Roses are Red

The Manor was buzzing with activity. The country house, in the middle of the countryside, loomed out of the dusk, huge, with numerous windows and grounds that spanned a few acres. The drive way to the house was a good carriage ride long, through trees and wild roses, beautifully kept. A girl, with chestnut brown hair, was at the end of the drive way, by the iron wrought gates, pruning branches. She was quite behind the fashions of the time, wearing a plaid shirt, dusty brown trousers, bracers, and a straw hat. She was frowned upon in public, but the family she worked for adored her.

A carriage trod down the driveway, the horses' hooves clicking against the stone slabs, and the wheels rattling and squeaking. A cloaked man was waiting in the carriage as it stopped just before the entrance to the house, to where the girl was happily humming away. He stepped out, and his shadow fell over the girl. She spun around, and her grass-green eyes were full of terror. She screamed, and her shears clattered to the ground, where she was no longer.

The Tardis spun through time and space, its engine whirring, rising and falling. The Doctor, and his three companions, Martha, Ruby and Kit, were all comfortably sitting on the floor, drinking tea, or, coffee, in Ruby's case. Ruby and Martha eyed the control panel warily, but figured it probably had some sort of autopilot.

The three had been together a while now, and were comfortable in each other's company. Kit sniffed at a ball in the centre of where the others were sitting, batting it around. Martha, in jeans and a long turquoise vest-top, with her ever present red leather jacket, was telling them about some of the bizarre people she had come across at the hospital where she worked. Ruby almost choked on her coffee as she laughed.

"Where to this time Doctor?" she asked as she recovered.

"No idea. I put her on autoscan." Her, meaning the Tardis.

"Like a radio?" the girl smirked.

She was wearing grey combats, a long black t-shirt, and a pale blue jacket. Her bandana was black today, to match. The Doctor countered with a story about him and some weird alien species that lived in the intergalactic sewer. Not quite so pleasant, and both of his companions wrinkled their noses. The Tardis suddenly jerked, sending coffee and tea flying.

"Looks like we have our destination." stated the Doctor.

He ran over to the control panel as the girl's shook hot beverages off their hands, wound up what looked like a bike pedal, and pressed a button, and the ship careered towards somewhere on earth, judging by the co-ordinates. What time, they didn't exactly know.

"Let's go, shall we?" the Doctor grinned.

He opened the door and stepped out, closely followed by Ruby and Martha. They appeared to be in some sort of garden, behind an archway of trees and roses. There didn't seem to be anyone around, but Ruby's foot stood on something hard, and she looked down. Pruning shears. Odd. She picked them up, looking around for a shed or something, or a table she could put them on, as they walked out from their hiding place. The moment they did, they realised it was a bright, if chilly day. Probably spring some time, judging from the flowers. A woman suddenly came hurtling out of the front door, dressed as a maid, which placed them somewhere in the mid-19th century. She was small, and round, with rosy cheeks and the hair not covered by her bonnet was strawberry blonde.

"Oh! Isobel! Thank heavens! Where have you been?!" cried the maid, flinging her arms around Ruby. "You can't just disappear for 6 months without saying anything!"

"Um…sorry?" Ruby shrugged apologetically.

"Oh, Arthur, you too! The mistress was terribly concerned about you both. I'm sure you took care of your daughter…but still."

They all looked around to find out who they were addressing, and the Doctor realised it was in fact him. This woman thought Ruby was his daughter? Something wasn't quite right here.

"Come, come! What ever are you wearing? The girls will be glad you're both back." The maid looked at the Doctor with a sneaky smile, "Lucy is especially keen to see you."

Ruby was dragged away by the woman linking arms with her, not for the first time, oddly. But she was also carrying shears. Slightly unnatural. The Doctor lingered behind for a moment, and turned to Martha, who had taken the initiative and kept her distance. He whispered to her.

"Do a little investigating Inspector Jones." He whispered to her.

He tossed her the psychic paper, and his sonic screwdriver. She caught them, and was then abandoned as the maid called behind for him, and her two friends disappeared. She looked at Kit, who Ruby had somehow already told to stay with her, and sighed. She scratched the Tardis' 'mascot' behind the ears.

"Looks like it's just you and me this time."

The animal just looked at her strangely, and she shrugged; only Ruby seemed to be able to talk to her, and she was otherwise occupied. Martha walked along a narrow path, leading away from the house, through an arch of vines, towards a wood. She ducked into a circle of dense sweet-smelling shrubs as voices came passed her. Two girls, probably no more than about fourteen, walked by her, carrying groceries, maids, apparently.

"Becca told Ivy told me, that Izzy suddenly reappeared. Mr Ramsay an' all." drawled one.

"Wonder where she went." queried the other, "'pparently she dis'ppeared just before Lord Scott put in an appearance."

"How queer."

The two girls disappeared again, and Martha came out of hiding, clutching tightly on to Kit so she didn't fly off anywhere, traipsing through extraordinarily long grass and weeds. She tripped over something, and looked down. It seemed to be a shovel, one that had been out in the rain, it was terribly rusted, and next to it was a heavy iron key, also rusting, and, oddly enough, a flat cap. Martha looked around for the owner of any of the items, but the fact that daisies were growing through the key made her fairly certain it hadn't been used in a while. She scooped up the key, wrapping it in a tissue so she didn't stain her clothes.

"This trip just seems to get stranger." Kit chirruped in agreement.

Meanwhile, The Doctor and Ruby were led by Ellen, the maid, into a very gothic Victorian Manor, which was huge. It seemed to have at least 6 floors, and the windows were uncountable there were so many of them. It was like visiting a National Trust site, but it was very much alive. The three of them came in a back entrance, which turned out to be the kitchen. As soon as The Doctor stepped in, followed by Ruby, everything seemed to freeze.

"Omigosh! Izzy!" cried a girl, hurrying over.

"Arthur?" a woman breathed.

The girl, about Ruby's age, a scrap of a creature, with gold-blonde hair and bright blue eyes, ran over, embracing a rather bemused Ruby. What was it with strangers clinging to her, ever since she teamed up with the Doctor? The woman looked just like her, only an older version, her sister.

"Told you Lucy would be happy to see you." Ellen grinned.

"Hullo." replied Ruby cautiously.

"Is the Mistress around Jane?" Ellen asked the girl, once Ruby managed to detach her.

Jane pursed her small rosy mouth, "No ma, she's with Lord Scott."

The whole staff seemed to groan, but they soon stopped as the door opened, going straight back to work like nothing had happened, although they all kept glancing at the Doctor and his companion in disbelief, who just shrugged at each other. Into the now rather crowded kitchen walked a woman, tall and willowy, with hair the colour of burnt copper, and dark brown eyes, she wore a pale blue silk dress, and as she saw the two arrivals, her eyes started filling, and she clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Oh! Isobel! Arthur! It's so good to see you!" she hurried over, kissing them on both cheeks.

"Hello madam." greeted the Doctor with a smile.

"G'day…ma'm." Ruby quickly improvised.

Behind her, a tall, slim man, with steel grey hair and watery green eyes, wearing a smart suit, and walking with a cane, appeared. He spotted Ruby, and stared straight at her, frowning. No-one else caught it, but she sure as anything did, as did the Doctor, and she shivered, stepping closer to him.

"Oh, Albert." cried the well-dressed woman, Mrs Josephine Lawrence, "Isobel and Arthur Ramsay, they're back! You remember them, don't you?"

"Perpetually." replied the man, putting on an air of gentleness.

Jane and Lucy stood almost protectively behind the pair of them, not wanting Lord Scott to get any closer to their friends, and the hapless two had no idea why. Both of them were wishing Martha could hurry up and tell them something, anything, about what was going on, and why everyone seemed to believe they were someone else. Lord Scott stared intently at Ruby, eyeing her up and down.

"Interesting attire Miss Ramsay." He pointed out, "Where did you get it from?"

"Um…just from, around."

"Well, I'm sure it must be terribly uncomfortable for a young lady to be forced into that. Mayhap we should lend the girl a dress Josephine. Then she might entertain our guests?"

"Pardon?" it was the word 'dress' that had made Ruby wince.

"You have guests, Lord Scott?" asked the Doctor pointedly, not willing to let Ruby out of his sight.

"Yes, we do Mr Ramsay. Friends of mine visiting from the city. It would be ever so pleasant to let them hear Miss Ramsay play. If of course you can spare her from the garden? You have been gone for a while."

To all the gathered, it seemed like the two were squaring off. They were roughly the same height, and had that same mysterious yet dangerous quality about them. It made the maids nervous, and many of the younger girls huddled together, the older women keeping close to them, protectively. The tension in the air seemed to build up, and once again the sounds of washing and chopping had been silenced as all of them turned to watch. It was Josephine that broke the silence.

"Perhaps another time Albert." She smiled kindly, "The poor girl looks exhausted, and I'm sure they would much rather catch up with everyone." She turned to the Doctor, "We can discuss your sudden disappearance at another point Mr Ramsay."

Ruby exhaled a sigh of relief. This was all too strange. As a displeased Albert turned on his heel and whisked out of the door, the woman looked pointedly at Ruby, as if to say she owed her one, but there was a hint of affection in her gaze. They disappeared, and everyone relaxed, going back to work again. The Doctor was still bristling, and Ruby put a hand on his arm to calm him down.

"You can breathe now D….um, father…" wow, did that ever sound weird.

The Doctor gave her a strange look, and then turned to Ellen, Lucy and Jane, the only people still not working, as all three were eyeing them with amazement. He rounded on Lucy, the others seem too gobsmacked to be much use.

"It seems we missed a lot?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes, you did. Ever since Izzy wandered off he's all but moved into the house. He started off claiming he would take care of the mistress," she stared at Ruby, "You know you're the closest thing she has to any children of her own. She was stricken when you missed dinner that night." Ruby had the decency to look at the ground, ashamed. "Then he kept coming back. He's practically the master of the house now."

"Our betting is it's not long til he proposes." added Jane glumly.

"Then we'll all be turfed out and he'll install his own staff." Ellen sighed.

"We wouldn't let that happen, would we Isobel?" the Doctor looked straight at her.

"Uh, no, never, in a million years."

Martha was getting increasingly nervous. She kept ducking and darting at every slight movement as she somehow wound her way through the house grounds, they seemed to stretch on for miles. Then, she suddenly realised it was a lot darker than when they had arrived, and looked up at black clouds, just in time for the heavens to open.

She gathered Kit underneath her jacket and sped up her pace, looking for anywhere to wait out the sudden shower. She stumbled on to a wobbly wooden shed, it was about the size of a large caravan, and the raindrops thundered down on its tin roof, there were wonky windows either side of it, and a large padlocked door. There seemed to be no sound coming from it, and it didn't exactly look grand, but she didn't have anywhere else to go. She saw the padlock and frowned. It had been forced open.

"I'll look in to that later." She mentioned, looking at Kit.

The door creaked as it opened stiffly, and Martha sneezed at the dust that rose up from it, before diving in to it before she got soaked through. She didn't expect what she saw. It wasn't your average shed. It was more like a house. The room she stood in had wooden flooring, a fireplace towards the far end, a small kitchenette type thing on the right, and two doors on the left, in the middle it was set up like a living room. A frayed sheet hung over the window, pots and pans lay at the side of the kitchen sink.

There was a large armchair one side of the fireplace, and a smaller rocking chair opposite it. The arm of the chair had a book on gardening on it, and next to the rocker was a half-finished patched quilt. It looked like it was ready for another day, but had been frozen in time, save the layers of dust, the smell of old vegetables, and, Martha could tell, a distinct sense of emptiness.

"This could probably use further investigation."

The place was eerie, but Martha was braver for having company. It would have probably been quite a nice, homely place, she could tell whoever lived there would have loved it, and she wondered why they left. She clung on to Kit tighter, although the little alien twittered, trying to drag Martha to one of the doors. The woman gave in and tentatively pushed the left hand door open. She was assaulted by the smell of aloe, and lavender, with undertones of mustiness. Rain pelted against the window, and it was dark, but somehow, despite dense trees and bad weather, some light was coming through the flimsy glass.

"Wow."

It was a simple room, wooden floors, with a lilac carpet in the middle, an old folding up bed with just sheets and a blanket in one corner, a dressing table along one side, a desk the same side as the bed and a small chest of drawers below a wardrobe. It was all falling apart, but well loved. On the bed were a few soft toys, a couple of bears, a cat, like any other teenage girl. It was closely packed together, but there was a corridor just wide enough to let someone get from one side of the room to the other.

"It seems so…normal." Muttered Martha.

Kit flew over, landing on the bed, and a cloud of dust rose up from it. She spluttered, but then went to investigate the bears as Martha took a closer look at the wall. She bit her lip with surprise as she did so. It was covered in photographs, black and white, sepia, and pictures. They started with a woman, a baby, and, by all intents and purposes, the Doctor. Then there was the smiling couple, and a pint-sized Ruby. Then, when she seemed about five or six, it was just Ruby and the Doctor. Or, rather, Isobel and Arthur Ramsay. Martha could tell what had happened to the mother, by putting her into the context of the time, but Isobel and Arthur seemed to try and keep their heads up, and it pulled at her heartstrings. Although, she couldn't help but feel a little left out. She turned to Kit, who had come back to her.

"What do you think happened?"

The rain had passed, and the Doctor, Ruby, Lucy and Jane, were sitting in the parlour adjacent to the kitchen. Normal work had resumed behind them, and Ellen was leading it, else she would have been with them. All four stared at the raindrops trickling down the window as the sun shone brightly overhead.

"April showers." Murmured Lucy.

"Never had 'em so bad til Lord Scott came in." huffed Jane.

"You're just being superstitious Janey." Teased Lucy.

So far, all that Ruby and the Doctor had gathered was that Lord Scott was a rich widower from London, who had always been keen on the Lawrence family, or at least, was always skulking around them. Josephine's husband had died of tuberculosis before they had a chance to have any children, which was where Isobel and Arthur Ramsay, "not the richest, but the decent sort" had come in. Arthur had been looking for work to support his little daughter after her mother had died. The second Josephine had seen the child, making a daisy chain, she had fallen in love with her, and they got a job right away.

Lord Scott seemed to up his visits to the house since then. His visits tailed off again a few years later, when all Josephine's means of support and hope had been passed on to Isobel, and the servants that the girl had made her pay closer attention to.

"I'm glad you're back Izzy." Concluded Jane, "Maybe you can get things back to normal."

The Doctor and Ruby exchanged a glance as the two girls were called away. They supposed they had better get a move on themselves, the garden needed a lot of tending, which was apparently, their speciality. The Doctor really didn't have much of a green thumb, and Ruby was thoroughly confused, so they didn't seem to have much hope. Even so, they stood up, walking out into the garden, deciding the best place to start was where they had arrived. As they walked, they admired the scenery, although somewhat overgrown, it was still beautiful. The Doctor turned to Ruby, much to the girl's surprise.

"What do you think is going on?" he queried.

The girl shrugged, "It's the Victorian era, right?" the Doctor nodded, "Seems to be that Mrs Lawrence has a lot of money, and Lord Scott wants it. It would be his through marriage. But this Isobel was teaching Mrs Lawrence to look outside the box, and if her mind was opened, it would post a threat to Lord Scott."

"So you think Lord Scott arranged the disappearance of the pair?" pressed the Doctor.

"It would make sense."

"That's about what I figured too. Well done,"

Odd choice of words, but Ruby shrugged it off and carried on walking with him. It was another few minutes before he addressed her again, and it took a moment for her to realise he was doing so, she was in awe of all that she saw.

"Pardon?" she said suddenly, turning to him, realising he had been speaking.

"I said, where do you think we should start? Might as well make ourselves useful until Martha can get back to us."

"First thing's first." said Ruby, surprising the Doctor at how sure she sounded. "We need to get the bind weeds and others out of the beds. They'll choke the life out of the other plants." The Doctor smirked at her, and she shrugged, embarrassed, "No-one else would do the garden at home."

There were two men sitting in one of the living rooms of the house. It was a grand affair, royal blue carpets and walls, with mahogany panelling, expensive portraits of the family, works of art, enough space to house a small country, antiques here and there, glimmers of glamour, just like visiting an old country house owned by the National Trust, but it was alive. The men were arranged neatly on two plush sofas that matched the rest of the decor. One of them was Lord Scott, and another was a short, round, red-faced man with receding grey hair, squinty watery grey eyes, who suddenly spat out the whiskey he had been drinking.

"They're back?!" he hollered, "I thought you had sorted them!"

"So did I." grumbled Lord Scott, "Then they waltzed in to the kitchen, large as life."

"This could be a nuisance. The girl?"

"Slightly odd, but largely how I remember her."

"It's impossible, just impossible!"

"Clearly, that's not true." Scott said dryly.

"You know what implications that girl coming back has?!" cried the short man, Lord Byron Fancy.

"Well of course I do. She could see right through us."

"Then get rid of her. Effectively this time."

"I will. Trust me."

The maid that was stoking the fire nearby blanched, but kept her hands stiffly working, knowing full well they would think her too simple to have been bothered about listening to their conversation. She brushed her hands off on her apron, and the blonde-haired girl hurried out after a quick bow to each man.

Martha and Kit had ventured out after hearing familiar voices pass them, on route to one of the sheds that actually was a shed. After taking a cautious glance around, they darted out, almost crashing into Ruby and the Doctor. The Doctor was carrying a fork and shovel, and Ruby was reeling off jobs that needed doing, for once knowing the most about their position.

"Martha!" cried the girl, relieved. "Are you ok? I was wondering if you got soaked or went back to the Tardis or something."

Martha was quite surprised by the girl's concern. Sure they got on fine, but they weren't always best of friends, both being very independent in their own right, and testing the Doctor in their own little ways, whilst simultaneously trying to come top of the class themselves. Clearly, the other two were just as stunned, Ruby most of all. Kit flew on over to her, and she quickly turned her attention to petting the little creature.

"I'm fine. Found something the two of you might be interested in though."

"You did?"

Martha motioned behind her, after looking around to check that nobody was following them. She found herself leading the others back the way she had just come, towards the hut. Only this time something seemed different. There was the track of trampled weeds that Martha had created, but there was a second one, around the back, heading for the window of the room she had been in before.

She motioned for the others to shush, and crept over, on her knees, listening to where footsteps came from, to judge when she looked up. As she did, she peered over the bottom of the window, which had been forced open. Lord Scott was rifling through the drawers and wardrobe, looking for something.

"Not here…can't be…where the hell did it go?"

He spun around, just as Martha and Ruby, clutching Kit, who had joined her, as the Doctor was still incapacitated with the garden implements, ducked out of harm's way. Deciding it was best not to be around for him to find them finding him snooping, they disappeared to the path where they had met up, and the Doctor filled Martha in as they headed to an over grown rose garden.

"So, your everyday Victorian mystery then?" stated Martha dryly.

"On the surface. But things are never that simple, as we all know well."

At the roses, Martha tossed the Doctor his sonic screwdriver as he dumped down the fork and shovel. Ruby immediately got to work, dragging out weeds, as he took a scan of the area with the sonic screwdriver, and frowned. There was an irregular reading, and he didn't seem to like what it read. Almost as in disbelief, he took a reading again, and then scanned Martha.

"Hey! Cut that out!" demanded the woman indignantly.

"That place you showed us. I'm guessing you went inside?" he asked.

"I thought you could get that from the dry clothes."

He nodded. "Thought so."

"Why? What?"

The Doctor held up his screwdriver. "Dust particles. They sure as the nose on my face, do not originated on the third rock from the sun."

"Alien? This house has aliens?"

"You make it sound like we should call pest control." Ruby commented lightly.

They were both taken quite aback by what they saw when they turned around. The girl had already yanked out bindweed, nettles and thistles. There was dirt on her cheeks from her hands, and grass stains on her jeans from kneeling. But it was clear.

"Never knew you were a gardener." smiled Martha.

Ruby grinned, "There are a lot of things you don't know about me." she winked.

Martha took it in as play, and responded as such by laughing, but something in both her and the Doctor clicked when she said that. She'd only been with them on what, 3 missions? As opposed to the year or so they had spent with each other, and they had never bothered with breaking her in, just picked up where they left off before, with a new girl in tow.

"Hey, Doctor." continued Ruby, not taking notice of the fallen faces of her friends, as she had her back to them, "You're a tall guy."

She turned around, and whipped pruning shears out of her jeans pocket. How long they'd been there, they didn't really know. She held them up to the Doctor, and then pointed at the dark purple rose bush in the centre of all of them, which was taller than the Doctor.

"Old growth at the bottom, needs to come off." She said oh-so-pleasantly.

"Yes ma'm!" the Doctor replied brightly, taking the chance to get to know his strange part-alien 'daughter'. "I need to think how those particles got here."

"Is there anything I can do?" offered Martha.

"Yes indeed." She pointed at the bed behind the woman, which was crawling with bindweed. "Yank that out."

Martha pulled a face, "If only I had my heels on…"

As the three of them set to work, to kill some time whilst thinking of ways to trace the strange dust, Jane was all atwitter in the servant's quarters, in the room she shared with her sister. As soon as she had heard what Lord Scott had said, she ran through the house to track her down, and was panting, and red-cheeked as she spoke.

"Lord Scott wants to get rid of Izzy!" she garbled, "Apparently he's done it before, but she came back!"

"Why didn't she tell us?" replied Lucy urgently.

"You know she wouldn't want to trouble us." gasped Jane as she was handed a glass of water. "He was talking to Mr…sorry, Lord, Fancy. They're cooking up something Lou, and it ain't broth!"

The siblings remained silent for a while. They had wondered why their friend hadn't divulged more about what was going on for the past six months. Just that she had some business to attend to, pressing business. Now it looked like two of the most powerful men in society were out to get a seventeen year old gardener's girl. The older sister tried to prod her brain into coming up with a plan as she changed sheets and folded clothes, it was her turn. Eventually, she turned to Jane and looked at her.

"Here's what we do. You tell Ellen that Scott is up to something." She paused, smoothing a pillow, "She'll soon get the girls to keep an eye on him, you know how protective everyone is of the Mistress."

"Someone has to be, since the Master died." Murmured Jane.

"If we can collaborate…" she paused at Jane's blank look. "Um, if we bring everything together, maybe we can see him off at the pass."

"And get rid of him altogether?" Jane's eyes were shining.

"We can hope." Replied her sister, grimfaced. "You know as well as I, the sooner he's not sniffing around, the better it is for all of us."

"I can't find it anywhere." Grumbled Lord Scott.

He was talking to himself. Or that was how it seemed anyway, as he was staring at a mirror in the guest bedroom he often occupied now. It was the best room, naturally. It was decorated in burgundy and terracotta, giving it a warm feel, although the curtains were closed and the light was dim. Off it there was an en suite bathroom, and the latch on the door had locked it, for privacy. Clearly, he didn't want to be interrupted.

"That wench must have been a step ahead." He hissed at the mirror.

"Look, that doesn't matter." The mirror replied, "Just keep her away from the woman."

"Oh, she's been out most of the day in town." Lord Scott rolled her eyes, "Didn't expect anything less. Her favourite comes back, so naturally she's buying an expensive gift."

The mirror laughed. But it wasn't the object itself. Instead of Lord Scott's own reflection answering him, it was none other than Lord Fancy. His face seemed to morph and writhe, sometimes he looked like more than one person from slightly different angles, and then his eyes seemed to be surrounded in shadow, almost demonic.

"Oh well, let her have her fun, whilst she lasts." The mirror cackled as Lord Scott smiled wickedly, and then he was looking at himself.

There was a gentle rap on the door. The man hid his annoyance and regained his calm, collected demeanour, as he flipped open the catch, and turned the handle. A little red-headed round-cheeked maid looked at the floor as he answered it, and she was holding a basket of logs.

"Replenish your fire, sir?" she said shyly.

"Yes, fine, get on with it."

He waved her in and she meekly went over to the fireplace, the other side of the room to the mirror. Of course, she'd heard him talking, but she saw no-one else in the area, so didn't make anything of it. Children should be seen and not heard in her opinion, and maids barely seen anyway. She took an unusually long time to do everything, she kept fumbling, and Lord Scott sighed exasperatedly. But he decided to keep his cool, she was probably knew. When she finally finished, she curtsied to him.

"Ellen was wondering if you wanted any refreshment sir…" she said quietly, fixated on her shoes.

"Yes, tea would be nice. I need to think."

"Course sir, certainly sir. In your room sir?"

"Take it to the library."

"Yes sir."

She curtsied again and backed out of the room. She met another maid coming out, and gave her a smile and nod. So, they were already doing their bit were they? Ellen really was organised.

The garden was looking much better after the three of them had tackled it. Every person who came by had been giving Martha funny looks, not recognising her, or her clothes. A few of them even seemed to sneer, but they were soon waved off by glares from the Doctor and Ruby, although the politer ones were introduced to her as an old friend who was visiting to help. Considering everything that was going on, it became the latest gossip. It even reached Josephine as she came in from town. Jane and Lucy were immediately intrigued, knowing more than most about what might be happening. Was Izzy gathering friends from outside to help with the situation? It would require investigation.

"I'm not used to all this fresh air, working in a hospital." Grinned Martha.

The three of them, grass-stained and dirt-smudged, were taking a time out, sitting on one of the benches in the sun, the downpour seemed to have passed. The Doctor suddenly stood up, startling both of his companions, and Kit, into almost falling off their perches.

"Scehele!" he exclaimed. "The Scehele! That's where the readings come from, I recognise the elements!"

"Beg pardon?" Martha asked, as her and Ruby gave him blank looks.

"That weird dust. I knew I recognised the combinations of the elements from somewhere. They're a race of aliens that pick a target, and bleed it dry, to get the energy."

"That's…not pleasant." Ruby pulled a face.

"Thing is…who are they targeting?"

As if on cue, Josephine Lawrence appeared over the horizon, holding a parasol. She spotted the three friends and made a beeline for them, focusing on Ruby, although not ignoring the others. Ruby, if stiffly, bowed, and Martha followed suit to be polite, swiftly hiding Kit inside her jacket, but the Doctor was on a whole other planet.

"Hello Isobel dear!" greeted the woman warmly, "Arthur, good to see you…and this is?" she looked at Martha.

"My friend Martha." Intercepted Ruby before the afore mentioned could respond to the look she had given. "We grew up together, practically sisters."

She was lying through her teeth, and the Tardis crew knew it, but her words had the effect she was after on Josephine. Her scowl dropped and she looked genuinely happy to meet Martha, offering her a dazzling smile.

"I do hate to trouble you my dear." She continued, looking at Ruby. "But it's been so long…I was wondering if you could play for us? The girls are itching to hear you."

"Uh…but…I'm covered in muck." The girl replied, embarrassed.

"Oh, not to worry love," assured Josephine, "Just scrub the worst of it up. I'll silence anyone who comments."

"Heh, thanks." The girl chuckled.

"Arthur, Martha, it would be lovely if you joined us." Beamed the woman, pleased to be playing hostess.

"Well, that would be lovely." Answered the Doctor clearly.

Martha gave him a look that seemed to say "what the hell are you playing at?" before she realised what he was aiming to do. The closer they were to the people in the house, the easier it would be to find their target. She slowly nodded, and they all trooped off, back into the house. Unbeknownst to them however, they were being trailed. Something seemed to move behind them, but it kept changing shape and disappearing, like an optical illusion.

"Come Isobel. You can borrow my room to wash up, I know yours is a way away." Offered Josephine.

Ruby looked as astounded as every other servant that happened to be their. The Mistress' room? That was unheard of, except to change the beds or stoke the fire. They were clearly all jealous, they adored the Mistress, she treated them all kindly and fairly. But they knew that Isobel had a special place in her heart, and she had been in before they supposed, to help with hair and make up. But still. It was only a momentary thing though. They soon forgave her, nobody could stay mad at Izzy for long.

"Um, thank you."

"You play?" hissed Martha in her ear.

"Apparently." Came the answer.

Ruby had no idea where she was going as she wandered through the house. But eventually she found where she needed to be. Simply because the door was left open, and there were clean clothes on the bed, in her size, and a bowl of warm water, which was scented with lavender. The whole thing was rather surreal. She gingerly closed the door and washed her arms, face and hands. As she peered into the water, she got a rather nasty shock. There was another reflection, behind her own. It was blurry, a kind of gold colour, but she saw the eyes. She yelped and spun around. There was nobody there.

"Old houses give me the creeps!" she whined quietly to herself, "Even when they're not old yet."

She turned to the clean clothes, not daring to look in the water again. A cold chill went over her shoulders, soon followed by a warm rush. She hurriedly struggled into the garments. Or rather, garment. Martha would have a field day. It was a long pale blue dress, simple, with some embroidery around the bodice. She noticed with a shudder it gave her cleavage she didn't have, and there were silk slippers to match it. She sighed and rolled her eyes. If she was to look like a doll, she might as well go all out.

She whipped off her socks and sneakers, and slipped her feet into what seemed like ballet shoes. She couldn't have been less herself if she tried. The dress was short sleeved, allowing for summer, and she noticed with a wince she had scratches on her hands and up one arm from the roses, and the pink strands of her hair clashed terrible with the dress. Oh well. They'd have to take her as she came. She tentatively took off her bandana, and wrapped it around her wrist, more of a good luck charm than anything.

As she walked out, along the corridors, she had the strange sense of knowing exactly where she was going.

"Oh…my."

Martha's jaw dropped as a very uncomfortable looking Ruby wandered into the music room, clearly trying to stop herself fidgeting or trying to adjust the bodice. As much as she hated what she was wearing, she looked beautiful. Even the Doctor was momentarily lost for words.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" cooed Josephine. "I knew it would suit you! Although, your hair dear…we may have to talk about that."

"Yes ma'm." mumbled Ruby, staring intently at the floor.

Josephine propelled her forwards towards a grand piano, passed the awed gazes of footmen and servants, and even Lord Scott, who leered at her in a way the Doctor really did not like. Martha caught his arm to stop him from knocking the noble's teeth out. A few of the younger maids caught this and ducked their heads to hide giggles. Ruby sat herself down at the piano, rearranging her dress so it didn't fluff up around her.

"Lucy!" called Jane as she hurried to the kitchen, "Helen said that when she went to do the fire, Lord Scott was having a conversation with himself, and answering it. But in a different voice." She squawked, "Then Vanessa took him tea and he almost ripped her locket off her neck. Then apologised, said he thought it was something else. He's acting real funny." She said, worried.

"D'ya think…" begun Ellen.

"No, no, I doubt it." sighed Lucy as she hung up clean aprons. "Not him." She turned to her sister, "Did you get it?"

The girl nodded. She tentatively held up a heavy silver chain from around her neck, on the end was a locket in the shape of a large tear drop. It had some kind of strange symbol engraved on it, and a secure latch. So secure in fact that nobody could open it. Or, at least nobody who had tried so far. The symbols looked almost like hieroglyphics, but they were more rounded and intricate.

"Izzy always said if something strange happened, I should get it." said Jane with a sigh. "I just wish she told me more."

"So do I sweetpea." comforted Lucy.

Ellen saw the wistful look they gave each other before turning away and staring out into nothing. She felt a rush of sympathy for them. They were good girls, always had been, and she'd known them even since Lucy was tiny. Jane had always been shy and distanced herself from everyone until Isobel Ramsay arrived on the scene. She clung to the girl like glue, coaxing her out of her shell, and punching anyone who tried to confront or demean her. Izzy had always been like that, for everyone.

Ellen had once been as timid as a mouse, always put upon by her superiors, and picked on. But a word from the girl, and the head maid, leader of the gang against her, had been fired. Ellen had taken her place. Josephine had been drawn and weary constantly, until the tiny little girl arrived on her doorstep, and clung to her skirts, mistaking her for her mother. Nobody got on so well with each other without her around, keeping an eye on things. She glanced over at the clock, and then turned to the girls.

"Go along ladies. It's your break time. You've done more work than most today. Go and find your friends."

She didn't wait to hear any arguments, just waved them out of the door. As they walked, they stopped, and looked up in unison. They both thought they had seen something out of the corner of their eyes, a big, dark shape that looked familiar, but sent chills down their spine. Subconsciously, Jane clutched the locket, and it suddenly felt warm. She turned in surprise, positive she had just seen a shimmery gold shadow chase the big one. She was also positive, that it winked at her. She clutched Lucy's arm.

"Did you see that Luce?" she whispered, her voice high pitched.

"Yes." Replied her sister bleakly.

"What was it?"

"No idea."

They linked arms with each other, slowly carrying on their way past the flower patterned wallpaper, and the dark, wine-red, carpets. If a guest so happened to accidentally stumble into the corridors used for servants, at least they would still be impressed. There was even a cut-glass chandelier above them, although it was off, for now the only light in the corridor was a watery one from a murky old window at the far end.

As they got closer to the door leading to a narrow staircase that led them to a tiny room behind the music room; from which they could reach any of three further rooms, depending on where they were needed; they heard something they hadn't heard in a while.

"Is that a piano?"

It was. The sound was muted by the thick walls, but they could make out a strange, detached, tune, that was almost mournful, but beautiful to listen to. From the few piano lessons that Izzy had sneaked in for Jane, under the giggling, watchful eye of the mistress as she covered for them, she could tell one line was almost all off the beat, very tricky to play. There were trills and dynamics, that even in that dingy box they were stuck in, sunk straight through the girls.

"That's Izzy. No other explanation." declared Jane proudly.

"Hush." Lucy smiled and put a finger to her lips.

There was a hole in a knot of the wood that made the door. Only one person could look through at a time, and Jane snuck a peak through it, whilst Lucy pressed her ear to the door, dearly hoping nobody else would be using it.

In the music room, everyone was completely silent. Everyone except Ruby, who was the one playing the piano. The women had tears in their eyes, and even Martha sniffled a bit, though she promptly wiped her cheeks before the Doctor looked around, he had already spotted her however. The most amazing thing was, that there was no music on the stand. She was playing completely from memory, in a zone of her own.

"I wonder if she'll teach me that when we get back to the Tardis." The Doctor whispered to Martha.

"You have a piano?" replied his companion, in a similarly low voice.

"It can soon be arranged."

But things weren't as pleasant as they seemed. In the kitchen, poor Ellen watched in disbelief. From every crack in the woodwork, the brickwork, the plaster, the glass, something black, like smoke, was drifting out, gathering together. She was completely paralysed, and not solely because of fear. Two of the tendrils had come out of the wall, and wrapped around her wrists. It trickled in to her nose and throat so she couldn't make any sound.

A shadow loomed all over the house, from the main gates, through the gardens, every room. Clouds hid the feeble light from the sun, everything the darkness touched started to wilt, losing petals and leaves, dying. From the tallest tree, to the smallest weed. The only thing that fought through was a single wild red rose, near the wrought iron gates. It was the last thing the gardener girl had touched before she vanished.

Nothing detected the silence, as the shadows covered everything in obscurity, constantly changing shape, and sealing itself in the doors and windows, locking them. In the kitchen, Ellen caved in, and sunk to her knees. Just as she passed out, she saw a slight haze in front of her, and was positive it was a hand reaching out to her. It was the last thing her eyes glimpsed before everything went black.

"Poor Ellie…" came a ghostly voice.

The only one that noticed anything was wrong was The Doctor. He was hyper-sensitive to that sort of thing. He had promptly forgotten the issue at hand, lost in the spell created by the piano. He noticed that nobody was moving a muscles, and in fact, they seemed to be wilting. Martha was amongst them. The only reason it wasn't happening faster was clear to an outsider, viewing the house. The window outside the music room was proving difficult to get into. Every time a shadow darted forwards, it rebounded off a gold force field. The piano rung out throughout the whole building as thing perished.

"Martha." hissed the Doctor. "Stay with me, Martha."

The woman was slowly sinking against him. It was a gradual process, like a blown up toy deflating. On the surface, she looked completely normal, like she was enjoying the music. But inside, she was shutting down. She could feel herself, losing memories, reason, just like everybody else in the room. Kit had darted out of her pocket, twittering and chirruping in alarm. Her host turned to the Doctor.

"What's happening to me?"

Nobody else seemed to hear her. They were all lost in their own little fantasies. The Doctor wrapped his arms around Martha, and held up his sonic screwdriver. It flashed manically. The Scehele energy was everywhere. But he frowned. There was something different. A door behind him suddenly burst open, and Jane and Lucy tumbled into the room. They scrambled up, away from something. They saw everyone in the room, and panicked. The Doctor seemed to be the only solid thing their bleary eyes could see. They hurried over, as best they could, and looked at him.

"Mr Ramsay! What's going on?!" pleaded Jane.

"I'm not Mr Ramsay." Replied the Doctor. "I'm the Doctor, this is Martha."

"Izzy?" she said desperately.

Ruby was completely consumed by the music. Or rather, the effects of the Scehele. She didn't see or hear anything else. Josephine was right behind her, from the back, they looked just like mother and child. Martha, along with two of the others, slumped. The Doctor caught her, and Jane and Lucy shrieked as two bodies fell down in front of them.

"Martha!" cried the Doctor, "Martha, Martha! Come on, come back to me!"

The force outside the window was weakening. Smaller ropes of darkness threaded their way through as their opponent struggled to keep them out. Jane hurried forwards to help The Doctor as he had difficulty holding up his companion. Lucy went the other side of her. The sonic screwdriver honed in on the sisters, or rather, Jane. The Doctor turned on her, as she finally realised Kit was behind him.

"What's that?!"

"You! What's different about you?!"

"I…er…I…." stammered the girl.

"Never mind. We should get out of here!"

Supporting Martha between them, the three of them ran across the huge music room, heading for the door. Jane suddenly stopped, and turned back. Another person fell. Only one or two others, among them Lord Scott, Ruby, and Josephine. Lucy and the Doctor looked at her in unison, annoyed.

"Izzy! Izzy! You have to get out of here!" she called, in vain.

"That girl is not Izzy!" the Doctor's voice was a mixture of anger and guilt.

"What?! Of course she is! Only Izzy can play that song! I'd know her anywhere." Jane's eyes were misting up.

"Her name is Ruby Arduino. I dragged her into this, same way I did Martha, and that didn't exactly work out so great. To answer your earlier question." He briefly nodded towards Kit, "That's Kit, Ruby's pet."

"But!" protested Jane, although her argument was fading. "But…even if she's not Izzy! You can't leave your daughter behind!"

"She's…" the Doctor was completely lost for words. "She's…not my daughter." His voice tailed off.

The look on Lucy and Jane's faces was nothing but disbelief. They would have bet money on the pair of them being related, not necessarily their appearance, but the relationship between them. The Doctor couldn't meet their eyes. He had felt responsible for Ruby from the word go. She was so young, inexperienced, but she took time traveling and aliens in her stride, never once letting on anything frightened her.

The girl in question was having a hard time of it. She couldn't stop her fingers moving, or the feeling that she was being possessed. It was like something was being pulled out of her, fighting off some enemy she couldn't even comprehend, and she was aware of it. She was alert to everything. Josephine, so close to her, Lord Scott, miles away. She felt every person in the room with her, and there were differences about all of them. She was with Ellen when she went collapsed; she could smell the single rose standing up to the darkness. She could perceive different emotions coming from each room. There was that single, tiny blot of white in the darkness, near Jane, and although she had no idea what it was, she clung to it.

It was working exactly as Lord Scott had wanted it to. No one could handle all that information, all the hopes and fears of everyone around them, and not just everyone, but everything. The life was smothered out of the garden, the decay threaded throughout the building where the Scehele had already conquered. It was like being in hell. Lord Scott knew she would soon buckle under the pressure. Even as she kept up her piano, her eyes were wide with terror, and her skin was pale.

"What's happening to her?!" cried Lucy, "She looks ill!"

"I don't know, I don't know!" exclaimed the Doctor, frustrated.

"Izzy!!"

Jane leapt forwards to go to her aid, but a hand grabbed the back of her dress, and pulled her away again. She looked over her shoulder to find Lucy staring at her intently, in a way that only a sister could.

"We'll come back for her. We have to go! We're no good if we're vegetables!"

"Your sister is right."

Jane fell still again, realizing that she was outvoted. Glumly, she ran towards the door to open it. As soon as her hands touched the handle, she let out a shriek, as black lightning sprung up from it. She staggered backwards, only avoiding falling because The Doctor grabbed her elbow.

"Locked it. They've locked it!"

"Why? Who's they?!"

"The cause of all this. The Scehele. From a whole other planet." He explained.

"Me."

A familiar voice boomed over to them. They all turn around; to find Lord Scott standing only a few inches away from them, with the sneer of a madman, and the glittering eyes to match. Jane clutched the Doctor's hand, and Lucy put an arm around Martha's waist to keep her upright.

"Who are you targeting?!" demanded the Doctor, "Why do you need to take all these people down too?!"

"Just call them a little bonus." the man laughed gruffly. "Do you know how much energy has been generated in this house?" he questioned. When there came no reply, he carried on. "It's enough to feed us for weeks. Bring us back to full power. You know something else, Doctor?" still silence. "It all came from one, single, person."

"Izzy!!" shrieked Jane.

Ruby suddenly snapped back to reality. In the window opposite her, she saw the ghostly gold figure of…Amber? No, that was impossible. It was a split second thing. The girl suddenly dove to the right, and Ruby followed suit. The piano stopped abruptly, the window shattering, and everyone woke up, as the Scehele burst into the last defense.