Jane woke very early the next morning and carefully untangled herself from her husband before immediately going to see Henry.
Though still early, he was up when she entered the nursery. He was not crying, nor making any noise, rather he was just looking up at the ceiling, kicking his feet playfully.
"Oh hello my darling" Jane said, picking him up and holding him close to her. He pressed his cheek to her shoulder, arms hanging lazily at his side, "How are you this morning? Did you sleep well? I am sorry that mommy was not here when you woke up"
And Jane was sorry. She suddenly felt very guilty for having been at the ball the previous night. Being a mother to her son was her most important job, and that was more pressing than everything else. She kissed his cheek and rubbed his back affectionately.
"Mr Henry, I love you very, very much".
She could not resist another kiss on his cheek. His face stretched into a smile and Jane felt her heart swim with happiness.
As she did this, she heard Daniel move in the crib beside Henry. Putting Henry in one arm she walked over and stood before Thomas, stroking his face lightly. He stirred again and when his eyes flashed opened he began to cry hysterically. Jane's heart broke that he slept in here alone so young, and that there was no one here to soothe him when he cried.
She lay Henry back inside of his crib before picking Daniel up and rocking him in her arms.
"Sssh sweetheart" she soothed, "All is well. All is well. Be calm".
He coughed back tears and Jane bounced him encouragingly,
"There you go. How does that feel? Better to get all those tears out?"
He was so small, and so light in her arms. Henry gripped her finger through the rungs of his crib while Daniel continued to whimper in her arms. Both babies needed care so desperately, and only one received such care from his mother. The thought struck Jane in the innermost part of her heart. How could she help Mary?
At that moment the door of the nursery opened and one of the two nurses walked in, straightening her apron.
"Oh, good morning miss"
"Good morning" Jane called, "How do you do?"
"Well thanks. I see you are busy in here this morning"
Smiling, Jane handed Daniel to her and picked Henry up once more.
"Poor little one was quite upset when he woke"
"He generally is. Not the happiest baby I have seen, but they all soon grow out of this phase anyways, as I am sure you know. Your little Henry is very well behaved- such a happy, hearty child".
"Goodness, I hope he remains so" Jane said, "I wish nothing else for him. Thank you for taking such good care of him last night, we truly appreciate it".
"Of course ma'am. We enjoyed taking care of him, as I said, he is such a happy boy".
"Well, I am glad. Thank you again".
She nodded to Jane kindly before she and Henry left the room.
Jane did not wish to stay and disturb Daniel by talking, for if the nurse could get him back to sleep such would be wonderful. But Jane also did not want to prematurely wake her husband from sleep by going back to bed with Henry, so instead, she sat in the small parlour room off of their bedroom.
The parlour room was an odd sort of space within the house, and Jane and Edward had spent hardly any time in there. It was a very small room compared to the others in the home and rather stuffy. Thick tapestries hung on the walls, the floors were carpeted and heavy curtains covered the small and insufficient windows in the room, meaning no natural light could enter. The sofa was positioned in the middle of the room, which seemed to fall into dark shadows. Though the sun had risen, this side of the house got very little sunlight, and so it may as well have been the time of the morning where the night is transitioning to day, and the sky is filled with blue hues
There was never any need to be in here, for there was a sitting area in their bedroom, so the details of this room had largely gone unnoticed by Jane. But now with lots of time, and a baby who needed to be fed, Jane had the ability to admire the room's uniqueness.
It was an odd thing to describe, but Jane felt that this room had been lived in at one point, and that since then nothing had been changed in the room. A large wooden box with a locking mechanism sat on the table before her, and with very little effort she managed to flip the lid off and see the contents inside. Paper upon paper was stuffed tightly inside so that when Jane opened the lid, the papers sprung all over the floor of the room.
"Oh no" she said, stretching awkwardly to try and retrieve the contents of the box without disturbing Henry- but this was impossible. Fearing that he would start crying, Jane resolved to simply sit there in the quiet and collect the papers later on.
. . .
A lot of time passed before there was any more activity in the house. Eventually, Jane heard servants footsteps up and down the hallway, indicating to her it must have been six o'clock. They must have been finishing the cleaning from the night before, and wishing to do such before the house was awake. Jane felt an odd, guilty pang for not being with the other servants and helping, but then she had to remind herself again that she was no longer a servant and was not expected to help.
So more time passed, and eventually Jane heard movement in the adjoining bedroom. Edward shuffled sleepily around the room looking, she was sure, for Jane before quickly and dismissively glancing into the room where she was. When his eyes fell upon her and Henry he turned back, looking confused.
"Jane, love. What are you doing in here?'
"Just sitting up with Henry"
"Since when?"
"What time is it now?"
"Seven forty"
"Well, some time ago now. I am not sure the exact time".
Edward rubbed his eyes sleepily, resting against the door frame.
"Come to bed"
"No, you go back to sleep for a while. I shall do very well in here for another little bit".
But he shook his head,
"You are going to catch cold. Go back to bed, I will be happy to look after Henry".
He stepped into the room, his curly hair a mess from sleeping. It hung down in front of his face, and he did not try very hard to fix it.
"Thank you, very much, for offering. But you look exhausted, and I have been comfortable here-"
He sat down besides Jane and put his arm around her. He picked Henry up from Jane's arms and held him close to his chest, kissing his cheek.
"Good morning" he said to him, "Has your mother been attending to you without me? How cruel that was of her".
Smiling, Jane tucked her feet up into the corner of the couch and laid her head on Edward's shoulder. He turned to kiss the top of her head, pausing before drawing back. She suddenly realised how tired she truly was. Jane tried to disguise her yawn as Edward continued to speak to Henry, but he noticed and gave her a knowing look.
"Perhaps I will go back and lie down"
"...Mhm"
"Only for a few minutes"
"Right"
"Yes, so goodnight. Or, good morning?"
Edward pulled Jane in for a kiss by the collar of her nightdress before she walked back towards their room. In reaching the door frame she turned around and surveyed her husband. He was playing with Henry and did not seem to notice her. She cleared her throat loudly so that he looked up at her, seeming confused.
"Excuse me"
"Yes?"
"Are you not coming?"
Edward's face stretched into a wide grin before he answered,
"I had not planned on it, I am spending time with my son right now"
Jane nodded very slowly,
"I see, very well".
"Very well" he repeated, "What does that mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Well, goodnight".
Jane walked away without another word and crawled into bed. The sheets were cold on her side, so she moved to her husbands side, very thankful that he was always such a pillar of warmth.
After a few minutes there was a weight on the side of the bed as Edward sat down. He chuckled softly to himself that Jane had situated herself on his side of the bed. With Henry in his arms, Edward lay down facing away from Jane on the opposite side of the bed so that he could keep Henry safe within the confines of his arms. After a few moments Jane turned over and wrapped her arm around her husbands waist, pressing her face into his shoulder.
. . . . . . .
The following few days passed with little activity around the house. The high of the ball had died away now and Jane found that everyone was now feeling the effects of not having something to look forward to. For Jane, although she loved being around family and friends, it was starting to become difficult having no routine for herself. She could not busy herself with tasks or jobs because she was a guest here, and meant to be relaxing. So, she spent most of her time out in the gardens with Henry taking walks or, as of late, sketching. It had been a very long time since she had done this, but she had found some paper and leads in an old drawing room, and Diana had assured her that neither she or Captain Franklin would be using them any time soon, so she was free to use them at will. It was nice, having something to do that she did not practice much anymore. Henry sat beside her in the grass as she sketched trees or the walkway or the neatly trimmed garden. She made a promise with herself to draw her beautiful, large and overgrown garden in comparison to this one when she arrived home, for she was thinking of her home a lot.
Edward spent, in truth, most of his time with Eshton and Franklin. Jane found this change in behaviour strange, and if she was less sure of his affection for her she was sure she would have been hurt. Sometimes it was not until dinner during the night that she saw him, and on those days he did not act as if anything was different between them at all.
Jane thought long and hard whether or not she should talk to him, for if she did, she did not want to come off like she did not trust him, for she did with her whole heart. Besides, he was not doing anything wrong. It was only that he also did not see his son during the days much, and for him this was extremely odd. Jane wanted to know what he spent the long hours of the day doing, and what had caused this sudden shift. One night, when Jane had made up her mind to ask him, she found him already asleep in the bed. She climbed in beside him, and half asleep, but half roused by her movement, Edward pulled her instinctively close to him and fell back to sleep instantly.
When Jane woke several hours later, she woke to an empty bed.
Something did not feel right when she sat up. Edward's side of the bed had been vacant a long time, that she could tell. It was only just morning, for the sun was only just breaking over the horizon and starting to fill the bedroom with warm light. Jane stood and looked out of the window- had she not been so distracted, she would have thought the sunrise was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen. Rubbing her arm absentmindedly, Jane walked over to her sons crib where Henry slept soundly. So Edward had not taken Henry anywhere either...where could he be then?
Jane moved slowly back over to the window, wrapping her robe around herself as she went. She saw that the stable boys were up and moving, which could only have meant that Edward had been in the stables this morning too. She very much doubted he was still down there.
. . .
Jane could not go back to sleep that morning. She tried to put her husband's absence out of her mind, but something just did not feel right. He never lied to her, never kept anything from her, and now he was out with a horse before the break of dawn. Nothing pleasant could be happening at so early an hour. More than anything, she was angry that he had not confided in her.
Jane was up and dressed before the other girls in the house, but when Diana and Anne entered the dining room together she could tell that they too were upset.
"Is Mr Rochester gone?" Anne asked, sitting down heavily at the table.
"Yes, is Mr Eshton?"
"Indeed, along with my husband" Diana asked, looking cross.
Jane sighed, "I noticed quite early when I woke and found he was not there, but I am very confused. I am normally a light sleeper, I always hear or feel him move. It is so strange that I did not wake, and that Henry was not woken by the sound of him leaving".
"How early is quite early?" Anne asked,
"Before 4:30. The sun was just beginning to rise. I could not tell the exact time, for Edward took his pocket watch".
"Well" said Diana firmly, "I can only assume that they are all with each other, and that makes me feel better. I did not notice the Captain leave either, so I wasn't sure what time he left. I spent all morning looking around the house for him, thinking he was tucked away in some corner. Then a servant told me he left early".
Anne rolled her eyes, "Honestly, what could they possibly be doing at such an hour together?"
"I am not sure" Jane answered, "But Edward never keeps things from me, nor does he lie. So I can only conclude their business is unpleasant.
"Our husbands spent the last few days with each other a lot" Diana said, seeming to have a realisation, "And I suspect now that they had some plan tying them up".
Anne only tapped her foot angrily under the table,
"Well, I cannot say I have much of an appetite. I shall be worried sick until they return, hopefully later today. When I see Mr Eshton..."
"Try not to be too angry, Anne" Diana said, "I cannot imagine they are doing anything wrong"
"That does not matter!" she answered, "For they shall pay for worrying us, not for what they are doing. Could none of them tell us where they would be going and why? I mean honestly...all this secrecy, and for what. Oh Jane, tell us something hopeful as you always do"
Jane tried to muster an honest smile, but she was not quite up to it. Instead, she took her friends hands across the table.
"They are not rash, and they are not foolish. I am sure we will have an explanation, and soon enough. Until then, we must try and be patient in spite of our worry and frustration".
"You are right Jane" Diana said, "It is easy to assume the worst when you do not know the circumstance. Let us try and be well".
But Diana's words were easier said than done.
The day seemed to creep by slowly, made even slower by the fact that Henry cried continually. By the time the late evening came and Henry had tired himself into a nap, Jane felt exhausted. Little sleep combined with a crying baby had made Jane unforgiving and irritable.
When she had her evening tea, Jane asked it to also be brought to Diana and Anne in the sitting room. They had remained there most of the day in-between helping Jane with Henry and had not eaten much as a result. Perhaps something with tea could entice them. When Jane walked in with the tray, Anne looked up.
"Thank you sweet Jane, this is very kind. How is Henry?"
"He is asleep now, but still unsettled"
"Poor little one" Diana said, "Hopefully he wakes up feeling better"
"Well, because he is sleeping now later in the afternoon he will not sleep tonight until much later. So, that is too bad, but at least he is no longer crying".
"Indeed, and that is all we can wish for after the day we had with him".
Jane nodded, "I admit, I am very tired".
"You look it, Jane. I think we all do"
"That is what a day of worrying will do to you, especially with a crying baby".
"Here Diana" Jane said, handing her a tea cup, "Have some tea. And here Anne"
"Thank you"
"Come let us talk of something- anything" Jane encouraged, "I know we are worried, but time will pass much slower if we do not at least try to talk of something else"
"Yes! How right you are" Anne pipped up, "Well, last night the ball was a smashing success. Apparently, according to that nice servant with black hair, the whole town was still talking of it this morning. Congratulations Diana, you must be thrilled".
"I am glad!" she said, "But mostly glad that it went off smoothly and I did not embarrass myself too much".
"Impossible, you were very charming" Jane encouraged, "You were the perfect host's wife".
"That makes it your turn next, Jane" Diana said, "For now Anne has thrown a ball and so have I. I am afraid the responsibility falls on you now".
Jane blushed very deeply and shook her head, "I dare say not, I could never be the hostess that you and Anne were. Just thinking about it now..."
"And yet your house has a splendid ballroom just asking to be used. It never has been, and that is a shame"
"It was used once!" Jane protested, "When Edward was teaching me some dances for my first ball"
Anne looked as if she was about to exclaim some great form of "how sweet" when one of the nurse maids came around the corner holding Henry, red with crying in her arms.
"Ms Rochester, I'm sorry, you did not have much time with the ladies, but you told me to come and get you in he started crying"
"No, thank you. Little Henry was not fated to have much sleep today, I suppose".
The nurse laid Henry into Jane's arms and exited the room again. He was on the verge of breaking into tears once more, and Jane rocked him, rubbing his stomach reassuringly.
"It is alright little one, it is okay"
"Jane, what a wonderful mother you are. You are never frustrated with him, nor cross when he cries. You are quite the natural".
Jane grinned,
"You learn very quickly when you become a mother that it is unfair to be frustrated when your child cries. Henry has no other way of communicating with me, and is only trying to tell me something. Besides, I love him far too much to be frustrated with him".
Holding him close to her chest, Jane saw the longing on both her friends faces.
"How much I want a child" Diana lamented, sadness lingering in the end of her voice.
"I know" Anne replied, shaking her head, "I have not conceived since I lost my child"
"And I have never" Diana admitted, with shame.
Jane shook her head, "All in good time. We are all young, and have time to have children. I know how much pressure you can place on yourself to have a child, and how stressed you can feel when a child does not happen. But you must not be hard on yourself, nor be upset at not meeting the wish for a baby by a certain time. The loss of my first child devastated me, and I did not think I could ever face having another child. I tried to be patient and easy with myself in spite of-".
But at that moment the front door opened and closed, and three distinct pairs of boots could be heard on the threshold.
The girls looked at each other.
The contented and accomplished looks of the men who rounded the corner were short lived as their eyes fell upon their waiting wives.