The Persephone Problem - Chapter 3

[lostwolf]

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | 

Chapter 3: Of Flowers and Fools

Helen was charming company.  She explained that the forthcoming festival was in honour of the goddess Persephone, on whose benevolence the turn of the seasons and the fertility of the land relied.   The winter rains were due and the town made offerings to the goddess.  The offerings were for her to take with her into the underworld as a comfort to her in the long months she must spend with Hades in order to bring balance to nature.  There would be much feasting and dancing, to mark the end of the long summer.  From the moment dancing was mentioned Rose was entranced and the Doctor felt a smug glow of satisfaction as she beamed at him, her grin as vibrant as it had ever been.  This holiday had been an excellent idea and was already working to dissipate the pall cast by the events of 1987.

Helen showed them to comfortable rooms at the rear of the villa and while Rose went to the local baths with their hostess to be primped and pampered in preparation for the festival, the Doctor popped back to the TARDIS to pick up the necessarily additional clothes and sundries they would need for their stay. He took the opportunity to explore the town more thoroughly.  While on the surface everything seemed fine he could not entirely dispel the sense that something was not right.  The town’s inhabitants seemed subdued, the shops ill-stocked and the streets somehow dull.  It was only as he was returning from the TARDIS, a well-stuffed bag of belongings slung over his shoulder, that he realised what was missing.  When he had last visited Phoses had been ablaze with living colour; flowers had adorned window baskets beneath every possible casement and trees had bloomed on every street corner.  Now, windows were bare and trees stripped of their leaves.  Perhaps he had last visited in a different season?  He could not recollect.  It was probably nothing.  Hefting his heavy load more securely on his back, he headed for his host’s home, hoping he had brought sufficient supplies to please his human charge.

By the time the Doctor had returned and deposited his burden in Rose’s chamber Adelphos was back and supper was about to be served.  He brushed the dust from his leather jacket and tugged at his jumper, ridding it of both dust and wrinkles, before making his way to the dining room.  He paused in the doorway, eyes immediately seeking Rose and finding her ensconced between Nicholas and Adelphos on a couch, a glass of wine in her hand.  She looked radiant.  She was laughing at some tale Nicholas was spinning, glowing with life and vibrancy in an extremely fetching lilac gown.  The Doctor’s eyes narrowed as he noticed, for the first time, that Nicholas was a rather pretty specimen of masculinity and quiet close to Rose’s age.  His good mood dissipated.  Had she learnt nothing from that idiot Adam?

Helen noticed him and, with a kindly smile, ushered him to a couch.  As he sat, she gestured for a servant to bring him wine and indicated that the food could now be brought in.  The Doctor plonked himself on the chair morosely, watching Rose flirt disapprovingly.  Adelphos and Nicholas barely acknowledged him, so intent where they on the pretty flower in their midst.   Feeling unaccountably out of sorts, the Doctor allowed his gaze to travel the room, noting that the fare that the servants were bringing into the room was not as opulent as he might have expected.  It was also rather heavier on the preserved meats and fruits than was normal at this point in the season.  Rose, of course, was far too busy with the assistant to even notice the food.  He flagged down a passing servant and grabbed a meat stuffed pastry, scowling as pastry flakes promptly cascaded down the front of his jumper as he bit into it.

Seeing her guest’s frown, Helen moved swiftly to distract him.

‘It is unusual, Doctor, for a man to be travelling unaccompanied with his betrothed.  Is Rose without family?’

Helen’s gentle question forced the Doctor from his reverie.  He dragged his eyes from Rose and allowed them to rest on his hostess.

‘Yes.  Tragic story. Orphan. I am her guardian also.’  He allowed himself a small grin, the prospect of Rose sans Jackie was rather appealing.  Very appealing.  Fantastic, even.  His grin broadened.

‘I see,’ Helen eyed him carefully, misinterpreting his smile. ‘So marrying Rose will safeguard her future and secure her fortune?’

The Doctor refocused his attention, eyebrow quirking slightly at her assumption.  He came to a quick decision.

‘That’s right.’ He replied briskly. 

Helen nodded benignly.  Clearly this mercenary approach to marriage was perfectly sensible on Phoses. The Doctor’s face was stiff. Had Rose looked at him she would have recognised his displeasure.  She did not, however, look and Helen was oblivious to his abrupt change of mood.  Though angered by the assumption that Rose was worth no more than her value in coin, he permitted the supposition to pass; it was, after all, convenient for Helen and Adelphos to think his relationship with Rose was financially motivated.  The misunderstanding, allowed to stand, explained the absence of a chaperone and avoided the need for overt displays of affection. Which was just as well, he thought grimly, as Rose batted her eyes at Nicholas, touching his arm prettily as he explained something no doubt fascinating about the festival.

At that moment Rose looked up and shot him a radiant smile. He stared back at her impassively and her grin faltered.  Her lips parted to form a question, only for Nicholas to whisper something to her and force her attention back to him.  The Doctor fought an insane sensation of guilt; Rose had looked both hurt and confused before she had looked away.  It was like the light had been extinguished from her smile and he knew he had done that.  It was her fault, though, wasn’t it?  Throwing herself at the ridiculous Nicholas, undermining the cover story he’d constructed for them.  If not for his quick thinking Helen would be suspicious right now and then where would their holiday be?  His indignation justifiably bolstered, he sipped his wine, and set about charming Helen.

It was late when Helen announced it was time for the ladies to retire and offered to see Rose safely to her room, leaving the men alone to talk business and politics.  Rose avoided looking at the Doctor as she was swept, in a matronly flurry, from the room.  If the Doctor felt a slight pang at that, he steadfastly ignored it.

Rose sighed as she slowly undressed, getting ready for bed.  The pleasure had rather been stripped from the evening by the Doctor’s moodiness. Every time she’d looked at him during dinner he’d been glaring, although she had absolutely no idea why.  She’d been stuck between Adelphos and Nicholas, bored nearly to tears by their endless stories about the goddess Persephone, the unexpectedly long summer, Hades’ lament for his missing love and the blessedness of all women named for flowers.  Lord, it had been dull.  She’d yearned for the Doctor to rescue her but he had seemed content flirting with Helen.  It was like that tree woman all over again!  Honestly, she might as well be invisible sometimes.  She knew she had a lot to learn but did he have to ditch her every time there was an older, more experienced woman in the room? She huffed, and slipped into her bed, pulling the soft covers over her.

She’d only really started to pay attention to Adelphos and Nicholas’s boring stories when Nicholas had begun to tell her how beautiful and rare she was.  It would seem that women on Phoses were named as a consequence of an oracle and it was profoundly unusual for the oracle to offer up a name of a flower.  Nicholas informed her, enraptured, that she was a gift from the gods and not only as beautiful as her name suggested but beloved of the heavens.  Sensitive to the Doctor’s icy stare and seemingly endless disapproval of her species, she had allowed herself to be charmed by the attractive young man, flirting with him just a little in response to his pretty compliments. 

She smiled, at least Nicholas paid her a bit of attention and didn’t talk to her like she only opened her mouth to switch feet.  She knew she’d messed up with Adam and with her dad, but travelling with the Doctor didn’t exactly come with a handbook and she was bound to make mistakes if he didn’t tell her stuff.  Like today, with that word.  Helen and Adelphos seemed to be making all kind of assumptions on the basis of it and she didn’t even know what it meant. She wasn’t stupid, whatever he thought, but how was she supposed to know how to behave and respond to questions if he didn’t tell her things? 

There’d definitely been a few moments this evening when she felt she might have made a mistake.  Adelphos had asked her if she was very much in love with the Doctor and she’d laughed and said that they weren’t like that, just friends.  He’d looked a little startled, but had quickly recovered himself and asked after her family, wondering why her parents were not with her also.  She had explained that it was just her and the Doctor, they travelled alone.  He had nodded sagely and patted her hand, exchanging a look with Nicholas that once more made Rose feel as if she’d missed something.  They probably thought she was a right tart or something.  She would have asked the Doctor about it, but his grumpy stare put her off and she was grateful when Helen collected her and indicated that it was time to retire.  Punching her pillow crossly, feeling decidedly hard done by, Rose turned over and concentrated on sleep.


Chapter 4

 

Comments

[angelfireeast.livejournal.com]

See I knew the Doctor didn't get it. He's so busy thinking he and Rose can never be together he images things.

Poor Rose:( All this talk about the goddes makes me think something will happen to Rose from the Doctor will need to save her from.

[lostwolfchats.livejournal.com]

How did you guess?! ;-)