Falling From Grace: Student-Teacher Forbidden Romance

Chapter 32

[RECAP: Father Gabriel has just ventured out into a storm to try to rescue Leonie]

Leonie knew that she would have to spend the night in the ruined cottage. It was already dark, the howling sky as black as pitch. Even if it ceased she doubted there would be sufficient moonlight and stars to get back safely to the school. The hill would be treacherously slippy.

You were supposed to stuff crumpled newspaper down your clothes to insulate yourself against the cold in an emergency like this, but she didn't have anything like that with her. She sat and shivered and hugged herself. The wind blew sharply through the broken roof and the window had no glass in it. Outside was a black void.

She tried not to despair. She tried to remember the brave nuns in The Wreck of the Deutschland, and their courage as they went down with the ship. This made her feel even worse, and tears came to her eyes.

Suddenly, like a miracle, she saw a tiny pinpoint of light through the empty window. It appeared to be jumping around, or swinging. Her first wild thought was that it was something magical like a fairy. Then she managed to come to her senses and realised it was some kind of torch.

Someone was coming! Her heart leapt even as new fears came. What if it was a murderer? Or worse, what if it was Mother Benedict come to berate her for being such an idiot? Leonie almost wanted not to be found if that was the case.

Then she heard her named called. "Leonie? Leonie?"

She knew the voice.

She instantly felt safe. She felt saved.

But she was so cold that she found she could hardly shout. "I'm here." There was no way he would hear her, his voice sounded faint enough.

The lantern light grew nearer and joy of joys, he came to the cottage and found her.

For a moment he stood there and she looked at him. Both of them were too overcome to speak.

Then she was in his arms. Strong, sheltering arms.

"Thank God, Leonie. I was starting to fear the worst."

Leonie could not speak. She clung to him, shivering violently.

"You're freezing." He pulled off his raincoat and wrapped it around her shoulders while she still held on to him. She could feel the warmth of his chest now, through the fleece he wore underneath.

"Come on, sit down. I've got some hot drink." He manoeuvred her to the slab she had been sitting on and set the storm lantern on the mantel above the ruined fireplace. He brought the flask out of his bag. He poured some out and helped her sip it. Her fingers were initially too cold and stiff to hold the cup.

When she had drunk some she looked up at him. "Thank you for coming to find me. I realise how stupid I was. I thought I was going to be here all night."'

"The moment I heard you were missing..." Gabriel couldn't continue. He was gazing at her, and the intensity of his blue eyes almost unnerved her. She couldn't be imagining it.

"I thought you must hate me, after what I did the other day. I'm so sorry," Leonie told him.

He was bewildered. "Me hate you? What on earth for? I assaulted you. I can't even begin to apologise for my actions that day. Or for failing to make amends to you since."

"Assault me? I wanted you," Leonie said.

"You asked me to kiss you. You didn't ask me to force myself upon you, or to be so rough with you. I was angry with a lot of things and I lost it, but there's no excuse for what I did."

Leonie was beginning to feel a wonderful warmth in the pit of her stomach. All her fears about him hating her were dissolving. "So you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not! Quite the reverse." Gabriel was astounded that she had thought this, and it made him feel even worse.

"I did want to sleep with you. I know that's very wrong," she said quickly. "But I did. I just got scared because of where we were, and someone finding us."

She had wanted him too? In his frenzy of rage and lust he had barely been aware of her responses. In the dim glow of the storm lantern he saw her eyes shining at him. Trusting him, desiring him.

"Who was the man?" Gabriel asked. His tone was suddenly stern.

"What?" Leonie was confused.

"Who was the man, you made the confession about?" He was looking down at her, demanding an answer. His hair fell over his forehead, still damp from the rain.

Leonie smiled, realising his misplaced insecurity. She looked up at him. "You."

"You made that confession about me?" There was wonderment on his face. All this time he had imagined another rival, some mystery man.

"Of course it was about you," Leonie said. "Why would you think it was someone else? I was so embarrassed, I assumed you had guessed."

Now that Gabriel thought about it, he wondered why he hadn't. "I suppose I thought that with my being a priest, I wouldn't be an object of interest."

Quite the reverse, Leonie thought. His unavailability had only fuelled his attractiveness.

"Being a priest, do you ever have objects of interest yourself?" she asked.

"What do you think?" He lowered his face to hers.

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

This scene is unashamedly inspired by (and adapting dialogue from) the student-teacher romance film, Girls' Dormitory (1936). 

You can see the original scene here. The actors are Simone Simon and Herbert Marshall, who has also just rescued her in a storm!