Hello my lovely readers,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the amazing comments on my last chapter. I can't tell you how moved I was by them, and how inspired. They really help me to see if what I hope to convey in my writing is getting across to the readers and I so appreciate it.

I hope you are all well, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

All my love, xoxo

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In the weeks which followed, the harshness of winter melted away to make way for spring with the first and bravest flowers breaking through the hardened ground and the rising and the setting of the sun becoming longer each day. It had been a bleak winter, but the spring had come in full force and brought hope in its wake to several long and difficult months. Soon the days were sunny, and the first flowers made way for many more in between long blades of green grass.

For Edward, spring also brought a renewed sense of hope. The doctor finally assessed that his leg was healed enough for only short periods of walking, but Jane knew that such advice would be ignored, and it was. From the moment he was cleared to begin walking, Edward had not stopped for a moment. Within a week or so the estate was put to right, and within another week things felt as they had before the accident- natural, and easy. The mood within the house lifted, Jane could take the breaks she found to be increasingly necessary, and Edward was happy to be useful again. All in all, she felt incredibly grateful that all in the world was right again.

. . .

One early morning, Jane and Edward sat eating their breakfast before Henry woke. It was a quiet morning as it was expected to be a quiet day, and the only noise audible was the sound of forks and knives on plates. After a few minutes, however, Jane laid down her utensils and pushed away her plate.

"Are you not hungry?" Edward asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

"I am afraid not much agrees with me these days"

He paused to observe her, unsatisfied with her response.

"Shall I send for someone from the kitchens to get you something else?"

"No, I am just not very hungry at present. I see that your appetite has yet to be quelled, however".

"Well it was quite satisfied this morning before we were forced from our bed, but now I find I am in need of something else".

Jane sent him a disapproving look but he only chuckled,

"What? Am I not allowed to say how much I love my wife?"

"No" she responded easily, "Not so loudly"

Grinning, he lounged back in his chair and sipped his tea.

"Anne was going to call this afternoon, I believe. Do you know if Mr Eshton will come?"

"I thought that the Eshton's were going to town today?"

'They were, but Anne's family have postponed their visit, and when they do come in the future I believe they will be going to their house here in the country rather than town"

Edward chuckled,

"Eshton will surely enjoy that"

"Indeed", Jane smiled.

"Well then, perhaps he will come today. You know Eshton- he is never too busy that he must deny himself a friendly visit"

"Excuse me, Mr Rochester" Thomas said, rounding the corner and bowing to his master, "Sir I am sorry to interrupt but there is a lawyer here to see you, a Mr Lewis from town".

"Lewis?"

"Yes sir"

"Does he state his reason for coming?"

"No sir"

"Bring him into the study, then. I will be in shortly".

Jane turned to her husband and looked at him curiously,

"Do you know this man?"

"I do not. I cannot imagine the reason for his visit".

"Well then, you best find out and I shall see to our son".

Edward stood and kissed the top of his wife's head.

"Thank you, darling".

. . .

In truth, Jane barely had time to finish her tea and begin heading upstairs when Thomas followed after her, trying to catch her attention before she got too far,

"Ms Rochester, if you please. Your husband asks for you in the study"

"Does he?"

"Indeed, if you will come now? I believe it is rather urgent"

"Yes, of course I will come if I am needed"

Inside the study, Edward sat on a couch across from a well-dressed man of the law, evidently not from the country. Even whilst seated Jane could tell he was tall and distinguished, with his sweeping of grey hair tied back in a ponytail. When she appeared, both men stood and Jane had a clearer view of the man's face when he turned towards her. He was perhaps only just sixty, and she imagined when he was younger he would have been considered a rather handsome man. His once no doubt striking features, however, had faded into a more quiet gentility. When they locked eyes, Edward gestured for his wife to come and sit next to him, and from the expression on his face she could tell that something serious had happened. Somewhat nervously, she moved beside her husband and watched the man across from her straighten up as he resumed his seat once again.

"Mr Lewis, this is my wife Jane"

He bowed lowly to her,

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am"

"Jane, Mr Lewis is the lawyer in London who heads the management of Lady Denvers' estate".

"How do you do, sir?"

"I am well madam, though I fear that I come bearing unfortunate news. Lady Denver passed away a fortnight ago while in town".

Jane felt a stab of shock to her stomach,

"She is dead?"

"Yes m'am"

Jane turned to look at Edward for whom the news had evidently already been heard. He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles as Jane turned back to the man before her.

"I am sorry to bring such terrible news, but that is not all I have come to say to you"

"Do you know how she passed, Mr Lewis?"

"In her sleep, ma'am, though she apparently had been struggling with an illness for quite some time. It was not unexpected"

"An illness? What sort of illness?"

But the lawyer only shook his head,

"That I cannot say".

Edward squeezed his wife's hand gently,

"As I was saying, I come with rather staggering news. Lady Denver, as is well known, was an extremely wealthy woman, and despite having family who are alive, she was absolutely firm that none would ever lay a hand on even a penny of that money. Now that she is gone, it would seem her entire fortune and estate has been left to you".

There was an overlong pause in which neither Jane or Edward said anything. Jane, because such news felt insignificant in light of the loss which had occurred, and Edward because he did not fully comprehend the situation.

"Let me repeat-" Mr Lewis continued, now smiling "Lady Denver left you her entire estate and wealth. It comes to a rather immense sum"

"Yes," Edward said, absorbed in thought, "I handled the finances of her estate several months ago".

"She had mentioned such. Shortly after that she dismissed most of her servants and moved to London for seemingly a quiet end. That, alone, saved a significant amount of her funds".

Still, Jane and Edward said nothing.

"She left you, Ms Rochester, this note"- he flashed a white envelope through the air, "And she informed me shortly before her passing that she left the keys to the house and that you are well acquainted with its layout"

"Yes, I suppose I am"

"Mr Lewis" Edward began, his brow now serious, "How is it possible that she left us such with family- close family, still alive?".

"I can assure you she took great pains to assure such could never pass into the hands of family. I will admit it is rather unusual, in all my years as a lawyer I have never seen such before, but she assembled the best legal team in London to see to it. That money, and that estate, is now your property".

Edward and Jane shared a long look.

"And what does she want us to do with the money?"

"That, my dear fellow, is entirely up to yourself".

Jane did not like the overly excited tone in the man's voice. It felt innappropiate.

"Let me be clear" Mr Lewis began again, not satisfied with the reaction, or lack thereof, he had received, "With this money you are set to inherit no door to any society in the world will be closed to you. You will have absolute freedom in every sense of the word. In all my years in the profession of law I have never seen half a sum given to another person.".

"We are processing a rather sudden death, Mr Lewis, but the profundity of this is not lost upon us, I can assure you".

The man nodded quickly, looking down into his lap,

"Of course, I apologise. I hear that she was a remarkable woman"

"She was" Edward agreed, "A complicated woman, but remarkable nonetheless".

"Then she will be sorely missed"

When the men began speaking of the logistics of settling the financial matter, Jane reflected that she was not sure that statement was entirely true. Would Lady Denver be missed? Her frank manner and tone left much to be desired, and ensured that she did not easily make friends. In all honesty, Jane could not blame those who did not take to her, for at times she was not even sure how she had viewed the woman. Admittedly, for the most part, she had been hard and brittle as flint, difficult to know, and even more difficult to like. Between snapping orders and making demands of people there was little room left for softer feelings. But then there were the moments where any amount of vulnerability which showed through her hard exterior made her a point of curiosity, and offered some hope that her character was not as hardened as appearances would lead one to believe. As few and far between as these moments were, they had always made Jane hopeful that they would eventually develop a relationship. Now, however, she was gone, and Jane was forced to admit that they would never have the relationship that she had always hoped for.

Jane remained in the study while Edward saw Mr Lewis off at the main door. She watched the men from the window, seeing the lawyer shake Edward's hand and clap him on the arm before descending the few steps to his awaiting carriage embossed with the gold stamp of his prestigious law firm. Once inside, he tapped the door twice through the opened window and the driver pulled away. Before long the carriage was halfway down the drive, and then it was gone, but Edward did not return inside. Instead, Jane walked to meet him where he was still leaning against the door frame. When she reached his side, he turned and put his arm around her.

"Shall we take a walk?"

. . .

The garden was still coming into bloom, though it was much fuller than even the last time Jane had walked through it several days before. She was glad to see that the blue and yellow iris' that she looked for each year had risen above the grass in patches all along the long lane, casting shadows onto the path on either side. They made the world feel more alive, their smell and colour a stark contrast to the long winter months which had dragged on seemingly forever. When Edward noticed that his wife was looking at them he stopped to pick one, tucking it into her hair behind her ear.

"There" he said, before dropping his hands, "Your favourite"

Jane smiled appreciatively at him,

"I wish I could give them to you all year, not just in springtime"

"But then they would not be half so lovely".

'Mmm" Edward agreed lowly, pulling his wife to him and kissing her temple before guiding her forward again.

There was a long but active silence between them. Both minds were turning with their individual thoughts and neither felt the need to break it. For Jane, the beauty of the world was almost painful that day, for she was aware that Lady Denver would never look upon it again. Inevitably, it made her think of her own mortality and the time when she would no longer be able to look upon such flowers or feel the sun on her face. She never wanted to overlook a day like this, not when a time would come where she could no longer appreciate them. Gratitude for life swelled inside of her, inflating her lungs, and she thought momentarily that such was what it was to be happy.

"I am sorry for the news today" Edward said somewhat unexpectedly, drawing Jane from her reverie.

"I am too. I was just thinking that Lady Denver will never see an iris again, nor will she step into a spring garden. It is a very strange thought, how precarious life truly is".

"Life is precarious, but it is also full of many mysteries we cannot know. Perhaps wherever Lady Denver is now, she is in a field like this very one"

"True" Jane nodded, drawing her husband to her mouth briefly. She felt comforted as he held both sides of her face, his warm kiss making her feel centered within herself. When he released her, he chuckled softly.

"In truth I do not know what to feel at her passing"

"Well, I did practically force you into having dealings with her you wouldn't have otherwise had"

"You did, but that does not mean I would not have come to the same conclusions about her on my own. I did warm to her, with God as my witness I did warm to her".

"And she to you".

Edward nodded, tucking a curl absentmindedly behind his wife's ear.

"It just feels unfinished. Our knowing her feels unfinished. I kept waiting for her to fully reveal herself, and yet she never did- unless the answer to some ultimate mystery is contained in the letter she left to you".

"I would not know", Jane reflected, "I have not opened it"

She slipped the note out of her pocket and looked at it thoughtfully before looking up at Edward.

"Let us sit under that willow tree", he suggested, "It has been far too long since we have been able to do that".

Edward helped to lower his pregnant wife onto him once he was seated. From there, she positioned herself between his legs, finding the grass beneath to be quite comfortable as she leaned against her husband's chest. They looked out over the lake before them, the long branches of the willow hanging lazily in the light breeze. The sunshine coming through the leaves made the foliage brighter in parts, and darker in others, allowing shoots of light to break through the shadows cast by them.

Taking the letter again from her pocket and breaking the seal, Jane unfolded it and began to read,

"Dear Jane Rochester,

If you are reading this letter I will already be gone. I did not confide my illness to you because I did not see the point in doing so. There was nothing the doctors could do for me, and so there was nothing you could have done for me. I could not stand the idea of anyone hanging over me and tending to me in such a hopeless endeavor, and I know that you would have done so without complaint.

If you have received this letter you will also know of my choice to leave my estate and all my finances to your husband. I would have left it to you if the law permitted such, but it does not. Becoming acquainted with you both over these past few years has made me realise that something exists which I had long since thought impossible. I know that in leaving the money to your husband, it's use will be left up to you, and I do intend for it to be your decision. I do not write you with instructions as to how to spend my money, or what to do with my house. I have no desire of my own, except that my family never benefits from what they do not deserve.

For the rest I have little to say. I wish you and your family, both those I had the opportunity to meet and those I did not, the best in your future life. Not all in this world have the ability to experience true happiness either because their circumstances will not allow for it or because it is a fault in their character to never be satisfied. You have known one, and I the other, but you are one of those few who can experience happiness now. Take it at every opportunity you can. A life without it is no life at all.

Lady A. Denver"

Jane felt a pang to her heart as she passed the letter back to Edward. Lady Denver had written of their future life and family she would never know. That is what had been on her mind in her final days. She wrote also of the happiness she had so little experienced in life and had advised Jane to not miss the chances for it that she had. It wasn't pitying, but rather self-aware. The honesty of it all, of admitting to a lost opportunity in life in such a quiet way felt almost tragic.

When Edward handed back the letter, Jane folded it back up but held it suspended in her hand.

"I fear that letter leaves more questions than answers".

She nodded,

"And yet, does it not encapsulate her as a person?

"Yes" he agreed, laughing to himself, "I think it rather does"

A kiss on her cheek,

"She does not tell us what she wants done with her money, or her estate"

"She did not tell you" Edward corrected, "As she rightly points out, the law does not allow money to pass between women, but if it could this all would have been yours"

"And yet she knew that I do not make decisions without you, not of this magnitude".

"Then what will our decision be, Ms Rochester?"

Jane thought over such, but she could not answer him with how little she knew. She turned to face her husband, his knees supporting her back as she readjusted herself before him.

"Is the money truly as much as Mr Lewis said?"

"Yes. We will be rich beyond measure".

Jane nodded slowly,

"Are we not already that wealthy?"

Edward smiled understandingly,

"We are, but not beyond measure- not in the way these men understand money"

"And what are we to do with such wealth?"

He shook his head,

"I don't know, darling".

She nodded in understanding, wrapping her hand around his forearm.

"Will you promise me something?"

"Anything"

"Promise me that nothing will change between us. Promise me that what we have will not change in light of this".

Edward brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it in wordless assurance.

"I would not threaten what we have for anything in the world, especially not for money. But you already know this".

"Mmm"

A bird flew by and landed several yards away from them, hopping on the ground for a few moments before flying away again. Jane watched it take flight and then vanish out of sight before looking back into her husband's face. He was watching her curiously, and when their eyes met Jane rubbed her thumb over his knuckles.

"We could never keep the money. It would be wrong".

"Is that what you want? If you wanted we could move into Lady Denver's estate tomorrow"

"No, certainly not. Unless it is what you want?"

"When hell freezes over, perhaps"

Jane grinned to herself at her husband's quick answer, but then her face turned serious again.

"And yet, I know you do not want to keep the money for ourselves"

"No" he assured her, "I don't want that either"

"Then we must do something good with it, something which will help other people. But then there is that house. What are we to do with such an enormous place?"

"Sweetheart" Edward soothed, stopping her in her tracks, "We will discuss all of this, and we will have plenty of time to do so, but all I want right now is your ease. Our baby will be here soon, and until then I do not think we should be concerning ourselves with anything else. It has been a difficult few months"

"Yes, but Edward people are in need of help now. To wait would only be to prolong suffering"

"Jane, with that money we will do good, I promise you that, but arranging such will take some time and planning. With such an immense sum we will need to choose a trusted person or place to invest it, and deciding that will not happen overnight".

"Yes, you're right" Jane agreed,"We must take things one step at a time, and when we do decide what to do with that money it must be the right choice".

Looking at her husband, Jane felt a flood of emotion. He gave her the teasing look he always did until he realised a more serious thought was on his mind, and then his face turned inquisitive,

"What is it?"

"Losing Lady Denver today made me realise all over again how close I was to losing you a few months ago. I could wring your neck just thinking about it".

"I know" he said quietly, and then seriously, "I know".

Jane touched his face, but then dropped her hand,

"We should be returning. If Anne comes-"

"Anne is not coming until this afternoon" Edward pointed out, gripping her waist "And we are alone on this beautiful day, hidden by this tree. I think it would be a shame to leave this place prematurely, to not appreciate this day fully"

Jane only smiled as Edward kissed her jaw,

"I am so grateful for you" she said, her heart flooded with the warmth of the sunshine reflecting off the lake, "You make me feel so happy".

Edward tilted his head up so that his lips gently brushed Jane's,

"You deserve every ounce of happiness you've ever felt".

Undoing his pants with one hand, Jane slid her dress up, making it easy for him to guide himself inside of her. In truth, the truth she would never admit to another person besides her husband, she could not get enough of him since they began being intimate again. Any chance she had to be with him, she left feeling very relaxed and happy. It had put them both in a very good mood as of late.

"You deserve every single cry of delight and every rush of pleasure you have ever known, and I intend to remind you of that for the rest of my life".

Jane gasped and then whimpered as he hoisted her up so that he could penetrate her deeper. She pressed on his chest, closing her eyes in concentration. She felt so awkward and large, and yet he maneuvered her in just the right way so that her whole spine felt electrified with want and desire.

"You, Edward Rochester, know what to say to a woman"

"Apparently not, if you are still able to speak"

Pulling her closer and muttering lowly in her ear, Edward sucked a spot on her throat.

"I wish I could lay under you and feast on you until you were screaming my name, but if someone were to come by, there would be no hiding what we were doing"

He pushed into her harder,

"So I will make do-"

Push.

"Wanting you, and thinking of you for the rest of the day-"

Push.

"Until I can have you to myself-"

Push.

Groan.

"And then I will have you"

Push.

Cry.

"Body and soul"

Edward finished inside of her, but Jane was too busy riding the waves of her own orgasm. She felt him heave a great shudder into her chest before his lips brushed her collarbone and she relaxed against his chest. The moment she could still her mind she recognized the spring breeze on her face and smiled. Her husband unbuttoned his coat and wrapped it around Jane's back to keep her warm as she raised her chin to his chest.

"I am not sure I shall ever be able to move again"

"Then don't, I am content to remain here"

Jane chuckled lazily and looked to the sun in the sky, sighing.

. . .

Later that afternoon, the Eshton's arrived at the Rochester's home evidently having heard the news. The moment the carriage stopped the door opened and Eshton stepped out, barely having time to help his wife down before she hustled up the steps to take her friend's hands,

"Jane!" she said eagerly, "Jane we heard the news this morning. Lady Denver- and her fortune has been left to you? I can scarce believe it"

Eshton followed behind her, also approaching his friend expectantly.

"Rochester, is it true?"

"It would appear so. A lawyer from London arrived here this morning".

"But Rochester, surely her family will be able to contest you in court? There is half a dozen of them in Parliament alone who will be breathing down your neck"

"Normally you would be right, but you should see the legal team she assembled to make sure such could never happen. She spent months preparing for her death, and ensuring that her family would never touch her fortune".

'I would like to see those legal papers, Rochester, if I may. I am intrigued. A whole legal team?"

"Come" Anne said, rolling her eyes at Jane, "The men will want to see the nitty-gritty details but we can talk of more important things until they join us".

Edward smiled but Eshton rolled his eyes,

"I would not call these nitty-gritty details, Anne" he reminded his wife, "Our friends are now the richest people on this side of England"

Anne looked taken aback but Edward merely laughed,

"Hardly. But I will show you the paperwork if you would like to see?"

The men left for Edward's office while Jane and Anne went into the sitting room. Tea was brought in, and as Jane arranged her friend's cup she was aware that her eyes watched her intently.

"You musn't look at me like that, Anne"

'I do not mean to, it is just-", but she stopped herself. "Jane, is it really true?"

"Edward tells me it is"

"But this is so exciting. Jane, you will have a life of excitement now, a life of anything you want. No door will be closed to you, no society will be made a stranger to you. It will open up possibilities that you did not even know existed"

"What need have I for such?" Jane countered, "I have everything I have ever wanted and more. To wish for anything else would be selfish"

"But you did not ask for this. It was left to you. There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of what comes your way and enjoying it while you may".

Jane laid her cup down,

"But there is something wrong in possessing so much while others have nothing. Imagine the good that could be done with even a quarter of the money. A choice few cannot live in excess while the vast majority suffer with nothing"

"Oh Jane, but I do not disagree with you. It is only that you can have both, and there is balance to be found between the extremes"

Jane was not convinced, so Anne continued.

"You are still a young woman not yet five and twenty. The world should still be new and exciting to you. I am not saying that I regret my early marriage to Mr Eshton, for I love him dearly, yet had I waited a little longer I perhaps would have had several more years of the fun and excitement which a young lady should experience before matrimony. You never had the chance to experience what I did, but now you are afforded the opportunity to without guilt. The money you always had can be reserved for your children and for the maintenance of this house, and this new influx of money can allow you to go to balls, operas, concerts, plays, and whenever else you wish. Somewhere within him, Mr Rochester must miss those events which he attended in his youth. Perhaps it would do him some good to experience them again with you by his side. You must not deny yourself the chance to experience the things which you have never known, Jane".

She nodded, considering her friend's words.

"You forget the reason I never experienced what you did as a young girl. This is not my world. The world of such glimmering spectacles is still beyond me. I am here because I married Edward, but I would have married him if he had not two shillings to his name. This life is consequential to my marriage, not the other way around. I do not crave, nor grieve, the things I was never meant to experience".

Anne smiled knowingly,

"I know, Jane. But promise me you will think on it at the very least. I know you are not dazzled by the indulgences of others, but there is nothing wrong with considering it".

Jane nodded after a long moment.

"I will think on it, Anne, I promise you".

Contented, her friend sat back and sipped her tea.

. . . .

The rest of the day proved to be as strange as the morning had been. Their visitors had only spoke of the money that the Rochesters were set to inherit and it made Jane feel uneasy. Perhaps she had been niave to assume it wouldn't make any difference in their lives, but evidently, it already had. Was this always to be the state of their relationship now? Is that what would always be most important to talk about with so much else happening in their lives?

After dinner, Edward met with one of their manservants for a brief meeting, so Jane rocked Henry to sleep and then retired to her own room. After undressing and washing her face, she sat before the fire and unpinned her hair slowly, her mind tied up in the events of the day. When her husband did enter the room, she was eager for him to come and sit beside her which he did without being asked. Slipping into his armchair, he looked at his wife knowingly, and Jane smiled back with the same understanding.

"It will pass" he assured her, "They will care less and less as time goes on. It is only the newness of it all".

She nodded.

"I hope so. I could not bear it if all were to change about us because of it. How does news travel so fast?"

Edward laughed, kicking off his boots.

"News of this sort always travels fast. Luckily we are largely unknown country people who do not frequent town. It will all be forgotten soon enough".

The fire crackled noisily, and Jane imagined the time when all would be right again. The attention was horrible, as were the expectations attached to it.

"Anne encouraged me today to use the money" Jane said lowly, "Use it for my own pleasure, that is, as well as using some for the greater good".

"If she did, she does not know you very well"

Jane smiled,

"I believe she wants me to experience what she did as a young girl. Excitement, and sights and sounds that only wealth can provide".

"But you are not a young girl. You are a woman quite capable of making decisions regarding your life".

"Well, she suspects I cannot make an informed choice because I am unaware of the opportunities which wealth can afford a person. My character did not come into her analysis, but yours did"

"How so?"

Jane sat up a little straighter and faced her husband fully,

"She wonders if you miss the things you once partook in, the parties, plays, and assemblies that young men attend in their youth".

Edward smiled to himself,

"You know I had abandoned such long before we met, Jane"

"I know, but things change"

He furrowed his brow skeptically so Jane explained further.

"Most men of your station do attend such with their wives, and I know you are a man of higher tastes than you can experience here. Perhaps you would like to attend an opera from time to time? Or the symphony?"

Edward smiled warmly, reaching for Jane's arm without looking at her.

"I do enjoy those things, but we have more than enough money to travel to London for such whenever we like, but it suits neither of our tastes. To all young men the city is a place of possibility, and indeed I went to such places not for the art or entertainment, but for what, or rather who, I would find there. Now, the only appeal would be taking you to see and hear what I know you would love, and I am worried that I have failed you in that regard as a husband".

But Jane only shook her head,

"I would no doubt enjoy the music, and the art, and the literature, but I do not crave it. You, with all of your knowledge and your stories have made me feel as if I've lived a hundred lives beyond my doorstep".

Edward chuckled and drew her close so he could kiss the top of her head,

'Besides, we have a family now, and another child who will be here soon. Perhaps the time for such has passed for us".

"Not passed, it has just been interrupted"

She smiled at him,

"When our children are grown and settled in their own lives, I swear to take you all over this world as I promised you long ago".

Jane stood up and sat in her husband's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck,

"I look forward to it. I will hold you to it".

Edward tilted her mouth towards him and kissed her swiftly before rubbing his thumb over her chin.

"God, that will be a long ways away"

"Yes. And yet, one day we will look back and think how it all could have gone by so fast".

"It already feels like that" he mused, looking taken aback by his own realisation, "Next month we will have been married two years and Henry will turn one. I do not know how so much time could have passed"

Edward laid his head on his wife's shoulder, staring pensively into the fire.