Luke swallowed and squared his shoulders. ‘Matthew ­Farrell.’

The man shifted his weight and suddenly he wasn’t smiling any longer. ‘Is he dead?’

‘No. In my own defence . . .’

‘Yes,’ said the stranger silkily. ‘Do, by all means, attempt to defend yourself.’

Luke swallowed again. ‘It was his own idea. He helped me break Jane out of the Detention Centre and I shot him to cover up his part in rigging the computer to sound the radiation alarm.’

‘What radiation alarm?’

‘The one we set off so I could get Jane out.’

‘You triggered a radiation alert? In central London?’

Luke shuffled. ‘We may have done.’

‘And then you shot Matthew Farrell.’

‘It was his idea. And I did it as gently as I could.’

The man sighed. ‘You’re about to wish I was the Time Police.’ He tapped his ear. ‘Max? Where are you? . . . Can you get yourself down here? . . . Yes, just opposite the entrance to the Curia. On the steps of the round temple . . . No, I haven’t yet discovered if it’s the Temple of Hercules . . . Yes, I daresay, but something’s come up that you might find a little more important. You’re going to want to hear this, so shift yourself.’

He turned back to them, smiled encouragingly and said, ‘You two are so dead.’

Jane had no doubt of that.

‘In that case,’ said Luke, backing away, ‘I think we’ll just . . .’

‘What’s happening?’ said a female voice behind him. ‘Is he here already? He didn’t come past us. Who are you?’

Luke froze. Jane froze. A little pocket of silence enveloped them all. Around them, the people of Rome pushed and shouted and generally got on with things, while here, in this little niche built for the statue of the bald bloke with the scroll and the big nose, for Luke and Jane, the world ground to a halt.

‘Yes,’ said the man. ‘That’s a very good point. Who are you?’

‘We’re saying nothing,’ said Luke stoutly. ‘Nothing at all.’

‘Jane,’ said Jane.

Luke spread his arms in exasperation. ‘Oh great – now you start talking to people. You couldn’t have done that this time yesterday?’

Jane’s lip quivered. She blinked furiously. Her eyes swam with tears and one rolled pathetically down her cheek. Luke was lost in admiration of her tactics. ‘Now look what you’ve done,’ he said accusingly to the tall man. ‘You’ve made her cry.’ He put his arm around her. ‘There, there, Jane. Let me take you away from all this.’

‘I didn’t know the Time Police could cry,’ said the man, making no move to let them get past. He looked over their shoulders. ‘Did you know the Time Police could cry?’

A number of voices behind them assured him that no, they did not.

‘Time for introductions, I think,’ said the man. ‘Turn around now.’

Feeling they had very little choice, they turned. And stared.