After hours of pacing my room, I finally sink down onto the edge of my bed and put my head in my hands.

What a stupid, reckless, drunk idiot. He deserves everything that’s coming to him. He killed a man.

I take a deep breath to calm down. I’m furious at Connor for everything he’s done. I’m disgusted he’s so needlessly taken a life and enraged he’s put Melissa in a position where she has to clean up his messes again. I want to tell her to let Connor face the consequences of his actions on his own, but I know Melissa would never do that. Her soul is too kind.

And that’s why I love her.

I want to help, but I don’t know how. My bank balance is at the lowest it’s ever been, what with having to cover my own expenses on the allowance my father has given me. I have no money to cover the fees of a private attorney, which, at this point, is Connor’s only hope.

The facts are: Connor threw the first punch, Connor threw the last punch, and this is not Connor’s first violent offense. Whether or not he went out intending to take a life that night, he’s had enough close brushes with the law to know better. In the eyes of any rational judge, Connor’s a man on a road to self-destruction, who’s not afraid to take down others with him. Plus, the fact he was high—It doesn’t look good for Connor.

There’s only one thing I can do. I pick up my phone and call my father.

When he answers, I can hear the disapproval in his voice before I’ve even said anything. “Henry. It’s unlike you to call me. What kind of trouble are you in?”

“I’m not in trouble.”

“Money, then. I’m not giving you anything. You have enough for the year, and if you’ve blown through it all, you’ll have to find your own way of paying the rest of your term’s expenses. It’s about time you learned a little about personal responsibility.”

I take a deep breath and look down at my lap. “You’re right. I’m calling to ask for a loan. But it’s not for me.”

“What then?”

“You just need to trust me.”

“Ha!” My father’s scornful laugh echoes down the line. “I’ve lived through the aftermath of enough of your pranks to know that I can’t trust you, Henry. What have you done this time? Burned down a classroom? Crashed a friend’s car? Vandalized a building? I’m sorry, but I’m not throwing money away so you can save face. If you’ve caused a problem, it’s your job to face the consequences.”

“I said, it’s not for me.”

“What, then? Is it that little girlfriend of yours?”

I don’t answer. My silence is all my father needs to hear. He scoffs. “Of course, it is. I told you all she was after was money, didn’t I? This is why you only ought to date within your own circles. If you don’t, you end up attracting women who are only looking for a free ride. You’ll learn that the hard way in the end.”

My blood boils at the way he talks about Melissa, but I keep my cool because I need his help. “She hasn’t asked for anything.”

“You want to impress her with some fancy gesture, is that it? Take her skiing? Buy her jewelry? You’re only playing her game.”

“Will you stop?” I snap impatiently. “I’m not asking for money to get myself out of trouble, to waste on something stupid, or to spoil a woman.”

“How much are you after?”

I clear my throat, feeling my cheeks redden even as I say the figure. “A hundred thousand pounds.”

There’s a pause on the end of the line. Then my father bursts into loud, contemptuous laughter. “Even for you, Henry, that’s a stupid amount to ask for. Why on earth do you think I’d give you that sort of money with no explanation?”

“You’d do it if it were for Alexander.”

“Yes, and Alexander would use it to make a wise investment, then pay it back within a couple of months. You would take it, waste it, and I’d never see a penny of it again.”

“I wouldn’t be calling if I didn’t really need it.”

“I’m not giving you a single penny unless you tell me what it’s for.”

I let out a slow breath. I know telling my father the truth won’t help me, but it’s the only option left. “Melissa’s brother has been charged with a crime, and she can’t afford a private attorney.”

The silence at the end of the line this time is longer and more intense. When my father speaks at last, his voice trembles with rage, and is low and dangerous. “I warned you that girl was no good, but you wouldn’t listen. You only wanted to stroke your ego by rescuing a damsel in distress, enjoying the novelty of being swooned over for your accent and father’s fortune. Now you’re naïve enough to fall for her scam?”

“It’s not a scam. I’ve seen her brother in the hospital. I’ve seen the police. Met the lawyer.”

“You think that makes it better?” My father’s voice raises a pitch in anger. “You want me to give you my money so you can bail out her degenerate brother? What has he been charged with? Dealing drugs? Burglary?”

I don’t reply. The word manslaughter is too violent. It conjures up imagery of a vicious, dangerous person. Which Connor is, or was. Finally, I manage, “I just want to help Melissa. She means a lot to me.”

“I don’t care, Henry. I don’t care if she’s the love of your life, mother to your children, or top of the class at Harvard. She’s from a dysfunctional, criminal family, and she’s using you to claw her way into the next social tier.”

“You don’t even know her.”

“I’ve known enough like her. A woman with any kind of morals about her wouldn’t dream of bringing you into something like this. Now you want to throw money at her? Those kinds of sums? You’re an idiot, Henry. Sometimes the things you say and do make me thoroughly ashamed to be your father. I cannot believe you would be so ignorant. Learn to think with your head, boy, instead of other parts.”

I’m so angry my blood feels like it’s sparking inside my veins, little bursts of hot electricity. The veins in my jaw and temple throb. Pressure builds behind my eyes. “For once in my life, I’m putting someone else before myself. I thought this was the kind of man you wanted me to be.”

“Then you’re more of a fool than I thought you were. If you want my approval, Henry, drop that girl and drop her fast. She’s a scheming gold-digger, and you’re playing right into her hands. Don’t let your head get turned by a pretty American with a sob story. In fact, if you want me to continue to support you, you’ll end things tonight. The last thing this family needs is another scandal.”

“Why do you care so much what people think? All my life, that’s all that’s mattered to you.”

“You wouldn’t understand, Henry. You’re reckless and selfish. What’s important means nothing to you. You’d rather cause a scandal for two minutes of attention than work hard to earn a reputation. You tell me which one really counts.”

“Forget it,” I say. “I don’t know why I bothered to call. I should have known all I’d get is a lecture.”

“Good. I don’t want to hear any more about it. Don’t you give a single penny to that girl. You break up with her, you hear me? She’s leading you toward trouble.”