“Oh, thank goodness,” I murmur as I use my phone to spotlight a signpost. After a few more steps, I find the familiar pathway between the landscaped flowerbeds. I retrace my steps until I spy the yellowing light hanging at the main building’s back door.
Harry is waiting for me in the hallway, perfectly coiffed despite the early hour. Handing me a cup, she shoos me into reception.
“Bless you, Harry, you’re a star!” I take the St Margaret’s mug from her and gulp my first sip of hot coffee. All I could find this morning were a teakettle and a bag of unground coffee beans. I’m an early riser, but much of my morning enthusiasm is fuelled by coffee.
As the caffeine hits my bloodstream, I launch into my first concern of the day. “Harry, I think I have a cat.”
Harry settles into her desk chair and begins sorting through a stack of files. “That’s lovely, dear. Is it a friendly cat?”
“What? Yes, no, um I guess so? It’s just that I didn’t know I had a cat. Yesterday morning I did not have a cat. Does the college have a community cat?”
She pauses, lifting her head in surprise. “Black with strange white markings?”
“That’s the one,” I confirm.
Her eyebrows rush towards her hairline, “How odd! That cat followed Lillian around everywhere. I assumed it was hers.”
I shrug my shoulders, as much at a loss as she is. “Maybe goes with the job instead of with the person? It showed up at my house last night, was curled in my bed this morning, and then followed me out the door. I lost it in the garden on my way over here.”
Harry tilts her head to the side in consideration before going back to her sorting. “On the bright side, Nat, everyone’s used to the Ceremonies team having a cat.”
I can’t believe her nonchalance. I thought I was borrowing a communal cat, not inheriting one. Clearing my throat to catch her eye, I try again. “You’re definitely confirming that I have a cat? Regardless of whether I want it?”
Harry nods, snickering behind her own steaming mug. “The cat’s name is H if that helps.”
“Aitch?” I repeat, sure I’ve misunderstood.
“No, H, like the letter,” she clarifies.
I don’t even try to wrap my brain around that one. Any further questions go on hold when Dr Radcliffe comes striding into the office, unbuttoning her jacket as she walks.
She bustles past me and says, “I’m pleased to see you here already, Natalie. Punctuality is an under-appreciated virtue. Let me put my briefcase on my desk and then I’ll take you around. We’ll pop by your office first so you can do the same.”
I blow into my cup before chugging the rest while I wait for Dr Radcliffe to dart into her office. I swallow the last sip in time for her to step back into the reception.
She motions me to follow her and we head for the doorway. “Right-o, we’re off then. Harry, I’ll aim to be back in time for my first meeting. Dial my mobile if I lose track of time and don’t show up.” Harry nods and waves us on our way.
Dr Radcliffe turns to the left, leading me into another doorway-lined hallway. She passes several before stopping, pushing open a large wooden door labelled ‘Ceremonies’. “This is your office. You’ve got two assistants. They sit in a larger shared office with the other junior staff. I’ll ask Harry to introduce you to them later this morning.”
The office isn’t as grand at Dr Radcliffe’s, but that was to be expected. Nonetheless, I want to throw myself into the large leather desk chair and spin around in front of the antique oak desk. It has a roll top, closed tight, no doubt hiding away a myriad of wonders. My mind squeals in excitement.
There’s a small wooden table with two upholstered chairs, ideal for intimate meetings, and large, sunny windows which open onto the college gardens. A deep floral rug provides a finishing touch.
Stepping into the room, my eye lands on the last piece of furniture. A cat bed. Oh lord, I’m definitely stuck with a cat.
Dr Radcliffe waits in the doorway as I wander in. “You can set your things down; they’ll be perfectly safe here within the college. The security team patrols around regularly.”
I cross the room to the desk and give the roll top a gentle tug, but it doesn’t move.
Now I really want in. I glance at Dr Radcliffe, eyebrow raised. “It seems to be locked. Do you know if there’s a key somewhere?”
“Oh yes, the key, what did Harry tell me?” she raises one hand to her mouth, casting her eyes towards the ceiling as she searches through her memory for the answer. “Now I remember. Lillian left strict instructions that we were to put it into the top right-hand drawer, and no one was to touch it until you arrived.”
I open the drawer to find it empty except for a single mid-sized skeleton key. The weak, early morning light glints off the copper finish.
I reluctantly push the drawer closed, leaving the key in place. If I pick it up, I won’t be able to stop myself from diving straight into any files and instruction packs which might hide inside. I pull a fountain pen and bright blue notebook from my purse and stash the bag under the desk.
As we turn to leave, a muffled miaow and small thud catch our attention. A ball of black fur and two yellow eyes peer in through the window.
Dr Radcliffe stares open-mouthed. “My word, is that Lillian’s cat?”
I glare at the window, annoyance painted across my face. “Now it’s my cat. As best as Harry can guess, it came along with the job offer.”
To my
