Lucian declares that he hates all binders, revealing that de Havilland binds their servants repeatedly and that his father has shelves full of their books. He tells Emmett that he will be called out to bind Nell again and again.
Realising that Emmett’s name sounds familiar, Lucian rummages in the chest of newly delivered books and pulls out a binding with ‘Emmett Farmer’ inscribed on the spine. Emmett tries to grab the book, but Lucian holds it out of reach. Kneeing Lucian in the groin, Emmett succeeds in snatching the book but finds he cannot read its pages. As Lucian reaches for the bell-pull, Emmett throws his book into the fire.
PART TWO
XII
Emmett remembers the day he first met Lucian. On the way home from poaching rabbits on Lord Archimbolt’s estate, he and his sister, Alta, encounter a young man in the ruins of an old castle. After the stranger introduces himself as Lucian Darnay, Alta steps into the middle of the frozen moat and falls into the icy waters. Lucian is the first to rescue her and, despite Emmett’s protests, insists on taking Alta back to their farm on horseback.
Emmett arrives back at the farm to see Lucian wearing his best shirt and being treated like a hero by his family. His mood does not improve when, after rebuking his sister for endangering her life, he learns that she did so deliberately in the hope that Lucian would save her. Left alone with Lucian, Emmett threatens their visitor, instructing him to leave and never come back.
XIII
Following her ‘accident’, Alta is confined to bed with a fever. After a couple of weeks, however, she is sufficiently recovered to ask whether Lucian has kept his promise to return. Discovering that her brother banished him, Alta becomes disconsolate, claiming that she loves Lucian (who, she has discovered, is Lord Archimbolt’s nephew.)
Having reluctantly written an apology letter to Lucian, Emmett goes to Lord Archimbolt’s house. Hoping to leave the letter and a parcel of Lucian’s clothes with the housekeeper, he is dismayed when Lucian answers the door. Clearly enjoying Emmett’s discomfort, Lucian agrees to visit Alta soon.
Lucian’s next visit to the farm coincides with the Farmer family’s terrier giving birth to two puppies. On learning that the Farmers can only keep one puppy, and the other might be drowned, Lucian asks if he can have the unwanted pup. Emmett reluctantly agrees to him taking the puppy once she is three months old.
XIV
Lucian frequently visits his puppy, which he names Splotch. He also spends hours sitting at Alta’s bedside, entertaining her. Asked by his parents to act as a chaperone to Alta and Lucian, Emmett is also forced to spend time with their regular visitor.
Despite the complex mixture of emotions that Lucian provokes in him, Emmett reluctantly begins to enjoy his company. One day, Lucian pretends to tell Alta’s fortune, pronouncing that she will fall in love with ‘a dark young man’ who will return her love. Emmett reacts furiously.
As the festive celebration of the Turning approaches, Alta is well enough to spend time out of bed. After asking Lucian to show her how to waltz, she insists that he should also teach her brother. As instructed, the two men briefly dance in each other’s arms until Emmett becomes breathless. Afterwards, Emmett impulsively invites Lucian to join his family for Turning dinner – despite having previously considered inviting Perannon Cooper – an attractive local girl.
XV
By the time spring arrives, Lucian has become an everyday part of the Farmers’ lives, accompanying Alta and Emmett almost everywhere. At the Wakening Fair, Emmett and Lucian creep off together when Alta joins the local girls in a ribbon dance. Lucian becomes angry, however, when Emmett wanders over to the book stall. Realising from Emmett’s reaction that he does not understand what the books contain, Lucian explains that they are the worst memories of other peoples’ lives, bound into book form through magic.
Lucian reveals to Emmett that he has been sent to his uncle’s house as a punishment but, at some stage, his father will summon him back to Castleford to help run his factories. When Emmett asks what he has done to deserve the punishment, however, Lucian refuses to tell him.
XVI
One day, during a walk in the woods, Splotch disappears. While searching the upper floor of a dilapidated gatekeeper’s lodge, Emmett and Lucian are interrupted by the arrival of Lord Archimbolt and Perannon Cooper and hide out of sight. Listening to the exchange taking place below, the two young men struggle to contain their mirth. While Lucian’s uncle plays the role of the angry lord of the manor, Perannon acts the part of the penitent poacher. Standing in close proximity to Lucian and listening to the unmistakable sounds of the couple having sex, Emmett is unable to conceal his arousal. The encounter makes Emmett realise that his crush on Perannon is very much a thing of the past.
After an entire week without a visit from Lucian, Emmett keenly feels his absence. He gloomily concludes that Lucian has been summoned back to Castleford and has abandoned him without a word. On Midsummer’s Day morning, however, Lucian returns when everyone is asleep, waking only Emmett. They walk to the ruined castle and Lucian announces that he is considering asking Alta to marry him.
XVII
Unable to hide his emotions any longer, Emmett begs Lucian not to marry his sister. In response, Lucian kisses him. Several hours later, Emmett returns home feeling blissfully happy.
In the following days, Emmet makes the most of Alta’s decision to rebuff Lucian as a punishment for his absence. Whenever possible, he creeps out to meet Lucian alone, and during one of these encounters Lucian presents him with an ‘engagement ring’.
Alta decides that she has punished Lucian for long enough and she, Emmett and Lucian again become a threesome. Desperate to get Lucian alone, Emmett comes up with a plan to keep his sister at home. By hiding one of her boots, he ensures that, when Lucian comes to call, Alta has to stay behind.
Finally alone together, Emmet and Lucian make love at the ruined castle. Afterwards, Lucian repeats his former proposal that Emmett should become his secretary. Eventually persuaded, Emmett also agrees to spend the night with Lucian at Lord Archimbolt’s house.
After spending the night together, Lucian and Emmett ignore a knocking on the front door in the early hours of the morning. Later, Lucian discovers a note from his father instructing him to return to Castleford immediately. Emmett returns home to find that his parents have been crying.
XVIII
Initially assuming that something has happened to Alta, Emmett soon realises that his parents know about his affair with Lucian. Unable to find her hidden boot, Alta had put on her dancing shoes to follow Emmett and Lucian and had seen everything. On hearing what his daughter had witnessed, Mr Farmer had written to Lucian’s father. Confronting their son, Emmett’s parents issue Emmett with an ultimatum – he can continue to be their son but only if he never touches Lucian, or any other man, again.
Soon afterwards, the Farmers receive a visit from Acre – an employee of Lucian’s father. Implying that Lucian is in the habit of seducing young men and women (including the recent conquest of an underage scullery maid), Acre offers to pay for Emmett to visit a binder so that he can forget the whole experience. Determined to retain his memories of Lucian, Emmett turns down the offer. Before leaving, Acre returns the shirt that Emmett once lent to Lucian. When Acre has gone, Emmett finds a message from Lucian sewn into the collar. The note instructs him to go to the crossroads of the Castleford road that night.
XIX
As soon as night falls, Emmett runs to the crossroads When he approaches, however, he realises that the waiting figure is Acre and not Lucian. In a nearby horse and cart, Alta lies, unconscious, under the watchful eye of a thug named Wright. Acre tells Emmett that, if he does as he is told, his sister will receive no further injuries. To underline his point, he produces a sack containing Splotch and restrains Emmett while Wright hits the