Jane danced all night long.
As the night progressed, Jane spoke to an innumerable amount of people. There was a cotninual flood of individuals which threatened every moment Jane and her husband tried to share. Mr Rochesters old friends came to greet him with much happiness, and he in turn was extremely proud to present Jane as his wife. His friends laughed with Jane, saying that they were quite sure Edward could never find a wife that was of his equal, and Mr Rochester teased that they had been right, for his wife was quite his superior. Jane could tell that with the minimal amount she spoke the men were impressed with what she knew. This was of no compliment to Jane personally, she just knew they had such small expectations for womens ability in conversation that any discussion outside of petticoats, frocks, and gossip was quite astounding. How little they knew of their fellow human beings. Women too floated over, some hung uncomfortably close to Mr Rochester, giggling loudly at his comments, even when they were not funny. Some complimented Jane on her dancing, others inviting her to tea at their house. As nice as they all had been, Jane suspected that many of these interactions would fall through-that none would come into actual being. It just seemed everyone wished to meet the new Ms Rochester, the women that so many people thought would never exist, the wealthiest woman in the county with the highest rank who came from the lowest birth. And yet, Jane took comfort in spite of all the expectations placed unfairly on her that she was the only wife in the room who seemed to be introduced with equal pride and affection. Though Edward was quite popular and seemed to entertain any person who came to talk with him, he never forgot his wife who stood beside him, and never excluded her from parts of conversation that was outside of her understanding.
"Hello, Ms Rochester?"
Jane turned to see a women standing before her. She looked slightly older than Jane, perhaps thirty or so. She wore a rather plain dress of a medium, ashey blue colour. It had no detailing, and hung loosely on her small frame. Jane, in this womans presence, immediately felt insecure about the way she was dressed. Indeed, her dress was still plain compared to some of the women here, but it was far more luxurious than the dress of the women that stood before her. It was clear that this women had no maid, for a maid would have taken in the dress at the waist, and fashioned her hair in a more elabourate way then it was plainly styled at present. Jane for a moment felt like a fraud, for in this woman she saw herself. This is who she was, she associated with this women, not the world of glittering golds and diamonds about her. Had she momentarily forgotten herself?
"Hello" Jane said, almost apologetically, "I'm Jane"
"Jane, I am Joan Olsen"
"Its nice to meet you, Ms Olsen"
"Joan" she corrected, smiling slightly from the corner of her mouth. Jane saw that the smile on her face was a forced and unnatural one. But suddenly her face sunk again and she looked as if she did not know a way to continue with her thoughts. Jane could see the pressing matter of what was on her mind, and so she smiled encouragingly at her, hoping that casual conversation would make her feel comfortable enough to say what she wished to.
"Joan, I am sorry, I do not remember where I have meet you before, but you look very familar to me"
"I am not sure if we have meet, but we live near one another. And I am often in the market as I know you are, so perhaps there"
"Oh, yes, of course! You do live close by to me, and I see you in the market on occasion. I sometimes wish I was better at remembering faces, but since I am still fairly new here, sometimes it is hard to remembe-"
"Ms Rochester, I'm sorry. I am so embarassed, I hardly know how to ask you. My husband, Mr Olsen, left the party quite some time ago, I have not been able to find him and I fear he forgot to collect me before he left-"
Something had caught the ear of Mr Rochester and he excused himself from the friends he was speaking with, turning round to Jane and her new aquaintance.
"Ms Olsen, I met your husband on the way out. He was quite unwell, and as a result I am sure was in a stooper enough to forget his manners. It is no bad reflection on you, I assure you."
She looked like tears may well in her eyes before Jane placed a hand on her arm,
"Ms Olsen, you shall ride home in our carriage. You are on the way, and of absolutely no inconvenence. Besides, I should love the oppertunity to get to know you better".
She nodded uncomfortably, glancing back and forth between Jane and Edward.
"Thank you to you both. Your kindness has saved me much humiliation tonight"
"But of course, we are neighbours afterall. It looks like we are starting to disperse for the night, indeed, it is quite late- later than I thought. I saw Adele only a minute ago-".
"Jane, I shall go and find Adele, you and Ms Olsen can put on your cloaks and meet me in the front foyer. If I could take a guess, she is in the room with the sweets".
Jane smiled as Mr Rochester walked off. However, despite his intentions, he was immediately stopped by a man standing in the doorway of the ballroom.
"Come Ms Olsen, I do believe we shall be much faster in going to find Adele" Jane said, amused.
"He seems to be a favourite amongst the guests tonight" Ms Olsen said, gesturing to Mr Rochester who now had a large crowd standing around him as she and Jane navigated their way through the crowd.
"He has not been to a ball such as this for quite some time. I think people are happily surprised to see him" Jane said, smiling, "-Though he is absolutely wonderful to talk to"
. . .
A few minutes later the Rochester party stood in the foyer, thanking the Eshtons. A very sleepy Adele leaned into Jane as they spoke.
"Thank you, dear friend, for coming. Indeed your presence outshone the host- though I cannot say in that I am surprised. And thank you for bringing your lovely wife"
Jane nodded at him, smiling with a polite nod
"You rather exagerate, but it has been a pleasure Eshton, Ms Eshton"
"And thank you, Ms Olsen", Anne interjected, seeming to wake Ms Olsen from a trance. Jane was thankful Anne had not left her acknowledgement until last.
"Thank you for the invitation. I had a wonderful time".
Jane felt a sadness in the pit of her stomach, for she knew this was false. But Anne understood, and promised that the next time she invited Jane over for tea, she would be more than welcome to join as well. Ms Olsen nodded gratefully and left with the Rochesters who loaded into the carriage one by one. Edward helped the ladies up over the steep step which was easy to miss under their dresses. Ms Olsen looked surprised as he held out his hand to her, but accepted it and entered the carriage first.
. . . . .
Adele fell asleep during the ride home. It left the time for Jane, Ms Olsen and Edward to talk. But because Ms Olsen was still deeply embarassed by her husbands less then appropiate behavior, she spoke with no natural ease and with a mind that was clearly absorbed in other thoughts. When they arrived at her house, Ms Olsen gave a stiff but grateful goodbye before being meet by a servant in her drive. Edward had made a move to stand and exit the carriage to help Ms Olsen down, but she turned on him as she grasped the door and sighed.
"Thank you, Mr Rochester, for your great kindness to me. I needed assistance in a ride home tonight, but I will not trouble you to treat me like a lady when my situation clearly enforces I am not one"
"Ms Olsen, whatever your husbands actions, they are not yours. You may apologise for him, if you feel you need to. But we will not accept any apologies for your own proper interactions" Jane said, firmly.
At first Ms Olsen looked surprised at Jane's tone, but quickly she relaxed and nodded,
"Thank you, Jane. Not one in one hundred women would have answered me with the honesty you just have. I heard I could expect such from you. Goodnight"
And with that, she began the walk to her house and vanished behind the main door.
Upon arriving home themselves, Adele brought into the house by Mr Rochester. Leah and John were still up to meet them, helping Adele out of her cloak. As John went to put away the horses and Leah went upstairs with Adele, Edward turned to Jane.
"My darling, come, you look as if you are about to collapse into my arms in sleep"
His lips pressed into her temple as he took her hand in his, leading her up over the stairs.