The following day Jane woke up to the sound of Henry wailing. It was not very early, and yet it was early enough that it was only the servants up and moving. Jane untangled herself from Edward's arms and quickly made it to Henry before his crying could reach too loud a volume. Edward lazily rolled over, rubbing his eyes and blinking himself awake slowly.

"What is wrong?"

"He needs to be changed" Jane said, bringing him over to the bed. Edward kissed his son good morning and sat up, looking groggy and oddly dishevelled.

"Edward, hold him. I am going to grab his changing things".

Within ten minutes all was right again, and Edward and Jane were free to cuddle their son in bed. Jane had decided it was not worth going back to sleep, and so she and her husband simply talked. Never for a moment did Jane take these instants in life for granted. She was fully aware that in time, perhaps no time at all, these memories would become indescribably precious to her because she would not be able to get them back again. These were lived, fleeting, passing moments that if one was not conscious of, then their whole life would pass them by and only then would they realise how much they had truly missed. Jane tried desperately hard to lock every element of the memories in the back of her mind so that she could recall it later, but she was interrupted by the warm familiar voice that was her whole world.

"I have a confession" Edward said, sitting up and looking at his wife holding Henry in her lap. It made Jane uneasy that he looked the slightest bit like he was to blame for something.

"Go on"

"You are not going to like it"

"Why?" she asked, "You sound serious".

"I am, but it is not bad. Well, perhaps for you it will be"

"Edward you are frightening me".

"Don't be silly Jane, I would never allow anything bad to happen to you. Yesterday when I was talking to Captain Franklin he accidentally let something slip. Diana and Mary told Anne that it is your birthday in the upcoming weeks and they thought that while we were all here together they would throw you a party"

"No" Jane moaned, her forehead falling onto her husbands shoulder, "Please tell me you are teasing"

"Not teasing, I am telling you in advance because I know you would want to know. You cannot tell them you know of the party, though. Then they will know it was me who told you"

"But I do not want a party" Jane said, pulling her face up to look at Edward, "I do not mean to sound ungrateful but I do not need one. It would only be a waste"

"No it wouldn't darling, everyone wants to celebrate your life-"

"Are you in on this Edward Rochester?"

"No" he answered quickly, "I know you well enough as your husband to always respect your wishes. Tell me, what did I do last year for your birthday?"

Jane sighed, "You said 'Happy Birthday darling, I will give you a singular birthday kiss and I will not mention it again', and I appreciated that very much"

"Though I would have liked to give you far more" he proceeded still sounding slightly annoyed that he could not give Jane any large gesture, "I knew you wanted nothing else so I left it".

Jane pouted slightly, and Edward laughed deeply.

"Jane darling, a pout looks quite foreign on your face".

But she did not laugh with him, and so he sunk back into quiet thoughtfulness as he observed her.

"Should I tell Franklin how much you would prefer not to have a party thrown for you?"

"No" Jane said, shaking her head, "No, the girls will look forward to planning it, and perhaps it will have Mary up and moving. Besides, Franklin says he likes hosting so much, perhaps this will give him a reason to be able to"

"And?"

"And what?"

"It is meant to be a good thing for you too Jane! Not for everyone besides yourself".

Jane nodded, a blush already burning her cheeks at the thought of what the party may entail. Edward touched her cheek affectionately and smiled his irresistible sideways grin at her.

"I love you"

"Mmm, I love you" Jane replied, "And thank you".

He winked at her and picked Henry up from her lap, smiling at him.

"Your mother is impossible" he teased, kissing his cheek affectionately.

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

Shortly after breakfast the Eshton's arrived at the Franklin Estate. Again, Diana or Captain Franklin did not come to the door to greet their guests, rather the Eshton's were brought to their room first and then to the room where the Rochester's and Franklin's waited and chatted. Anne hugged Jane and Diana very tightly as Mr Eshton greeted his old and new friend with seeming equal excitement.

"Town has finished me" he announced, "I am done with the whole lot there. I could do with country living for a very long time".

Anne rolled her eyes at Jane and Diana, announcing lowly that Mr Eshton only decided he didn't like it when he tripped in a square and fell in some muck on the road shortly before departing. They all laughed softly together and Eshton glanced over suspiciously.

"Where is Mary?" Anne asked louder this time, "And where is her baby? What was his name?"

"He hasn't gotten a name yet" Diana said, "She is still deciding".

"And hello Ms Jane Rochester" Eshton said, walking up to Jane and bowing.

"Morning Mr Eshton"

"You look well, I trust that you are?"

"Very much so, thank you. I heard you admit you are finished with town living for a while, but are you as finished with your duties as magistrate?"

"No, I quite enjoy them!" he said, "But of course you know that, you are as good as any gypsy woman at predicting the future. You told me that you thought I would enjoy it as much as I do".

Jane smiled,

"I can only say that I am very glad, and thankful"

"Why? Because it keeps me out of politics?" Edward asked, stepping up behind them.

"Only possibly" Jane said, grinning at her husband.

"Then old Rochester here is treating you well?"

"Eshton, you are a year younger than I"

"That is a whole three hundred and sixty five days older. That is a lot".

Edward rolled his eyes and Eshton looked back to Jane for her reply.

"Edward is always very good to me. I could not ask for a better husband"

"I must be honest, for keeping him in check I am sure that you deserve far more"

"I do not know how true that is" Rochester piped up, "Though I am sure the same could be said for Ms Eshton, who seems to have patience for all your projects and ideas that I never could have"

"That is because you never had my vision"

"More like I had common sense that you did not"

Eshton smiled and clapped his old friend on the shoulder.

"I am very glad to see you again, and to see you so happy. I know, Jane, it is all due to you and master Henry".

"Come on you lot" Franklin called abruptly, "A light lunch is waiting for us"

. . . . . . . . . . .

When lunch was finished the girls all went upstairs to see Mary, who was in good spirits, and very happy to see them all. Her newborn son was brought into her when they were settled after a few minutes by a young-looking nurse, and Mary held him in her arms with a slight new-mother awkwardness.

"I am not sure what to do" she admitted, looking to Jane.

"Here" she said, walking over and positioning Mary's arm in a more comfortable way so that she could hold him better, "Just like that"

"Where is little Henry?" Mary asked,

"With his father" Jane replied, "I do not know where though".

"I thought he may want to know his cousins name" she said, smiling at those assembled around her bed.

"Go on! Tell us" Diana prompted,

"This is Daniel Rivers" she said, smiling at him lovingly.

"That is beautiful, Mary" Jane said, rubbing her shoulder,

"I love it" Anne assured,

Mary smiled, "I wanted a biblical name for him, and I liked this one best".

"It is perfect. Daniel Rivers, it has a very nice ring to it, I think" Jane said.

Mary's demeanour stayed with Jane for the rest of the day. Mary did not come down to supper, for she was still healing and resting, but her spirits were high and she had begged the ladies to come back up and see her as soon as dinner was finished. This they did while the men were still downstairs, but Jane retired to bed shortly afterwards, too tired from the previous nights poor sleep while adjusting to a new bed.

Jane settled herself for bed before she rocked Henry for so long that she had to constantly remind herself not to fall asleep in the chair. She rubbed her eyes often, blinking them frantically to keep herself alert. If she did not love her son very, very much, she would have been immensely frustrated and most likely horribly unbearable to be around. Whenever his little eyes would close, the smallest movement of her attempting to rise from the chair would wake him, and his eyes would flash open with as much alertness and expectancy as someone who had just women from a long nap. When he was finally asleep, she laid him in the crib with great caution and difficulty, wasting no time in getting into bed herself. She did not remember how long it took her to fall asleep, but it was not long enough for her to realise how tired she truly was.

. . .

When next Jane woke she could tell that not much time had passed at all between when she had fallen asleep and the present. There was still movement in the hallways, too much movement for only servants to be awake. Even the blankets of her bed did not feel very warm, rather like someone had just gotten into them. The angry voices that had woken Jane up moved closer to her door and she could not help but grin widely, in spite of her frustration that she had been woken again so soon.

"You smell like you have drunken a whole barrel of wine" Anne was reprimanding angrily, "Why do you not sleep in another room? I am sure it will do us both some good"

"This is my room" Eshton argued stupidly, and Jane heard her friend click her tongue.

"You are not staying in here tonight, you are drunk and I am tired. Go sleep down the hall. Diana has made up a room for Captain Franklin there".

"Why?" he asked again in his drawn out and slurred voice. Jane smiled, she had never heard Mr Eshton talk like that before.

"Go, up the hall. Rooms have already been made up"

"But where is Rochester?" Eshton asked, immediately as the thought had also crossed Jane's mind. Jane pulled back the blankets and wrapped her robe around herself so that she could step out into the hallway to find out the answer to Eshton's question.

When Jane opened her bedroom door, Anne and Eshton spun around, looking at her with widened eyes.

"Oh Jane, I am so sorry. We have woken you"

"No, it is alright" Jane said, her voice somewhat heavy with sleep. She looked down the hall and saw her approaching husband.

Edward had certainly looked better, she thought to herself. His face was sallow and pale, drained of all its natural warmth. His hair was pushed back at the front, as if he had been constantly running his fingers through it. His cravat was loosened, but not removed, and the look which covered his face was less then impressed. Jane had only seen her husband drunk a handful of times, and because it was not a regular, or even a somewhat regular practice, she always chose to look at it as amusing.

Anne turned on Jane, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Honestly" she said, puffing her chest out, "Those three got into this aged, fermented wine downstairs that was clearly too strong. What a job it has done on the lot of them".

But Jane only smiled understandingly at her husband who looked immensely guilty as he ambled up the hallway. Jane could tell he was not as intoxicated as Eshton who now leaned on the wall for support, but all the same... he did not look very good.

"Hello love" Jane said as he reached her, "How are you feeling?"

"I hope they all feel rotten" Diana answered from a little further up the hall as Captain Franklin walked out of their room, now dressed for bed himself. Jane assumed that Diana too had ordered her husband out of her room for the night. Captain Franklin was perhaps the worst out of the lot, looking positively grey as he made his way down the hallway towards the small group gathered before him. He gave them a small sort of half-hearted wave and then hung his head again, reaching his temporary bedroom's door. Jane quickly walked down the hall to help him open the door and he thanked her in what she assumed was a disguised grunt before he closing it quickly behind him.

"Come on" Jane said to her husband, taking his arm, "I think it is time to sleep this one off"

"I couldn't agree more" he mumbled, rubbing his head.

Anne was still standing with her arms folded at her expectant looking husband.

"I will see you to your room"

And without another word, Anne marched with her husband towards where Captain Franklin had vanished into a spare room. Jane opened their bedroom door, letting Edward step in first.

He immediately sat down on the bed, running his fingers frustratingly through his hair and sighing deeply. Jane looked at him, trying to suppress a smile from spreading over her lips. She went over to his clothing and picked out a nightshirt before returning to him and removing his already loosened cravat. It came off with little effort.

"I'm sorry" he murmured to Jane, but she shook her head.

"All is well" she assured.

He groaned audibly and Jane silenced him quickly,

"Henry is asleep" she reminded.

This room was so immensely large that with Henry on the other far side of the room he never woke with any noise. And yet, he had taken so long to get to sleep that Jane did not want to risk rousing him for any reason. Edward put his hands over his face, surely about to say some self-reprimanding profanity, but Jane tugged the collar on his waistcoat to stop him. She began to unbutton his vest as he turned his face to her.

"My head is pounding"

Jane stepped back and observed him. She moved over him and kissed his forehead gently, careful not to apply any real pressure. She was sure his forehead relaxed very slightly. He put one hand instinctively on her waist in a non-verbal form of gratitude, the other still massaging his head.

Within a few more minutes Jane had him undressed and into his nightshirt. There was a forcefully closed door in the hallway, footsteps, and then all fell silent throughout the house. Jane peeled back the blankets and he got into bed before she could realise he was sleeping on her side- not that it mattered much. Slipping into bed beside him, he gathered her to him and kissed her forehead very briefly. Jane coughed, and wrinkled her nose.

"Edward Rochester, you really do stink".

"Do I?"

"Of course you do. My, what a state the three of you are in"

"I only had a little more than a glass" he said, "My god, the others must be in worse shape than me. They drank a lot more"

Jane shook her head,

"How did you not notice how strong it was?"

"I lived in the Caribbean, Jane, for four years and practically everyone there lives on pure rum. I thought I had built up a tolerance enough with that to endure a little after dinner wine. Jane!" he asked, his face lighting up with a sudden thought, "Have you ever tried rum?"

"No"

"Would you like to?"

"Not particularly-"

"I think you should try it. I liked seeing you drunk during that one party last year. You were very sweet and I liked taking care of you".

Jane smiled at him, trying to look disapproving.

"I am glad you liked me best while I was drunk. That reassures me in how much you must love me everyday"

But he only smiled, his cheeks flushing with the colour they had been drained of. He grunted suddenly and buried his face in the pillow

"My head" he moaned, "Why did I drink that damned stuff?"

Jane rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Go to sleep darling. You are sure to feel somewhat better in the morning"

"But I do not want to sleep" he said, bringing himself up on his forearms so he could look at Jane. He leaned in very closely to her so that their mouths were almost touching. The alcohol on his breath was very strong.

"Jane, make love with me".

But she only smiled, shaking her head.

"No, not right now"

Though it was a rather tempting thought.

"Why not?"

"I have many reasons for saying no"

"Well, tell me. I should like to hear them"

Another smile from Jane,

"Firstly, you are drunk, and such would be taking advantage of you-"

"No" he interrupted, putting his finger comically up in the air, "You can safely assume that drunk or not, I will always want you"

"Very well then. Secondly, I have no desire to kiss you with such a strong smell of alcohol on your breath"

"I am sorry, there is not much I can do about that at present. However, there is much we can do that does not involve kissing-"

"Thirdly, our son is right in the corner of the room"

"But Jane, he can't-"

"Fourthly, I am immensely tired-"

"Me too, but we can be quick"

"And lastly, I do not like the idea of having relations in someone else's bed"

"Wait, wait" he said, thinking, "You mean for the whole time we are here-?"

'That is exactly what I mean"

"Jane!" he said, trying to shuffle around into a seated position, but Jane held him down softly with her hand. "That is not fair"

"How? You survived longer than a month when I was in my final month of pregnancy"

"That is because it would have put you in incredible pain, and I was not about to chance that for my sake"

The last few words of his sentence had slurred together slightly.

"Love, how about we talk about it all later?"

"Promise?"

"Of course".

. . .

When Jane woke several hours later bright, warm sun was beaming down on her face. She opened her eyes to see Edward sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her. When she opened her eyes he smiled.

"Good morning Ms Rochester"

"Good morning Mr Rochester" she said, "How are you feeling?"

"Absolutely terrible" he grinned, leaning down and kissing her sweetly. He had washed up it looked like, and cleaned himself since Jane last laid eyes on him, "But I suppose it is what I deserve"

Jane only laughed, "I think you shall look like a very beacon of modesty today compared to the other two"

"Really? Was it that bad?"

"Well, put it this way, you are upright"

Edward put his hand over his face, chuckling.

"Poor chaps. Ah well, I am still not totally free either"

"You look much better though" Jane commented, touching his cheek.

"I may look better but my head is still pounding and my stomach is not well"

"Here" Jane said, pulling back the sheets and walking over to her wash basin. She had put it in the bathroom the night before in anticipation for her husbands headache. When she returned he looked at her curiously.

"Wrap this cold cloth around your head" Jane instructed, wringing most of the water out of it.

He lay down and Jane helped secure it around his head.

"How does that feel?" she asked,

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, "Like a god send"

"Good" Jane said, "And Henry is still asleep?"

"He stirred himself a little while ago but settled again quickly. When I went over he was already asleep again".

"Well, no complains there" Jane admitted, "He was very hard to put down last night. He whined for the better part of two hours"

"Why did you not come get me to help?"

"I didn't know you were so busy living the high life with Eshton and Franklin, I could never disturb such fun" Jane said, but Edward did not look amused.

"You should have come to get me. You were so tired yesterday, I thought you went right up to bed to sleep-"

But Jane silenced him and took the cloth off his forehead to dip it again into the cold water. He sighed when it was put back in place.

"Jane, I am very much in love with you"

She looked up at him, smiling ever so slightly. He opened his eyes and reached up to run his fingers along her jaw. She turned her face to kiss his hand and then pulled it down, holding it in hers.

"Would you be saying the same if I was not sitting here with this basin of cold water?"

"Yes" he smiled, "I would be saying it no matter what".

"I know" Jane answered, rubbing his hand affectionately, "And I would be sitting here with you, no matter what"

At that moment there was a hard knock at the door and Jane jumped. Edward laughed as she stood quickly to answer it,

"Wait, wait" he called, "Look"

Her nightgown was not buttoned up all the way, and it exposed a little more than Jane would have wanted. Thanking her amused husband quickly, and wrapping her robe around herself as she went, Jane opened her bedroom door.

Diana stood before her looking highly annoyed and yet somewhat happy to see Jane.

"Morning Jane. Will you join us for breakfast? Mr Franklin and Mr Eshton, and I am assuming Mr Rochester, will not be joining us".

"Edward" Jane said, glancing back at her husband whom Diana could not see in the small amount Jane had opened the door, "You won't be joining us for breakfast, will you?"

"As much as I wish I could, I do not think it would be a good idea at present"

"Oh, he is up at least, and coherent" Diana said, clearly irritated. "But do come down to join us Jane, we could use your sunshine of presence".

Jane only nodded,

"I shall be down in just a moment".