m_findlow

Title: Within these walls
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Gerald Carter Kneale, Harriet Derbyshire, Jack Harkness, OCs
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 15,012 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for Prompt: Gerald and Harriet from Torchwood Season 2, in period alien-fighting shenanigans on behalf of the King at who_guestfest
Summary: Gerald and Harriet are on assignment to investigate strange goings on at Buckingham Palace.

Harriet was unpacking her things in the plain but functional suite. She'd brought precious little in the way of clothes, but what she did have would be getting creased folded inside the trunk.

As she shook out a blouse, setting it hanging next to her skirt, she thought longingly about a nice hot bath. Perhaps after she'd had some sleep, though. She ran a hand over the blouse's collar, straightening it as a sound caught her ear. She froze and listened for it, hearing it for just a brief moment, before it disappeared altogether.

She headed for the door, poking her head out into the hallway, but seeing and hearing nothing. The flurry of the entire Palace staff had been half an hour ago as they all rose to begin their day’s duties. Now it was just her. She strode down the hall, headed for the men's apartments, ignoring the fact that technically she wasn't allowed. She asked a young man pushing a trolley for the correct room before rapping on the door.

It caught her by surprise that Gerald answered the door in nothing more than his trousers and a singlet. He'd clearly already been asleep when she'd come knocking.

'What is it, old girl?'

'I heard those noises. Just for a moment.'

'Where?'

'In my room.'

Gerald quickly donned his shirt from the night before and proceeded to follow her back to her own room, picking up a scanner along the way. He traced it carefully around the room.

'It was just like they said, a sort of scratching sound,' Harriet said, describing it to him. 'Like something travelling between the wall cavity itself.'

'And it was only for a moment you say?'

'Just until I turned my head towards it, then it stopped.'

'Well, there's nothing here now.' He tapped the walls with his knuckles, in case it was just a case of upsetting some vermin within the panels. 'Perhaps you imagined it. The weary mind can play tricks on us.'

Harriet bristled at the insinuation. She was certain she'd heard it.

'Get some rest,' Gerald said. 'If you hear any more noises though, come find me.'

It was well after noon when Harriet woke, enjoying the plush feeling of the bedsheets. Even for servant’s quarters, they were very fine. The knocking on her door forced her from the bed, slipping on a coat to cover her nightgown.

At the door was the petite young maid from the day before, her straw coloured hair tucked up into a neat bun beneath her cap.

'Mr Fulstom asked me check if you'd like me to fetch you tea.' She already had a trolley laden with a teapot and plates of pastries.

'Thank you,' Harriet said, letting her wheel the trolley inside.

'I can arrange hot water for a bath as well, if you like, ma'am,' she said, spreading the curtains open, letting in the weak afternoon sunshine.

'That would be divine. It's Ms Quinn, isn't it?'

'Charlotte Quinn, ma'am. But most people call me Lottie.'

'A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Harriet.'

Lottie turned from the window, clasping her hands nervously in front of her. 'Miss Harriet?'

'Yes?'

'I sent one of the baker boys down to Clapham this morning, to ask around about Cece. Her sister lives down there.'

'Cece is Ms Aldershot?'

'Yes, miss. Her sister hasn't seen her.'

'Could she have perhaps run away?'

'I doubt it, miss. She was meeting secretly with some boy in the Palace.'

'A lover?'

'She wouldn't say who, miss, but she was head over heels. And none of the male staff have left so I don't think they eloped or did anything like that. I think the ghost took her, and the other girls. I don't think any of them left here. All her things are still in her room. I checked. And the others.'

Harriet could imagine the types of possessions girls in their position might own. Finer stockings, undergarments and shift dresses than what they could get on the high street, certainly. Small perks like lace collars and moleskin gloves would be treasured items. Even if they chose to leave, things like that would not be left behind willingly. They could be sold if nothing else.

There was another sharp knock on the door. Lottie got up to answer it, finding Gerald standing there. 'Good morning. Or is it afternoon, now?' he said. 'Is Miss Derbyshire fit to see visitors?'

'Miss Derbyshire can answer for herself,' Harriet replied, coming to the door, vexed that he could look so polished and freshly pressed when she was still in her bedclothes.

'I only thought you might relish having staff to attend your every need,' he teased.

'Ms Quinn here was assisting me in our investigation.'

'I've no doubt you've been invaluable, Ms Quinn.'

Lottie flushed under his attention.

'Yes, thank you, Lottie,' Harriet said, seeing the way the young girl went to jelly under Gerald’s gaze.

'I'll have them bring up hot water for you ma'am,' she said, making her leave, forced to squeeze past Gerald.

He strode in and took a seat on the small settee, but not before spotting the tray of pastries and pinching one, munching on it with delight.

Harriet quickly pulled her long hair into a rough braid. 'Don't you even start on that whole "women of a certain disposition" business.'

'I wouldn't dream of it,' he replied, unable to wipe the grin from his face. 'What does Ms Quinn have to say?'

She claims that none of the girls who went missing showed any indication that they packed up and chose to leave. Their things are still in their apartments, and the last one to disappear was rumoured to be having dalliances with someone inside the Palace.'

'Do we know who?' he asked, brushing crumbs off his lap.

'Sadly not. I imagine that sort of thing is frowned upon.' Having met their chief of staff Mr Fulstom, she could believe that it might even be banned entirely.

'So, we don't think she alighted with this mystery gentleman.'

'I thought men liked to crow about their conquests,' she replied. If he was allowed to mock women's gossiping nature, she would pay him back in kind.

'Some men are proper gentlemen,' he said. He clearly included himself in that list, and Harriet could hardly deny him. For all his teasing and his charms, he'd never once been inappropriate. Not like Jack, a man without shame. She picked up a pastry and nibbled at it, thinking over what little they knew.

'I suppose that rules out the ghost theory,' Gerald said. He began thinking over the other possibilities: a rift, some object that when activated transported you somewhere else, and of course the obvious, something hiding in the shadows, waiting for prey. There were so many avenues they hadn't yet pursued.

'What are you thinking, Gerald?'

'Only that we need to widen our search.'

Bathed and dressed, Harriet rejoined Gerald in the state room where he was once again poring over the map of the Palace.

'I had an idea that perhaps the sounds in the wall are a result of pipes,' he said.

'Pipes?' she queried.

'Old pipes. The sort used for gas lighting. Everything here is the latest in modern electric lights, but that wasn't always the case. Something could be using those same pipes to move about the Palace undetected.'

'Wouldn't that have to make it extraordinarily small?'

'Or extraordinarily long. Like a python. I saw one ensnare a human in the jungles once. They can eat a man whole.'

That sounded like a frightening prospect, but also logical. Something slithering through pipes in the walls could account for the sounds she'd heard.

'There could be any number of holes in the old pipes where it could escape the wall cavity,' he added.

'Wouldn't someone have seen a giant snake? Surely if it were to eat a person whole it would be far too big to escape back through the same gap.'

'We're of course assuming it operates like a snake. If it's alien, it could break down its meal much faster than we expect from a snake. All speculation, of course, but something worth looking into. '

'So, we would be looking for entry and exit points.'

'Precisely.'

'Very well.' She consulted the map. 'I'll check all of the south-eastern side, and you can check the north-eastern side.'

He frowned, looking down at the map again. 'I'm not sure we should split up. This creature, if it exists, could be very dangerous.'

'I'll be fine.'

Gerald wanted to argue the point. Harriet was still so young and full of ideals about what the modern woman could be that she wouldn't accept help even when it was offered. 'Take a pistol with you at least,' he said, imploring her to see sense.

'Well, I'm hardly going out there unarmed, am I?' She was already stepping out through the double doors when she nearly bumped straight into Dimitri. His attire today was a palette of muted grey and black, but it made him no less handsome.

'Miss Harriet. I was hoping you would be here. Mr Kneale,' he added, nodding in Gerald's direction.

'Carter Kneale,' Gerald corrected.

'I wanted to ask you if you would like to take a walk with me. I fear that your King and your Prime Minister are busy with war matters, and do not have time to speak with me. I was hoping I might be able to pass the time.'

'So long as you don't mind where we walk,' Harriet replied. 'I have some specific requirements.'

'I am at your mercy, sweet Harriet.'

Harriet smiled, watching the annoyed look of jealousy on Gerald's face. 'See, Gerald,' she said tapping him on the arm. 'I'll be just fine.'

'I trust you slept well and weren't disturbed by ghosts,' Dimitri said as they took off on a slow walk through the Palace halls.

'I don't believe in ghosts,' she replied.

'Neither do I,' he said. 'In my country, there are no stories of ghosts. There is even a joke that Russians say. Why would a Russian want to continue haunting this world if there was a heaven?' He laughed at his own cynicism.

Dimitri occasionally stopped to admire the portraits hanging on the walls, or other times to peer into the gilt and glass cabinets, containing priceless artefacts. Harriet tried to look only for places where an alien entity might be able to move about undetected, but it was hard to ignore the vast array of priceless treasures. She might never get another opportunity to see them, let alone in such auspicious company.

'Look, a relic from my homeland,' Dimitri said, pointing down inside a glass cabinet to show her a deep green egg, etched in fine silver, and encrusted with gems. 'The Faberge eggs have ever been a hallmark of my family, gifts to the great Tsarinas from their husbands. Now they are scattered and collected by people who do not appreciate the craftsmanship that is required. A master jeweler can spend an entire lifetime perfecting the craft.' He looked at it with an air of despondency. 'Would that Russia could be as great as this once more.'

Harriet saw the sadness in his expression. 'Are things in Russia really as bad as they say?'

'Worse,' he replied. 'We tried and failed. We printed too much money, inflation is a disaster, and unemployment and poverty has never been higher. As for the war, the Germans razed our armies on the western lines, forcing us to send in men unarmed, hoping to claim the weapons of fallen comrades. Revolution is ripe. Nicholas' grip on power is failing. Abdication and exile is the best hope for his family now.'

'If the Bolsheviks take power, what happens to the war effort?'

'That I cannot say. My fear though is that Russia turns in on herself. She will leave the world to fight the Germans, and if they should fail, they will come for us next. We will have nothing left to fight them with.'

Harriet completely forgot her search, seeing the desperation of their plight. It was hard enough most days to keep a positive attitude towards the Allies' efforts in the fight against the Germans. None of them could afford to fail in that. 'Is there nothing Nicholas can do to bolster the country?'

'There is probably much he could do, having learnt the lesson of hindsight, but the Bolsheviks are dangerous and single-minded. Staying puts his whole family at risk, the children included.

'A few children versus a whole country,' Harriet mused. 'Not an easy decision to make.'

Gerald paced up and down the Palace’s corridors, searching rooms and upturning furniture that must have been centuries old. This Russian ambassador was distracting them from the job at hand. He could see that Harriet was clearly taken by him, even if she denied it. Dimitri had more than just a pleasant walk around the Palace, searching for aliens, on his mind.

He couldn't understand why it irked him so much. She was a young girl, even if she had some very serious and academic pursuits. She wasn't one content to simply sit and be a wife to some man. She wanted to be challenged and to push the boundaries of what was acceptable for the woman in her position.

However he couldn't deny that she was still prone to the same infatuations that plagued girls of her age. Jack was an endless flirt, and the pair of them were often caught giggling over something to which he wasn't a party, but then she'd also shown no interest in pursuing anything further with the Captain. A good thing too. Jack was an unknown quantity. Gerald liked him, and Jack had often stood in his corner when he'd had to go into bat for their branch of the Institute with London head office, but there was still a lot no one really knew about him. Harriet was much safer not getting into any sort of relations with the Captain.

He also had to admit that he'd often caught her staring at him just a little longer than was strictly necessary. It wasn't that he didn't fancy her. On the contrary, he tried very hard not to encourage her to think that he had any feelings for her whatsoever, apart from those that were purely professional. He was far too old for her, though. Seventeen years her senior and he almost could have been her father. There was simply no way he could take advantage of her in that way whether she was agreeable to it or not. She deserved a nice young man of her own age who would treat her kindly and make a good husband. Just not this Dimitri fellow, he thought. The man was far too charming, and he knew all about the dangers of charming men.

He was placing a chair back in place when he heard a small yelp. He rushed from the room and found a maid rushing forth from a room further down, pressed back against the wall and looking a fright.

'What is it, my dear?'

'There was something in there!' she cried.

'What? Did you see the ghost?' He didn't know what else to call it for now.

'I don't know. I was polishing the mantle and I could have sworn something grabbed at my skirts.'

Gerald hurried into the room, scanning it with a keen eye. Everything looked in its proper place, though he shifted every last item anywhere near the mantle and the corners of the room, looking for places where the old fittings lead from the interior of the walls, allowing an exit point. Despite his thorough search though, he could find nothing.

'Are you sure you didn't just catch your skirts on some of the furniture, miss...?'

'Delaney,' she replied. 'Miss Delaney. And no. It wasn't like that. It was as I was just turning to leave and something was pulling me back towards the wall. I felt it brush my leg, like it was trying to grab for that, too.'

Gerald let out a vexed sigh. 'Well, there's nothing here now. I shall keep looking, but I suggest you return to your duties, miss.'

'I think they were right,' she said in reply. 'This place isn't safe. We should all leave.'

Gerald stood in the middle of the room and stared around, listening for the faintest of sounds.

'What are you?' he asked. 'Where are you? And what is it that you want?'

'Did you enjoy your afternoon with Dimitri?' Gerald asked, finding Harriet in the state room, packing away some of her equipment.

Harriet frowned at him. 'I was working, Gerald. Dimitri accompanied me for a short while, but I think I may have bored him with my insistence that I really needed to be searching in earnest.'

It had eaten her up to have to send him away. She could hardly tell him that they were searching for places an alien might be able to obtain access to the Palace in order to attack people. It seemed the young man had quite enough on his plate to deal with as it was. And then there was the whole business of having to keep Torchwood a secret. She'd only known him a day, and despite how kind and lovely he'd been, the safety of the Crown and the Empire was of a greater importance than anything else. Gerald's slight jealousy at the attention Dimitri was paying her pleased her in a way she couldn't quite explain.

'Ours is not to meddle in the affairs of global politics,' Gerald wanted her.

'I'm not meddling,' Harriet replied, slightly annoyed at him. 'We had a conversation, that's all.'

'Britain's situation with the Russians is... difficult,' Gerald said. Even that was probably an understatement. 'We need them to hold themselves together, else the whole Eastern front collapses.'

'Blasted war,' Harriet muttered. Life had been so much better before the Germans had decided to upset the proverbial apple cart.

'Blasted indeed, my dear,' Gerald agreed. 'But it's what we're faced with, whether we like it or not. Ours is to provide a vital role to the Empire against the forces that seek to destroy us.'

'You fought in the war?' Harriet asked. 'Or were you only military intelligence?' She couldn't recall any conflicts that he would have been of age to be involved in. He would have been a child during the first Boer War, and the second was only just beginning when he'd joined Torchwood. Perhaps that had been where they'd discovered his talents. Or perhaps there been some other conflict she wasn't privy to.

'Every commander must face his share of battle,' he replied. 'Only by knowing the suffering of the men at the front can we direct their efforts.' He looked haunted by something as he said it.

'Is that what you did to Jack?' she asked, intensely curious. 'Directed his efforts?' She wasn't as stupid as Gerald thought. Jack wasn't on some intelligence mission, or perhaps he was, but she also knew that the reason they'd not heard from him for so long was because he was somewhere at the front. It was all in their parting words. 'I go where I'm needed,' he'd said. There was no smart comment attached to it, or a laugh and a smile. It was the expression a man wore when he knew that he would be long from home, forced to endure bitter conditions and heartache.

'Jack may seem a wayward troublemaker, but he knows his duty.'

'Is he even alive?'

Gerald sighed. 'Only God knows the answer to that question.' He could tell his words had done nothing to reassure her. 'Come along. I know we've searched the apartments high and low, but perhaps a wander though the lesser occupied parts of the Palace might reveal something new.'

There was a sound of weeping that caught their attention as they passed along one of the corridors that ran through the serving ladies apartments to the other side of the Palace. When Harriet politely knocked, it was Ms Quinn who answered the door.

'Miss Harriet,' she said, quickly trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

'Whatever are you crying for?'

'It's all gone terribly wrong,' she sniffled between sobs. 'Mr Fulstom has had me dismissed for spreading rumours about the ghosts.'

'Well, you surely aren't the only one.'

'You don't understand! They took Dean.'

'Dean?'

'Morrison. He works as a butler. He...' She was unable to finish the sentence, a fresh set of tears trickling down her face.

'Has he gone missing?' Gerald interrupted.

She nodded. 'I tried to tell Mr Fulstom but he wouldn't listen. He called me a stupid girl and when I stood up to him, he dismissed me.'

'How do you know he's gone?' Harriet said. 'He could be out on an errand.'

'No,' she shook her head, taking the handkerchief Harriet offered her. 'He asked me to meet him in the library for mid-afternoon break. Only he wasn't here. I waited my whole break, but he never showed up.'

'Do you have any reason to believe he wouldn't show?' Gerald asked. It wouldn't be the first time a young man had broken a promise and in turn broken a heart.

'None,' she said. He... we...'

'You were having a relationship,' Gerald finished for her, trying not to pass judgment on the fact that such things were frowned upon in the Palace, though he had no doubt Ms Quinn wasn't alone in her dalliances with male members of staff. The poor girl was half distraught over the loss of her employment, but more over the loss of her beau.

Harriet gave her a reassuring touch. 'We'll speak with Mr Fulstom on your behalf, Lottie.'

'Thank you, miss.'

'Was there anyone else in the library prior to your agreed meeting?'

She nodded. 'The Russian ambassador was having a meeting with the King and the Minister. Dean was there to serve drinks and clear up afterwards.'

'We will investigate, rest assured,' Gerald said, adding a placating arm to her shoulder. 'For now I suggest you return to the kitchens.'

Lottie shook her head. 'I can't go back down there. Mr Fulstom...'

'Please, Ms Quinn. I must insist that you not travel the halls on your own. It's for your safety. Go nowhere without company, is that clear?'

'Yes, sir.' She bowed and made her leave, rushing the whole way.

'Poor thing,' Harriet said.

'How strange, though,' Gerald mused. 'I had begun to think it was limited to the ladies. The young man however...'

'All those people in there, yet it waited until he was alone,' Harriet said, thinking out loud.

'I think that tells us more about it than what we know already. It's not strong enough to take on more than one victim at a time. That gives us an advantage.'

'How so?'

'Because there's two of us.'

The library looked completely untoward at first glance. For Harriet though, it was a marvel to have so many fine volumes, most first edition and incredibly rare, all located in one luxurious setting. On the premise of searching the wall fittings for places where a creature might be able to enter or exit, she perused the titles, finding many prestigious workings, from Einstein to Marie Curie, J. J. Thompson, Pasteur, Kelvin, Guthrie and Mendeleev. A volume penned by Ernest Rutherford caught her eye and she couldn't help but pull it from the shelf. His studies on the atomic nucleus fascinated her. She ran a hand over the cover, opening it ever so carefully to view the fine print inside.

'Sort out this mystery and I might be able to convince His Majesty to allow you and afternoon to peruse us collection properly,' Gerald promised, catching her out.

An afternoon? She'd need a month! There were far too many titles to select just one.

'No signs of a struggle,' Gerald muttered. 'Not so much as a crystal tumbler out of place. Doesn't that strike you as odd?'

She carefully slid the book back into its rightful place. 'Because a man would fight back against his assailant?' she said, trying not to sound too arrogant. If it were her, she’d fight like hell.

'An element of surprise is at work here.'

'Oh, my apologies,' came a voice from the doorway. Harriet turned to see Dimitri. 'I had thought everyone had left. I was hoping to spend some time enjoying the collection.'

'They had,' Gerald replied. 'But I would not advise spending the evening here. It may well be that our ghost has struck again, right here in this very room.'

'That is troubling news, though rumours of it had reached me,' Dimitri replied. 'I was asked also to pass on a message, however. His Majesty the King would like to speak with you over this latest news.'

Mr Fulstom, Harriet knew. Whilst he might be quick to quash the claims of staff, he wasn't so fool as to not keep the household informed.

Gerald cringed, knowing it would not be a pleasant exchange. 'Of course.'

'Miss Derbyshire,' Dimitri said, turning his attention to her. 'I understand you must be very busy with this matter, but a lady must eat. I would be pleased if you would dine with me this evening.'

She gave a quick glance in Gerald's direction, knowing it was wrong to say yes, given everything, but nor did she want to upset him. 'A short meal perhaps,' she replied.

'I cannot speak to the kitchens. They have a habit of serving ten courses.'

'Harriet,' Gerald said, interrupting. 'I believe the King is waiting on us when it is we who should be waiting on him.'

'Of course,' she said, feeling chastised. 'I will see what we can do,' she said, replying this time to Dimitri.

'Good heavens, Gerald,' the King muttered as they were admitted to the Blue Drawing Room. 'Is it true? Another person gone missing? May is up in arms.'

'One of your staff was quite certain that the young man has disappeared, Your Highness. We believe she has no reason to lie.'

'Christ, man. I cannot have staff disappearing. What if it were one of the court's ladies? That would be disastrous.'

'I assure you we are running as thorough an investigation as we can.'

'For now, might we suggest that people not occupy spaces on their own?' Harriet asked. The King gave her an odd look. 'We have a working theory that it is only capable of attacking a person in isolation.'

George looked thoroughly displeased by the suggestion. 'Would you like the entire Palace to convene together like rats in a bomb shelter?' Harriet shut her mouth, knowing she had probably spoken out of turn.

'We are merely asking you to consider the safety of the staff and residents for the time being,' Gerald said, attempting to smooth things over. 'It is only a preventative measure. The cause will be found.'

'It had better be. Stop the rot, Gerald. That's an order from your King. You do your job and I'll do mine.'

Walking out of the room, Harriet had a head full of steam at the dismissal they'd been given.

'What are we doing Gerald? There's only two of us to monitor the entire Palace against God only knows what.'

'And one who's too busy being wooed by that Russian princeling.'

Harriet drew to a halt right there in the hallway. 'Excuse me?'

'You can hardly deny that you've been distracted by the man,' Gerald said, no longer sugar-coating the matter. 'I've come to expect more from you.'

Harriet stood there absolutely flabbergasted. 'I can't believe that you would even imply...'

'You are young, albeit very clever for your age. It's only natural that you should-'

She stepped up to him, coming almost to his face. 'Not another word. Not one. A fine thing that it's alright for you to flirt with women! Quite a different matter when the shoe is on the other foot.'

'I do not flirt!'

'Not all the time. Not when you just choose to be patronising. I might even go so far as to say you feel threatened by Dimitri.'

'Now, see here,' Gerald said, turning red in the face. 'You are quite out of order. As your Commander, I-'

'This has nothing to do with you, or your so called command and you know it! I'd ask you to stay out of my personal business, but I doubt you know how.'

She stormed off, not caring that there was still a job to do. For now she didn't want him anywhere near her.