Jane reached town within a half an hour. The walk was beautiful, lined on both sides with fields of fresh grass that stretched as far as the eye could see. Secretly, she had not felt very well that morning and so the fresh air did her immediate good. Birds sang in trees, bees buzzed around flowers, the sun warmed her face. All was quite well.

Town was not quite large like London, nor Bath. It was not extensive or grand, yet it housed many stores and houses in which people who worked in the mills and on the river lived. Its cobble streets and stone buildings were always filled with people that Jane did not yet know. The post office was on the far end of town, so she had time to survey all that surrounded her before she reached the reason she had come in the first place. She saw children playing, men working, woman talking animatedly, surely sharing all the gossip from the days before. Jane drew attention, for she knew people understood her to be the wife of the well known, very rich Mr Rochester. She thought people expected her to be like Blanch Ingram had been, beautiful, tall, slender and graceful. And yet she was not. She was plain, small and quiet. Certain judgments followed her, for she knew that people did not know of the true reason Thornfield stood as a blackened ruin, but they did know that the woman who walked before them had married her master, and such was not often heard of. Jane did not mind, it did not worry her in the slightest that these people may be thinking unkind things of her. She was happy beyond words, contended beyond what she deserved, and all was right.

Jane entered the post office and heard a bell ring. It was empty, and she could not see anyone initially. Suddenly, a figure appeared from behind a stack of letters looking frazzled and distracted.

"Hello" he called, not looking up from the letter he surveyed.

"Hello" Jane replied, stepping forward towards the counter.

"How may I help you ma'am?"

Still, he did not look at her. He threw the letter he had been examining aside and picked up another which lay on the top of a nearby stack.

"I have come to collect today's mail. The mail of the house of Edward Rochester".

He suddenly looked up. His glasses slid halfway down his nose, and he pushed them up with his index finger.

"Ah, you work in the house?"

"No indeed, I am Ms Rochester".

Another overlong pause where he sized her up considerably. Jane stood before him, slightly uncomfortable, wishing he would hand her the letters so that she may be off.

'i see" was his reply as he handed Jane the bundle from behind the desk.

The bell dinged again as the door was opened by another woman, perhaps a little older than Jane but not by much. She looked a little frantic as she entered, pulling off her hat and addressing the man who was still eyeing Jane. Glad for the distraction that took his gaze off of her, Jane thanked him briefly before turning and exiting the shop.

Outside, she walked a little ways down the road before stopping to look at the letters. Most were addressed to Mr Rochester but the last one was addressed to her. Jane beamed upon realizing it was from Diana and Mary, she had been indeed waiting for a reply for quite some time, nearly three months. She had written to them shortly after her marriage to explain to them all that had occurred since she had left them. Edward had hung over her shoulder as she wrote, asking for the words to be read aloud to him.

"I have married him? What Jane, do they know of me already?"

"Indeed, I told them all"

"All? Oh Jane I'm afraid you set a poor reputation before me"

"No, of course I do not. They know how deeply I love you, and why"

"Then perhaps you should refer to me in sweeter sentiments? I have married my love, or my darling-"

"I shall be forced to write 'My greatest torment' if you do not sit back and allow me to write"

He slumped grumpily back in the armchair besides Jane, glancing unseeingly forwards. Jane looked up, grinning at him slyly.

"He has proved to be a satisfactory husband and lover-" Jane said decidedly, pretending to scribble down such words on the parchment before her. But she was stopped by Edward, who pulled Jane onto his lap in the adjoining armchair.

"You shall pay for that one, witch" he promised, bringing a laughing Jane close in his arms.

"Promise me that you speak the truth"

She shook her head, smiling at him.

"I cannot"

"Why not" he asked, kissing her nose.

"Because it would be a lie".

He grinned at her, his head tilting to rest against the back of the chair. She thought in that moment he could not look more handsome.

"By God is my love for you, which radiates from every atom of my being, not enough?"

Jane smiled running her fingers through his soft curls.

"It is more than enough. It is everything".

He guided her chin towards him and pressed his lips to hers, bringing her body to a wonderful weightlessness.

"You are my whole world, Jane Rochester".

Jane smiled at the memory as she stared at the reply letter. It made her want to return home perhaps a little faster than she But suddenly she was pulled from her thoughts in hearing a voice calling to her. She turned to see the woman who had entered the post office after her hurrying after her.

"Hello, I am sorry, you left a letter back in the shop, I wished to catch you" the woman said, struggling to catch her breath.

"Thank you very much" Jane said, taking the letter in her outstretched hand. "I appreciate it. My name is Jane Rochester".

"I know" said the woman smiling, "I am Eliza Moore. I've just moved here as well".

"It is very nice to meet you, Ms Moore" Jane said, smiling.

"Oh, it's Eliza. Are you walking this way?"

"Yes, I am"

"Then I shall walk you back as far as your house, for I am sure your house must come before mine. Mr Moore wanted a house quite far from town".

Jane smiled as they headed towards home.