The Doctor and Mr Darcy had returned, dejected, to the TARDIS and then back to the stables, where the amazing blue box had been shielded from sight once more. After the Church, the Doctor had dragged his new accomplice on a tour of the village, waving his sonic screwdriver around wildly, looking for any hint of the Slitheen ship.

Back in the house, they came face to face with Miss Bingley and her brother. Caroline jumped seeing them so close, but Mr Bingley beamed at the sight of his friend and their guest.

"Ah!" He said smiling warmly. "Ready for Church, Gentlemen."

The Doctor's face fell even further as he realised that it would look very odd indeed if he refused. Everyone would be attending the Sunday morning service, which would have been a brilliant opportunity for him to do some snooping. But there was no way out of it.

"Indeed." Mr Darcy said, noticing the Doctor's reluctance. "If you will excuse me, I must go and get changed."

Following him, the Doctor went to his own room. Instead of getting dressed into anything else, he paced backwards and forwards across the floorboards. He didn't realise how much time had passed until Darcy knocked on the door and peered into the room.

"Are you ready, Doctor?"

"Hmmm?" He jumped, pointing at Darcy and making the man obviously nervous.

"Who are you?" Darcy asked suddenly. The Doctor gave him an enigmatic smile and moved close to him so that they were looking into each other's eyes. Then he reached up and patted him lightly on the shoulder, before moving past and into the corridor.

"I'm the Doctor and we've got work to do."

x

Evie screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed until she was hoarse but it didn't do any good. Starting to panic, she jerked her body against the tight leather belts that were holding her still. The pulsing lights of the ship, greens and blues, added to the eerie atmosphere and she didn't know how long she was going to be alone. With one final scream, this time more of frustration than fear, Evie wrenched her right arm upwards.

She screamed again, his time in agony. The force she had used to free her limb meant that, as she'd pulled it up, the leather belt had gauged into her skin and taken a massive chunk out of her arm. Blood gushed from the wound but, Evie thought as her head started to spin from pain and the sight of the crimson blood, at least her arm was free.

Shaking violently the girl struggled with the buckle of the top belt, freeing her uninjured arm. When that was done she raced to undo the other buckles, rubbing the sore marks that the tight bonds had left on her skin. It was difficult as she was right handed and, the pain being so bad, her right hand was practically useless. Hardly able to look at the wound on her arm, she tugged violently on the right sleeve of her nightie, ripping the stitches and pulling it off. Wrapping it tightly around her forearm to try and stem the blood loss, Evie rushed to the door she assumed the two Slitheen had left through.

Obviously it was shut firmly and, after examining it carefully and running her left hand all over it looking for any signs of weakness, the teenager still had no idea how to open the door. She hammered her fist against it in anger. Then she slid to the floor, cradling her injured arm. Hot tears of anger, frustration and fear spilled down her cheeks.

"Stupid, idiotic Doctor." She muttered furiously. "Where are you, you ridiculous, infuriating, STUPID man!"

x

The Doctor and Mr Darcy had sat through the Sunday morning service; neither of them taking any notice of what was being said. It was like the pair of them were on autopilot. When the service ended, they followed the Bingley siblings outside.

"Who's that man, talking to Caroline?" Mr Bingley asked, drawing the Doctor's attention towards the pair, standing apart from the rest of the Churchgoers. He was tall and thin and slimy looking, dressed in clergy robes and glancing around with his beady eyes darting in every direction.

"That is Mr Collins… he's the vicar on my Aunt's estate." Mr Darcy filled them in. "The most odious of men."

"A country vicar? Talking to Caroline?" Mr Bingley looked so confused that the Doctor couldn't help grinning broadly. But that thought had struck him too and he turned his attention back to the odd couple, who looked suspicious to his well-trained eyes.

Carefully he aimed the sonic screwdriver at them underneath his long coat, scanning for any species anomalies. The Doctor was hardly ever wrong and this wasn't one of those rare occasions. The screwdriver was telling him exactly what he had expected it to. Slitheen.

"We've found them." He muttered, once Mr Bingley had wandered off, distracted by the glowing Miss Jane Bennet. Darcy watched him with disapproval, a look that did not go unnoticed by the Doctor.

"Where?" He demanded hearing the words and glancing wildly around, looking ready for a fight. Darcy followed the Doctor's gaze to the unlikely couple and his mouth dropped open in shock. He didn't seem to be able to believe it. "No…"

"It's true!" The Doctor showed him the reading on the sonic screwdriver. Apparently the man didn't need much convincing.

"Right… well… we should confront them! I've never really liked Caroline Bingley." Mr Darcy said, ready for action. He took a couple of steps towards the pair but his companion pulled his arm.

"What's the point in that? We still don't know where Evie is."

The truth of his statement sank in slowly. It was true. They would have to be patient and bide their time if they were going to find out where the pair were holding the teenage girl. Their curiosity was raised further, however, as Miss Bingley and Mr Collins turned and walked quickly away from the Church.

"Doctor?" The nineteenth century gentleman looked at his futuristic acquaintance for guidance.

"Well we're obviously going to follow them! And quickly!" He said, exasperatedly shaking his head and setting off after the swiftly moving figures as the Bennet girls started towards them. All the Doctor needed now was their questions about Evie's absence.

If they were aware that they were being followed, the Slitheen didn't show it. The pair of them stopped on the village green, glancing around cautiously, checking they were not being observed. The Doctor pulled Darcy's arm once more, holding him back out of sight.

Mr Collins reached out for something invisible in front of him. There was a slight shimmering and the pair took one step forwards. First the man and then his companion disappeared from sight into thin air. Darcy staggered sideways, leaning heavily against the wall of the building that hid them from view, his hand firmly over his eyes.

"Clever, very clever!" The Doctor mused, scanning the spot with the screwdriver. "Hide it out in the open."

"Hide what?"

"Keep up, man! Their space ship, where they're keeping Evie."

"You are mad, sir!"

"You might be right." The Doctor said with a small shrug, pocketing the screwdriver and heading determinedly towards the space where the spaceship must be shielded. "Isn't it brilliant?"