Chapter Thirteen: Party in the 20s
The TARDIS materialized on the grounds of a great big manor.
"Oh, smell that air," the Doctor said excitedly.
"Grass and lemonade!" Cassie laughed.
"Applegrass?" Rose interjected with a playful grin.
"Nah, just regular grass," Cassie replied. "Oh, and a little bit of mint. A hint of mint. Must be the 1920s." The Doctor nodded.
"You two can tell what year it is, just by smelling?" Donna asked, not really believing them.
"Oh, yeah," the Doctor replied emphatically.
"Or maybe, that big vintage car coming up the drive gave it away." Donna jabbed a finger at the car in question.
The car honked its horn and two men came out, a butler and a footman.
"The professor's luggage, Richard," said the butler. "Step lively."
The driver of the car, an older man, stepped out of the vehicle.
"Good afternoon, Professor Peach," the butler greeted the man.
"Hello, Greeves, old man," Professor Peach replied. Just then a bicycle bell rang as a young man rode up. "Ah, Reverend."
"Professor Peach! Brilliant day. The Lord's in his heaven, all's right with the world."
"Reverend Golightly," Greeves said formally. "Lady Eddison requests you make yourselves comfortable in your rooms. Cocktails will be served on the lawn from half past four."
"You go on up," said Professor Peach. "I need to check something in the library."
"Oh?" asked Golightly.
"Alone," Peach said firmly.
"It's supposed to be a party," Golightly said with concern in his voice. "All this work will be the death of you."
The Doctor, Donna, Cassie, and Rose were watching from behind the shrubbery.
"Never mind Planet Zog," Donna grinned. "A party in the 1920s - now that's more like it."
"Trouble is, we haven't been invited," said the Doctor. He pulled out his psychic paper. "Oh, I forgot. Yes, we have!" They all chuckled.
"Wait, I should change," said Donna. "All three of us girls should, really." The girls went back to the TARDIS.
A few minutes later, the Doctor knocked on the TARDIS door. "Come on, we'll be late for cocktails!"
Donna, Cassie, and Rose all came out, in outfits suitable for the period. "What do you think?" Rose asked. "Flapper, or slapper?"
"Flapper," the Doctor grinned, offering an arm. "You look lovely." Rose took his arm, Cassie and Donna following. "Oh, wait," said the Doctor, pulling two rings out of his bigger-on-the-inside pockets. "We might want to wear these," he said, handing one to Rose. "Otherwise, Cassie's a bit of a problem."
"She's a bit of a problem anyway," Rose teased, earning a little shove from her daughter.
Donna grinned. "That's one of those biodampers, isn't it? Are you worried about robo-Santas, Doctor?" The Doctor grinned, nodding. "Always looking out for you, Rose," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders quickly.
They walked together to the lawns, where the footman was getting a record going, and an Indian housekeeper was giving orders.
"Look sharp!" she said somewhat bossily. "We have guests!"
"Good afternoon!" the Doctor said to the footman with his usual smile.
"Drinks, sir, ma'ams?" the footman asked.
"Sidecar, please," Donna requested politely.
"An a lime and soda, thanks," the Doctor added. "Cassie? Rose?"
"I'm good," Cassie replied. Rose nodded in agreement.
The butler then said, "May I announce Lady Clemency Eddison." A petite, older woman began walking to the group.
"Lady Eddison!" the Doctor exclaimed, taking her hand in his.
"Forgive me," said Lady Eddison, "but who exactly might you all be, and what are you doing here?"
"I'm the Doctor, and this is my wife, Rose, and our daughter, Cassie, and this is Miss Donna Noble, of the… Chiswick Nobles."
Rose grinned brightly, smiling at Lady Eddison but thinking more about the whole wife thing. The Doctor knew full well what she was thinking and gave her hand a squeeze.
Donna curtsied. "Good afternoon, my lady. Topping day, what? Spiffing. Top hole."
The Doctor muttered in Donna's ear, "No, no, no, no, no, don't do that." Rose was reminded of that time in Scotland where she too tried to fake an accent.
He showed the psychic paper to Lady Eddison. "We were thrilled to receive your invitation, milady. We met at the Ambassador's reception."
Lady Eddison smiled brightly. "Doctor, how could I forget you? But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose."
The Doctor's interest was perked. "A unicorn? Brilliant! Where?"
"The Unicorn," Lady Eddison explained. "The jewel thief. Nobody knows who he is. He's just struck again. Snatched Lady Babbington's pearls right from under her nose."
"Funny place to wear pearls," Cassie giggled softly. Her mother gave her a reprimanding look but nobody noticed.
Greeves spoke again. "Might I announce Colonel Hugh Curbishley, the Honorable Roger Curbishley."
A young man pushed his father in a wheelchair.
"My husband, and my son," Lady Eddison explained.
"Forgive me for not rising," said Curbishley. "Never been the same ever since that flu epidemic back in '18."
"My word, you are a super lady," Roger said to Donna.
"Oh, I like the cut of your jib. Chin, chin," said Donna, raising her glass.
"Hello, I'm the Doctor," said the Doctor. "And this is Rose, and Cassie." He motioned to each of them, and they grinned.
"How do you do?" asked Roger.
"Very well," the Doctor smiled.
The footman approached. "Your usual, sir?"
"Thank you, Davenport," said Roger. "Just how I like it." The two seemed to share a knowing look.
"How come she's an Eddison, but her husband and son are Curbishleys?" Donna asked.
"The Eddison title descends through her," the Doctor explained.
"One day, Roger will be a lord," Cassie grinned. "And a mighty handsome one, if I do say so myself. You struck gold there, Donna."
"You can stop right there, young lady," Donna chastised the young girl. "Although you are right." All three of the girls chuckled softly.
A young, fashionable young woman with dark hair came across the lawn, whom Greeves announced as "Miss Robina Redmond."
"She's the absolute hit of the social scene," Lady Eddison said. "A must. Miss Redmond." She shook hands with the woman.
"Spiffing to meet you at last, milady," said Robina. "What super fun."
Then Greeves announced Reverend Arnold Golightly.
"Ah, Reverend," said Lady Eddison. "How are you? I heard about the church last Thursday night, those ruffians breaking in."
"You apprehended them, I hear," Curbishley interjected.
"As the Christian Fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses," Reverend Golightly said with a slight smile. "Quite literally." Cassie and the Doctor giggled softly at his wit.
"Some of these boys deserve a decent thrashing," said Roger.
Davenport nodded, saying "I couldn't agree with you more, sir."
Donna snorted. "Typical. All the decent men are on the other bus."
"Or Time Lords," said the Doctor.
"Now, milady, what about that special guest you promised us?"
"Here she is! A lady who needs no introduction!" The whole party began to clap as a woman in her thirties came out.
"No, no, please don't," the woman said embarrassedly. "Thank you, Lady Eddison. Honestly, there's no need." She went up to Donna and shook her hand. "Agatha Christie."
"What about her?" Donna asked. Cassie had to stifle her laughs.
"That's me," Agatha responded.
"No!" said Donna. "You're kidding!"
"Agatha Christie!" the Doctor exclaimed. "I was just talking about you the other day. I said, 'I bet she's brilliant.' I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose, and Cassie, and Donna."
"Oh, I love your stuff!" said Cassie, shaking Agatha's hand. "What a mind! You fool me every time… well, almost every time… well, once or twice… well, once. But it was a good once."
"You and Rose, how long have you been married?" Agatha asked.
"What? Oh-about a year and nine months now," said the Doctor quickly. "How did you-"
"Wedding ring," Agatha grinned.
"Oh… oh, you don't miss a trick!" Cassie laughed.
"Yes, but remember, Rose, the thrill is in the chase, never in the capture." Agatha's voice was the kind that was laced in mystery.
"Oh, trust me… there is plenty of thrill in my life," Rose laughed, grinning playfully at the Doctor.
"Mrs. Christie, I'm so glad you could come," Lady Eddison interjected. "I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books. Er… is, er, Mr. Christie not joining us?" Her voice was a bit nervous as she asked this question.
"Is he needed?" Agatha retorted, but there was no snark in her voice. "Can't a woman make her own way in the world?"
"Don't give my wife ideas," Curbishley joked.
"Now, Mrs. Christie, I have a question. Why a Belgian detective?" Roger looked at Agatha curiously.
"Belgians make such lovely buns," Agatha explained with a smile.
"I say," said Roger, "where on Earth's Professor Peach? He'd love to meet Mrs. Christie."
"Said he was going to the library," said Golightly.
"Miss Chandrakala," said Lady Eddison, addressing the housekeeper, "would you go and collect the Professor?"
"At once, milady," said Chandrakala.
The Doctor had meanwhile borrowed the Colonel's newspaper and called the girls over. "The date on the newspaper," he said. Cassie took a look at it and gasped.
"What about it?" asked Rose.
"It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared," said Cassie.
"She'd just discovered her husband was having an affair," the Doctor.
"You'd never think to look at her, smiling away," Donna mused.
"Well, she's British and moneyed," the Doctor replied. "That's what they do."
"They carry on," Cassie added. "Except for this one time. No one knows exactly what happened. She just vanished."
"Her car will be found tomorrow morning, by the side of a lake," said the Doctor. "Ten days later, Agatha Christie turns up in a hotel in Harrogate. Said she'd lost her memory. She never spoke about the disappearance till the day she died, but whatever it was-"
"It's about to happen," Rose finished.
"Right here, right now," Cassie said softly.
Just then Chandrakala came running. "Professor! The library! Murder! MURDER!"
Hey there everyone! Here's part one of The Unicorn and the Wasp! Hope you like the way I've adapted it to add in Rose and Cassie.
Thanks as always to all of my friends, internet and otherwise.
Love,
Kate
