Jude returned his gaze to the stranger. ‘I don’t know. Elden seems to trust him.’
‘I’d like to go to the service,’ she whispered, something close to guilt on her face. ‘I just—’ she hesitated, worrying her lip. ‘I miss the community, I suppose. The togetherness of a service.’
Jude nodded. Whereas he wanted nothing to do withanythingresembling organized religion, he saw how Maeve gravitated towards it. The saints’ loss left a hole in her life, and she wasn’t ready to have her prayers sent up to no one.
‘If you want to go more, in the future – I’ll go with you,’ he said.
Maeve looked up at him with eyes overbright and glassy.
The four of them entered the church. Despite the unfamiliarity of the high-ceilinged room with its rows of mahogany pews and white-plastered walls, a prickle started at the back of Jude’s neck. The subtle scent of incense tickled his nose with every breath.
‘Shall I show you around?’ Mr Peters asked, sweeping his hand across the space.
Jude frowned. ‘No, we need to—’
‘Wonderful,’ Mr Peters cut in. He made for the stairs. ‘I’ll show you the organ. It’s truly magnificent.’
Jude tried to catch Elden’s eye, to signal to him that they needed to get the fire supplies and leave, but he was already halfway up the stairs. Stifling a sigh, he reluctantly followed.
An admittedly stunning section of stained glass bordered the staircase, letting in a wash of diffused light across the steps, blues and greens and reds. Jude stopped. His gaze swept from the leaves and flowers curling around the border towards the middle, lingering there.
A man was depicted with his hands posed in front of him, one raised, the other hovering at his chest. The two fingers curled inwards.A saint.The corona around his head was as vibrant and yellow as an egg yolk.
And something about his face—
‘Maeve?’ he whispered. ‘Does he look familiar to you?’
She didn’t reply. Jude turned to look at her. Though her eyes were fixed on the stained glass, an odd vacancy lurked in her expression. A blankness he recognized. ‘Maeve,’ he repeated, a little louder this time. He took hold of her shoulder and gently shook. ‘Maeve.Look at me.’
She inhaled sharply. Her eyes met his. ‘Hm?’
Mr Peters’ voice broke the fraught silence. ‘Are you both following? The organ’s just up here.’
‘Coming,’ Maeve called. Before Jude could say anything else, she brushed past him, heading up the stairs.
He looked once more at the stained glass. Trepidation churned in his stomach.
This constant paranoia was eating him alive. Seeing faces where none watched, sensing danger around every corner. If he couldn’t even see a panel of stained glass without getting theurge to run, what did that mean for the remainder of his life? Would he forever be waiting for the worst possible outcome?
With a firm word to himself to try to be fuckingnormal, Jude ascended the stairs to join the group on a narrow balcony looking out over the empty pews. Mr Peters held a door open to a small, dimly lit space in the centre of the overlook. ‘And here’s where the organist sits. One of the finest instruments in the country. We’re very fortunate to have it here in our modest congregation.’
The metallic glint of organ pipes shone in the hazed light: silver, then faintly gold. Jude stepped closer, gazing at the instrument.
‘You can look if you’d like,’ Mr Peters said, catching his interest.
Jude moved into the stall, Maeve at his back. ‘Couldn’t wait your turn?’ he murmured, turning to put his back to the shining pipes. There was something far more interesting before him.
She reached around him to touch one of the ivory keys. A single, reverberating note echoed through the space. She closed her eyes, a smile on her lips. ‘We used to have a piano,’ she said. ‘My sister and I would play together. Una was far better than I was.’
‘You remember?’ Jude asked.
She shrugged. ‘Somewhat. Not as much as… before. But I do remember playing. How the keys felt under my fingers. Una’s shoulder against mine. But that’s it.’ She lightly dragged her fingers across the keys, too soft to urge any melody.
‘Maybe you’ll play with her again someday,’ Jude said. She was so close he could see how her smile rose higher on one side than the other. The heat of her body pressed into his chest. He shifted closer.
Bam!
Maeve jumped, the side of her head hitting his jaw. Jude winced, rubbing it as he tried to turn towards the now-closed door, shuffling Maeve closer with the movement. The sound oftrailing voices broke through the stillness as Mr Peters continued telling Elden about the merits of mahogany over oak for choir stalls. Their footsteps down the stairs rattled the organ room.
