‘Robin shivered as the family edged towards the doors of St Mary the Virgin, past the remnant of a ninth-century round-shafted cross that had a curiously pagan appearance, and then, at last, she saw Matthew, standing in the porch with his father and sister, pale and heart-stoppingly handsome in his black suit.’
Galbraith, Robert. The Silkworm: Cormoran Strike Book 2 (p. 283).
St Mary the Virgin, where the funeral of Matthew’s mother is held, sits on an ancient site just off the market place in Masham, North Yorkshire. The town where both Robin and Matthew grew up, is a small market town of elegant Georgian houses in butter coloured stone, and is famous for having two breweries in spite of its small size. It is now a popular base for those wanting to explore the Yorkshire Dales. The market still holds a sheep fair each year, when the cars are cleared out of the large square and replaced with pens. Other market days feature a mix of traders.
Robin has attended services at St Mary’s all her life, and plans to marry there, so the interior of the church is very familiar. High above her over the chancel arch is a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds (or the school of Joshua Reynolds) of a boy-angel contemplating the distant vision of a cross. Wondering who really painted it Robin feels guilty that she is indulging her perennial curiosity instead of feeling sad about Mrs Cunliffe. Standing for the hymn, she feels the statue of Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, is staring at her in his Jacobean dress, life-sized and horizontal on his marble shelf, propped up on his elbow to face the congregation.
