"Your father is right," he said very evenly. "There's no way the Academic Council can blame you for an incident that involved only the Guild Council."

She came to a halt in front of another large portrait of a former Aurora Springs Guild boss. Albert Roy St. Clair was a great-uncle on her mother's side.

"You're missing the big picture here," she said. "I don't have to be guilty of anything. All I have to do is embarrass the college. In academic politics, perception is everything. Good grief. When I think of how hard I've worked to convince my colleagues that the Guild has changed over the years, that it isn't really an organization that is only half a step above a criminal mob, I could just spit. Talk about a complete waste of time and energy."

"You won't lose your position at the college," Cooper said without inflection. "Don't worry about it."

It was her turn to raise her brows. "Why? Because you'll make a few phone calls and intimidate the Academic Council?

"If there's a problem, I'll take care of it," he said.

"Don't even think about trying to do any such thing, Cooper Boone. I will not tolerate you using your position to interfere in my career."

"I think you're overreacting here," Cooper said quietly.

"I'm furious. If you want to label that an overreaction, you're welcome to your point of view. Forget my little problem with the Academic Council. I'll handle my professional life my way. Let's get back to a more important issue."

His brows came together in a small frown of surprise. "There's a more important issue?"

"Yes." She braced herself. "You've as much as admitted that there was a duel. Let's move on to my second question. People are saying that I was the cause of that ghost-fight between you and Palmer Frazier. Is that true?"