A Column of Fire

A significant motif throughout the novel is the characters’ participation in various acts of deception. Against the backdrop of the Catholic-Protestant divide, the covert acts of the characters embody the balance between loyalty to a cause and the compromises that such causes demand. For example, Ned Willard is a spy for Queen Elizabeth I, and his actions embody the paradoxical nature of Idealism and the Realities of Politics, for he repeatedly demonstrates that noble intentions can drive individuals to adopt deceptive measures for the greater good. Likewise, Sylvie Palot’s commitment to spreading Protestantism forces her to operate within the shadows. She sells illegal Bibles to the Protestants of Paris and establishes her own spies to keep track of Pierre. In yet another example, Rollo Fitzgerald operates under the alias of Jean Langlais in order to engage in schemes that challenge the established order. Ironically, his self-described holy cause of dismantling the Protestant presence in England clashes with the deceptive methods required to achieve his goals. He smuggles priests back into England, betrays his country by aiding the Spanish during their invasion, and ultimately becomes the main orchestrator of the plot to assassinate the royal family during the Gunpowder Plot. Finally, Pierre begins the story as a confidence man who uses his skills to spy on France’s Protestants for the Guise family. His arc is filled with manipulation and the orchestration of mass tragedies to advance his position. Even Margery is not exempt from deceptive tactics, for her network in England serves as a way to get Catholic priests into the country, and she helps to conceal a priest in her own home for years. Deception is therefore a unifying point between characters on both sides of the religious divide, as they all employ covert methods to further their respective causes.