Hello all!
Thank you, very much, for all your extremely kind comments recently. I will be messaging you all back very shortly. I had a really busy past few weeks, so posting was spotty. But I will have more for you all very soon!
Hope you are all well, thank you so much again.
Much love,
xoxo
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When Jane rounded the corner of the sitting room with Henry she saw that Anne was sitting across from Edward, speaking in an animated voice. She was trying very hard to stifle her tears at the expense of her voice being weak and shaky. Both people looked up when they saw Jane. Edward was rather serious, and Anne seemed panicked.
"Anne, what has happened?" Jane asked sitting down beside her friend and putting her arm around her.
"Oh Jane, the most terrible thing. My cousin, the one who was staying with us, she has run away with some man and cannot be located".
"Run away? What do you mean?"
"She left on a trip with a respectable mutual acquaintance of ours for London. She is young, she wished to be in society, and in truth we thought it would be good for her, and she would enjoy herself. While there, she apparently meet a man and was swept up entirely with him. The two have not been seen since the ball they last attended together the night before last. Jane- I do not know what there is to be done. Mr Eshton is away, and I cannot contact him for all the good I have tried. The longer we wait, the further away they will travel and the harder they will be to discover. I am afraid there is nothing that can be done".
"Do you know the name of the man she has run off with?"
"No" she stammered, "Not at present. He is- he is a solider, I believe. But there is nothing we can do and so it does not matter what his name is".
"Anne, be at ease" Mr Rochester entreated, "There are things we can do, just not from here. Your husband will need to be located immediately in London, and since Captain Franklin is in London as well it is likely he will be able to help- especially if he knows some military Captain who will be able to locate his soldier. Did Eshton take his man servant with him?"
"He did"
"Then Eshton will need to be sent for through other means. I will send two of the boys from our household- they always enjoy the ride into town. Do you have any idea of where your husband may be staying while in London?"
"I do not know that either. He spoke of possibly staying with an acquaintance but I do not remember his name, and I am not sure that was ever properly arranged".
"That does not matter- Eshton is well known and he will be able to be located quickly. Let me go and speak to my men now, when I return I will tell you what their plan is".
He stood and departed without waiting for a response.
"Your husband is such a good man" Anne said weakly, "Though this is hardly news to myself, let alone you".
Jane smiled appreciatively but then looked intently at her friend.
"Would you feel better staying with us tonight, Anne. I imagine you are feeling quite guilty home alone-"
"I know what you will tell me, Jane" she said, seriously but not unkindly. "I know that you will tell me it was not my fault, that I could not predict this, and that she was capable of making her own, better choices. But she was still under my care, and knowing that she never was out in social circles before I should have gone with her to London. I see that now very clearly. So thank you, very much, for the invitation to stay, but I must remain at home. If any news arrives of her whereabouts, or if Mr Eshton attempts to contact me, it will be there he would write. In the meantime, I shall try to be content, and I shall try to not slip into too much guilt or shame".
"If you will not stay for the night then you must stay for tea, at least. I cannot see you go home like this, convinced there was something you could, or should have done to prevent her disappearance".
"No, thank you Jane" she said sadly, "I think I would like to be home by myself at present".
Edward came back into the room, clearly having made haste in his return.
"The man servants are departing now. Their instructions are clear- to head into London and try and locate Mr Eshton before I arrive tomorrow morning. If they are unsuccessful, I will find and inform Franklin of the situation and together we shall find Eshton".
"Oh Mr Rochester, you are very kind, but such is impossible".
"Why is that?"
"It is too much to ask of you to ride to London. In truth, if there was anyone else I trusted enough with this very sensitive issue, I would tell them instead. For I know you share a small child, and are very busy in taking care of him".
Jane and Edward looked at each other, a soft look of understanding passing between them.
"Anne, please know that my husband would not offer his services to aid you if we could not manage it between us. You are a friend of this home, and as such, you will always have our help".
"But you will not leave tonight? It will turn dark soon- it is too dangerous to ride alone at night".
"No, not tonight. I will depart early in the morning".
"Very well" Anne nodded, her eyes bent low on the carpet. "Thank you, Mr Rochester, for everything. And thank you Jane, for the comfort you have given me. I shall take my leave of you now, for I wish to be at home at the first sign of news".
"But of course, let me return you to your carriage" Mr Rochester said,
Jane stood, her arm still around Anne, and walked her out onto the front steps where her carriage still stood in the drive. After a few quickly expressed words of gratitude, Anne was once again being wheeled away back to her house.
. . .
Much later that night, after Henry had been put to sleep, Jane and Edward sat in their room talking over the events of the day. Jane, for once, had undressed faster than her husband, who was busy scanning letters from Eshton, looking for a possible mention of where he was staying in London. When he had concluded that there had been no mention, he sat down beside Jane on the couch and began
"I wish you were staying with me" Jane said quietly into her husband's shoulder as he undid his boots. Her words made him stop. It was a sort of confession from her, something she uttered quickly but regretted saying immediately.
"And no" she continued at the look on his face, "Not in a way that means I need you would stay with me and not go to London. Just because I will miss you very much, and so will Henry".
Edward drew her close to him and planted a kiss on her forehead. Jane closed her eyes and smiled.
"Love, you do know what you have done just now?"
"No, I do not"
"You have ensured your own passage to London tomorrow morning".
Jane paused, looking at him curiously.
"There is absolutely no possibility of me leaving you home tomorrow after the way you just said you wished I was staying with you"
"No, no" Jane said, "I should not have said anything, knowing the way you are"
"What does that mean?" he asked, grinning slightly. Jane gave him a knowing look before she kissed his cheek and stood up. He smiled to himself as she got into bed, pulling the blankets up around her.
"I am serious Jane" he said, following her shortly afterwards into bed, "Come with me. I can arrange for us to stay in Franklin's Townhouse or Eshton's with absolutely no trouble. If I am honest, I think business in town will take us longer than one day. Once Eshton is tracked, then Franklin, we still must find Ms Eshton's cousin. Once she is found, if she is found, we can go and retrieve her"
"If?" Jane asked concerned, "You do not suspect that we will not be able to find her?"
"She is young, she ran off with a man without thought. She could not have planned well how she would hide herself from society, so I am sure we will find her. Though many young women slip away and are not seen again in London".
"I see" Jane said thoughtfully, "Of course it may take longer than a day. If such is the case, would it not make more sense to bring Anne too? She knows her cousin, we do not. She has the most information regarding where she was last seen and heard from".
"Oh Jane, no" Edward protested, "Anne is upset at present, and the trip to London is not a short one. She has asked information to be sent to her house, and if any is on the way she will have missed it by the time we arrive".
"Who will be sending her information if she could not find her husband?"
He looked very hesitant.
"I do not know, darling. As fond as I am of Anne, Henry will be with us, and if he is crying for hours on end, I am sure she will become frustrated given that she is already anxious for this situation to be resolved".
Edward was right. Though Anne was always patient and kind, especially with those she loved, when she became stressed or worried she lost that patience very quickly. She herself was the one to point this out to Jane, having told her friend that she wished at moments she would be more temperate when difficult things arose.
"You are right, but I think it would be unfair for us to go without inviting her to come. She may not want to, but if she does, we are leaving her home to feel helpless. And if something does occur in which she needs help, there will be no one left here to help her".
Edward looked thoughtfully at his wife, sighing.
. . . .
The next morning, Edward helped Anne down from her carriage. She thanked him quietly before hurrying towards Jane.
"Thank you, Jane, for taking me to town with you. I hope I have not caused much trouble".
"Of course you have not, Anne. Your presence will be invaluable to finding your cousin, I am sure. And with you there, I am sure she will be found much faster".
Edward was ensuring that Anne's cases were moved to the his coach as she rocked unhappily on the spot.
"You are not coming because of me Jane? I hope that such is not true, especially with Henry-"
"No" Jane corrected her quickly. She lowered her voice considerably, smiling. "I am going because Edward does not like being away from home without his family".
Anne smiled in return,
"Of course".
"Ladies, are we ready to depart?"
"I think so" Jane replied, "Anne?"
"Yes, very ready"
Jane had wrapped Henry in extra blankets as the coach was no doubt to be colder than anticipated, especially when moving. His face appeared so small between the layers of blanket so that all she could see were his large cheeks and dark sparkling eyes. She bent down and kissed him as Anne was helped into the carriage,
"Are we going to London?" Jane asked "It will be your first time in the city. I wonder if you will like it as much as your father does".
Edward smiled at his wife,
"I cannot imagine so- not with us as his parents".
Jane laughed,
"Perhaps not, but who knows".
She took her husbands hand as he helped her inside the carriage.
"Thank you" she said, low enough so that it was indistinguishable to anyone else but him. She was thanking him for a multitude of things, but she knew he understood the two simple words. He smiled knowing at her as she kissed his cheek and moved into the carriage. He followed closely behind so that the doors were instantly closed behind them.
. . .
The first part of the drive passed with pleasant conversation. Though Anne started off reluctant and perhaps feeling slightly guilty, the Rochester's comfort set her at ease, and soon she was talking quite naturally. Henry fussed little, sleeping most of the ride. Jane and Edward took turns holding him, switching only when their arms became numb from holding him in the same position for too long.
After some silence had lapsed between the party gathered in the wake of laughter, Anne turned rather serious. She seemed to check her happiness, and remind herself that she was to feel sorry for the situation at hand. She sighed deeply, scrunching her hands together on her lap.
"Mr Rochester, I must ask you something, though a truthful answer may tear my conscious in two. Will we ever find Catherine? Or is she a lost cause, and I am to face the consequences of it all. I do not know if I am playing the fool right now".
"In truth, Ms Eshton, I have little personal experience when it comes to this particular situation. I do know, however, that such scandals are more common in families than one would often like to admit. They boarder on being perhaps even common. It is my understanding that Catherine ran away quickly, and that her choice to depart with the gentleman she did was not premeditated. If such is the case, we have a very good chance of locating her. In truth, the chances of success in finding Catherine rests almost entirely on one thing, and that is money. Your husband can afford to pay the sum required to bring her back, and so I am inclined to think all shall be right in the end".
"What sum? Why would my husband need to pay her a sum to return? If we find her, she will want to come back to us, surely".
Edward paused momentarily, thinking of how to proceed.
"Often, in cases such as these, the men can be paid off with even the smallest sums of money to leave the woman alone and never contact her again".
"And why would the young man need to be paid off?"
"Because he will, unfortunately, have something to use against Catherine. He has a way to ruin her reputation in good society forever".
"Despicable" Anne snapped, "Absolutely unbelievable. To think that love could be shattered with something as simple as money. Though I suppose that to those with money, it is hard to fathom what it is to be in need of it".
"Anne, do not make yourself uneasy" Jane urged, "Let us worry only when we have arrived in town and have run out of options. By the time we arrive I am hopeful the men from our home will have found your husband and he is already in search of her. Do not let your spirit be broken so quickly. All will be well".
She looked as if she was going to protest, but she nodded and relaxed back in her seat. She looked up at Jane, and smiled weakly.
"I am so thankful for you Jane, and for you Mr Rochester. I could not have borne this alone. I would have crumbled away into nothing from the stress and worry of it all without your comfort. Especially to you, Mr Rochester. I know you are not fond of town".
"I am not fond of town for my own personal reasons, Ms Eshton, because of the man I once was during the times I spent there. I shall be happy to return with much happier company".
It was only after that that the carriage ride became significantly more difficult. Rain began to beat down on the windows and roads, causing the carriage to slow significantly. It also brought a chill, dropping the temperature, making the carriage much colder and damper. Jane was suddenly very thankful for the extra blankets which had been packed that morning. It saved the passengers of the carriage from being chilled and uncomfortable for hours to come. Anne tried to sleep, but Henry became fussy, and indeed fussed for the rest of the ride. The Rochester's energy became entirely focused on easing his comfort, trying to rock him and soothe him in spite of the rain and cold and bumpy road. His crying seemed to ring loudly in Jane's head, even in the moments he only whimpered and whined.
When they finally arrived in London it was late afternoon. The streets were crowded with people carrying out business, running in and out of the rain filled streets with little consideration for the traffic passing over it. They finally stopped outside of the Eshton's townhouse, a tall and pleasant home on the main street that was consistent with the others that flanked it. It became evident that only the very wealthy lived here. Flowers filled the baskets of these houses, the walkways were clean and washed compared to the streets and servants arrived out the duties of the house rather than individuals themselves.
There was a rush of servants who greeted the carriage when it arrived, all busying themselves immediately with removing the luggage from the carriage and bringing it inside out of the pouring rain.
"Eshton must have learned of our coming" Edward said, looking at Anne, "Such is good news".
Edward opened the carriage door and stepping outside. He turned to help Anne out first where she was meet by a group of servants holding an umbrella and then turned back to help Jane and Henry from the carriage. He took off his jacket and held it over their heads so that they remained as dry as possible while he became quite soaked. Once inside, his jacket was taken by a servant, and Jane examined the inside of the home.
The foyer was a bright white, with checker tiled floors and a large staircase leading upstairs. There were minimal furnishings here, but the house did not feel bare. Flowers were laid in vases, and fires were lit in every room. Anne immediately took up conversation with the servants, ordering them to arrange the most comfortable room for her friends so they could warm up before supper. When it had been announced that the room was already prepared, the Rochester's were brought swiftly to it to change.
. . . .
"Edward, could you please hand me something dry of Henry's?"
"Did he get wet?" he asked, opening his trunk and fishing for a clean and dry long white shirt.
"No, I do not think so, thanks to your heroic and foolish gesture of removing your coat in the rain. But I do not want him to catch a chill regardless".
"No, of course" Edward said, "Here, let me dress him and you change yourself. You did not escape the rain with as much success and you are just as likely to catch cold".
"What are you talking about? You are quite soaked through".
"Yes, but I never catch cold"
"And I do?"
"Only occasionally"
Jane eyed him, but he was determined and already undressing his son, so Jane opened her own trunk and searched for something appropriate to wear. Since dinner had been announced upon their arrival she assumed a slightly more formal attire should be adopted, though even her most formal dining dress was not nearly as ornate as some. She agreed upon a royal blue dress that she did not wear often, but had been packed by one of the servant girls, perhaps Jenny, for her to wear in town. The dress had dropped shoulders, with the smallest line of white lace slightly poking out from the neckline and capped sleeves. The belted waist gave a flattering shape to the fuller skirt.
"Could you help me please?" Jane asked, holding up her hair so that her husband could help do up the back of her dress. He turned from playing with Henry and smiled at his wife.
"How pretty you look" he said, with enough genuine love to make a person's heart dissolve. Jane blushed.
"I do not wear this dress often, it seems rather formal, but Jenny packed it and I thought I should wear it, seeing as we are in London".
"Well, you should wear it more often. Royal blue suits you very well".
"Thank you".
As he buttoned the back of her dress closed, Jane caught Edward smiling to himself in the mirror. She turned on him,
"What is it?"
"Nothing" he said, closing the last button. "It is only that I prefer to undress you"
He kissed her cheek and smacked her bottom before receiving a disapproving look. Jane moved over to the bed where Henry was squealing happily and picked him up, gently kissing his cheek.
"Do not listen to your father, he is a very bad influence. You are far too sweet for him to corrupt you".
"Corrupt him?" Edward asked indignantly. But Jane only smiled and bounced their son lightly on her knee. Though his cheeks were red and rosy, Jane worried for the long journey her son had travelled that day.
"Darling, I am going to take him downstairs by the fire for a little while. Just in case he was exposed to too much cold today. Will you come down as soon as you are changed?"
"You had him wrapped so warmly, love, that I cannot imagine there was anyone warmer in the world. But yes, I will be down in a moment".
Jane walked over to him and allowed him to pull her face towards him and kiss her deeply. She had to stretch onto her tip toes to reach him, but greatly felt the loss of him when the kiss ended. He kissed her forehead lovingly before she was on her way.
. . .
The sitting room that Jane was brought into was warm, welcoming and comfortable. Anne was nowhere to be seen, but Jane guessed that the servants had been given specific instructions to wait on the guests of the house with the utmost care, for all were eager to see Jane put at the greatest ease.
She was sitting quietly, rocking her son and waiting for her husband, when there was a soft knock on the door and Mr Eshton stepped inside.
"May I come in?" he asked
"It is your house, Mr Eshton, of course you may. Besides, we are old friends now, are we not?".
"Of course you are, Ms Rochester. But you are the guest here and I have much to thank you for".
"Do you indeed?"
"I do. You have helped my wife through a very difficult situation. She has a tenancy to worry too much, and allow herself to become over excited with any increased amount of emotion she feels. I am glad you were there to smooth those emotions".
"Do you think that she is wrong to be concerned at present?"
"Of course not. What happened is incredibly unfortunate. Though I cannot say I am surprised".
"Really? In what sense?" Jane asked, slightly disappointed at Mr Eshton for not preventing the situation if he had seen it coming.
"I have meet Catherine twice before she came to stay with us about a month ago. The first time was at the same social gathering I meet Anne. At the time I found her to be a little too loud, silly and too interested in what attention she was receiving from the men in the room. But since I was happily occupied with getting to know Anne that night, I did not remember the memory until I meet her again when she came to a party hosted by Anne's mother for our engagement. This time, her youth could not serve as an excuse for her behaviour. I spoke with her that night whereas before I had only studied her from afar. She talked much of the frivolous things that most young girls are interested in, and spoke too loudly of her opinion of others. I thought my-well frankly, my annoyance with her would be shared by others, but I was quite wrong. She was the apple of her families eye, both in looks and in personality. Everyone found her charming, beautiful, and easy to forgive. Everyone thought her to be likely married within the year, despite only being 15, and to be welcomed into one of the most respectable families in London. This did not happen, and her family could not understand why- still, they upheld the belief that she was too fine for the class of which she was more suited for, and soon grew restless of her stagnation in life. That is why she was sent to me and Anne in the first place, to bring her into a different society where she was to be further admired and likely find a husband. While staying with us I continued to find her vain, shallow and ultimately frustrating, but Anne took to her, claiming to see much of herself in the girl when she was her age-though I find the comparison impossible to make. It was one night during a dinner shared with a rather old family acquaintance of Anne's that this couple offered to take Catherine into London to find a partner. Now, here we are".
Jane sat, contemplating all that had been said. In truth, it seemed very likely as no level-headed young woman would run off with a naval officer to forever ruin her reputation and chances of marrying well. She also knew Eshton to be unimpressed with frivolous young women for he had been unimpressed with Blanche Ingram and the other young women who had stayed with him at Thornfield Hall all that time ago. Still, it was surprising that Anne was so taken with so foolish a young woman- that was not like her at all. Mr Eshton smiled,
"I hope you are not disappointed with me, Jane".
"No, indeed not. Why ever should I be disappointed with you? I am only surprised at Anne's preference for her if she is truly as you say she is. From my understanding, that is not normally the type of woman who Anne likes to spend her time with".
"No, it is not. But when we locate Catherine, Jane, and you have a chance to meet her, I think you will see why. She is very charming, indeed. Besides, she is Anne's cousin. They have known each other since they were little girls. I believe she indulges Anne, and Anne allows it because it flatters her".
"Well, I will be happy indeed to meet her, for it will mean she is safely back in your care".
"Me too. Anne's family is furious- the only thing stopping them from blaming me and marching down to London is that Anne's father arranged his old friends to accompany her to London. He is only biding his time until, if it is needed, he must come down and join us in the search. Though I am hoping it will not reach that point".
"What has been done so far to aid in finding her?"
"Well, when your men came and found me in London I sent them immediately off to find Captain Franklin. Today, it was his intention to meet with the Captain stationed here in London in order to see if he has the connections to meet the Admiral responsible for the soldier who ran away with Catherine. I hope such will prove a tangible place to start".
"When will you hear from Captain Franklin?"
"He is supposed to be arriving for dinner tonight. Hopefully we shall know more then. But how is Henry? Was he well on the ride? I am so sorry, again, I was not here to receive you when you arrived".
"No, not at all. And Henry is well. Very well, actually, for he slept most of the ride. It was not until we were nearing London he woke up".
"Good" he said definitively, "Shall I give you a break and hold him a little while?"
Jane nodded, handing her son off to Eshton who received him warmly. As Jane watched Eshton rock Henry, looking down intently at him, she thought she saw some sort of longing in his face- some regret which masked his features temporarily.
"Henry seems so well all of the time. He is not like other babies I have known".
"I am very thankful everyday that he is a happy child. One must only show him love to soothe and calm him and make him content".
Eshton nodded, chuckling once.
"So simple, yet something so many people complicate".
At that moment, Edward entered the room looking more composed than he had when Jane left him. He walked over, greeted his friend and sat beside Jane.
"Edward I was just thanking Jane for you having taken Anne to London. You have no idea what she would have suffered alone at home".
"Of course. It was nothing. She was a very pleasant companion and eager to arrive and help".
"I know. And it is best that I now go and speak with her".
He stood up and passed Henry back to Jane,
"I hope you are not leaving on my account"
"As if you had such power over me, old friend" Eshton said, "No, I really should see my wife. She has remained upstairs in her room all day. If you'll excuse me-"
And with that, he swept from the room.