Regency Romance: The Earl's Obsession (Historical Romance) (COMPLETED)

Chapter FOUR

"I do not have the slightest idea what all this is." Nancy gestured toward all the parchment on her desk. "People threw them onto my desk. I did not touch them or read them."

"Miss Brooks," the professor began, "I have always wondered how a student such as you—a student with an obvious lack of commitment who only got into this prestigious institute because of...obvious reasons—always managed to do well on tests.." He paused. "You will, of course, receive a zero on this test. I will also reassess your previous tests, keeping in mind this incident. Not that it should matter to you." He smirked. "You do not have the privilege of being an actual student here."

Nancy heard the snickering of students all around her. This was too much for Nancy's pride to handle. She was shaking with anger. Grabbing her bag, she got up and walked out of the classroom as fast as she could.

She was so caught up in her rage that she did not even notice where she was going until she ran headfirst into someone. Losing her balance, she almost fell to the ground, but the other person caught her around her waist and steadied her. Breathlessly, she looked up to see who had saved her, and to her surprise and horror, it was Andrew Montgomery.

"When will you learn to not...take the wrong steps?" He smirked.

Nancy wrenched free of his grasp. "You didn't have to do that. I can take care of myself."

Andrew laughed. "You know, no one has ever spoken to me that way. You're very interesting, Nancy."

Nancy looked up in surprise at the use of her first name.

"If you just beg for my forgiveness in front of the whole school, I will call this whole thing off. We might even become...friends." He winked. And before Nancy could come up with a retort, he walked away.

= = = 

In the days that followed, Nancy's temper and sense of judgment were tested constantly. Sometimes she felt like every step she took was a test. Something was always waiting for her on the other side. The students tried everything in their power to get her to give in. They tried to make her trip over her feet, they blamed her for stealing, and they locked her inside the library, among many other tricks. She kept a demeanor of calmness about her as she dealt with all these situations, one after another. By the end of each passing day, Nancy was exhausted, disheveled, slightly bruised, and in a terrible rage. But soon, she began to anticipate and predict some of their usual tactics and was able to avoid them with some tact.

A week after she had been "marked"—that was what people called it here—by Andrew Montgomery, she was actually feeling good, despite another day filled with taunts and bullying. She had survived one whole week. According to Oliver Crew, the boy she had met on her first day, hardly anyone survived even half a week after they were marked by Andrew. She sat in the library, for once not concentrating on the books before her. She was lost in thought, not realizing it was already pretty late and most students had left the campus by now or gone to the residential side of it, where many of them lived. When she finally looked up and glanced out the window, she saw it was growing dark outside. Closing her books, she shoved them inside her bag and got up, straightening her dark green skirt. She loosened her curly red locks out of her hairband, letting them fall around her shoulders in an attempt to soothe the dull ache in her head from the difficult day she'd had.

She made her way through the silent library, wrapped up in her thoughts, and was caught by surprise when someone grabbed her from behind. Strong arms wrapped around her body, rendering her own arms immobile, as they were flattened against her body. She struggled violently against the hold, but the grip was too strong. A hand clamped over her mouth before she could scream or call out. She started to kick her feet and twist her body, trying to get free.