Ties That Bind Us

Chapter Fifty-Four: À la folie.

Chapter Fifty-Four: À la folie.

Elliott Reynolds.

The Montgomery's, Hendrix's, Fox's and Jacobs's all stood before us at the front steps of the school. Headmaster Bartley was the only one separating us from them.

A car drove up the school lane slowly and stopped behind that of the Jacobs's. I recognised it before the doors of the car opened to reveal who was inside.

My aunt Gertrude practically fell out of the door as the car came to a standstill. My uncle stepped out of the car and quickly raced around it to help her off the concrete.

"Elliott," She called out, her voice furious, "what have you done to my daughter? What have you done to my family name? What have you–"

Nicolas stepped in front of me, his look of calm and composure not faltering as he stared at my aunt. "Don't take that tone with my wife."

Alistair scoffed, "Nicolas, you couldn't have–"

"I have," he stated, calmly, "I have the marriage certificate if you would like to see it, Father."

"Nicolas, what has gotten into you?" Elizabeth asked him, her voice laced with fear.

"I could say the same to you, Sebastian," I heard the tall bond man ask sternly, "I have raised you better than to follow along blindly with the ideas of others."

"As have I raised you both," Mrs Jacobs stated loudly, her narrow gaze staring at her twins.

Ambrose's parents however stayed silent. They didn't reprimand him. I guess they never raised him enough to know he was better than all of this.

I offered him a smile and he winked at me. It was clear that he wasn't letting his parents negligence affect him any longer. Not after he found out for the reason for it.

I placed my hand on Nicolas's arm and he looked down at me as William Bartley took on the task of comforting our parents and reassuring us that we've all been tainted by who could only be considered as the devil.

"Marriage certificate?"

Nicolas nodded, his hand holding my jaw softly, "Don't worry about it. You'll still have your wedding, love."

"Nicolas, what is the meaning of all this?" Alistair Montgomery asked, anger laced in his voice, "I know you are the orchestrater of all of this."

Nicolas looked away from me, his hand falling from my face but entwined through my hand. I still stood behind him, sheltered by his body away from all the unwanted stares.

"Matthew Reynolds left something for me in his will," Nicolas began, "it was to finish something that you've all started and he was killed trying to finish."

"What on earth is he talking about, Father?" I heard Ali ask as the rest of them all grew silent.

William Bartley took a step towards Nicolas. He raised his walking stick off the ground. "You sent me that letter. You have been causing the chaos within this school. You have–"

He reached the top of the stairs and I watched as the stick came down to hit Nico, but he caught it in his hand before it could strike him across the temple as William aimed to.

The impact of the stick against Nicolas hand sent a shiver of pain through his body and I closed my eyes knowing that he was in pain, but too high on adrenaline to feel it just yet.

"Carpe Diem," Nicolas told the man before him. I moved from behind him slightly to see William Bartley, once a strong man in which people bowed down to and students feared, now cower as Nicolas took possession of his walking stick.