Page 22 of One Bed for the Bluestocking
“I understand,” Andrew said.“That’s rotten of Professor Kerr to spring that on you.You said you leave tomorrow?”
Nathaniel braced himself for the gloating to begin.“That’s right.”
Andrew shook his head as he took up his spoon.“Just rotten.Well, don’t worry about it.I’ll cover your lectures.”
Nat stared at him agog, certain he had misheard.“You’llwhat?”
“I’ll cover your lectures.”Andrew stirred his soup as if this was a normal thing to say to the man you detested.“It sounds like it won’t be much trouble, given the amount of preparation you’ve undertaken.”
Nathaniel didn’t know what to say.Could it be some kind of trick?Was Andrew going to promise to deliver his lectures, then sabotage him by immediately reneging?
Even if that was his intention, beggars couldn’t be choosers.Andrew Thompson was his only hope, God save him.
“Thank you,” Nat said, his voice thick with feeling.
Andrew gave him a little smile.“It’s all right.I know you’d do the same for me.”He scooped up another spoonful of soup.“So, tell me about your trip!You’re going to Lewis to observe golden eagles, right?”
“That’s right.There are supposed to be a few nesting pairs around Loch Raonasgail.”
“Is it very remote?”
“It is.Once we arrive, we’ll take a ship to the far side of the island.Then, the real fun begins…”
The strangest thing happened.Nat fell into conversation withAndrew Thompson.And it wasn’t a halting, awkward conversation.Andrew peppered him with interested questions.He oohed and aahed.He even laughed at Nat’s jokes—a high-pitched, nasal laugh, but it had a sincere ring to it.
After Nat finished outlining the trip, Andrew shook his head.“That sounds incredible!I’m envious.”He softened this admission with a sincere, but slightly wistful, smile.“I wish I could go on a trip like that.”
“You could,” Nat said at once.“You will.I’ll cover your lectures when you do.”
Andrew shrugged.“I do hope to perform some fieldwork someday, but it won’t be anything so grand on account of my vision.”
“Your vision?”Nat asked.
Andrew nodded, removing his spectacles and holding them out for Nat to see.Nat noticed that they were exceptionally thick.“It’s awful.Even with these, I can’t see much unless it’s within a foot of my face.It’s the reason I chose entomology—I can actually get close enough to my specimens to study them.”
Suddenly, the pieces were falling into place.Andrew had notignoredNat those times they had crossed paths around the university.Andrew had notseenhim.The cut direct was one of the gravest insults one could dole out.
But Andrew had never meant to cut him.It had been an honest misunderstanding.
Nat shook himself.“Do insects not have an annoying tendency to fly away?”
Andrew laughed.“Some of them do.Fortunately, there are enough species that are slower than me to keep me occupied.”
Nat took up his spoon.Now that his anxiety had abated, he recalled that he was hungry.“Tell me about your research.”
“Lately, I’ve been studying beetles.Such fascinating creatures!”Andrew’s eyes sparkled.“Did you know that the horned dung beetle can lift more than one thousand times its own body weight?”
“Really?Athousandtimes?”Nat shook his head.“It sounds impossible.”
“It does, doesn’t it?And yet, they do.”Andrew scooped up another spoonful of soup.“You should come by my office sometime and see them at work.Once you return from your trip, of course.”
“I’d like that.”Nat was surprised to find that he meant it.He took up his own spoon.“How many species of beetles do you have to study?”
“Twenty-seven.And hopefully more soon.There’s a species from South America that’s been dubbed the Hercules beetle.I’ve a friend on the Smithers expedition right now.He promised he’d try to bring some back for me.”A faraway look came into Andrew’s eyes.“I can’t wait to put it through its paces.It’s a large beetle—up to three inches long—and it’s reputed to be very strong.But I wonder how it stacks up against our humble dung beetle ounce for ounce…”
As they ate their soup and chatted for the next half hour, a novel feeling settled over Nathaniel.He rather thought it was contentment.His two closest friends had finished their degrees the previous year, and before tonight, he had yet to find someone with whom he shared such an easy rapport.But he and Andrew were going to be friends.Real friends.He was certain of it.
Suddenly, spending the next few years working toward his doctorate seemed like a much more pleasant prospect.And Nat had the feeling that at the end of term, he would ask Andrew about moving into a boardinghouse with a few like-minded fellows after all.
