Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy) by Sylvain Reynard

examined the space. As a child, hiding in her room with a stack of Narnia books, she would never have imagined that one day she would be sitting where Lewis sat. It was nothing short of a miracle.
    “Thank you for bringing me here.” Her voice almost caught in her throat.
    “My pleasure.”
    Katherine’s expression shifted.
    “It took me almost an entire semester to see Old Hut. When I arrived in Oxford, his wife banned me from the hospice. I showed up every day for weeks, hoping to change her mind, hoping that he wouldn’t pass away before I could see him.”
    “Who would be so cruel?”
    “You ask this question after the
Shoah
? After countless instances of genocide? Human beings can be incredibly cruel.
    “In the case of Old Hut, I was the cruel one and I paid for it. But that semester, it was Mrs. Hutton’s opportunity to exact her revenge,
with interest
.”
    “I’m so sorry.”
    Professor Picton waved her hand. “Gabriel gave me the chance to make my peace. I will always be in his debt, which means I feel a special responsibility for you.”
    “Were you able to see your friend?”
    “Mrs. Hutton’s aunt fell ill. While she was visiting her, I managed to see the professor. By then, he was near death, but we were able to talk.
    “I came back to Toronto and worked through my depression. But I never told Gabriel the entire story, or why it was so important for me to see John before he died.” Katherine pursed her lips, looking as if she were divided about something. Then she shrugged.
    “All the important players are dead, with the exception of me. There’s no point in keeping it a secret.” She looked at Julia over her glass. “I don’t expect you to keep things from your husband, but I ask that you be discreet.”
    “Of course, Professor.”
    Katherine wrapped her aged fingers around her pint.
    “Old Hut and I were involved while I was his student, and afterward, when I taught at Cambridge. He was married. Lucky for me, no one found out about us while I was living here in Oxford. But eventually, there were rumors, and the rumors followed me for ten years.”
    Julia’s mouth dropped open.
    Katherine glanced at her, her blue eyes sparkling in what could have been amusement.
    “I see you’re surprised. But I wasn’t always this old. In my day, I was considered attractive. And is it really so surprising? People work closely together on something they’re passionate about, and that passion has to go somewhere. Dante speaks of it when he describes Paolo and Francesca.”
    Katherine replaced her glasses on her face.
    “When I was trying to get an academic position, the gossip became particularly vicious. There were those among my student colleagues who were jealous of Old Hut’s attentions and the fact that he clearly preferred me. Even without evidence of our amour, they began circulating stories that he authored my research. In fact, someone wrote to the University of Cambridge after I’d applied for a job there, claiming that Old Hut wrote a letter of recommendation for me simply because I was sleeping with him.”
    Julia laughed.
    Then she clapped a hand to her mouth.
    “I’m so sorry. That isn’t funny.”
    Katherine’s eyes twinkled.
    “Of course it’s funny. You should have seen his recommendation letter. He wrote,
Miss Picton is competent in the study of Dante.
I was his lover, for God’s sake. Don’t you think he could have troubled himself to write more than one sentence?”
    While Julia stared in horror, Professor Picton chuckled.
    “I can make light of it now, but I was unhappy for many years. I fell in love with a married man and I mourned not having him all to myself. No marriage, no children. Once I began presenting my research, the rumors died. People heard my lectures, some of which disagreed with Old Hut’s positions, and they realized I knew what I was talking about. I worked very hard to make a name for myself and to come out from under his shadow. That’s why when