Hello everyone!
So this is a longer chapter but as you can imagine, I have much to say. Thank you for being patient. This chapter took me a long time to edit, not even so much to write! I just couldn't get the exact tone I wanted, but this is close so I really hope you enjoy.
Much love to everyone all over the world. Stay safe,
xoxox
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"Father" Edward called, stopping him from racing towards the door as he had been doing. The priest stopped and turned slowly, looking taken aback and then frustrated as his eyes fell upon the two people he was reluctant to see.
"Good day. I am here to speak to Mary"
"I know why you are here" Edward replied, surveying the man before him with great criticism, "Mary was feeling unwell this morning, she may be unable to see you"
"I am sure whatever she felt this morning will not stop her from seeing me"
"I will go and ask rather than make an assumption on her behalf" Jane said, "Excuse me".
Her husband nodding as she pushed Henry back inside the house. When the doors were closed Jane lifted her son from his pram and Anne, Mr Eshton, Diana and Captain Franklin came out of the living room closely followed by Mary. They all looked serious as they approached Jane.
"Father Andrew is here?" Anne asked lowly
"Yes, he has just arrived. Mary, do you feel well enough to see him?"
"Yes" she replied "Or as well as I ever may feel"
"Goodness, look at him standing beside Rochester, he looks terrified" Eshton said, glancing out of the window amusedly.
"Why?" Jane asked, "Is Edward saying anything to him?"
"Well an odd word, but no, nothing charged or angry. Ha! I do not mind seeing Andrew look like that, the slimy git. He looks so pathetic standing there beside Rochester".
"Come" Jane said to Mary, "You may have the sitting room if you like. We will give you your privacy"
"Thank you", she replied, following Jane from the foyer, "But will you please ask Mr Rochester not to walk too far away? Like I said, if Father Andrew tries to stay I am not sure I would be able to persuade him to go"
"Of course" Jane said reassuringly, "Edward understands".
Mary sat down on the couch and looked up at Jane with great worry, perhaps even fear in her eyes. Jane smiled a small, encouraging smile at her.
"I know it can be incredibly hard to do what is right over what is easy, Mary, but you have shown great strength and I know you will have the strength again now".
"Thank you"
Mary took a deep breath before Jane touched her shoulder reassuringly. She would have stayed and tried to ease the worries of her friend, but she knew that there would be no ease until Mary could speak her mind and have her feelings recognised. So, instead, Jane walked back towards the front door.
"Let's go" said Mr Eshton, "There is nothing helpful we can do here"
Reluctantly the waiting group moved upstairs, ascending the steps in hushed whispers but Diana stayed rooted to the spot looking into the sitting room.
"Diana. Come" the Captain said firmly.
Still with some hesitation she turned and ascended the steps quietly. When there was silence in the main entrance Jane opened the front doors. The two men standing beside each other on the step could not have appeared more differently- Father Andrew with a look of nervous, stubborn pride and Edward with the ease and confidence of a self assured man.
"Mary is waiting in the sitting room".
Father Andrew bent only slightly in what was meant to be a bow before walking over the threshold. He advanced into the sitting room with the familiarity of an old friend well acquainted with the house and bowed to Mary when she stood up to address him. Edward watched until they sat down across from one another before approaching John at the main door.
"John, the moment you need to come and get me please do."
"Of course sir, I will come for you immediately"
"Thank you"
Mr Rochester approached Jane and took Henry from her arms,
"Come have a cup of tea in the library with me" .
"I would like that very much. I can go and get it"
"No, I will. You go and sit"
"You have Henry and I will only be a minute"
"Alright" he said, kissing her cheek, "Thank you"
. . .
Jane, however, sat alone in the library for some time before her husband reentered without their son. After explaining that Henry was in desperate need of a nap they had their tea together on the sofa and talked over a variety of different things, Edward careful to keep his wife from fixating on whatever may have been happening in the opposite room. Although such was hard, he was right to insist upon her thinking of other things. Jane knew that her habit of fixating on thoughts when she became nervous was not especially helpful.
"Jane, darling?"
"Hm?"
Edward sighed and pulled her closer to his embrace.
"I was asking you a question"
"I'm sorry, I did not hear you"
He kissed her temple.
"It's alright. I know".
"They have been in there a long time, Edward. Perhaps she has changed her mind and they are making arrangements. If she agreed to his proposal what would we do? How could we be family?"
"Shh, there is no point in making assumptions on what we do not know"
"Patience is not your forte, Mr Rochester. I am surprised at your resolve"
"So am I, in truth" he smiled.
Jane chuckled briefly but then sunk back into reflective thought. She ran her fingers through her husband's hair, visions of Father Andrew's smug look of pride crossing her mind contaminating her more peaceful feelings. Playing with one particular curl for a long while, Edward smiled and bit his lip.
"And-" he continued, "If it helps you to relax you can uncurl every lock of hair on my head"
She dropped her hand,
"I'm sorry"
"No I like it-"
"I mean I am sorry I cannot settle".
"Tell me a story then" Mr Rochester implored, "One from your days at Lowood. Those always seem to rouse passion in you and greatly amuse me"
"Well, actually, there was this one girl there who received a proposal from a gentlemen and it was rather funny how it played out".
Edward raised his eyebrow,
"Go on"
"Well, when I first became a teacher at the school I was joined by a young woman named Miranda. She had been a pupil at Lowood too for a few years when I was younger but left in her last year to be with her family at home- I believe her brother had been ill at the time and she wished to be with him in his final months. Well, when my schooling ended she returned to be a teacher. In truth I had forgotten about her existence in her absence. She was very self absorbed but not vain, rather too interested in her own life to ever remember a single detail of another person. She was kind and thoughtful in theory, but forgetful when it came to intention. In short she was not the type of friend I would have naturally been attracted to at the school, and thus she never came into my mind when she left. Upon returning from my walk one day I found the other bed in my room to be occupied with a trunk and travelling cloak. When she came into the room I was very surprised to see her but reminded myself I could have a much worse living condition than having her a roommate".
"I have a feeling that such changed quickly" Edward said, thoroughly entertained.
"Well, we got on well for the first few days, but after that she became rather melancholy and morose which manifested in her crying in her bed all night long"
Edward chuckled to himself, laying his hand on his forehead.
"Let me guess, there was some man at the root of this"
"Yes, naturally. She eventually told me, after keeping me awake for many nights for prolonged periods of time, that she had met a young man who worked in the town where her family home was. Well she described him in such a loving, detailed, flattering way that I really felt like I knew him to the degree you can know someone you've never met. She told me of his favourite foods, colours, his favourite hairstyles on women-"
Edward groaned,
"Good God, what man has an opinion on the hairstyles of women? It is a strange thing to comment on".
"Well I thought so too, but she convinced me he was a flaneur, a type of man of which I am sure you encountered on your travels, and in my ignorance I believed this a fair justification for his marked preference in aesthetics".
"Well it would be Jane, but I hardly doubt any French, metropolitan flaneurs were roaming the cold countryside of northern England"
She smiled,
"Indeed not. But she often corresponded with someone, dropping her perfume onto the letter and sealing small gifts inside and was daily tortured by their separation. I must admit I did not spend much time lamenting with her-"
"No, you were too busy reading, or wandering fields in search of a particularly beautiful flower to sketch".
"Something like that. Anyways, I returned one day from one of your previously mentioned walks to find the front parlour of the school occupied. She was inside with some gentlemen and she stopped me when she saw me pass. I walked into the room and she introduced him as her fiance, and I must say I was never so taken aback in my life. The man she had described to me in vivid detail was nothing like the man who stood before me. The man of her desires had been described as a Grecian God but the one she clung on the arm of had dark, flat hair which stuck to his forehead and hung in his eyes. When he smiled, his teeth were so forward and present in his mouth that, without eyes, it was all one say on his face. His pants were too short and his coat jacket was so tight that I feared with one sudden movement he would completely tear it away. At first I would not judge him, thinking that he was perhaps poor and unable to afford better clothes for himself. Instead I learned he was just vain and thought himself desirable in whatever he wore. That night I had to endure a very awkward dinner in which the other teachers of the school entertained Miranda and her new fiance. She absolutely fussed over him, and the look of love had never fallen upon someone as much as it did on her. They clung together with such intimacy that it rather felt as if all with them had stumbled into their private conversation and looked on awkwardly as they engaged with one another. It was very painful to witness. They even insisted upon touching noses at times-"
"Jane" her husband said, horrified "Stop. I can picture it now and am sorry you ever bore witness to such a thing"
But Jane only laughed,
"I did not have to witness it for long. By the end of the dinner he was shown to the door and the teachers waited in the sitting room. When Miranda returned she was reprimanded sharply for the way she had behaved with him, and many of the women were too honest in their opinions of him. In short, Miranda realised that she had perhaps inflated the merits of her Prince Charming and broke off the engagement immediately. He hung around the gates of the school for some time after that, and from time to time I would see him. No, Edward, you must not laugh like that. That is rather sad that he waited around for her, probably believing that he had meet the love of his life who, in truth, outshone him ten fold".
"And what happened to Miranda, in the end?"
"She became a nun"
'You are lying" Edward said, "You are trying to get a rise out of me"
"No, I am very serious. Shortly after she packed her things and headed off for the convent"
Edward laughed heartily at his wife's story, throwing his head back on the chair as he did so.
"But why?"
"She said she no longer trusted men and thus could never believe in the sacrament of marriage".
"But was it not her who had created this facade of this gentlemen, and no on else?"
"Well as I said, out of all the girls in Lowood she was not my closest companion".
Edward drew his wife near him so he could kiss her temple lovingly. Jane leaned into his kiss as he sighed happily.
"God, what would I do without you?"
Jane was about to reply something along the lines of very little when there was a knock on the door. John stepped inside and looked at Mr Rochester intently.
"Sir, I think it is best you come now".
Edward took his wife's hand as he walked them out of the room and into the sitting room on the other side of the foyer. Father Andrew's voice was raised above polite conversation and he sounded agitated.
"Mary. I will not entreat you again to see reason. This is mad! I am offering marriage, comfort, a life in the sight of God which will not offend him. Think of your son, and how your selfish and ignorant act of refusal will affect him. The refusal is unreasonable and unfeminine-"
"That is enough" Edward said, "Quite enough. Ms Rivers has spoken her mind and you must go".
He furrowed his brow, glancing at Mr Rochester and then back at Mary.
"Mary-" he said with agitated, forceful energy.
"Enough" Mr Rochester repeated in a tone which was used infrequently but which wielded an incredible amount of power. It was the type of command which could not have been contested by even the bravest soul in the world.
Father Andrew looked one last time to Mary.
"You will regret this until the day God takes you from this earth".
"There will be no threats in my house. Leave now or I will throw you out myself. Move!"
With that Father Andrew grabbed his hat, shot Mary and Jane seething looks and was gone, closely followed by Mr Rochester.
"Mary, are you well?"
"Yes" she replied quickly, "I think I am well".
Jane hugged her tightly before drawing back,
"I will be back in a moment".
Jane joined her husband on the front step, Edward putting his arm around his wife with pride and watched as Father Andrew climbed into his carriage. He stopped and turned suddenly, his mouth opened in fury.
"You both will face judgement for breaking apart what was ordained by God. You may tell me I cannot make threats in your house but in telling you such I am only repeating what His word says"
"God does not ordain what is wrong, Father" Jane said, "Though I do not claim to know either his thoughts nor wishes I am certain of that".
He opened his mouth to respond but caught Mr Rochester's flashing eye and climbed into the carriage- slamming the door shut behind him. He stared forward, determined not to look back at the house or the people who had not bent to his will as it pulled away.
Jane turned towards her husband and looked into his serious face watching the carriage as it moved down the long drive. She thought to herself of how well he dealt with every situation in life and could only assume this had been due to his vast experience. More sheltered men would perhaps be more reluctant to act or speak, but her husband had a lifetime of lived experiences to validate his actions and beliefs. She expressed as much to him when he looked down upon her.
"You may be right, Jane" he said, "For I have seen many men refused by women who would not take no for an answer because the women in question were too polite in their refusals. Father Andrew is one of these men. He does not deserve politeness, and if such would impede him from understanding her as clearly as possible than it is certainly not worth giving".
Father Andrew's carriage turned out of sight and the house was once again cleared, forever this time, of his presence. Edward turned towards his wife, kissing her forehead.
"I must say, I do not have to worry about anyone walking over you any time soon, Ms Rochester".
"I do not know what came over me" Jane said, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
But her husband only smiled in his private way meant only for her,
"Now I wish I had been here yesterday when he came. I would have liked to see how you were with him. I know I would have been filled with awe, as I always am with you".
Jane squeezed his arm gently and leaned into his embrace.
"Come, shall we see how Mary is?"
When they walked together back into the sitting room Mary was staring blankly out of the window, watching the drive that Father Andrew's carriage had disappeared from. She turned at the sound of footsteps and sighed.
"Thank you, Mr Rochester. He was becoming rather inconsolable".
"Mary, I am sorry he spoke to you that way. No man should ever speak to a woman like that".
Mary nodded,
"It was very difficult to listen to him".
Jane walked towards her cousin and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Jane I would love nothing more than some quiet. I want to talk to everyone, but not yet. I feel very tired and very drained. Will you tell them what has transpired? I do not think I can just now"
"Yes, of course. Would some tea help?"
"Oh yes, I would love some".
"Excuse me" Leah said, entering the room, "Excuse me, Mr Rochester, Ms Rochester, I hate to interrupt but Henry is awake and fussing".
"I'll get him" Edward said wisely, leaving the room so that Jane could be alone with Mary.
When he was gone Mary turned to her cousin and looked at her thoughtfully. She looked rather flushed and excited.
"Jane, I feel faint. I am so overwhelmed".
"Everything is alright" Jane encouraged gently, "You go upstairs and I will be right up with your tea when it's ready. You should relax for a little while, you will feel better then".
"Ms Rochester, I can bring up the tea" Leah said helpfully
"Perfect, thank you Leah"
. . .
Once Mary was in bed resting, Jane left her. As she walked down the main hall upstairs she reflected that even if Mary had asked her to stay and talk things over she couldn't have said much that would have been helpful. It was a difficult thing to refuse someone but an even harder thing to refuse someone you once loved, and Jane believed that there was still a small part of Mary that must have loved Father Andrew in spite of everything he had said and done.
She passed the nursery on her way downstairs and quickly looked inside to find her husband walking with Henry in the middle of the room, bouncing him on his shoulder. He turned quickly upon hearing the door knob turn and mouthed quietly to his wife that Henry was almost asleep. Jane advanced quietly towards him so that he could kiss the top of her head. Jane smiled up at him affectionately as he pressed his lips to her forehead, hesitating before drawing back.
"I will be down in a little while" he whispered
Jane nodded, kissing his shoulder before leaving and closing the door behind her with practically no noise.
When she rounded the corner into the sitting room she found everyone congregated expectantly, waiting patiently for an explanation of the situation.
"Is Mary well?" Diana asked quickly
"Yes, she is. Tired, and a little drained, but she is well and I dare say feeling proud of herself".
"So she refused him?"
"She did".
Jane sat down in an armchair beside Mr Eshton who lent back, smoking his pipe easily.
"I am glad to hear that. I could not have tolerated seeing him at every family dinner for the next forty years".
Anne sighed, "I feel the same way. I am glad he is gone. Did he object much to her decision?"
"Edward was quick to intervene, so I am not sure what the extent of his objections would have been but I have a feeling they would have been substantial".
"Where is Edward?" Captain Franklin asked curiously,
"He is with Henry, upstairs"
"It is so strange" Anne began thoughtfully, lost in her own world "The man who walked through this house today is not the man I remember from a few months ago"
"I know" Jane agreed, "It is strange to think of the amount he has changed. I almost feel guilty for inviting him into this home and into our lives given the person he has turned out to be. I was the one who was insistent on us showing him friendship".
"No, Jane" Mr Eshton said quickly, "You were right to do so. He was friendless and harmless at the time we meet him. No one thought him the type of character he has shown himself to be".
"Well, in truth I'm not surprised" Franklin said, "With some people they gain the smallest amount of power and it goes completely to their head. We see such in the army all the time. They are the least trustworthy and least reliable people you could ever want to encounter".
"Poor Mary" Diana mused, "Well I hope she sleeps well and can rest easy knowing she made a very sensible choice. She told us, Jane, that he came here yesterday when you were home alone and harassed you. What did he say to you?"
"What?" Eshton asked in shock, "I did not hear of this"
"Nor I" Franklin said,
"He did not really harass me, but he did pressure me to offer some support for the union between himself and Mary. When I did not consider it, let alone offer it, he became rather angry. He stormed out after a few accusations and said he would be returning today to offer his proposal of marriage to Mary".
"What kind of accusations?" Anne asked
"He accused me of not wanting what was best for Mary, and dooming her to a life of loneliness in discouraging their match. I was quick to assure him that he knew nothing of my intentions for Mary but he was not interested in hearing such".
Eshton laughed slightly, drawing on his pipe once before speaking,
"It is too bad Rochester did not see that transpire. His reaction would have been something to see"
"Dearest" Anne said sharply, "That sounded very rude. I am sure you would not wish to see Mr Rochester upset at his wife being insulted and accused in her own home"
"Forgive me, Ms Rochester, that was not my intention"
"I know it was not" Jane said kindly, "I understand what you meant. Though I am glad Edward was not here, for apart from the insults Father hurled at me the ones he used against Mary were far worse, are far more cruel, and Edward would have been furious. Father Andrew insisted Mary was a wasted woman after being taken advantage of, and that she was lucky any man would show her any interest, let alone a man as virtuous as him. It was extremely disrespectful".
"My god" Eshton said,
"Horrible man" Franklin said, shaking his head.
Anne and Diana, however, looked touched on a deeper level- perhaps because they were able to relate to the sentiment that what a man thought of you was your whole reputation, regardless of whether it was true or not, if you were a woman because being a woman made you dependant on a man. For Mary, being pegged by Father Andrew was unfair and a complete abuse of his power over her. The thought made Jane's heart ache by the looks of the other girls, they felt similarly.
. . .
They stayed talking amongst each other for a very long time until it became necessary to retire to change before dinner. Mr Eshton and Captain Franklin left with their wives, no doubt to talk more privately about what had transpired during the morning but, still deep in thought, Jane did not depart with everyone else.
For some reason her mind was filled with memories of Helen Burns, her friend from what felt like a hundred years ago. It was strange to acknowledge how different she had been when Helen had known her, small and grave, confused and hurt by life. And yet there was much about her that Helen would have recognised as the same- she was still impassioned, honest to a fault, and full of the desire to live a full life. In spite of missing her friend, Jane knew that realistically Helen would have changed overtime too. Time, circumstances, friendships, heartbreak, fulfilled and wasted hopes all shape a person as they age and even Helen could not have escaped it's influence. Still, Jane wished for her in that moment as she had been, and it made her early death feel more like a loss than ever.
Finally, when servants in the hallway made noise that brought Jane back to her senses she stood reluctantly and walked slowly back up the steps. Upon reaching the upstairs landing she saw the nursery door open and Edward come out looking surprised to see her.
"I was coming to find you" he said "Come on, I have something for you"
"What is it?" Jane asked, knowing the question would prove fruitless in his efforts to surprise her.
Edward smiled, but in seeing his wife's face he turned serious and inquisitive. When she reached him he took her hand in his, instantly spreading his warmth through her.
"I had the girls fill up a bath for you given what the day has been like. But now from the look on your face I think it would be better if we just talk"
"I think it is best if we multitask. A bath sounds very nice right now".
. . .
When she sunk into the tub she found it was the perfect temperate, and had her mind not been so absorbed she would have taken the time to marvel at how nice it truly felt. It wasn't until Edward rounded the corner again with a towel that Jane opened her eyes and felt all her confusing feelings shift and dissolve into pleasant, easier ones. Edward laid the towel down on a nearby table before taking off his jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. Once resting at his elbows he took the soap from the side of the bath, dipped it in water, and began to rub it along her shoulders and arm, his other hand following behind to massage the soap into her skin.
"I can do that" Jane said,
Edward smiled to himself,
"I know you can. Tell me what is happening in that mind of yours? What did the others say when you told them?"
"They were pleased. I think ultimately relieved that they did not need to find a way to get along with Father Andrew for the rest of their lives. They were also surprised to hear of him coming yesterday and saying the things he did before proposing marriage to her".
"As was I" Edward replied, sounding unimpressed, "And they know it is best to not flood Mary with questions when she does come downstairs?"
"I passed on that she did not wish to discuss it and they agreed- for right now, anyways".
"Then I say we put a stopper on this day until Mary is ready to talk about it again. I do not wish to make her life a constant reliving of this day. You know, in spite of these personal circumstances, the reality is that women refuse offers of marriage all the time".
"I know" Jane grinned, "I remember what it felt like"
"That's right" Edward said, kissing her cheek, "I was more thinking of women entering Bath or London for their first season and receiving five or so marriage proposals from significantly older men, not the more dangerous types of religious saviours like St John Rivers"
"He did not see himself as a saviour, but he certainly was religious and as set on getting me to marry him as much as you ever could be, Mr Rochester"
"Yes, for all the wrong reasons"
"Well perhaps for reasons not as pure as you" Jane confirmed, "But all the same"
"All the same what? Turn around and behave"
Jane turned her back on him but quickly turned around again to face him,
"You know I was sitting downstairs for a long time, unable to sort through my own thoughts and feeling terrible for not knowing how to settle myself. Then I am in your presence for five minutes and everything is alright again".
"That is my job as your husband, to know you in moments where you feel like you do not know yourself".
Jane drew his mouth to her and kissed him briefly before turning around again. Jane lifted up her hair as Edward ran the soap over her back.
"I've been thinking a lot about Helen recently"
"Have you? Why?"
"I do not know. I think it is because I wish she was here to share her thoughts. She always knew exactly what to say. She knew people, even before they spoke, or if she did not know them she knew what common good suited all people. She would have known how to make Mary feel better".
"But you know very well that you have reassured Mary greatly"
"I know I have, and I am very thankful for it. But Helen would have known more comforting things to say than I have been able to give".
Edward's response was warm and understanding.
"She was a child, Jane, as were you. She never got the chance to live as an adult. The world never changed her, and circumstance never shaped her. You cannot know what kind of advice she would, or wouldn't have been able to give to Mary. All I know is that you have been Mary's emotional stronghold in all of this. She looks to you for guidance and hope and you give it to her even without saying anything".
"I know. I know she was only a child and that it is perhaps foolish to think that the same wisdom I found in her then would be as wise to me now. I believe, actually, that we would have become less close over time. I wonder if she would not have become a little too hardened by practical sense as she grew up. She recommended I be less passionate, and less opinionated about things, and even then I felt that her recommendation came from the desire to live quietly rather than honestly. I think people enter and leave our lives when we need them to teach us certain things, and those who remain in our lives are infinitely more precious",
Jane sighed,
"I only wanted to recreate the way Helen comforted me with Mary".
"Here" he said, pulling her gently so she faced towards him again in the tub. She smiled at him softly as he cleaned her stomach, locking eyes with her as he ran the soap over her collarbone.
"Well, I think I should always have resented Helen Burns if she succeed in making you either less passionate or less opinionated".
Edward ran his hand down her chest. Jane inhaled as he kissed her forehead.
"I think I could sink into this water and never come out"
"So you feel better then?"
"Very much so"
Jane ran her hand along his jaw.
"I wish I could do more, but I will get you wet"
"Oh, I don't care about that" Edward said standing and helping his wife from the tub. He wrapped the towel around her shoulders as he pulled her into their bedroom. "I have only one thing on my mind at present and it is not the concern of getting wet.
Jane sat on the bed as Edward locked their bedroom door and advanced towards her slowly. She kissed him lovingly as he moved over her, running her fingers through his hair. He pulled the towel away from his wife and kissed the soft part of her neck sensually, sending a shiver down her spine that made her feel like a live wire. He tormented her, moving with this lips over the same spot for far too long. In trying to get to him faster she took to unbuttoning his shirt but her hands fumbled and it slid awkwardly from his shoulders. He grinned at her enthusiasm and drew back to tease her.
"My, Ms Rochester, you would think you have been neglected and I know for a fact that you have not been".
Jane blushed and but Edward only kissed her, smiling at her embarrassment.
Jane went to respond but her words were interrupted by the sounds of Henry's fussing in the next room.
"Look, you have wasted precious time".
"Then we will just have to be fast" Edward said, pushing his wife's thighs apart and thrusting into her so that she gasped with sensitivity and moaned in desperation. She put her hand on his chest to steady herself as he pushed deeper inside of her with every motion. Feeling overwhelmed, Jane put her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes, biting her lip.
"I want to see you" he breathed, "Look at me"
Jane obeyed him as he moved one of her legs over his shoulder and pushing deeper inside of her. She breathed in sharply trying to contain a cry which surely would have been heard in one of the bedrooms along the hall where their friends were. Her heart raced with expectation and desire surged through every fibre of her being so that she was completely undone when, with one final thrust, Edward filled her entirely. Jane was surprised at the power of her own orgasm as Edward steadied her shaking leg. Feeling tore up her back and down all of her limbs. She felt her chest rising and falling but failed to slow it with her steadying breaths. Edward pulled back and laid his large, warm hand across his wife's stomach and chest, smiling at her.
"You are so beautiful" he said plainly but with so much honesty that any person would have dissolved under those words. She drew him to her for a deep kiss before Henry's fussing turned to cries and Edward groaned, laying his forehead on his wife's stomach.
"I would have stayed here making love to you until dawn. But I'll get him. Promise me that you will not move from this spot"
"I do not think I could move any time soon, even if I wished to"
Edward smiled and stood up, pulling on his pants before walking towards the nursery. Jane pushed herself up on her elbows.
"Wait"
He paused
Thank you" she said softly.
He bent down and kissed her forehead, hesitating to draw his lips back from her. When he did he kissed her lips briefly before tucking his shirt back into his pants and entering Henry's room.
Jane sighed, falling back on the bed happily.