“Yes, she did.”
“And when her supervisor, Professor Howard, raised the matter with her, she told him, and I apologize for my language, to fuck off?”
“And you’ve never resorted to such language, Sir James?”
“Not when addressing my tutor, and I doubt if your great-niece has resorted to such language in front of you, Dr. Barrington, or any other members of your family.”
“So you’ve never known a student to rebel against what you and I would consider acceptable behavior? After all, you have a son and two daughters of your own.” Sir James was silenced for a moment, which allowed Grace to continue. “I’ve had the privilege of teaching many talented young women over the years, but rarely have I encountered one as gifted as my great-niece.”
“Talent is not an excuse to flout college rules, while expecting everyone else to behave properly, as the principal clearly spelled out in his report on this unhappy state of affairs.”
“In that same report, Sir James, Professor Howard addressed the board on Jessica’s behalf, and if I recall his words correctly, he said that she possessed a rare talent that should be nurtured, not stamped out.”
“The board considered Professor Howard’s words most carefully before we came to our decision, and I’m afraid the attendant publicity left us with no choice but to—”
“The attendant publicity, Sir James, was not caused by Jessica, but my sister Emma, my brother-in-law Harry, and even my brother, Giles Barrington.”
“That is possibly the case, Dr. Barrington, but the privilege of being brought up in such a remarkable family gives one added responsibility.”
“So if Jessica had been the daughter of a single mother, whose father had deserted her, your whole attitude might have been different?”
Sir James rose angrily from his place. “I apologize, Dr. Barrington, but I can see no purpose in prolonging this discussion. The board has made its decision, and I do not have the authority to overturn it.”
“I’m loath to correct you, Sir James,” said Grace, not rising from her seat, “but I think you’ll find, if you check the statutes of the Slade carefully, that rule 73b allows you to do just that.”
“I don’t recall rule 73b,” said Sir James, sinking back into his chair, “but I have a feeling you’re about to enlighten me.”
“It is the president’s prerogative,” said Grace calmly, “to overrule a board decision if he believes that there were extenuating circumstances that had not
been taken into consideration at the time.”
“Such as?” said Sir James, barely able to disguise his irritation.
“Perhaps it’s time to remind you about another student, who didn’t have the same privileges as Jessica Clifton. A young man who, when he was an undergraduate at Cambridge, took his tutor’s motorbike without permission and in the middle of the night went on a joyride. When he was pulled over by the police for speeding, he claimed he had the owner’s permission.”
“That was just a harmless prank.”
“And when he appeared in front of the magistrate the following morning, he wasn’t charged, but was told to return the bike to its owner and apologize. And fortunately, because the young man was not the son of a government minister, the incident didn’t even manage a paragraph in The Cambridge Evening News.”
“That’s not altogether fair, Dr. Barrington.”
“And when he returned the bike to his tutor and apologized, the undergraduate was not sent down or even rusticated, because his tutor was a civilized fellow, and was well aware that the young man was only a few weeks away from his finals.”
“That’s below the belt, Dr. Barrington.”
“I cannot disagree,” said Grace. “But I think it worthy of mention that the young man in question graduated with a first-class honors degree, and later became chairman of BP, president of the Slade School of Art, and a knight of the realm.”
Sir James bowed his head.
“I apologize for resorting to such tactics, Sir James, and can only hope you will forgive me when Dame Jessica Clifton RA is appointed president of the Royal Academy.”
* * *
“Tell me, Grandpops,” said Jessica, “have you ever made a complete fool of yourself?”
“Do you mean this week, or last week?” asked Harry.
“I’m serious. I mean when you were young.”