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“Oh, don’t take it out on the cat. You have made it very clear that you believe I want to dismantle Dragons brick by ancient brick, so I’m not sure I am capable of disabusing you of the notion, Professor Threadneedle.”
“And why do you persist in calling me that? We had sex for Christ’s sake, surely you can call me by my first name!”
“That would be unprofessional of me, Professor.”
As Sam tried to find something to contradict the ironclad argument, a rustle in the bushes behind them made her turn around. George stood there looking sheepish, and for a second Sam thought she’d overheard their conversation in its entirety. But the ever-gregarious woman smiled broadly and gestured towards Magdalene.
“Been searching high and low for this one. Finally remembered about this place. You’re being urgently summoned to the office, Headmistress.”
At Magdalene’s questioning eyebrow, George grimaced.
“The trustees are having a conniption over the Houses proposal, and your ex-husband is here in person.”
“Ah, they made him abandon his undoubtedly important pursuits in Boston and return to the island to stay my hand from cutting off the dragons’ heads. Some of them really should have gone into acting, for all the drama and theatrics they stage.”
With that, Magdalene rose swiftly and carefully picked up Willoughby, setting him on the ground as she shook out the blanket. He yawned, growled in displeasure, and then simply fell in step with her as she marched back towards the school, but not before gentle hands placed the blanket over Sam’s shoulders with a murmured, “It’s rather chilly here tonight, stay warm.” So much for professional detachment, Sam thought.
* * *
She spent another hour on the cliffs, enjoying the peace and ruminating on the meaning of the blanket, while being thoroughly warmed by it and the scent that clung to it. When she judged that enough time had passed to make an appearance at the Headmistress’ office and inquire about the verdict, Sam got up and made her way to the school.
But it wasn’t Magdalene who answered her knock on the door. Timothy Nox stood in front of her, his face impassive but for a shadow of what looked like displeasure that quickly crossed it before he composed himself.
“Sam, was it?”
Well now, if that was how he wanted to play it. Magdalene calling her ‘Professor Threadneedle’ showed Sam respect and a certain nod to her position as a teacher at the Academy in spite of their history. Timothy’s use of her first name smacked of a not-so-subtle attempt at putting her in her place, a place occupied by the hired help.
“Mr. Nox.” Sam’s inflection on the title didn’t seem lost on Timothy who smirked and opened the door wider to allow Sam to pass.
“I guess there has to be something about you that makes her like you, and I don’t for a second believe it’s all those awards.”
So this was going to be that kind of conversation then. Sam braced herself for it but stood her ground.
“I’m here to inquire about the call Headmistress Nox had with the trustees earlier. I’m sure you know I have a vested interest in how the school is faring.”
“Only in how the school fares? Or its Headmistress as well? I can’t help but hear she’s spending a considerable amount of time with a mere teacher. Put you on the transition commission, despite your… shall we sayinexperience.”
“You mean my youth?” It felt somewhat good, if very petty, to throw that back into the older man’s face, since it was perhaps the only thing Sam had that Timothy could no longer claim. For in pretty much every other column, Timothy Nox had Sam beat. He was rich, handsome, he commanded a huge business empire, and by all accounts, he was accomplished in several musical and artistic pursuits. Sam could say none of the above and had exactly two thousand dollars to her name after all her student loans were paid. She also had no home or much artistic talent to speak of. She shrugged a shoulder and raised her chin a notch higher.
“Regardless of what might be going on, you would probably wish to know thatI’ve never known her to go for younger women, Sam. In fact, I’ve never known her pursuits of women to be of any consequence in the long term, if you get my meaning? And I’ve known her for twenty years. But there’s clearly something about you that attracts her, I suppose, despite your rudeness.”
Sam wanted to flinch at the implications of what Timothy might have guessed about her, and her first instinct was to deny, deny, deny. But a strong denial would only appear more suspicious. An outburst of ‘How dare you insinuate anything about me!’ would only attract more attention. And so Sam stoically did not bat an eye. Additionally, being called rude twice in the space of an hour did not sit well with Sam, but since she couldn’t deny that she had certainly been rude to Timothy, even if only by provoking him, she just stood, silently awaiting further developments in this surreal discussion.
But then, just as suddenly as it appeared, Timothy’s belligerence seemed to drain away, and he stepped aside, turning his back to Sam, clearly lost in thought.
“Do you know I asked her to marry me pretty much the very first day I met her?” Timothy turned back around, and his face showed so much wistfulness, that Sam’s heart squeezed in empathy, although she had no idea why she felt bad for him.
“It’s true. She was a teacher at my parents’ school. And she was a force of nature. I fell for her in a second. They talk about love at first sight in all sorts of sappy books and movies. Never believed in that crap myself. But one afternoon they forced me to attend some ridiculous recital or another at Rodante. To this day I couldn’t tell you what the hell they were playing. Next to me sat the most intriguing woman I’d ever seen. Haughty and distant, she was just so captivating, and indeed, I was caught. Deer in the headlights. At the reception later that evening, I told her one day I’d marry her. I didn’t even ask her if she was single or taken. Yes, I do understand how creepy and bratty that must’ve sounded. Didn’t matter to me because I was completely in love with her.”
Sam must have made some sort of noise, because Timothy winced as if he’d suddenly remembered he wasn’t alone in the room.
“You must be wondering why I’m telling you all this.”
Sam remained silent. Clearly, the man required no answers or in fact any participation from her at this point.
“Well, it took her years to tell me anything about herself. Anything of consequence, of true value to her. And here you are, three weeks in, and I noticed during our transition committee meetings, that you already know her coffee order. Moreover, she gladly accepts your java offerings without blinking an eye. She told me you know she went to The Three Dragons, about her less fortunate beginnings, the whole sordid story of her being expelled from this godforsaken place…”
The name of the Academy being said in quite that manner felt wrong and cutting to Sam’s ear. Just another little thing to underline who belonged at Dragons and who didn’t.
