down the hill towards the other two men.
Captain Jack Harkness grinned broadly as the Doctor rode up to them. "Morning, Doctor!" he called cheerfully. "We've been expecting you!"
Jack glanced up and down at the Doctor, assessing the appearance of his regenerated body. "Nice make-over by the way!" he said with a grin.
The Doctor reined his steed to a halt and nodded a greeting to the Vicomte before looking hard at his former companion. "What are you doing here Jack?" he asked accusingly. It had been a while since he had seen Jack Harkness, not since that terrible battle with the Daleks that had cost him his ninth regeneration. Until very recently, the Doctor had thought that Jack had perished on the space station, but that was before he had accessed the computer files in the Torchwood tower whilst battling against the Cybermen. Rose must have saved Jack as she had saved all of them.
Now as he looked at Jack, the Doctor realised that there was something different about him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew that it was definitely wrong.
Jack raised his hands and shrugged mockingly. "Aw, come on Doctor!" He pulled a rather important document from his jacket pocket. "I'm just showing our gracious host here your papers."
The Doctor sighed. He had seen such documents before, an offshoot of his own psychic paper. "Alright, so why are we," he emphasised the last word, "here?"
Jack grinned again and stowed away his psychic document. "I'll tell you later," he replied mischievously, "but there have been strange lights seen in the sky!"
6.
The chamber was so dark and musty that it was impossible to see the size of it. Acrid fumes from the cauldron filled the air as a fire crackled beneath. The flickering light from the fire cast long and dancing shadows on a handsome young man dressed in the fine clothes of the aristocracy that sat immobile on an elegant wooden chair, his face blank of any expression. It was Remy de Gallois, although any trace of his usual ebullience and good humour that his wife would have recognised had long been consumed.
An aged, clawed hand held up a large glass globe and softly recited mysterious incantations as another clawed hand was waved across it. A swirling purple glow suddenly emanated from the glass globe and slowly, small distinct figures started to appear within. It was the Doctor and Jack talking to the Vicomte on their horses.
The clawed hand waved gently over the globe again and the scene vanished into swirling purple mist before the globe went dark once more. The figure chuckled malevolently. "It seems we have someone who tries to oppose us," the unseen figure cackled, "but nothing escapes the attention of our crystal!"
Another figure stirred the steaming cauldron with what appeared to be a human bone. "Why now," an aged voice screeched, "when the time draws so close!"
"What shall we do Morgwyn?" croaked another shadowy figure from the stygian darkness as it petted a large and ugly crow. The crow cawed and strutted back on forth on a tall wooden perch
"Have patience my dears!" replied the first voice with an angry hiss. A shape crossed the chamber to stand behind the pale and dishevelled figure of De Gallois that sat vacantly in the chair. It softly stroked his hair with a clawed hand. "We have so many toys we can use against him!" The hand reached down and picked a small rag doll from a low, round wooden table next to where De Gallois sat. Some strands of brown hair were looped and knotted around the doll's head. "Let's use one of my favourites shall we?"
The dark chamber resounded with maniacal, cackling laughter.