‘As to the specifics of the window, one must bear in mind that it was created by an artisan with a very different set of cultural references. From a semiotic standpoint, deciphering the window is akin to peering through a dark lens. Complex theological tenets, historical fact and archaic linguistic structures are all jumbled together in that one seemingly innocuous drawing. It will take time to sort out the various strands.’ Seeing the frown on MacFarlane’s face, he hastily added, ‘However, we have reason to believe that the two geese in the basket are significant.’
‘What makes you think that?’
‘Because one of the geese represents Philippa herself, in the medieval guise of the good housewife. Unfortunately, we have yet to decipher the meaning of the second goose.’
‘When will you have it deciphered?’
‘Not until I have recovered.’ C?dmon stood his ground, knowing that if he didn’t, there was no hope. Then, gesturing to Edie, he said, ‘We both need food and rest.’
The caveat was more for Edie’s sake then his own. He could see by her strained expression that she was utterly exhausted. If an opportunity arose to escape, she would need to be sufficiently rested to turn that opportunity to advantage.
MacFarlane impatiently tapped his watch. ‘If the Ark of the Covenant is not in my hands in sixteen hours, I’ll kill the woman.’
Although the proceedings had so far proved civilized, C?dmon recalled the old proverb advising the unsuspecting diner to use a long spoon when supping with the devil.
‘I will do all in my power to find the Ark,’ he assured his adversary.
MacFarlane locked gazes with him, a barely contained malevolence lurking beneath his controlled expression. ‘Behave like a guest and you’ll continue to be treated as such. Am I making myself clear?’
‘As a bell.’
62
‘I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough chips for one day,’ C?dmon grumbled.
‘And guys with big guns and things that go bump in the night.’ Edie squinted, there being only a glimmer of light shining under the locked door. MacFarlane’s idea of food and rest was a cupboard and a couple of bags of soggy fried potatoes.
‘But on a bright note, we shall be lulled to sleep by the babbling brook that runs beneath the mill.’
Edie made no reply, a damp chill oozing up through the floorboards on account of that same babbling brook. Already she could feel the ache in her joints.
‘By the by, I’ve got your metal nail file hidden under the insole of my shoe.’
‘I can top that. I’ve got a thousand dollars stuffed inside my boot. After the attack in Oxford, I was worried someone might steal the Virgin bag.’ She abruptly changed gear. ‘There’s something I need to tell you: I have intimate knowledge of Stanford MacFarlane.’
‘Indeed?’
‘Not biblical knowledge,’ Edie quickly amended. ‘But I do know the heart of Stanford MacFarlane.’
‘And how is that?’ There was no mistaking the interest in his voice.
‘My maternal grandfather was something of a religious zealot. If not from the same bolt of cloth as MacFarlane, Pops was certainly cut from a similar one.’ She laughed caustically, the memory an unpleasant one. ‘My grandfather believed that freedom of religion extended only to other evangelical Christians.’
‘Being a young girl, I’m surprised that you weren’t, er…’
‘Indoctrinated? Having been raised by a mother who repeatedly told me she would clean up her act and who repeatedly failed made me a hard sell. Deep-seated trust issues, I suppose.’ She readjusted her legs, the dark space a tight fit for the two of them. ‘Having sat through all those Sunday sermons, I know that men like Pops and Stanford MacFarlane lie awake at night consumed with visions of a global theocracy.’
She paused a moment, recalling her conversation with MacFarlane. ‘Although I get the feeling that, unlike Pops, MacFarlane thinks of himself as some sort of Old Testament patriarch.’
‘One of those bastards who prays before the bloodletting, hmm?’
Edie shuddered. ‘He’s probably praying as we speak.’
Putting an arm round her shoulder, C?dmon pulled her close. ‘As long as there’s a chance of finding the Ark, you’re safe. MacFarlane knows that if he harms you in any way, I’ll refuse to comply with his demands.’
‘You don’t actually trust him to keep his word, do you?’
It being too dark in the closet for her to discern C?dmon’s features, she sensed rather than saw his sardonic smile.
‘In my experience, deciding how much to trust one’s enemy is a fine art.’
In the same way that she had sensed the smile, Edie intuited its disappearance.
‘It’s my fault you got dragged into this mess. I should never have agreed to —’
Edie put a hand over his mouth, hushing him. ‘Since meeting you at the National Gallery of Art, everything I’ve done, and I mean
‘Are you saying the punch-up in the alley was a blind? Bloody hell. From the outset MacFarlane has been one step ahead of me.’
Hearing the self-recrimination in his voice, she thought a change of subject in order. ‘We’ve got sixteen hours to figure out the meaning of those two geese in the basket. All we know is that one of them represents Philippa.’ She sighed, sixteen hours suddenly a very brief amount of time. ‘I wish we knew more about Philippa. Other than the fact that she married Galen and joined a nunnery, we’ve got precious few clues.’
‘The nunnery… The
C?dmon began to bang on the cupboard door with his fist.
‘What the hell’s goin’ on in there?’
‘Tell MacFarlane that I know where the Ark is hidden.’
63
‘And you’re absolutely certain that the two geese depicted in the stained-glass window will lead us to the Ark of the Covenant?’ MacFarlane gestured to the drawing on the tabletop.
Seated in front of a laptop computer, C?dmon stopped typing, taking a moment to glance at his adversary. He knew that for this man he served but one purpose. Once he had fulfilled that purpose, he would no longer be in a position to safeguard Edie.
Surreptitiously, he glanced at the locked cupboard door on the far side of the room.
Somehow he had to devise a suitable enticement, a bargaining chip, that he could use to gain Edie’s freedom. Until then he would reveal enough to whet MacFarlane’s voracious appetite but not so much that he lessened his worth. Stanford MacFarlane had to continue to believe that without him he would never find the Ark.
‘As I earlier mentioned, one of the geese symbolizes Philippa in her role as the good housewife to her husband Galen of Godmersham. After Galen’s death, Philippa joined a nunnery, where she lived out her remaining days. With that in mind, I believe that the second goose also represents Philippa, nuns often referred to as brides of Christ. So Philippa was the good housewife of Christ, as it were.’
MacFarlane took a moment to digest the crumb tossed to him. ‘What does Galen’s widow being a nun have to do with anything?’ he asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He’d already been led down a false path by one
