The way her legs had parted – or had he parted them with his own – and then her closed eyes, the naked heat of him against her, and the awful pushing pain. Her cry of fear rising to the night, and then the pleasure, the powerful, moving pleasure filling every portion of her quivering young body, making her know that she could, indeed she would live forever as long as she remained in Martin's arms.

"OH GOD!" Alice turned away from the mirror and scurried into the small bathroom that all the teachers' apartments had. There she dabbed witch hazel on her face with little cotton squares, feeling the cooling liquid bring her back to normal. The trembling of her legs had ceased, and Alice felt she would be able to go to her class now. She reminded herself firmly that Martin and all that was finished, far behind her. She was no longer a foolish eighteen year old, silly enough to fall for the phony promises of a man older and more cunning than she. No, there were no men in Alice's life now, and there had been none since Martin, and that was the way she wanted it. Much better to enjoy her quiet but rewarding life as a teacher, than to risk everything for a man's unfaithful caresses.

Refreshed and determined, Alice made her way from her apartment in the left wing of the main building of the private boys' school, the central portion of which housed some of the boys' dorms on the top floors and most of the classrooms on the lower floors. The left wing was in reality a recently built extension to the main building, designed specifically to house the faculty members who lived on campus.

"Morning, Miss Appleton."

"Nice day, Miss Appleton!"

"You're looking lovely today, Miss Appleton."

Alice blushed and said thank you to Mr. Boyse who was the last person she passed in the corridor that lead to her classroom.