Page 60 of The Society of Unknowable Objects
Magda reached over to clasp Will’s arm. “If we don’t come back, just hide it away somewhere and forget about it.”
“Why don’tyoujust hide it away?” Will pleaded. “Why make it my problem?”
“Because that would be a last resort. I don’t trust a hiding place,” Magda said simply. “I trust you, Will.”
Will said nothing. He obviously wanted to refuse but couldn’t find the words.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to be a member of the Society anymore,” Magda said. “I understand.” He looked at her from beneath his brows. “No, I really do. Look at Frank, in hospital. Look at my mum... she might have died because of this. You don’t need to come anymore.” She shrugged. “Who knows if there will even be a Society anymore. Things are clearly changing. Maybe it’s right for you to not be a part of it in future. Maybe we should just forget about the whole thing.
“Just not yet. Not while that man has the Impossible Box. Not while the magic is out there, in his hands.”
Will exhaled heavily, his whole body shuddering.
“Will you be safe?” he asked finally, his voice quiet. “If he’s so dangerous, will you be safe?”
Magda felt herself crumple a little inside at the question, at Will’s shy glance towards her. There she was trying to pressure him to do something he didn’t want to do, and he was only concerned for her safety.
“He’s just a man with a gun,” Henry said, from behind Magda, her voice full of bravado. “I’ve met lots of men with guns in my time. They’re cowards, the lot of them. We’ll be fine.”
“Stick it in a safe and forget about it,” Magda said again, squeezing Will’s arm. “Please. For me? For Frank? And then, when we’re back in a few days, we’ll take if off your hands and you’ll never have to see any of us again.”
“If you don’t want to,” Henrietta added. “But I really don’t know why you wouldn’t want to. We are very nice people, Will. And Mr. Wei...” Magda looked at Henry as she pointed towards James. “Have you ever met a more charming man? And so handsome too.” Henry grinned and when Magda looked back at Will she saw a touch of colour in his cheeks, like he was blushing.
“You do have a safe here?” Magda asked him, trying to push him along the road towards taking the book.
“Of course I do,” he said, a mixture of huff and pride. “I deal in expensive watches.” He took the book from her and flicked through it silently.
“Stick it in the safe and forget about it,” Magda said. “That’s all you have to do.”
“Where are you going?” he asked her. “Where is the dangerous man?”
“I thought you didn’t want to know,” Henry teased.
He glared at her, and so did Magda, but—as always—Henry seemed unfazed by anyone else’s opinion. Shaking her head, Magda reached into her trouser pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, the map that she had created with the book that morning. She had found it in the drawers by her bed when she had gone up to dress after breakfast, like something she had put away and forgotten about years earlier.
“What’s that?” Will asked.
“It’s the map I told you about,” she explained. “The map that shows us where the Impossible Box is.”
Will moved away quickly, then, shaking his head, like he didn’t want to be anywhere near the map.
“Where is he now?” James asked her, moving up behind Magda and peering over her shoulder.
Magda studied the paper for a moment, trying to ignore how close James was. “America,” she said. “He’s in New York, at JFK. He must have just arrived.”
“Well, I guess we’re going to New York, then,” Henrietta said.
Magda looked at Will again. He closed the book and laid it carefully on the counter in front of him, saying nothing. She could see him chewing things over in his mind, very subtle changes visible in the expression on his face. “I could put it in a deposit box at the bank,” he said finally, his voice quiet. “I am not sure I want it here on the premises.”
Magda glanced a question at Henrietta, and the other woman nodded once in approval.
“Yes,” Magda said. “You could do that. That might even be safer.”
More silence as Will continued to wrestle with his thoughts.
“Okay,” he said, with a sigh of resignation. “I’ll take it to the bank this lunchtime. I’ll keep it until you come back.”
Magda smiled as relief washed over her.
