Jane redressed and then played Henry in the time before dinner. He was sitting up on his own, crawling and moving continually in whatever space he was in. With help from his parents he could walk around and was often more contented doing this than being carried. But that evening Henry only wanted to lay on the bed, kick his feet around and be entertained by his mother.
"Hello" Jane said tickling his stomach, "Hello, hello"
He smiled and giggled, waving his hands in front of her.
"My goodness look at you- you are so strong!"
Edward walked back into the room after having cleaned his face and put his hand on the back of his wife's neck.
"Is he still not tired?"
"No, I think he slept too much this afternoon and now is overtired. I feel sorry I will miss part of dinner but he just will not settle"
"Jane, darling, let Jenny put him down"
"No, no. I do not want to ask her to help, it is not part of her job"
"But she loves it, and you deserve a break even if it is only for a few minutes. Besides, we shall be with him when he cries all through the night"
"I know" Jane said, shaking her head, "He has not been sleeping as well as normal. Do you think something is wrong?"
"No, I do not" he said, kissing her forehead.
At that moment there was a knock at the door and Edward called for the person to enter. John opened the door, bowing slightly as was his old, customary way.
"Excuse me. There was just a lady at the door to see you Ms Jane. She said her name was Baroness Hogwood but when she realised you were entertaining for dinner she left very quickly again with the promise she would be returning tomorrow with her husband".
Jane stopped and started in surprise,
"I do not know anyone by that name".
"By the sounds of it she acted as if she knew you well, Jane"
"Indeed Sir. I did not ask particulars about who the person was for I felt you would know, miss"
"It is quite alright John".
"If she does arrive tomorrow shall I call for you?"
"Yes of course. Thank you"
"And I am to let you know that dinner is being laid on the table as we speak"
"Thank you John" Edward said, turning on his wife when John had left the room.
"It is rather strange, Jane. I did not know you were on speaking terms with any Baroness"
"Neither did I" Jane said honestly
"Could it be a Lowood girl come to visit you?"
"Possibly, though I find it very unlikely any of those girls would come to visit me. I had no close friends like that at the school. Besides, I cannot imagine a Baron would marry a girl from a charitable school. Do you know who Baron Hogwood is?"
"No, I do not" he said plainly, "I have heard the name before, however. I believe it is a very old name in London society. Perhaps this is an older woman, and not a former classmate"
"That would give me even more reason for confusion"
"Well, it is of no great importance. Though it is strange- if she does indeed live in London with her husband this is a significant distance to travel for an uncertain meeting. At any rate, we shall see tomorrow".
. . .
At dinner there was an equal amount of confusion about who the visitor could be. Having lived relatively sheltered lives neither Mary, Anne or Diana had any reason to know of such a person but neither did Eshton or Captain Franklin who had spent a significant amount of time amongst London society. Upon reflection however, Franklin turned on Jane with a thoughtful look, seeming to remember something.
"I believe Hogwood was the name of an old family of nobility who were at one time large silverware producers in London, though that name is now unfashionable. I believe my grandmother once had a set from her own mother that she believed the height of fashion, but as I said that was my grandmother. Still, I do not know of Baron Hogwood at all"
"I cannot imagine any visitor for me would be connected to such an enterprise" Jane said, "I know no one in such industry as that. I think it must be a mistake and the poor traveller has come a long way for nothing".
"At least it is Christmas. They have the time to travel" Edward said,
"Perhaps it is a long lost relative, Jane, come to give you a large fortune" Diana said, grinning.
"If such is to happen to a person once in their life, as it did to me, it would scarcely be likely to happen a second time, and it would be greatly unfair if it did".
Edward smiled humbly at his wife.
"Well, I suppose we must be on our best behaviour if a Baron and Baroness is to arrive here tomorrow" Franklin said, "Ladies, do not forget to air out your best dresses tonight"
"Yes..you may have a point there" Anne said thoughtfully,
"I was merely joking-"
"Well it is not everyday that you meet a Baron. Mary, you will help me with my dress after dinner, won't you?"
Mary nodded, "Of course"
"Good. I shall help you then".
Jane smiled to her cousin who was doing incredibly well at the dinner table given the events of the day. Mary smiled back, and Jane believed the happy look that lingered on her face.
"In the meantime, we must discuss what to do tonight" Edward said, "For we have not had any entertainment since your arrival"
"I thought this was entertainment?"
"That is flattering Eshton but I am sure others want something less reserved than you or I would be contented with"
"How about I play for you?" Anne asked,"I may sing as well if I am tempered"
"Oh, do sing. I love to hear singing" Jane said genuinely, "I am always very envious for I am rather a bad singer myself".
"That cannot be true" Anne contested "And yet I notice you do not contest her, Mr Rochester"
"I like Jane's voice more than she does, but to say that there are none that are better in the world would be a lie. Still, on the rare occasion I am able to catch it I am a happy man".
"I wish you would say the same of me" Diana huffed bitterly at her husband.
"I do not even know what your voice sounds like, Diana. You never sing"
"I sing all the time. I think you choose not to listen"
The table laughed but Diana did not. Jane bit back a smile as Edward glanced at her knowingly.
"Amateur mistake" he mouthed.
"-well I would rather hear Anne sing anyways" Diana was saying defensively, laying down her fork.
"I never could take to music" Mary said shyly, "Unfortunately it was not to be my talent".
"What instruments did you try?" Edward asked curiously
"Oh, the piano. For a while our brother worked at a church where I had access to a piano and I tried very hard to play but never could take to it. You play well Mr Rochester, do you not?"
"Well, I play. I am not sure that I play well"
"Where did you learn to do such?"
"My brother had a tutor who came to teach him the piano. He didn't take to it either, though I believe he did actually try quite hard. I sat in and watched his lessons from time to time and one day the teacher asked me to play what he was attempting to teach my brother. When I did my brother took up horseback riding and I learned the piano instead"
"But you ride well too"
"I tried to keep busy as a child. I did not like to be idle for long. So when I was not playing piano I was horseback riding, or reading, or doing something else".
"Let us retire if we are all ready and hear this singing" Eshton said, "I could do with a drink too"
The men stood and drew back their wives chairs so they could move into the sitting room. Edward pulled back Mary's chair and helped her to her feet before taking Jane on his arm. She thanked the servants along with her husband who then led her from the room.
"How was your dinner, love?"
"Mm, very good but not enough. I am rather hungry tonight".
"Later" he promised, "I will ask for something to be sent up to our room and I will say it is for me".
Jane smiled slightly at him,
"I do not mind saying it is for me"
Edward laughed.
"You do, even though you shouldn't. It is your house after all and being hungry is no crime"
"No, but I eat lots at dinner so I should not be hungry after".
When they entered the sitting room Captain Franklin, Diana, Mary and Mr Eshton were all sitting down around the piano which Anne was standing beside. There was a low chatter in the room as Mr Rochester sat down beside his wife.
"Jane Rochester you should only do whatever makes you happy. Besides, I like when there is more of you to love"
Jane sent him a half amused, half disapproving look before Anne walked up to them.
"Mr Rochester I thought you might accompany me on the piano"
"Of course, if that is what you want".
He stood up again, Jane grinning very subtly to herself as he sat down at the piano stool looking rather embarrassed.
"I've placed the music on the piano I wish to sing"
"Very well. Ready then?"
She nodded, holding her hands in front of her and closing her eyes in concentration.
The piano part was slow and beautiful, the chords striking the harmonious notes of the slow sweeping melody. It was sad, or perhaps it was just melancholic, but a quiet fell over the crowd as it was played. Jane looked out of the window, the frosty day seeming more lonely and isolated than it would have without the music that floated from the piano strings.
The reflective energy in the room was cut when Anne started singing. The contrast between the piano and Anne's voice was striking. In truth, Jane was forced to admit that she was quite an average singer who perhaps was unaware her voice was not high enough nor skilled enough to sing the higher lines of the song. At times shrill, and not grounded, it was the type of voice that one listened to politely during a party but would not talk about when they departed. With that being said, Jane could never have dreamt of commenting on such to anyone but herself. As far as she was concerned Anne was exceptionally brave to get up and sing in front of a group, and so her perhaps inflated sense of ability did not matter. Jane smiled encouragingly at her friend who paused between verses to look at those gathered before her. She smiled back and continued the verse again, the notes more shrill and less smooth this time, but that did not matter.
Anne's notes stopped and the piano slowed until a final chord announced its ending. Those gathered clapped enthusiastically and Jane smiled to herself in recognition of her friends kindness. Anne beamed, curtsying before gesturing to Mr Rochester,
"And to my accompanist" she said. He nodded graciously, resuming his own clapping for Anne.
"My goodness, what a beautiful song" Diana said, "You sang it so well"
Mary picked back up her sewing, nodding in agreement.
"You aren't bad either Rochester" Eshton said, "You are rather good" .
"Well I tried to keep up" he said humbly, "Well done Ms Eshton".
She nodded appreciatively and walked away from the piano to sit down beside Mary.
"Will you not sing another?"
"I think not, Jane. That is enough entertainment for me for one day".
Edward stood up and moved back to his wife. She smiled at him as the others talked amongst themselves.
"I wish you would play more often" she said, "You really do play exceptionally well"
"You only think that because you have never been to a grand concert hall where real piano players play. There is not much that is better in this world than those sounds"
"Do not try to change the subject"
He smiled warmly,
"I will play for you whenever you want"
He kissed her temple quickly before John walked into the room with after dinner wine. The women all declined, but the gentlemen accepted. Anne and Diana did not drink in the presence of their husbands and Mary chose not to drink either. They had explained to Jane before their husbands didn't like it, and Jane was well aware why. Women who drank in society were always heavily judged for it and even though she did not personally drink, it frustrated Jane because it was another way that men and women were not treated as equals. She knew that she could drink if she wanted to, and it was not a matter of her husband telling her she could, but for the majority of women this was not the case. Perhaps it did not matter to a person who did not like drinking, but if a husband could control his wife's ability to drink then surely he could control much more.
"Is Christmas really in three days?" Captain Franklin was asking
"Yes dear, it is the 22nd today" Diana replied
"Wow, I did not realise"
"I do hope you have not forgotten our presents" Eshton teased
"I would not dare"
"Look, it is snowing" Anne said, glancing out of the window. "How very perfect for Christmas"
Jane wrapped her arm around her husbands and he looked at her warmly.
At that moment Adele appeared in the door of the sitting room and walked forward with some urgency.
"Jane can I see you for a moment? I need your help"
"Of course" she said standing, "Excuse me"
She could see on Adele's face that something was wrong, so she was quick to walk into the hallway out of the sight of the others. Stopping her in the foyer, Jane put her hand on Adele's shoulder.
"Adele, are you alright?"
"I do not know" she said lowly, wringing her hands in frustration, "I was using the washroom and there was blood and I think you must call the doctor"
"Oh" Jane said, smiling slightly in understanding, "No Adele, we do not need to call a doctor for nothing is wrong"
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, let us go upstairs, I will explain to you"
Adele took Jane's hand as they walked up over the stairs, appearing more childlike than she had in a very long time. Jane put her arm around her and rubbed her arm reassuringly before pushing opened her bedroom door. Closing it behind them, Jane turned to see Adele looking quite nervous.
"Here, sit down"
As Adele sat down on her bed Jane felt the overwhelming need to help her in the best way she could. She had always cared for Adele and had a protective affection for her but this had deepened as she had matured and grown. This particular issue, however, was something Jane had no experience with. When she had first gotten her monthly she had been in Lowood and had always been thankful Miss Temple was there to explain to her what it was rather than Ms Reid. She struggled in that moment to know how best to explain to Adele what was happening but as with all situations, she called upon truth to aid her as her best ally.
"Adele, what you have explained to me, blood when you used the washroom, is very natural for women. In fact, it is something which happens to women so that they can do something wonderful"
The girl sitting before her could not have looked more confused as she listened. Jane smiled,
"It is called your monthly. Have you heard of it before?"
"No"
"Well, your monthly occurs when you mature from a young girl to a woman. This will happen to you each month-"
"Why!"
"So that one day you may have children of your own. Without it, a woman cannot conceive a child".
"So it will happen to me everyday for the rest of my life?"
"No. Not everyday. Only for a few days at the start of every month. And it does not last for the rest of your life. Eventually it ends when you are past the age of being able to give birth".
Adele looked thoughtfully at Jane, sighing as thoughts turned in her head.
"What do I do? It will make a mess, everyone will see it on my dress"
"There are things we can do so it will not show on your dress. I will help you. But there are things you must know now that your monthly has come. Although the outcome is wonderful if you decide to have a children, it can sometimes be difficult to deal with. There can be pain and other times you may feel nothing at all. You will sometimes feel sad, or angry during it because your body is working very hard and those feelings are completely natural. I wish someone had told me that when I was your age".
"And there is nothing I can do about it?"
"Do you mean to make it go away?"
Adele nodded,
"No" she replied kindly, "I know it must feel overwhelming right now, but you will become used to it. All girls do. Soon you will just know how to take care of yourself and it will not be a big deal, I promise".
"Jane, I do not know-"
At that moment there was a knock at the door and Edward stuck his head inside,
"I am just checking to make sure that you two are alright"
"Yes, thank you" Jane replied, "We are just having a conversation".
"Very well. Jane, darling, I'm going to put Henry down now. Everyone else has gone to bed. Goodnight Adele"
"Goodnight Mr Rochester" she said, still with the same warmth she always had for him.
Jane smiled at him as he left the room. At the sound of the door latching closed again she turned back to Adele.
"I was going to ask if you were my age when you got your monthly"
"I believe I was exactly your age, actually. I was almost 12".
"Well, if it is something all women have, then I shall learn how to manage it"
Jane smiled,
"Of course you will. Now come, let's get cleaned up and I will show you what you can do so that it doesn't show on your clothing".
. . .
Jane stayed with Adele for quite some time before she was settled enough to fall asleep without any anxiety. When Jane was leaving the room Adele sat up in bed and looked at Jane curiously.
"Having you in my life, Jane is like having a mother and an older sister in the same person".
Jane smiled, leaning on the door,
"That is a very kind thing for you to say Adele. I hope that I am".
The young girl nodded and smiled before laying back down in bed,
"Goodnight then"
'Goodnight Adele. Sleep well".
Jane closed her door behind her quietly and proceeded down the hall into her own room. When she walked inside she realised her husband was already asleep so she undressed and unpinned her hair with the utmost caution so that she did not wake him. The fire crackled peacefully and provided enough noise so that her minimal sounds were masked by it. When she was left in only her slip she peeled back the blankets and slid inside, feeling the warmth of the sheets instantly. She thought for a moment she had gotten away with not waking him but at the feeling of her weight beside him Edward stirred and opened his eyes sleepily.
"What time is it?"
"Shh, I am sorry. I did not mean to wake you. Go back to sleep"
"It's okay" he said, turning on his side, "Is it late?"
"Not especially. It is eleven"
"I was tired" he said, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead. He paused and looked up at his wife,
"What happened with Adele?"
Jane sat before him, her legs crossed.
"Oh nothing"
"She seemed upset when she came for you"
"She was only confused. You now have another woman in the house"
He looked at her,
"What does that mean?"
Jane laughed at the confused look at his face.
"Jane- what does that mean?" he asked again, shaking her leg
"Adele had her first monthly tonight"
"What? Really?"
Jane nodded,
"But she is so young"
"She is eleven, almost twelve. She is the age I was"
"God, I'm not sure I can handle that. It feels like yesterday that I plucked her out of the streets of Paris as a little girl".
"I know. Time passes quickly. Look at us- in the end of May we will be married two years and Henry will turn one"
He caressed her cheek, looking thoughtfully at her.
"I do not worry so much about you. You are eternal to me. My love for you and my thoughts of you are eternal. But Henry being one, or Adele becoming a woman makes me feel like I need to grasp desperately to time to stop it- well, I know I cannot stop it but maybe slow it down"
Jane smiled, running her fingers through his hair.
"My love, if time cannot stop for you I do not think it will think of slowing down for you".
"No" he admitted with a smile, "I do not think it will"
He opened his arms to his wife so that she crawled into his embrace. He rested his chin against her forehead, holding her close.
"There were so many times I would lie in bed at night and think of how much I wanted to hold you like this"
"Were there?"
"Mhm. I did not want anything more from you than that. I thought about how you were down the hallway from me laying in your bed alone and I wanted to be the only one to hold you in my arms and show you how it felt to be loved".
"Surely you did not think anyone else would show me- only after being married, of course. I never would have submitted to such inside the walls of Thornfield Hall"
"I know you would not have"- a kiss on her forehead- "But of course I worried someone else would take you away from me. To me, it was impossible to imagine that someone had not already learned of how wonderful you were and whisked you away"
"It has not occurred to you then that I am not so universally wonderful to everyone else as I am to you"
"No. Some people are like that- their charms to one person are to another bothersome and unattractive. But you are not like that at all Jane. You have a perennial appeal".
"I wish you would not flatter me like that. I never know what to say to you"
"You do not need to say anything, sweetheart".
Jane closed her eyes and sighed happily.
"I love you"
He kissed the top of her head, pausing before drawing back.
"Mmm. I know you do".
Jane watched her husband thoughtfully as he stretched, the blankets falling from around him as he did so.
"Edward?"
"Yes?"
"Are you very tired?"
A knowing smile.
"Why?"
"Because I don't feel like sleeping"
"What would you like to do then, Ms Rochester?"
"Make love to you" she blushed
"Oh I see" he said, grinning widely, "Well then my darling, I am all yours".
He traced the line of her jaw before he lay back with his hands behind his head.
Jane reached down between them and took her husband in her hand. Throwing her leg over his, she manoeuvred him inside of her, moaning as he turned her quickly on her back and moved on top of her. He kissed her deeply as he thrust into her slowly. She broke the kiss to breathe in a shaky breath but Edward took her face in his hand and recaptured her mouth, pushing her gently back into the pillows.
"Be still for me, my love" he whispered, drawing back and kissing her forehead.
"No" she objected, "Don't"
He kissed her neck sensually, "No?"
He pushed into her again, causing her to gasp.
"Just for a moment, darling".
"Okay" she said softly, looking up into his face.
Jane pecked his lips briefly before he pulled her to the end of the bed. He pushed up her nightgown, parted her legs and bent his head between them, kissing her hungrily. Her stomach curled at the sensation and she groaned into her arm, her chest rising and falling in painful anticipation of what she knew would come. He ran his tongue along her length before sucking her sensitive, throbbing centre.
"Ah" she exclaimed desperately, trying to still her racing mind. She shut her eyes, lights appearing behind them.
"My god Jane" he groaned against her skin, kissing the inside of her thigh. "Are you ready?"
"For what?"
He chuckled once before flipping her onto her stomach. She propped herself up on her elbows so that he could take her from behind and after an experimental stroke he entered her deeply. Jane pressed her forehead into the mattress, whimpering helplessly. Edward kissed the small of her back before bringing her up on her knees and guiding her back down onto him, her bum resting against him. She threw her head back onto her husband's shoulder so that he could kiss her cheek sweetly. With two more deep thrusts Jane was overtaken with pulses of shaking sensation as Edward released himself inside of her. She smiled to herself, held up against him by his strong arms. Jane leaned into her husband as he kissed her temple, smiling against her skin.
. . . . .
The following morning, after everyone had eaten breakfast, people wandered into the sitting room at their own pace to complete their morning activities.
Edward, holding Henry, and Mr Eshton poured over an anatomy book that Eshon had brought with him from London. It depicted new diagrams of the brain that both found fascinating, and with such to keep them occupied they were rather in their own world. Captain Franklin sat in a corner of the room with Mary, asking polite but engaging questions about her time as a governess. Diana and Anne sat on a couch with her son who fussed and wined from time to time but who was overall content with the girls. Anne was beginning to show in her pregnancy now, and Jane could tell that whenever she saw Daniel or Henry thoughts of her as a mother began to flood her mind. Jane, who sat with Adele trying to make paper Christmas stars, overheard Diana commenting sadly that she had not yet conceived but was hopeful for a baby soon. She was thinking on this a little sadly when Adele huffed angrily.
"Jane, I cannot get it to work"
"Why? Let me see"
Adele handed Jane a crumpled up star.
"Look, if you fold it that way it becomes uneven"
"You are right" she said, sounding defeated, "Ah"
"Here, let's try again" Jane said, taking a fresh piece of parchment and tearing it so that both had a new one to work with. After continued efforts of trying to fold the paper, Jane decided she would simply cut them out while Adele decorated them with her crayons. She was showing her completed star to Jane when a high, excited, familiar voice filled the room in a shrill shout.
"JANE EYRE!"
Jane's head turned quickly to see Georgiana Reed standing in her doorway.
It was startling to see a person whom Jane had believed she would never see again- it was almost like looking upon a ghost. In the almost three years that had passed since they had last seen one another Georgiana had changed remarkably little, yet in appearance she had changed a great amount. Her childish pink garments with high frilled collars and puffed shoulders were replaced by serious, luxurious travelling ones that suited her well but looked strange on a person who was still childish in Jane's mind. Her hair which had always been styled in tight girlish ringlets was let down and now was drawn in a more distinguished bun at the back of her head. She was decked from head to toe in luxury, including jewels, fur wraps and fine silks, and Jane found it easy to admit that in her case these additions accented her natural beauty rather than detracted from it. She moved forward confidently and Jane rose to meet her halfway across the room. When they meet, Georgiana pulled Jane into a quick hug before releasing her.
"Georgiana. I can scarcely believe you are here. How do you do?"
"Yes, well my visit was intended to be a surprise. When I learned you were having supper yesterday when I arrived I thought it is best to stop back when I can really have your full attention and surprise you well. Baron Hogwood thought it rather silly of me" she said, indicating a man standing at the entrance to the room that Jane had not noticed before.
He too was a surprise- a warn out man of fashion that Jane never could have imagined her cousin marrying. As a girl Georgiana had certainly been picky regarding looks, and she vocalised her preferences for men easily when asked. Baron Hogwood was not the caricature she so often described. Awkwardly tall, not slim and not large but largely disinterested, he walked forward when Georgiana beckoned him to approach.
Jane turned to find Edward at her side, bowing to Georgiana politely.
"Georgiana, this is my husband Edward Rochester"
"Oh my!" she said, sounding genuinely surprised, "I did not know you married. How could you not have told me?"
Jane did not answer this question, for it seemed rather odd Georgiana had any expectation of them staying in contact once they had left one another. Instead, she smiled.
"How do you do" he said, bowing to her. She nodded fervently
"Very well"
"Edward, Georgiana is my cousin. My late aunt Reed's daughter".
"Indeed I know who you are Baroness, I have heard much about you"
"Have you really? Well you must tell me everything you know - oh!" she said quickly, understanding seeming to dawn on her, "Then this must be-"
"Henry, our son"
"A son? Jane Eyre married? Living in this grand house? My goodness I could not have believed it if someone had told me, I promise you I could not have believed it. I mean, truly Jane? Oh, and this is my own husband" she said pulling on his arm as he reached her, "Baron Hogwood of York. We meet in London three seasons ago and married shortly after. That is where we are currently living. This is my cousin Jane and her husband, Mr Rochester- have I said that right?"
"Yes" Edward said patiently, he bowed to Baron Hogwood and straightened up again, "How do you do?"
"The country air revives me. It is nice to be out of London for Christmas"
"And where is it that you are headed for Christmas?"
"Well, tomorrow we hope to set out for Cheshire. I have family there and they were eager to get us there for the actual holiday. We took some time in getting there though"
He said this was some annoyance but Georgiana was quick to explain.
"He believes it was rude of me to stop here and ask for a room for the night but I assured him, Jane, that you would be more than willing to oblige us in obtaining a room. I did not know, however, your husband would be the owner of this home so now I am sure you will not mind giving us a place to stay".
The offer was extremely presumptuous, Jane thought to herself. She could not imagine a situation in which she would have asked for such for herself or her husband under any circumstances, let alone to a cousin she had not spoken with in quite some time. It was true that Jane left her cousin Georgiana on far better terms than when she had arrived, but they had only been with each other for two weeks, and the pleasantness of that occasion was because Jane had let many things go for the sake of maintaining peace between them. Jane had had compassion for her at the loss of her mother, so she allowed her cousin to be lazy in not packing her own bags or seeing to any of the visitors who came to pay their respects because she understood their interaction to be short and under unfortunate circumstances.
"Of course" she replied, "I shall have one of the rooms made up. I assume as well you will stay for dinner?"
"Only if it is not an issue" Baron Hogwood said quickly before Georgiana could respond.
"Not at all" Edward joined in, "I shall go and speak with the housekeeper. Excuse me"
He handed Henry to Jane and with that he departed.
"Georgiana, Baron, let me introduce you to everyone who is staying here with us for Christmas"
She turned towards the others in the room, all of whom looked slightly confused with the situation at hand.
"This is Mary Rivers, my cousin on my mothers side and that little boy is her son Daniel. This is Diana Franklin, her sister, who is married to Captain Franklin. And this is Mr Eshton, my husbands old friend and now a close friend of the family and his wife Anne Eshton, also our very good friend. And this-" Jane said, smiling at the little girl beside her, "is Adele, our ward"
"Bonjour madame" she said politely,
"My goodness, a little french girl. I do not know French" she enunciated a little too slowly. When Jane explained that she spoke English well, Georgiana's face relaxed and she smiled.
"My goodness, what a happy party for Christmas" she said, "I will be very happy to speak with each of you".
"How good it is to meet you" Captain Franklin said, bowing to her.
"Will you not have a seat?" Jane asked both Georgiana and her husband, "We were just about to have some tea"
"Oh!" shrilled Georgiana, "I am happy to hear that- come on, let us sit down here. Jane! Sit with us"
"I will as soon as I can! I am afraid you caught me at a rather unfortunate time for I was just about to put Henry down for his nap"
"Oh, give him to the nurse! We have not seen each other in so long"
"I am afraid you are looking at his nurse. I promise to return soon. I am more than confidant you will find good conversation with those here" Jane said, smiling.
"Yes! I am rather interested in hearing of your trip here!" Anne said helpfully, engaging with her quickly.
When Georgiana and her husband were comfortably settled in the sitting room with the others, Jane departed with Henry to find her husband.