*-Of course I don't own any of these characters, except for Cedric Hargrove. The rest are all mine.
*-Reviews are always welcome.
Chapter 3-Edward
Knowing Jane as I did, I knew that I could not continue my suit at that moment, I would need time. So I waited.
I arrived at the home of her cousins the next night. Despite the rather distasteful introduction I had from Mr. Rivers, I found his sisters to be pleasant.
"You must be Mr. Rochester, my name is Mary, Sinjun is my brother. We are having a guest for dinner, will you join us?"
"You have a lovely home, Miss Rivers, thank you I believe I will stay".
She took my hat and jacket. The first floor of the home was small, but I could see the love and care in the decoration of the home.
As I stood in the front room, I heard a familiar voice.
It was Jane, walking down the stairs with another young woman who I thought to be other Miss Rivers and her brother.
"Mr. Rochester, this is my sister, Diana and you know Jane and Sinjun of course".
"Mr. Rochester" Mr. Rivers was quiet in his speech, but I could tell he was not pleased with my appearance.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir" Diana said.
"Mr. Rochester" Jane barely met my eyes.
"Miss Eyre" I replied.
"Dinner is served" I was led in a small dining room where six chairs were waiting.
I was about to ask about the sixth person when another man entered.
"I'm sorry I'm late, you know my uncle, always talking business".
The greetings from Mr. Rivers and his sisters were warm, but Jane's was like a sunburst.
"Cedric" he kissed her hand and I felt a sudden urge to knock him to the ground. Who was this man and why was she acting as she was?
"You look lovely, as always".
"Cedric, honestly".
"Are you saying that I cannot tell my future wife how beautiful I think she is?" he asked.
"Not in present company, Cedric".
"Jane, were among family, there is nothing that cannot be said".
The alarms went off in my head. Wife? She was going to marry him? That child? If I was not a gentleman, I would challenge him to a duel, but propriety kept me from doing so. I knew that whatever I was going to do, I must be aggressive, otherwise my Janet might be lost to me forever.
"Mr. Rochester, this is Mr. Hargrove, he is a friend of our family. Cedric, this is Mr. Rochester, Jane was employed by Mr. Rochester as the governess for his ward".
"I have heard much about you, sir" Miss Rivers introduced us. He was polite, but I could tell he too was not happy with my presence.
I observed them during dinner, she looked happy; I hated admitting that she seemed to be happy. Since I survived the fire, I had wished I could have acted on my feelings earlier, perhaps taking her hand during our many walks on the grounds or writing some sort of romantic poetry.
"Is your dinner suitable, Mr. Rochester, you have barely touched it?" Mr. Rivers asked with a steel gaze.
"Yes, it's fine" I replied.
"You must excuse my brother, Mr. Rochester" Miss Rivers whispered in my ear "My sister and I are both older that Sinjun, he thinks of Jane as a younger sister and is quite protective of her. He even asked him to marry her, but she turned him down".
"Did he now?" I replied, keeping my tone respectable. Now was not the time for any action, though I was severely tempted.
"Jane tells me Thornfield is quite lovely, especially in the summer" Mr. Hargrove spoke.
"It is quite lovely, Jane and I, we used to take walks on the grounds, didn't we Jane?" I asked her.
"We did, sir" for the first time, her eyes met mine.
I knew that look, she was trying to be strong, she didn't want any emotions to be read, but they were as clear as day. Her heart was still mine, as much mine was still hers. I only needed to prove it.
"Mr. Rochester, are you aware that Jane is an heiress?" Diana asked.
"Really?" I replied, pretending to be unaware. Of course I knew that my Janet was woman of her own means, Briggs had informed me when he advised me of her location.
"Our uncle, John Eyre, left Jane his entire fortune, twenty thousand pounds. She could have kept it to herself, but she has decided to generously share it between all of us".
"I didn't know that" the fact that she had shared her inheritance with her family was news to me, but my fairy never stopped surprising me.
I completed my dinner, continuing the pleasant, if polite conversation with her cousins. After dinner, the elderly housekeeper, whose name I discovered was Hannah, started to clear dinner away.
"Let me help you, Hannah" Jane offered.
"Thank you miss, but you have guests, I will clean up".
Despite Hannah's protests, Jane took the dishes off the table and I saw the chance I had been waiting for.
"That Hargrove chap is an interesting fellow, do you still intend to marry him?" I watched her stack the dishes in the kitchen.
"And if I did?" I saw the fire in her eyes.
"Do you love him?" I asked.
"He is amiable and kind and honest…" I heard her words and knew that her heart was still in tune with mine.
I kissed her with everything I had, I had waited a year to feel her lips on mine and I savored the moment. I expected her to push away, but she welcomed my embrace. For a moment, we were in our own world, forgetting everyone and everything.
"Jane, are you in here…?" I didn't hear Miss Rivers walk into the kitchen. As soon as Jane saw her cousin, she broke the kiss and ran out.