“Good gracious.” Katherine peered over at him. “Are you all right?”
Gabriel nodded, lifting his linen napkin from his knee and dabbing his face. When he had composed himself, he spoke, “That’s outrageous. Being with Julianne and Clare is my first priority. Do they believe I would just throw away this opportunity for nothing?”
“That is what they will hear. They will decide you aren’t serious, or they’ll dismiss you as a millennial, or whatnot.”
Gabriel nearly swallowed his tongue. “I’m not a millennial. I’m too old to be a millennial.”
Julia gave him a hard look, feeling remarkably conspicuous.
“Optics matter, and to deny that is foolish.” Katherine’s demeanor was implacable. She lifted her chin at Julia. “Not that there is anything wrong with being a millennial, provided one has intestinal fortitude and a good work ethic, as you do.”
Julia was hardly mollified.
Gabriel put his tea aside. “What do you suggest?”
“Harvard is the path of least resistance. Julia has the support of Cecilia and I will ensure she has the support of her chair, Greg Matthews.” Katherine’s eyes twinkled. “You have my support as well, Julia, since I will be joining your department next year.”
“I don’t understand.” Julia tried to look anything other than fearful.
“You need to take your coursework in the fall, and write your area exams in the winter. My recommendation is that we arrange for you to take your coursework at Edinburgh in the fall and write your area exams after the Sage Lectures in the winter.”
The Emersons exchanged a look.
“Would that work?” Julia sounded dubious.
“It’s worth a try.” Katherine drank her tea. “I know the Dante specialist at Edinburgh. He studied with Don Wodehouse. Coincidentally, he’ll be attending the workshop Don has organized at Magdalen in April.”
“What about Harvard?” Gabriel interjected. “There’s no guarantee Edinburgh will offer the courses Julia needs in the fall semester.”
“We need to look into it. And we’d need to make the case to Cecilia and Greg that this opportunity will be worth it. But here’s something you must remember.” At this, Katherine leaned forward and lowered her voice. “You cannot underestimate the vanity and ego of certain institutions. Harvard will no doubt make much of your appointment as Sage Lecturer, Gabriel. You’d be their most distinguished alumnus in the humanities in the past twenty years. It’s in their interest to support you and Julia.
“And, Julia, your involvement with Don Wodehouse’s workshop and the opportunity to study abroad at Edinburgh will certainly set you apart from other doctoral students. Harvard wants its students to enjoy an international reputation.” Katherine’s eyes gleamed. “I’m itching to walk into Greg Matthews’s office and take credit for the idea, but I won’t. You should speak to Cecilia first.”
“Edinburgh instructed me to keep the invitation secret,” Gabriel explained.
Katherine sipped her tea contemplatively. “I see the point. My advice is to accept Edinburgh’s invitation. Once you’re announced as Sage Lecturer, Harvard should fall into line.”
Julia looked over at her husband. “If we could work things out with my supervisor . . .” She wore a hopeful expression.
“Then we’ll all move to Edinburgh together.” He pressed his lips to Julia’s cheek.
“Now that’s settled, I have a gift for the baby.” Katherine retrieved a large gift bag she’d placed on the floor next to the couch. She handed the bag to Julia.
Julia was surprised by the weight of it. The bag was much heavier than it looked.
“Open it,” Katherine commanded.
“You’ve already given us so much,” Gabriel protested.
She waved a wrinkled hand. “Let me be the judge of that.”
“But we also came here to ask you something.” Julia prompted Gabriel with a nudge of her elbow.
Gabriel leaned forward. “Katherine, Julianne and I would like to ask you to be Clare’s godmother.”
“Yes,” Professor Picton responded without hesitation. So quickly, Julia barely had time to look from Gabriel to Katherine.
“You don’t want to think about it?” Gabriel regarded his elderly colleague with amusement.
“No. I should like nothing more, as long as we won’t be treading on anyone else’s toes.” Katherine gazed down at the baby and adjusted the blanket once again.
“Then we’re agreed. Thank you, Katherine.” Gabriel squeezed Julia’s shoulders.
“I’m the one who should be thankful—to be the godmother to a child born of two extraordinary people. I expect great things from you, Gabriel.
“And you, Julianne. Only twenty-six years old and already making a name for yourself. Don Wodehouse mentioned your paper as the motivation behind his workshop on Ulysses and Guido. You challenged his reading of the Guido case and he’s still pondering it.” She smiled. “Few people have ever successfully challenged him. He’s notoriously obstinate.”
Julia’s cheeks grew rosy. “Thank you.”
“It’s time to open the gift. Go on, now. I’m aging as we sit here.” Katherine nodded at Julia.
Carefully, Julia removed a brightly wrapped present from the bag. She unfastened the ribbons and slid her finger beneath the taped edges of the paper. Beneath it was a carved wooden box.
Julia placed the box on the coffee table. When she lifted the lid, she gasped.
Gabriel gave Katherine an incredulous look.
“Pick it up and look at it.” She chuckled merrily.
Gabriel gently lifted the worn leather cover of the object.
Reading the title page and the following incipit, he sat motionless. Amazed.
“As you can see, it’s a fifteenth-century manuscript of La Vita Nuova,” Katherine announced. “It also includes some of the minor poetic works. It’s a copy of one of Simone Serdini’s manuscripts.”
Gabriel leafed through it in wonder. “However did you get this?”
Katherine’s smile faded. “Old Hut.”
Julia watched as Katherine’s happiness was replaced by a look of regret. She’d loved Professor Hutton, her supervisor at Oxford, but he had been married. As Katherine had admitted once to Julia, he had been the love of her life.
Her expression brightened. “Old Hut found it in a bookstore in Oxford, years ago.”