Falling From Grace: Student-Teacher Forbidden Romance

Chapter 36

[RECAP: Father Gabriel, despite his guilt over kissing Leonie, has promised to write to her at half term]

It should have been a huge relief to escape St Winifred's for a week and enjoy a lot more freedom at her grandmother's house in London. But all Leonie wanted to do was see Gabriel. Even if they couldn't be together, just seeing him around school was better than nothing.

He had acted as normally as possible to her in class and rehearsals. But there were times that they looked at one another, and she knew he was thinking about their time together. That one, stormy, stolen night.

A couple of times Leonie was tempted to wait until after class, stay behind, and just be in his arms. She was sure that if she did so, he wouldn't be able to resist her. Only she knew that he would feel terrible afterwards, so she held back.

One time he asked her to stay back after rehearsals.

"I just wanted you to know that this isn't easy for me. I don't want you to think I've simply cut you off," he said.

"Likewise." Was it ever going to get easier?

"I am very sorry for everything. I had no right to do what I did," he told her. "Not as your teacher, as your priest, as anything."

He had nothing to be sorry for, Leonie thought. "That one time with you was better than never being with you," she told him.

Gabriel gazed at her. His eyes were such an intense blue. "God, Leonie..." He lent towards her.

She had thought he might kiss her again, but they were interrupted.

It was Suki Laverne. "I'm so sorry," she smirked. "I hope I wasn't interrupting any extra rehearsals?" She put a nasty emphasis on these last words. "I forgot my folder."

Gabriel immediately straightened. "Is that it, over there?" He indicated a nearby chair.

It was. Suki took the item in question and flounced out, with an unpleasant smile.

Gabriel stood there awkwardly once she had left. "We'd better go," he said.

Leonie picked up her own things and left him. Tomorrow morning her grandmother's driver would be picking her up, and she wouldn't see him for ten days.

*  *  *

In London, Leonie's grandmother was pleased to hear that she was making progress with her studies and had made suitable-sounding friends. "Would those be the Davenports of Dorset? An old schoolfriend of mine married a cousin of theirs. You must invite Iphigenia to stay."

Leonie had no clue who the Davenports of Dorset were. Figgy had said her family lived in Somerset. She had actually invited Leonie to stay for the holiday, but Leonie had been forced to decline as she knew her grandmother would want her.

Both Figgy and Mai had tried to persuade her to get her grandmother's permission. Mai frequently stayed with Figgy's family for shorter breaks, as it was too far for her to fly back to her parents in Hong Kong. "It will be so much more fun, all three of us. We can always go and visit your grandmother in London, and catch up with Harry."

Harry's family owned a very grand house in central London, as well as a country estate. It was all very Jane Austen, Leonie thought. She half-imagined that Harry's parents drove between the two properties in a horse-drawn carriage.

But there was another reason why Leonie was reluctant to stay with Figgy. Father Gabriel only had her London address. She knew that she was going to be waiting for the mail every morning. She also couldn't risk her grandmother seeing it, in case she opened it. She wasn't sure if her grandmother would snoop or not, but masculine handwriting would definitely arouse her suspicions.

It was already Monday, and still no letter. How long did it take to mail a letter in Britain? It wasn't like it was a huge country. By Tuesday Leonie stressed and fidgeted and roused her grandmother's disapproval at breakfast.

"What is the matter? Is something wrong with your food?"

"It's fine, thank you," Leonie said. "I just wondered when the mail might come?"

"It comes at ten o'clock. Are you expecting a letter or parcel?"

"Maybe. A postcard from one of the girls who went overseas," Leonie lied.

Her grandmother looked bemused. "I should hardly think she would have time to write it yet, let alone have the postal service deliver it. You need to learn more patience, Leonie. It is a failing in young people these days, I have often observed."

Leonie mentally rolled her eyes and wished she could roll the clock forward. Part of the stress was preventing her grandmother from getting to the mail first. She tried to bury herself in an essay on The Crucible, but all she could think of was Father Gabriel grabbing her that time in rehearsals. How close they had come to kissing.

And what it felt like when they finally had...

Around half past nine her grandmother put on her hat and coat. "I'm going into town, would you like to accompany me? I need to visit the bank."

Leonie managed to decline gracefully, claiming she wanted to finish off her essay. "I'm nearly done, I'll forget it all if I break the flow."

Impressed by her granddaughter's commitment to her studies, Leonie's grandmother went off on her errands.

Leonie heard her grandmother close the door, and felt huge relief. She couldn't focus on her essay at all, with the clock gradually ticking towards ten. Finally she heard a rattle and light thud and practically fell of her chair racing to the door. There was no one else in the house who could beat her to the door, she was being absurd.

There was a pile of envelopes. Mainly for her grandmother: bills and things. And there, beneath them, was a white envelope with her name and address written in his handwriting.

Leonie simply held it for a while. And then she opened it, and drew out the paper inside.

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

What will it say?!!

Find out on Friday... ;)