Third chapter. I really like this one. Sorry about the delay, it's a little late because school has started again, but it is quite long!
Excuse my terrible French, it is really bad. It probably doesn't make sense.

Simon will be in the next chapter!

My porridge is cold and congealed. I attempt to bite through it and swallow it but it proves an impossible task. My stomach lurches and I push the bowl away, pulling a new, clean plate towards me. In an unusual twist of luck, there is some bacon left on the plate in the centre of the table. Perhaps I shall not go hungry after all! Just as I reach out, another hand flies out and snatches the bacon from the plate, leaving it bare. Incredulous, I look around for the offender and smiling patronisingly down at me is, off course, Cecily Temple.

She quirks her eyebrow at me and pops the bacon into her mouth, sighing softly. 'Delectable,' she tells me, crunching the bacon.

A low growl rises from my throat but before I can react, Mrs. Nightwing stands up from her seat at the front of the room and taps sharply on her glass with her spoon.

'Girls! May I have your attention for one moment, please?' She clears her throat loudly and waits until silence descends on the hall and all eyes are on her. 'Thank you. After some discussion, some teachers and I have decided we would like to hold another Assembly Day this year.' She raises her hands to quieten the chatter that rises from my schoolmates. 'Many of you would like to see your family again before Easter, so we shall hold this Assembly Day next week. I trust you will all write to your families to inform them of this.'

She smiles down at us as an internal groan runs through me. The last thing I want is a visit from Tom and my grandmother. It seems I am not alone in these thoughts. Felicity sits next to me, biting her nails absentmindedly, her forehead creased in a worried frown. Ann sits opposite me looking more miserable than usual. It will be a lonely day for her. She will sit in our bedroom while Felicity and I silently endure the torturous visits.

None of us speak as we file out of the hall to our classes. I am trying to think of a way I can get out of telling my family about this latest event when Mrs. Nightwing stops me by the door. She peers down at me over her glasses. 'I trust you will invite Mr. Middleton to the Assembly Day, Miss Doyle?'

I am surprised. Truthfully, I never thought of this. I smile falsely at Mrs. Nightwing. 'Of course.'

She nods in approval and sweeps me from the room in front of her. Felicity and Ann are waiting for me by the stairs and we walk together towards Mademoiselle LeFarge's classroom.

'What did she want?' Felicity asks as we climb the staircase.

'She wanted to know if I intend on inviting Simon to Assembly Day.'

'Ah….do you?'

I give a low chuckle. 'I haven't though about it. I'm actually trying to find a way out of inviting my family.'

Felicity nods. 'I doubt my family will even want to come.'

Ann speaks quietly. 'At least neither of you will have to keep from everyone's view that day because most of London thinks you a liar.'

'Ann, nobody thinks you a liar,' I say to comfort her, even though what she said is perfectly true. She knows this and casts me a withering look.

This annoys me. She thinks she has the worst bargain because she'll be alone? To be alone is all I want.

'Well, at least you don't have to make awkward small talk with your pompous, big-headed brother or the fiancé you got stuck with, who you don't really want to marry!' I snap, stomping on the stairs. In my irrational fit it takes me a few moments to notice that Ann and Felicity are not following me. I turn to them and am faced with two shocked looking faces. I watch as a small triumphant grin finds its place of Felicity's lips.

'What?' I ask.

'I was right!' Felicity says proudly.

'About what?' I ask, confused.

'You don't want to marry Simon!'

'What?' I force a small giggle, frantic thoughts running through my head. 'Wherever did you get that idea?'

'You just said it!' Felicity says, exasperated.

'No, I didn't,' I say, slightly unsure. Did I?

'You did say it, Gemma,' Ann says matter-of-factly.

I frown. 'Slip of the tongue. I didn't mean it.'

'Yes, you did,' Felicity contradicts.

'I was being dramatic, Felicity. I didn't mean anything I said.'

'I think you did, Gemma,' Ann interrupts, in the same tone as before.

'And why do you think that?' I say, infuriated.

'Because of your dream last week.' Ann smirks slightly.

'My dream? What—' I trail off. I know what dream. I turn to Ann. 'What about it?' I ask casually, my heart thumping.

'Ooh yes, what about it?' Felicity asks eagerly.

'Well…,' Ann climbs further up the stairs, enjoying her position as centre of attention. 'I lied.'

'Lied how?' Felicity is practically salivating.

'I said you mentioned no names, Gemma…,' she pauses for the thrill. I close my eyes briefly. Ann leans closer to Felicity and me. 'But I lied.' She grins slowly. 'Does "Kartik" ring a bell?' She flushes slightly.

Felicity squeals and I groan simultaneously.

'It wasn't about anything,' I say quickly, my cheeks heating.

'Neither of us said it was, Gemma,' Felicity said playfully, enjoying my torture. 'We don't think such things.'

Neither of them are reacting as I thought they would. Neither of them are shocked or scandalised by my dreaming of another man, as I was sure they would be. But, I remind myself dryly, this is Felicity, the girl caught behind the boathouse in the arms of a gypsy. Nothing seems to shock her.

'Yes, well…' I march forward and yank open the classroom door. My cheeks feel like they are on fire. Felicity winks at me as she glides in before me and Ann has the good grace to blush.

'Bonjour, mes filles!' We take our places as Mademoiselle LeFarge waltzes into the room. She turns to us and beams at me radiantly. 'Ah, Gemma, ça va?'

I duck my head and hope this is the only question she asks me. 'Ça va.'

'Vous sont pour être épousé?'

'Ah…,' I am lost. The question makes Felicity giggle.

Mademoiselle LeFarge repeats the question. I have no idea what it means, so I decide to guess the answer. 'Le temps est très bon.' I smile up at her. The weather is very nice. At least that's what I hope I said.

Mademoiselle frowns at me and for a moment I think I may have insulted her. 'Miss Bradshaw, please translate the question for Miss Doyle.'

Ann smiles dutifully and spouts off the correct translation. 'You are to be married?'

'Oh.' I am embarrassed. I nod. 'Oui.'

'Vous sont excité?'

Cecily emits an exaggerated, bored sigh and I look at Ann again, quite mortified.

'Are you excited?' she whispers.

I sigh quietly. Why will no one let the subject drop? 'Oui,' I repeat, hoping to draw the conversation to a close.

The teacher seems to grow tired of my pathetic effort and with a final dark glance, Mademoiselle LeFarge turns to Felicity and starts up a conversation in rapid French. I sigh and lean back on my seat, enjoying my hour of solitude until the class finishes.

Neither Felicity nor Ann mentions the subject of my marriage or Kartik again, but Felicity wears a wry, victorious smile. Why she is happy that I do not want to marry my fiancé is beyond me, but I do not ask or fear of bringing on a repeat of the embarrassing conversation. Instead, I skip dinner and escape out into the garden. I sit by the stone bench outside the chapel, tracing patterns into the hard stone with my finger. I sit alone for several minutes, with only my thoughts for company, and I don't look up until someone sits in the seat next to me. Raising my head, I see it is Kartik.

I quickly look over at the school, but we are hidden from view. I turn away but still do not look at him. I am embarrassed by my behaviour last week in the woods.

'Hello,' he says quietly.

I nod in response but don't say anything.

We sit for several more minutes, allowing silence to descend.

'Kartik—'

'Gemma—'

I bite my lip. 'Go on.' I nod at him to continue.

He bobs his head and looks at me. I can't bring myself to meet his eyes. 'Gemma—do you remember last week in the forest?' He speaks hesitantly.

'Yes.' I cringe at the memory of my boldness.

But that does not seem to be what he is thinking of. 'Do you remember what you said?'

'Er…,' I raise an eyebrow. 'I said a lot. Any part in particular?'

'Do you remember what you said about not wanting to get married?'

'Oh.' I blow air from my lips, exhaling slowly. 'I remember.'

'Did you mean it?'

I finally look at him. He is leaning forward on the bench slightly, His hands out in front of him, his arms resting on his legs. His expression is serious, his eyes squinted slightly to block the sun.

I study him for several seconds before I nod slowly. '…yes.'

He narrows his eyes even more. 'Then why are you?'

'Why am I marrying him?' I laugh. 'Because when he asked, I didn't think, I just accepted. And now it's too late.'

'Why is it too late?' His expression is grave and his brown eyes bore into my green ones while waiting for a response.

I shake my head. 'You don't understand how society works, Kartik,' I say shortly. 'Women are not supposed to stress themselves by thinking too much. I can't break off my engagement to Simon because it would cause a scandal. Everything would be called into question: my position, my independence, my virtue.' I look him in the eye. 'If I break off this engagement, I will be seen as a disagreeable girl who is too "loose". I would lose whatever freedom I have, Grandmamma would lock me in my room until I'm twenty and the chances of me making another match are slim. No one wants a girl who has got a reputation for being fussy or picky, or whose virtue may not be intact.'

He raises an eyebrow. 'And Simon?'

'What of him? Yes, Simon could call it off. But as far as he knows, I am happy. And even if he were to know that I didn't want to marry him, if he called it off my virtue would be in question perhaps even more, and rumours about why he broke it off would be rampant.'

'What do you care about rumours?'

'I care when they threaten my future.'

'You would really marry unwillingly to fit the interests of society?'

I struggle with this question. 'Well, yes, it sounds silly when you simply say it like that, but it's different when you live it. It's a serious matter. Nobody wants a scandal.'

'You would have an unhappy marriage before a scandal?' He observes me solemnly. 'I never took you to be that kind of girl, Gemma: to worry about what others think.'

Why is he being so difficult today? What does it matter what type of girl I am? It bothers me that I am not the girl he wants me to be, and I am annoyed at myself for wanting his approval. 'Nobody wants to be alone forever, Kartik, and most people would choose unhappiness over loneliness. Besides, Simon doesn't make me unhappy…'

'But he doesn't make you happy.' Not a question, a statement.

I am getting frustrated. He is being deliberately stubborn. It is tiring explaining myself. 'He is fine. Not everyone can have a fairytale.'

'Happiness is not a lot to ask for.'

'Perhaps not for some people, but my situation is not like that of most girls. I should be happy someone is willing to marry me, particularly someone like Simon: I shall be very comfortable with him.' My face is red with the effort of not getting angry. This is the first time I have truly thought about the life that lies ahead of me, and I want time to process it before I attempt to explain it to anyone.

Kartik doesn't speak; he just looks at me through his extraordinarily long lashes. 'You could be happy, Gemma,' he says softly. 'You deserve to be.'

I look at him hopelessly. 'How?' I whisper.

He leans over and tucks a strand of loose hair behind my ear, his finger gently grazing underneath my earlobe. My eyes automatically shoot frantically towards the school. No one is watching. Kartik's finger is at my neck now, tracing circles into my skin.

'Stop that,' I say, reluctantly pulling away from his touch and standing up. My skin tingles where his hand touched it. He looks at me, wide-eyed, and raises his hands in a gesture of surrender. His hands are slightly calloused from the rough life he as been living with the gypsies. I want to run to him, to feel his strong arms, to enter his embrace, but instead I adopt a formal tone as I turn to speak to him.

'Kartik, I would like to apologise for my behaviour.' He raises an eyebrow as I continue. 'For what I did in the woods…and by the lake—,' I blush crimson. 'It was out of line.'

The sides of his lips curve upwards. 'That's okay. I don't mind.'

This makes me blush deeper. 'Well…,' I falter. '…I'm glad we straightened that out.'

'Yes.' Kartik smiles slowly, making the red of my cheeks intensify.

'Fine…good…,' I cough. I can think of nothing more to say. I don't want to leave his company, but I am embarrassed and I don't wish for anyone to see us together. 'I better go,' I say. I turn back towards the school and I come to a halt when he calls after me.

'Gemma—your life is what you make it.'

I stand still, my back to him, as I listen to him walk away. The gravel crunches below his feet and I contemplate his words. I sigh and continue towards the school to write my letters to Simon and my family about Assembly Day.

Terrible French. That's why I dropped it!

My historic facts may be a bit off. I don't know if a lady would really be considered 'tainted' if she had a broken engagement. But I put it in for dramatic effect

Anyway, review please! This is my favourite chapter.
It might be a while before the next chapter, because I'm back at school now, but I'll try my best