philosophy! I suppose I should be flattered,” she added disparagingly. “I didn’t know the work I’d done was that good!”
“How did you find out?”
“It was announced this past week that a major monograph written by him had been submitted and accepted for publication in an important philosophical journal. Copies of the monograph were passed around so that the faculty could read and admire the work of their department chief. I hadn’t finished the first page before I realized I was reading my own research and analysis!”
“So you stood up at the next faculty party and accused your boss of being a thief?” Ryder asked interestedly as he served up the eggs and toast and sat down across from Brenna. “Must have been a sight worth seeing.”
“I did not make any open accusations. I was in a quandary so I went to the person I felt closest to on the faculty, the man who will very possibly be the next department head…”
“The man I just kicked out the front door?”
“His name is Damon Fielding. Dr. Damon Fielding,” she emphasized through clenched teeth.
“And he immediately took up cudgels on your behalf?” Ryder hazarded coolly, chewing on a slice of whole wheat toast.
Brenna sighed. “He sympathized; said he believed me but there was nothing either of us could do about it. Humphrey is a law unto himself, he said, and I would only get hurt if I tried to challenge the man over an issue like this. He’s a well-known established scholar and I’m just a beginner. He tried to impress upon me the fact that if I’m going to succeed in my chosen profession, I’ve got to learn to play the politics of the situation. He…he made it sound as if we were out in the corporate world with all its nasty in-fighting and games on the way to the top.”
“He’s probably right,” Ryder surprised her by saying readily.
She blinked at him owlishly, not having expected quite that reaction.
“Any situation in which there’s a lot of competition for the top rung of a ladder is going to create a climate of that sort. It’s true in the military world, the corporate world, and, I’m sure, in the academic world. You can’t change that fact of life, lady, all you can do is decide whether or not you’re going to play the game. The thing to remember is that the choice is yours.”
“You seem to have given the matter some thought,” she said thinly.
“Sure, I’ve faced the situation before. That’s one of the reasons I’ve done some of the things I’ve done and one of the reasons I’m writing adventure fiction. I made the choice of living life on my own terms as much as possible. This is the way I do that,” he concluded simply.
Brenna stared at him in consternation and then asked the question that was uppermost in her mind. “What would you have done if you’d been Damon?” she breathed.
He gave her a steady glance. “You mean if you’d come to me with proof that the head of the department had stolen your material? Something ill-bred, ill-mannered, and ill-behaved, no doubt. Also something violent. Lady, I would have fought on your behalf and in the process probably gotten us both kicked out of the college,” Ryder told her bluntly. “All of which is not to say that my way is any better or worse than your friend Damon’s. In the end you’re the one who has to make the decision.”
“Yes.” She nodded, acknowledging the inescapable truth. “Although it looks as though I’ve already made it. Damon won’t forgive that little scene this morning. And it was all my fault; I should never have precipitated it by pointing out to him that he was condoning unethical and disreputable behavior by not speaking up on my behalf.”
“That’s the comment that made him lose his temper and slap you?”
She nodded. “I insulted him terribly when you think about it. He was only trying to help me. He came all this way to help me, in fact.”
“Exactly how much does the man mean to you?” Ryder
“How did you find out?”
“It was announced this past week that a major monograph written by him had been submitted and accepted for publication in an important philosophical journal. Copies of the monograph were passed around so that the faculty could read and admire the work of their department chief. I hadn’t finished the first page before I realized I was reading my own research and analysis!”
“So you stood up at the next faculty party and accused your boss of being a thief?” Ryder asked interestedly as he served up the eggs and toast and sat down across from Brenna. “Must have been a sight worth seeing.”
“I did not make any open accusations. I was in a quandary so I went to the person I felt closest to on the faculty, the man who will very possibly be the next department head…”
“The man I just kicked out the front door?”
“His name is Damon Fielding. Dr. Damon Fielding,” she emphasized through clenched teeth.
“And he immediately took up cudgels on your behalf?” Ryder hazarded coolly, chewing on a slice of whole wheat toast.
Brenna sighed. “He sympathized; said he believed me but there was nothing either of us could do about it. Humphrey is a law unto himself, he said, and I would only get hurt if I tried to challenge the man over an issue like this. He’s a well-known established scholar and I’m just a beginner. He tried to impress upon me the fact that if I’m going to succeed in my chosen profession, I’ve got to learn to play the politics of the situation. He…he made it sound as if we were out in the corporate world with all its nasty in-fighting and games on the way to the top.”
“He’s probably right,” Ryder surprised her by saying readily.
She blinked at him owlishly, not having expected quite that reaction.
“Any situation in which there’s a lot of competition for the top rung of a ladder is going to create a climate of that sort. It’s true in the military world, the corporate world, and, I’m sure, in the academic world. You can’t change that fact of life, lady, all you can do is decide whether or not you’re going to play the game. The thing to remember is that the choice is yours.”
“You seem to have given the matter some thought,” she said thinly.
“Sure, I’ve faced the situation before. That’s one of the reasons I’ve done some of the things I’ve done and one of the reasons I’m writing adventure fiction. I made the choice of living life on my own terms as much as possible. This is the way I do that,” he concluded simply.
Brenna stared at him in consternation and then asked the question that was uppermost in her mind. “What would you have done if you’d been Damon?” she breathed.
He gave her a steady glance. “You mean if you’d come to me with proof that the head of the department had stolen your material? Something ill-bred, ill-mannered, and ill-behaved, no doubt. Also something violent. Lady, I would have fought on your behalf and in the process probably gotten us both kicked out of the college,” Ryder told her bluntly. “All of which is not to say that my way is any better or worse than your friend Damon’s. In the end you’re the one who has to make the decision.”
“Yes.” She nodded, acknowledging the inescapable truth. “Although it looks as though I’ve already made it. Damon won’t forgive that little scene this morning. And it was all my fault; I should never have precipitated it by pointing out to him that he was condoning unethical and disreputable behavior by not speaking up on my behalf.”
“That’s the comment that made him lose his temper and slap you?”
She nodded. “I insulted him terribly when you think about it. He was only trying to help me. He came all this way to help me, in fact.”
“Exactly how much does the man mean to you?” Ryder
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