The next morning came far too quickly. I was wide-awake when the sun rose, and I had estimated that I had about 20 minutes of sleep total. There was a pitcher of water near by, and I already knew I was looking like death, so I stood up from my bed and poured the water into my hands and aggressively splashed my face with the cold liquid. My eyes were still red when I looked in the mirror across the room, but my face didn't look nearly as gloomy as I feared it would. I set out to getting dressed and doing my hair. I settled for my blue dress, the one I had arrived in. The blue made me look more perky and alive than the others. I didn't want to set a bad example for Adele and make her think that I was too tired to teach her.

I finished rolling my hair and putting my brooch on and wandered down to the kitchen. It was still too early for my pupil to be awake. I lit a fire in the stove and started a pot of hot water for tea.

I looked outside and saw that the weather would be clear today. There was no cloud in the sky, and the birds were chirping loudly to proclaim the morning. The large oak tree's leaves out front were a bright green, and gently swayed in the morning breeze. It was such a serene scene that I had almost forgotten about my tea until I heard the pot whistle. I was instantly ripped out of my daydream and brought back to reality. I found a package of herbs and poured my tea over the leaves and drank it slowly.

I remained in my solitude for only a few more moments until I heard Mrs. Fairfax come in, jabbering on to someone.

"...I cannot believe that I did not even hear any sounds of distress! And to think, Mr. Rochester had to put that fire out all by himself... That man is truly brave." Mrs. Fairfax's voice whispered to her companion as she came around the corner. She looked up at me, and it was obvious that I had startled her. "Oh! Miss Stark, I did not know that you would be up so early." She moved to a cabinet and pulled out some baking supplies, and shortly behind her came the cook.

"I really never went to sleep." I smiled shyly, not really knowing what say to her, and I took a sip of my tea while looking down at the table. I could hear clamoring of cupboards and silverware behind me, and I suddenly felt very out of place. I wasn't really very sure what to do in this situation, so I sat awkwardly and let the cook and Mrs. Fairfax work around me. I felt someone jab my back with their elbow, and I decided to try and slip out of the room unnoticed.

Grabbing my tea, I dodged out of the cooking area as quickly and quietly as possible, trying to make sure that my petticoats did not get in the way of anyone. I walked down the hallway with my head down and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a large black shoe in my line of vision. I snapped my head up and came face-to-chest with Mr. Rochester.

"Miss Stark, how did you sleep last night?" He asked abruptly, staring down at me. I was a good head shorter than he was.

"I dare say I hardly slept. How about you, sir?" I gave him my usual half-smile of sympathy. I gripped my cup harder, trying not to show him how much I was intimidated by his dark and masculine figure looming over me.

He sighed heavily. "I fear we had the same experience in that aspect. I returned that wild maid back to her chambers and cleaned up what I could of my apartment. I'll have to have someone remake my linens for my bed – they could not be salvaged."

I cocked my head in curiosity. "Wild maid, you say? I had not seen her around since I've arrived. Is she new?" I pried, knowing that he was lying through his teeth. I was eager to hear his response.

"She just arrived." He was very short with his answer.

"And is she staying on with us here? Or will she be leaving immediately?" I gave him a concerned look. "I just worry for the safety of Adele, I don't want to have anything bad happen to her."

He shook his head. "She will be staying on. She is restricted to the top floor with Grace Poole, and they will not be coming down very often. Adele should be fine, but we can put on extra locks if you are very concerned about it."

I nodded. "That would be wonderful." I sighed. "I am sorry for being so inquisitive, Mr. Rochester, it's just that I feel very jumbled after last night. I'm just trying to get my head on straight."

He chuckled. "Miss Stark, I promise that everyone will be safe here. Just… please do not mention last night to the others, I do not want them to worry very much about what has happened. If they do ask, let them know that I let my candle too close to my bed." I nodded in response to him. "You should get Adele up. She will be wondering where you are soon." He brushed passed me and I moved to go up to Adele's room.

Adele and I were in our makeshift classroom, and I was teaching her more about geography than I ever learned in school, when I realized it was time for our afternoon meal. I urged Adele to the dining room where I saw her father was already seated. We took our seats on the opposite side of the table from him. We were served our food in a rather quick manner, and we all ate in silence. The only sound that could be heard was that of our silverware clinking against the porcelain plates that were in front of us.

"What is the date today?" Mr. Rochester piped up suddenly, and it was at this time that I noticed that he was writing something down on a slip of paper next to him.

"I know!" Adele exclaimed with much more excitement than I had seen her exude all day. "It's the 23rd of April!" She smiled proudly, happy to be of service to her father. I saw him nod in response as he wrote the date down on the top of his page.

"It's my birthday tomorrow." I spoke under my breath, not thinking anyone would notice. I had hardly even realized that it was that time of the year again until Adele just spoke the date.

"Miss Stark, is it really?" Adele propped herself up in her chair. I nodded.

"We will have to do something for that occasion then, Miss Stark." Mr. Rochester said, not even bothering to look up from his writings to speak to me.

I shook my head. "Oh no, I don't want to be any trouble about it. I never have anything special happen for my birthday anyway." I smiled sadly, thinking about all of my past birthdays, and how often I had just spent them at home with my mom.

"Well then, this will be a new tradition for you as long as you are with us." Edward looked up at me and smiled. I could feel my face flush accidentally, and I stared down at my food once again, trying to hide my internal excitement.