The Edwardian Way (Chapter 4)

Chapter 4 (Heartbroken Lovers)

Holly was tucking into her slice of bacon when the door to the dining room opened and the Doctor came walking in dressed in a silk robe. Hazel was standing beside him and guided him towards the table.

“Doctor!” said Lilly. “Are you okay?”

He closed his eyes and put a hand to the back of his head. “Just a moment, Illithia, just a moment.”

“He never calls me Illithia,” hissed Lilly to Holly.

“You had a bit of a knock, sir,” said Hazel, pulling the chair out for the Doctor and helping him to sit down.

“Thank you, young lady,” said the Doctor.

“You’re welcome, sir.” She stood up, her hands in front of her. “Would you like anything to eat, sir?”

The Doctor smiled. “Some toast would be nice. Just toast and butter. And a cup of coffee.”

“As you wish, sir,” said Hazel. She bowed her head a little to the woman and then turned to go.

“You alright?” said Holly. “What happened?”

“I was stuck further down stream,” said the Doctor, rubbing his eyes. “Ran into an odd couple in the woods and then found my way here.”

“Told you he’d be alright,” said Holly, pointing her fork towards Lilly.

“I’m pleased you’re both safe as well,” said the Doctor. “Where are we exactly?”

“An orphanage,” said Holly, “but there doesn’t seem to be any kids here.”

“No kids? An orphanage with no kids? That’s like a farmyard with no farmyard animals,” said the Doctor, looking around the dining room. The ceiling was high and towards the far end was a huge, white fireplace. The walls were decorated in royal red with flowery gold patterns and there were various pictures and paintings adorning the walls.

“I asked the bloke in charge where the kids were,” said Lilly, “but he said they’d gone on holiday or something.”

The door opened and Hazel bustled back in with a trolley containing a plate of toast, block of butter and a steaming hot pot of coffee.

“Thank you, miss…?”

“Hazel,” she said politely.

“Thank you, Hazel,” said the Doctor.

There came the sound of a man clearing his throat at the doorway.

“If you’ll forgive me,” said Hazel, “the master will see you now.”

Hazel bustled away quickly as the man, William, walked into the dining room. He greeted both ladies with a courteous nod and then sat down at the dining table.

The Doctor looked up, smiled, looked back down at his hot and inviting coffee, and then quickly looked back up again, his eyes meeting William’s.

“Good morning,” said William. He extended his hand across the table. “My name is William Fieldgate. Welcome to Happerby Orphanage.”

“Nice to meet you,” said the Doctor, refusing to look away from the man, shaking his hand slowly.

William smiled. “And I’m afraid you have some explaining to do.”

“Explaining?” said the Doctor, still looking directly at William.

“About why you were trespassing on our grounds.”

“We…got lost,” he said quickly. “It’s 1908, yes?”

“Yes,” said William with a frown. “What an odd question.”

“Not 1902?”

“Doctor,” said Holly, “the gentleman’s hardly gonna get his years wrong.”

“No, probably not,” he said, still refusing to look away from William. “So it’s been six years for you.”

“I beg your pardon?” said William.

“Just thinking out aloud,” said the Doctor, managing a smile. “How long have you had this place?”

“Oh, not long,” he said, looking around. “I used to run a small orphanage near to here in a town called-”

“Thornsby,” said the Doctor, finishing his sentence.

“Good guess,” said William. “I took over this place. I used the money from the sale of my father‘s textile business. Bought it off a gentleman called Sydney Rook. Perhaps you’ve heard of him if you’re a doctor.”

“Where are all the children?” asked the Doctor.

“First things first,” said William. “Whom am I addressing?”

“Well, you’ve met my two friends, Holly and Lilly. My name is Dr. John Galloway. I’m Lilly’s uncle.”

The Doctor frowned. “Sydney Rook you say.” He’d heard that name somewhere before. “And who exactly is he?”

“A great man. A brilliant man.” William had wonder in his eyes. “He is an expert on time travel.”

“I beg your pardon?” said the Doctor.

“Oh, forgive me,” said William. “I forget that not everyone is as versed on these subjects as myself and Professor Rook.”

“You know about time travel?” said Lilly.

“Indeed I do, young lady,” said William. “A few years ago such wonders never would have even entered this small mind of mine, but then my life took a turn and my priorities changed.”

“We need to leave,” said the Doctor, getting up quickly.

“I haven’t finished my bacon,” said Holly, frowning at the Doctor’s abruptness.

“I’m sure Mr Fieldgate could provide you with a doggy bag,” said the Doctor. “I need to get my clothes from the maid.”

“Doctor, it’s rude to just walk away,” said Lilly.

William frowned. “Why do you call him doctor. He’s your uncle, isn’t he?”

“He likes us to call him doctor,” said Lilly, lying.

“A little strange,” said William, also getting up.

“Look,” said Holly, “Mr Fieldgate here has been very good to us. His staff took us in, fed us and kept us warm. We’re lucky he’s not calling the police on us.”

“Girls, we need to leave,” said the Doctor, heading out of the dining room.

William, Lilly and Holly all rushed after the Doctor. They found him in the entrance hall gazing up at the portrait of the woman they had seen earlier on.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” said William.

“Who is it?” asked the Doctor, worriedly.

“My love. I lost her six years ago this month.”

“I’m sorry,” said Holly, touching him on his arm.

“She was very special to me. We only knew each other for a short amount of time, but she filled my world with wonder. We were due to be married.”

“Lilly, go upstairs and get our gear,” said the Doctor, pointing towards the staircase.

“Yes, boss,” said Lilly, marching away with a huff.

“What was her name?” asked Holly, joining the Doctor to look up at the picture.

“Caroline,” said William. His eyes had glazed over. He was lost in his memories. “She was truly perfection.”

“Oh, grow up, William,” said the Doctor.

“Doctor!” gasped Holly.

“I think you should leave now,” said William, turning to face the Doctor, his face stony and stern. “How dare you come into our home and be so abrupt. You need to leave.”

“I intend to,” said the Doctor.

Lilly appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying their gear. She threw the Doctor’s clothes to him. “Don’t ask me to help again, uncle.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” said the Doctor, “but we must be going now.”

“I’m sorry,” said Holly apologetically as the three of them made their towards the front door.

“I’d advise you not to set foot on my grounds again,” said William. “Mr Hunter’s dogs don’t like visitors. Next time I shall call the police.”

“Oh, great,” said Lilly. “See what you’ve done?”

The Doctor hurried out of the door and urged Lilly and Holly to follow him. They made their way towards the TARDIS, still concealed at the end of the garden behind some tall bushes.

“What was that all about?” said Holly.

“In a minute. In a minute,” said the Doctor, frustration in his voice as he tried to get into his trousers.

“No, now!” said Holly, stopping dead in her tracks. “I know you’re not from this planet and you often cock things up, but I’ve never seen you be so rude before. At least not to such a nice man as Mr Fieldgate.”

“I didn’t…mean to sound so rude,” said the Doctor, stopping as he pulled his trousers up and fastened them.

“Then why where you?” asked Lilly. “Usually that’s my job.”

“The poor bloke lost his fiancée,” said Holly. “How’d you like it? Have you never been in love?”

The Doctor’s eye twitched. “It’s not that.” He exclaimed and looked up to the sky. “It’s William. I’ve met him before.”

“What? You can’t have. He didn’t recognise you.”

“It’s because I’ve changed since then,” said the Doctor. “It was a while back. I had a friend - a travelling companion. She became stranded in 1902 and she fell in love with William.”

“Caroline?”

“Yep,” said the Doctor, removing his robe and getting into his yellow shirt. “She was stuck in the 1900’s for a year. She thought I’d abandoned her so instead made a life for herself in Thornsby Town.”

“And then she died?”

“No,” said the Doctor. “I had to go back and take her away from William. If I hadn’t it would have meant the death of a number of children at an orphanage they were running at the time. Her staying in that time had already had disastrous effects on the timeline. A whole different timeline splintered off from her. She couldn’t have stayed there. When I took her away it broke her heart.”

“Oh, Doctor…” said Holly, her hand to her forehead.

“It took her a very long time to get over it as well.”

“He seems alright though,” said Lilly. “It looks like he got over it. He seems quite chirpy actually.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m afraid of. That’s why we’re not going to venture too far.”

“So why are we sticking around again?” asked Lilly.

“Well there are no kids at the orphanage, which is strange in itself. Plus, the reason I was knocked out cold last night was because I was knocked out by some kind of…invisible force. I think it was one of the time bumps.”

“Coming from the house?”

“Yes. It knocked me clean out. Time Lords are more sensitive to these things. It was like a warning signal. A sign that something in time has been disturbed here.”

“So we go back and confront him,” said Holly, turning to the house.

“No,” said the Doctor. “We hide the TARDIS - he’s seen it before and I don’t want him to know it’s me - and we stay in the nearby village.”

Lilly shook her head. “But what could he be up to?”

“I don’t know,” said the Doctor, scratching his chin and staring at the ground, “but the name Professor Sydney Rook rings a bell from somewhere. There’s something odd going on, and oddness, professors and heartbroken lovers don’t make a good mix.”

To be continued...

The Edwardian Way (Chapter 3)

Chapter 3 (Some Nights...)

The man had introduced himself as Norman Hunter - the grounds man at Happerby Orphanage. He had worked there for the last couple of years. The house had been bought by its new owner when it’s old owner - Sydney Rook - had come into financial difficulties. Rook had sold it to the new owners and he had been given a small area of the house to live in.

“It’s beautiful,” said Holly as they rounded to the front of the house.

The front lawn spread out in front of them and disappeared into the darkness beyond. There was a pathway that led from the darkness towards a terrace that led up to the great, white house. In the middle of the pathway was a fountain with a statue of a child holding a suitcase.

The large windows were illuminated from within by warm and inviting yellow light and Holly couldn’t help but smile at her surroundings.

“Don’t get used to it, Dangerfield,” said Lilly, keeping close to her friend. “We won’t be staying here long.”

“You’re still worried about the Doctor, aren’t you?” said Holly.

Lilly shrugged. “I guess we’ve been in worse situations.”

“Like almost being torn to shreds by a pack of dogs?” said Holly, making a point to look at Norman.

“I’m sorry about that,” said Norman, looking a little guilty, “but you were trespassing.”

“Bite first, ask questions later,” said Holly.

“Or in our case,” continued Lilly, “fall in stream and ask questions later.”

Holly smiled. “Will the owner be mad?”

“No,” said Norman. “He’s a pretty affable chap actually. Always has his mind on something else, though. He‘s been away for a few days but he‘s due to return later tonight. You can stay in one of the rooms for the night and then you can meet him in the morning.”

“In the mean time,” said Holly, as they headed up the steps to the front door, “the Doctor may decide to put in an appearance.”

Norman unlocked the front door and a small woman with mousey, curly hair appeared holding a candle. She was wearing some kind of cross between a maid and matron uniform and looked confused.

“These are the intruders, Hazel,” said Norman.

“They don’t look like intruders,” said Hazel, looking Holly and Lilly up and down.

“Looks can be deceptive, lady,” said Lilly dryly.

“They say they got lost and accidentally wandered through a hole in the fence on the other side of the river.”

“Reginald hasn’t mentioned anything about a damaged fence,” said Hazel.

“Well I’ll pop up there and see him tomorrow. Isn’t Eleanor supposed to be here now?” said Norman as he guided the ladies inside.

“She’s got the evening off, sir,” said Hazel. “Olive and I can cope, don’t you worry.”

“I’m not worried, Hazel, but something about that young woman isn’t quite right.”

“Holy caped crusaders!” said Holly in wonderment.

A staircase led up from the hall and curved onto a balcony that overlooked the large, open space. Along the balcony were doors leading off to other corridors and rooms. In the main hall - or what the owner liked to call "the meeting hall" - there sat a box of toys and a rocking horse. This room was wood-panelled and decorated with red-flowered wallpaper. The floor was wooden but large rugs had been placed down for when the children wanted to play. On the right side was a door leading to the kitchens and the left door led back the way Hazel had come - to the dining room. Other doors led off to studies and living rooms.

“I could live here. Easy,” said Lilly, nodding her approval.

“What’s a caped crusader, miss?” asked Hazel.

“A little too soon for you,” said Holly.

“Hazel, will you take these young ladies to a double room and get them a change of clothes? I’m going to make sure the grounds are secure, and then I’m going to have a warm cup of cocoa and put my feet up.”

“Right you are, sir.”

“But our friend -” said Lilly.

“It’s too late to go looking for him now,” said Norman, shaking his head. “As soon as the sun’s up I’ll speak to Reginald and we can go and look for him.”

“But-”

“There’s nothing more I can do, young lady,” said Norman. “Now, be thankful that I’m letting you stay here the night.” He sniffed and then looked at Hazel. “Take care of them.”

“Yes, sir,” said Hazel, nodding her head.

Hazel led them towards the bottom of the staircase when something caught Holly’s eye. It was an large oil painting hanging above the fireplace on the far side of the room. It was a picture of a young woman with dark hair and brown eyes. She was sat amongst what looked like stars.

“Who’s that?” asked Holly.

“Never you mind, miss,” said Hazel, looking a little sad. “If the master wants to tell you in the morning then he will tell you.”

Holly waited until Hazel’s back was turned and then rolled her eyes at Lilly. Lilly managed a smile and thwacked Holly on the arm to follow the woman up the stairs.




The Doctor had managed to find his way to the little stone bridge that arched over the river and then made his way back in the direction of the TARDIS. He took a quick look around him and then unlocked the TARDIS doors.

In hindsight he wondered if maybe they should have just headed back into the TARDIS. It would have saved all of this messing about, but then he still needed to get to the bottom of what had caused the time bumps in the vortex.

He walked into the console room and then flicked a few switches. He growled at the console as it refused to reveal their location and tutted. He needed to get out of his wet clothes and then go and find Lilly and Holly.

The river wasn’t deep enough for them to drown in, but they could still be injured.

A few moments later he re-entered the console room, this time wearing a black suit and yellow shirt with a spotted black and white tie.

He stroked his beard, made a mental note to have a shave later on, and then headed back outside.

He was just locking up the TARDIS when he became aware of something back towards the trees. He turned, and just for a fleeting moment thought he saw a light amongst the trees.

It was there - just for a very, very quick moment - and then it was gone.

He took his screwdriver out of his pocket and aimed it in the general direction, but if there was anything there it was now gone.

He sighed, put his screwdriver in his pocket and then made his way towards the house.




“How do I look?” asked Holly.

Lilly was stood facing the window, looking out towards the dark grounds of the orphanage. She thought she had seen a light towards the trees, but it had faded as quickly as it had arrived. She couldn’t even make the TARDIS out in the gloom.

Lilly turned around to face Holly and stifled a gasp.

Holly was standing in a long, cream dress lined with golden patterns. It seemed to fit her almost perfectly.

“Well?” said Holly, looking a little embarrassed.

“You look…beautiful,” said Lilly. She then opened her mouth, her eyes wide. “For a Dangerfield I mean.”

“For a Dangerfield?” said Holly with a laugh. “What’s that meant to mean? Are you saying my family can’t scrub up?” She laughed.

“No, no, not at all,” said Lilly. “I mean, I’ve never met your parents. Just your sister. She was a kid though. Cute.” Lilly was gibbering.

“I can’t believe it fits me really,” said Holly, twirling around in the dress. “Hazel said it belonged to one of the ex workers here. She died a few months ago.”

“Creepy,” said Lilly. “You’re wearing a dead woman’s dress.”

“What about you?” said Holly, nodding towards a slightly smaller dress laid on the bed.

“I ain’t wearing that,” said Lilly.

“Ah, go on,” said Holly. She picked it up. It was similar to Holly’s, but blue and cream. “It belongs to Hazel, doesn’t it?”

“She can keep it,” said Lilly. “This dress will do just fine,” said Lilly, indicating the black and white spotty affair that she was wearing.

“Not in this era,” said Holly. “You’re showing too much leg.”

“Eyes front, Dangerfield,” said Lilly.

Hazel knocked on the door and entered timidly. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” said Lilly. “I’m almost dry now.”

Holly rolled her eyes. “She won’t get changed.”

“I’ll be fine,” said Lilly. “I’ll wear the nighty though,” said Lilly.

“I can hang your wet clothes up for you. They’ll be dry in the morning.”

“Cheers, sweetheart,” said Lilly with a sarcastic smile.

Hazel frowned at her.

“What?” said Lilly bluntly.

“Forgive me, miss,” said Hazel, her arms folded, “but you remind me of someone.”

“Well I’ve never had relatives in this time - I mean…in this area,” said Lilly.

“No, you don’t look like anyone, but both of you have a way about you. Like you’re not from around here. I used to know someone like that.”

“Someone not from around here?” said Holly, sitting on the bed and looking at curiously at Hazel.

“Yeah. She was a traveller. But she dressed like you two - all un-lady-like.”

“What was her name?”

“Oh,” said Hazel, suddenly getting a bit flustered, “well it’s not for me to say.” She started backing out of the door. “Just leave your clothes outside the door and I’ll make sure they get dried. Goodnight, miss,” she said to Lilly. “Goodnight, miss,” she said to Holly.

“Goodnight, Hazel,” said Holly.

“That was weird,” said Lilly.

“Just a bit,” said Holly.




The Doctor reached the door of the house. He looked up at the impressive building and nodded his approval. He’d seen plenty of large, impressive mansions before, but this was certainly one of the most beautifully kept.

He reached out his fist to knock on the door when suddenly his arm froze. He frowned as he looked down at his balled-up fist, his arm shaking.

“What…?” he said.

He tried to pull his fist away, but he couldn’t.

And then he began to shake, his whole body shuddering as if he had been hit by a current of electricity. He tried to cry out, but he couldn’t.

Then, as if knocked away by an invisible force, he flew backwards, flying a few metres away and rolling down the terraces onto the pathway below.

He cracked his head on a step and blacked out.




Holly opened her eyes.

The sun was streaming in through the open curtains, illuminating her white bed sheets. She could feel it’s warmth. It was a summers morning, but it must have been early. She had no way of checking the time. She suddenly felt a little worried. Her phone was drying out with her modern day clothes. She crossed her fingers that Hazel hadn’t found it.

She turned to Lilly who was sleeping soundly in the bed on the other side of the room. She turned her body to the right and continued to look at her. She looked so peaceful and still, but she knew that inside Lilly there was a raging, aggressive young woman. Lilly had softened somewhat since their first meeting, but it was still in there somewhere.

Illithia - the Master’s daughter.

Lilly opened her eyes, concentrated on Holly for a moment and then frowned.

“Morning,” said Holly.

“Morning,” replied Lilly.

“I’ve been thinking.”

Lilly groaned and rolled onto her back. “It’s too early to be thinking, Dangerfield.”

“No, listen a moment,” she said, propping herself up on her elbows.

“Knock me out,” said Lilly, turning her eyes to face her.

“Do you wanna know what I find strange?”

“How you can wake up with perfect hair every morning and I always wake up looking like a scrawny, blonde rat.”

“What?” frowned Holly, laughing. “No, seriously.”

“Okay, go on then.”

“This is an orphanage, right?”

“Apparently.”

“Well why haven’t we heard any children?”

“Quiet children?” suggested Lilly.

“Oh, come on,” laughed Holly.

“They’re all dead?”

“Lilly!” said Holly, throwing her pillow at the Scottish girl.

“I don’t know, Dangerfield. Maybe we’ll find out today. Let’s just ask.”

“I was just thinking. That’s all.”

“Put your deerstalker away and get dressed, Sherlock,” said Lilly, throwing the pillow back to her.

The two woman got dressed and made their way downstairs where they were met by Hazel. She greeted them warmly.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked.

“Not bad actually,” said Holly, stretching and cracking her back.

“I’m glad,” said Hazel. “And I have some good news.”

“The Doctor?”

“Your friend?” Hazel smiled. “Yes. Mr Hunter found him this morning. He was out cold at the bottom of the terraces.”

“Jesus!” said Lilly, her eyes wide. “Is he okay?”

“He’s sleeping at the moment,” said Hazel. “But I’m sure Mr Hunter will wake him soon.” She looked from each of the woman and then straightened herself up. “And I’m pleased to say that our master has returned.”

Lilly looked at Holly. “So this is where we take a visit to the police then?”

“Not exactly, young lady,” came a man’s voice from towards the dining room. He looked to be in his late 30’s, handsome and with a neatly trimmed beard and neat, combed down hair.

“This is your orphanage?” said Holly.

“Indeed it is,” said the man. He extended his hand. “I’m William. William Fieldgate.”




Across the grounds and back towards the woods Reginald and Eleanor stood watching the house, their eyes narrowed.

“The Doctor is inside,” said Eleanor.

“Indeed he is,” said Reginald. He sniffed the air. “His time machine is near to us as well.”

“We should take it. Escape this place.”

“No. We must wait.” He turned and smiled at Eleanor.

Eleanor nodded and then licked her lips. “Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan.”

To be continued....

The Edwardian Way (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2 (Strangers on the River Bank)

Holly had turned and run as fast as she could. She had considered legging it over to the TARDIS, but she knew that the Doctor wasn’t headed there. He didn’t want them to leave until they had made sure everything was safe. She couldn’t quite understand why they couldn’t just hide in there for the time being, but she didn’t have time to argue.

She was sure she was running alongside Lilly and the Doctor, but when she turned to look they were nowhere to be seen. She had hit the line of trees and headed into a denser section. She cursed her shirt skirt as the twigs snapped and slashed against her bare legs.

“Keep running,” she heard the Doctor shout from somewhere over to her right.

The dogs were still barking and were getting closer. She remembered back to when she was little when she lived beside the old railway. In front of their house was a large, green area, which the kids in the neighbourhood used to play on. For a good few years there lived an old woman at the end of the avenue who owned two Doberman dogs. She used to be terrified of them as they’d always stand and bark at her and her friends as if they were guarding the area.

She was getting flashbacks to that, but this time it was even scarier. She had no house to run into and no mum to hide behind.

And then she felt herself falling. Her foot had become snagged on an entanglement of twigs and bushes and she had gone face-first.

But instead of hitting the ground she felt herself falling further forward. She hit her face and side and then found herself rolling. She was rolling down a muddy bank.

And she could hear the sound of running water.

“Doctor!” she shouted as she rolled off the bank and into the river at the bottom of it with a splash.

She tried to get her head above water and heard two more splashes a little way behind her. She could swim - that wasn’t the problem - but the current was pulling her along and she couldn’t get a grasp of anything.

The dogs were fading now into the background and the sky had turned a dark blue colour. After surviving zombies, prisons and aliens, she was determined that she wasn’t about to drown in a normal river.

And then she saw the tree branch sticking out of the muddy bank. There had been a landslide and a tree had partially slipped down and become buried in the mud.

She stretched her arms out and managed to grasp hold of the slippery branch and stop herself from being dragged any further down stream.

“Holly!” came Lilly’s voice. She turned to look as the blonde girl, covered in mud and soaked to the skin, floated towards her.

“Grab me!” shouted Holly.

Lilly sailed on past and reached out for Holly’s leg, grabbing hold of it tightly.

Holly winced as she tried to maintain her grip on the branch.

“Where’s the Doctor?” said Holly.

“He was…right behind…me,” said Lilly, trying to catch her breath. “We were running in the same direction…and…fell into the river.”

“At least the dogs are gone,” said Holly.

“For now,” said Lilly.

“Try and swim to the side,” said Holly.

Lilly, using Holly’s leg to pull herself along the strong current, managed to grasp and grab until she was level with Holly. She reached up and put her arm around Holly and then virtually climbed up the struggling woman until she was level with the branch.

“The current’s too strong,” said Lilly. “I can’t pull myself out of it.”

Holly sighed and closed her eyes. “Don’t give up.”

“Give me your hand,” came a different voice. The two girls looked up and the man in tweed was standing on the edge of the bank, reaching down to them. The dogs were tied to a nearby tree.

Holly helped Lilly to reached the man’s hand and he pulled her up onto the bank. Once Lilly was safely up and out the way, he edged himself down to reach Holly and hefted her out of the water and onto the side.

When the two girls had gotten their breath the man took off his jacket and waistcoat. He put the coat around Lilly and the waistcoat over Holly. Lilly looked to be the colder of the two.

“Thank you,” said Holly, shivering. It had turned a little chillier now the sun had gone in.

“Don’t mention it, young lady,” said the man.

“Did you find the man we were with?” asked Lilly, hopefully.

“I’m afraid not,” said the man. “He must have been washed down the stream.”

“But we would have seen him. He would have floated past us,” said Lilly. “He was with me. We were both behind Holly.”

“We’ll send out a search party in the morning,” said the man, “but for now I think we should get you both inside and get you dry. And I’ll also be needing some answers from the pair of you.”

“But our friend -” said Lilly.

“Lils, we’ve gotta get inside. It’ll be dark soon. Wherever the Doctor is I’m sure he can look after himself.”




The Doctor was struggling. His coat had snagged on a tree branch and halted his progress down the river. But he had been faced with a dilemma. Did he slip out of his coat and follow Lilly downstream and risk further complications, or did he just stay tangled up and hope against all hope that Lilly had found her way out?

And he had no idea where Holly was.

“Need a hand, old boy?” came a voice.

The Doctor looked up. There was a man and a young woman standing on the other side of the riverbank. The man was dressed in a brown suit with a shirt and tie. The woman in a flowing, black dress that looked oddly out of place amongst the trees,

“That would be nice, yes,” said the Doctor.

“Hold my umbrella,” said the man, handing the woman the thin, black umbrella.

He reached down towards the Doctor who managed to reach and grasp his hand.

“You’ll need to slip out of your coat, old man,” said the man.

The Doctor, unable to pull the coat away from the branch, reluctantly slipped out of it and then scrambled up the bank, helped by the man.

The Doctor looked down at the coat as it remained stuck on the branch.

“River’ll eventually wash it away,” said the man.

“I’ll miss that old coat,” said the Doctor. “It was a present from Lennon. Bought it on Saville Row.” He turned to face the couple. The man had jet-black hair which was neatly gelled into a side parting. He had a pencil thin moustache and small, gold-rimmed glasses. He looked to be in his late 50’s.

The woman had long, flowing red hair and a striking figure. The Doctor wasn’t an expert on woman’s clothing, but he was certain that the women of this era covered up a little more than she did.

“What were you doing in the river?” she asked with a confused smile on her face.

“Surely you heard the dogs barking,” said the Doctor, taking off his shoes and wringing out his socks.

“We heard them,” said the man. “Norman Hunter only sends the hounds out if there’s an intruder on the grounds.”

“Yes, you caught me,” said the Doctor, irritated, “I’m the intruder. Now who are you two?”

“Name’s when we get you inside and in the dry,” said the man.

“Oh, come now, father,” said the woman, “surely we owe the man our names at least.”

“He’s an intruder, Eleanor.”

“Ah,” said the Doctor, clicking his finger, “are you sure your name’s not Captain Mainwaring?”

“Funny,” said Eleanor.

The Doctor arched his eyebrows and looked at Eleanor suspiciously. “So you, good lady, are Eleanor. What about the grump?” he said, jabbing his thumb towards the man.

“My father, Reginald.”

“Good to meet you, Reg,” said the Doctor, offering his hand.

“As my daughter said - it’s Reginald.” He looked down at the Doctor’s hand with disdain.

“Reginald it is then,” said the Doctor, lowering his hand.

“Would you like to come back to our cottage for a hot drink?” said Eleanor, smiling at him.

The Doctor raised his head and eyed her up. There was no warmth in that smile. “No. Thank you very much, but I must find my friends.”

“They’re most likely dead,” said Reginald bluntly.

“Perhaps,” said the Doctor. “But I’d rather find out for myself.” He looked back across the stream. “Is there a way across?”

“Do you even know where you are?” asked Eleanor.

“I’m afraid I don’t, Eleanor.” He frowned at her. “Have we met before?”

“I don’t recognise you,” said Eleanor.

“You’re in the grounds of Happerby Orphanage.”

“An orphanage!” said the Doctor. “How lovely!”

“My daughter, here, is one of the nannies,” said Reginald.

Eleanor smiled. Again - no warmth.

“Our cottage is situated within the grounds, therefore you are within the grounds.” He looked back down the stream. “There’s a small bridge that way, but you really shouldn’t be here.”

“Well I need help to find my friends. They could have been injured badly.” He peered into the gloom. The sky was almost dark. “Where does the stream come out?”

“A lake beyond the walls,” said Eleanor. “I can take you there if you want.”

“No need,” said the Doctor. “Like I said, I need help first. I’ll go up to the house and see if someone can help me. Unless you’d care to help me.”

Eleanor narrowed her eyes. “It’s so very chilly.”

“It is indeed,” said the Doctor, fastening the buttons on his blazer. “I could have done with my coat really.”

“You must be freezing,” said Eleanor. “You need to come in and get warm. Get dry.”

“I’m sure the orphanage can help me to dry out,” said the Doctor.

“Eleanor, we need to go,” said Reginald, gently touching her arm.

“Are you sure you won’t come back with us?” said Eleanor, her eyes wide as she stared right into his own eyes.

“Absolutely sure,” said the Doctor, refusing to blink.

Eleanor exhaled and stepped back from him. “Be on your way then. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

“I’m sure we will,” said the Doctor. He gave them a quick smile and then made his way along the banks of the river.

When Reginald was sure he was out of earshot he grabbed his daughters arm and span her around. “What are you playing at?!” he spat.

“He’s a Time Lord,” she said, longing in her voice.

“I know that,” said Reginald.

“I - we - need him.”

“All in good time, Eleanor.” Reginald watched as the Doctor disappeared amongst the trees. “All in good time.”

To be continued...

The Edwardian Way (Chapter 1)

Previously...

When the Doctor was in his previous incarnation (Richard O'Brien) he travelled with a companion called Caroline. She became stranded in 1901/02 and fell in love with a man called William. There she lived for a whole year until the Doctor found her again and she had to say a tearful goodbye.

Caroline moved on....

William....didn't....

Chapter 1 (Bumps in Time)

June 1st 1902




He opened the door. The sunlight was streaming in through the open curtains. She hadn’t gone to bed that night because she was no longer with him. She hadn’t closed the curtains because she was no longer with him.

She was no longer with him.

He walked slowly into the room, the floorboards creaking under his steps. He swallowed hard, but remained resolute. He would not let this overcome him. He would not let it overcome him despite his heart being locked in a battle with his head.

He opened up the wardrobe and was taken aback. There it was - the pure, white wedding dress hanging up like a shining beacon in the dark wardrobe. He touched the fabric and closed his eyes. He could feel his heart winning the battle again. His head simply didn’t stand a chance.

She had changed him. She had changed his world and he missed her so much.

He took the dress out of the wardrobe and then sat down on the edge of her large, four-poster bed. He draped the dress over his lap and stared down at it sadly.

He let out a huge sigh and then rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t keep wallowing. She wouldn’t want him to be like this. She was gone. There would be no wedding. No joy. No fun.

Nothing ever again.

But he still had the children to think of - the orphanage. He had to be strong for them. The head must win. The heart must die.

He pulled out a large box from underneath the bed and began neatly folding the dress into it. This would be just a fleeting moment of happiness that he and she had experienced. He had told her before she had disappeared that she was perfection, and that he believed that perfection was something that they were not supposed to have until they passed over to the next life.

He finished folding up the box and then slid it under the bed. He got up to leave and then looked again at the wardrobe. Her clothes were all hanging there. All of the clothes she had bought in the year she had been in his life.

But then there was something else. Something that didn’t fit in in the wardrobe. A short, red dress. She had been wearing it the day they met beside the Red Lion pub. It was something that hadn’t been a part of this time. And then he shook his head. He could feel his heart getting up for another round with his head. He marched over to the wardrobe and took out the red dress. He held it close to his face. He could smell the sweet-smelling perfume she used to wear.

And then he felt his heart knock his head out. He couldn’t let her go. He couldn’t let her go that easily. She was out there somewhere, in another time, and he would not let her go that easily. They were meant to be there for each other. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he would get her back.

He would get Caroline back.




Somewhere in the space/time vortex the TARDIS spiralled gently, the clouds of colours and occasional bursts of electricity doing nothing to halt its course.

Inside the large, white control room the Doctor was stood at the controls, carefully monitoring their journey. He glanced to his right. Holly was sat on the sofa looking a little glum and lost in her own thoughts.

The door to the interior opened and Lilly walked in and then sat on the sofa next to Holly. She turned her head to face her, gave a little smile and then looked back at the Doctor.

“Won’t be long now,” said the Doctor, breaking the silence.

“Okay,” said Holly quietly.

“You can stay, you know?” said Lilly, quiet enough for the Doctor not to hear.

“Well I have made an impact on you, haven’t I?” smiled Holly.

“I couldn’t bloody stand you when you first got here,” said Lilly, “but now…well, I can’t imagine you not being here.”

Holly smiled and took her hand. “I feel awful.”

“How come?” said Lilly.

“I want to stay, but…”

“You have family back home. A life. I know that,” said Lilly. She closed her eyes and then straightened herself up. “Which is why I - I mean we - the Doctor and I - need to let you go.”

“You can always visit,” said Holly. “I’m just a time vortex hop away.”

Lilly smiled and then laughed. “The Doctor doesn’t like to revisit old friends. It hurts him too much to watch them getting older. Who knows though.”

“But what are you going to do?”

Lilly looked back at the Doctor who momentarily flicked his eyes towards her and then back to the console again. She turned back to Holly. “The Doctor understands my situation. He was there through it all.”

“But you’re more Human than Gallifreyan. You grew up with us. With Humans,” said Holly. “I think you need a Human with you to tie you to that.”

“I’ll be fine, Dangerfield.”

“You can stay with me for a while. My parents won’t mind. Take time out from the TARDIS.”

Lilly shook her head. “It’s tempting, but I can’t live on Earth again. I spent all those years living there. I need to be…out here.” She gestured to the room around her.

“But you still haven’t finished telling me what happened with Caleb.” Holly was pleading now more than anything.

“Then it gives me an excuse to pop back and see you again.”

“Almost there, folks,” called the Doctor.

Holly looked at Lilly’s bright green eyes. She could feel her heart being pulled out of her chest again, but she couldn’t quite understand it. She had grown to be friends with Lilly over the course of their adventures together, but this felt like something else. It felt like something more. She wanted to go home and see Agatha and Roxy and her family, but leaving the TARDIS was proving to be more difficult than she imagined it would be.

Before she could think anything more, the TARDIS lurched violently. Lilly was thrown backwards off the sofa and Holly just managed to cling on. The whole room tipped sideways and the Doctor fell back against the doors leading to the outside.

The ship vibrated and the engines grated, causing Holly to cover her ears with her hands.

“What the hell?” said Lilly, scrambling to her feet and holding onto the bottom of the sofa.

The TARDIS tilted back a little and the Doctor managed to clamber up the sloped floor to the console. He hefted himself up and checked the readings. “We’ve hit a time bump.”

“Time bump?”

“Like a speed bump,” said the Doctor, “in the middle of one of your Earth roads.”

“So you were speeding?”

“No,” said the Doctor, “I was not speeding. But the bumps can be created by kinks in time. You have to watch out for them because they can pop up from nowhere.”

The TARDIS began to settle and level out.

Lilly stumbled over to the console. “How are they created?”

“Well whenever I drop into situations in history I always created a ripple, like a stone being dropped into a pond. The ripples usually disappear over time and time is smoothed out again, but sometimes, if it’s a big enough change or disturbance in history then the bump remains.”

“A bit like a scar?” said Holly getting to her feet.

“Exactly,” said the Doctor, pointing to Holly. “Either way, that was a pretty big bump.”

“Shouldn’t we go and check it out?” said Lilly. She looked to Holly.

“We need to get back to Holly’s time and deal with the Kro’Tenk.”

“But it’ll only take a few minutes,” said Lilly. She put her hand on the Doctor. “Please. The Kro’Tenk aren’t going anywhere.”

The Doctor looked at Lilly and then back at Holly’s hopeful eyes. He then rolled his own eyes and nodded. “Okay, Miss Galloway, I suppose we better go and check it out.”

Lilly smiled, span on her heel and almost skipped over to Holly before restraining herself.

Holly arched her eyebrows. “Looks like you’re stuck with me for a bit longer.”

“Nonsense, Dangerfield,” said Lilly, “I just get excited over time bumps.”




It was a warm, summers evening with a light breeze that just touched the tops of the trees, their leaves gently fluttering on their branches.

The stillness was torn apart by the sound of the TARDIS materialising. A few seconds after the blue box had solidified the doors opened and Holly stepped out. She brushed her dark hair out of her eyes and looked around her.

“Well?” asked the Doctor’s voice from inside the box.

“It’s nice. There are trees.”

“Oh, no,” said Lilly, stepping outside to join Holly.

“What?”

“Well are you sure we’re not going to come up against any clowns again? That all started in the woods.”

The Doctor stuck his head outside the door, licked his finger, popped it in his mouth and then smiled. “No alien activity in the area.”

“So where are we?” asked Holly, looking up at the trees.

“I’m not sure. The location monitor has been damaged from the time bump. The only thing I could see was that we’re in 1908. The Edwardian Era.”

“Wow,” said Holly. “I’ve not been back in time yet.”

“We went to the 90’s said Lilly.”

“That’s not the past,” said Holly. “I grew up in that time. This,” she said, crouching down and running her hand along the blades of grass, “is history.”

“But what caused the bump in time?” asked Lilly. “Have you been in 1908 before?”

“No. A little further back than that, but not 1908.”

“Hey, look!” said Holly excitedly.

Lilly and the Doctor turned to see where she was facing. They hadn’t seen it when they first arrived because the doors where facing towards the trees, but they were on a large lawn and behind the TARDIS, a little walk away, was the back of a huge, white country mansion.

“Well, hello there,” said the Doctor.

“It’s just like Downton Abbey,” said Holly, excitement in her voice.

“Down Town what?” asked a confused Lilly.

“We should pay them a visit,” said the Doctor, beginning a stride towards the house.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Doctor?” said Holly, struggling to keep up with him. “This is obviously private land. You can’t just rock up and say hello.”

“Access all areas, remember?” said the Doctor, his hands in his pockets.

“Dangerfield’s right though,” said Lilly, walking the other side of the Doctor.

The Doctor stopped and then turned to face his two companions. “Look, that time bump has emanated from somewhere around this place and time, which means that something different is going on here. Something that doesn’t quite fit in with the normal world.”

“So we need to check it out,” said Holly, glumly.

“You both wanted this,” said the Doctor. He tapped both of them on their nose and then turned to head back towards the house. “Let’s go.”

Holly turned to Lilly. “We’re gonna be in big trouble, aren’t we?”

“We already are,” said Lilly. “Can you not hear that?”

Holly pricked her ears up. Sure enough, over the sound of the birds, there was the ever-growing cacophony of barking dogs in the distance, coming from the direction of the house.

“Doctor, we need to go back,” said Holly.

“They’re just dogs.”

In the distance, from around the side of the house, a large pack of rottweilers started to run towards them, followed by a tall man in a tweed jacket carrying a shotgun.

“Back to the TARDIS!” yelled Lilly.

“No,” said the Doctor, as he turned to run. “We can’t just leave. Head for the line of trees. We need to stay here just to be on the safe side.”

“Oh, god,” said Holly. “He’s gonna get us all killed!”

To be continued...

Story 7: The Edwardian Way

"The name Professor Sydney Rook rings a bell from somewhere. There’s something odd going on, and oddness, professors and heartbroken lovers don’t make a good mix.”

The Doctor is trying to return Holly to her own time when the TARDIS hits "speed bumps" in the vortex. In an attempt to discover the source of the bumps, the travellers land in 1908 on the outskirts of Happerby at a large orphanage.

There they discover a time experiment being conducted by a Professor Sydney Rook and a man from the Doctor's more recent past. A man who lost love and wants to find it again...

Whilst Holly and Lilly grow closer, the Doctor becomes more and more disturbed by the time experiments and what they might mean.

And two, desperate people are watching and waiting in the orphanage's grounds. Waiting for their chance to make their move...

This is the seventh in a series of adventures starring James McAvoy as the New Doctor, Felicity Jones as Holly Dangerfield and Evanna Lynch as Lilly Galloway. 

It is also a sequel to the "Darkpaths" story, "Lost in Time" and is linked to the Seventh Doctor story, "The Ghost of Gallows Inn".