"There was… outside… watching me…" She stammered, unable to get her words out. "Someone was watching me."
Putting his hands on the tops of her arms, the Doctor pushed past Evie and ran into her room. He scanned the street carefully, aiming his sonic screwdriver out of the window. Whoever, whatever, had been out there had vanished. Quickly he returned to Evie's side, seeing how shaken up she was.
"Who was it, Evie?" He demanded, grabbing her by the arms and looking into her eyes. She was still shaking from the shock. "What did they look like?"
The teenager shrugged. "They had on a long cloak with a hood. It might have been blue or green? I don't know! I couldn't see their face because the hood kept it in shadow…"
The tall man pulled her into a tight hug and Evie clung on. She buried her head in his chest, feeling safe in his arms. She didn't even consider how bad this scene would look until she heard footsteps on the stairs a second or two later and the Doctor clearing his throat.
"My sister saw someone watching her from outside." He said in a commanding tone to the landlord who was gazing at them with a look of deep suspicion. As his gaze settled on Evie his eyes widened and a silly smirk appeared on his face. The Doctor glowered. "She is terrified. Can you get her a glass of brandy for her nerves? Now!" He demanded as the man hesitated. "Go and put some clothes on." He hissed as the landlord disappeared down the stairs.
Glancing down and realising that she was just wearing her underwear Evie immediately ran to throw some clothes on. All she had was the dress the Doctor had given her and the one she'd borrowed from the Bennets. Mortified that the Doctor had seen her like that, she put his dress on hurriedly, anxious not to be on her own.
"Thank you, sir." The Doctor said, taking the glass of brown liquor out of his hand and giving it to Evie. The landlord looked disappointed that the girl was fully dressed and, despite her fear, she shot him a disgusted look. "Now… my sister says that a cloaked figure was standing under her window looking up at her. Can you spare anyone to help me search for this person?"
Evie and the landlord looked at him with similar curious expressions at his request. The older man thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"There's just me and my son, here, Sir. Young Billy's in no fit state to help no one tonight, not after the ball over the Assembly rooms."
"Then I'll have to look myself." The Doctor said. Evie shot him a wide eyed pleading look. "Don't worry, Evie, Mr Cartwright here will make sure no one gets in, won't you?" The landlord nodded firmly. "Now, you stay in my room… you'll be quite safe." He guided the teenager into the room and handed her the sonic screwdriver. "Just in case."
"Don't you dare leave me." She hissed.
"It'll be fine." He promised. "I'll be back before you know it. I'm just playing the doting big brother act… besides, once I've gone, sonic the door and nothing's getting in. Like this…" He aimed the screwdriver at the window and pressed a button, moving the device slightly as though he were tracing the outline. "Perfectly safe."
"But… how will you get in?" Evie asked.
"Well, obviously you'll have to un-sonic the door and let me in." The Doctor told her, as though she were being particularly stupid. "So no falling asleep."
"Fat chance." She muttered under her breath. He leant over, pressed the screwdriver into her hand and kissed her on the forehead. Evie looked at him questioningly. "What was that?"
"Ooh! I'm getting into this role now… never had a little sister before. See you later." He said with a grin and a wave.
As he left, Evie pointed the device in her hand at the door and traced its outline, just as the Doctor had with the window. Feeling marginally safer, Evie sat and waited, refusing to look out of the window in case the figure returned. Absentmindedly she twiddled the pendant hanging on a chain around her neck. It had been found in the wreckage of her parents' car crash and the teenager had immediately claimed it for herself. She wasn't sure why, but it was a constant reminder of the two people she'd lost.
"Please hurry up." She muttered under her breath, crossing her legs and resting her head on her cupped hands.
x
The Doctor emerged from the inn, looking left and right quickly. In truth, he had no idea where to start looking for Evie's mysterious cloaked figured but, seeing her so frightened when she'd been so sensible and calm through everything else had rattled him. Without his sonic screwdriver he didn't know where to start looking.
He walked along the street, careful to stay in the shadows of the buildings so that he wouldn't be easily spotted. Several times he jumped back against the stone buildings, pressing himself further into the shadows to stay hidden as voices or footsteps caught his attention. Each time it was a drunken farmhand or young couple creeping about in the shadows.
"Doctor Jones?" A surprised voice caught his attention. The Doctor turned abruptly and looked at the man who had spoken. He didn't know anything about the man Evie had overheard talking outside the Assembly, but he severely doubted that Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley had been that man.
"Mr Darcy." He said, bowing to the man. Darcy inclined his head stiffly. Both stood looking at each other curiously, wondering what could possibly bring the other out so late at night. "I didn't expect to meet anyone out here at this time, especially you, Sir."
"No, well… I found I wanted a breath of air after the ball and decided to walk back to the Hall."
"Long way to walk?" The Doctor commented, raising an eyebrow.
"Indeed… I was just about to enquire at the inn about a horse."
Something about his manner caught the Doctor's suspicions. He aimed the sonic screwdriver at him underneath his jacket, trying to muffle the sound. Confused, Mr Darcy looked around him for the source and the Doctor hastily put the device back in his pocket.
"I was just on my way back there… I'll come with you." He said with a broad smile. The screwdriver's scan had shown no anomalies; Fitzwilliam Darcy was definitely 100% human. And a peculiar one at that.