The following day was a seemingly unspectacular one. After a shared breakfast, Jane took Henry with her up to Adele's room so that they could spend some time together while Mr Rochester attempted to make it through more of the letters that were stacked high in his office. Adele showed Jane the work journal she had been keeping at school which was filled with neatly handwritten pages of notes. Jane proudly read through, commenting on the things Adele had learned well and encouraging her in the things she still struggled with. For one strange moment, Jane felt like Jane Eyre the governess once again. It was a nice thought, as fleeting as it was, for it reminded her of happy times.
"And look" said Adele, pulling Jane's attention to the book in her hand, "We were learning about Roman soldiers, but of course I already knew of that for you had taught me. My teacher was quite impressed with me".
Jane beamed,
"I am glad, Adele. I see you remembered that their excellent military tactics was due to their organisation"
"Yes!" she piped up quickly, "I remembered because you made me laugh when you said that one day, if I tried very hard, I could be as organised as them too".
Jane laughed,
"And I see that day has not come yet. Look at the state your desk is in"
"I thought if Gwen came in later-"
"Adele. It is not the maids job to clean your desk. She makes your bed and cleans your floor but the desk is your own responsibility. Will you please clean it this afternoon?"
"Yes" she said, sounding slightly disgruntled with this decision.
"Thank you" Jane replied, squeezing her hand.
Henry made incoherent baby noises in Jane's arms and she hugged him highly, bouncing him into laughter. Adele observed him with wide eyes, smiling.
"Jane?"
"Yes Adele?"
"Was it very difficult to be pregnant?"
"It was at times, yes" Jane answered truthfully, "Especially at the end where I could hardly stand up or sit down without help. But to have an amazing little person on the other side of it makes it all completely worth while".
Adele's eyes grew very wide,
"You could not stand on your own?"
Jane shook her head,
"Only on a very good day".
"What did you do?"
"Mr Rochester was there to help me. I was very thankful for him".
"He did not send you away to Bath? Or to further regions to convalesce?"
"No, he did not. I would never agree to such a plan, and nor would he".
"But so many men send their wives there. I heard it is the fashionable thing to do, for the waters there are good for the baby and mother".
"Well, it is not what everyone chooses to do, and we had a healthy son without those waters. Just because something is a tradition, Adele, doesn't mean it is the only choice people can make. If I was sent away to Bath I would have been alone and isolated. By staying here, I had my family with me, and friends to help me when I needed it. I would not have had it any other way. Besides" Jane grinned, "Who would help me stand and sit down then?".
"I guess you are right" Adele said thoughtfully, "Of course you would wish to be around friends. I would choose the same thing".
"Well then, when the time comes for you to be a mother, you can choose to do the same" Jane said warmly.
"When do you think I shall be a mother?" Adele inquired innocently, squeezing her hands together in excitement, "I very much wish to be a mother".
"Not for a while yet. It is important to receive your education and live as a young woman before you are married. It is not until then that you can have children".
Adele looked sullen and disappointed, so Jane continued.
"It is not wise to wish your youth away, Adele. You are lucky every moment you are alive and well to experience all the wonderful things in the world. There is time for everything, including becoming a mother. Now" Jane pipped up, seeing Adele's lifted face, "I would appreciate it very much if you would clean your desk. I am going to go and put Henry down for his nap and go to check on Mr Rochester. When I return, I think it should be looking quite as good as the day you arrived".
"Yes Jane" Adele said, standing and moving over to the desk, barely recognisable under the stacks of drawings there.
. . .
Jane did exactly the things she told Adele she would. After rocking Henry to sleep for the better part of an hour, she laid him in his crib and crept from the room with the utmost caution. To wake him after trying to get him to settle for so long would have been a tragedy indeed. Upon closing the door with unnatural care, Jane descended the staircase into her husbands office.
Edward was sitting at his desk deeply engulfed in the piles of paper around him. His hair was pushed back unnaturally on his head as if he had been running his fingers through it often. With an unconscious focus he dipped his pen in the inkwell between reading different sheets of paper and did not seem to notice his wife lingering over the threshold.
"Hello" Jane said, stepping forward so that his attention was drawn to her.
"Hello love" he said, laying down his pen and turning to face her, "How are you?"
"Oh very well. I've just put Henry down for his nap and instructed Adele to clean out her desk. I came to see how you were doing"
"I am making my way through them, though the progress I thought I made yesterday has been revoked by another large stack of unopened letters I found this morning".
"Let me help" Jane entreated, "This is too much for one person, and I am doing nothing at present. In truth, I should have been in here this morning with you".
He smiled, and rubbed his eyes,
"Jane, darling. I appreciate that very much, but you are busy taking care of two children. I can handle a few letters".
Without instruction, Jane picked up a large stack of bound letters and moved over into an armchair to open them up. She sliced the letter opener through the first envelope of the pile and shook the letter out. When she unfolded it, she found something completely foreign to her inside in the form of estate balances and the division of one servants wages. She turned on her husband who merely laughed.
"Here" he said, standing to switch out the letters in her hand with a smaller stack, "These are social invitations we missed while we were away. The servant wages I had left until last because they are the most complicated. One day I can show you how to settle these, if you wish?"
"I would like that" Jane said,
But quickly into the process of reading and replying to the social letters, Jane understood why this pile had also gone untouched by her husband. There seemed to be an endless amount of dances and services and army marches and christenings that they had missed while they were gone, all of which Jane was forced to send regrets to. In truth, Jane felt all of the invites were impersonal and insincere. The Rochester's had not received any of the invitations because their presence meant anything to the hosts, rather it was a sign of status to have wealthy neighbourhood families come to whatever event you were holding. Jane was not even sure she knew half of the names written in flawless writing on the cards before her, and often asked Edward for clarification on their identity when responding.
She was opening a particularly elaborate envelope with an invitation to a long since finished picnic when there was a knock on the door and John stepped inside.
"Sir, madam" he said, bowing his head slightly, "The Baron of Kent is here to see you sir"
"What?" Edward asked in surprise, "Which Baron? The older one?"
"Yes sir. We have seen his brother here before but not this man. He said he wishes to speak with you on a matter of personal business regarding one of the servants in this home".
Edward looked serious and thoughtful as John spoke, but still instructed that the Baron be brought in. John nodded at his instructions and left again to retrieve the man.
"This is sure to be interesting" Edward said as Jane stood. He joined her at her side and took her arm.
"I guess I am finally to learn if he truly lives up to the spectacular reputation that proceeds him"
"I think you will find he does" Edward said, "And probably more".
Jane smiled as the door opened again, and she was instantly struck with how exceptionally good looking the man moving towards her.
He had pale skin with high cheek bones that sculpted his face into enviable masculine symmetry. His curly blonde hair contrasted his dark brown eyebrows and thick lashes which framed striking blue eyes. His teeth, which he beamed in full awareness of their attractiveness, were straight and bright. There was something in his demeanour which told that he was all too aware of his looks, and how much of an impact they had on the people who looked upon him. He had far too much skill in knowing how to look for anything in his appearance to seem natural. Everything about him felt constricted and forced. But there was nothing in his countenance that suggested he realised Jane could see this calculated performance. He strode forward and extended his hand.
"Mr Rochester. It has been too long. Almost ten years, I believe"
Jane was surprised at this. This man looked no more than three and twenty, but for her husband to have known him ten years ago meant he would have been only thirteen at the time. Suddenly his good looks turned remarkably boyish, and were almost silly in contrast to his worldly confidence.
"Possibly. I find I cannot remember the events of ten years ago with very much detail. Baron, may I introduce you to my wife, Jane Rochester".
"Indeed! How do you do?" he asked happily, but his look contradicted his voice. His eyes were searching, intent upon finding within Jane either the confirmation or denial of rumours he had surely made a point to hear before coming to the home.
"How are you Ms Rochester? I have heard much about you and find you as lovely as ever I was told you are".
Jane was very close to contesting his calculated remark. She found it highly unlikely that he was speaking to anyone in town who would have referred to her as lovely. And as far as her looks went, Jane was sure her plain and unassuming nature never lended itself to such romantic language in anyone's eyes. But, she chose a far more polite reply.
"I am well, thank you".
"I must say, your stretch of countryside is very beautiful. I always forget how peaceful and quaint it is. London is always so busy, and always so crowded. One looses the appreciation for seeing people, and not just passing them by".
"By my understanding you have been in the countryside for quite some time now, though" Edward said, "I did not know you had been back to London recently".
"Well I haven't" he said quickly, "But I am so used to it now that even the weeks I have spent here cannot wipe the effect of London from my mind".
"Well then" Edward said, "Please, take a seat".
He indicated the seat across from the couch where Jane sat first. Once she was seated the two men also sat down. Though the Baron made a clear effort to look confidant and at ease, his presence was still nothing compared to that of the man who's home he currently sat in. After three years of being Edward Rochester's biggest confidant, Jane was somewhat immune to her husbands powerful presence in a room. The rough exterior he had revealed to the world was never what he had shown to Jane. But in moments such as this, she was reminded of the immensity of his person. Even the seemingly unshakeable prowess of the Baron of Kent wavered in the presence of Mr Rochester.
"To what do we owe the great pleasure of your company?" Edward asked, indicating his wife beside him.
The Baron smiled, looking from Edward to Jane.
"It was very nice of you to greet me, Ms Rochester, but I do wish to discuss this in private with your husband. It is a matter of the household, after all".
"This is Jane's house" Edward interrupted abruptly, "She is not excluded from any of the conversations that take place in her home".
Jane suspected that if Mr Rochester was not so final in his resolve that the Baron would have contested this statement. Instead, he pushed aside his surprise and smiled politely.
"I actually believe I may be of home help to you, Baron, as I have spoken with Rosie directly where my husband has not and am familiar with the situation at hand"
"James" he corrected Jane, "Please, call me James. And have you indeed? So you know then why I have come, and what my intentions are"
"Well, I know that while we were away you were in conversation with Rosie. I cannot say, however, that I know of your intentions because I do not believe that Rosie knows what your intentions are".
The Baron flashed his teeth,
"Ms Rochester, to me it seems that my intentions are clear. I love Rosie and wish to marry her".
"But why have you come here for such?" Edward asked, "She works in our home, but she is not our property. She does not need our permission to marry, nor does she need permission to leave this house whenever she wishes".
"Well, in my own experience, servants are devoted to the house they serve and are reluctant to act upon their own wishes without consulting the master first".
"Rosie has not indicated to me any intentions" Rochester admitted plainly, "Did you ask her to marry you?"
"Not yet. You see, my brother heard of me meeting with Rosie and came to this house to try and stop us. Well, I believe Rosie got a bit of a fright and so I thought it best to leave the idea of marriage until my brother calmed down a little bit. He is sure to forget about this eventually but for now, I thought it best not to press the issue"
"So you have not asked her to marry you, but you are here to seek my permission in allowing her to leave this house, despite this not being an intention she indicated to me that she wanted or even expected?"
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence in which the Baron collected himself, smiling pleasantly.
"I'm sorry. There has been some kind of a misunderstanding" he said, his attitude once again far too confidant for Mr Rochester's taste, "I love Rosie indeed and intend to marry her as soon as I am able".
"And what does your family say of such a decision?" Edward asked, his voice flat and impossible to read. "You say you wait for them to think this has blown over before you will ask her which implies to me that they would disapprove".
"They will find it an impossible match, naturally" he chuckled, "But, then again, what of that?"
"What of that? There is a great deal to that of which you speak. You are an exceptionally rich man with a well connected family. You would be marrying a young and defenceless girl who would have no such resources to arm herself with. What if you grew tired of the trouble marrying her afforded you? What is to stop you from saying that you were tricked into the marriage and leaving her behind you? You could recover from such where she could not".
"Mr Rochester" he said, sounding offended, "I must implore you to retract such a horrible accusation. I love Rosie, and there is a beginning and an end to what I would be willing to do for her".
"Do you indeed? Because from what I have seen of the way she has been treated I cannot say that I see your love for her particularly clearly".
"How dare you? Of what do you speak!".
All pretence of respectability had been dropped now. The Baron's temper rose, and he could no longer control his effectively charming looks. He looked positively outraged now at a negative accusation against him.
"Well, if you loved her perhaps you would not have abandoned her without a promise of marriage only to have your brother come and threaten her at the place she works-"
"I did not know he was intending to do such" he protested, but Edward continued,
"But you can recognise that she was left vulnerable without a promise from you?"
"It was a mere two days-"
"Or perhaps the primary issue is that you should have been honest with her from the start- told her the truth of who you were so that she was not falling in love with a man she only knew under a false pretence".
His face was red now with fury, his knuckles white.
"Honest?" he spat, "She would never have accepted me had I been honest. This much I know. I lied to ensure my happiness".
"Exactly" continued Mr Rochester, "Your happiness. Did you not think of hers? Of how her happiness only came from a place of believing you to be a poor farmers son? Instead you lied, and allowed her to fall in love with a man whom she believed she could build a life with. Now she has found you to be completely unsuitable for her in every possible way and must disown her feelings for you, and the security for the future she had established in her own mind".
"I cannot believe what I am hearing. A servant marry a Baron. Such is unheard of. She would be lucky beyond measure to marry me. She would know comfort and wealth beyond her wildest dreams. She would know a lifestyle of riches she has never before glimpsed unless she was washing floors or setting tables in such rooms".
Edward's patience had run out now, and he spoke frankly and directly to the man standing before him.
"Even if that were true she would also know disapproval, perhaps even disgust from your family and from your society. She would have no settled life, no approval from the world you would be dragging her into of which she is entirely unacquainted. She would likely know resentment from you, overtime, for at this moment you cannot picture how much your life would change if you wed her. What if you could no longer know the luxury of which you have been accustomed to your whole life because you chose to make her your wife? Could you live with that? Could you live with being cast out of the society you have always known? Is she worth that- is she enough for you? Because if not, there is only one thing left to do- the only decent thing you could do for her. Leave. Leave and do not come back. Part from her in peace so that she is unaffected by your way of life of which she wants no part. Go back to the plan you have been groomed for your entire life and forget her. I am sure you will soon enough".
There was an intensely anxious silence that filled the air when Edward's voice had ceased to ring through it. The Baron looked as if he was stunned, unable to speak. But the fact that he did not fight for Rosie, did not object straight away was enough to solidify his character in Jane's mind. He shifted in his seat, his fist pushing against his lip.
"Mr Rochester, you underestimate me. I thought you would understand. I thought you would remember the circumstances under which you married your wife, who I understood was your governess. If anyone should be sympathetic to the cause I am undertaking, it should be you".
Jane squeezed her husbands arm before he could respond angrily, reeling him in before he said something he would have regretted. The Baron did not see this action, so the civility with which Edward answered was surprising to him.
"The choices of my family are private matters, Baron. But I will say that I cannot imagine, even for a moment, that you could sustain yourself through whatever criticism came your way for marrying Rosie. I lived it, so I know what it is like. If I had the assurance that such would be the case for you, I would support you wholeheartedly, and yet I do not even get an inkling of this being a possibility from you"
"Ms Rochester" he said, now sounding slightly desperate as he turned to Jane, "Please. You must remember what it was like to be in Rosie's shoes. Think of your own happiness, think of the happiness I can give her. Surely I have your support if I do not have your husbands".
Jane shook her head,
"I am sorry, Baron, but I agree with everything my husband has said to you. I do not know what it is like to be in Rosie's position because I never had any doubts about my husbands willingness to defy convention for me. You have not even fought for her in this room today in front of two people who you may have gained the sympathy of. The time will come when you must fight for her against the society of which you have only ever operated within, and you must consider the fact that you may not be willing to do that".
Seeing for the first time the splitting of his reserve, and seeing his resolve crumble away in the face of realisation, Jane spoke more kindly to him.
"I believe this to be a passing thing. A momentary flash of feeling in time. With thought that considers all that is right, I have no doubt that you will arrive at the conclusion that you made the right choice in leaving Rosie out of your life. You will both be better off, and life will be easier. The things you cherish, and the things you value would most would most likely cease to mean anything if you chose Rosie over them. Could you navigate the world without such luxuries? Could you even know if you would love Rosie as you claim you do without them? If not, I think it is time for you to be on your way".
"I see" he said, standing abruptly and looking down at the people before him. Jane and Rochester both stood to acknowledge him.
"I see now that you do not wish to lose a good servant, that you are not willing to encourage a love story that would surely bring infamy to this house when it reached the paper. I understand now where such an opinion comes from. So I will go. But I want you to tell Rosie why this relationship has dissolved, and why she can no longer count on my love for her".
"In truth, Baron" Rochester began slowly, "I had not even considered those things. But I shall pass onto her directly why she can no longer rely on you. Good day to you".
And with that, the Baron picked up his hat and was instantly gone.