Lucy looked at the silent shape for some time, without a word. It seemed so innocent, yet had occasioned so much fighting, trouble, curiosity, and pain—however unconsciously. She noticed the dirty print of Fitzalan Walters’s shoe, clear in the dust: he’d trampled the painted rose underfoot, making contact with the gold and the iron strapping. Maybe there was a curse attached to it, after all? She turned away, to put the tea kettle on the stove.

“Shall we open it?” he asked her gently.

“The time feels—out of joint. Too much has happened today.” She walked over and placed her hands on his shoulders, still watching the object. “Is there any word about Walters and Guy Temple?”

“Oh, the villains are fine.” He let out an ironic laugh. “McPherson arrested the driver of the car—who refuses to say a word in English. Angelo is at Paddington Green, and looks certain to be charged with abduction and possibly manslaughter. That will be some justice, I suppose. Temple has had another mild attack, in the place where his heart ought to be! But he’ll be transferred to the Brompton sometime today—where we can keep a proper eye on him.”

“But what about Fitzalan Walters?” Lucy pinched at the muscles in Alex’s shoulders, unthinking. “I honestly thought he was dead.”

Alex put his hand up to cover hers. “Walters is a little the worse for wear, but he was lucky the tool fused to the socket and threw him clear. It seems they did find an entry wound—through a tiny cut in his wrist. But his EKG and echo are reassuringly clear. When I spoke to Amel this morning about Temple, I mentioned Walters’s electric shock, and he’s adamant there’ll be some serious nerve damage down the line, but I’m not so sure. It seems you can’t kill the devil!” Alex tried to joke. “I think he’ll live to fight another day.”

“And be revenged upon the whole pack of us,” Lucy said with a shiver. She looked at Alex, concealing her emotions. He was still holding the silver key, and now she asked him, “Do you want to open it?”

Alex was affected by her analogy between Fitzalan Walters and Malvolio; it had an aura of truth. But he answered her with his usual soft smile and light humor. “The others want to be here. They’re catching some sleep and coming down later; but perhaps we’d rather not have a cast of thousands, if we’re going to unleash the Rapture from our Hampshire kitchen?”

“Is this how Pandora felt?”

She smiled, and they stood, Lucy freeing the small golden key from its place around her neck with just the suggestion of a tremble in her fingers. Alex carefully inspected the box once more; and a little solemnly, they inserted a silver key into a silver lock at one end of the box, and a golden key into the other, at the opposite end. Alex nodded, and they clicked in unison, the mechanism yielding at once.