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“I’m not impressed with the fact that they’ve admitted riffraff” Katherine sniffed “I h that you young people should be subjected to such a person, but to have to endure her in public What a ridiculous girl”

Professor Picton’s aged eyes quickly took in Julia’s expression of distress, and her de, Julianne I think it’s time for us to have a little chat”

The professor’s words jarred Julia out of her quietude A thinly veiled expression of terror flashed across her features

Gabriel grasped her around the waist “That’s very generous, Katherine, but why don’t you join us for dinner, instead?”

“Thank you, I’d enjoy that But I’ll speak to Julianne first” She turned to her former student, her expression kind “Come and find me after the last lecture and we’ll walk to The Bird and Baby”

Professor Picton took her leave and was immediately surrounded by several acadeain her coainst Gabriel

“I’m so embarrassed”

“I’m sorry Katherine interrupted when she did I would have liked to say a feords”

Julia began wringing her hands “I never should have answered Christa We should have walked away”

Gabriel’s expression tightened He looked around, then brought his mouth close to her ear “You stood up for yourself, which was the right thing to do And I’ to stand there and let her call you a whore”

“If alked away, she wouldn’t have gotten that far”

“Bullshit She’s already slandering us You said so yourself”

Julia’s face was marked by disappointment “I asked you to stop”

“And I explained that I wasn’t about to let her speak to you that way” He clenched his jaw and released it “Let’s not fight because of that bitch That’s precisely what she wants”

“She was spoiling for a fight And you gave it to her” Julia glanced around the rapidly e roo that they witnessed that e, if I’d done nothing, then it would look like I agreed with her” Gabriel’s voice rumbled, low in his throat

“I asked you to stop, and you brushed ave him a wounded look “I’m your wife Not a speed bu and followed the crowd into the lecture theater

Chapter Ten

Professor Eer as he watched his alk away He wanted to drag Christa Peterson outside by her hair and teach her a lesson Unfortunately, based on her seductive behavior when she was his student, she’d probably enjoy it

(And take photographs for her scrapbook)

It was not like him to want to strike a woman

Or perhaps it was Perhaps it was precisely like hier and violence ritten in the bone, the product of DNA Perhaps Gabriel was just like his father