“There’s no need to be anxious,” Alexander said after she’d made another circuit of the room. “This is fine.”
“But what is ‘fine’？ What does that mean?” She went and stood next to him, leaning over his shoulder and pointing. “Like this—you’ve put a mark. What does that mean?”
“It means I have a question about what you wrote,” he said, a smile in his voice.
“About what?”
“You wrote ‘pigmen’ rather than ‘pigment.’”
Saffron scowled at him. “Fine, a typing mistake. I can fix that. I can’t fix it if the whole thing is wrong. What do I need to change?”
“Apart from the typing, which I’m sure is because you felt rushed, and a few changes in wording, this should be fine,” Alexander said, still examining the file.
“This is the most important thing I’ve done yet in my career. Could you maybe find more to say apart from that it’s fine?” Despite herself, she could hear the edge of panic in her voice. She sat down heavily in the chair opposite him, clutching her hands together.
Alexander took pity on her and gave her half an hour of slight wording adjustments and encouragement, both of which she needed. The moment he was done, Saffron rushed to the library to see if there were any other species she wanted to include in her experimental design. She had begun to worry that she wasn’t giving Alexander enough options, since he would be the one collecting the specimens.
Finally, at five o’clock, Alexander poked his head into Dr. Maxwell’s office. “How does it look? Do you feel prepared?”
Behind him, scads of high-spirited students were clearing out for the evening. They only served as a reminder that she’d soon be alone in a quiet building with Dr. Berking.
“Yes, I think it looks all right,” Saffron replied, trying to sound confident. Her hand shook slightly as she passed him her final copy.
“This is very well done, Saffron,” he murmured, thumbing through each page.
She grimaced. “I really don’t know if it’ll make a difference. Dr. Berking will be looking to see if I’m charming—that’s all he cares about.”
“I can come with you, you know.” His dark eyes looked at her steadily over the pages.
She tried to smile at his offer but found her lips weren’t quite willing. “Thank you, but no. This is something I have to do myself. Even if he rejects the proposal, I’ll know I did my best work.”
* * *
Although he told himself that he really should make better use of his time, Alexander couldn’t settle himself in his office once he’d left Saffron. He didn’t like that she was meeting with Dr. Berking. But he knew he had no right to tell her not to go, so he hadn’t done so.
Resolving to go back to the North Wing when her meeting began at six o’clock and wait until she was finished, Alexander walked slowly across the Quad, intending to go to the library to attempt some further research. The sun had dipped below the dome of the Wilkins Building, casting long, cool shadows over the emptying Quad. Just as he was about to mount the stairs, he caught sight of the kind receptionist from the administrative offices. She was wearing a large brown hat and matching coat, fumbling with keys to the office doors.
Thinking of Adams’s comments the previous evening, he approached her. “Good evening.”
She turned around with her usual pinched expression, which lit into a smile when she registered him.
“Oh, hello, dear.” She shoved the key forcefully into the lock and turned it. “I do hope you don’t need to get in, I’ve already stayed far later than I intended today.”
“Not at all,” Alexander said. “I wondered if I could ask you something. The other day you mentioned you’d let someone into Mr. Blake’s office.”
She frowned, her lips puckering. “Did I? Oh dear.”
“Yes, you did. I was wondering who that was. It wasn’t Mrs. Henry, was it?”
The receptionist looked thoughtful. “It was, actually. She’d been to Mr. Blake’s office a few times to discuss funding for the Amazonian expedition on behalf of her husband, since he was working with patrons of the university himself. She had left her handbag inside.”
Alexander nodded slowly, taking in that new information. Mrs. Henry often meeting with Blake would not be surprising if they were lovers, but her returning to his office when he wasn’t there was suspicious.
Realizing he was frowning at the now confused receptionist, Alexander said, “I see. Did they work together long, Mr. Blake and Mrs. Henry?”