Rose was looking at him. Had she been using him to get a taste of what it was like to have a man interested in her, was she indeed making up the fact she fancied a man at the village pub and had told him she was just inventing it to throw others off the fact they liked each other? He got up, putting the plate on the tray.

''Then I'll not stand in your way Rose, if you can get a better position within the school, you should take it, I'm sure Martha would be more than delighted to take your place.''

Rose knew he was hiding his disappointment that they wouldn't share any more afternoon teas, or the fact she had brought him breakfast in bed this morning and he had intended for it to remain that way but if everything worked out, they could still have tea and there would be nothing to worry about, even if Martha didn't like the fact she could come to his room without an excuse but then she realised John hadn't thought about it very well.

She got up and went to lean against him, putting her arms around him but he didn't return the gesture.

''Aw come on John, I thought you'd be pleased for me?''

''I told you I was Rose, now hadn't you better clear the tea tray away?''

''Now who's being frosty? What's wrong, we've not even kissed properly yet, I want to undo your shirt buttons again so come here.''

He pulled her arms away. ''Not now Rose, I'm not in the mood.''

''Don't you want to still meet me at the pub tonight and I bring you cocoa and more kisses later on?''

''I doubt I'll be going out tonight and the cocoa didn't really help last night anyway, I'd be just wasting your time Rose.''

She reached up and kissed his cheek, John wondered why she was still keeping up the pretence. She'd used him to worm her way to a better job, one where she would no longer be his maid and he'd get Martha back, the other maid that made him uncomfortable every time she was around when she fussed over him. He wanted Rose to fuss over him, he wanted to pull Rose onto his bed with him and kiss her delicate skin and play his fingers over her best attributes, he wanted to see Rose's legs as he pulled down her skirt, run his fingers up and down them and then feel her skin on his bare chest.

''You don't waste my time John. Everyone says I should charge you extra for bringing you a night-time drink but your kisses and how you make me feel are enough payment. Don't you enjoy paying me in that way?''

He took it the wrong way. ''I didn't know you were charging me for the privilege of bringing my meals to my room, I'm sure the payment is not adequate enough.''

''What's got into you all of a sudden John? You couldn't keep your hands off me earlier, what's changed? Is it because I said I was going to better myself?''

''You deserve to better yourself Rose, don't let me stop you. You'd best go now, I can get my own breakfast in the morning until the housekeeper gives me a replacement maid, I just hope she doesn't give me Martha.''

''She was your maid John, you brought her here.''

''I just inherited her from my family, that's all, it doesn't mean I have to enjoy her company.''

He wanted to say like he enjoyed Rose's company the last day or so, Martha was always throwing herself at him and it was becoming tiresome and he had considered not bringing her with him to this post but hadn't had the time to dispense of her services then the housekeeper here had done him a big favour. Then he'd met Rose, in the hallway outside his classroom and he had flirted heavily with her, in front of Martha and he was falling in love with her, despite her currently being his maid.

Rose was trying to understand why he'd gone so cold on her. Then she smiled at him again.

''You plum, you don't get it, do you?''

''Get what? Just go do your duties Rose, thank you for your services the last few days and for your attentiveness, it was quite unnecessary but I won't report you.''

Rose let go of him. Did he really mean it? Had he just been having some fun with her?

''So you're taking matron out tonight then?''

''I'm taking no-one out tonight Rose, now go about your business if you will?''

Rose gathered up the tray and headed for the door, hoping once again he would lean over her and kiss her and say he'd see her later but he never moved. She was saddened by his sudden change of mood, blimey, could he run hot and cold or what? She thought he'd seemed happy for her at the news she had the chance to better herself and she no longer envied Martha if she were to have the misfortune of actually getting the job, he'd made his feelings about his former maid very clear, Martha would be devastated to find out he was barely tolerating her for his family's sake.

She just hoped he wouldn't think any less of her, how she had laid under him as skin had touched skin, his fingers on the delicate parts of her breasts and kissing them, taking his time over each one and feeling his slightly hairy chest press against her. She put the tray in the kitchen and felt like crying but she couldn't let Martha see her, if she was already in their room. She was.

''Hello Rose, what time are we going out tonight? I hope that man you were telling me about is there, I can't wait for you to point him out to me, maybe I can have a word with him about you?''

''Shut up Martha, I'm not in the mood.''

''What's come over you? Did Doctor Smith tell you to stop flirting with him?''

''None of your business.''

''Tetchy. He did, didn't he? Oh Rose, I did try to warn you, didn't I? He's not worth it really, you're just his maid, he's been having some fun at your expense, that's all, get over it.''

''That's nothing to do with you, for your information, it was me who flirted with him, I saw I was getting nowhere so that's that. Forget it. I'm sorry I told you to shut up Martha, we can still go out, if you want and there's no-one I fancy at the pub, I made it up because I fancied Doctor Smith but why would he be interested in a housemaid?''

''But you won't be a housemaid if you go work in the infirmary Rose. I'll tell you something but don't repeat it, especially to Doctor Smith, promise?''

''I won't be seeing him again, will I? I have to help matron from Monday and he told me not to bother taking his breakfast tomorrow, he'll go get it himself, I guess he got tired of me fluttering my eyelashes at him when he was eating his afternoon tea although he was encouraging me, it's not entirely my fault.''

Martha smiled. ''Then I accept your apology, you're not the first and you won't be the last Rose, trust me. We'll come back and get our coats after tea and go take a walk, see if we can get ourselves a few drinks bought for us, you can flutter your eyelashes at some of the locals.''

Rose smiled back. ''Yeah but I don't fancy any of them, I really fancied Doctor Smith but he's way out of my league.''

''I'm glad you're seeing some sense Rose. Let's go down to the kitchen and see if we can get a pot of tea?''

They went downstairs and Rose spied matron talking to John, feeling slightly jealous as she would have still been in his room at that time, pretending to be doing some extra jobs for him, like him pulling up her cami top and she unbuttoning his shirt.

After Rose had left his room, John stood for a while. What had he been thinking, making a move on his personal housemaid? She was young, pretty, he had to give her that much but he came from a very conservative family who would frown on him taking up with such a woman. He got changed and went downstairs, he decided to seek out the matron and ask her to accompany him to the village pub despite the thought Rose would be there, Joan would certainly not actually want to go sit with her, whether or not Rose would soon be her assistant. In his sudden anger and being taken in by Rose's charms and allowing her into his very private world, one he'd not even shared with Reinette, it had never occurred to him that Rose's apparent promotion to being the matron's assistant would mean they would no longer have to hide their feelings for each other.

So he had knocked on Joan's door and she had come out into the hallway, since he was still unsure he should be seen setting foot inside with all the boys and the other teachers wandering around and had to both his own and her surprise, invited her for a drink at the village pub after dinner.

Joan had been more than surprised as he'd asked her.

''Yes John, I would be happy to go out with you tonight, if you have no work to do?''

''No, I have no work to do, may as well go out, it is Friday night after all. Consider it two colleagues keeping each other company if you wish, nothing formal, well not as yet.''

Joan wondered what he meant by that remark, did he have his eye on someone else then? She just hoped for his sake it wasn't his soon to be departed maid, Rose Tyler.

After their tea, Rose and Martha went to their room to get their coats and made their way down to the village pub just as John had again managed to find a seat at the dining table away from Joan, him having arrived before her and sat in the middle of the opposite side, the others having silently agreed amongst themselves that if she was going to insist on joining them most evenings, they would keep where she had been sitting vacant and she had been last but one in, having looked through her sparse wardrobe for something suitable to wear for an evening out in John Smith's company albeit he had insisted not a formal outing but it was a start.

Having been to fetch his hat and coat after dinner, he had knocked on the infirmary door and Joan had come out, dressed in a long grey skirt under her long coat, her hair tied back under her hat and they took the short walk down to the village. Since the school doors were locked at ten on Friday's, John intended keeping an eye on the time but hadn't really intended staying for more than two half pints of mild ale, figuring he'd need his wits about him if Joan really had taken his invitation the wrong way.

The matron was indeed no comparison to the fair Rose but taking into consideration the lack of females around the school, plus wanting to keep up the illusion he was a single male with no current lady friend, he tried to keep up the conversation they were having about where he had just come from as they approached the pub and Rose and Martha were sitting outside, a lantern on the table and Rose was laughing at something, John for some strange reason hoping it wasn't about him and she wasn't telling Martha what they had been up to the last few days in his room.

Not that it hadn't been pleasant, it had but she had used him, seen her opportunity to better herself and dumped him like yesterday's trash. He hoped Joan wouldn't talk to him about how she had successfully gained permission from the headmaster to train her.

Rose had pretended she hadn't seen John and the matron walking towards the pub entrance and had told Martha how she was always inventing men were interested in her to make the girls at the other school jealous of her. Martha had known she was making it all up, poor Rose was totally unaware this was not her real life, it had been just as invented for her as had the Doctor's and hadn't really been surprised Rose had looked upset earlier if he had spurned her. He had no idea who she really was and he would be horrified to learn when he became himself again that he had taken advantage of her when she had been unaware who either of them really were.

Maybe it really was the Tardis doing this, as some sort of compensation for the both of them at being torn apart, he'd never really talked about what had happened except it had been at Canary Wharf and she had lost her cousin there. Martha had noticed how John and the matron had been talking as they entered the pub, John never seeming to notice either of them and what had she supposed to have done to him? She knew he was mad at Rose, probably after she had done more than just fluttered her eyelashes at him considering her performance the other afternoon and her eagerness to get away at every opportunity.

Martha had spoken with the girls in the kitchen who had confirmed Rose had gone in for a late night drink, getting one for the Doctor but she had never gone back, surely she hadn't remained in his room? Well if she had, whatever had gone on was now clearly over, that much was apparent.