Evie did her best to convince Elizabeth that Mr Darcy had only said what he had because he'd caught them staring at him and his pride had got the better of him. By the time she was reassured that the woman was alright, she saw the Doctor coming over.

"Here, Elizabeth, I'm sure Henry would be honoured to dance with you." She said, looking meaningfully at the Doctor. He smiled broadly and bowed, offering his hand. Elizabeth looked as though she was about to decline when her mother appeared out of nowhere and nodded enthusiastically.

Rather than getting stuck alone with Mrs Bennet, Evie decided to take her chances and go for a walk. She smiled politely as she past people; knowing that there was almost as much gossip about her and her 'brother' as there was about Mr Bingley and his party. Her favourite thing that she'd overheard was that the Doctor had been helping her escape from a loveless marriage, which was why they'd arrived so suddenly with no luggage and no plans.

She picked up a glass which she filled with punch and leant against a pillar taking deep breaths. She'd thought leaving Lower Appley with the Doctor would have meant a life of action and excitement but, obviously, fate had other ideas. She'd gone from one carefully monitored existence to another.

"Miss Jones…" A shrill, upper-class voice said behind her. "We haven't been formally introduced… Caroline Bingley."

Evie smiled. "Evie Jones." She said nodding to the woman civilly. Miss Bingley linked her arm through Evie's conspiratorially, surveying the room.

"Nothing to the standard we're used to, I'm sure, my dear." She added a fake laugh, which Evie copied, awkwardly. "But when in Rome…" She sighed. "You must come and visit us at Netherfield Park, we have to stick together out here, don't we."

She smiled and walked away, leaving Evie confused. What on earth had given Caroline Bingley the idea that there was any similarity between them? And what had she meant by 'we have to stick out here, don't we'?

Needing air, Evie headed outside, collecting her shawl as she went. Outside she walked slightly around the corner so that she was out of sight of the entrance and leant against the cold stone wall breathing deeply. She was sure she'd get used to the strange feeling of being out of place, especially if she intended to stick with the Doctor once they got out of here.

"You got it?"

Evie jumped, looking around wildly. She'd been sure she was the only person out here, but the voice clearly indicated that she'd been wrong.

"I tried, I really did!" A second voice, female and pleading said. The teenager recognised it, but couldn't place it. It could have belonged to any of the women inside the Assembly rooms.

"You'll have to try a bit harder." The first voice ordered sinisterly. Evie turned and stared into the darkness, squinting until she could make out two figures not too far away. "Without it, we're stuck here for good; on this stupid planet. And you know what that means…"

"I know, I know… but what if –"

"Oh!" A man said behind her, causing the voices to stop abruptly. They turned before moving quickly and vanishing into the night. "I didn't realise anyone was out here."

"That's alright." Evie said turning around. Her eyes widened as she realised that it was Mr Darcy who was looking down at her. She'd seen the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice and the film version, but Mr Darcy in real life – sort of – was so much better. The teenage girl in her went weak at the knees as he looked at her. She felt like she could drown in his dark eyes.

He looked at her in silence for a couple of minutes. "You should go back inside. It isn't proper for a young lady to be out here without a chaperone."

"It's definitely not proper for me to be out here with you." She said, raising her eyebrows and smiling cheekily.

"Indeed." He said, stonily. Evie grinned.

"Catch you later." As she turned to go inside, she could have sworn he'd smirked. But right now she needed to find the Doctor and inform him about that conversation she'd overheard.

x

"You ain't got a fag, have you?" She asked as she and the Doctor stood on the same spot as she'd heard the conversation in the dark earlier that evening.

"No. And you shouldn't be smoking, young lady." He said, prodding her in the arm. She shrugged. "Anyway, what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh… well I came out here to get some air and I heard a really weird conversation. There was a man and a women and the man was asking if she'd got it yet. She said no, but she'd really tried. Then he said that she had to try a bit harder or they'd be stuck on this stupid planet and she knew what that meant."

"Did you see who it was?" The Doctor asked urgently, pulling out his screwdriver. Evie raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"Nope… I recognised the voice though, but I couldn't say who it was."

"Well you're a great help, aren't you?" He said sarcastically. She pulled a face.

"I don't see you adding anything helpful to this situation." Evie snapped back, shooting him a sarcastic smile.

The tense atmosphere lasted for a couple of seconds before he broke into a broad grin, which she returned immediately.

"You're brilliant, Miss Jones, come on let's go alien hunting." The Doctor grabbed her by the hand and started running. Struggling in her long dress, Evie did her best to keep up with him.

"Where are we going?" She breathed as they turned sharply around a corner.

"Think… where's the last place you'd think of going on a night like this, when there's a ball going on?"

"I dunno…" She shrugged. Then inspiration suddenly hit her. "The Church?"

"Bingo!"