Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno #4)(85)

Daddy loves you, Clare.

Be a good girl for Mommy.

I’ll see you soon.


XO



Gabriel pressed send. As he readied himself for bed, he thought about Julianne opening the email in a few hours. He thought about her showing the photograph to Clare, and Clare pointing to the picture and recognizing him.

He was Clare’s father, and perhaps that was Professor Emerson’s most important title of all.





Chapter Sixty-Three


The next couple of days were the longest of Julia’s life. Or so it seemed.

She enjoyed the workshop and felt she was gathering lots of ideas for her dissertation, but Cecilia remained cold and distant toward her, especially when in the presence of Katherine Picton.

Julia spent most of her time during the day with Paul and Graham, when she wasn’t running back to her rooms to feed Clare. Julia was grateful for Rebecca, who took Clare for walks and picnics and visits with her godmother, Katherine, who excused herself from a session or two in order to accompany the baby around Oxford.

On this day, Gabriel was due to return from London on the afternoon train. They’d kept in touch via emails and FaceTime, but he’d been busy during the day and evenings.

Gabriel described the other academics as something akin to what one might find in the British Museum. In fact, he hypothesized that a particular professor from University College London predated the Rosetta Stone.

And Cecilia had announced suddenly during the morning coffee break that she’d be returning to America the following morning, which meant that Julia could no longer wait. She had to ask Cecilia again for approval of a semester abroad at Edinburgh. So it was with great trepidation that Julia stood outside the door of Cecilia’s temporary office in the New Building at Magdalen College on Thursday afternoon.

Julia took a deep breath and knocked.

“Come in,” Cecilia called.

Julia opened the door. “Do you have a minute?”

“Certainly.” Cecilia gestured to a nearby chair and Julia sat. The office was small but cozy, with a window that looked out onto The Grove. Nearby, a herd of deer were quietly nibbling grass. One could see the college’s white buck standing proud among them.

Cecilia’s desk was covered with papers and books, and her laptop was open. She appeared to be in the middle of writing.

She waited politely for Julia to speak.

Julia rummaged in her messenger bag, which had been a gift from Rachel and Gabriel several years ago. She retrieved a piece of paper and handed it to Cecilia.

Cecilia gave her a questioning look. “What is this?”

“This is the list of graduate courses in Italian Studies that are being taught in the fall at Edinburgh.”

Cecilia’s expression grew frosty. She skimmed the list and returned it to Julia. “Graham Todd’s course in Dante is fine. But I don’t see how coursework in modern Italian cinema will contribute to your program.”

“There’s a course on the influence of the Bible on Renaissance literature,” Julia protested quietly. “There’s a course in medieval poetry.”

“The coursework offered at Harvard is more extensive, and more appropriate for your research. I’ll be teaching a comparative course on Virgil and Dante that you should take.” Cecilia’s demeanor was implacable.

Julia looked down at the list of courses and slowly stroked a finger across one of the titles. “You won’t approve a semester abroad for me?”

“No.”

Julia searched Cecilia’s expression, looking for any hint of equivocation. There was none. Resignedly, she placed the list back in her messenger bag and closed it.

“Thank you for your time.” Julia stood and approached the door. “I enjoyed working with you.”

“It will be all right.” Cecilia proffered a small smile. “Many academic couples commute. You and Gabriel will be fine commuting for a year.”

Julia looked at the doorknob, which was well within reach. She turned back to face her supervisor. “I’m not going to commute with my husband. Professor Todd’s course looks interesting and he has invited me to be a teaching assistant for one of his undergraduate classes.”

Cecilia removed her spectacles. She looked angry. “I’ve just told you I won’t approve the transfer of those courses. They won’t count toward your program, which means you won’t be able to take your general exams in the winter.”

“I understand. I’m going to call Professor Matthews and file paperwork to switch supervisors.”

Cecilia blinked, as if Julia’s response was unexpected. “Who will you work with?”

“Professor Picton. She looked at the Edinburgh coursework and agreed to supervise me. Her appointment at Harvard begins in August.”

“You went behind my back.” Cecilia’s tone was accusatory.

“Only as a last resort.”

“I won’t serve on your committee.” Cecilia switched to Italian. “You’re short-changing yourself by forgoing the courses we are offering in the fall for the paltry offerings at Edinburgh. I won’t read your dissertation, and I won’t write a letter of recommendation for you when you try to get a job.”

Julia recoiled. In the air, Cecilia’s words were just sounds strung together. In Julia’s world, they were arrows designed first to threaten and then to harm. Prospective employers would notice Cecilia’s nonappearance on Julia’s dissertation committee. They would notice the absence of her letter of recommendation in Julia’s dossier. Beyond prospective employers, scholarship committees and grant-awarding agencies would also notice Professor Marinelli’s lack of endorsement.