Just for you, my faithful readers-something you did not see coming-I betcha! Don't feel bad, I didn't know it was going to happen either. There is a new snag in the Thornfield story!
THE MORNING AFTER Chapter 21
When I came out of my Uncle's room, my eyes were so full of tears that I could not see clearly. I nearly tripped over Edward's foot when he stepped in front of me. He caught me before I could fall. "Janet, what is the matter? Did he say something to you? Why are you crying? If he has upset you—I'll have a word with him—sick or not!"
"No, no, it's not like that—it's just that he knows that he is going to die—just now he was asking me if I truly wished to marry you."
"I'll marry you no matter what he thinks!"
"Edward, dear Edward, you don't understand at all—he will give us his consent. He has agreed!"
"He has! Well, I'll be..." he exclaimed, "I should go to him before he changes his mind—just to be certain!"
"No, no, not yet," I cautioned him. "He sent me to find Mr. Briggs. Have you seen him lately?"
"It's Tea-time, he'll be in Mrs. Fairfax' Parlor munching scones and slurping tea, I have no doubt!"
"Shame on you! You should not remark on people's shortcomings in such a fashion."
"I take my entertainment wherever it is offered me!" I looked up at him, his eyes were full of merriment—I could see that his mood had altered for the better upon the knowledge of my Uncle's consent to our marriage. "Come along with me, you little taskmistress—let us locate Mr. Briggs for your Uncle—and then, perhaps_" but here we were interrupted.
It was Sophie in a great taking—sputtering in French that Adele had disappeared and was nowhere to be found. I tried to soothe her frantic outbursts, and finally succeeded in discovering that she had left Adele to her afternoon rest, and that when she had gone to wake her for Tea, she had found her nowhere in sight and the bed not slept in. I went with her to see, and found the bedding undisturbed with only a few creases in the coverlet—as though she had lain down and then gotten up again.
A survey of the room found only that her doll and her sunbonnet were missing. I proposed that we look out of doors and that was when Sophie confounded me with the information that she had already done this with no result. I shared her concern, as it would be dark in a few hours and that would make the search more difficult.
I found Edward downstairs, talking with Mrs. Fairfax and John about the need to locate Adele; he had already sent Mr. Briggs to my Uncle. The indoor and outdoor staff were gathered together and questioned as to whether anyone had seen the child during the afternoon. One of the maids remembered seeing her on the stairs, another thought she might have gone out the side door. One of the gardeners spoke up and said that he had seen her near the gates; then one of the younger Fielding boys said that he had seen her talking to a lady.
When we tried to get him to describe this person, we ran into difficulties—little Robin was not quite five years old and his powers of description were nowhere near fully developed. He said she was tall, but all grown ups would seem tall to him; he said she had a pretty dress and a hat with a veil over her face. He had no idea of her looks because of the veil; and no idea of how old she might be. I asked him if he thought Adele might have gone for a walk with the lady—he could not say, he was not certain. I queried him further about the lady's clothing—he thought her dress might be blue. Then it occurred to me to ask if the lady had been alone—no, she had a dog with her—a brown dog, not very big.
Edward called for his horse, he said he would go into the Village and make some inquiries about this person, but that we should continue our search of the grounds. I had never realized that Thornfield had so many nooks and crannies about its grounds. We went over the whole garden and orchard, and looked into all the outbuildings—up, down, and all around. There was no sign of her to be found anywhere. I was consumed by anxiety, it was beginning to grow dark, and my voice was growing hoarse from calling her.
When Edward returned, he was still alone; he said that there had been no sign of her in the Village and that his inquiries about a stranger in the vicinity had been met with denials—no one had seen such a woman today. We were completely confounded—where could Adele be?
That's right--you get another "cliffie". Enjoy, I'll be back later with more news.