“Are you dim-witted or what? Not long ago we were talking about girls and universities, about how no academy would ever, not for anything in the world, let girls enter their halls. But women’s universities already exist. Concealed in convents, like the one in White Church. That’s all I’ll say. It ought to satisfy you.”

Urban Horn said more, a few days later.

“University?” He grimaced. “Oh, well, you could call it that. Nonetheless, I’ve heard that the curriculum there covers learning you won’t find at other academies.”

“Hildegard of Bingen? Christine of Pizan? Erm… Joachim of Fiore?”

“For a start. Add to them Mechthild of Magdeburg, Beatrice of Nazareth, Juliana of Liège, Baudonivia and Hadewijch of Brabant. Add Elsbet Stangl, Marguerite Porete and Heilwige Bloemardinne of Brussels. And the crowning glory is Maifreda of Pirovano, the female Pope of the Guglielmites. Be cautious with the last few names if you don’t want to make trouble for your darling.”

The blizzard hadn’t let up, the world had vanished in snow, drifts were lying halfway up the walls of the Silver Bell Inn and the roads were absolutely covered. Reynevan, like it or not, had to abandon his visits to White Church to meet Jutta of Apolda. The snowdrifts were so high that their feverish passion was snowbound and had to cool off.

On the last Sunday before Christmas, the blizzards abated, the snowdrifts subsided and the roads became somewhat passable. And then—to Reynevan’s delight—Tybald Raabe brought Scharley and Samson Honeypot to Gdziemierz. The friends greeted and hugged each other so warmly they were moved to tears. Why, even Scharley sniffed once or twice.

First one and then another demijohn appeared and with so much to discuss they didn’t stop at two.

After fleeing from Trosky, Samson had found Scharley, Berengar Tauler and Amadej Baťa, and the four of them immediately resolved to set off in search of Reynevan. Aware that they wouldn’t get far against Grellenort’s Black Riders, they rode headlong to Michalovice to ask Jan Čapek for help. Čapek cheerfully agreed—he appeared more interested in the secret underground passage Reynevan and Samson had escaped through from Trosky than in Reynevan’s fate. It was easy to imagine the hejtman’s irritation when it turned out that Samson had forgotten the location of the cave and couldn’t find it. They searched all day, but without success. Čapek’s annoyance grew. When Scharley suggested that rather than wandering up and down the stream they finally start to track Reynevan, the infuriated Orphan hejtman sent his men back to Michalovice, declaring to the company that they could continue the hunt alone.