"She would be apoplectic. I might be disowned, banished - probably not executed, but mostly because it would embarrass her further. It's not even a matter of ability. I had to learn the basics by - unorthodox means, but there is no inherent barrier. Men are," she adds, "allowed to defend themselves in extremity - my father knows a little about the dagger - but there is considered to be no legitimate reason for a woman to want to practice magic."