Royal Hunt

4th Chapter

Ignatius's apartment was really not far from the university. They both offered me a frame on the street and I hung on to it. Our little group must have looked really comical. 

On the way, the two of them talked about some decree by which the English king had raised taxes on the American colonies again. I didn't understand politics but my teacher surprised me with an outlook that went beyond natural sciences. 

He could keep up with the Baron and backed up his reasoning with lots of quotes and references to other scholars. The two of them became so engaged in a fiery discussion that they seemed to forget I was with them. 

They were only pulled out of the conversation by the guard at the university gate. 

"Madame is not allowed in," he said cautiously.

"Young man, I am a professor in the faculty here, and the Countess is my escort." Ignatius began, but Baron Pouilly silenced him with a motion of his hand.

Almost conspiratorially, he leaned towards the guard and looked around to make sure no one could hear him. 

"Man. Do you know who this young lady is?" 

The guard ran his eyes over me and shook his head.

"That's Countess Dietrichstein. Daughter of Count Dietrichstein, who is a hero of the Turkish War. The Countess herself is a confidante of the Queen's daughters, and they study together. The Queen herself has asked her to see the university and report back to her on what form of support would be most appropriate. Would you like to be the one to stand between Countess Dietrichstein and a generous donation to the faculty here?" 

As the Baron spoke,l watched panic appear in the guard's eyes. In the end, he looked at me with a look of astonished horror. I suppressed a laugh and tried not to spoil the baron's lie. 

It was true that my father had been decorated for his services in the Turkish War, held a high office in the military command, and we had to spend every season in Vienna at the royal court, but I certainly did not count princesses among my closest friends. They probably didn't even know I existed. 

But the Baron's speech served its purpose. The guard stepped aside and let us pass. 

It wasn't until I was safely inside the great hall with its marble floor and inlaid glass dome that I laughed. 

"My God, you are an incredible liar." I clapped Baron Pouilly on the shoulder with my fan and laughed until the tears began to flow. 

"Let's just say that I'm altering reality to make it look more appealing." He replied.

Ignatius looked at us with an amused expression. "Did we come here to laugh or to show the Countess real university life?" And he was already leading us down a long corridor and up to several flights of stairs.

Along the way, we passed young men in long gowns who sized up our group suspiciously. 

Suddenly Ignatius stopped in front of a double door and whispered, "I brought you here, Marie Kristine because you are my best student. It pains me that you will never wear the student gown and never be able to lecture to an auditorium full of listeners as Dr. Johann Bernoulli is now lecturing behind this door."

I almost fainted. Johann Bernoulli is one of the most important mathematical minds of our time. Practically a genius. I admired his work and that of his students. Like me, he was interested in the natural sciences, but he was most fascinated by mathematics. 

When Ignatius opened the door, I saw that the doctor's lecture was in full swing. 

The auditorium reminds me of a small amphitheater. 

In the center of the room, standing in front of the blackboard, was the elderly Dr. Bernoulli, who hadn't even noticed that we had joined his class. 

After a while, I realized he was explaining calculus to the students. It was something Ignatius and I had discussed recently. I was despairing that I hadn't brought my writing utensils, but unfortunately, my pompadour was more of a decoration than a practical carry-on. Ignatius reached into his satchel and pulled out a notebook, a pen, and a small supply of ink. 

"I figured you could use this." 

I immediately grabbed the offered notebook and took a seat in the back pew. Baron Pouilly and Ignatius sat in the row behind me. 

I immediately began filling the pages with calculations. I was always good at math. I solved equations with the same ease with which my sisters danced and sang sonatas. I liked the predictability and clear rules of algebra better. 

It was several minutes before I noticed the baron leaning over my shoulder.

"Go on, beautiful Countess, don't let me disturb you." He whispered. 

So I ignored him and continued with my calculations. 

From time to time, Dr. Bernoulli would ask his students a question. I instinctively knew it wasn't a good idea for me to answer, we could already get into a lot of trouble just by being in class. So I looked around desperately at the other students and whispered answers to myself. 

"You were right. She's really special," I suddenly heard a quiet whisper behind me. 

"Didn't I tell you? I've never seen anything like it in my entire teaching career. She has an incredibly analytical mind. She absorbs the material faster than any of my students at the university."

"I've looked at her calculations. She solves differential equations off the top of her head faster than anyone I've ever met, and without any auxiliary calculations. True, she's a little one-sidedly loaded on the natural sciences, but she's not lacking in humanities education either. God such a brain."

"How many times have I wondered how unlucky that girl is to have been born here. She would have studied long ago only if she would have been born in France or Italy. Her father is an extraordinary man to let his daughter study to such an extent."

"Where did you meet the Countess, anyway?" asked Baron Pouilly, with interest.

"My services were recommended to the Count by one of my former students. I thought he was requesting private lessons for his son, imagine my surprise when a young girl appeared at my door. I was going to send her home on the spot, but I figured I'd give it a try. At thirteen she knew more than some of my colleagues, God, forgive me." 

The Baron laughed, but immediately quieted himself so as not to attract attention. 

"Look at her, she's hungry for knowledge. The fervor is fascinating. We will certainly hear more of the Countess, then."