Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno 4)

“She’s decided to explore the city.” Gabriel’s eyes twinkled. “I think she’s gone in search of a Highlander.”

“Godspeed, Rebecca.” Julia crossed her fingers to wish her luck.

Chapter Twenty-Two

That evening, Julia entered the luxurious Jacobite Room in Edinburgh Castle. Through the windows on the far side, she could see the sparkling lights of the exquisite city, blurred a little by the raindrops that clung to the panes of glass.

The room itself had a vaulted ceiling that was lined with wood. Wooden beams supported the structure, which put Julia in mind of the hull of a ship.

They’d finished a sumptuous, multicourse dinner with dignitaries from the university in the Queen Anne Room and had now retired to this more intimate setting for after-dinner drinks.

On their arrival at the castle, the Emersons had been welcomed by a piper, under flaming torches. The university hosts were incredibly hospitable and had even arranged for Julia and Gabriel to view the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Coronation Stone before dinner.

After dinner, Julia had excused herself to the ladies’ room and called Rebecca, in order to check on Clare. Relieved that all was well, she returned to the reception and saw her husband encircled by members of the university court and city officials.

His blue eyes caught hers and he smiled, a ray of sunshine just for her. She smoothed the skirt of her black velvet gown. They’d dressed to match one another. The Professor wore a tailored black suit and tie, his hair carefully combed, his dress shoes shiny. His gold pocket watch and fob threaded through the vest beneath his suit jacket. And he’d eschewed his beloved Scotch for coffee, in keeping with his commitment to sobriety.

He beckoned her with his eyes, unwilling to interrupt the well-dressed gentleman who was talking in his ear scarcely without drawing breath. But Julia felt uncomfortable breaking into the conversation. She inclined her head in the direction of the bar and made a beeline toward it, quietly ordering a cup of tea.

Gabriel gazed longingly at the tumblers of single malt ambrosia the other guests were drinking. He waited for a break in the conversation so he could join his wife at the bar. Surely he could find something better than coffee.

“Mrs. Emerson, I’m Graham Todd.” A middle-aged man, equally well dressed but in a navy suit, approached Julia from the side.

He held out his hand and she shook it. “Pleased to meet you. Call me Julia.”

Graham smiled kindly beneath his graying beard. He had reddish hair that was beginning to gray and strong eyebrows. His eyes were blue and rather keen. One got the impression by looking at him that he didn’t miss much.

“I understand you study Dante, as well.” Graham sipped Scotch from his crystal glass. He sounded English rather than Scottish, at least to Julia’s ears.

“Yes, I’m studying with Cecilia Marinelli at Harvard.”

“I recognized your name from Don Wodehouse’s invitation list. Will you be participating in the workshop in April?”

“I will.” Julia paused, unsure whether it would be presumptuous to ask Graham the same question.

“Don was my supervisor at Oxford. I’m the Dante specialist here at Edinburgh.”

“It’s good to meet you. Edinburgh is an incredible city, and Gabriel is really looking forward to being part of the university community.”

“Will you be joining him?”

Julia hesitated. “I would like that. I need to work out a few things with Harvard, because I’m supposed to be in coursework next fall. Of course, I couldn’t mention anything to them until after tomorrow, when the Sage Lecturer is announced.”

Graham nodded his head. “Of course. We’d be delighted to have you in our department. While we haven’t set our courses for next year as yet, I can certainly send the schedule to you as soon as it’s finalized. What will you write your dissertation on?”

“Thank you. I’m still putting together a proposal for Cecilia, but I had thought of exploring Guido da Montefeltro’s death scene in the Inferno, contrasting it with that of his son Bonconte in the Purgatorio.”

“What do you find interesting about Guido?”

“Well, I was fascinated by his account of his own death, and how he claimed St. Francis of Assisi came for him when he died but was defeated by a demon.”

“Ah,” said Graham. “Fairly straightforward, isn’t it?”

“Dante encounters Guido in the circle of the fraudulent. I’m not sure we can treat his testimony as truthful.”

Graham tugged at his beard. “A good point. But where’s the fraud?”

Julia leaned forward eagerly. “Dante tells us that Hell is structured according to the virtue of justice. So despite what Guido says, justice places him in the Inferno. If he is there justly, why should Francis appear?”