The Poisoned Chocolate
Hilary Term at Oxford began on the 16th of January in 2005. Christmas and New Years' had gone by in a flash, and considering all the reading and holiday work Martin had assigned, Rose didn't realise how quickly the winter break flew by until she was back in her room at Hertford, ready to begin the new term.
She and Elliott attended a meeting with Martin on the first day of term as he gave them their tutorial timetables for the term and provided feedback on their holiday work.
"Overall, I am pleased with both of you," he said. "I don't want either of you losing any steam, though. Hilary Term is notoriously busier and I expect you two to keep up." He fixed them with a stern look before smiling. "Next Friday is the Fieldwork Conference. Have either of you given any thought to what you would like your fieldwork component to be?"
"There's an ongoing conservation project in the ruins of Pompeii ," said Elliott. "It's headed by a team from Korea, but they invite university students from time to time. I intend to apply for it."
Martin nodded approvingly. "That would be a good project for you, Elliott," he said, making a note. "I will look into it as well, but I'd like both of you to have one or two options in case your first choice falls through. What about you, Rose?"
"I found one as well, but I don't know how viable it will be," she said. "It's the Ichijodani Asakura ruins in Fukui."
Martin frowned. "That is certainly an interesting one, but I am unsure if they offer any student opportunities, particularly for foreign ones," he said. "Do you speak the language?" Rose shook her head and Martin's frown deepened. "I'll still look into it for you," he added, making a note. "I also have a request for you, which is rare."
"A request?" she asked, glancing at Elliott who also looked puzzled.
"Dr Sarah Essa has invited you to apply for an internship at the Ashmolean," he said. "She said you previously assisted on a matter."
Rose nodded, even as the memories of the Ashmolean made her stomach twist. "It was before I started at Oxford. I worked for an archaeologist and we assisted at the Ashmolean last summer," she explained.
"You must have certainly impressed Dr Essa," said Martin. "Think about it. Internship opportunities are always good for experience."
Rose nodded, a little flattered despite herself that Sarah had requested her.
"Excellent, that should do it for today," he said. "Make sure you attend all your practical classes starting this term. I'll see you soon."
Rose and Elliott left together after Martin dismissed them. "I'm headed to the library to get started on the assigned reading for this week," said Elliott. "You coming?"
"Can't, sorry," she said. "I've still got unpacking to do."
Elliott rolled his eyes but nodded. Rose returned to her room, but instead of unpacking, which she had finished before the meeting with Martin, she grabbed the stack of envelopes and placed them in her satchel. It took her awhile as she dropped off the invitations for various prospective members for the Butterflies, all around the campus. Each invitation contained a puzzle designed to lead them to the Chrysalis, along with a date and time. She returned just before dinner, frozen to the bone since it had started snowing some time ago.
"Did you go for a bicycle ride in the snow?" asked Miranda, when she saw her.
Rose nodded sheepishly. "I'll just hop into the shower quickly. Mind getting my dinner?"
Miranda rolled her eyes but nodded when Rose handed over her student card. Rose finished showering and went down to the dining hall for dinner. Miranda waved her over and Rose smiled at the sight of the warm chicken pot pie and cup of hot chocolate.
"It hasn't even been a day and you already look too busy," observed Miranda.
Rose shrugged with a mouthful of chicken pot pie. "Martin did say the Hilary Term is busier," she said, after swallowing her food. "What about you? All unpacked?"
Miranda nodded. "Yes, and I also had a meeting with Noelle," she said, referring to her tutor. "We should head to the bar after this. I promised Jake we would meet him for a drink."
Rose was ready for bed, but nodded in agreement since she wanted to catch up with Jake as well. True to form, Jake was surrounded by a group of people when they got to the bar.
"Hiya, Rose!" he waved, when he saw her. "Good break?"
"Not bad, kept busy," smiled Rose as she gave him a hug. "You?"
"Can't complain," he grinned. "Come on, let's go buy a round."
Sensing he wanted to talk, Rose let him lead her to the bar. "What's going on, Jake?" she asked, waving briefly at Des behind the bar who shot her a bright grin.
"Do you know Jim Ramos?" he asked.
"No," said Rose. "Should I?"
Jake chuckled and nodded back to the group, in particular toward a muscled young man with tanned skin. "He's a member of the college boat club, same as me."
"Right," said Rose, still unsure where this was going.
"He asked me if you were single," he said.
Rose raised her eyebrows and glanced at Jim, who noticed her gaze and smiled at her charmingly before returning to the conversation at the table. "I don't really have the time to date, Jake," said Rose, but her words sounded hollow to her own ears. Truth was, it really had been a while since she had dated anyone at all. "Besides, he's not really my type."
Jake gave her a disbelieving look which made her laugh. "Alright, whatever you say," he said. "The boat club is having a party on Thursday night to pump us up for the Torpids. You should stop by. Jim's sister, Paula, runs the Chocolate Mill, over by Mesopotamia Walk and she's catering the event."
Rose nodded, having heard that the King's Mill House had been converted to a chocolate shop over the break, and she knew the Torpids was one of the two intercollegiate rowing races. "Has the Chocolate Mill opened yet?" she asked.
"No, opening day is tomorrow. Paula's done us a solid and prepared gift boxes to give to the other teams at the end of the night as well," said Jake.
"It's an intercollegiate party?" asked Rose.
"Yeah," said Jake. "Each college takes a turn hosting it. This year it's Hertford's turn," he added, as they returned to the table with drinks. "Think about giving Jim a chance, would you?" he murmured to her in a low voice. "He's a good bloke."
Rose nodded, though she knew it was only to placate Jake. She sidestepped Jake's obvious attempts to usher her toward the empty chair next to Jim, and sat down next to Miranda.
"Are you alright?" asked Miranda, since Rose had sighed as soon as she had sat down.
"Yeah," said Rose. "Just tired."
"Me too," said Miranda. "We should head off after this drink."
Rose nodded gratefully, all too happy with that plan. "Miranda," she said. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," said Miranda.
"Do you get asked out?" she asked, realising Miranda had never told her if anyone had.
Miranda shrugged. "A few times, but most people just think I'm odd," she said.
"You're not odd," said Rose, without missing a beat. "But you haven't gone out with anyone?"
Miranda shook her head. "I feel like my priorities are different at the moment," she said, and Rose thought that was an incredibly honest thing to say.
"Okay," said Rose, with a small smile.
"Why do you ask?" asked Miranda, curiously.
Rose leaned in close and lowered her voice. "Jake's friend, Jim, apparently wants to ask me out," she whispered.
"Oh," said Miranda, glancing briefly at Jim before looking away. "Do...you want to?"
"Not particularly," shrugged Rose.
"Oh, good," said Miranda, looking visibly relieved.
"Why? Do you know something about him?" asked Rose.
"No," said Miranda. "Just...I always pictured you with someone different."
"Like who?" asked Rose, more amused than anything.
"I don't know...someone who knows more about the universe and the world that's out there," said Miranda.
Rose considered that and nodded. It would be nice to talk about the things she had seen and experienced with the person she would be dating. "I don't have many of those people, though," said Rose, thinking about it briefly. "I mean, River and Jack are like family. Etain and Violet are lovely, but not exactly people I would like to date. That just leaves Euphoria, and call me crazy, but I don't want to date an Eternal."
"What about the Doctor?" asked Miranda.
"What about him?" asked Rose, too quickly. Miranda gave her a look, and Rose shook her head. "It's not like that. He's...I dunno...someone I just happened to run into."
"Twice," added Miranda. Rose just rolled her eyes and Miranda smiled and let it go. "Are you almost done with your drink?"
Rose downed the last bit and nodded. "Let's head off."
They said their goodbyes, and returned to their floor in comfortable silence, as Rose tried not to think too much about Miranda's words.
Because it was absurd, surely.
Her and the Doctor.
Just completely absurd.
On the first Wednesday of the Hilary Term, Rose attended a lecture on Archaeology and Anthropology before 1850. After the lecture, she went to the Tylor Library to check out a few books for extra reading on the topic, and then met Elliott in the library for a study session after lunch.
"We need to finish by 4 today," said Rose, as they began jotting down notes for the tutorial that they had to attend the next day.
"Why? You got a date?" asked Elliott, slightly mockingly. Rose didn't dignify that with a response, and he huffed. "Fine," he said. "I have to meet with Jordan either way."
Rose looked up and smiled at him. "I still can't believe you agreed to help put together the Valentine's Day exhibition," she said.
The Archaeological Society was hosting an exhibition in partnership with the Anthropological Society, consisting of curated artefacts relating to rituals of courtship and marriage on the weekend before Valentine's Day. Rose had volunteered to assist on one of the days, but surprisingly, Elliott had put his hand up to help as well and joined the organisation committee for the event.
"You were the one who said we had to get involved properly," said Elliott, irritably.
Rose just smiled. "Sure," she said, and returned to her note-taking.
Even though she wasn't looking at him, she knew he was rolling his eyes. "Have you given any more thought to your fieldwork project?"
Rose looked at him and frowned. "Ichijodani Asakura won't work," she said. "I had a meeting with Martin yesterday and he told me they refused. He's given me a couple more options, so I'll look through them this week."
"You still have the Ashmolean," said Elliott.
"Yeah, but I'd rather leave that as the final option," she said.
"Why's that?" he asked, curiously.
"Martin said so," she said. "He suggested I should consider doing an internship or at least get a volunteering position at the Ashmolean in the breaks for next year, as opposed to choosing it as my fieldwork component."
Elliott seemed to consider it and nodded. "That's a good idea," he said. "The Ashmolean is right here and you can absolutely get an opportunity whenever you want, considering you already have a foot in the door with Dr Essa."
"Not sure about that, but I trust Martin knows what he's doing," shrugged Rose.
They went back to studying, and as agreed, they both left at 4. Rose returned to her room to drop off her things and took a shower, before dressing in a nicer pair of black jeans and a royal blue peasant blouse. She brushed her hair and tied half of it up, letting the rest of her honey blonde hair flow past her shoulders. Her makeup thankfully didn't take long, but she checked and doublechecked it a few times.
Rose had long since foregone the heavy makeup she had worn in secondary school, and usually opted for a more natural look, with some translucent powder, clear gloss, and just a touch of mascara. On this particular day, she swapped the clear gloss for a pink lipstick and added a hint of blush to her cheeks.
Once satisfied, she bundled up in her coat, scarf, gloves and hat, and left just before 5. It didn't take her long to get to the Mesopotamia Walk and she smiled as she made her way into the Chocolate Mill.
Despite the mid-nineteenth century exterior of the King's Mill House, the interior was a cosy little shop that smelled of sugar and chocolate. A sparkling clean glass case adjoining the main counter displayed beautifully decorated chocolates and cakes and the wall behind the counter had various chocolate dispensing machines.
"Welcome to the Chocolate Mill," greeted the woman behind the counter. Rose immediately noticed the resemblance between her and Jim Ramos. Sure enough, her name tag read 'Paula'.
"Hi," grinned Rose. "Could I get a dozen of those chocolate bon-bons and a dozen assorted chocolate covered strawberries?"
"Coming right up," said Paula.
"Your shop is beautiful," said Rose.
Paula smiled at her as she carefully used tongs to place the dozen bon-bons into one of the neat white boxes. "Thank you," she said. "It's not a very popular location but I have been getting customers quite steadily."
"If they taste even half as good as they look, I'm pretty sure I'll be a regular customer," said Rose.
"Thank you so much for that," said Paula, looking pleased as a punch.
"You won't be so grateful when I blame you for me going up five sizes," laughed Rose.
Paula laughed with her as she finished packing the two boxes which she placed in a brown paper bag with the shop's logo stamped on it. "Oh, hang on," she said, and placed about half a dozen fudge samples in the bag as well. "On the house."
"Thank you," said Rose gratefully.
After paying Paula, Rose made her way over to the Chrysalis on foot. She was surprised that the mechanism worked perfectly despite the ground above being covered with a layer of snow. She wished she could ask Etain how she had managed to build this back in the nineteenth century.
Inside the Chrysalis, she turned the heating on and then laid out one of the tables in the sitting room with the chocolates, and some biscuits and crisps. It was just after 5.30 by the time she was done setting up, and the Chrysalis was no longer freezing. Rose took a seat in the sitting room and waited, getting up only to put the kettle on when it was five minutes before six.
She was in the middle of making a pot of tea when she heard the mechanism shift overhead and careful footsteps come down the stairs. From the sound of it, it was only one person. Rose left the tea brewing and walked back to the sitting room, just as a young Black woman walked in. She was dressed sensibly for the cold, and her eyes went wide when she saw Rose.
"Hi," said Rose, with a welcoming smile. "I'm Rose Tyler. First year at Hertford for Arch and Anth."
"Adeola Oshodi. Adi, for short. I'm second year engineering at Trinity," she said. "But I guess you knew that." She held up the invitation and the pinned butterfly in her hand.
"Not all of it, just your name and what college you were at," said Rose. "Come in, you're the first one here. I've just put the kettle on."
Adi walked in, looking around in slight wonder at the sitting room. She opened her mouth, presumably to ask a lot of questions, but the mechanism shifted overhead once again, and a young woman with light brown hair cut into a pixie cut walked in, carrying a similar invitation and a pinned butterfly. She grinned brightly when she saw them.
"You know, I thought it was a joke and I have never been so glad to be wrong," she said. Rose noted her lilting Welsh accent and immediately found it charming. "Clarissa Jones. First year music at Christ Church."
Introductions followed, and in that time, Shanaya and Miranda had also made their way in.
"How many people did you invite?" asked Shanaya, as they all sat down with their tea.
"Ten," answered Rose. "Although, only the ones who were able to solve the puzzle will make it."
"And those that are interested enough to try," added Clarissa.
The next person to walk in was a petite blonde with her long hair in a thick braid, who introduced herself as Tara Jackson. She and Shanaya knew each other, since she had been a part of the 'coven'. Like Shanaya, she was also at Lady Margaret Hall but was studying Classics and Modern Language instead of Theology and Religion like Shanaya.
"Do we think this is about it?" asked Adi, glancing around. "It's still a decent turnout."
The mechanism opened once again and admitted a brunette with curly dark brown hair and thick glasses. Maura Taylor was a first year Law student at Brasenose, and as the time ticked to twenty minutes past six, the general consensus seemed to be that there would be no further arrivals.
Rose cleared her throat and stood up. "Good evening, everyone," she said, hoping she didn't look as nervous as she felt. "My name is Rose Tyler. I recently encountered an alumnus who was the last member of the Butterflies. She passed on the mantle to me and requested that I revive the society."
She noticed a few raised eyebrows and she couldn't blame them, since they would have researched the Butterflies when they had received the puzzle and found the same information that she had; the Butterflies had all died.
"The reason why I chose all of you was because I believe you are capable of handling the information about this alumnus better than most people," continued Rose, giving them all an appraising look.
"You mean to say she was an alien?" asked Shanaya.
"No," said Rose. "But she wasn't human."
"That's impossible," said Adi.
"It's not," said Clarissa, surprisingly. "Humans are not the only intelligent species on Earth. We have species who reside in the core of the planet and in the deepest oceans that we are yet to explore. And that's just what I know of."
"She's correct," nodded Maura. "So, who was the alumnus?"
"Her name was Etain," said Rose. "She's a fairy. A goddess in Irish mythology, actually."
"I know of the legend of Etain," said Tara, her eyes lighting up. "Are you telling me she's real?"
Rose nodded, and Adi gave them a look of pure disbelief.
"Look, I believe there are aliens," said Adi. "But fairies?"
"Rose is telling the truth," said Shanaya. "My father's office had a case that dealt with an incident involving fairies in Callanish about a decade ago. My father is a judge for cases that involve an element of extraterrestrial or otherwise otherworldly phenomenon that the common public is as yet unaware of," she added, by way of explanation to the others.
"Is that how you found each of us?" asked Maura.
Rose nodded. "I knew you had been a witness to some alien technology," she said.
Maura chuckled. "My brother, Malcolm, decided to bring work home," she said. "He's a scientist for this organisation called UNIT."
"Unified Intelligence Taskforce, yes," said Clarissa. "Used to be the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce when my mother worked for them back in the 70s."
"Really?" asked Rose, surprised. "I didn't know that. Shanaya said you were on the radar of her father's office because of your father's work."
"Well, yes, that too," said Clarissa. "He's an environmentalist."
"And a Nobel Laureate," added Shanaya.
Clarissa laughed. "Yes, and that," she said. "He and Mum raised me and my brothers and sisters all over the globe and we were witness to some alien phenomenon in Cardiff a few years ago."
"How many siblings do you have?" asked Tara.
"I'm the youngest of seven," said Clarissa. "We all grew up hearing stories from Mum and Dad, mostly from Mum."
"Hold on, what's your mother's name?" asked Maura.
"Jo Jones," said Clarissa. "Her maiden name is Grant."
Maura's eyes went wide. "I've heard of her! She worked with the Doctor," she said.
Rose felt her heart nearly stop as Clarissa nodded sheepishly. "The Doctor?" she asked.
"He's an alien," said Maura. "He used to work for UNIT as a scientific advisor. My brother is a huge fan."
"You know the Doctor?" asked Tara, and something in her tone made Rose think it wasn't the first time Tara was hearing his name.
"I've never met him," said Maura.
"I haven't either," said Clarissa. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, my Dad...he…" said Tara, nervously. "He used to travel with him."
"In the TARDIS?" asked Maura, eyes nearly bulging out of her skull.
"How do you-?" began Tara, but then nodded. "Yeah, back in the 60s. He and Polly, my step-mum, travelled with the Doctor."
"I had no idea," said Shanaya. "I mentioned you to Rose because of that whole thing with Caroline."
"Rose has met the Doctor," blurted out Miranda.
"You have?" asked Clarissa, as they all looked at Rose.
"Yeah, twice," admitted Rose, though she did shoot Miranda a slightly annoyed look. "Once back in London and once here in Oxford."
"The Doctor was here?" asked Maura, excitedly.
"Who is this Doctor, exactly?" asked Adi.
"He's a member of a time-travelling species called the Time Lords," explained Maura. At a look from everyone, she shrugged. "Like I said, my brother is a huge fan."
"How did you make the list, Adi?" asked Miranda.
Adi blinked for a moment and then shrugged sheepishly. "I...um...did something," she said.
"By something, you mean you hacked into Torchwood's systems two years ago?" asked Shanaya, amused.
"Yeah," said Adi.
"What's Torchwood?" asked Tara.
"While UNIT has global jurisdiction, Torchwood is Britain's own organisation for monitoring and dealing with alien threats," said Adi. "I was bored so I hacked into their system. They offered me a deal instead of throwing me in jail."
"My father's office is directly linked to Torchwood," said Shanaya. "Any cases requiring an intervention by the British legal system are dealt with by him and his office."
"UNIT has its own court in Geneva, but like Adi said, it is a global organisation," said Clarissa.
"There was a reason that people in this room were chosen," said Rose. "God, that makes me sound pompous." There was scattered laughter at that. "My point is, we all know there is much more to this universe than most people have been led to believe. I decided that the Butterflies was a perfectly good avenue to bring us together."
"I'm on board," said Clarissa, immediately. "Having a secret lair under the Cherwell would have been enough but the fact that we can all have these discussions openly is even better."
One by one, everyone voiced their agreement, and Rose gave them all a copy of the original prospectus which Shanaya agreed she would help revise to fit their modern brief. They also decided to have their weekly dinners on Wednesday with Tara and Adi agreeing to split the responsibilities for making dinner each week.
The evening came to an end after a tour of the Chrysalis, and as the clock struck nine, the first meeting of the Butterflies came to an end.
Rose checked everything was back in its place and was the last one to leave the Chrysalis. The chocolates from the Chocolate Mill had been a huge hit and the boxes were all empty.
As she made her way back to Hertford, she couldn't help but be excited for the start of a new chapter of her university life.
Two days after the first meeting of the Chrysalis, the first bit of the unusual made its way to Rose.
"Did you hear?" asked Clarissa. She and Adi were the only ones in the Chrysalis that afternoon, apart from Rose, since the others had classes or other engagements. "The entire Christ Church men's boat club is sick. Stuff coming out both ends."
"Oh, gross," said Adi, wrinkling her nose.
"Must be something they ate," said Rose.
"That's the general theory, yeah," said Clarissa. "They were due to play Hertford this weekend for a practice match before the Torpids but they're now out of commission. It's still odd, though."
"How so?" asked Adi.
"Well, at first our college thought it would have been something in our kitchens, but no one else apart from the men's boat team got sick. The women's team use the same facilities and club rooms and eat at the same place, but they're all fine," frowned Clarissa.
"That is odd," agreed Rose. "Do you think someone sabotaged them?"
"Seems that way, doesn't it?" said Clarissa.
"Sabotaging is a harsh word," said Adi. "More likely to be boys playing jokes on each other."
"That might be it, as well," nodded Rose.
But then the next day, the Somerville and Exeter Colleges' men's boat clubs had also become sick with the same thing. Rumours around campus said that the teams were being sabotaged ahead of the Torpids, but no link had yet been established between the three teams and the source of the poisoning.
"They reckon it's one of the other teams," Jake told Rose that Sunday at dinner. "We have all been told to only eat at the college and avoid going out to eat."
"The weird part is that the entire team is getting sick," said Miranda. "When was the last time you had an entire team eating the same thing?"
"It's more likely than you think," said Jim Ramos, who had also joined their little group, much to Rose's discomfort. He kept trying to engage her in conversation and despite not wanting to be rude, Rose had been dropping hints that she was not interested. "We all use the same supplements and eat almost the same thing every day."
"Are the supplements shared by the women's team as well?" asked Rose. At Jake's nod, she shrugged. "Then it's not the supplements, because then they would be sick as well."
"Good point," said Jake. "Besides, they already ruled out the kitchens at the respective colleges. None of the other students got sick."
"I think they sabotaged themselves," said Jim.
"Why would they do that?" asked Miranda.
Jim looked at Jake, who sighed. "Oriel College is expected to win the Torpids," he said. "They've won the past three years in a row and their team this year is unbelievably strong."
"Especially Gough," added Jim. "He's their best oarsman by a mile. And as if to rub it in, he's dating Penny Smithson." At blank looks from everyone else, he rolled his eyes. "She was Miss United Kingdom last year."
"So you think the teams are poisoning themselves on purpose so they don't have to compete?" asked Rose, raising her eyebrows sceptically.
"Maybe. If teams did want to not compete, then poisoning themselves is better than injuring themselves to get disqualified," said Jake.
"Or use it as an excuse for why they lost," added Jim, nodding in agreement.
"Well, that just doesn't add up," said Miranda. "You would have to get the entire team on board with that, for one. To willingly poison themselves and admit they're too scared to go up against Oriel."
"Not to mention, the Torpids start in the seventh week of the term," said Rose. "That's over five weeks away. Wouldn't they want to be poisoned right before the race?"
"That's true if it is sabotage as well," said Jake. "It's not life-threatening, as far as I have heard. Just takes you out of commission for a couple of days."
Rose frowned as she considered it, but heard one of the porters call out to her.
"Tyler, you've got a visitor at the Lodge."
Rose nodded gratefully at the porter. "I'll see you all later," she said, and cleared her tray before making her way to the Porter's Lodge. When she got there, she was shocked to see Etain. She was in her youthful form instead of the form of Adina Teasedale, and she smiled at Rose when she saw her.
"What are you doing here?" asked Rose, too shocked to return the gesture.
"You forgot your notebook in London. I was here in Oxford on business and thought I would come give it back," she said, and then gestured subtly to various people around the Lodge.
"Right," said Rose, plastering on a smile. "Come on, I'll show my room. Not everyday my favourite cousin comes to visit."
Etain smiled and Rose led her out of the Lodge and toward her room. "What's going on?" asked Rose.
"I need to speak to you," said Etain.
"I gathered that," said Rose. "But I thought it's not safe for you to come back to places you have been before because of Midir."
"That's true, but like I said, I needed to speak to you," said Etain.
"You could have called. Or emailed," said Rose, leading Etain inside her room and closing and locking the door.
"I don't trust human modes of communication," said Etain, as she glanced around her room in interest before sitting down primly at the edge of her bed.
Rose rolled her eyes and sat in her desk chair, facing Etain. "What did you want to talk about?"
Etain stopped looking around the room and took a deep breath. "Once I left here, I went and visited an old friend in Cardiff," she said. "Violet says hello, by the way."
"You went to see Violet?" asked Rose. "How is she?"
"That's what I am here about," said Etain. "Violet's kingdom is in danger."
Rose looked concerned. "Why? What happened?"
"Violet is a very progressive queen, you must understand. It's one of the reasons why I like her so much," explained Etain. "She has paved the way for modern kingdoms for our kind, and is a beloved figure as a result. Unfortunately, the traditionalists despise her, which means her kingdom is constantly under threat. But she is a strong queen and her kingdom has been able to withstand opposition with great fortitude."
"So what's wrong?" asked Rose.
"It's different, this time," said Etain, gravely. "This time, Violet fears the threat comes from within her kingdom."
"A civil war?" asked Rose, horrified.
"Let us pray it doesn't come to that but it is not out of the realm of possibility," said Etain.
"What do you want me to do?" asked Rose.
Etain smiled briefly and reached into the handbag she had been carrying. "Have you heard of Dr Craig Bailey?" she asked, pulling out a book.
"Vaguely," said Rose, wondering what this had to do with anything. "He's an archaeologist, I know that."
Etain nodded. "He's the world's leading expert when it comes to fairy rings on the British Isles," she said. "Or so his book says, anyway." She handed the book over to Rose. "He's known to fairies, because he is one of the most respectful humans we have encountered."
Rose, who had been looking at the picture of Dr Bailey on the back cover of the book, glanced at Etain in surprise. "He knows about fairies?" she asked.
"Well, he knows what the legends say and he considers the stories to be true," said Etain. "But no, he has never actually seen a fairy. Not one he knew was a fairy, at least."
"What does he have to do with Violet?" asked Rose.
"His most recent archaeological dig is in Roundstone Woods," said Etain. "Violet uncovered a plot designed to endanger her kingdom, that involved Dr Bailey though she does not know the details of the plan, nor who the perpetrators are. The traitor she unmasked chose death over betrayal."
"How would he be involved?" asked Rose. "Do you think he's colluding with them?"
"No, Violet suspects the traitors plan to use him for their own means," said Etain. "Our kind has very strict rules about interacting with humans. If someone in Violet's kingdom were to violate one of these rules in full view of a human expert likely to disclose it, not only would Violet be dethroned, she would be put to death for endangering all our kind."
Rose nodded; it made sense. "How can I help?"
Etain smiled at her. "What Violet needs is a buffer. A human, whom she can trust," she said. "I hear you have a fieldwork component to undertake this summer."
Rose stared at Etain and then down at the book. "You want me to apply for a position on his dig team," she realised.
Etain nodded. "Violet is confident she can discover the perpetrators herself, but she would like some help with the humans," she said. "I know it's a lot to ask…"
"I'll do it," said Rose, reading the summary of Dr Bailey's book which was about the dig in the Hill of Tara in Ireland.
"Are you sure?" asked Etain. "Violet says she owes you a favour, not the other way around…"
"I owe you a favour too," said Rose, looking at Etain. Etain just looked confused. "You paid for my education in full, Etain."
"Oh," said Etain. "Well, that's nothing at all. Human money holds no worth for me."
"Well, it's not nothing to me," said Rose, firmly. "Besides, I was stumped on finding a fieldwork project anyway. I'll certainly apply for it, but I may not be successful." When she saw the look on Etain's face, she held up a hand. "Please don't pull any strings. Literal or otherwise," she warned.
Etain pouted but nodded. "Fine," she said. "I am confident you will get it on your own merit, regardless."
Rose nodded. "I'll speak to my tutor and apply right away," she said.
Etain stood up and gave Rose a grateful smile. "Thank you, Rose," she said. "I should be on my way then, before Midir catches a whiff."
"Of course," said Rose. "I'll walk you back."
"I can just disappear from here," said Etain.
"People saw me lead you up here," said Rose. "They might get suspicious if you disappear."
Etain rolled her eyes but agreed. As Rose walked her back, she told her about the Butterflies, and Etain was inordinately pleased.
"I'll let Violet know you will be there to assist this summer," said Etain, as they reached the road. "Thank you, Rose."
"No, thank you, Etain," said Rose. "Truly."
"Six more teams down, it's getting ridiculous," said Clarissa, as the Butterflies had their first official weekly dinner in the second week of term.
"They recover quickly though," said Tara, as she dished out the salad for everyone before passing the plates to Adi who was serving up the pasta. "Christ Church was the first team down and they are back to it this week."
"What's weird though is that the team from Oriel is the latest one to get sick," said Rose, as she poured wine for everyone.
"Why is that weird?" asked Shanaya.
"The popular theory is that everyone is getting sick on purpose to avoid facing Oriel at the Torpids," explained Miranda.
"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard," said Shanaya.
"You're not wrong," agreed Tara.
"Sorry, I'm late," said Maura, as she walked in. "My college is in panic."
"Let me guess, your men's college boat club is sick," said Clarissa.
Maura nodded, as she sat down at the table. "This looks good, Adi, Tara," she said, glancing around at the pasta, salad and cheese-covered garlic bread laid out on the table.
"We thought it best to keep it simple," said Adi, smiling gratefully. "There's tiramisu from the Chocolate Mill for dessert."
"I definitely need more salad if we have Paula's tiramisu," said Tara, and everyone laughed in agreement.
The Chocolate Mill's proximity was a blessing and a curse, because it meant that inevitably someone would buy something on their way to the Chrysalis.
Everyone started tucking in, and for a few minutes, they all ate in silence.
"I think we should look into it," said Shanaya, after a moment.
"Look into what?" asked Miranda.
"The poisoning," said Shanaya.
"The university is already investigating," said Maura. "Besides, I doubt there are aliens involved."
"No, I'm with Shanaya," said Clarissa. "If we do find something, we can just report it."
Everyone looked at Rose, and she supposed it was her decision as the President of the Butterflies. "Let's do it," said Rose. "If anyone feels uncomfortable participating, I won't blame them for backing out, though."
"You're joking, right?" asked Adi, as everyone else looked at her incredulously. "Have you met us?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Rose, as the rest of them chuckled. "I had to say it, though."
"So, let's start from the beginning," said Clarissa. "Nine teams have been affected so far. Christ Church, Somerville, Exeter, Balliol, Keble, Trinity, Magdalen, Worcester, Oriel and Brasenose. In that order."
"Could it have something to do with the intercollegiate party that Hertford hosted last week?" asked Maura.
"That would be a good place to poison the teams," nodded Shanaya.
"Rose and I were at the party too," said Miranda. "Neither of us got sick."
"Could it be something just the teams would have eaten?" asked Clarissa.
"No, Paula catered the event, and trust me, I had some of everything," said Rose.
"God, I want to go to an event catered by Paula," sighed Shanaya.
"It's a bit weird though," said Adi. "Getting a chocolatier to cater an event for athletes, I mean."
"I assume it's because Paula's brother is on the Hertford team," said Miranda.
"He is?" asked Shanaya.
"Yeah, Jim Ramos," said Rose. "Apparently, she did it at a massive discount."
"That would be why," nodded Tara. "It would be quite expensive to cater an event that big."
"Not to mention the gift boxes for every team to take with them after the event," said Rose absently, taking a sip of her wine. The penny dropped at the same time for almost everyone, and they all looked at each other.
"The gift boxes…?" asked Maura.
"It's certainly possible," said Adi.
"Hang on, are we saying Paula poisoned them?" asked Rose, disbelievingly.
"No," said Shanaya. "It makes more sense that someone else poisoned the gift boxes, knowing the teams would have them."
"Who would even have access to it?" asked Tara.
"I hate to say it," began Adi, and Rose turned to her.
"You think it was Jim," realised Rose.
"It's possible," said Clarissa. "Actually, it is very likely."
"How do we even prove that?" asked Adi.
"I think we are jumping ahead a few steps," said Miranda.
"Miranda's right," said Maura. "We need to work out what the circumstances were and who was likely to have access to the gift boxes, apart from Paula."
"I vote we go to the Chocolate Mill for hot chocolate after dinner," said Clarissa.
"So long as we don't harass the poor woman," said Maura, firmly.
With agreement from the others, the Butterflies finished their dinner and cleaned up before leaving the Chrysalis and walking to the Chocolate Mill. Closing time was only fifteen minutes away so the shop was empty, except for Paula, who was happy to make them all a cup of hot chocolate to take away.
"You girls are responsible for so much of my business, I'm sure you can buy a share in another month," said Paula, as she began making fresh hot chocolate.
"We would just eat the merchandise, unfortunately," said Clarissa.
"Speaking of which, I was telling them about the party you catered for the boat clubs," said Rose.
"Yes, that was quite nice. A lot of work, but it's been bringing in customers," said Paula.
"Did you have any help putting together all of it?" asked Maura.
"I did," nodded Paula. "I hired another chocolatier and two bakers for preparation, and then two part-time servers to set it all up."
"What about the gift boxes?" asked Adi. "We heard they were a huge hit, too."
"The gift boxes I made myself," said Paula, and then frowned. "Why?"
"No reason, just seems like a lot to do by yourself," said Shanaya, quickly.
"Oh, well, I did it," said Paula, and handed them their takeaway cups.
Sensing they were being asked to politely leave, they all thanked her and left.
"That wasn't helpful at all," said Clarissa.
"I disagree," said Miranda. "The gift boxes were set alongside the rest of the food. Each one of them was marked with the team it was meant for. If she hired people to set up the food, it is likely they set that up as well."
"You're right," said Clarissa, and then ducked her head back into the shop. "Sorry, Paula, just a quick question. Who were the people you hired to help you set up?"
Paula, who was in the middle of cleaning the counter, frowned again. "Uh, two girls from Oriel. Madison Wu and Penny Smithson."
"Thanks," said Clarissa, but she must have seen the look on Rose's face. "What?"
Rose nodded at them to return to the Chrysalis so they wouldn't disturb Paula. "Penny Smithson is dating the best oarsman at Oriel," she said, once they were back in the sitting room.
"The one everyone considers a threat?" asked Shanaya.
"Gough, yeah," nodded Rose.
"But Oriel's team was poisoned too," pointed out Tara. "Why would she poison her own boyfriend?"
"Maybe that is exactly what she wanted to do," said Adi.
"And poisoned eight other teams to hide that?" asked Maura, in disbelief.
"Again, we keep jumping to conclusions," said Miranda. "We don't even know if the gift boxes were poisoned."
Adi bit her lip contemplatively. "We could find out," she said.
"Find out if the gift boxes were poisoned?" asked Rose.
"No, find out if there was a reason Penny wanted to poison her boyfriend," she said, and then rummaged in her bank and pulled out her laptop.
"You're hacking?" asked Tara, scandalised.
"Just into her email," said Adi, typing away at her laptop.
"If we are right, she poisoned nine teams, maybe more," said Shanaya, looking at Tara. "If it had gotten out that the gift boxes were poisoned, Paula's business would have been ruined. People would have also wrongfully accused her brother of being the saboteur. We have to investigate."
"Do you really think she will have anything in her email about it?" asked Miranda.
"Not if she's anything like me," said Maura. "I would cover my tracks and buy it in person with cash before coming to Oxford."
"Well, the good news is that she is not like you," said Adi. "She ordered cadmium yellow on the internet."
"You're kidding," said Rose, as they crowded behind Adi to read what was on the screen. "She ordered it before Christmas."
"It might only have been delivered now," said Shanaya.
"Cadmium pigments are mostly used in artwork or colouring glass. It should be safe, for the most part, but if she sprayed them on the chocolates and the oarsmen ate them, it would explain why they got sick," said Maura.
"Isn't heavy metal poisoning supposed to be deadly?" asked Tara.
"Prolonged exposure can be deadly, yes," said Miranda. "What do we do?"
"We report it, of course," said Tara.
"We have no evidence," said Shanaya. "All this email tells her that she ordered cadmium yellow. She could say she has a hobby."
"We could confront her," suggested Clarissa.
"Without evidence?" asked Shanaya. "No, we need to think of something else."
"I have an idea," said Rose, slowly. "Adi, can you create a fake student email?"
"Yeah, absolutely," said Adi. "What are we doing with it?"
"We send an email to the university's administration that says that we heard that the boat clubs were poisoned with cadmium," said Rose. "It was snuck into the gift boxes given to them at the end of the night at the Hertford party. And at the end of the email, we just speculate and say that whoever helped either prepare or set up the gift boxes should be investigated to see if they bought cadmium."
"That's dangerous," said Tara.
"So is cadmium," said Maura.
"We could be wrong," said Miranda.
"But this way, it will make the university investigate," said Shanaya. "I think it's a good plan. If we are completely off the mark then the university investigates and dispels the rumour. The worst that will do is bring us back to square one."
"Shanaya's right," said Maura. "We are not naming Penny or her boyfriend or saying there was a conspiracy."
"We have to be careful about the way we write it, though," said Miranda. "We don't want to destroy Paula's business."
"That's why I suggested an email instead of posting on the university forums," said Rose.
"I'm in," said Adi. One by one, people voiced their agreement, even Tara, who had been the most reluctant one. "What name should we have on the email?"
"Jennie Correll," said Tara. When everyone just stared at her, she shrugged. "The man who wrote Madame Butterfly based the story on his sister's recollections. Her name was Jennie Correll."
"Jennie Correll, it is," said Adi. With help from the rest of them, the email was drafted and then promptly emailed.
With a slightly subdued air around them, the Butterflies all departed the Chrysalis for the night.
The payoff came two weeks later when Penny Smithson was arrested on the suspicion of maliciously administering poison. The university released a statement that they found cadmium in the system of affected students, who then received prompt treatment. Jake told Rose that the university had just confiscated all the gift boxes given out at their party and refused to divulge any reasons.
Another day or two after that, the newspaper reported that Penny Smithson had pleaded guilty to all charges. It turned out she had wished to get her boyfriend sick so he could not participate in training or any races, and had decided to poison a few more teams to cover her tracks.
Rose and the rest of the Butterflies were happy to just observe it from the sidelines, satisfied that they had done all they could to ensure that the right authorities could investigate the matter and put it to bed.
The Penny Smithson case was all everyone would talk about around the university these days, but for the Butterflies, life went on as usual, their secret safe for now.