Early the following morning, Mary, Bess and Kate rode out to the refurbished old barn. All three were in skinny jeans, checked cotton shirts, riding helmets and boots with bandanas tied around their necks. Experienced horsewomen all from their previous lifetimes, they had received an intensive specialised course from Linda Dana-Craig at the Rancho del Sol in Southern California. That course had inspired them to wear the bandanas.

Their handbags secured to their saddles, the Pembrokes dismounted and led their horses up to where the truck was parked. Leaving their horses, they examined the side of the vehicle. Looking closely, the small flaps that hinged open to reveal the projector were obvious.

"Well, what have we here?! Three young ladies nosing around where they shouldn't that is what."

Mary jumped up. Six burly armed factotums stood between them and their horses. Our handbags, with our mobiles inside, are still secured to the saddles. How stupid are we?! "Excuse me, what is the way to the distillery for the tour later on?" she asked primly.

"You are early and nowhere near the right part of the estate. We could show you…" The apparent leader of the labourers was cut off when Mary's knee connected hard with his groin. Bess' punched one of the others in the gut, but Kate was grabbed by the arm by a third, his automatic pointed at her head. "Put your hands in the air or she gets a bullet through her brain!" he called. Mary and Bess did so and were promptly seized by two other factotums.

"What do we do with them, Jack?" Kate's captor asked the recovering head labourer.

"Take these hellcats into the barn and tie them up tightly. We can secure the horses inside too."

The Pembrokes were dragged into the barn, as the head labourer and the two remaining guards led the horses in after them. Once inside, the horses' reins were secured to a wooden pillar near the door, after which the foreman grabbed several coils of rope. The girls' wrists were tied tightly together in front of them, before they were forced to sit on separate bales of hay. Each girl had her back to a wooden pillar to which their torsos and upper arms were bound securely. Their ankles were tied together and, to add to their discomfort, they were then gagged with their own bandanas.

"That should keep you out of the way until the boss can decide what to do with you all," the foreman declared. "One of his contacts is a sheikh out in the Gulf. He is always looking for horses for his stables – and pretty young things for his harem…" With that parting thought, he led his men out of the barn and locked the door behind them.

Well, Mary thought bitterly, our handbags are still attached to the saddles. What good is that, though, when we are unable to get to them?! Hopefully, Dan, Rex and the others will wonder why we are not ringing them for the launch of the drone and come to rescue us before we become the playthings of some Arab version of Papa…

Bess, however, managed to wriggle her bound wrists enough to be able to tap the face of her smart watch twice with the second finger of her right hand. From the Special Apps menu displayed, she first activated the emergency homing beacon and then the circular saw. The diamond encrusted surround of the watch rotated rapidly and sliced through the rope in seconds. Once her hands were free, she turned off the saw, removed her watch and used the laser to burn through the cords binding her to the pillar and then the rope around her ankles. Noting happily that her sisters were copying her actions, she untied her gag and replaced it around her neck, before putting her finger to her lips in the universal signal for keeping quiet, just in case any labourer heard them and came to investigate. After Mary and Kate had freed themselves, they ran up to Bess for a three-way embrace.

"You clever girl, Bessie!" Mary whispered softly.

"Thank you," her sister whispered back, going over to the horses and retrieving her handbag from her horse's saddle. "Now, to see if our friends have picked up our calls for assistance…"

"We should be hearing from the Pembrokes any time now," Jon Warrender noted, as the drone flew over the barn shortly after the young ladies were first imprisoned within.

"I cannot see our new friends, fellows," Bob Andrews pointed out. "They have not called us yet either.

"Wait! Bess has just activated the emergency homing signal in her watch! The signal seems to be coming from inside the barn."

"Her sisters have just activated their homing signals too, guys," Velma chimed in, "also from the barn. Jinkies!"

"Hopefully, the Doctor has already seen the signal," Rex mused. He removed his mobile from his coat pocket. "Fossilised Fishhooks! I shall call Pembroke House. Those miscreants shall soon suffer the wrath of Anne Boleyn…"

Anne and Catalina were walking in the gardens at Pembroke House arm-in-arm when Anne's mobile ringtone sounded. "Good morning Rex."

"Good morning Anne.

"Your daughters have all activated the emergency homing devices in their smart watches. It appears that they have been caught snooping and imprisoned in a barn."

"What?! How?! Are they alright?"

"We don't know yet, Anne. They must be conscious in order to activate the homing signal though.

"Come as soon as you can."

"Thank you, Rex." With the familiar sound, the Doctor's TARDIS materialised. "Our war chariot has arrived to pick us up. It is time to give Mr Crawley and his cohorts a proper whipping!"

"My spouse is picking up our mothers and Ned," Bess reported quietly, reading a new text. As she did so, the sound of the truck starting was heard from outside. There was a flurry of voices, which reduced as the vehicle presumably drove off. "She will then pick up our friends nearby. If our escape plan works, we shall meet up with them at the distillery."

"There are only three men left," Mary reported checking her mobile's radial thermal imaging. "One is directly in front of the doors to the barn and the other two to the left and right respectively."

Bess and Kate twisted the tops of their ballpoint pens anticlockwise, whilst Mary removed two small adhesive discs from their hiding place in her mobile's leather protective case and attached them to the barn door. She selected the remote detonator function from her mobile's Special Aps menu and the discs exploded. Her sisters kicked the door open, knocking the labourer in front sprawling. Bess and Kate ran up to the startled other two labourers and gave each one a spray of the anaesthetic from their respective ballpoint pens. The two men were asleep before they could realise what was going on.

Mary had run up to the first labourer. He staggered to his feet and attempted to grab hold of her, but she twisted the middle decorative stub of her handbag. The hidden compartment hinged open at the front of the bag and Mary removed and extended the combat baton. A sharp jab to the stomach left him on his knees, followed by a blow to the back of the neck to send him sprawling. Bess had joined Mary and gave the man a spray of the anaesthetic to send him into unconsciousness.

Once the Pembrokes had shared another three-way embrace, they went back into the barn to retrieve their horses. Having led Margaret out of the barn, Mary mounted her and rode off towards the actual distillery at top speed. Bess on Kat and Kate on Joan were soon galloping after her. Let us hope, Mary thought, that we can bring these wicked men to justice…

"What about the truck?" Fred Jones demanded. "If we are leaving in the TARDIS, who is keeping an eye on it? I should set a trap…"

"No need, Fred," Rex assured him. "Velma and Jigger are staying behind to control the drone.

"As for the truck, the police have given MI6 permission to put their best man on it…" Rex pointed to the monitor with the images received from the drone. The familiar form of a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 came into view and drove up alongside the farm truck. A rotating tyre slasher extended from the hub cap of the rear wheel adjacent to the truck. Once both the tyres were shredded, the truck was forced to come to a grinding halt. The men inside rapidly ran out, with two drawing their automatics and firing at the Aston Martin, which was turning around to face them. Given the bulletproof glass of the windscreen and the reinforced chassis, this had no impact. The front indicators hinged open to reveal twin machineguns, which fired a brief warning volley. The men dropped their guns and stuck their hands in the air. Police cars then drove up, their lights flashing and sirens blaring.

Rex's mobile rang. "Hi James! You have not lost your touch, I see… Yes, we would like you to meet up with us at the distillery. Even if this is merely a dodgy businessman with a couple of dozen thugs on the payroll, having a Double-0 Agent on the job is always an advantage… Yes, Jigger and Velma are staying on the scene here… We will see you there. Bye James!"

As Rex ended the call, the Doctor's TARDIS materialised. All the former young adventurers bar Velma and Jigger, but including Zelena and the Scamanders, entered the TARDIS, which dematerialised. Meanwhile, the Aston Martin's machineguns weakened the fence to Creepy Vines, before two battering rams extended from the front bumper. Commander James Bond revved up the Aston Martin and rammed the fence at top speed. Within a matter of seconds, he was on a driveway heading up towards the distillery.

"Where are the Pembrokes?" Ali asked, as they waited outside the distillery for the tour to begin. "I was planning on asking Kate out for a date after the tour."

"I am afraid that the Pembrokes had an urgent family matter come up and could not make it today," Crawley said.

"Are you sure about that?" Claire White asked. "I can see the three of them galloping towards us on their horses now."

Crawley looked on in horror. My men said that those meddling young ladies were securely bound and gagged. Well, no matter!

Mary rode up to the party and dismounted. "You look surprised to see us, Mr Crawley…"

As Mary spoke, her sisters reached them and dismounted. After that, there came a strange whirring and groaning sound, as what appeared to be a 1950's or 1960's blue police box slowly materialised. An Aston Martin DB5 sped up to them. "We come with back-up, as I believe the phrase is," Mary said sweetly. "Your little scheme with the dancing skeleton has been exposed."

Crawley produced an automatic pistol and fired a warning shot that missed Mary by a matter of inches. "Not so fast, Ms Pembroke. As you can see, I am still armed and dangerous! Pennington! Pemberton! Come on out!" The groom and the butler emerged from the distillery, each holding a large pistol in a two-handed grip.

The TARDIS doors opened, and a striking figure emerged. A little over six feet tall, broad-shouldered and buxom, Wonder Witch wore black armour decorated with white astrological symbols over her torso and flanks, with a short skirt attached. Most of her tanned and toned upper legs and arms were bare, above respectively knee-length high-heeled boots and large golden bracelets which ran from her wrists almost to her elbows. A golden tiara with a Caduceus symbol in the centre held her long black hair back, to match the Caduceus wand in a holster on her golden belt, alongside a lasso and a large sword in a scabbard. A bronzed hoplon shield was slung across her back. Behind her were Lioness, Wrath, Vendetta and Protectress of the Furies, the respective alter egos of Ginny, Pansy, Daphne and Tracey. Harry and Wednesday Potter (the former Ms Addams had married Harry and Ginny after a long friendship had turned to True Love for all three) had also been picked up by the Doctor, although the rest of the Secret Circle's General Committee was on standby at The Alchemists Arms, alongside the remaining Furies, just in case Crawley did have any serious magical backup.

Further thuggish-looking labourers and household staff emerged, all carrying handguns. By this time, James had once again lowered the DB5's front indicators to reveal the machineguns behind them. As before, a quick warning volley saw many of Crawley's men beat a hasty retreat. "Cowards!" Crawley yelled after those who retreated.

The groom Pennington levelled his pistol at Mary's head. "Surrender, or I blow her brains out!" he called. He did not, however, see that a tall, dark-haired man who had followed the mysterious freaks in fancy dress out of the police box was immediately behind him. A combat baton was extended and brought down on Pennington's head. As he collapsed into unconsciousness, Dan Robinson dropped his baton and ran up to Mary. "Are you OK?" he asked.

Mary flung herself into his arms. "I am now, Dan! My sisters and I have a few minor injuries and some ligature marks from when we were tied up in that barn but are otherwise unharmed. Thank you for asking - and for saving my life of course." With that, she kissed him softly on the lips. "The Woman!" Dan gasped after their lips had parted. "I have found the Woman who has eclipsed the rest of her sex forever more for me.

"Lady Mary Pembroke, I love you and I think that I have been ever since we first met. I know this is not the time and place to discuss…" He was silenced by Mary again pressing her lips against his.

The other gunmen opened fire. Bullets ricocheted off the Aston Martin, the TARDIS and the shields and bracelets of Wonder Witch and her Furies. Lioness clanged her bracelets together to knock back their foes with a shockwave before a shield charge from her fellow enhanced sorceresses mopped up some more. Her husband used pinpoint stunning spells to take down any that they had missed. I very much doubt that we shall need magical reinforcements. A good two-thirds to three-quarters of our opponents are already unconscious. If Crawley employs wizards, they are not revealing themselves. Further experienced warrior mages would be overkill!

Pemberton the butler was surprised to see a green mist come towards him, before it solidified into a tall and beautiful redhead. Zelena socked him a powerful upper cut to the jaw before he could recover from his shock for long enough to raise his large pistol. "You were not expecting THAT, were you, my pretty?!" she sassed, before kicking his dropped weapon away from him. Luna Apparated up to stun Pemberton unconscious. "Mr Crawley needs to hire better henchmen in the future," she mused. "He must suffer from the Wrackspurts…" Somehow Zelena managed not to laugh at her friend.

Crawley had disappeared into the distillery. Steel shutters descended over all the doors and windows. Wonder Witch tore the shutter from the main entrance with as much ease as she would a paper fan, before kicking the doors behind it out of their frames and into a wall some yards back. She, her Furies and Harry charged in. With the Police Armed Response Unit having arrived on the scene, James Bond, the Doctor, Yaz, Zelena, Luna, Rolf, Ned, the Pembrokes and the former young adventurers followed them inside.

"I'm not picking up any sign of Mr Crawley," Bess noted, checking her mobile's radial thermal imaging. "There is, however, a heat signature coming from behind that winepress." She switched to the app that performed a chemical analysis scan. "There appears to be a sliding panel in the far wall."

After a bit of prodding, Jean Dana-Craig found the switch to send part of the wall sliding first back and then across to reveal a set of steps leading down to a cellar. Most of it was devoted to what looked like the platform for a miniature underground railway, with the tracks leading into a tunnel heading in the direction of the main farmhouse. "Back to the TARDIS!" the Doctor called.

As they were leaving the distillery building, Bessie's mobile bleeped. "The tracker on Mr Crawley's Jaguar is on the move. He's attempting to flee!"

"Damn!" James swore. "The DB5's never going to be fast enough to cut him off. I should have brought one of Q-Branches later efforts instead. Unless you can delay him long enough…"

"We can," the Doctor told him. "Mary, Bessie, Kate, bring your horses into the TARDIS. I have a plan."

The TARDIS materialised close to the main gates to Creepy Vines. Per the tracker, Crawley's Jaguar was almost upon them. Mary, Bess and Kate led their horses out of the TARDIS. "You will be careful, mis hijas?" Catalina enquired.

"Of course, Mama," Mary promised. "All the same, we cannot let that wretched man get away! When that thrice-damned cur Northumberland tried to stick Jane Grey on the throne that was mine by right, I rallied a militia and won the crown. We are warriors from a line of warriors, Mama. Warriors never refuse a lawful fight!"

"My sister is right!" Bess echoed. "Before the Spanish Armada, I rode in full armour at Tilbury to rally the troops. I still may have the heart and body of a weak and feeble woman, but I also still have the heart and stomach of a King of England!"

Dan smiled at Mary. "Neither of you have lost your touch or your spirit. Come back safely." He kissed her quickly. She mounted and motioned for him to climb on to Margaret behind her. With Bess and Kate already mounted, they galloped off towards the approaching Jaguar.

"Those meddling kids and their horses!" Crawley cursed. "Ram them!" he yelled to his chauffeur.

The Pembrokes guided their horses out of the way. Dan saw that Mary was reaching into her handbag, which was once again secured to her saddle. She removed a lipstick, twisted the base clockwise and threw it with all her might into the XJS, which was a convertible model with the roof down.

"A lipstick?!" laughed Crawley. "What does she think…" The tear gas grenade exploded, releasing a choking cloud into the atmosphere. The chauffeur was forced to stop the car for a couple of minutes until the gas had cleared. By that time, the Aston Martin DB5 and two police cars were on the scene. Crawley produced his automatic but dropped it when Kate opened the secret compartment in the front of her handbag and threw the flat throwing knife into his wrist. The chauffeur raised his hands in surrender. Before long, both he and Crawley were handcuffed and in police custody.

"Your first adventure was a rousing success," Rex observed. "I am unaware of any rewards on offer, but…"

"You need not worry, Rex," Mary told him. "I already have my reward!" She kissed Dan passionately on the lips. "A man who Truly Loves me, unlike Philip II of Spain, is an ample prize." As Dan took her arm, Mary knew that the future adventures of the Pembroke Girls would be linked with those of the Baker Street Irregulars, just as her future would be forever with Dan Robinson.

Author's Note: "The Lady in the Tower" was a description used of Anne Boleyn during her final days. That was my inspiration for the title of this chapter.