Rose knew from experience when someone was telling a ghost story and when someone was frightened. She'd learnt the hard way, and she wasn't eager to repeat that experience. Jamie wasn't telling a ghost story, and now she had no way she could help him... apart from see what was happening from the eye of the storm itself. If the statues had gone to Cheapside, then so would she.
"Jamie, I ain't got the money to live wi'out working, you know that. An' I want to work! An'... well, I'm curios."
Jamie grinned. "Though' yer migh' be." He sobered instantly. "I'll look ou' for yer, jus' in case. Now, good luck to yer, an' go star' working!"
Rose kissed his cheek again and walked off with her bags, into her new life, and into danger.
Chapter Eleven
After a few frozen moments, Jenny took the bag from the statue's grasp and slowly walked back inside the cobweb infested house. She didn't utter a word as she unpacked her shopping, or as she heard the Silurian enter the room and stand behind her. Eventually, when it seemed that Vastra was unwilling to start the conversation, she conceded her silence. "To be honest, I 'aven't got on with many people who eat humans."
"Most humans wouldn't."
Is that it? "Yeah, I know."
Something flicks out and grabs Jenny's shoulder, pulling her round to face her mistress. It disappears instantly, but she has feeling it originated in Vastra's mouth. However, right now she didn't even want to think about that."I'm sorry. It was insensitive of me." It seemed to take an unprecedented amount of effort for her to apologise.
Jenny nodded. "Yeah, yeah it was."
"Will you stay?"
She was silent again for a while. "Are humans... Is that all you eat?"
"Yes... But I don't have to."
"If I stay, and cook you meals, will you stop?"
"No! Of course not! Why would I accept such an agreement from an ape?!" Vastra hissed. She shut her mouth sharply as Jenny turned away from her and walked into the next room. You can't let her leave, not now. But she couldn't just stop eating humans for one silly little ape. She stood up, accidentally swiped everything that Jenny had bought onto the floor with her tail and pointedly stoked the fire as her maid for a day left the house. But was that so that she knew you weren't interested, or to mask the sound of the door closing? The lizard woman leapt with an almost feral snarl to her bed and sank into its warmth. Vastra had never had a conscience before, and she didn't appreciate it now it had decided to turn up.
