“A little while ago,” he replied. “I went straight to the rooms to drop my luggage and then brought Clare to find you. Don Wodehouse said he thought he saw you over here.”
“Paul, this is Clare.” Julia leaned over and kissed the baby on her head.
“Hello, Clare.” Paul reached out for the bunny. He wiggled it in her arms.
Clare pulled the bunny away from him. “Bababa,” she replied, as if she were scolding him.
“I won’t take your baba. I promise.” Paul straightened. “How old is she?”
“Just over seven months,” Julia replied. She spoke to the baby, asking how her morning was. The baby chattered in return.
“Katherine has invited us all to dinner at All Souls,” Gabriel announced. “We’re supposed to arrive at six thirty. Appropriate dress is required.”
The Professor resisted the urge to stare at Paul’s casual clothing of a button-down shirt and jeans. However, he adjusted the collar of his own pristine white shirt, possibly subconsciously.
“Great. Thank you.” Paul pointed in the direction of the library. “I need to look up a few things before tomorrow’s seminar. And then I guess I need to change. I’ll meet you at All Souls tonight.”
Gabriel nodded formally.
“Thanks, Paul.” Julia gave him an appreciative smile before he departed in the direction of the Magdalen library.
“And thank you.” She hugged her husband once again. “Thank you for being nice to him. He’s been supportive of me all week. I was so grateful he was here, especially since Cecilia has been giving me the cold shoulder.”
“Something has changed in Paul.” Gabriel gazed into the distance. “He relates to you differently.”
Julia shut her eyes and opened them. “I can’t imagine how you could tell suc
h a thing within a few seconds of seeing him.”
“Call it a husband’s instinct.” Gabriel focused on his wife. “What is happening with Cecilia?”
Julia scratched the back of her neck. “I went to see Cecilia a little while ago. I ran into Paul after I left her office.”
Gabriel pulled Julia’s hand away from her neck and held it. “What did she say?”
“She said what she said before—she won’t approve a semester abroad.”
Gabriel pressed his lips together. “And what did you say?”
“You’d be proud of me. I told her I was switching supervisors.”
“I am always proud of you.” Gabriel’s eyes met hers. “But are you sure you want to do that?”
“Absolutely.” Julia leaned closer. “She was spiteful. Spiteful and vindictive. I wasn’t even going to tell her who I was going to work with. I simply thanked her and tried to leave, but she pressed me for details. When I told her I was going to work with Katherine, she said she wouldn’t serve as a reader on my dissertation committee. And she said she wouldn’t write a letter for me for the job market.”
“That’s absurd!” Gabriel sputtered. “You’ve been working with her for over two years. She should give you a letter on those grounds alone.”
“She won’t.” Julia’s spine straightened and her eyes flashed. “That’s when I knew I was making the right choice, not just for you and me, but for my career. I don’t want to work with someone like that. I don’t want to have to walk on eggshells for fear she’ll drop me at any moment. Katherine would never do that.”
Gabriel tugged Julia into his arms, burying his face in his neck. “So you’re coming with me to Edinburgh?”
“Yes. I need to call Greg Matthews and explain the situation to him. I’ll update Katherine over dinner.”
Gabriel’s arms tensed around Julia’s back. “I’m furious with Cecilia. Are you sure you don’t want me to talk to her?”
“No, I handled it. Even if Cecilia hadn’t been spiteful, I wasn’t going to allow her to keep us apart. I just wanted to give her a chance to do the right thing.”
“Patience is one of your greatest faults.”