Falling From Grace: Student-Teacher Forbidden Romance

Chapter 4

[RECAP: Leonie is trying to settle into her new English boarding school, which her grandmother is forcing her to attend]

On the first morning there was a long assembly which involved hymns interspersed by various announcements. These were held in the school hall after morning mass, which was compulsory. For Leonie everything was a new experience so that at least gave it some interest value.

The headmistress was a tall stern nun by the name of Mother Benedict who taught Latin to the sixth form. Her hair was hidden behind her wimple but Leonie suspected it was a steely grey. She felt some relief that since she wasn't doing Latin, their paths wouldn't cross too frequently. Mother Benedict, called Reverend Mother by the students, looked very formidable.

"This year we're pleased to welcome some new faces to the teaching staff. As you know, we bade farewell to Sister Marguerite last term, as she left us to embark upon a mission in Peru. I'm happy to let you know that she writes to say that she is well, and the Lord is issuing many blessings upon the community she is working in. She left us with a sad gap in Modern Languages, and replacing her will be Sister Assunta, who is newly arrived from Padua," Mother Benedict announced.

Sister Assunta, a small and very Italian looking nun, stepped up from her seat and gave a pleasant nod to the assembled girls.

Mother Benedict continued. "Father Aloysius, who assisted Father Stephen in his duties last term, has left us to earn his Doctorate in Divinity. Replacing him will be Father Gabriel."

Father Gabriel stood up and Leonie felt a jolt in her stomach.

It was him.

There was the cute guy with blue eyes.

And he was way more than cute, more like drop dead film star gorgeous. From the suppressed murmurs around her as the other students saw him for the first time, she wasn't the only one to think so.

What a waste! That totally gorgeous guy locked away in a black robe, committed to celibacy. Why had he had to go and wear jeans yesterday? If she'd realised who he was - what he was - she wouldn't have developed an insta-crush and had wicked dreams of him all last night.

Well, Leonie tried to think so. Looking at him now in his priest's garb he seemed more remote but even more attractive. He'd be eye candy, anyway.

"What did Father Aloysius teach?" she whispered to Figgy.

"He took some A-level English classes. It's such a shame he's left, he was really brilliant," Figgy told her.

A shame? Not if Father Gorgeous was about to take his place.

Leonie tried to give herself a strict talking to. Getting a crush on a teacher was foolish enough, but on a priest was a really dumb idea.

If only his eyes weren't so blue. And those lips. They had that kind of firm but sensuous look that you just knew would make him an amazing kisser. That intense look in his eyes, pushing her up against a wall, starting gentle and then devouring her. She could just imagine his hands all over her body...

Although he was some distance away for a second he flicked his eyes in her direction, and Leonie got paranoid that he could read her thoughts and felt her cheeks flame.

She sighed, causing Mai to shoot her a sharp glance, and finally the organist struck up some kind of music that everyone gradually exited to. It was time for classes to begin.

The schedule included quite a few study periods. Leonie had such a period first up, followed by Maths. English was later that afternoon, followed by History of Art.

Harry, whom Leonie had finally met, was also doing maths. It was true that Lady Harriet Venn looked nothing like Leonie had imagined an English Lady to look. She had formed an image of someone who was a cross between Princess Diana and Grace Kelly, draping herself about and looking languid and beautiful while she chattered about her princely beaus.

Instead, Harry was short and stocky with a sensible brown bob of hair. But Leonie liked her on sight. She had merry eyes and a frequent, hearty laugh.

"Glad to have someone in the dorm doing maths at last, the others were no good at all for swapping homework notes," she told Leonie.

Leonie just hoped her mathematics ability would be up to the task. She didn't want the others thinking she was some dumb American. Which if anyone looked at her grades last year, was exactly what they would think. But she knew deep down that was her fault for cutting so much school and other stuff.

The other stuff that she was praying she could keep secret.

Harry was off do something related to lacrosse yet again, so as Leonie didn't have anything to study yet in her first free period, she headed outside. It was probably forbidden as they were supposed to be in the study hall or the library. But she hoped they'd cut her some slack on the first day.

She wanted to get some breathing space. Amid all the bustle and the crowds of girls and the kindness of her dorm mates, she was feeling strangely lonely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope everyone's enjoying it so far! This one will be a bit of a slow burn, but there's a lot of forbidden for the main characters to get through.

Because when this guy falls, he's going to fall HARD.

In *every* sense...