You go to the faculty meeting

You enter your cabin, listening for any noise and hearing none. You carry your purchases to the kitchen and put the groceries away, then carry the rest upstairs and put them in a drawer. Looking at your watch you decide you have enough time to shower and change before the faculty meeting, and strip your clothes off before heading for the bathroom.

After your shower you dress in a slightly flashy jacket and a dark shirt and slacks, augmenting the outfit with a bright tie. You examine your reflection, seeing someone urbane and competent with just a touch of flash about him. Exactly the image you want to project.

You stroll to the main campus, enjoying the soft air of early evening. It doesn't take long to find the faculty lounge and you step into a room that looks like it belongs in another century. The walls are panelled oak, punctuated with arched windows and decorated with comfortable upholstered chairs, most of them occupied by women who look at you with undisguised curiosity.

"Mr. Sharp," Ms. Naylor says. "Thank you for joining us. We're waiting on a few more people. Take any seat."

You take a seat, looking around as you wait, aware of the curious looks from the others present. They are mostly women in their forties or older, although one or two are in their twenties. Some of them chat to each other as they wait, casting occasional glances at you. Others pointedly look anywhere in the room except at you, as if that will make you disappear. You had little idea what to expect, and you put a smile of bland equanimity on your face, looking as if you noticed nothing.