Page 87 of Audacity

‘That was deliberate, you know,’ my little art scholar says, suddenly serious. ‘Making religious figures look easily relatable was common practice.’

‘Is that a fact? Well, they would have killed to paint you.’

‘What is it about Catholics and Our Lady, anyway? Why the obsession?’

Asking a Catholic priest to wax lyrical about the virtues of Our Lady is like holding up a steak to a grizzly bear. ‘How long have you got?’

She giggles. ‘Minutes, not hours. I have better things to do with my evening.’ She trails her fingertips down my neck and between my pecs. ‘But I’m genuinely interested.’

I adjust my head on my pillow and blow out a breath. ‘Well, she was an eternal virgin, so, you know, she’s a symbol of perfect purity. That’s always very appealing.’

‘Ha ha. You’re hilarious.’

‘I am, aren’t I? But seriously, let me see. First of all, she’s the personification of faith. Not everyone would have accepted God’s will to impregnate them immaculately. And she was a mother. I think a lot of the devotional focus on Our Lady stems from that. People find that comforting—she’s a maternal figure. She’s incredibly compassionate—her statues have been documented by the Church as having shed tears on numerous occasions. She understands the burden of human suffering and she’s seen as willing to advocate for her spiritual children.’

‘Advocate to God?’ she asks.

‘Yes. Well, Jesus. A lot of people feel safer going to Our Lady with their problems, believing that she has Our Lord’s ear and she’ll intercede with Him.’

‘Do you pray to Our Lady?’

‘I do. Every day.’

She frowns. ‘I think I’m jealous.’

‘I pray to you, too, every day. Don’t I? Every time I touch you, I’m praying to you.’

Her eyelids flutter gently closed, as if my confession brings her great contentment. ‘Show me how you pray to her. What are the prayers?’

I roll her gently onto her back and brace myself on my elbow so I can stare down at her. ‘Well,Ave Mariais the most famous prayer—the Hail Mary. That forms the basis of the rosary. But my favourite isSalve Regina.’

‘Hail, queen.’ She gazes up at me.

‘The English version isHail, holy queen.Mater misericordiæ—Mother of mercy.’

I stroke back her hair.‘Hail our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry,’—I bend to kiss her temple—‘poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sorrows, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.’

I climb fully on top of her, bracing on both elbows now.‘Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.’Dipping my head, I whisper against her jaw.‘O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.’

‘It’s beautiful.’ She stretches below me, cat-like. ‘So melodic, even in English. I can see how it would bring people comfort—it’s like they have someone in their corner.’

I appreciate her saying that, given her views on organised religion. ‘It is beautiful. And that’s exactly right. There’s more, but now I have some more pressing business to attend to.’

With that, I turn my head and find her mouth.

CHAPTER 45

Athena

When Gabe sat down with his family, he did it without me or anyone from Rath Mor. This is their money, and it’s their decision—an enormous one.

Two incredible things happened over the course of the weekend he spent up in Newmarket.

The first was that the Sullivan family, to a person, got behind his proposal of publicly committing to a figure to give away. It seems my audacious suggestion has struck a chord, that the astonishing wealth they’ve amassed weighs heavily on these people who’ve retained their values despise their success.

Apparently his dad, Ronan, commented that if they were at all worried about surviving on five hundred million each for the rest of their lives then that would make them, and I quote,serious fucking eejits.

I concur.

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