The night before last, Daniel was out chasing skirt and I didn't have to worry about him catching me cuddling up to Charlotte in my bed. As her parents sleep like logs, she didn't bother to go back to her own room and we just fell asleep. Best night's sleep I ever had.

We didn't do anything, nothing more than cuddles and kissing and that kind of thing. It felt good, though, to be close to someone.` When I heard Daniel coming back, I woke her and sent her to her own room, then went to see if he was okay. I worry when he's out late on his own.

Last night, Charlotte and I met as normal and she immediately got into bed beside me and we started working on a crossword together. We'd only done a few clues when Daniel came in and said, "Harry, did you borrow my ..." Then he saw Charlotte.

"Why didn't you knock?" I said, trying to be more angry than scared.

Daniel didn't answer, he just nodded to the door and said, "I think you'd better go to your room, young lady."

"Don't tell my Dad!" said Charlotte.

"Under the circumstances," said Daniel, "I think the less he knows, the better. Now, please, I need to talk to Harry."

She left and Daniel and I looked at each other. He looked angry. For a moment, I wondered if he was going to hit me. Then I remembered that Daniel isn't like Uncle Caley. Daniel doesn't hit people, he just talks at them.

He began very quietly. "Harry, would you mind telling me what you were doing with that young lady in bed?"

I should have just said, "Nothing." which was the truth, but the fact that he felt he could just walk in and demand an explanation made me angry, so I said to him what he had said to me the night before, "That's a question a gentleman would neither ask nor answer."

"Don't you dare use my words against me, Harry! Don't try to wriggle out of this one. This is serious! This is the stupidest thing you have ever done. This is dangerous for you, for me and for her. She's fifteen, damn it!"

"And I'm fourteen!" I said, "So what?"

"Harry, you can't behave like this. It's not sensible for you and not safe for her. Do you want to ruin her life?"

"Why not? You seem to want to ruin mine!" I said.

"I'm trying to help you, Harry."

"Yeah, right! You're jealous, that's all it is. Nobody ever loved you and nobody ever will, because you're a mean-spirited old man with no heart. You hate me just because I don't intend to end up like you, all alone and bitter and hating anyone who has what you don't. You're nothing to me! Sometimes you think you're my bloody father and you're not! You're just a sad old man and you have no right to tell me what to do!"

When I realised what I was saying, I stopped, knowing he could cite the many things he'd done for me and the many times he'd pulled me out of trouble, knowing I owed everything I had, including the charming manners that had endeared me to Charlotte in the first place. There were a thousand things he could have said and any of them could have destroyed my argument, but he just looked at me as if I'd just stabbed him and he said, "I think we both need sleep." and left.

I don't know who won. I don't know if anyone did. He hasn't spoken to me since and to be honest, I'd have preferred a beating.