Oxford Blood (The Cavaliers: Book One) Read online

Harriet woke the next morning with a banging headache, and for a few moments at least, no recollection of where she was. A quick glance around the room reminded her that she’d finally made it to Oxford. The fact cheered her enough to get up and take some paracetamol. Her mood fell again at the sight of the schedule she’d pinned to the wall. She’d have to get ready fast to make the meeting with the history tutors. Trying to convince herself that she wasn’t about to be sick, she showered and pulled on jeans and an embroidered green top. Then she walked to the head tutor’s room, taking deep breaths all the way.

  She couldn’t see Caroline anywhere, but she spotted Olamide and slipped into a seat next to her. The meeting passed in a daze whilst she tried her best not to meet the tutors’ eyes. Luckily, they only asked her what options she’d chosen, and even in her hung-over state, she managed to answer that.

  The tutors talked about how the History course worked and what they expected of their students – at least one, sometimes two 2000-word essays each week followed by an hour-long tutorial to discuss what they’d written. Lectures were optional though encouraged, but students did the bulk of their learning by reading. Lots and lots of reading.

  The college hadn’t scheduled anything else that day, so as soon as the meeting finished, Harriet took the opportunity to explore the town and get some much needed fresh air. Oxford charmed her even more on foot. She looked around some of the other colleges (this didn’t dint her initial conviction that Lilith was the most beautiful), took photos of the nicest buildings, and finished by treating herself to home baked cookies at a little shop in the Covered Market. Despite her awful sense of direction, she managed to find her college again quickly, thanks mainly to the tower that she could see from halfway across town.