Fern pulled another notebook from her bag. “I have been working on this,” she said, opening to a page covered with scattered notes and drawings. “I’ve been reading the works of Professor Sylvester recently.”
Alex’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “James Joseph Sylvester, the Savilian Chair for Geometry?”
Fern nodded. “Have you worked with him?”
“Not yet,” Alex said, rubbing his brow. “He’s a bit controversial here. He earned the spot having never held a prestigious post in a British University, and many of the other professors didn’t like that. Rumor is his unpopularity is less due to his experience than his Jewish faith.” Fern winced and Alex sighed in agreement before looking at her notes. “How did you get these papers of his? They’re not formally published yet.”
She gave him a wry smile. “The librarians are not entirely above reproach,” she muttered. “I bribed one.”
Alex pursed his lips, clearly displeased with her breach of library etiquette. Putting the matter aside, he asked, “And what do you think of his work?”
Her lips pulled up as excitement rushed through her. “It’s brilliant. I love poetry—” She winced the moment the words left her mouth, waiting for him to recall the night reading poetry in the library.
“I didn’t know,” Alex said.
The tension left her shoulders and pressed on. “HisLaws of Verse, studying the mathematical algorithms of prose, it’s fascinating. I’ve been working on a theory. When translated properly from the original Greek, most of the prosody of the prose can be maintained.”
“Prosody?”
“The codified principles of versification in metrical poetry. I believe between the metric and synectic meter, there lies a third, the chromatic…” Fern talked Alex through her theory, demonstrating several examples of her findings. As she spoke, she became more animated. When she reached the end of her explanation, she nearly bounced in her seat, eager to see Alex’s reaction.
He simply stared, his eyes wide. “Fern, this is an incredibly advanced theory, no one besides Sylvester is doing work like this.” He sat back, shaking his head. “And you didn’t read this somewhere? You came up with it on your own?”
Fern’s eyebrows furrowed. “Of course I did this on my own!” she said, voice indignant. “Who would I copy this from? My maid?”
“Have you ever spoken to Sylvester about this?”
“No,” she said, her voice low. “Women aren’t allowed in his lectures.”
Alex stood up and began to pace. “I’ve heard Sylvester is looking to publish an addendum to his work, but he hasn’t found the right person to complete the translations. He needs someone with a mathematical eye who can identify the meter, but also knows Greek and Latin.” He stopped in his tracks and stared at her, wide-eyed. “You know Latin? And Greek?”
“Of course.”
“Then maybe we’ve been going about this the wrong way.”
Fern leaned forward on her elbows, her heart tripping over itself. “And what is the right way?”
He thought for a long moment. “By sitting for the examinations, you will open yourself up for questions from the entire panel of professors and they can find any reason to dismiss you. If you work with Sylvester directly, convince him of the value of your contributions to the project, he can overrule any opposition.”
“But I’d have to convince Sylvester,” she countered. “Why would he listen to me, when he won’t even let me hear him speak?”
“I can help you,” he replied. “I mean, I have my own work, but this is groundbreaking.” He scratched his chin. “I would love to be a part of work like this. The opportunity to impress John Joseph Sylvester is not one to miss.”
Her head tilted. “But I thought you wanted the School of Economics?”
“I do, I think,” he replied, blinking as though he saw something unexpected. “But this isexciting. London is the logical choice, but…“ He looked up at her as though he had made a significant realization. “Maybe I want to work with someone like Sylvester, do this sort of research and teach?”
“You’d be wonderful.” Fern couldn’t fight the smile on her lips. “You’re a good teacher, you’ve already helped me.”
“You know,” he hesitated, running his hand through the loose waves of his hair. “I’ve considered it before, but I thought I wanted something bigger…” His eyes scanned her notebook again. “Maybe this will change my mind.”
“So you’ll help me, then?” Fern’s heart thrummed in anticipation.
“I’ll help you,” he relented. “We will have to prepare this before the examinations in four weeks, in case Sylvester won’t listen.”
“And then?”
Alex sat back down and sighed. “Then we hope for the best.”
