Lots of action, a minor explosion of wrath, a torrid dream, a useful morning's work-something for everyone? No? You want answers-hah!
THE MORNING AFTER Chapter 11
I tried to pull away from him, "Please, it's very late and we should not be out here in the hallway where everyone might see us."
"You have a point there, my darling, so we will just adjust matters thus," and he tugged me into the room with him and closed the door.
"I don't think I should be in here alone with you," I said.
"How else am I to get a private moment with you?"
"I am not certain that we should be having private moments!" was my rejoinder. I was extremely put out with him—this business of a marriage that no one had known about did not sit well with me—especially when the man in question had asked me to marry him only a few days ago. "Just at what time in our relationship did you intend to share this information with me? Were you trying to take me for a fool—so blinded by love that I would not wonder about a few random details?" I could not help myself, at this point, tears were running down my face, and my throat had tightened up so that I could barely choke out the words, "Leave me alone!"
"Hush, hush now," he soothed me, "I was going to tell you, but only consider, there has been no chance for me to talk with you, what with the storm and these gentlemen here. A few days ago, before all this happened, I finally received the news I had long hoped to hear—Cesar Villard has been located. His ship arrived at Bristol last week, my Agent met the ship and even now is escorting Mr. Villard here to Thornfield; were it not for the storm, he would already be here on the premises.
"I must admit that in my elation at hearing this long-awaited news, I lost my head a little and put the cart before the horse when I asked you to marry me. However, it was always my intention to tell you all—I just hadn't counted with having such a large audience for my confession." He looked rather ruefully at me, "Please, Janet, forgive me my hastiness in proposing to you—it's just that I'm so painfully in love with you—you can have no idea. When I finally held you in my arms the other night, and kissed you, and you returned my kisses, and your arms went around my neck so that we could be even closer together—I wished then that we were far away in a land where nothing else existed but the two of us."
I was glad that the room was dark, I could feel the burning blush that rose to my face at his words. I remembered it all—the perfumes of the orchard garden, the sweet song of the nightingale, the moonlight and the soft night breeze, his words of love and the joy that had filled me at knowing that my love was reciprocated. It was not something that could be easily forgotten nor the memory discarded so quickly. I put my hand out and touched his arm, "I think I will forgive you—after a while; just now I am very tired."
"It is unkind of me to keep you from your rest. Go to sleep, then and we'll see what the morrow brings. You do realize that your intransigence the other day was fortunate. We would have been stranded in Millcote all this time had we gone shopping as I planned." He chuckled and planted a light kiss on my cheek as I passed by on my way to the door. "Minx! I'll warrant you'll keep me on my toes—I'm looking forward to it!"
There being no dignified response I could make to a remark of this nature, I departed in silence.
The waning moon was shining in my window—I rose and looked around my room—the eerie silver light revealed an unfamiliar place. There were palm trees outside my window—their fronds were rattling in the sultry Tropical breeze. I went to the window and realized that it was more than a window—it was a door which was half-open. I could hear the swish and roar of the ocean tide coming in. I walked out into the Garden, the rhythmic song of the cicadas and the peeping of the tree frogs gave a counterpoint to the ocean's sighs.
I saw someone standing in the shade of the trees—I knew his outline as well as if I could see him in full daylight. He beckoned to me and I ran gladly to meet him—in a moment I was in his arms and he was kissing me. It was then that I realized that the face I saw was a stranger's face, and that I had no clothes on.
I woke suddenly in my own room, decently clad in my nightdress—terribly embarrassed at the vagaries of my unconscious mind. The sun was finally shining after the last few days of gloom—I arose, ready to meet the morning. The view from the window showed a landscape running with water as the accumulation of the last few days drained away from the roofs and terraces. There were puddles and mud everywhere to be seen and the flowers that had been beaten down by the constant downpour of the last few days were barely starting to rise again from their soggy parterres. I looked forward to going out soon, once it dried up a bit.
I went down to Breakfast with Adele, and saw Mr. Rochester once again riding away with his work crew. They were undoubtedly off to finish up their task from yesterday in clearing the road. The reason for the urgency in their doing so came to me as I recalled what he had told me last night. He was expecting his Agent to return from Bristol with the mysterious Cesar Villard. He had waited a long time for this meeting—some fifteen years—I prayed all would be well.
Mrs. Fairfax was bustling about, muttering to herself about the difficulties in housing so many people during such bad weather. I was rather surprised at this as I would not have thought that the three extra gentlemen would have caused such a disruption in her routine. "Oh no, my dear, they're not the problem. It's the cottagers from down by the brook—goodness knows the Master's been after them for years to move out of that nasty damp place of theirs, but budge they would not! Now I'm thinking they'll have no choice."
"Surely he would never just put them off the land! Where would they go—not to the factories, I hope!"
"No, never that, nor would they be on the Parish as some would do. No, he just wants them to have a better home in a dryer location—they've no choice now but to heed him. A cottage in such a place as that one was is an invitation to disease—it puts the whole village in danger. In the meantime we've got them here, with the children underfoot."
"Perhaps I could help with the children, Mrs. Fairfax, we could play some games, maybe."
"There's a good thought, they'll be down in the Servant's Hall at this time of day."
As soon as Adele and I finished our meal, we went in search of this family. The rest of the day was spent in entertaining the children and finding ways for the older members of the family to distract themselves from thoughts of the disaster which had overtaken them. Adele enjoyed having the company of children her age—it occurred to me that the poor child never had the opportunity of playing with other children. What a lonely little girl she was; it did me good to hear her laughter.
Sometime in the afternoon the men returned from their work. It turned out that the husband of the family and his older son had been in the work party. He came into the Servant's Hall greatly pleased with the way things were going. "Hey, Wife, did I not tell you—look at the silver he's given us for our work these last days! He says that they were able to salvage some of our goods and furniture and that we're to have a better place on higher ground with our own well! In the meantime, we're to stay here until it's built. I told you he'd see us right—the Master's not like some I could mention!"
I asked if Mr. Rochester had returned with them. "No Miss, he's went off with some foreign gentleman we met with out there while we were clearing the way."
It was time for Tea, I collected Adele and we went off to Mrs. Fairfax' parlor once more. "Oh thank you so much for keeping those children occupied, that was such a help. Dear me, I wonder what could be keeping Mr. Rochester—he has not yet returned."
"Mr. Fielding said that he had gone off with someone they met up with while they were clearing the road."
"Goodness, there's no telling when he will be wanting his Dinner."
"I'm certain he will send a message if he is detained." Having now finished our Tea, Adele and I escaped upstairs, I left her with Sophie and went in search of my Uncle.
Yup, I did it again-oh "Cliff"-I love you so! Next chapter should solve most matters-although how can I be sure-I'm still writing it!
