DEATH BEFORE WICKET - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

Death Before Wicket
‘I would really like to know what gives rise to this strange
procedure,’ she said to Professor Bretherton, who grinned.
‘In the bad old days, life was not safe for a man to let his hand
stray too far from his sword,’ he said. ‘So anyone who takes a
two-handled cup is vulnerable to attack. Therefore…’
‘Therefore his fellows stand to guard him while he is drinking.
How medieval,’ said Phryne, as the ripple effect reached
Professor Jones again. ‘And I, of course…’
‘Being most emphatically and delightfully female…’ put in
Professor Bretherton.
‘Don’t drink because I could not possibly guard you or
Professor Waterhouse from attack by, say, a student maddened
beyond bearing by the imperfect subjunctive,’ she reasoned.
‘They are more likely to be driven insane by Greek verb
forms,’ he agreed.
Professor Jones, however, was determined to use his Emeritus
for something useful, like honouring a young woman with
sound ideas on the summer game, and he beckoned to Phryne
to stand. She did so, wondering if she was about to commit a
social solecism which would see Waterhouse demanding pistols
for two and breakfast for one on the morrow.
‘Miss Fisher,’ said the old man, and handed her the loving cup.
With Bretherton and the VC flanking her so that she was safe
from hypothetical assault, Phryne raised the cup and drank. The
cup was extremely heavy, doubtless being donated by a fellow
with importance to underline. It contained very good port.
Phryne lowered it to find that she was being applauded. There
seemed nothing to do but bow, so she bowed, gave the cup on
to Professor Bretherton, and the ripple effect passed on again.
‘Well, that will give them something to talk about,’ said
Bretherton, shaking Phryne’s hand.
‘For the foreseeable future,’ added Professor Kirkpatrick, on
Bretherton’s other side. He had been occupied all through dinner
with a discussion on certain early English grammatical borrowings
from Old Norse with Jeoffry Bisset and had withdrawn