‘Wow!’ Marie-Claire enthused, walking into the chapel. ‘Where do you begin to start exploring?’

The sun’s rays slanted in through the magnificent stained-glass windows, throwing beams of light along the nave, where the visitors exclaimed at each new discovery.

‘Look, Auntie Brigid, the Apprentice Pillar with the strands of DNA I was telling you about! You know the double helix? This was carved in the fifteenth century, and guess what? Dolly the cloned sheep was cloned at the Rosslyn Institute down the road. Now don’t tell me that’s a coincidence!’ Keelin’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, enthralled.

‘Good heavens, it’s amazing!’ Brigid felt a strange sense of excitement stir in her.

‘There’s the Devil’s Chord, the seven semitones the Church banned from being played, that I was telling you about. Remember the frequencies, hidden in plain sight.’ Keelin pointed to a set of decorated cubes in the magnificent arched ceiling. They all gazed upwards and Marie-Claire felt a jolt. This is why I’m here! she thought in amazement, remembering the message on her Magdalene card.

‘You could spend a lifetime here, and never get to the bottom of it. There’s so much to discover. Let’s join the group over there and hear what the guide has to say,’ Keelin suggested, delighted that the others were becoming as keen to explore the mysteries of the magnificent medieval church that she loved.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

‘I’ll drive to Fionnphort, seeing as you drove all the way from Edinburgh,’ Keelin offered, as Marie-Claire stood yawning on the deck of the ferry that was to take them across to Craignure on Mull.

‘I don’t mind driving; it’s a terrific car to drive. So comfortable.’

‘It’s extremely comfortable to sit in as a passenger,’ Imelda interjected, leaning on the rail, enjoying the sound of the ship’s horn wailing above her head as the ropes were cast off and the ferry began to glide across the molten waters of the Sound. The breeze had dropped and the sea was flat calm, much to her great relief. ‘The next time I’m changing my car, I might go for the Peugeot,’ she added. ‘Could I have a little spin in her, somewhere quiet, to see what she drives like. I’ve never driven an automatic?’ she asked Marie-Claire.

‘Of course you can – and you too, Mère, if you like. It’s so easy once you get used to it,’ Marie-Claire said agreeably.