Dear Readers!

Hello!

I am so sorry for the long delay inbetween chapters. I started a new job and I have just been so, so busy. I really missed writing this story though, and feel very happy and energised to write more.

I had to write one more chapter from Edward's point of view, because it interested me so much. If you enjoyed reading from his perspective, I may do some more in the future!

Much love to you all. I hope that you are all keeping safe and healthy.

More soon!

xoxo

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Henry was somewhat fussy over lunch, so Edward and Jane missed parts of the table conversation as they took turns caring for him. Everyone was rather contented the day after Christmas, so the conversation was light and pleasant. Even Georgiana was quieter than normal, actually listening to her husband when he shushed her before she overshared some detail of their married life. Something, however, did catch Edward's attention when it was spoken.

"Sorry?" he said, looking up from his son, "What was that?"

"I said there is a new priest arrived here" Lady Denver repeated, somewhat shortly "He has come all the way from Kent"

"Goodness, that is a long way to travel" Anne said, "I wonder why he has come so far, and so quickly".

"I asked for another priest to be sent directly" Lady Denver replied simply, "I do not believe that a community is such if there is no resident priest, and this is no small town. After the disaster of a man who was here last I threatened that if they did not send a man of good reputation and countenance they would immediately be informed of it".

Edward grinned to himself, observing that Mary was in well enough humour at the mention of Father Andrew.

"Do we know anything about this man?"

"Not a thing" Lady Denver said, disgruntled, "I recommended a few people but they did not take my advice which I hope will not prove detrimental to them in the long run" .

Georgiana played with her fork, swirling it around her plate noisily.

"The day after Christmas is always so depressing" she pouted, "All the excitement is gone, all of the celebrations are over...we are just left with each other".

"Should we be offended, Baroness?"

"Oh no, Mr Rochester. Not at all. I rather like the company here, though of course you are merely teasing me". She paused before continuing, sighing. "It is just a reminder that we must return to our own lives, where day after day the same thing occur without change".

"But change can be instituted" Jane offered helpfully, "A simple change to your routine can do much for you. Even a walk can put your mind in a better place".

Georgiana screwed up her face in a way that made Edward think she was incapeable of hiding was she felt.

"You sound like Eliza. And no, a walk would not suit me because our grounds are not like the grounds here. They are too-"

"They are very large, dear" The Baron said, sounding surprised.

"Yes but there is nothing interesting to look at, and I must be stimulated".

"A different change, then" Jane continued, "I know, Georgiana, that at one time you wished to learn the cross stitch. May you not learn now? I am sure there is a lady or two in your house who would be more than willing to help you learn-"

"Oh!" she squealed happily, "Oh Jane. You are so sweet and so clever. I forgot I wished to learn such. You are right, I shall learn as soon as I arrive back".

The Baron looked at Jane with appreciation, but everyone else at the table looked to Edward with great amusement. Everyone, that is, besides Lady Denver who looked rather shocked at such a changeable temperament. Nonetheless, Edward smiled at his guests and leaned back in his chair comfortably.

"In the spirit of Christmas and the new year I think it important to talk about this year amongst our friends" he started, sipping his wine, "We can talk of what we accomplished, what we failed to do, what we are proud of, and what we wish to strive towards in the coming days".

"Are you always so introspective, Rochester?" his friend asked, eyebrow raised,

"Do you not know me well enough by now Eshton?"

"It was a foolish question" he concluded, "I will start. Anne and I had a successful year overall. Of course we have a child on the way, and such is very exciting for us. We were speaking only last night of how much our lives are about to change, and how we must be thankful right now for all the freedom we currently possess. This year, however, I failed to take my scientific endeavours as far as I had wished to. Time restrains, and money, are always the downfall of the scientist".

Edward, of course, knew that he was referring to his examination of the human brain- particularly what causes it to malfunction and fail the owner. He had been attracted to Eshton as a friend initially for his mind, yet he had also wondered if he, in all his scientific explorations, held the answer to Bertha Masons condition which no doctor could understand, let alone cure. But Eshton's work at the time was as primitive as it was now. The human brain was complicated and difficult to understand absolutely. Still, Eshton's continual curiosity made him a good friend, and his commitment to being non-judgemental had always swayed him towards generosity of spirit.

"And you, Anne?"

"I am just glad this child appears to be healthy" she said, touching her corseted stomach. Edward noted that there was a great difference between her size and his wife's when she had been pregnant.

"You may not know" she continued, looking to the Baron and Georgiana, "I have been pregnant before, but lost my child".

"I am sorry" the Baron said sympathetically, "My wife lost several of our children as well, before delivering healthy children".

"And now you have a young boy" Georgiana added quickly, sitting up pridefully in her chair.

He nodded at her with some hesitation before turning back to Edward.

"Well I for one am rather happy that our marriage settled his year" he said, indicating his young wife beside him. "The first year of marriage took some...negotiating. We could not decide whether to reside in the country or town, or if we should take dinner at 7 or 8, but this year has been much clearer, and we have lived more concrete existences".

He smiled at Jane, the type of smile which admitted there was sense lacking in what he admitted, though it was the truth.

"Mmm, true my darling" Georgiana nodded, "The first year of marriage is always about negotiation. I am simply glad we are over such hurtles. It is such an uncomfortable part of marriage, needing to work out the details of everyday life that one is free to make for themselves before union. I much preferred the second year".

The table responded in moderate agreement, but Edward merely turned to his wife to meet her warm smile.

As Diana began to tell the table of her husband's offer from the Navy, Edward saw his wife slip into thought. She was, momentarily, far away from the people before her in the room. She was only brought back when her name was spoken by Captain Franklin,

"I'm sorry?"

"What about your year?"

"My year was a very good one. I think I can speak for us both when I say we have been very happy. Adele has continued to do well in school, we have spent wonderful time with our friends, and raising Henry has been the biggest joy of my life, in spite of it sometimes being a challange. I must admit, I would not trade one moment of it for anything in the world".

Edward nodded,

"In spite of countless sleepless nights".

"Then you endure them too, Rochester?"

"You could say that" he smiled.

Knowing that both Jane and Edward were private about their lives, they were not asked further about their year and in truth there was not much else to say. Henry had consumed their lives for the past 8, almost 9 months and before that their year had been filled with the final months of Jane's difficult pregnancy. There had been much more, but those were the private moments of growth that were difficult to explain to others. Besides, Edward was exceptionally protective of his wife and had no desire to share their life together with anyone.

Lady Denver was next asked about her year, but hers was summised with a singular shrug and a dismissive wave of her hand. Edward suspected that any real show of sincerity from her would not appear in such a context as this, and that it was simply her default to flip to insencerity rather than honesty as it was easier, and did not have the power to wound her.

No one asked Mary, and Edward appreciated their friends' sensitivity. She, of course, would not have much to say in terms of positives. She had had a very hard year which was characterised by much hurt and pain. It would not have been fair to expect her to have an answer that resembled the others.

Lunch eventually finished and everyone dispersed for the afternoon. With the hopes of travel being a possibility soon, Georgiana went to begin packing her clothes which, apparently due to their delicate fabric, took some time. Diana and Mary went to be with Daniel for a while and were happily joined by Adele. The men went to smoke in the drawing room and Edward took his son upstairs to his nursery for a nap. Shortly after sitting down, however, his wife entered the room and told him that he was needed downstairs. As it turned out, there had been an leak downstairs in the servants quarters which required work, but one of the men, Mr Thoms was quite talented at such and was happy to oblige. Once Edward had been told his assistance was not required, he walked back upstairs to be with his family.

. . .

Edward walked into the nursury, happy to find his wife sitting there alone and at ease. Henry was now sleeping in her lap with one of her hands cradling his head and the other balancing a book in the air between her finger and her thumb. She tried to turn a page awkwardly but the book was too heavy and it wobbled dangerously. Edward came around the corner swiftly and grabed it, stopping it from hitting the ground noisily. She smiled at him shyly, thanking him as he handed it back to her.

"I should have given up trying a while ago".

"Here" he said, sitting down beside her and putting his arm around her, "I will read it to you instead".

"Thank you, but I actually wanted to talk to you about something" she said, shifting slightly to face him.

"Is anything wrong?"

"Not wrong" she said curiously, "At least not for me-"

Edward furrowed his eyebrows, prompting her to continue,

"I do not want our marriage to become something that is easier to talk to others about rather than to each other. And I know that you are happy, Edward", she said quickly, seeing him open his mouth to speak, "And I know that you love me. But we have both been distracted lately, and we have had less time to talk, and I just wanted to ensure that I was offering a place for you in the same way you offer one to me".

Edward flushed at his wife's words in such a way that he was prompted to pick up his sleeping son and carry him to his crib. Once he was settled, Edward took his wife's hand and led her into their room next door. When the door was closed, Edward saw that his wife looked confused.

"I did not wish to wake him..." Edward explained, kissing her chin, cheek, and nose "...when I told you that although I am very thankful for your concern, I am most definitely a satisfied man"

"I see" she smiled, the faintest blush colouring her cheeks in the most irresistible way, "But it must be known that I was not concerned about you, for I know you are incapable of concealing what you feel from me. I just wanted you to know that you are my priority".

"I know that, love" Edward said, bending his head so that his lips grazed his wife's neck. He watched her lashes fluttering against her cheeks as she took in a deep breath.

Jane looked knowingly at Edward and he sighed,

"There is something else on your mind, I can see it"

"I supose I did want to talk to you about something else"

"Very well" he nodded, "You have my absolute full attention"

"You see, at this present moment I have a very great desire for us to make love"

"Oh do you?" Edward grinned, amused and touched by her honesty and casualness.

"But there is a problem with such"

"And what would that be?"

"I fear I am a little tired at present"

"Ah I see. But not enough for you to just lay here on my chest and rest for a little while?"

"No, not quite"

"Right" he said, pausing and biting back a grin, "So, what I am hearing, Ms Rochester, is that you would like me to make love to you while you lie back and- think of England?"

"Oh no, I assure you that I will be thinking of you".

He laughed and Jane softened, wrapping one of her arms around his neck.

"I shall make it up to you"

"No need, darling. I thought that this was indeed a gift" he said, standing up.

He interlocked their fingers and moved her strategically into the middle of the room so that she was facing the mirror before he began undoing the back of her dress, something that he admittedly had become very efficient at. He stripped away her layers of clothes until she was left standing in her thin slip, and then kissed her cheek sweetly as she leaned into him. It was only then that she realised her positioning where she could see her reflection in the glass and turned quickly to face him, blushing.

"Mmm" he encouraged, turning her around slowly again, "Just relax. I want you to see what I see"

"Why does that feel like a frightening prospect?" she teased, furrowing her eyebrows.

"You shall pay for that in a minute" Edward replied, running his hand up her leg and moving one finger inside of her slowly.

Jane crumbled instantly and sighed with relief, moving his hand into a better position before allowing him to do his work.

It was true that he had been with many women before this marriage, and that unlike Jane he had a mirror to hold out to her in comparison to others. It would not matter, however, if he was with all the women in the world for the sake of comparison, for he knew that he would never feel a fraction of the way he felt for his wife with anyone else. At times, he found it more difficult to face his past than he ever had. He knew now, after almost two years of marriage, that he had wasted his time and emotions and this weighed heavily on his conscious. Had he known that Jane would come, that love would come, he never would have allowed himself to slip into such a depressing and demoralising existence.

All of the women he had ever been with were unattractive in their own ways, with vices rooted in individualised forms of shallow selfishness. Some had been base and bodily, others had been defensive and changeable, and others still were materialistic and empty. Edward knew, however, that their unattractiveness had only been a reflection of his own. He had been so jaded, so angry, so drained by the world that he had been incapable of feeling anything besides base emotions. He had not known, nor even allowed himself the hope of believing, that he could experience love in his life. For although he did not know what true love felt like, he knew it would not be found in his own existence. So he lived with lust for a passion and a hatred for a companion.

Looking in the mirror now, however, he could not have held another thought in his head if he tried. He watched his intoxicating wife intently. From the begining of their knowing eachother, from the moment she was walked into his study, her head bent and her eyes fixed on the carpet, she had, for some unexplained reason, placed all of her trust in him. She had not shrunk from her thoughts or feelings or desires, nor felt embarassed by them. He had suspected, but not known, that when she was still his governess she had a raw connection with her passions which she could not hide from him. This had made feeling impartial to her impossible. But he had been thrilled to learn that this trust allowed her to fall into lovemaking easily and happily. She had been willing to try everything so she could be honest in what she wanted and did not want. And she was selfless, almost to a fault. Still, he had never experienced the feeling before her that pleasuring someone else could be more beneficial than recieving pleasure. He had not known it was possible to be so compatable with another person physically, but she was so different from everything else he had ever known. She was selfless without sacrificing her own autonomy. She was generous as well as willing to ask for what she wanted. She was gentle, but immovable. She was free and yet tethered to him absolutely.

Jane suddenly made a desperate but brief noise as she furrowed her brow in concentration, closing her eyes. It brought Edward back to the present as she swayed on the spot. He kissed her cheek encouragingly and then her temple.

"Eyes opened, darling. I want you to look".

Her laboured, heavy eyes opened and she watched herself in the glass with a somewhat distracted curiosity. She put her hand once again over his so that he was forced to apply more pressure and opened her mouth silently, seemingly aroused by what she saw before her. When he temporarily removed his hand she pushed her head back into his chest, rolling her head slightly from side to side before he placed his thumb on her centre of pleasure. When he did, she inhaled sharply and covered her mouth, though his gesture was somewhat ineffective in disguising the moan of pleasure which came from her. Edward could feel her legs begin to shake, and her attempts to remain quiet were becoming more difficult.

"Not yet, love" he said, kissing her cheek and withdrawing his hand slowly.

"I am trying to be good" she smiled

"Oh I know" he said grinning, "But you are rather undisciplined when it comes to me".

Jane turned around to face him but was swpet into his arms before she could respond. When he lay her down on the bed her curls fell into her face, covering her completely from sight. She half heartididely tried to puff her hair away but only managed to briefly lift the curls before they fell back into place. Edward grinned as she dug herself out, looking upon him happily.

"One second" she said, sitting up and reaching across him to pick up the ribbon on the nightstand. She pulled back her hair and tied it off, Edward kissing her cheek as she did so. She smiled up at him.

"Better"

"Certainly for me"

He kissed the crook of her soft neck before drawing back and looking upon her.

Some look, some thought, moved across her face which motivated her to press her lips softly to his once scortched eyebrow and the scar on his forehead. He closed his eyes and opened them slowly when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. They stayed embraced in eachothers arms for a long, peaceful moment. Jane rubbed the back of his neck, it being her natural way to care for others. He slipped himself inside of her gently and held her as she shuddered against him. He closed his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder and rocked gently in and out of her. Jane clutched him a little more closely, murmuring something indistinguishable in his ear,

Edward pushed her deeper into him with a rush of attraction and Jane moaned lightly.

"My God you feel heaven-sent"

She kissed his forehead, half distracted as she exhaled with a small whimper.

Edward grunted, trying very hard to control himself so that he did not finish before his wife- a constant threat the moment he was with her. Jane caught the look on his husbands face and exhaled happily.

He shuttered, banging his fist into the top of the bed frame.

"Shh" Jane soothed, "Shh, someone will hear us"

"I do not give a damn".

"You will if we must stop"

He grunted in frustration and Jane clawed at his back, dragging her nails along his spine.

With one more push into her, Jane sucommbed slowly and then all at once. She shook against him before her grip relaxed, but she burried her face in him, not able to catch her breath. He did not have much time to register this, however, for he came before he could stop himself. His senses were blinded for a moment, but then he felt the realness of her in his hands. She was small wrapped in his arms, and yet so much more then he could ever be. A force of nature. A hurricane of feeling and thought and emotion.

When his heart had slowed he lowered them gently on the bed, rubbing the back of Jane's neck as she kissed him passionately. He groaned into her mouth, feeling a smile move over her face as she kissed his jaw.

He closed his eyes, his arm over his head, every atom of his flesh feeling contented and full.

"Thank you" she said, frankly and honestly.

Her cheeks flushed with the blush of their lovemaking, she stretched lazily and smiled.

Edward kissed her forehead and told her that he loved her before he lay down sleepily, feeling as happy as his wife looked.

. . .

Some time later Edward and Jane found themselves in front of the fire in the study with Adele sitting on the floor in front of them, warming herself after having gone outside in the cold. The room was peaceful and silent, making it easy to forget the day and the time. This illusion was shattered, however, when there were loud footsteps which banged through the entryway. Jane looked up from her book when Georgiana's shrill voice caught an apparently surprised Diana off guard.

"Oh, Diana! Yes, come. I need you to help me seal my trunk".

Jane and Edward looked at eachother meaningfully.

"I think we shall remember this Christmas for a long time" Jane said reflectfully, biting back an amused smile.

"I have no doubt" he replied, hearing Diana trail after Georgiana who had an unnaturally heavy and distinctive tread.

"Though I cannot say it has been a negative one".

"Oh I have been more than entertained. I have enough to muse on for quite some time to come".

Jane smiled and looked down at a distracted Adele before she picked up her book and opened it to the page she had previously left. Adele hummed absentmindidely to herself, drumming her fingers on the paper she was holding her pencil against without having drawn anything. Edward picked up a neglected stack of letters which were laying beside him on a side table and sliced through them, tipping out the letters and examining their contents one by one. In truth there was nothing noteworthy, only minor issues within the house that needed attending to and bills from town which needed to be seen to in the aftermath of Christmas. The last one, however, he could tell was not for him, even before he turned it over and saw the name written on the front. The handwriting was slanted and thick, not at all a recogniseable hand to him. When he read the address he grinned slightly, holding it out to his wife.

"This is for you"

"Hm?" she said distractedly, not glancing up from her book.

"The letter, it is for you" he repeated.

"Oh Jane, how exciting!" Adele said, turning around quickly, "Who is it from?"

"Adele" Edward warned kindly, "It is not polite to ask about others mail"

Jane took the envelope in her hand and ran her thumb over the wax seal.

"It is from St John" she said curiously. Breaking the seal, she unfolded the letter and read it, turning it over as she did so.

The letter did not look long and Jane did not read it more than once. When she finished she passed it to her husband wordlessly.

"Jane,

If I have accurately assessed the time it will take you to recieve this letter, you will revieve it prior to Christmas time. My sisters informed me last time I sent them a leter that you would be hurt if I did not write to you also, and so I have set out to do such. If you would be hurt because you assume I have forgotten your great kindness to me then know that I am well aware I serve God's mission on your charity. I do not have time for regular correspondance as I have intimated before and to expect such after I have informed you of the impossibility would be your unfortunate mistake.

I have taken ill these past few months. It has been brought on by the tropcial climate and the less than habital conditions here. For a time I thought God had chosen it was my time, and I would be taken from this world to meet him in the next. However, though gradual and slow, my improvement has been significant. I hope I do become well so I can serve my Lord again in all that is right. I can only hope that you serve him with the same strength of character and mind".

Edward handed the letter back to his wife, unimpressed but not angry at its contents.

"He still refuses to acknowledge you or Henry or Adele".

Adele looked up at Jane curiously,

"Who is he, Jane?"

"My cousin. He is brother to Diana and Mary"

"Oh" she said, sounding surprised, "Why does he not acknowledge us?"

"It is hard to say exactly. He did not believe in the decision I made to return to Mr Rochester and marry him. As such, anything connected to my marriage is not mentioned by him".

The corner of Adele's mouth turned in confusion,

"He must be very different from his sisters".

Jane smiled her kind and understanding smile,

"Yes, he is rather different from them. From most people, even"

Edward stiffled a laugh as Adele turned back around, resuming her tapping of the paper as she thought of something to draw.