Scholar of the Crown by Melissa McShane

Author:Melissa McShane [McShane, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Melissa McShane

15

Not knowing where Tyndale might be at that hour on Endweek, Veronica decided to try Godfrey Hall first. She wondered if Tyndale worked through the rest day, or if he gave himself a respite. She guessed the former. He struck her as someone who didn’t have much of a personal life. Though, again, it might be a mistake to make assumptions about someone she barely knew.

Rain began falling when she was halfway to the administration building. She pulled her cloak’s hood farther over her forehead and ducked her head against the chilly drizzle. New warm clothes were definitely in order. Once the storm was over, she would go into Knightsbury and speak to someone. The thought of getting new clothes cheered her.

No one else loitered in the halls when she entered Godfrey Hall, though there were lights coming from beneath a few doors, including the one to the main office. Veronica went straight to the stairs. She didn’t think she had to tell anyone what she had in mind, as the Masters’ offices were more or less public territory. Outside, the rain lashed the stained glass windows positioned at each landing. The storm muted their bright colors and cast odd shadows through the glass. Veronica loved the sound of the storm, though she knew that was only because she wasn’t outside being drenched.

She rapped at Tyndale’s door, then knocked again when there was no immediate answer. Reflexively, she tried the knob; locked. She scowled and glanced down the hall to where rain beat against the window. The storm was in full force now, and Veronica hated the idea of running all over campus in it. She thought about going back to Patience House until the rain diminished, but realized Justice House was closer to Godfrey, and she’d get less soaked going there. Sighing, she trotted back down the stairs, snugged her cloak around herself, and sprinted for her goal.

Wind battered her, propelling her rapidly along like a hand between her shoulders. The heavy raindrops felt as large and hard as pebbles flung up by a speeding carriage. She let out a little shriek and ran faster, ducking her head so she almost ran past Justice House in her blindness. She staggered to a halt beneath its shallow portico that gave very little protection against the storm and pounded on the door.

It felt like forever before the door swung open and the elderly doorkeeper peered out. “Yes?” he said, as calmly as if the storm wasn’t raging around them.

“I’m looking for Master Tyndale,” Veronica gasped. “Is he here?”

The doorkeeper regarded her warily. “It’s Endweek,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“So is he here, or not?” Veronica demanded. She felt dampness spreading across her back as rain saturated her cloak. “Please, master doorkeeper, I’m freezing.”

The doorkeeper paused another eternal moment. Then he swung the door open and beckoned. “Can’t let you freeze,” he said, and his eye twitched. Veronica belatedly recognized it as a friendly wink. Her face felt too frozen to respond with more than a slight smile.

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