CHAPTER THREE

Throughout the week Manfred spent as much time with Amelia as possible. He walked with her to dinner, sat next to her during dinner and they chatted about anything and everything. Manfred found that Amelia occupied most of his thoughts and he missed her when she wasn't with him. Sitting at his desk in his study on Friday night Manfred held his head in his hands and wondered what to do. He wanted to be with Amelia more than anything but he knew his family would be furious if he started a relationship with her. Amelia was quite clearly good, that had become more and more clear as the week had gone on. Charlie Bone and his friends had introduced themselves to Amelia and he knew Amelia had taken to them in a way she hadn't taken to Dagbert and the others. Amelia had told them off several times for picking on younger students and clearly disliked people treating each other badly, which was bad news for Manfred.

Manfred had tormented the majority of the students at Bloor's and he couldn't deny he had enjoyed it, but now all he could think about was how disappointed Amelia would be if she caught him tormenting one of the students and her disappointment wasn't something Manfred wanted to face. And he knew why. He had spent hours at night thinking about his feeling for Amelia but didn't dare share them with anyone else. Manfred had come to the shocking conclusion that he was in love with Amelia Fairchild and he hadn't the faintest idea what to do about it.

She will never love me the way I love her, Manfred thought miserably. Feeling sorry for himself Manfred ignored the sound of his study door opening; deciding whoever it was would simply have to come back later.

"Manfred, are you alright?" said the soft, sweet voice Manfred loved. Looking up, hardly daring to believe it was her, Manfred looked at the person who had entered his study. And there she stood, the woman he loved, looking down at him with a look of concern on her angelic face.

"Manfred, what's wrong? You look so upset", Amelia said, her concern growing. Manfred opened his mouth to speak but wasn't sure what to say. Surely if he confessed his feelings for her she would laugh at him, but he had to say something if only to reassure her.

"I don't know what to do, Amelia?" he said, quietly. She came round the desk and knelt beside his chair. This close Manfred could smell her sweet lily scent.

"Please tell me what's wrong; maybe I can help you", she said. Manfred looked down at her beautiful face and saw the concern in her lovely blue eyes and he knew he couldn't take it anymore. He had to know, he had to take a chance. Still looking down to her, Manfred lent down towards her and gently kissed her. At first Amelia just went ridged but just as he was about to pull away she began to kiss him back. Immediately, both felt that electric pull and as he kissed her Manfred never wanted it to end, in fact Manfred realised he had never wanted a girl as badly as he wanted Amelia. But to Manfred's dismay, just as he went to deepen the kiss Amelia pulled away.

"Wait. Manfred I need to talk to you", Amelia said. Manfred couldn't hide his disappointment but that was soon replaced with panic. What was she going to say? She had kissed him back but something was wrong.

"Manfred, do you care about me?" she asked. This wasn't what Manfred was expecting but he wasn't stupid, he knew he would have to be completely honest with Amelia if he had any hope of being with her.

"Yes. And it terrifies me. Do you have any idea what it's like when you know you love someone, but know, as well that to love is against your reason and character. I never in my life thought I'd fall in love. My father told me love was a weakness and I've spent nearly eighteen years believing him, and then you came along", Manfred looked Amelia in the eye and gave a small smile before continuing,

"I've never had feelings like this before and it's terrifying. I don't know what to do." Manfred suddenly stopped realizing that he'd just born his heart to Amelia. It made him feel vulnerable and he didn't like it. He turned away from her and waited for her inevitable rejection.

"It's terrifying for me to. I've never been in love before either, but loving isn't against my character or reason. But my feelings for you surprised me at first. I'd been warned that you were evil, cold and cruel and yet…I've only known you to be charming and sweet. I thought it was wrong to have feelings for you but then I realised that whether you like it or not there is something inside you that is good. I know there is, I've seen it", said Amelia, standing beside Manfred's chair and looking down at him with a determined expression. Manfred, meanwhile, was trying to process her words. She cares about me! She actually cares about me, thought Manfred. He felt a sudden elation but then he realised if he wanted Amelia he would have to change his way. But if being good meant he got to be with Amelia then it would be worth it. Could he do it? He knew Amelia had said there was goodness within him, but Manfred wasn't so sure.

"Amelia, I'm not a good person, I've done terrible things. You must understand that."

"Everyone can change, Manfred", Amelia said softly, as Manfred stood in front of her, with an almost tortured expression.

"Did you know that a good deed erases a bad deed?" she asked. Manfred shook his head thinking that he'd have to do a hell of a lot of good deeds in order to erase all the bad ones he did. Then there was his family. If he told them he was no longer willing to help them to control the endowed and destroy Charlie Bone and his family because he loved Amelia and wanted to be with her, Manfred knew the Bloor's would punish both him and Amelia and he was loathed to let that happen.

"Would you be willing to try?" Amelia asked gently. Manfred looked down at her, he looked into those beautiful bright blue eyes and thought about this past week and realised that it had been the happiest of his life. Being with her helped calm and relax him and he had found this was helping make both his endowments stronger, he could now produce fire in his hands with ease and his hypnotism was stronger too. Manfred looked at Amelia's eyes so full of hope and promise and made his decision.

"Yes, Amelia, I'll try but we can't let my family or the Yewbeams find out; not yet, anyway, not until I can think up a way to deal with them." Manfred was rewarded for this when Amelia beamed up at him with delight and then flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Manfred smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair breathing in her wonderful scent. Life's going to be a lot better from now on, Manfred thought as he realised that for the first time in his life he had someone who truly cared about him and not just his power.