Page 124 of Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno 4)

A tall, broad-shouldered man approached her from the side. Julia looked up into the face of Paul Norris and instantly felt gratitude. “I wish.”

Paul’s cheery demeanor changed when he saw her watery eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Cecilia wouldn’t approve my semester abroad in Edinburgh. When I told her I was going to switch supervisors, she said she wouldn’t serve on my dissertation committee and that she wouldn’t write a letter of recommendation for me for the job market.”

“Shit. I’m sorry.” Paul moved so that he was leaning into the same archway as Julia. He stuck his hand in the pocket of his jeans and produced a tissue. “Here.”

“Thanks.” She took it gratefully and wiped her nose.

“I don’t suppose Cecilia will change her mind?”

“She was pretty adamant.”

Paul cursed. “It’s ridiculous. You’re in your last semester of coursework. Edinburgh has a program in Italian, and Graham is there. What’s Cecilia’s problem?”

“It’s a long story, but basically I think she’s upset she was passed over for the Sage Lectures. Our dean gave her some heat and I think she’s taking it out on me.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Grad students are pawns. Or rabbits.”

Paul gave her a quizzical look.

“Don’t you know the parable of the rabbit and the typewriter?” Julia asked.

Paul shook his head.

“The rabbit is in her warren, typing furiously on a typewriter. She types for days and nights and finally, when she’s done she emerges with her project. And there’s a lion seated outside her warren, who has been scaring everyone away.”

“And the lion eats the rabbit,” said Paul.

“No. The lion protects the rabbit, so she can get her project done.”

“You’ve lost me, Jules. I think you need to sit down, have a cold drink.”

“The rabbit is the graduate student and the lion is a good dissertation director.”

Paul searched Julia’s eyes for a minute. “That’s some bullshit right there. Who wants to work with a lion?”

“The point is you have to have a director who is strong and powerful enough to protect you from all the other animals that are trying to attack you.”

Paul rubbed his forehead. “I am so glad I’m not a student anymore. I thought working with Gabriel was bad. Which lion will you work with now?”

“Katherine Picton.”

Paul grinned. “She’s a lion, for sure. The story of her calling out Christa Peterson and telling her she wasn’t invited to the Oxford conference is legendary. Someone made a meme of Katherine yelling, ‘Codswallop.’”

“I’d like to see that.”

“I’ll send it to you. I know Cecilia does great work, but Professor Picton is better. I’d choose Katherine over Cecilia in a heartbeat.”

“I love Katherine, you know that. But I don’t like to quit.”

Paul bumped her shoulder amiably. “You aren’t quitting. You’re moving on to bigger and better things. There’s a difference.”

Julia smiled weakly. “Thank you.”

“What are you going to write your dissertation on?”