The Merchant of Vengeance (Shakespeare & Smythe 4)

"It could mean that you are one who has the strength to soothe the grief of others…"

"As with my friend!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Or else that there are strong influences aligned against you." Granny Meg continued.

Elizabeth bit her lower lip. "But which one is it?" she asked. "It could be either one .. or even both," said Granny Meg.

"Let us see what else the cards may have in store."

As she drew the third card, she said, "This shows what may arise from the current situation in which you find yourself… or else that which you hope may come to pass." She placed it down upon the table in a position above the first two. "The Chariot," she said. "Interesting. All very strong cards, having to do with destiny and movement."

"'What does it mean?"

"The Chariot indicates a moving forward, a sense of purpose, or a triumph over problems or adversity."

"Well… this is encouraging, at least," Elizabeth replied. "Is it not?"

"We shall see," Granny Meg replied. She drew the fourth card and placed it below the first two. Elizabeth gasped at the image it depicted, a tall stone tower struck. by lightning in a storm, with two people plunging from the heights.

"The Tower," Granny Meg said. "This shows the past, that from which the current situation has arisen. It speaks of sudden change or transformation, of destruction, or of disgrace or loss."

Elizabeth nodded, wide-eyed. "Destruction. Aye, murder is surely the destruction of a life. And when her father discovered that the man she was betrothed to was a Jew, he must have felt disgraced. And loss, which is what she feels now. 'Tis all there, Granny Meg!"

"Let us see what influences the events that are unfolding now," Granny Meg replied as she drew another card and placed it down upon the table to the right of all the others, and even with the first two. "The Five of Pentacles," she said, gazing at the card, which depicted crippled beggars in the snow. "The card of misery. It signifies loss and destitution, loneliness, impoverishment…" She shook her head and drew another card.

She stared at it for a moment, then placed it in the sixth position, to the left of the first two cards, thus completing the cross.

"This signifies what is soon to come," she said. The card showed a dark-cloaked figure in an attitude of woe, standing over five cups, several of which had spilled out upon the ground. "The Five of Cups. The card of sorrow and despair. There will be loss and bitterness, illusions shattered, bonds broken…"

"What sort of bonds?" Elizabeth asked with concern.

Granny Meg shook her head. "I cannot say for certain. It could be the bonds of love or of friendship, perhaps, or else of family or marriage. It could be any of them, or it could even be more than one."

"The sorrow and despair…" Elizabeth said with a nervous swallow. "Whose sorrow, Granny Meg? Shall it be mine?"

Granny Meg looked up at her briefly. "Perhaps. Once more, I cannot say for certain. It may mean yours, or not only yours. But sorrow there shall be. Much sorrow."

She drew the next card. This one she placed to the right of all the others, closest to the lower part of the cross formed by the other cards. This card showed the image of a shining woman dressed in bright robes and holding what appeared to be a tall staff.

"The Queen of Wands," said Granny Meg. "This card signifies yourself, a woman with a passionate nature and great vitality, one who has fondness for others, and who possesses a nature that is generous and practical."

She

drew the eighth card and placed it directly above the previous one. This one showed a man holding a scale and distributing coins to hands held out in supplication.

"The Six of Pentacles," said Granny Meg. "This card represents the effect of your feelings upon what is unfolding. It signifies gratification, the return of a favour, perhaps, or else the desire to help another."

Elizabeth nodded. "Indeed, I do so wish to help her, if I can," she said. "I am just not certain how."

"The ninth card…" said Granny Meg, drawing it and placing it directly in line above the eighth. Elizabeth saw the image of a juggler or perhaps an acrobat, attempting to balance upon a tightrope. "The Two of Pentacles," said Granny Meg. "This card signifies your hopes and fears. You seek balance; you wish for harmony amidst change and conflict. Perhaps you seek to juggle a number of things all at the same time, thus making your balance more precarious. You hope to find a harmony and balance, but fear that you may not achieve or maintain it."

She drew the final card.

"Justice," she said, as she laid the tenth card down directly above the ninth. The card depicted a robed woman with a laurel wreath, holding a sword in one hand and the scales of justice in the other. "This card represents the final outcome," Granny Meg said.

Elizabeth exhaled, suddenly aware that she had been holding her breath. "Justice," she repeated. "That is encouraging, surely. But justice for whom? For Thomas, the young man who was slain? Or for my friend?"

Granny Meg merely shrugged. "The cards do not say. They speak merely of the resolution. The card of Justice signifies fairness and equality, balance restored, and rightness achieved. What may seem like justice to some may seem unjust to others. But however it may seem, in the end, justice will be served."