The ambulance crew had insisted on checking him over, and afterwards, he had slept for nearly twenty-four hours. He claimed to have no recollection of speaking to Tabitha but had rung her to mutter a tight-lipped apology. Ever since, he had remained out of sight at Molly’s cottage. Edith had discussed the outburst first with Gulliver, then Tabitha.
‘He doesn’t remember leaving the roof,’ said Edith. ‘Whatever he thought or meant at the time was clearly unimportant or he would be able to recall it and explain. He is desperately sad to have upset you, my dear.’
Tabitha was unsure whether she believed the Swannes. It felt as though they had closed ranks and were refusing to discuss the matter. Yet, Edith remained as warm and welcoming as ever, Molly checked in with her regularly and even Gulliver had begun sending the occasional message concerning her research.
Perhaps I’m being oversensitive,she thought.
‘Do you think you’ll stay until the end of your contract now Gulliver’s home for good?’ asked Tamar, bringing her from her reverie.
‘Edith owns Cerensthorpe Abbey and she’s the person who employed me,’ said Tabitha. ‘The decision remains with her. I’d like to stay, especially as we’re making progress with the weird treasure hunt her grandfather left behind.’
‘Tell me all about it,’ said Tamar, and as the sun set, the two sisters wandered inside to cook dinner, while Tabitha explained about the legendary missing original copy ofThe Canterbury Talesby Geoffrey Chaucer, the series of clues and the huntwhich had come to an abrupt end a week earlier during the storm.
‘If the remainder of the clues exist,’ said Tabitha as they chopped vegetables for the pasta sauce, ‘there’s a possibility the book does too. Can you imagine how much it would be worth? An original edition of Chaucer?’
‘A fortune,’ said Tamar, nibbling on a breadstick from a packet Tabitha had placed on the table. ‘Do you think Edith will want to continue with the search?’
‘Once she’s sure Gull is recovering, I suspect she will.’
‘What’s the next clue?’ asked Tamar. ‘Perhaps we can solve it for her.’
‘We could try,’ said Tabitha, stirring the pasta sauce before dropping the spaghetti in the boiling water.
Tabitha pulled her phone from her back pocket and scrolled through the images she had taken of the stained-glass window bearing the words of the next clue.
‘It’s a bit strange,’ she warned, but on Tamar’s insistent nod, she read aloud:
‘“To call what waits, both lost and found,
Let golden note through air resound.
Blow the whistle – two for joy,
And magpies stir with dark employ.
Blood shall stain the river’s thread,
As wings veil truths the past has bled.
Who comes at call is most to fear –
The danger lies when they draw near”.’
‘It’s strange and creepy,’ said Tamar. ‘Read it again.’
As they drained the pasta, added the sauce and served their dinner, the sisters analysed and discussed the meaning of the clue.
‘The first few lines must relate to the whistle from line three,’ said Tamar. ‘“Blow the whistle”…’
‘“Two for joy” is obviously a reference to the poem, “One for sorrow, Two for joy”,’ replied Tabitha.
‘How old is the poem though? Depending on when this was written, it might not be relevant.’
Tabitha looked it up on her phone.
‘It says the rhyme was first published by Samuel Johnson, but it doesn’t give a date,’ said Tabitha. ‘It does state the origins are far earlier and from British folklore.’
‘In the Piero della Francesca paintingThe Nativity, there’s one magpie watching over the scene. It’s thought to represent the sorrows to come for the Virgin Mary,’ said Tamar. ‘I wonder if the origins of the rhyme are from there?’
