Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno 4)

In the space of a few sentences, Cecilia had dropped the equivalent of a(n academic) hydrogen bomb. Although she wasn’t stating for certain that she would drop Julia as a student, she was threatening to. Losing a graduate supervisor in the middle of a program would have devastating consequences for any student, especially if there were no assurances she could find another supervisor.

Cecilia stood. “So, you should continue reading in preparation for your dissertation proposal. And I will send you the reading list for Don Wodehouse’s workshop.”

Julia bobbed her head and meekly thanked her supervisor before escaping into the hall.

She walked swiftly in the direction of the nearest ladies’ room and was able to make it into a stall without anyone seeing her tears.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Gabriel saw Julianne from a distance, walking across the Harvard campus.

He’d parked the car after dropping her off and had placed Clare in a baby carrier/over-the-shoulder contraption that had a fancy Swedish name.

He thought it made him look like a kangaroo. (Which was, perhaps, why he attracted so much female attention from passersby, many of whom stopped to say hello to the baby and to gaze somewhat dreamily at her attentive father.)

When Julia saw him, she sped up.

“Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand, greeted Clare, and then commenced dragging him along the footpath.

Gabriel planted his feet. “What’s the matter?”

“We’ll talk in the car.” She tried in vain to move him along.

“The car is over there.” He jerked his thumb in the opposite direction. “What’s the matter? What’s going on?”

“Please,” Julia begged, eyes filling with tears.

Gabriel could not refuse. He put his arm over her shoulder and directed her toward the car. “Tell me what happened.”

Julia looked around nervously. “Cecilia said no.”

Gabriel’s head swiveled in Julia’s direction. “What?”

“Cecilia said that if I want to work with her, I need to be here next fall.”

Again, Gabriel planted his feet. “She threatened you?”

Julia swiped under her eyes. “Not in so many words. She said she’d read the Edinburgh schedule, but that it would look bad for her to send her top student there, especially with Katherine coming into the department.”

Gabriel cast a murderous look at the building in which Cecilia’s office was located. His feet began moving. “I’ll speak to her.”

“No!” Julia tugged on his arm. “I don’t want to make a scene. Let’s talk in the car.”

“

I’ll call Greg Matthews. That will put an end to it.” Gabriel lifted his chin, his blue eyes sparking.

“If you do that, she’ll drop me.” Julia’s voice was just above a whisper.

Gabriel regarded her. Then he looked at the building.

He cursed. “They can’t do this. Students study abroad from that department all the time.”

“Yes, in Italy. Not Scotland.” Julia tugged on his arm and they continued walking.

“The issue is the coursework. If you can get the courses you need in Edinburgh, they should be able to transfer. You’d be below the maximum number of transfer credits, correct? You only need three courses.”

“Yes, but not even Graham Todd knows what courses will be offered next year. They haven’t set the schedule.”