Christopher wakes up and scans his room. The surroundings are familiar, yet appear unfamiliar and distant, perhaps because he finds himself having formed a certain attachment to Crestwood. In a groggy state, he picks up his coat and takes out the pin from his pocket. He wonders what had gotten into him to steal the pin with Clara's face on it. He observes the face on it. A gentle yet determined face, with dark eyes brooding with mystery. Her curls land gently on her face, enhancing her soft features. His eyes rest on Clara's lips, and remain so for a while before he looks away.

He calls for the manservant who arranges for his bath. Christopher's baths are usually meant for him to remove all thoughts from his head. This time however, his mind is overburdened by Victor and Clara's thought. Clara's appearance bears a striking resemblance to Victor, so much so that if they were to exchange clothes, identifying them would be next to impossible. Victor's jaw, he recollects, is not manly enough, but that might be owing to the fact that he is still a young man, and has much to see in this world.

Yet, Clara, as distant as she is, serves a relief, a point where Christopher's vexation might cede. He evades logic due to his belief in his assumption of having had some absurd feelings about Victor because he looked too womanly. Clara being a replica of Victor implies to him that it is a woman he has fallen for. And for the first time, he admits that he has fallen for a woman, without ever having met her.

***

Clara wakes up with a splitting headache. She marvels at her remaining alive after the events of the previous night. She faintly recollects Harriet unbuttoning her shirt. Her secret must have been discovered. If Harriet were to say something to Christopher, it would become a grave matter, not merely for Clara herself, but her family as well. Her family would be banished from society for sending a daughter to Oxford. With her family's name at stake, Clara cannot sit still. She decides to speak to Harriet and handle the matters, even if it means pleading with her as a desperate man would do with a woman.

She looks around and fins Wilhelm sleeping on the ottoman, a blanket covering him. She smiles wryly for having a found a friend who would do anything to guard her. She feels a bitter taste on her tongue, realizing that she might have been given medicine. With Wilhelm around, however, she rests assured of it being the doctor from the previous incident. The uproar otherwise, would have caused her to be kicked out in the middle of the night itself.

She weakly calls out for Wilhelm, who wakes up almost immediately, as if he had never slept. He walks towards Clara and gives her a reprimanding look. He helps her sit upright. He demands an explanation behind her actions of going to the place she should have never been to. He elaborates upon the servants spreading rumours about him and Harriet- rumours that taint Victor's character for he went to the very woman his co-inhabitant frequents. The servants believe that the rife between Victor and Christopher are the driving reasons behind Victor's ungentlemanly actions. The second set of whispers, however, amuse Clara, as those rumours claim that Victor is not manly enough to be able to take upon a woman. Victor should have ideally made Harriet faint with the prowess of his pearly shower, but rather, he had fainted. Victor could be a lobcock, a disgrace on men around them, including those at Oxford.

Clara does not understand the meaning of certain terms, and insists on Wilhelm explaining them. Wilhelm, naturally, is uneasy, since he does not want to taint a young mind with such obscenities, yet it was him who had initiated the entire conversation, and thus, he is now coerced to answer.

He sits at the foot of the bed and begins explaining what the terms under discussion imply. Clara's eyes widen as she hears about the things men and women do, yet, her intrigue causes Wilhelm to continue going. Wilhelm's face begins flushing when Clara asks for more details. He cannot go on, but is pressed to continue. What Clara finds fascinating is rather embarrassing for Wilhelm, for he is not discussing it with a person of the same sex, but rather a woman in a man's clothing. Once he is done speaking, he covers the area between his abdomen and thighs, much to Clara's surprise and rushes out of her room.

***

Christopher emerges out of his room at the same time Wilhelm rushes out. Wilhelm's gait and urgency pique Christopher's curiosity, and he thus turns to look at Victor's room, the door to which is ajar. He hesitates, but enters the room nevertheless, finding Victor sitting on the bed, lost in his thoughts with a grin on his face. Only then, does he notice something unnatural. Victor's hair is long, but longer than what a man's hair might be. It is a bun. He gasps, bringing Victor out of his reverie.

Victor stares at him agape, before grabbing a pillow and throwing it at Christopher. Victor gets off the bed in a hurry, stumbling on his way. As he approaches the door, his legs give away, but before he can fall down, Christopher's arms grab him. Victor recollects something in a flash before it vanishes into the depths of his memories.

For Christopher, time stops in the moment. He cannot see Victor for Victor, but sees Clara in him. The cold weather outside becomes irrelevant, for Christopher's own body now burns with desire and passion, both of which are unexplained. He must know who it is that draws him in- Victor or Clara. The peculiarities and similarities between the siblings perturb him further, and he seeks a quicker answer to this confusion. His next trip might be to Bath to look for Clara Waverley.

He can neither look for Clara in Victor, or for Victor in Clara. He has to make up his mind, but more importantly, it is his heart that requires resolution. "Your hair." Christopher whispers.

Clara feels his warm breath on her cheek. She raises her eyes to look at him. "It is not uncommon for a man to have long hair."

"It appears...too long for a man." Christopher says. He helps Victor get to his feet, Victor still clutching to his forearm.

"I have to keep it this way lest I die."

"What do you mean?"

"There happen to be circumstances which coerce me into having longer hair. If I were to cut them short, it would affect my honour, and I would rather die than lose my honour. There are bondages enough, and it is my honour that keeps me alive. I would not forego it for anything in this world."

Christopher sighs. "You puzzle me." He helps Victor to the bed first, and then paces around the room anxiously. His attempts at formulating words end up in vain, leading to nothing but him opening and shutting his mouth at regular intervals. His hands tremble, his legs shake, and he takes a seat eventually. Soon however, he is up again, walking around the room.

"You make me dizzy. If you have nothing to say..."

"I do." Christopher interrupts, in a voice rather raspy. "I must say it out loud."

"What is it?" Irritation is now apparent on Victor's face.

"Clara. How ill has she taken?"

Christopher observes Victor's countenance change- his face turns into the colour of ash, he balls his fists tightly with his nails digging into his palms, sweat trickles down his forehead, his body begins shaking with an unexplained fear. "How..." Victor manages spurting out a few words, "do you know Clara?"

"I visited Crestwood Village. A nice, quiet place, somewhere I would wish to be." Christopher answers with a smirk.

"Is that the place you disappeared to?"

"Yes."

"Would you mind explaining the reason of your visit?"

"Curiosity."

"About what?"

"A lot of things."

"Was it quenched?"

"Not yet. Perhaps I might find out a bit more if I visit your sister Clara in Bath. You refuse to talk to me."

"Keep Clara out of our matters. You shall be no man if you put a lady's honour at stake because of your own failures."

"What failures are being talked of here?"

"There are one too many to be listed here."

"Let me know three at least."

Victor sighs. "The failure to be a gentleman for one. Ever since we met, you have shown neither the decency, nor the desire to behave like one. Second, if I am to say, is your inability to finish your studies. You have been here for far too long. Even if I am to understand that education is not what you necessarily need for you are to be a duke someday, must you not take any efforts either? Third, perhaps what irks me the most is your rakish behaviour which has been of immense inconvenience to me."

"And if my being a rake irks you to the point of disgust, may I ask you, Mr. Victor Waverley, your reasons for visiting Harriet?" Christopher barks in agitation.

Victor goes silent for a while. He releases his fist, finding bruises on his palm where his nails had dug deep. Christopher notices Victor's palms and immediately rushes to him. "Have you no concern about yourself, Victor?" he admonishes him. "You mindlessly keep putting yourself into the jaws of danger. Do you realize that I would not be present all the time to save you."

"I do not need you to save me. I can look after myself."

"If so pathetically, the you might die, and the cause would not be the loss of your honour."

"You are rather cruel."

"And you, a great torment to my existence."

They both go silent for a while. Christopher draws out his kerchief and tears it in two, later tying them on Victor's palm as the recipient of his kindness merely observes.

"I had to find you." Victor says.

Christopher looks into his eyes.

"I had to find you. I thought I might be able to find you with Harriet. Or at least she might know your whereabouts."

"Is she the only person who came to mind?"

"I know no other association of yours."

"That must be unfair, for I know yours."

"It's unfair indeed." Victor says.

"What would you have done upon finding me?"

"I don't know. I could have neither predicted my words, nor my actions. I would have uttered the first things that came to my mind. Your disappearance, peaceful as it might have been at other times, perturbed me immensely this time around."

"Would you rather have me around or not?"

Victor bites his lip. "The latter."

Christopher inhales sharply and nods. He stands straight, tilts his head and walks towards the door. "So you shall have it." he says, without turning back. He leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.