Time for a return trip across the Channel, as we
find ourselves thrust into The Massacre Of St Bartholomew's Eve-
the First Doctor & Steven are in the midst of some rather nasty
business between the Catholics & Huguenots of Paris. The year is
1572, & the Doctor will face an antagonist who looks remarkably
like him ( the Abbot of Amboise, a rather nasty cleric) alongside the
Queen Mother of the time, Catherine de Medici ( also not very nice, &
a Catholic architect of some quite nasty persecution)- whose son
Charles IX rules the country.
The committed
Francophile's first concern, though, is to seek out Charles Preslin,
a famed apothecary- once he's worked out when they are. Finding some
more suitable attire for himself & his travel buddy, they go
exploring.
Having agreed to
go their own ways & then meet back at the local tavern, which
they've stumbled across as a convenient initial stopping-off point.
The First is off to find Preslin & tell him what a successful
career his descendant Elvis will go on to have, while Steven is about
to go off & do a little sightseeing.
But once he sees
a shady Frenchman, Roger Colbert, start to follow the Doctor as he
leaves, Taylor decides he must just do a little amateur sleuthing.
But there's a hold-up- he hasn't paid for the wine he's been
drinking! He has no recognisable money about his person, & is
only spared embarrassment when Nicholas Muss, a servant of Admiral
Gaspard de Coligny ( a Huguenot) gets him out of a spot of bother.
This done, Steven has a favour to ask....
To which Nicholas
agrees. He'll show his new friend the way to Preslin's shop, but
insists that he stay & have another drink first- very
Friday/Saturday night. The Doctor, though, has found the way. Showing
himself inside after Charles fails to respond to his knocking, the
apothecary is initially terrified that the Abbot of Amboise has
pitched up to hunt for heretics. After reassurances he's not here to
get him, though- merely to have a bit of a science chat- Charlie
relents.
Not everybody
seems so keen on having Steven joining their drinking set, though-
Gaston de Leran is a bit suspicious, questioning the interloper
relentlessly. He's also a servant, to King Henry of Navarre, so it
pays to be. Just for Taylor's ( & our own, as an audience's)
benefit, he proceeds to explain the nature of the conflict between
the two warring sects. Preslin & the Doctor are having a
wonderful time, too!
Discussing the
invention of the microscope, Charles is inspired to continue the work
on germs he's been neglecting of late, though he's still petrified of
a visit from the Abbot. Steven, meanwhile, makes to leave the tavern
& runs across a girl- Anne Chaplet- who's doing some running of
her own.
She's another
Huguenot, & her fellows in the tavern hide her from the four
Catholic guards who've been chasing her. She'll find a more permanent
hiding place in de Coligny's kitchens thanks to Nicholas's quick
thinking, mercifully. Turns out there's rather a lot more to things
than meets the eye...the present aforementioned Huguenot king Henry
of Navarre has just married Queen Marguerite, one of the other side,
in a bid to smooth over the religious schism.
Steven goes to
stay at de Coligny's, with a request made to the tavern landlord to
tell the ' old man' ( the Doctor) where he is should he return- &
the bloke Steven was talking to, Simon Duval, quickly reports what
he's managed to find out to his paymaster, the Abbot. All getting
rather tense isn't it?
Henry's not all
that bothered by a rumoured attempt on his life, though! Seeking word
of the Doctor, Steven returns to the tavern but is turned away for
supposedly being a Huguenot. Nicholas might be able to help him find
his Time Lord buddy, though, at least?
Before they can leave,
Nicholas is questioned as to Anne's current whereabouts by Colbert.
Steven identifies him as the man who was after the Doctor- as well as
mistakenly proclaiming the Abbot, who's also on the hunt for her, to
be the Doctor himself. Which makes his pals dubious- could he
actually be a Catholic spy, working for the Abbot...the plot
thickens.
Trying to worm
himself out of what is becoming an ever tighter spot, Steven offers
to take Nicholas to Preslin's shop so he can see for himself that the
Abbot & the Doctor are doppelgangers. All of this is reported by
Simon to Marshal Tavannes, one of the key players in a plot to bump
off de Coligny, as things get even shadier. Once they reach the shop,
though, it appears old Charlie's been arrested for heresy- which
Steven takes to mean that for some reason the Doctor is impersonating
the Abbot.
And so he goes to
investigate his hunch. The Queen Mum is indeed a key player, &
it's not a great time to be a Huguenot as a result. Following his
turn as a spy, Anne wants his help & they bunker down in the
abandoned apothecary- not like that, though. Sacre bleu! The morning
after, they're off to the Abbot's residence to meet with the '
Doctor'. They can't get in though, as the ' Priest Of Death' ( as
Episode Three so wonderfully calls him) is at prayer in his office &
can't be disturbed.
The resulting
shouting match disturbs the Abbot, who doesn't recognise Steven. He
does, though, along with Anne, learn the planned location of de
Coligny's assassination! Nicholas is quickly informed, while his
master, on the way back from the Louvre, wanders on oblivious. The
two make it to his aid, but not in time to stop him getting a shot in
the arm. They can at least get him home before anything worse
happens...
Worse promptly
happens. Plans for the titular massacre are drawn up, & when the
Doctor & Steven are finally reunited the atmosphere grows tense.
They must leave & allow things to proceed as history recorded
them, but there'll be tension- proven when Steven thinks Anne has
died that St Bartholomew's Day after the man from Gallifrey tells him
how things are supposed to go down.
Previous Pure Historicals
The Reign Of Terror
The Romans
