I blushed, taking the praise and the win for what they were. I had never come to this institution to receive any accolades or degrees. I’d only wanted to prove that I could do the work and be part of something bigger than myself. “So, everything’s all right, then?” I asked.
Tarik nodded. “Trust me, Wordsworth wanted to sweep any hint of a woman impersonating a male student, as inferred by James, under the rug as quickly as possible. The impact on the college and university of allowing that to happen under his watch would have been catastrophic to his fledgling career. He’d be finished. In the end, Ansel contested that he’d been here all along and that James was mistaken.”
“What if James starts a rumor?” I asked, feeling equally guilty and grateful that my cousin had stood by me. “They can cause just as much harm.”
“He won’t. Your father threatened that if so much as a lick of gossip ever came out against his family, Lowry would rue the day he’d been born. The duke can be quite an intimidating man. Poor James looked like he was going to piss himself then and there! Even Wordsworth looked like he wanted to remove himself from your father’s warpath as quickly as possible.”
I laughed at that. My father was rather scary, but he was onour side and that’s what counted. The twins informed us that Ansel and the duke had gone to his quarters—ergo mine—to retrieve the trunks that my friends had so kindly gathered.
While the boys dispersed, Will, Tarik, and I left the Master’s Lodge and walked over to Tarik’s quarters to pack up his belongings. His room wasn’t that much different from mine, though it looked a little more lived-in, considering he’d been there longer than me. Still, we were finished within a couple of hours.
“I’ll miss this place,” Tarik said.
I nodded. “Me too. Especially the library.” I glanced at Will, who was on the verge of bursting into tears. “And you, of course. The new best friend I never knew I needed.”
“I am?” His lower lip wobbled.
“Yes, now come here and give me a hug before we all start sobbing.” Will wrapped those thick arms around me and squeezed. I could hear him sniffling. “I’ll see you in town. Don’t be a stranger, promise me.”
“I promise, Roz,” he said. “Thank you for being my friend. I think I would have quit if it hadn’t been for you.”
I laughed and patted his arm. “Give yourself a little more credit than that. You’re a fighter, Will. A fierce defender. A loyal friend with a big heart. You’ll figure out your place. Sooner or later, we all do.”
After a much longer hug, Will offered to help with the trunks while Tarik and I ferried a couple of his smaller satchels full of notebooks and essays along with his precious copies of Newton’s works. I let out a laugh as I traced the embossed cover ofPrincipia…the book that had brought us together.
“I’ll never regret any of this,” I said as we walked back to his dorm for the remaining items. I received quite a few stares from students in the courtyard, but surprisingly, no one said anything. Perhaps it was because I was with one of the tutors. And as a former Wrangler, Tarik was a familiar face. At least he would leave with his reputation intact. “I know what I did was wrong because of the harm it caused you. But perhaps one day, women will be allowed to enroll here, and there’ll be no stopping us.”
“I believe that,” Tarik said, gathering the last of his belongings.
We went down the staircase and met a red-eyed Will followed by Harold and the twins. “We’ll take those for you,” the boys said, reaching for the rest of the bags.
“Thank you,” Tarik said. “I just want to make sure I have everything. There’s another room I need to check quickly. Will you give me a moment?”
Assuming he meant for me to leave as well, I nodded and turned to head out with Will and the others, but a strong hand yanked me back into the nearest combination room. It was empty and dark, with only sparse late-afternoon light coming in through the windows. I was pressed up against a very warm, very hard chest.
“What are you doing?” I whispered. “We could get caught.”
“This is where we first met,” he said. I glanced over my shoulder, the dark shapes of the sofas and chairs taking form and inciting a memory of my first day here. “You called me aggressive.”
I looped my hands around his neck, since he showed noinclination of releasing my waist where his palms gripped. “No, Mr. St. Clair, if you recall, I said your viewpoint was aggressive.”
“Is it still your opinion that a geometrical method is more rigorous and that there’s something to be said for classical construction?”
I traced his jaw with my fingertip. “Classic mathematical methods endure for a reason. But honestly, all I knew was that you were the most beautiful boy I had ever seen and I was certain my infatuation would give me away. You looked like Adonis in the flesh.”
“Adonis? Tell me more,” he said, bending down to feather a kiss against my forehead.
“And also, the most arrogant.” I pushed to my toes to kiss the edge of his jaw where my fingers had traced. “I thought my decision to enroll was done for when I realized how much you detested Ansel, and then you announced you were to be my tutor.”
His mouth grazed a path down my temple to my ear, making my breaths shorten to indecent pants the closer he ventured to my lips. “And after that?”
“Instead of quitting, I was determined to exceed your expectations.”
His hands lifted to cup my cheeks, making my voice hitch in my throat. “You did. Every last one of them. I’ve never been prouder of anyone than I have been about you. I hope you know that.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
His mouth met the tip of my nose, my cheeks, before finally settling on my lips. I sighed at the soft, sweet feel of him, a sensation that I was already addicted to, as he deepened the kiss.My hands tightened around his nape, crushing my body to his while he explored me thoroughly, leaving no corner of my mouth untouched.
