Old Colonel Hanson left his sister the big house stuffed with valuable antiques - but half of his money went to a woman the family didn't know. Who is this mysterious outsider and why was she also bequeathed the mysterious Pandora's Box, which might contain one of the world's greatest treasures? Was it murder? Paul Gardiner, anxious to support his bereaved aunt, goes with her to the newly-inherited home in search of clues to the old man's death. Is the headless chicken evidence? Or the photo-shopped family picture? Or the newly-adopted cat that shuns contact? Why had the charming 'Spook-Lady' and surly 'Appraiser of Furnishings' been given posthumous appointments? And where is that Box hidden? This novel is a romance embedded in a mystery, full of unexpected twists. The plot quickly moves from Paul's sceptical curiosity to startling discoveries, violent interventions and astonishing answers. Love blossoms as the action unfolds, while in the background lies a masterful schemer and the uncanny influence of the mysterious Green Man. Like Present-Tense, but independent from it, this book introduces characters important to later novels in the Gathering Green series.