Chapter 40
“Come in, come in.” Pen heard the voice clearly through the door. She had found her way to a corner of the Academy she hadn’t previously been in. It was in a row of offices on the ground floor at the opposite end of the courtyard from the Junior Common Room, past the library.
She opened the door to find what looked at first glance like every other academic’s office.
Two rows of books stretched down either wall, with a desk under the one window.
But the room was dimly lit other than the window.
The books on the left wall were much thicker than usual, more like binders.
There were three chairs set out, though one of them didn’t quite match the others.
Giles was in one of them, with the dog she’d seen before at his feet. She was peering at the new person.
Cammie was standing by the other set of shelves, pulling a volume off one of them and adding it to a pile in her arms. “Have a seat there, Pen. Do you want more light? I rarely bother unless I’m reading something out. When do you need to be done by?”
Pen shook her head. “I’d want more for reading, but this is fine, thank you.
” It meant she had a moment to focus on sitting down, then folded her hands, then wasn’t sure what to do with them.
Then she realised she hadn’t answered the second question.
“Five o’clock lecture, Professor Titchmarsh’s advanced mathematics. ”
Cammie came back, setting a stack of four books on the table by the door.
“Take those with you when you go, please, or come back for them when you can carry them. I’ll key you into the wards today.
” She then added something else, a small metal plate with gaps in it, accompanied by something that looked like an awl.
“Also, do you need coffee or something? A five o’clock lecture on advanced maths on a Friday seems like a poor decision on someone’s part. ”
“Erm?” It was not a remotely intelligent question, and Pen winced at that. “The things to take with me, I mean?” Then she added hesitantly, “It’s when the lecture is, and it's better than first thing in the morning?”
Giles spoke, his voice crisply amused at something.
“Some reading for you when you’re done with the term.
One of them is a set of instructions on braille.
It’d be a help— this is the repayment for your apprenticeship— for you to be able to take on some of that.
Cammie’s quite quick at it, and my valet as well, so most of it won’t be on you to do.
As for Titchmarsh, I’m glad you’re going to those.
I’ll be interested in talking about it with you at some point. ”
Pen made a mental reminder to write up summaries from her notes for easy reference. She was obviously going to need them. “But being able to do some, sir.” Pen nodded, realised it wasn’t a helpful gesture, then coughed. “Should I learn to read it, as well?”
“You’re welcome to, and if you’d like, I’m glad to teach you that part.
But that’s not necessary. Just enough to figure out which thing to hand me.
Though we do label things in ink, too. Sometimes there’s mail from someone, something like that.
” Giles gestured. “The slate and stylus are a start, but when there’s time we’ll introduce you to the braille writers.
None of them are entirely what they ought to be, mechanically.
Rather like a range of typewriters. They all have quirks and paper jams, or what have you. ”
Pen opened her mouth, hesitated, closed it, and then offered, “My father’s an engineer, sir. He’s always rather enjoyed looking at that sort of device when he gets time? Perhaps he’d have an idea about some of it.”
“Glad to have him round, then,” Giles said. “I assume you’ve explained the circumstances to your parents, in some form?”
“That you’re taking me on next year, for an apprenticeship. I made a copy of the agreement for them. I’ve got the signed copy with me.” That had been a tricky discussion to do by journal, but it had also meant her parents couldn’t argue as much as they would have in person.
Mum had been baffled. Dad had wanted to make sure things were fair.
But when it came down to it, Giles was not asking for a fee.
The exchange was simply for a reasonable amount of her time as an assistant, allowing for her exams and other obligations at Oxford.
“Mum asked about what it meant for the long vac. And once I finished my degree.”
“A lot of reading and a fair bit of conversation for the long vac. Though of course if you want to go on any reading parties, we can make time for that. Those connections are important, too.” Giles said it promptly, then added, “May I ask about your plans?”
The problem was that there were two rapidly diverging sets of plans in Pen’s head.
They were the kind that would make interesting equations if she worked around to doing them.
One had to do with the things she wanted to learn, the puzzles she wanted to solve.
The other had to do with the puzzle that was Edmund.
She let out a huff of breath, then tried to put it into words.
Cammie settled down in the other chair rather than prowling around the other set of shelves with no apparent goal.
Pen swallowed. “Well, I. Maths, obviously. Cryptography. But I don’t know how you want to start with that. Or what it’d mean after apprenticeship. And then there’s.” She stopped, tried again, refusing to sound as scattered as she felt. “Edmund. He’s— um.”
Giles said amiably. “I gather he’d been extending himself in several directions.
He comes round for tea most weeks during term, and he did yesterday.
He didn’t tell me anything about you specifically.
Beyond earnestly wanting to make sure nothing he had in mind would interfere with my plans for your learning and collaboration. ”
Pen had even less idea what to do with that sentence.
She considered her options. Fleeing through the door was not actually one of them.
Cammie was leaning forward now, elbows on her knees, and that both helped and didn’t.
Pen took a breath, let it out, and did her best to attack the most relevant part head-on. “Earnest, sir?”
“Exceedingly earnest. Charmingly so, actually. Would you be willing to expand on what he’s being earnest about, or would you rather not?
Talking about your personal life is not a condition of your apprenticeship, though I am glad to do so.
I tend to think it makes for better learning.
Cammie has no objections, nor have my other past apprentices.
” Giles waved a hand, agreeably. Cammie grinned broadly, obviously unbothered, though she said nothing.
Pen nodded, then realised she had to find words. That was going to be a condition of apprenticeship, and it was probably good for her in the long-term. “Edmund asked if he might court me properly. While pointing out there’s no need to rush anything, given he’s got two years left as a student.”
“That is basic arithmetic, yes.” Giles tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “Does he have an answer from you yet, and are there any matters I might help with in terms of information? I have known his father in particular for a long time.”
“I said yes. I’m not entirely sure why, except that—” Pen heard her voice trail off. “I gather his mother is brilliant?”
“Oh, both his parents are. They also both go to some lengths not to be obvious about it. Edmund didn’t have that chance.
People would have noticed if he hadn’t read Greats, given his war.
Or maths, but I’m sure you’ve noticed that he makes a good effort, but it’s not where his head is.
” That was affectionate, the sort of amused tolerance of someone who would never know the joys of working out a maths problem or solving a cypher.
Cammie cut in. “His parents tend toward the more formal, especially with people they don’t know well.
Layers, as well as masks. But I wouldn’t want you to read that as a lack of fondness or deep affection.
With people they’re close to, they’re welcoming and warm.
” Cammie considered, then asked, “Is that a thing that worries you?”
Pen cleared her throat. “More than a bit.”
“Well, my advice is to meet them sooner than later. What we don’t know is always much larger in the mind, somehow.
Now, you’ve spent some time with Benton, haven’t you?
More than a minute or two, I mean.” Pen nodded.
Cammie went on with barely a pause. “That was a nod, Giles. Benton will have given them a thorough report about you. If Edmund’s asked about courting you, he’s fairly certain there will be no objection from his parents.
Not that they’d permit or deny, exactly, but he’s aware of the commitments he’s made to the land magic.
Though his father’s still in quite good health for his age. ”
Giles snorted. “He’s not that much older than I am, thank you.
Well, eight years.” He considered, then added, “I met Geoffrey in 1911, when I was up at Oriel, on a matter related to cryptography. There wasn’t an intelligence service proper yet, but there were people keeping an eye on the world. The Great Game.”
“I’ve read Kipling’s Kim,“ Pen said promptly. “Though obviously, there’s a lot that’s fictional there.”