“Really?” Gabriel’s eyebrows lifted.
“It was a remarkable find. He had it authenticated by a private museum in Switzerland that owned other, similar manuscripts.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “Do you remember the name of the museum?”
“The Cassirer Foundation Museum. Near Geneva.”
A look passed between Gabriel and Julia.
Katherine continued. “The manuscript belonged to Galeazzo Malatesta. Galeazzo was married to Battista da Montefeltro. Her great-great-grandfather, Federico I, took over Urbino after Guido’s death.”
Julia reached for the manuscript but stopped short of touching it. “I can’t believe it.”
“Battista joined the Franciscan sisters after her husband died. She was a remarkable scholar in her own right and the grandmother of Costanza Varano, who was one of the most revered women in the midfifteenth century.” Katherine nodded at Julia. “Your interest in Guido and the Franciscans persuaded me that this manuscript belonged in your home. This is a gift for my goddaughter, but I don’t mind if her parents read it.”
Katherine laughed at her own joke and sat back, taking great pleasure in watching Julia and Gabriel fawn over the gift. “There’s some interesting marginalia and a few illuminations. You may find something relevant to your research, Julia.”
“Thank you.” Julia stood and hugged Katherine.
Gabriel repeated the gesture.
“Not bad for an old spinster.” Katherine’s voice was gruff. She tried to hide her sniffling by pushing the Emersons aside and pointing out some of the interesting features of the manuscript.
Julia and Gabriel pretended not to notice the sudden wetness on her cheeks.
Chapter Seventeen
The sound of a baby’s cries split the night.
Julia groaned and reached for her phone. It was amazing how Clare had adjusted to the feeding schedule. She was right on time, her cries of hunger anticipating Julia’s alarm by only a few minutes.
Julia switched the alarm off and closed her eyes, just for a moment.
Gabriel was asleep next to her, his face half-buried in a pillow, his arm slung over her abdomen. In fact, he was snoring—the obnoxious sound fortuitously muffled by the pillow.
He’d had a busy day. He’d responded to the University of Edinburgh, accepting the position of Sage Lecturer. They’d cautioned him to keep news of his appointment secret from everyone except his employer until the formal announcement and gala, which they wanted to schedule as soon as possible.
He and Julia had hosted a celebratory lunch with Richard, Rachel, and Katherine. Popping champagne and ginger ale, Gabriel lauded Julia’s invitation to the Oxford workshop, which she had accepted that afternoon, explaining to the family what a tremendous compliment it was.
Gabriel spent most of the afternoon in his home office, fielding phone calls and going through his files. He was supposed to announce the topic of his lectures, at least in very general terms, at the gala. The Professor, as usual, was not a person who would leave things to the last minute.
He’d tumbled into bed just after the late-night feeding. And now he snored. It appeared the Professor could sleep through Clare’s cries.
Julia could not. She swung her legs to the bare floor and winced.
Her right leg felt as if it were asleep. She flexed it, steeling herself for the pins and needles she was sure to experience as her circulation corrected itself. Instead, the pins and needles never came.
She leaned over, poking her bare leg with her thumb from knee to ankle. She could feel the pressure, but the feeling was dull. Her lower leg remained numb.
She moved her leg. She had full range of motion of leg, ankle, and foot. She could wiggle her toes. But the nagging, dull numbness persisted.
Clare’s cries had abated, but it was still time to feed her. Julia stood, putting most of her weight on her left leg, and limped over to the baby. She lifted Clare and kissed her, then moved uncertainly to the nursery, taking care to stay close to the wall in case she fell.
She did not wake Gabriel.
* * *
There was a part of the very, very early feedings Julia enjoyed. She liked the quietness of the house. She liked holding and bonding with her baby. But she found it difficult to stay awake.
Rachel had bought her a large, crescent-shaped pillow and for good reason. One day in the hospital Julia had almost dropped the baby while falling asleep during a feeding. Rachel had intervened at just the right moment. Ever since, when Julia felt especially fatigued, she situated the pillow around her waist and was sure to rest the baby securely atop it.
Clare rested comfortably against her mother, feeding, while Julia stared blankly at the breastfeeding app Gabriel had downloaded on her phone. The app charted feedings, helped her remember the side on which to begin, and so on.
Julia wondered what it would be like in a year’s time, when they were in Scotland. Clare would be weaned by then. And Julia would be taking classes.
Without a doubt Gabriel, as Sage Lecturer, would be deluged with meetings and invitations. Undergraduate and graduate students alike would clamor for his attention.
He was an attractive man with a lively, sharp intelligence. Many women found his personality sexy. And the Paulinas, Professor Pains, and Christa Petersons of the world had either seduced him or attempted a seduction.
It wasn’t that Julia didn’t trust her husband. She did. He’d been faithful to her since their relationship began in Toronto. But Julia didn’t trust the women around him. She didn’t trust the creeping separateness that came from living apart, which was why she didn’t want to stay in Boston if he was in Scotland. But the idea of him being separated from Clare for so long and at such an early age weighed on her the most.
Commuting couples were not uncommon in academia. The University of Toronto had had several. Indeed, in Julia’s department at Harvard there was a professor whose wife taught at the University of Barcelona and lived in Spain with their children. Still, a commuter marriage was not what Julia wanted; it was not what she wanted for Clare.
Julia knew the pain of being separated from Gabriel. When he’d been disciplined by the University of Toronto for violating the nonfraternization policy, he’d cut ties with her. She’d spent a long time mourning his absence, wondering if she’d ever see him again. Even now, the separation marked her. She didn’t want to go through something like that again.
Julia said a silent, spontaneous prayer of thanks for Katherine Picton’s wisdom and support. She’d become godmother to the entire family.
“Here.” Gabriel stood in front of her holding a tall glass of iced water.
Julia startled. “How long have you been standing there?”