by W.J. May
Chapter 8
Dean Carter
Rae turned to follow the secretary into the dean’s office. She stopped short just inside the door. The bright room was round and completely brick, like the outside of the tower. Ancient-looking portraits hung on the walls, alongside fleur de lis emblems etched into the red stone. Curved bookcases lined half the room. They must have been custom built a couple of hundred years ago, maybe when the vines outside had started growing. While warm and humid outside, a cool draft circled the room, making it feel like the frigid breeze from her aunt’s window air conditioner back home.
A thin gentleman sat in a black leather chair, his long, spidery legs sticking out from under the large oak desk. His expensive grey suit made his dark hair appear black. He wasn’t what Rae would call handsome, but his features were striking. He had a straight jaw shaved perfectly clean, a straight nose and dark eyes, which seemed slightly larger than normal.
“Good morning, Ms. Kerrigan.” His crisp, business-like voice punctuated his sentence. “I assume you’ve settled into your dorm and met a number of our students?” He didn’t glance up from the paper he was signing until he’d finished. The secretary took the documents and headed out of the office, closing the door behind her.
“Yes, thank you, Dean Carter. I appreciate being given the opportunity to finish my high school education here.” She babbled nervously. She continued to look around the room, concentrating on the paintings, probably past deans and headmasters, and not one of them smiling. I bet he fits right in.
The dean harrumphed. “Your parents would’ve wanted you to attend Guilder, so we had to find a way to make this work. It would have been easier, of course, if you had been a boy, but Mother Nature had to have her way.”
Rae stood silent, greatly insulted, but not sure how to respond. Cranky old geezer.
He rested his elbows on the edge of the desk, interlacing his fingers. “Seems the board thinks the school needs to modernize, allow women in.” He harrumphed again. “There was nothing wrong with the system being an all boys’ school. You’d have thought, with all our resources, they’d have built a separate one for females.”
Excuse me? Ouch. Seemed the dean wasn’t too pleased with the new enrollment rules. Rae swallowed, holding back a snide comment about being old-fashioned and chauvinistic. Not a good way to impress the dean and change his mind about girls being allowed on campus. An inner sense told her she didn’t want this man to know how he made her feel. It’d be like giving him ammo or something.
“What do you think of my office, the Round Room?” Dean
Carter leaned back in his chair.
Rae bit her lip as she glanced around again, trying to think of something intelligent to say. “It’s interesting. Is there a reason it’s round or just easier for the builders, back in the day, to keep the inside circular to match the towers?”
“Round rooms were very important to the Catholic church, at least in Wolsey’s time.” He stared down at her. “Do you know who Wolsey was, Ms. Kerrigan?”
“Sure.” Maybe the man also thought females were dense, on top of not good enough for Guilder. “Thomas Wolsey was a Cardinal, and I think he became the Archbishop of York. He’s the guy who helped King Henry the VIII – well, until he couldn’t get King Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon.”
Score one for the GIRL, Rae inwardly cheered.
He snorted “It seems American schooling has taught you a bit of our British history.”
Surprised? Women not equal to men and now he considered
America less developed than England? What was this guy smoking? “Actually, my mother and my uncle always had a fascination with the monarchy, especially the Tudor history. I guess the interest got passed down to me.”
Dean Carter leaned forward at the mention of Rae’s mother. “What else did your mother, or your uncle, teach you?”
Common courtesy, politeness, respect…stuff his parents obviously forgot. She shrugged. “Not much. My uncle has the habit of only saying what needs to be said.”
Dean Carter looked like he wanted to push the topic more, but apparently changed his mind. “So, do you have an idea as to the reasoning for this Round Room?”
Rae glanced around and out the window. “I’m not sure, to be honest. Is the other tower an office as well?”
He ignored her question. “The room is round because Wolsey felt these were the safest rooms in the college. Not for architectural reasons but religious. In here, the devil, or his demons, can’t trap you in a corner.”
The last sentence hung in the air. Is that supposed to mean something to me? Rae shifted her weight. What a miserable guy, and he looked like he was only forty. What bug crawled up his ass? It was just a stupid old tower room, not some sacred religious sanctuary. He hadn’t even hung up a cross or crucifix. “Ms Kerrigan, is everything all right?” His concern didn’t sound sincere.
Oops. She must’ve been making some kind of face, probably a scowl. “Fine…sir. I think I’m just a bit jet lagged from my flight.” Rae knew it was a lame excuse, but she wasn’t about to tell him he made her, and probably the entire human race, feel uncomfortable.
“Be sure and rest up. Classes begin Monday. I’d hate for you to get behind even more since you already have quite a bit of catching up to do.” He looked at his watch and stood up. “I have a meeting with a trustee alumnus who likes to give a lot of support to this school.” He began walking toward the door. He turned just before reaching it. “You’re not inked yet, right?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Well, you will be by Christmas. That’s the reason I asked you to come by. There’s a festive dinner with the alumni before the holidays. I guess we’ll have to invite a few female students to it as well. Consider yourself on the list.”
Mortified at the thought of being the freak in a room full of tatùed adults, Rae tried to think of an excuse not to attend. Maybe she could go back to the U.S. a few days early and see her aunt and uncle.
“Relax. Don’t look so terrified.” He shook his head and muttered something that sounded like “women” under his breath. “We invite several of our students each year to attend the dinner. There’s food. You eat and talk to the trustees for an hour. Let them know their money is continuing to be well spent.” He buttoned up his jacket. “Please feel free to stop by any time if you have any questions. Have a good day.”
Like I’m ever going to come back here to see you. I’d rather eat dirt. He pointed with his hand toward the door. Rae noticed his sleeve slide slightly up. She caught a glimpse of his tatù – a hand with an eye inside. She guessed he had the ability to strike fear into the heart of everyone he met. Miserable old git.
“You, too…sir. Have a great day.” She strode to the door. It almost hit her behind on the way out. She quickly smiled at the secretary and headed straight for the stairs, determined to get outside. Rae walked the first few steps and then remembered the competition starting at Aumbry House. She ran down the rest of the way.
Once outside, she took deep breaths to clear her lungs and then continued jogging back to the dorm. She stopped by the little post office for a stamp and dropped the letter from her bag into the red post box inside. Hello Uncle, send answers, she thought as she jogged the rest of the way back to Aumbry House.
