Matthew Roydon
I've been thinking about the true 16th-century Matthew when he returns to London after M and D timewalk back to the 21st century. How do Francoise and Pierre react? Is there a difference in their attitude to M? Gallowglass? Philippe? Roydon's human friends from the School of Night? The Queen? Mary? No one slipped? No one mentioned Diana? Or Jack?
I bet the house was scrubbed clean and shone to a polish, but wood is not metal or tiles, you cannot disinfect it the same way with modern chlorine. Did Matthew smell Diana on the furniture? I imagine Francoise got rid of her clothes, but bed linen, too? Anything Diana might have touched? The books?
And then his 'office'. He goes upstairs, and the papers are arranged differently. Being a spy, a double spy to boot, Matthew must notice everything. An occasional ink spot? A different pile of papers, a lost letter he recalled? A reply to a letter he doesn't remember writing?
I can imagine that maybe Matthew noticed many details, small enough to be dismissed, yet coming back repeatedly, enough to bother him. Maybe he got paranoid! :-) He started questioning the domestic workers and his own sanity...
I'm not a fic writer, but if someone has a story about it, I'd be happy to read it. :-)
