The next morning the Eshton's arrived early so that the men could get on the road quickly. Anne brought her ladies servant and her clothes for the week, and was more than happy to oblige Jane in staying with her. In fact, she seemed extremely enthusiastic to come stay. The Rochester's meet the Eshton's outside as the the carriage pulled up, and Anne bounded straight over to Jane, taking her hands and speaking in excited whispers.

"Hello dear Jane, I am so happy you thought to ask me over. I imagine we both would have had lonely houses for the next week, this way he will be of great comfort to one another"

"Yes, exactly. Thank you again, so much, for coming Anne. We have the large wedding party coming in a few days, and I could not manage alone"

"Of course you couldn't, look at you! You are so big now"

"I know, I can barely get out of a chair now and I still have a month to go"

"Hello Ms Rochester, I trust that you will keep my wife in check while I am away" Eshton said, taking off his hat and bowing to Jane. "My! You are grown since last time we saw you Jane, and that was but a week ago"

Jane nodded, smiling "Each day I am convinced that am expanding exponentially. As to your wife, she will not be needing to be put in check. I am positive we will have a wonderful time, and she will be an invaluable help to me"

He looked to his wife, "I'm sure she will be"

"Sir, your carriage is ready" John called, and opened the door of the carriage in anticipation.

"Thank you John. Jane?"

Edward walked a little ways away with Jane so that they would be out of earshot and turned to her.

"I am not happy about this, but I am thankful for your understanding and for your friend being here to look after you"

"There is nothing to be understanding of. I know that you do not want this and that you will be home the minute you are able. Until then, I eagerly await your return"

He grinned at her, speaking even lower.

"I fear I will miss you terribly. I am sure to have very lonely nights until I am back to you"

"Yes, and you best not forget it" Jane said, straightening the front of his coat.

He nodded, kissing her forehead.

"I love you"

"I love you. Be safe, Edward"

"I always am"

He took her hand and lead her back to Mr Eshton and Anne, who were saying their goodbyes in more animated and lighter tones.

"Thank you, Ms Eshton for looking after my wife. I greatly appreciate it" Edward said

"Of course. we shall have great fun"

"I am glad to hear it. Goodbye then darling, we shall see you soon"

"Goodbye Edward, Mr Eshton. Safe travels"

The two ladies watched their husbands enter the carriage and pull away, waving from the step as the carriage moved out of sight.

"Well, here comes our week of freedom from our husbands"

Jane smiled at her, "Come, we shall start with some tea".

. . . . . . . . . . .

Anne seemed to know everyone in town, and people were deeply trusting of her. Perhaps it was her beauty, or it was her general friendliness and kindness to everybody, but Anne seemed to be confided in constantly. She kept the things she was told to herself, apart from telling Jane, who she claimed was the most trustworthy and honest person she had ever meet. Jane did not spread gossip, but in the small town she lived she thought it may be useful to know certain things of people, and without Anne she had no way of figuring those things out for herself. So, Jane never discouraged her friends gossip of other people.

As tea was brought to them in the library, Anne turned to Jane.

"You are quite the talk of the town at the moment" she confided, thanking Leah for the tea she was offered.

"I cannot imagine why"

"Can you not? You have married the richest man in the county who is also attractive and now the father to your child. Plus, he has an interesting past which people will always be interested in, but never know much about. Besides, people know of your general intelligence and kindness. Often with women these qualities do not go hand in hand"

Jane blushed, "That is flattering, but they couldn't possibly know that from me-"

"No, that is why one must be careful in how one treats their servants"

"Apart from wanting to treat them with fairness, comfort and consideration because as employers we have a moral obligation" Jane said, correctively.

Anne smiled, "No, of course. But servants do talk, and they speak the truth of their employers far more than those of the upper class".

"I believe that. You forget that I was a servant"

Anne nodded, grinning "Yes, but I also know that you did not speak out against Mr Rochester while you were his servant, nor would you have betrayed any employer you would have worked for"

Jane was always surprised at how casually Anne thought of her past. Most people in the upper-class circle felt she was unworthy to be part of it, but Anne had always considered her a true equal, in spite of birth rank.

"I am sure everyone thought the Rochester line would end with Mr Rochester, for, as you know, he did not have his family as a young man. People are happy for you- or jealous of you, at the very least."

Jane looked to her friend, shaking her head.

"I wish everyone could marry for love, despite rank and situation. The world would be much happier"

"You did" reminded Anne softly, "So there is hope for us all"

"And are you happy, Anne?"

"I feel very good things are ahead for me and Mr Eshton, Jane"

"You have withheld this information for too long already" cried Jane, "I can see you are itching to tell me the good news, out with it!"

"I too am pregnant" she said, grinning brightly.

Jane pulled Anne into a tight hug, smiling.

"I am so happy for you both, how wonderful!"

They broke apart, Jane still looking at her friend.

"Anne, truly, what perfect news. You must still be early"

"Three months" she responded, but she suddenly looked less than genuine as she continued with a generic reply.

Jane surveyed her with a raised eyebrow. "Friends tell of their troubles. What weighs on your mind? If you tell me you are sure to feel much better"

Anne hesitated before she spoke, rubbing her hands together impatiently.

"I am very thankful, Jane. You mustn't think me ungrateful"

"Of course I do not" she assured her kindly.

"Well, I am relieved, in fact. I was starting to worry I could not conceive children. Me and Mr Eshton began trying to have children as soon as we were married. At first I was very hopeful, but as time went on, and there were no results, I began to worry. I knew that if I could not provide him with a child he would find it hard to look at me the same as a wife"

Jane felt a small pit in her stomach at these words. She too had felt the same, when she had lost their first child. It was a horrible place to be in.

"Then" continued Anne, lowering her voice, "We were with each other so infrequently I was starting to think he could not desire me anymore. I knew that if we did not try, at least with some sort of frequency, that we would not have any luck. In the last few months, however, things have been better for us. Mr Eshton has not been gone so much with work, and with Edward helping him at home with managing the estate, he is with me much more"

Jane finally understood why Edward had taken on the enormous task of helping his friend with the estate; it wasn't just for him, but it was also for his marriage. Eshton must have confided to Edward that he was away from home a lot, and coupled with what Jane told him of Anne's unhappiness he must have taken it into his own hands to secure their proximity. Jane smiled to herself- he was a romantic for others as well as himself.

"But that is no reason for you to be troubled now. This is very common in marriages. Having children, or having the pressure of needing to have children placed onto you can feel very overwhelming. Especially if both parties are not especially keen in the task. Not to say that you weren't-"

"No, Jane. I have no secrets from you. You are not wrong. Mr Eshton was not especially keen in carrying out the task with me" she confessed, a little sadly. She gained a small amount of courage as she continued, her voice renewed.

"I do not think I mind it now. At first I did, but I am content in my tasks at home. I am a lady of a fine house, married to a fine man whom I love and whom loves me. I knew when I married him that he was a greatly occupied man, but I did not anticipate how much, however, until after we were wed. I cannot complain, he was always honest with me about his devotion to his studies. I just believed, perhaps out of a want to, that I could change him, and that I alone would be enough to tempt him out of his books and studies".

Jane took her hand.

"Mr Eshton is a very good man. And I believe he loves you more than he could love any other creature on the planet. Even those which he studies. He just has a different way of showing it. That in itself is unique to your love. There is no reason to be anything but excited for all that is to come"

Anne squeezed her friends hand, nodding.

"He wants a son. He has said he wants a son first, and does not care what may come after. But it is important our baby is a boy"

"That is unfair!" Jane remarked, "For no one has control over whether their child is male or female. At least if he is not a man of god, he is a man of science and knows such things are out of man's control".

Anne shook her head, shrugging.

"It is a tradition which has been upheld in his family for at least four generations. I do not think he wishes to break the tradition now"

Jane shot her an unimpressed glance, "A tradition formed only by chance"

Anne looked amused for the first time, chuckling slightly.

"Well, at any rate there is not much we can do about it. I will keep my fingers crossed for a son. And I will be content in the meantime".

"Your husband, I am sure, is simply overwhelmed with the news, and in the excitement of learning this all has an overly idealistic image of how much he can plan the child you will have together. When the initial excitement has warn off, and he settles back into normality, you will be able to discuss such things much better- I promise".

"I am only worried of disagreeing, or causing arguments concerning our child. Mr Eshton was raised in such a way that his family expects him to raise his child in the way he was raised, and his father was raised, and his fathers father was raised. I only want our child to be raised as ours, and nothing else. You and Edward do not have these problems, of course-".

"No" Jane corrected her, "We do. Sometimes me and Edward do fight, and God knows it is my fault. My moods I cannot control, and often time my anger or sadness or frustration are taken out on him. It is difficult, but he understands that I do not mean to hurt him. Mostly we talk- a lot, actually. Talking saves marriages, I believe that. It also gets a couple through difficult situations"

"That will be me and Mr Eshton, eventually. We just need more practice". She seemed to assure herself as she spoke.

Jane nodded encouragingly.

"All in time, Anne. I assure you that with time all will feel much more settled, and you will feel much more like the natural mother I know you are. Everything will fall into place".

Anne looked down at her teacup which was surely cold by now and smiled quietly.

"Thank you, my friend. Your very voice, and its truthful nature, gives me a revived hope. Now, enough with this serious, heavy talk. Let us talk of happier things"

"Indeed. I am always up for that" Jane agreed, taking a biscuit for herself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The night progressed with easy conversation and a happy meal. After dinner, however, both retreated to their own rooms in order to have some personal time to rest before bed. Jane waved goodnight to her friend and watched her enter her bedroom before opening her own bedroom door.

The room was surprisingly changed without Edward. The bed looked bigger, the fire sounded louder, and the room seemed suddenly too large for one person. Jane walked slowly over to the bed where she could sit to remove her shoes and her clothes. She bent, with great difficulty, and undid her laces before kicking her shoes off. She then unbuttoned her dress and laid it next to her before slipping on her nightdress. Being pregnant, such small actions seemed at times an impossible feat. She sat in silence for a little while before finding the strength to stand and walk towards the fire where she dropped into her armchair.

She looked into the orange flames- felt their warmth play across her face. It was one of those small moments she was exceptionally thankful for.

Jane was not particularly lonely without her husband. Indeed, she had lived most of her life without a husband to return to each night. And yet, something felt incomplete- and she suspected that until the day she died, she would always feel this way without her husband with her. It was like when one walks to meet a very good friend; you are not lonely in walking to meet them, for you enjoy the scenery and the sounds and the smells of nature, but still you are eager to reach your friend at the end. Jane silently remembered all the nights that she sat alone like this in her room, believing that the situation she found herself in was always to be the state of her life. How different her life was now. But how could she have known? How could she have predicted the absolute bliss that would flood every inch of her existence?

As she moved her hand, she grazed something on the table beside her. Turning to look, she saw a letter addressed to her in a hand that she would never mistake for anyone else's. She smiled as she slipped opened the envelope and slid out the letter within.

"My Darling Jane,

I hope when you read this you are sitting down in front of the fire at the end of your day, as we normally do. I know that today must have been incredibly busy, and you will not find my letter until you collapse into your armchair with exhaustion. If this letter remains untouched when I have returned, I will know you have betrayed our nightly routine for something undoubtedly more exciting and fun. Still, my Jane is not one to abandon such things as brings her much happiness, and so I know I will find this envelope opened upon my return.

I miss you immensely. You will call me absurd for writing such a thing before it has happened, but I know that I will miss you very much at the moment you are reading this letter. London, as you now know for yourself, is a horribly lonely place, despite there being so many more people there. Tonight I will sit and look out of my hotel window knowing that there is not one person in the streets below that I could ever love one hundredth as much as I love you. I think of you, and our unborn child that will give us a family, and I fear my heart rings with so much joy I worry others can hear it. God has made a grave mistake with me, and given too much of the world's happiness to one person. I am sure of it.

Keep me close to your heart until I can return to you. I keep you close to mine always. I find that I cannot untangle the way your heart and soul has been woven with mine. At times it astounds me- especially in sacred moments like the one I find myself in now, watching you sleep peacefully before me. I am you, Jane. And you are me. You possess everything I am, and everything I wish to be.

If I am to be away from you, such thoughts shall sustain me until I can hold you in my arms once more.

Yours always, with greatest love,

Edward"

Jane stared at the letter for quite some time after she read it, thinking of how his hand had moved over this once empty page, writing her such words of love and devotion. She smiled to herself, closing her eyes. Her whole heart filled and swelled with love. He wrote with such intimacy that it made tears rise to her eyes.

Standing slowly, she climbed into bed, pulling the blankets over herself. With such words in her head, renewed in his voice, she could fall asleep without another care in the world.