Sir Robert MacLeish watched as the royal procession pulled into the courtyard directly below his view from his room.

Even without Father Angelo stood next to him, breathing down his neck, he knew the importance the person sitting within the carriage represented. The visit had not been arranged but the Queen's own estate of Balmoral was less than a day's ride away, and it was not first time a royal visit had graced the corridors of Torchwood House before.

But Sir Robert did not want one now. Not like this.

Staring down at the platoon of soldiers accompanying the carriage, the nightmare of what was being plotted to occur in his own home had suddenly become all too real.

"I can't do this." He insisted. "It's treason."

"Then your wife will suffer the consequences." Father Angelo whispered into his ear. "Believe me, Sir Robert, she will be devoured."

The religious man had changed out of his red robes and was now dressed in the tailcoat livery worn by his own household. A crisp black suit that would be presentable to wear in the presence of the Queen perhaps.

To his disappointment, Sir Robert was then escorted out of the room and all the way down the house's narrow squared staircase and on still until he was stood in the open doorway leading out into the courtyard.

Sir Robert hadn't failed to notice that the rest of the Brethren were stationed throughout the house, all of them also posing as members of his household.

By the time he had summoned the courage to step outside, the soldiers had already lined up in formation from the carriage to the doorway as the door was opened.

Taking the hand of the footman as she stepped down, Queen Victoria took a moment to gaze up at the charming old house they had arrived at. With darkening grey clouds hanging overhead, the hints of rain perhaps, it was quite a sight to behold.

Standing besides the Doctor and Peter, Rose watched as the Queen was approached by a gentleman that had to be Sir Robert.

He was a youthful looking man perhaps in his early thirties, quite small with dark brown hair. Dressed in a smart suit, he walked over the Queen with some familiarity.

"Your Majesty." He greeted with a bow. "What an unexpected pleasure, ma'am."

"Sir Robert." Queen Victoria responded warmly. "My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?"

"She's… indisposed, I'm afraid." Sir Robert replied after a moment. "She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on."

Rose thought he sounded quite nervous. It was almost as though he were making excuses in order to not entertain the Queen for the evening. Very strange, but then again who wouldn't be fretting over having royalty over for dinner?

"Oh, not at all." The Queen dismissed. "I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is charming, if rustic."

There it was again. Sir Robert almost looked disappointed.

"Yes, Ma'am." He replied. "Of course."

"It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often." The Queen told him. "The Torchwood Estate."

"Torchwood?" Peter repeated under his breath.

No, it had to be a coincidence surely. It couldn't be connected to that organisation. There was no way that a 19th century country house complete with Queen Victoria could be…

"You okay?" The Doctor whispered, making him jump slightly. "What is it?"

"Nothing." He lied. "Just thinking to myself."

Sensing that the Time Lord was about to inquire further, Peter used the excuse of being near the Queen and shushed him back into paying her attention as she concluded her greeting with Sir Robert.

"Now, shall we go inside?" She asked. "Oh, and please excuse the naked girl."

"Sorry." Rose apologised as the Queen and Sir Robert looked her way.

"She's a feral child. I bought her for sixpence in old London Town." The Doctor explained. "It's was her or the Elephant Man, so…"

"Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused." Rose insisted. "What do you think, Ma'am?"

"It hardly matters." The Queen dismissed before turning back to Sir Robert. "Shall we proceed?"

Sir Robert stood aside and allowed the Queen to enter the house ahead of him. The pair were then closely followed in by the household staff.

"So close." Rose insisted. "I was that close."

"Yeah, that close to winning my bet of being thrown in the tower." Peter told her. "Honestly, Rose."

Captain Reynolds was already busy ordering his men around as the house's servants, all of them male and with little or no hair, aided in unloading the carriage.

"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the property." The officer barked. "Hurry up."

"Yes, sir." The responded in unison.

As the footman opened up the carriage door, the nearest soldier took from the seat a small wooden box that was locked with a tiny golden keyhole.

"What are you protecting, sir?" Peter questioned as he watched them take it away. "In the box?"

"Property of the Crown, lieutenant." He replied. "However, it is my charge and you will dismiss any further thoughts. Keep to your own."

"Understood, sir."

It wasn't as though Captain Reynolds was being rude… Well, not so much so in any case. Peter knew that the safe delivery of the Queen and the contents of that box were most likely the most important assignment of the officer's career.

Had he lived in this time and not joined UNIT, it could very well have been him guarding said charges himself.

"The rest of you go to the rear of the house." Reynolds continued. "Assume your designated positions."

"You heard the orders." One of the sergeants reiterated. "Positions."

Watching for a moment as the men manoeuvre themselves off towards various points within the estate, the Doctor nodded in the direction of the house.

"Come on." He said. "Can't keep the Queen waiting."

"More chances to try then?" Rose laughed as she followed after him. "I know I can do it."

Walking just behind them as they approached the doorway, that was when Peter smelt it.

Only for the briefest of moments, fleetingly so like a whiff of someone's perfume as they walked past him in the street. But he noticed it well enough as it caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

Without even knowing why it had caused him to do so, or what it even belonged to, a sudden gut-wrenching instinct was practically screaming at him to go and find the source of it. Stood in this damp, straw covered courtyard, however, he didn't even know…

"Peter?"

Again he jumped at the sound of the Doctor's voice.

"Yeah, what?"

The Time Lord's brow was creased with concern as he stepped back out through the doorway. Rose had already gone inside so aside from the few soldiers positioned nearby, it was just the two of them.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

For the second time in less than five minutes, Peter decided to lied to him.

"Ha!" He laughed off. "Wouldn't that be a find. No, just lost in my own thoughts."

The Doctor's quizzical look told Peter that he hadn't been believed and he ordinarily might have admitted to the Time Lord what it was had caught his attention. But it had been such a unexpected and sudden sensation that he couldn't decide even for himself if he'd imagined it or not.

Fortunately, Rose had come bounding back outside to see what was holding them up.

"What are you two chatting about?" She asked. "Come on."

Watching as Peter strode past him quickly, avoiding his gaze as he did, the Doctor lingered as he stared out into the courtyard. Seeing nothing untoward that might have spooked the otherwise unwavering soldier, he followed after his companions.

Lady Isobel had been trapped along with the rest of her household now for over four hours as they all sat where they had been chained to the wall of the basement.

The whole time they had remained utterly silent, fearful for their very lives should they make a noise which could provoke the shadowy creature sat within the large cage on the other side of the room.

Then, as the sounds of marching boots and a carriage had reached them, there was suddenly the hope that their ordeal might be over.

In the limited light that was peering in through the cracks in the wooden cellar door, Lady Isobel dared to look back over at the cage.

The hooded figure lifted a single finger up to his lips. Through horrendously yellow and crooked teeth he breathed out a single warning hush. With that the hope in Lady Isobel's heart died as she understood the gravity of her situation.

The message was clear. Stay quiet or die.

Rose gazed up at the magnificent glass roof as she stepped into the observatory.

The huge telescope that she had seen protruding out of the tower from the outside of the house was no less magnificent now that she was seeing it from the other side of it.

Mounted on a dark green hinge shaped like a crescent moon, the whole device was a magnificent example of victorian engineering and ingenuity.

The room itself was almost completely bare otherwise and was rather dusty, as though it had not been used in some amount of years. At either side of the room were two large iron wheels that disappeared through into a slotted gap in the wooden floor to the level below.

They were attached by long chains to the opening above so that it could be opened and closed. Though judging by the rust on them, it too had not moved in some time.

A third much small wheel attached by a single pipe to the telescope, was fitted with numerous handles so that someone might manually be able to turn it and presumably the machine itself.

"This, I take it, is the famous endeavour." Queen Victoria stated as she gazed up at the invention. "Quite marvellous, Sir Robert."

"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession." He admitted. "He spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself."

"I wish I'd met him. I like him." The Doctor questioned. "That thing's beautiful. Can I?"

"Help yourself."

With Rose and Peter following him over, the Doctor began examining the machine as he peered up the length of it in oder to check the alignment.

"What did he model it on?" He questioned.

"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little, shall we say, eccentric." Sir Robert stated sadly. "I wish now I'd spent more time with him and listened to his stories."

Even now, in the presence of the Queen and her visitors, Father Angelo and two of the Brethren had stayed with him in case he dared to try and signal that something was traitorously wrong.

Squinting through the eyepiece, the Doctor found himself somewhat disappointed.

"It's a bit rubbish. How many prisms has it got? Way too many." He tutted. "The magnification's gone right over the top. That's stupid kind of… Am I being rude again?"

He had stopped himself upon seeing the look that Rose was shooting his way.

"Yep." She replied. "Very."

"Don't worry, Doctor." Peter added playfully. "It's just your medium setting."

Smirking back, the Time Lord then turned back to Sir Robert.

"But it's pretty." He told him. "It's very pretty."

"The imagination of it should be applauded." Queen Victoria told him, walking over to the machine herself.

"Mmm. Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty?" Rose questioned. "Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful? You could easily not be amused, or something? No?"

Her suggestion had grown less confident as it was met with Queen Victoria's famously stoic expression. Glancing over her her shoulder, Rose could see the Doctor conveniently rubbing his eye as he shook his head slightly.

"This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all." The Queen declared. "A polymath, steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales."

"Stars and magic." The Doctor laughed. "I like him more and more."

As he went to explore the other side of the machine, Queen Victoria ventured over a little closer to the helm of it herself as she turned to address Rose and Peter directly.

"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company." She told them. "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."

Returning to his companions' side, the Doctor leaned in and whispered to them quietly.

"That's Bavaria." He explained.

Queen Victoria had turned back to Sir Robert.

"When Albert was told about your local wolf," she recalled with an excited tone. "He was transported."

"What wolf?"

Peter had not spoken since they'd entered the room, and little since arriving at the house. He'd found it funny when Queen Victoria had mentioned such notions, but now he seemed much more captivated by the idea. As she turned to him, Rose noticed that his breathing had hastened slightly as his brilliant grey eyes focused squarely upon Sir Robert.

The squire shrugged.

"It's just a story." He said dismissively.

"Then you wouldn't mind telling it?"

Perhaps it was the insistence in Peter's voice, or the fact that even Queen Victoria seemed to be now waiting upon more details, but Sir Robert now looked to be committed into divulging upon it more.

For a moment the words seemed to be stuck in this throat as he opened his mouth to speak and then swiftly closed it again. But when he did eventually begin to recall the tale, he did not get very far along with it.

"It's said that -"

"Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms? It's almost dark."

Peter glared daggers at the attending servant whom had interrupted Sir Robert. Stood central between two others, he was a thin and bald man with an unflinching stare. Never mind waiting for his employer to reprimand him for interrupting the story, he had almost done it himself.

But Sir Robert did not do this.

"Of course." He agreed rather meekly. "Yes, of course."

"Then we shall have supper." Queen Victoria suggested. "However, could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness."

"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose asked her rather hopefully.

From the look the monarch gave her, she knew it hadn't worked this time. Still, there was plenty of time left and perhaps over dinner she might be more successful.

"Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it." The Queen then instructed. "I shall also speak with Captain Reynolds in order to acquire something suitable for Lieutenant Argent. I will not have any of my men in such a disheveled state, no matter their task."

Peter didn't need to look down at his own clothes to know he couldn't argue this. He was, after all a officer and was expected to dress as such. Still slightly disappointed that he had been denied Sir Robert's story, he bowed his head slightly as the Queen looked his way.

"Yes, Ma'am." He agreed. 'Very good."

"We shall dine at seven, and talk some more of this wolf." The Queen continued, addressing Sir Robert once again. "After all, there is a full moon tonight."

Sir Robert responded with a hesitant smile.

"So there is, Ma'am. So there is."