Hey guys as promised i re wrote my one shot from Jane Eyre. It's the same storyline and the same events pretty much but i went a little further and added more detail. As i felt the reader asked too many questions due to the vague writing of my first attempt at this :)
Jane sat on her bed. No tears were emerging from her eyes but her heart was pounding in her chest.
*Knock*knock*knock*
"Jane" came a familiar voice. It was Edward; he wanted to speak with her even though he secretly knew she would probably never speak to him ever again. He had inflicted great pain onto her and he wondered if she would ever love him like she had when she revealed her feelings to him that day. She had spent the morning getting dressed in a white gown that had been specially made for her and dreaming for weeks about what a day today would be like. Instead of being whisked away to her perfect new life, she was crying her room on her own because she had discovered he had been unfaithful.
She couldn't take it in. She had been so blissfully happy not a few hours earlier and now she was contemplating leaving the place she had fallen in love with the man she was going to marry. She had lead such a happy life for over a year at Thornfield, made friends she hoped would be there for the rest of her life. In a matter of minutes the whole situation had changed from blissful happiness to total heartbreak. Jane knew what she had to do...she had to leave and soon.
Edward was standing outside her bedroom door and waited for a reply and when none came he knocked again. He begged for her to open the door and let him in. He would not invade her privacy if she did not wish it but he needed to be truthful to her and tell her his story. Well she already knew his story; he just needed to tell her his feelings.
He opened the door and stepped inside. Edward found Jane now lying down with tears streaming down her face past her chin and down her neck. She had changed into her grey governess uniform and he was still in his wedding attire. After quietly placing his hat, gloves and jacket on the nearest chair he sat on the bed behind her back and gently said her name again.
"You lied to me," Jane said softly as she slowly sat up. "You made me believe that you loved me, when you clearly didn't"
"No Jane," he hissed a little more harshly than he originally intended. "I do love you Jane; I love you like the spring loves summer. Like how the sun loves the moon. How Romeo loved Juliet."
She shook her head the whole duration of this speech. "Did Romeo ever lie to Juliet? Did the moon ever replace the sun with a more light defining soul?"
"Jane how can I make you see that I love you and that I deeply regret my actions?" Edward replied. Jane didn't know. She threw herself onto her left side and cried harder than before. He felt such regret for causing such anguish to the woman he loved. He leant over and stroked her arm and spoke softly.
"My love I cannot tell you how sorry I am for bringing this upon you." He was trying to be considerate; but he wouldn't blame her for yelling at him with hatred and despair. To his surprise that exactly what she did. When she had calmed she sat down and asked him to leave. He did not want to leave because he wanted to correct his actions or at least try to help her understand that he was truly sorry for the feelings and anguish he had caused her. Edward went to speak to object to his leaving her but she cut him off.
"Please leave sir, I am not well and will discuss this with you tomorrow," Jane said simply. He did as he was asked and left the room. He wished he did not have the troubles he did. Neither of them slept that night and Edward remained in his wedding attire all through the night. He just sat and watched the fire. He did nothing else. Mrs. Fairfax was at a loss for what to do. Adele was oblivious to everything that was happening and the rest of the staff were beginning rumours or placing bets on what would be happening next.
The following morning there was a knock at Edwards's door. He hadn't slept for a single second, he was too busy trying to find a way that he could make Jane happier than she had ever been; with little success.
"Yes?"
"Excuse me sir but Miss Jane has been found unconscious in her room." Mrs. Fairfax told him as softly as she could and as loving as she could. He turned with a worried expression on his face and a million thoughts were running through his head. Had she killed herself? Had she hurt herself? Mrs. Fairfax looked as if she hadn't slept a wink either. She had been awake most of the night with worry. She had multiple members of staff that looked to her guidance and now she found herself in a situation she didn't fully understand herself. Edward carried processing what she had just told him and barged straight past her into the hallway.
He ran through the corridors towards her room as fast as his legs could carry him. Mrs Pool was standing outside Jane's door with a neutral expression on her face. As soon as he stepped inside the room he could see the blood all over Jane's bed and Sophie and another kitchen maid were kneeling on the other side of the bed hovering over Jane. She has a big scratch stretching from her right ear to the bottom of her chin going over her lips. Edward was beside himself. A doctor was coming. She's breathing. Let's change the bed. Edward wasn't listening he was holding Jane's hand and hoping that those blue eyes would open and come back to him.
Jane slowly began to open her eyes and regain consciousness. Edward was so relieved he shouted for Mrs. Fairfax to help him sit her up. Between them, they managed to get her sat up and supported with pillows. Her face was bruised and bloody, this wasn't a carefree newly wedded woman. This was a heartbroken injured woman who was close to giving up on her dreams. She had not strength left.
"My darling," he whispered to her with tears in his eyes. There was blood in her mouth and down her face but he didn't care he kissed her with everything he had. She was weak when it came to love; she leant into his embrace completely and let him love her. The doctor had arrived and examined Jane's face. It was soon established that she had been attacked and not just on her face but on her ribs and her leg as well. The doctor stitched the gash on her face and provided bandages for the bruised ribs and the injured knee. She would be fine and heal but it was take several weeks of bed rest before that could become a possibility.
Over the coming hours it had become apparent that bertha had been responsible for the attack on Jane and Mrs. Pool had no idea where she was. All the doors to the mansion were locked she could not be outside of the courtyard at the very least. Everyone searched for her in pairs and no one was left on their own. Edward never left Jane's side. Bertha was light on her feet and due to the sheer little number of servants in the house, it was becoming increasingly worrying that they could not find her.
Jane had woken but she was extremely weak. She was lying in bed with Edward and he was trying to keep her cool but it was hard because the cut had given her a fever and made her sick. Every so often she would wake up and they would talk for a little while. By the end of the day there was no sign of bertha and there were considerations taking place that they may call the police.
At 8 in the evening Edward was watching Jane rest and then heard the door creak open. He expected it to be Mrs. Fairfax but instead he came face to face with bertha. She stood there with an evil look about her. She had blood on her hands that must have been Jane's, assuming that she hadn't hurt anyone else. He slowly woke Jane by shaking her and never took his eyes off bertha to ensure his loves protection. Jane gasped when she saw bertha. Bertha didn't make any sudden movements; she stood like a lady of the household. If she had been in the proper attire no one would have suspected that she clinically insane.
"Bertha, what are you doing in here?" Edward asked calmly whilst slowly moving out of the bed. Jane was too weak to even sit up and she was scared out of her wits. Edward forced a knife into her hand behind him and she grasped it tightly.
"I came to see if your little floozy was alright after I gave her that special present while she was sleeping last night" she replied simply. For saying she was supposed to be mad, she spoke very majestically.
"Why did you do that?" Edward asked her slowly. Bertha's temper took a sudden turn and she went for Jane again trying to climb onto the bed and rip at her clothes. Edward was trying to pull her off without injuring her. Just on cue Mrs. Fairfax and Mrs. Pool ran into the room having heard the racket that was occurring down the hall.
Mrs. Pool grabbed a knife from her front apron pocket and held it up towards Bertha's throat. She quickly realised what was happening and stopped biting Jane and left with Mrs. Pool back towards the north tower. Edward had no clue what he was going to do with bertha because there were so many factors he would have to consider before deciding what to do. He could try to get the courts involved but the chances of him actually succeeding in this quest to be rid of bertha were slight. Not to mention the influence it would have on Jane and Adele. Edward made a mental note to send Adele to France for a 'holiday' while this business was being taken care of. Mrs. Fairfax went with Mrs. Pool to calm Bertha and promised to send anyone they ran into on the way to help Edward to tend to Jane. But Edward insisted that he could do it and he just needed the necessary items.
Bertha had bitten Jane several times, drawing blood, on her right arm causing Jane more distress. Jane was wide awake now and watched as Edward cleaned her wounds. Jane was screaming inside but she did her best not to cry out because she knew that Edward was already feeling the guilt that shouldn't have been felt. Neither of them spoke a word, mainly because they didn't know what to say.
Jane's arm stung incredibly while it was being cleaned and they both knew that something needed to be done at this point to sort the problem indefinitely. After her arm was bandaged Edward tended to her face. Bertha bitten her face and nose causing a few cuts but they were smaller. It still hurt Edward to see the only woman he truly loved being hurt in this way because of his mistakes. He was afraid that this would be enough for her to leave him for good. Edward knew that there was a good chance that this may be the case for them.
After Jane had fallen asleep again Edward sent for Mrs. Fairfax. She was instructed to stay with Jane while he went to see Bertha and Mrs. Pool. Edward was raging with anger at what Bertha had done and he was making sure that she never made the same mistake again. He was going to teach her a lesson as well as get rid of her entirely. He would make sure that she would never cause terror in his life again; Edward needed to be free and she needed to be gone for that to happen.
He stormed up the stairs of the north tower and hammered on the door yelling at Mrs. Pool to open the door. Bertha had since been sleeping and somehow managed to sleep through the racket. Edward burst past Mrs. Pool straight to where Bertha was lying.
"You will pay for what you have done you filthy whore!" Edward screamed. Surprisingly Mrs. Pool stepped back and did not intervene as she knew it provoke her master further. Edward began to hit Bertha and obviously being awake by this point, Bertha did her best to defend herself. Edward hit her in various places on her face, a total of 4 times. He felt instant regret as he knew that wasn't like himself at all. Jane had changed him but not to this degree. Loving Jane had made him so passionate about protecting her that it had caused him to do this.
"You have learnt you're lesson I trust." Edward said this without looking at Bertha at all and for the first time in the whole of his associations with her; she sat still not fighting him and listened to every word he was saying. He kneeled down in front her and said "You will never touch my beloved again do you hear me? You will die in a horrible, dark and cold place where no one will ever find you. You don't deserve the life I was prepared to give you. If you ever try to escape again I will do much worse than what I did just now. Pray that Jane will talk me out of wanting you dead because if I had my way I would throw you off the roof of this house now. You are a disgusting human being Bertha and I hope I never have to come back here again."
With that said Edward stood, stared at his victim for a moment and swiftly left the room, not making eye contact with Mrs. Pool on the way out. One thousand and one thoughts ran through Edwards mind. He needed to find a way out of this situation and fast. He went straight to his study and wrote a letter the several different lawyers he had and asked for advice, hoping for a quick reply.
Several days passed and Jane was getting much better quicker than even the doctor had hoped. After the third day in bed Jane could no longer stand it. She got dressed and went in search of Edward. Edward, by this point, had put in 2 extra doors to the inner room where Bertha was kept to ensure that she did not harm anyone else. The contractors were a bit sceptical but Edward paid extra to have the work done by nightfall. Within two days both doors were fitted with different keys and Mrs. Pool was no longer allowed to drink whilst looking after Bertha.
Jane roamed the corridors thinking of where Edward could possibly be. She still had cuts and bruise over her face but the only face she was bothered about seeing was Edward's she knew he had lied to her on a massive scale but she loved him and was prepared to forgive him as long as the situation could be remedied. Then she realised that he must be in his study.
"He would always hideaway there when I needed him," she thought to herself. So when she got there and the door was slightly ajar she knew she had hit the right spot. The sound of pen scratching paper was coming from inside. She stood in the doorway looking at Edward clearly distressed writing as quickly as he could. Jane knocked on the door gently and stepped inside. Edward looked up and looked as if he would shoot whoever it was disturbing him for a split second. When he realised it was Jane, he instantly softened his features and walked over to her.
He was still sorry for the damage that had been caused to her face but it didn't look as if she was bothered by the cuts or bruises so no comment was made. Edward walked towards her with his arms outstretched and then realised she probably didn't want him at that moment so he immediately lowered his arms. To his surprise she ran to him, wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled into his embrace. Edward was stunned at first but returned her embrace. When they broke apart Jane looked up at him and said nothing; he was half expecting her to kiss him but his heart was telling him that she wouldn't want to because of what had happened.
Jane felt in her heart that she loved this man but she couldn't force herself to act in such a way that was untrue to how she really felt. For now at least she wouldn't let him touch her. She was still afraid of the secrets he might be hiding. She didn't doubt that he loved her; she was sure he loved her very much but she couldn't trust him. He had a wife and he had kept that significantly hidden away or at least tried to.
"Jane I am truly sorry for what I have done, I realise now that hiding the truth from you was cowardly and I should've appealed to your spirit as I do now." Jane tried to cut him off but Edward was adamant to make the most of this moment to say what he needed. He sat them down on the sofa and Jane listening intently. "I have been thinking about what can be done about this Jane and it is your decision as to which proposal you wish to follow through"
Jane cut him off straight away "Edward I am staying with you. I am angry with you and very hurt by what you did but you are the only human being on this earth that I love and if I leave you now or you leave me, my life will end even though I am breathing. No life is worth living without the person you love"
Edward was astonished that she would want to stay with him considering what he had done to her. She had endured so much pain mentally and physically and yet she was willing to stay by his side and find a way out of the situation. Bertha was obviously the problem and it wasn't through any fault of hers or Edwards that they were married. It was the fault of bertha's family that she had been married to Edward her family had no interest in caring for her or providing a nurse for her. They wanted to be rid of her and they did get rid of her by marrying her off to some stranger who had no idea who she was or the condition in which her mind was.
"Jane," he finally spoke looking down at his hands "you know I am still legally married and there isn't anything I can do about that at present. I will be tied to Bertha until she or I dies. I cannot wait for that long to come. The only other option is a legal separation, which would only cause me and any new bride I had, a mass of ridicule and embarrassment."
"I don't care Edward..." she began, but she was cut off quickly by Edward's sharp tone.
"You should care Jane," he was being more caring than harmful in his tone and Jane sensed it. "You should care about your health about your wellbeing. There's no use to my life if you run away from me because you hated me or because your life slipped away because you didn't care of yourself. You must take care Jane."
The rest of the afternoon consisted of either party trying to convince the other that everything would be alright and that their welfare would be safe. By the time dinner was served, Jane found she had no stomach and wished to go straight to bed. Edward reluctantly agreed that she should sleep but not before sending a tray to her room for when she was in bed.
The following day, Jane was in bed and struggling to sit up. She had developed a bad cough overnight and it was a difficulty for her to breathe when she was lying down. Mrs. Fairfax had come to check on Jane in the mornings and this morning she demanded that Jane stayed in bed. Being an active person Jane was frustrated after the first hour and decided to sit in her chair by the window wrapped in a blanket. The window was ajar, as was the door. Edward had come to check on Jane after his lawyer had left. He found her bundled up in two blankets with a pillow behind her head sat in her armchair in front of the window. He loved the sight before him but winced when he saw the red scar on her face. It was not a scar just yet but it was well on its way to becoming a scar. The doctor had noted that the cut on Jane's cheek would most likely scar her but it didn't faze Jane.
Nothing fazed Jane; Edward was sure of that...in fact he was certain.
Nothing would stop his little fairy from flying.
Nothing
To be continued? I'm not sure if I'm honest I've spent the last 2 months writing this and I'm very proud of how it has developed. I'm sure it could be developed further but I could not write anymore because I feel like a story or one shot like this could only go on so far and I think I've reached my limit already. Let me know in the reviews if you would like a continuation on this. I can't promise that it would happen but I can promise that I will definitely think about it. Thank you for reading see you all soon x
