"If you could persuade my lord father that I am not a mere woman, I would be most grateful," Isabel said, gravely, turning to follow the Doctor.  "But I must warn you that that is not a task to be taken up lightly."<br/><br/>Her eyes were no longer dazzled by the Doctor's mysterious light, but even so it was not easy to find her way over the grass and rocks by the moonlight and she moved cautiously.  "Dame Rumour says that most of the missing were engaged in poaching, though it may be that some of them also hoped for ill-gotten gold or silver from the caves.  They are on the King's land and only he should have the right to mine them, but as even you must know, rights are not always respected as they should be.  I suppose there are not the men to spare for mining."<br/><br/>She glanced at him sideways, unsure how much of what he said was meant to be in jest.  "Earthbound?  Are you usually seabound, then?  Or perhaps airbound?"  She kept her tone light, though she was not entirely joking.  "And you must surely be some years younger than my father.  It seems strange for you to blame a poor memory on age."