Falling From Grace: Student-Teacher Forbidden Romance

Chapter 55

[RECAP: Leonie and Father Gabriel have been tucked away in their love nest, getting up to very unholy activity...]

When Leonie woke the next morning she momentarily forgot where she was. She was lying in a warm, soft bed, far more comfortable than the narrow iron bedsteads and thin mattresses of St Winifred's.

There was something heavy lying across her.

It was an arm. Gabriel's arm.

Leonie had never woken up with a guy before, so this was a first. She lay as still as she could, trying to avoid stirring so she didn't disturb him. She enjoyed the closeness of being with him. She felt safe.

Somehow he sensed she was awake and opened his eyes.

"I've dreamt about this," he told her.

"This?"

"Waking up with you." He rolled over so he was above her, and kissed her. 

They made love and lazed in bed for another hour afterwards as there was no reason to get up. It was Sunday and they had the whole day and the whole coming week entirely to themselves.

"Do you have a double bed in the presbytery?" Leonie asked him.

"No, an exceedingly narrow single bed. Why?"

"I've fantasised about sneaking out of the dorm and joining you. Except I didn't know which window was yours."

Gabriel gave a wicked smile, idly circling her breast with his fingers. "You'd probably give Father Stephen a heart attack."

"More likely he'd give me a million Hail Marys," Leonie said.

"It's the left hand window as you look from St Winifred's. But for heaven's sake don't try it. The drainpipe would likely come away from the wall and you'd plummet to your death."

Leonie arched her back as he caressed her. "You could let a rope ladder down."

Gabriel could just imagine explaining to Father Stephen why he had brought back a rope ladder with him. They both knew it was an insane idea, the risk of discovery would be far too high. But it was fun to speculate about.

"I'd have to sneak out before dawn," Leonie said. "What time does Father Stephen get up?"

"Three o'clock if he's doing Lauds. Otherwise we're both up by six o'clock, for Prime."

"It might be awkward if he came back from Lauds and found me in the shower," Leonie said.

"Even more so if he found me in there with you. However, he's currently hundreds of miles away, so how about taking a shower with me now?"

As they stood with hot water drumming down, covered with soap, Gabriel considered how it was the first morning for years that he had risen without praying. Normally he needed prayer both for mental clarity as well as his daily devotions.

But with Leonie, he barely missed it. Being with her made everything feel clear. It felt right.

Shouldn't he be feeling more guilt about this?

They were having breakfast downstairs when the phone rang.

Leonie froze. She knew it was her grandmother or her parents or Mother Benedict, even though there was no rational way that any of them could have the number. She cast a panicked glance at Gabriel.

He picked it up. "Hello?" Then. "Iphigenia. Is everything alright? Of course, here she is." He handed the receiver to Leonie.

Feeling shaky, Leonie took the phone. "What is it? Has someone found out?" She had given Figgy the number of the cottage in case there was an emergency.

"Nothing like that, don't worry! It's something good. Do you have a Telegraph with you? A Sunday Telegraph?"

"A what?" Leonie had no idea what Figgy was talking about.

"It's a newspaper. Go and buy one, there must be a paper shop open somewhere near you. Seriously. I won't spoil it, but turn to page forty-six."

Leonie was impatient. "Tell me! I'm going to panic unless I know."

But Figgy remained as cryptic as the Sphinx. "Go and get a copy. And phone me back when you've read it."

Hanging up, Leonie relayed the instructions to Gabriel. "She wants me to get some newspaper. She wouldn't say why, except it was good news." Maybe St Winifred's had burnt down. Would that be good news or bad news?

"I'll clear this up and then we'll drive out and find a copy," Gabriel said.

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all. We need some more supplies, anyway."

His emphasis on the word supplies raised Leonie's curiosity. "Supplies?"

"I didn't think we'd get through as many as we have. Given we've got a week together, I'll probably need to buy a crate."

He meant condoms. Leonie felt her face do its normal blush. "You can't buy them all. I should buy some."

"I earn a salary, you don't. I'm the one who needs to protect, so I'll buy them."

Leonie had a brief, forbidden fantasy about Gabriel buying them wearing his priest clothes. She could just imagine the look on the pharmacist's face. She didn't dare to suggest this, as it would probably be disrespectful to his position. But it was very funny to think of, as well as a bit of a turn on.

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What could be in the newspapers?!!

"PRIEST SEDUCES SCHOOLGIRL SHOCK SEX SCANDAL!"

Or something quite different...