Here's the next chapter for you! Special thanks go out to Danielle for being a wonderful editor, and to my mother for listening to me rattle on about this story. Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter; it was greatly appreciated!

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Making Arrangements

We did not see Mr. Bancroft for a few days after our dinner. We fell into a sort of routine at Thornfield; Mr. Rochester would ride out to visit neighbors and attend to business in the morning while I taught Adele, and Diana would find some occupation such as reading or knitting; then we would all come together for tea, and Diana and Mr. Rochester would take walks or do something of that sort while I finished Adele's lessons.

This pattern continued without interruption until the day before Diana's departure from Thornfield. This was also the same day that Mr. Bancroft came to visit us once more.

It was Adele's morning lesson, and she had been in a state of distraction the entire morning. In vain had I attempted to explain the history of Rome in a way that would seem interesting to her, and so when she rushed to the window at the sound of horse's hooves I went to the window with her.

"It is Monsieur Bancroft!" she cried delightedly. "He has at last come for to visit to me!" I did not even bother to correct Adele's English as she hurriedly pulled me down the stairs and into the drawing room to await his arrival. Diana had also heard the horse and seen the approaching rider, and within seconds after our own appearance in the drawing room she made a breathless entrance.

A few minutes later, Leah showed in Mr. Bancroft. When he came in he expressed some surprise at finding the three of us all assembled in the drawing room to greet him.

"I know it was an unexpected visit, and as such that I could hardly expect everyone to be home and free to see me, but this is a great pleasure, indeed." He told us laughingly. "Shouldn't Adele be learning from her great volumes of history right about now? But never mind that…is Mr. Rochester at home?"

"I believe he is out visiting some of the small farms that boarder his property," replied Diana directly. "He mentioned something about cows escaping onto his lands, but I don't quite remember whose cows they were..." This made Mr. Bancroft laugh again, and he proposed a walk in the gardens until the return of the master of the house.

"Oh! Oui, Monsieur Bancroft!" was Adele's immediate reply, "I will go and get Sophie so that we all can go together!" Mr. Bancroft smiled indulgently after her as she skipped out of the room, and we began making our way to the gardens.

"I am sorry that I could not visit before," Mr. Bancroft apologized, "but my cousin (whom, by the bye, I have never met) is going to be married soon, and there was very necessary business that I could not put off. Otherwise, I would certainly have come to visit you. As it is, I am afraid that I might not see you, Miss Rivers, for quite some time; your residence is in a part of the country through which I rarely travel."

This solemn thought left us, for a short time, in quiet reflection, until the ever-cheerful Adele came bounding after us with Sophie trailing behind her. Adele soon monopolized the conversation, and little was said that did not directly pertain to her. Diana was unusually silent, and even Mr. Bancroft, who was generally so cheery, was more serious than before. This was the state of our little party when Mr. Rochester rode up on Mesrour.

"Why the sad faces?" he questioned as he dismounted, "Only the little coquette looks happy; the rest of you look quite glum." No one answered for a moment, and the Mr. Bancroft replied:

"We were just reflecting on the wonderful visit that Miss Rivers has had at Thornfield and how sorrow we shall be to have her depart from our company."

"Ah, yes," returned Mr. Rochester, "It is a sad thing that she is to leave us so soon, but we shall certainly invite her to come and visit us again. What say you to that, Miss Rivers?"

"I am afraid," Diana responded, "that it might not be possible for me to come and visit in the near future. I must go home to be with my sister while we mourn the loss of my father, who passed away before I came here. And you must not forget that I am a governess, and as such I cannot take holidays whenever I please. No, it might not be in my power to come and visit for at least a year."

"Surely not a whole year!" exclaimed Mr. Bancroft in dismay, "Surely you may come visit before then!"

"Unfortunately not, though if it were in my power to choose, I would much rather be here with all of you than teaching even the brightest young minds."

We were silent for another minute, and then Diana spoke up again:

"I may be obliged to leave Thornfield, but that does not mean that I must leave my friends, too. I have been thinking it over for a while now, and today I have decided: I must go home, but you may accompany me and stay at our house. We would then have the advantage of enjoying each others company while still fulfilling our duties."

It took a moment for us to absorb this new idea, but then our group became alive with animation at the prospect of this delight. We were all talking at once, sprouting new schemes of excitement and delight that would at once allow Diana to return home and for us to retain the enjoyment of her company.

Common prudence soon took its hold in our minds once more, however, and our fanciful schemes were neglected for more pragmatic ones. Diana's proposal that we should all stay at Moor House with her was almost immediately thrown out by Mr. Rochester and Mr. Bancroft as encroaching on her during a time of mourning, as was Mr. Bancroft's plan that we might stay with some of his relatives (the same relatives who were planning the wedding that had been the cause of his absence).

"Et moi?" asked Adele impatiently as the adults puzzled over the arrangements, "Where am I to stay?"

"You will not be accompanying us, of course," was Mr. Rochester's irritated reply, "You would only be in the way of our arrangements."

"Not I!" was Adele's indignant response, but it was no use; she found that no matter what she said, Mr. Rochester was firm in not allowing her to go. Even her dear friend Mr. Bancroft was too engaged in settling his own arrangements to be bothered to take her side in the argument.

With this being the case, I realized the one flaw, the one fault that would change the trip for me: if Adele was not going to be there, should not I, as her governess, stay with her at Thornfield? My whole purpose at Thornfield was to teach Adele, so what right had I to accept an invitation to stay at my cousin's house? While Mr. Rochester and I moved in the same circle, it was only because the scarcity of gentility in the neighborhood and my connection to Diana, who was free to move in whatever circle she chose in this neighborhood because she was not employed by anyone in this area. I, on the other hand, had to remember the line between companion and master that divided me from Mr. Rochester.

These thoughts remained unvoiced during the entire walk through the garden that then ensued. I dared not presume to talk of my own arrangements were I to go because that would lead to great embarrassment if Mr. Rochester were to say then and there that I would not go either; nor could I bring myself to mention anything relating to my own forced stay at Thornfield because that would be accepting my fate.

The others were so wrapped up in their arrangements that it was some time before they noticed my silence. When they did, they assumed that it was due to the length of our walk and the brisk wind that was then picking up force and so we made our way back to the house.

"Do you think we should stay in S— or the village in which Marsh End actually resides?" Mr. Bancroft asked.

"Oh, probably S— would be the best," replied Mr. Rochester, "I have stayed there before and they have a very nice inn."

"Yes, but is the ride very far? We do not want to be traveling ten or fifteen miles every day to visit the occupants of Marsh End; if we did that we would have very little time to actually visit them because we would spend the whole time riding back and forth!"

"It is not but two or three miles off at most. We will have no trouble at all in riding back and forth."

"That is perfect, then. We shall get lodgings in S— and ride over to visit you, Miss Rivers—but I have just remembered something! You do not ride, do you, Miss Eyre?" Mr. Bancroft asked as he turned towards me.

"Jane may stay with me," replied Diana immediately. "We will have no trouble accommodating one guest, and as she is our cousin it is only right that she should stay with us." I did not meet Diana's eyes as I politely declined the invitation.

"I do not think it will be possible," I whispered shyly, "for Adele will be staying at Thornfield, and as I am her governess…" I trailed off with a slight sigh.

"Nonsense, nonsense!" cried Mr. Rochester. "Do you wish to go, Jane?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then it is certainly your duty to accompany your cousin back to her home to meet the rest of your family. Adele has been working hard the entire time that you have been teaching her, and I believe it is now time for you both to have a well-earned break. Now turn to your cousin, Jane, and apologize for having refused her offer before."

This speech lifted a great weight from my heart for more than just the obvious reasons; Mr. Rochester's declaration proved that the distinction between servant and master was not so harshly drawn as I had thought. By allowing me to travel with Diana, he was telling me that even though he was my employer, he was not strict or cruel.

Mr. Rochester's little speech also brought about more discussions on the particulars of the arrangements. Who was to stay where, when we were to arrive, and all of the related preparations were soon laid out in perfect order before we returned to the house.

Adele was, of course, severely disappointed; however, Mr. Rochester promised to bring her a splendid cadeau, and this pacified her somewhat. She and Sophie retired to their rooms to avoid the talk of the trip in which they would not be included, and Mr. Bancroft soon left to settle his affairs at home so that he would be able to come. This was how, when Diana also left to see to her things, I found myself alone in the parlor with Mr. Rochester.

"Jane," said he, "I know that I recently asked you to decide whether or not you would be staying on as Adele's governess, but it is not necessary for you to reply until after our return from Miss Rivers' home. Adele will have a holiday in the interim, and you will have time to get to know your new found family. If you decide that you would rather…" he paused slightly and took a deep breath, "If you would rather stay with Miss Rivers, then I will find another governess; if you choose to remain with us, as I am sure Mrs. Fairfax, Sophie, and Adele all wish you to, we will return to Thornfield together and you will continue her education."

"Thank you, sir," was my hesitant reply. "I would certainly like to know my family better before I make my decision, though I am sure I will love them all as much as I love Diana."

"Very well, then. That is settled." He replied, and we both went our separate ways to ready ourselves for the coming trip.