An: The Doctor would be appalled, days progressing like this

She woke up to find herself in the bed, staring at the wall. She turned over in a flash and saw the back of the lizard woman's head. Bed warmer. Right. She thought. She got up and dressed, making tea for the lizard woman and then slumped by the fire, hungry once more.

"Don't forget to have a bath today. You're beginning to stink."

Jenny stuck her tongue out at the lizard woman who was now sat up in bed sipping tea, but collected a towel from the chest and departed for the room she'd seen with the tin tub.

The fire was already lit, presumably the landlady and she went out into the yard to the standcock to fill up the buckets to heat up.

It was still cold and she stared at the sky while she waited for them to fill up, wondering whether it would snow. The grey sky reminded her of the first time her and the lizard woman had crossed paths.

She put one bucket in large kettle on the fire and the other went straight into the tub. A bath was a lot of effort but the lizard woman's comments might earn her a punch, which might result in Jenny getting eaten, so it was worth it.

She sighed as she stripped off her dress and corset, wincing as the action pulled on her wound.

"Which reminds me…" the lizard woman said from the doorway, causing Jenny to jump half a foot in the air. She hugged herself to try and cover up as the lizard woman advanced on her. "Really? There's nothing there I haven't seen before." she quirked her head when Jenny just glowered at her. "As you wish. But stay still."

Jenny couldn't ever quite decide why she obeyed, standing still in only her drawers, why she trusted the lizard woman who ate people as she squatted before her, gently peeling back the dressing to inspect the wound the knife had made in her side.

"You were lucky." The lizard woman told her. "They merely wished to make you bleed a little, not kill you. It is already healing."

"Did yer afta stitch me?" Jenny peered down over her crossed arms to try and see it.

"No. Bathe. I will dress it again afterwards."

The lizard woman left her and returned upstairs.

The bath was lukewarm at best but Jenny got the bar of soap from the mantelpiece and scrubbed herself all over. The wound looked red and raw but clean at least. A miracle considering the knife, the miscreant and the alleyway she'd been attacked in.

After dressing in her drawers and wrapping a towel round her, she went back upstairs to find the lizard woman sat at the desk, writing what looked like a letter. It was hard to creep in a towel but Jenny was determined to pay the lizard woman back for walking in on her. "I'm ready." She said loudly when she stood behind the lizard woman at last. It earned her a sideways glance and a raised eye ridge. Well it'd been worth a try.

The wound was cleaned with a liquid that made it sting and brought quick tears to Jenny's eyes although she bit her tongue on every swear word she wanted to utter.

"Hold this." The lizard woman placed a wad of something over the wound and Jenny pressed it down as she wound a bandage around her. Jenny felt a small little twitch as the lizard woman's arms went round her but she put it down to fear. The lizard woman did eat people after all.

"There." she tied it off in satisfaction and returned to her letter, disappearing to send it.

Jenny's dress felt slightly grimy now she was clean but it was all she had. She emptied out the bath water into the yard, earning an approving glance from the landlady. She peered at the letters on the lizard woman's desk, seeing if there was anything of interest, wondering who she'd been writing to.

Her stomach growled and she glanced at the small chest on the desk, her fingers itching slightly.

"Come here, ape." That made twice she'd made Jenny jump and she was going to pay for it, Jenny swore on her flint. Still, she turned round and followed the lizard woman to the bed. "Sit."

A little voice complained at Jenny obeying the curt commands but sit she did. The lizard woman turned her round roughly.

"I borrowed a brush from the landlady. Your hair is positively wild." The lizard woman tugged it through sharply.

"OWW!" Jenny started up and glared at her, tears in her eyes. "Fink it 'urt less to be stabbed! Go gennel or give it me!" she held out her hand for the brush.

The lizard woman blinked.

"'ow'd you feel if'n I jus' came up an' ripped yer scales off?"

"Gentle."

"Yes!"

"Hmph. Very well." Jenny realised that she wasn't about to release the brush and with a sigh plopped down on the floor again.

"What am I? A doll you fancy playin' with?" She sighed again as her hair got tugged and pulled, still quite harshly but not enough to bring tears.

"More a pet, I think. A doll wouldn't require feeding." Vastra snorted. Jenny bit her lip on a retort.

After about ten minutes of having her head jerked round Jenny stood up and grabbed the brush, running back to the fire to slowly comb through it and brush the tangles out, scowling at the lizard woman as she did.

Lacking anything to secure it with she left it loose and threw the clumps of hair into the fire, watching them burn.

"Ape!"

Jenny lifted her eyes from the fire but otherwise ignored it.

"Human then. Come here."

Jenny approached more warily this time. "Whatchoo want now?"

"Can you read?" the lizard woman was holding out a book.

"Read?" Jenny took it and looked down on it. She was sure she could once but school seemed a long time ago. She took it and stared at the letters.

"Do you not know how to?" there was that contemptuous tone again.

Jenny shrugged and made an attempt.

"Stop! Stop. By the Goddess, are all apes as uneducated as you? How on Earth has your species survived?"

Jenny clammed up but she grabbed her wrist and sat her down on the bed.

"You know your letters? The letters of this language? Yes?"

Jenny nodded.

"Try again."

In halting attempts, Jenny tried again. She didn't quite comprehend what she was reading, it seemed devilish complicated but she tried.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

She shook her head, memories of being hauled to the front of the class in the Schools and the sharp sting of a ruler across her knuckles to echoing laughter resurfaced and held her silent and downcast even as she felt the urge to clap the lizard woman one round the head.

The lizard woman retrieved her book and sighed, waving to dismiss her. Jenny's face went through several contortions and then she stormed out.

Alas, without any money she couldn't buy food. It was tempting to steal something but something stopped her and she returned to the yard to drink water from the stopcock and sit despondently on the back doorstep, chewing her lip.

"Owh mercy!" the landlady cursed as she nearly fell over her. "Oh tis you. Well you clean up well enough don't you! I 'ope yor bein' good to the lady. Trustin' of 'er to take the likes of you in."

Jenny's stomach growled and she didn't particularly feel like being "good to the lady" at all but she said nothing.

"Fancy 'elpin' me with some chores around the yard?"

Jenny shrugged and took the proffered broom. Her frustration made her vigorous.

When she'd finished the landlady came back, nodded. "Well an' I s'pose you ain't so bad for a maid after all." She paused. "I might have a bite of some soup on the hob if you fancy it."

It was a peace offering and Jenny was hungry and the potato and leek soup was good. The landlady winked at her as she poured herself some gin. "A tot when you get to my age allus does you good. Want one?"

Jenny shook her head.

"You got a name?"

"Jenny Flint." She didn't see much point in lying.

"Marjorie Blackett. But you can call me Missus Blackett." Another tot of gin was poured out and a wink thrown in Jenny's direction. In a split second she decided she liked Missus Blackett after all. Even if she did drink gin like it was water. A grin was offered in return for the wink.

"You don't speak much do yer."

Jenny shrugged, causing a snort of laughter from Missus Blackett.

"Well, considerin' the usual crew round 'ere I can't say as I'm against a nice bit of quiet. If yer ever need a job ter do, I wouldn't say no to a bit of 'elp around the place an' I won't charge yer rent. 'ow does that sound?"

"Fair 'nuff."

"Usually got a nice pot o' somethin' boilin' too. Gets a bit lonely before the evenin' customers."

Jenny nodded, acknowledging the offer. Well, if it all fell through with the lizard woman, she might have a place to stay and work at least.

She kept out of the lizard woman's way for the rest of the day, hiding when she departed later in the evening.

Vastra was a little affronted but assumed the ape had run away. It was disappointing but really what else could one expect of apes? You tried to help them and they responded ungratefully. And the ape had warned her of her criminal past. She'd had a hope but that was that. She was a little surprised that her chest of money hadn't been diminished at the same time.

After she'd left, Jenny moved back upstairs, grabbed the book off the floor by the bed and curled up by the fire and sat trying to read it. It was some kind of story. The person in it seemed to have a rather rough time, much like Jenny trying to read. She gave up in the end and drifted off to sleep, gazing into the fire.

She would have been surprised at the quirk of the lizard woman's head, seeing the ape (still there after all!) curled up with the book and at the softening of her eyes as she thought of getting some simpler books for it. The gentle way the lizard woman dressed her in a nightgown before lifting her into bed, still making sure the fire would burn the night, even with a bed warmer.

An: but I'm having fun experimenting with writing and researching the minutae of Victorian life (not to mention cockney slang) so the Doctor can go suck a sherbet fancy