I was right to be concerned about the aftermath.

I'd expected Chantelle giving us all the cold shoulder, even Jenny, not that she'd done anything to deserve it. William had never been our biggest fan. Losing his company didn't affect me, or anyone else for that matter. Still, I'd thought Charlie might have a little more integrity than the others. Whatever he felt towards the rest of us for our behaviour, he shouldn't have taken issue with Jenny. And yet, when we saw him in class, he completely blanked us. Instead, he went to sit with his sister and friend, and didn't even glance at us throughout the lesson.

Rather than face the problem head on, as would have been wise, I avoided it. Naturally, I made sure the other girls did as well. Chrissy and Lisa weren't at all bothered by the change in attitude. They'd been polite to Charlie, but he was more a friend of mine and Jenny's than the others. Still, Meg joined the pair of us in hiding in the music room during our lunch break that day. I strummed listlessly on the strings of my guitar while Jenny prodded the keys of the grand piano. My studies had been slipping as of late. I'd hoped the lack of distractions in the form of boys and the change in setting might inspire me. Instead, Jenny's misery had proven contagious, and I had no energy for the instrument.

'Ladies,' Wyatt greeted as he entered the room unannounced and uninvited, 'do you think I could talk to Elisa privately for a moment?'

'No, they don't,' I said without giving him the courtesy of looking up from my task.

Meg got to her feet quickly. 'I need to go for a walk,' she mumbled before she practically bolted out of the room.

Coward.

'Don't you dare,' I warned Jenny.

'Sorry,' she said, 'but I think it would be good for me to talk to Chantelle. I'll catch up with you in the next class, okay?'

No, it wasn't okay, but she was gone before I could stop her. I jumped up from my perch intending to follow them, but was hampered in my escape by Wyatt. He stood resolutely in front of the door. I didn't like being alone with him at the best of times. And after the party, I was sure he was going to lecture me about leaving him there. I mean, we should have taken him with us, but William hadn't been the only boy I'd wanted to get away from.

I folded my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes. I didn't think Wyatt was particularly athletic or strong. I might have been able to overpower him to get out of the door if I really felt the need. But that took a lot of effort and determination. Besides, it wasn't the largest school on the planet. If he was so determined to speak to me then he would find a way.

'I'm getting the feeling you're going to say something I won't like.'

'Elisa, I'd never do that,' he simpered. 'But, I'll admit, I knew you'd be a little apprehensive. I'd be worried if you weren't. Just so you know, your Mum already gave her blessing for this.'

'For what?'

'See, it's that innocence that I love about you. Most women would have noticed my feelings already, but you haven't, because you're so unaware of the ways of men.'

I wasn't, but it didn't seem like the right time to point that out.

'For a long time, although I've called myself your brother, I haven't really felt that way. I know I've been absent in your upbringing, and I think if I hadn't, it would have been difficult for these feelings to develop. When I knew I had a place at this school, and we met again, I realised that I couldn't hide it any longer.'

Please, try.

I opened my mouth to interject and was swiftly interrupted.

'I know you're going to say it's sudden. I know it is for you, but for me this has been a long time coming. I wouldn't have acted at all, but when I was last in France, I met with Madame Courtenay. She was good enough to advise me on my future. She felt that I could be a Professor in some grand institution in a few years, but I needed to set myself up with a wife and family to prove I was reputable and respectable. That being the case, she urged me to find a woman to share my home.'

'... What?'

As much as I professed that, at eighteen, I was an adult; I didn't feel that I was quite adulty enough to handle a conversation about marriage and children. Certainly not with someone who, until today, had referred to us as family. In fact, if it had been Gideon standing before me spouting the same such nonsense, I would still have been repulsed. I was still in school – sixth form, if I was to be specific – and had a lot I wanted to do before I even considered marriage to anyone. When the time came, I trusted that I wouldn't be desperate enough to settle for a sap like Wyatt of all people.

Wyatt closed the distance between us in two strides and crushed me clumsily against his chest. I froze in place, my arms pinned to my sides. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. It wasn't like a boy had never hugged or kissed me before, but this guy was still technically my teacher. Technically, my brother. Technically, a total creep.

'I know that with your father not having much money, you might be worried about entering the kind of society I aspire to, but I think your being in this school will give you the advantage most other normal girls wouldn't be able to boast. Not to mention, your mother is in a good situation now. If Madame Courtenay approves of her for her brother, she'll approve of you. You'll have to learn to temper your sarcasm in her presence, but that shouldn't be too hard.'

'Wyatt, I don't –'

He held me at arm's length, 'I should have said this first, but – I will do my best to love you, Elisa, as a woman.'

I felt like I was going to be sick.

'Look, Wyatt... I –'

Whatever I was going to say to rebuff him was lost. Why? Because he tried to stick his tongue down my throat. My first thought was blind panic as those pouting, damp lips zeroed in on my mouth. The second was to escape and run as far as away as I was physically able. I did the only logical thing, which was to knee him in the balls as hard as possible. His eyes bulged with the pain. Wyatt staggered away a few steps before he dropped to the ground.

'No!' I shouted at him. 'To everything! No!'

'Elisa –'

'Are you totally insane?! I don't even like you as a family member! Why do you think I'd want to date you? And don't even mention marriage, because I swear to God, I will kick you again!'

'I – I don't understand,' he gasped, trying to force down the feeling of agony that was likely coursing through him.

'Let me spell it out for you,' I said. 'You. Me. Never going to happen. I would rather marry a festering pile of trash than spend another second around you!'

Wyatt swallowed hard. He nodded just once, as if he was convincing himself of something. 'I know that sometimes girls refuse someone because they don't want to seem easy. But they go out with them in the end, so –'

'This isn't one of those times, Wyatt. I won't go out with you because I don't like you like that. In fact, I don't like you full stop. Why the hell do you think I've been avoiding you at every bloody turn?'

'Shyness?'

'Get out, Wyatt. Or at least let me leave. In fact, that's better. Because I need to shower until I don't feel totally disgusted by what just happened.'

'Elisa –'

'Never call me that. And if you talk to me as anything other than a teacher from now on, I'll be reporting you for harassment. You're lucky I'm letting you off this time. And think about how dear Mother would feel if she knew what you just did!'

'Your mother –'

'Doesn't get to make my decisions for me and wouldn't approve of you trying to snog me. Conversation's over, Wyatt. Deal with it.'

I didn't want to run out of the room at a sprint. Doing so would make anyone passing by suspicious if they saw me. Besides, I wanted to maintain the illusion that I had full control of myself and my emotions. I didn't, obviously. Inside, I was freaking out. Just because we weren't blood relatives, it didn't make it any less weird that Wyatt had come to my school intending to leave with his future wife. The very idea of anyone being subjected to a relationship with that creep made my stomach turn violently.

I wouldn't even have wished him on Chantelle, and that was saying something.

I had a half day of classes left, but they were going to have to wait. As much as I wanted to see Gideon in my Music lesson, I thought it would just remind me of the incident. That, and I didn't want him to know what had happened.

Well, maybe I did.

I wasn't so vain as to think it would make him jealous to know that someone was interested in me. I just thought he might be a good person to vent to. Gideon knew Wyatt from university and might talk some sense into him. Besides, my friends were just going to rub it in that they'd called his infatuation correctly.

It was too bad we couldn't smuggle alcohol into school because I felt like I needed a stiff drink or ten to obliterate the entire day from my mind.