Hello all,
I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it. I just love this couple so much and I love their playful side. They give me endless inspiration.
Will all of the scary things going on in the world right now I wanted to wish everyone the very best. Stay safe. Stay strong. My thoughts are with so many people.
All my love,
xoxox
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Jane lay in the middle of her bed, rubbing her overlarge, 9-month pregnant stomach as she stared mindlessly out of the window.
The rain outside cast patterns across her stomach in the blueish hue of the overcast midday. She watched the patterns rolling over her skin, so entertained by it that she had no desire to move from the place she lay. She probably couldn't have, even if she wanted to. The orgasm which had just ripped along every nerve in her body had left her feeling weighty as stone. Her whole brain was heavy with a haze of unclear thoughts and perfect contentment.
A moment later she heard the door which led to their son's nursery open and then close again, though she did not turn to look. A second later her husband was over her, grinning as he brought her face to his and kissed her slowly and intentionally.
"What have I done in my life to be rewarded with a wife laying naked in my bed in the middle of the afternoon?"
She chuckled once, shaking her head as he kissed her again.
"I am not sure if I could get up, even if I wanted to. I feel like a whale at this point"
"Well you do not look it" he said earnestly, kissing down her stomach, "I am going to miss this belly. Nine months is not enough time to see you with the glow of pregnancy"
"Excuse you" Jane said, sitting up and pressing her finger into his chest, "Nine months is more than enough. I have been in agony these past weeks".
"I know that" he said sensitively, "I am well aware that I speak purely from a selfish standpoint, but seeing you carrying our child makes me want you every moment of the day".
Jane raised an eyebrow at him, her finger still pressed into his chest.
"And so, when I am no longer pregnant, you will not want me every moment of the day? Is that it?"
"Oh no" he said, pulling her closer to him, "I most certainly will".
She rolled her eyes but was happy.
"You men. Is there ever a time of the day when you are not willing to bed a woman?"
Edward bit his lip, smiling his most intoxicating smile,
"Jane, I want you to listen very closely. If you ever ask me if I want you, and the answer is anything but trying to remove your clothes as quickly as possible, you are to go and get my gun in my study and put me out of my misery".
She slapped his arm, but he only chuckled
"Besides, my little hypocrite, you have been on top of me since the day we married, but especially since you have become pregnant. I have hardly been able to keep you satisfied, and that is saying something".
She blushed at first, and then Jane turned a little more serious.
"I know" she admitted honestly, wanting him to know this. "But it is important to me. So much changes both physically and emotionally when one is pregnant. So much fear and hope can exist in the same breath that nothing feels certain, and yet, being with you is the most honest act I know. It feels almost like a form of prayer".
At her words, his face turned instantly serious. He put one hand on the side of her face, running his thumb over her bottom lip and pulling it down gently before leaning in to kiss her. She exhaled in relaxation, laying her head back against the mattress. When their lips separated she pulled his shirt over his head, feeling the muscles of his side
"I never knew it was possible to love someone physically in the way I love you. I never knew I could know another person's body like I know yours", Jane smiled, touching his face, tracing the line of his brow, "And I never knew that being with a man could be so utterly consuming. If I had known..."
"Known what exactly?"
She grinned as he kissed her forehead.
"If I had known just how good it would be, I am not sure I ever could have physically dragged myself away from you that morning at Thornfield Hall".
Instantly his mouth was on hers, and then down her neck and across her chest.
"Do you know how often I wanted you then? How often I thought of doing this?"
She looked at him curiously for a moment before he dragged her hips towards him and pushed up her skirt, dipping his head between her legs. She gasped as his tongue ran along her.
She gasped, her hand pushing against the headboard of the bed. Edward grunted and then pulled his head back, kissing the inside of her leg.
"Just the sound of you is enough to drive me mad" he muttered against her skin, his lips brushing her so feather lightly that she groaned,
"Edward, I cannot. Not when I have just-"
"Oh, I think you can" he contested, his tongue again lapping at her and her back arching, "I have no doubt you could come for me as many times as I wanted you to".
She blushed, and then her forehead creased as she asked breathily,
"You thought of doing this while I was gone from you?"
"Oh, not just when you were gone" he said, "I thought of tasting you every night we spent together in Thornfield Hall. I thought of carrying you into my armchair, putting your legs over the arms, lifting your skirt, and eating you for hours".
A spasm of desire moved through Jane at his words and then again as his mouth reconnected with her core. She tangled her hands in his hair, wrapping her legs around his waist. As his tongue moved faster and faster her heart raced and her breathing became shallow and sharp. Jane threw her head back, no longer able to watch her husband. She felt her leg begin to twitch, but Edward steadied it immediately.
"Mmm, not yet my darling. I am not nearly done with you"
"But I want to" she gasped, "And I am so close".
He drew back, crawling up to kiss her lips as he moved two fingers inside of her.
"Then I'll slow down" he compromised, and the pace was maddening, but it did slow the rate of her approaching relief. As she looked up into his face he kissed her forehead, pausing before drawing back.
"I adore you" he whispered, placing his other hand on her neck so that his thumb could stroke her throat reassuringly.
"I know" she breathed, unable to look away from him until with a certain pressure of his hand, her eyes rolled back in her head. Edward smiled in masculine pride as she cried out, gripping his arm tightly.
"Edward?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"I want you inside of me"
"Do you?"
"Please"
He unbuttoned his pants and slipped them off, mounting himself before his wife.
"Are you comfortable?" he asked, cradling her lower back as he slipped himself into her ever so slightly.
"Mmm" she confirmed, grunting when he fully pushed himself into her.
He was not in a rush to have her come, but she knew it would not be long, even with his slow and agonizing pace. Their sex was slow and deep, their bodies barely breaking contact as he moved in and out of her. The intimacy of it all was agonizing, Jane never feeling more connected to him, or more one with him. And then she came, too overwhelmed with pleasure and feeling to make a sound, but wracked with spasms all over her body. As she looked into his eyes he smiled, encouraging his wife to give up the last part of herself before he spilled into her. She held him close as his body shuddered, and when his orgasm was finished he lay down beside her, his outstretched arm holding them close to one another.
She closed her eyes as she laid her forehead against his shoulder, feeling her own heartbeat slow and stabilize again. Edward kissed the top of her head, looking towards the window where the falling rain cast patterns all over their intertwined bodies. He traced the droplets as they ran down Jane's back, but he was more concerned with watching her resting form. Squeezing her a little tighter, he picked up the blankets from the bottom of the bed and wrapped them around her shoulders.
Several minutes passed in complete silence, but then Jane spoke, her voice soft and gentle.
"I love the sound of rain. It sounds almost as peaceful as I feel"
She felt his hands stroking her hair, and she moved a little closer to him.
"Have you read Elizabeth Barrett Browning's new book of poetry which arrived last week?"
He shook his head,
"Not yet".
"In it is a sonnet in which she writes, 'I love you to the depth, and breadth, and height my soul can reach'".
Edward smiled, turning his lips to her hair.
"I've thought a lot about those lines lately. How much they relate to the way I feel of you, how the love I feel for you is that extensive, and more".
"I know" he assured her, and then more seriously, "I know".
Loving her husband was as easy as breathing, as natural too. He was the safest place in the world, the strongest hold. Every ounce of him she wanted to know over and over for the rest of her life. And it was easy to let go in his presence, to forget all the considerations of where and when, and all the more difficult questions life posed. It was enough to simply be his, and to be needed by him and loved by him.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door which broke Jane's revery. Edward cursed, and for once she only smiled to herself.
"Excuse me, sir, but the post has just come and one letter is marked urgent"
Edward seriously debated moving from the bed for a few moments before he stood, pulling his shirt back over his head and stepping into his pants. When he was presentable he opened the bedroom door, careful to shield Jane from view as he took the stack of letters from Charlie, the footman. As he walked back to the bed he tossed the pile on the night table beside him, evidently uninterested, and took his wife in his arms again, but she drew herself up to meet his face.
"Should you not look at that urgent letter?"
"That letter can be damned for all I care"
She smiled, but her unquiet silence caused him to open his eyes. He sighed in frustration and reached for the stack, scanning over the regular letters before coming across the one specially marked.
"It is from the Clarke's" he explained, sitting up beside his wife who propped herself up on his leg to read with him.
In the two months which had passed since their first meeting, the Clarke's had visited the Rochester's house a number of times. Due to their house not being entirely settled, the offer had not been reciprocated until now. Edward cracked the wax seal and unfolded the letter, reading the difficult-to-decipher handwriting.
"Dear Rochester family,
I am writing to invite you to a dinner which is to take place at our estate on Friday the 17th. We hope you will be able to attend so that we can repay all of the kindness you have shown us these past months.
Best wishes,
A Clarke".
"But that is tomorrow night" Edward said, checking the time signature on the letter, "What do you think darling? Do you think that you will be up for it?"
Jane touched her stomach thoughtfully,
"I do not want to turn down the invitation, for I know how eager Emma has been to host us for dinner. But I fear I am not good company at present. I have so little energy, and then there are sure to be people there who will not understand my condition as well as others".
But Edward only kissed the top of her head,
"I will write to him to explain that you are due to deliver at any time and that we are just keeping things relaxed around here until you do".
"Unless you really wanted to go?" Jane offered, but she already knew the answer. Her husband never preferred going out if there was an option to stay in.
"That's quite alright, especially if the Sheppards are to be there. They were married two weeks ago and apparently they have been insufferable".
"Is that not a little hypocritical of you, Mr Rochester?"
"We are different. You do not allow me to kiss you in public".
Jane smiled but then sat up and pushed herself to the edge of the bed, holding out her hand for Edward to help her up. When he pulled her to her feet, she staggered slightly.
"Are you alright?"
'Mmm" she muttered, "I just think I stood up too quickly".
But he did not look any less concerned. He rubbed her lower back, not letting go of his hold on her.
"Why don't you take a seat by the fire?"
"Would you help me get dressed first?"
"Of course, just sit for a moment again. What do you want to wear?"
"There are only two dresses I fit into at present and the thoughts of putting them on right now is far too much work. I'll just wear my dressing gown".
Edward chuckled as he pulled her nightdress out of the closet. When he returned to his wife's side it was easy to help pull the dress over her head and then fasten the robe around the top of her bump. When she was on her feet again he walked her over to the fire and helped her down into her armchair.
"I am going to go and get some tea. Are you hungry?".
"No" Jane answered, stroking his arm which rested on her shoulder, "But tea would be lovely".
. . .
The carriage bumped rockily on the road, and Jane steadied herself on the seat as it righted itself again. She closed her eyes, the motion of it all making her feel a little sick. When she opened her eyes, Edward was looking at her critically.
"I do not know why we are going to this".
She closed her eyes again, furrowing her brow.
When the Rochesters had written to send their apologies for not being able to attend the dinner, Emma Clarke responded that she would cancel the dinner until Jane was feeling up to attending as the Rochesters were the primary reason for hosting the event in the first place. This would have been all well enough, only that when their child was born Jane couldn't imagine them leaving their house for quite some time, so she had told Edward to write back and explain they would come after all. He had been reluctant to do so, but Jane had insisted, even if she was perhaps regretting it slightly now.
When she did not answer Edward's face softened and he sighed,
"Sweetheart, it is not too late to go home"
"No, we have committed. I would not appreciate it if someone did not come to our house at the last moment".
"No, but you would understand if they were due to give birth any day"
When he received no answer he raised his eyebrow inquisitively.
"It doesn't matter" she assured him, "We will have a nice dinner and then return home and I will be well enough".
Edward put his arm around his wife, his voice comforting.
"We are almost there now, anyways.".
As they turned left at a fork in the road, Jane asked who else was to be at the dinner.
"I am not entirely sure. I am not yet familiar with who Adam Clarke considers an acquaintance and who is a friend to him. There should be some that we know, at any rate".
Jane nodded, but then her brain was fixed on another point.
"I do hope I left enough milk for Henry. And hopefully, he will just sleep so that Jenny will not have to attend to his tears-"
"Henry will be fine, darling. We will not be gone for long. Besides, Jenny loves spending time with him and you know it. The other girls will be hovering around too. No one will be caring for him alone".
"Very well" she said, determined to be content. When she took his hand he smiled, bringing it to his lips.
As they turned another corner the Clarke's house came into view rather suddenly, and to Jane's surprise, it was moderate. It was a cottage- quite a large and formal one, but a cottage all the same. It was stone-faced, with a symmetrical number of windows on both the upper and lower levels. The white door was deep-set in the stone, and ivy climbed on both sides towards the upper floor. It was surrounded by overgrown hedges which were encased in, and tangled by, branches and vines, surely a project that would be on the list for summer. And then the pathway was mostly broken stone, evidently only somewhat repaired from the last owners. Overall it was quite a cheery spot full of life. It was refreshing not to be visiting a large estate house for once, rather to be spending time in a home was much more suited to Jane's personal taste. The whole look of the place made her grin brightly, turning back to look at her husband.
"I like the Clarke's more already".
Edward chuckled, stepping out of the carriage once it came to a halt to help his wife down the steps. As soon as she was on the ground, the door to the cottage opened and Emma and Adam Clarke stepped out looking somewhat concerned.
"Mr Rochester, Ms Rochester, we feel that we must apologize if you felt pressured into coming here tonight. That was our very last intention. We should have considered that this would be the end of your pregnancy and perhaps you would feel obliged to come".
"Oh no" Jane reassured them quickly, "I am rather near the end of my pregnancy, but we were very glad to receive your invitation. There was no pressure at all".
Though this was somewhat of a lie, the fault lay with Jane in not expressing her decision more decisively, and so it was only fair to reassure them she had come with no reservations.
"Oh good" Emma sighed in relief, "We did not want to make you feel uncomfortable on your first visit here. As it is, we know we still have much still to do around the garden as I am sure you noticed, but that will be completed in time. We tried to keep the guest list to a minimum. The Eshton's could not be here tonight, and of course, your charming cousins are a little too far away to come only for dinner, so we have invited the Sheppards, the Fishers, and the Daltons. We thought that would be an intimate enough night for you".
"Thank you" Jane said, "You needn't have to go through so much trouble in accomodating me".
"Of course not, it was no trouble at all. Here, let Ms Coffin take your cloak".
The housekeeper took it from Jane and then Edward who was still greeting Mr Clarke.
"Oh, thank you" he said, nodding to her as she bustled out of the entranceway.
As their things were carried away Jane turned back to Emma and for the first time saw that the interior of the cottage was not as quaint as the outside perhaps made it look. It was richly decorated, with dark red, almost maroon, wallpaper lining the walls throughout all of the rooms on the main floor. Deeply coloured and richly patterned furniture including armchairs and ottomans filled the rooms while heavy curtains blocked out any light from the outside. The result was that the low light from fires burning in grates gave an overall small and intimate feel to the space. The house looked quite like the ones Jane had read about in stories of travellers overseas, their rooms decorated similarly but with more objects of interest- telescopes, globes, magnifying glasses, maps, and other tools of exploration. It was perhaps the type of room a man would never want to leave as a bachelor, yet this house had a more feminine touch, and things were the more comfortable for it.
"Is it very different to what you were expecting?" Emma asked, somewhat tentatively
"Yes" Jane smiled, "And I think it absolutely wonderful"
"I wondered-" she began lowly, but then stopped herself,
Jane furrowed her brow.
"Please, go on"
"Well, it is just that, I know your husband's fortune would allow you to buy any house you wanted in any corner of England. Most would choose the largest, most elaborate home they could, yet you and your husband have chosen a moderate, yet very beautiful one. I did not think you would judge us for the size of ours".
Jane smiled,
"Of course not. It is not my way, nor my taste to live in luxury. I should actually feel quite uncomfortable if forced to do so. Then again, I do live in luxury, I am well aware of that".
Emma smiled with much understanding, speaking lowly.
"I heard last week that you bought all of the fruit from the cart in town at the end of the day and told the seller to hand it out to whoever looked in need of it".
Jane looked at her a long moment, feeling embarrassed.
"Who did you hear such from?"
"Good deeds do not often go unnoticed, Jane".
Edward arrived at his wife's side again as they rounded the corner into the sitting room where there was already a crowd of people waiting. When they entered, the Daltons stood and turned as well as the Fishers, and to Jane's surprise, she recognized the woman she thought would be a stranger to her.
The mysterious Ms Fisher was actually Emily Dawe, one of the daughters of the Dawe family who had suffered a scandal last year when their daughter departed for London in the middle of the night without a word. It had been assumed at the time that she had run away with a young Viscount who was engaged to be married to a young Italian woman whom it was rumoured he did not love, yet when he resurfaced several months later and married his overseas heiress, the rumours that he had run away with Rachel Dawe blew over. Still, she had never been found. The whole thing had been hushed up rather quickly, and Jane had not heard any more about it, but also not seen the other Dawe sisters out in society at any party or gathering since. It was not until she had been informed the oldest, Emily, had been married off rather suddenly several months ago that there had been any news heard of them, and unfortunately the news was not pleasant. Anne had claimed that Emily was miserable in her new life and had only married the man to ease some of the misfortune brought upon their famiy. In truth, such made Jane rather curious as she watched the couple across the room from them stand in greeting. She did not recognize the man who stood beside Emily, though from his outward appearance something of his character could be deduced.
He was not especially short, though he was scarcely taller than his wife who stood beside him. He had a sweep of thinning brown hair across his brow which needed to be cut as it grew slightly too close to his eyes. He had a full figure as well as a round, red face, and it gave him a rather boyish look, even though he was surely not yet thirty anyways. His waistcoat looked a little small, as if the buttons were to burst when he sat down again, though one could tell instantly he was from a family of good breading. He had an air of sophistication about him, in spite of the small aspects of his appearance which surely would have been corrected by his wife in more formal company. And it seemed married life suited him quite well, for he looked very content, even proud with the new wife on his arm.
Emily looked somewhat different from the last time Jane had seen her. Thinner, perhaps, and definitely more mature in her face and overall appearance. Her dress was practical and utilitarian, nothing like the elegant and often frivolous dresses women wore in their first days of marriage before children came along. It was simply cream with a very small pattern running in lines down the front of it. It would have been suited to Jane's style, only it was difficult to appreciate it when the woman wearing it looked as if it cost her quite a lot to be there. Her hair was also pinned into a neat, uncomplicated bun at the back of her head, odd for a young woman attending a dinner party with strangers. And then there were her eyes, looking simultaneously heavy and striking. Jane thought that if she had given off an attitude of being more at ease, they would have been the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, but in her present state of discontentment, or perhaps disinterest, they were rather sad, almost haunting.
Though Jane did not know Mr Fisher, Edward evidently did. The man bounded forward, shaking his hand with a sense of familiarity.
"Rochester, good to see you again".
"Fisher" Edward nodded, "How do you do? I do not believe you have met my wife. Jane, this is Mr Fisher. Fisher, my wife Jane".
She curtsied in response to his bow, and he turned to beckon his own wife forward.
"It is very nice to meet you, Ms Rochester. Now, I believe you have met my bride Emily before?".
"Yes" Jane said smiling to her, "How do you do?"
"Well, thank you".
Edward bowed to her and she swept into a quick curtsy.
"Ms Fisher, it is good to see you again"
She smiled appreciatively and then looked to her husband, urging him to continue talking. After an overlong moment, Edward broke the awkward silence.
"Congratulations on your union" he said graciously, "I do not believe I have seen you since the wedding".
"Thank you very much" Mr Fisher said, pride emulating from him, "You wouldn't have had the opportunity to. We were honeymooning in the South of France and have not been back very long"
"And how did you find it in that part of the world?" he asked in return, more so to Ms Fisher than her husband, but it was he who answered.
"It was too warm, especially for this time of year" he muttered, a little too quickly. He turned to Emily for her to agree, and she smiled obligingly but did not speak. Edward watched their interaction curiously but they took no notice. When they turned back to him he was wearing a neutral expression.
"Where was it you went?" the aged Mr Dalton called from his seat on the sofa in front of a low fire.
Mr Fisher turned rather unceremoniously and approached the old man, eager to tell more of his honeymoon. His wife did not follow, though she did not mean to linger to talk to the Rochesters either. She hovered on the spot, as if deciding what to do, but she had hesitated too long and realized as much, so she turned back to her company.
"Congratulations on your new child. Ms Rochester. It seems that they will be here soon".
Jane smiled, hoping it would be warm enough to make her feel relaxed.
"Thank you very much. We imagine it will be any day now"
"Goodness," she said, "Well, it was good of you to come tonight, then"
"We were grateful for the invitation".
There was a small lull of silence as Emily looked at her husband across the room. Her face neither hardened or softened at the renewed view of him. It made Jane suspect that the rumours of their union was true. And then she looked at Edward, and her face did soften.
"Mr Rochester" she continued suddenly, turning back to him, "I understand you spent some time in the South of France yourself. How did you find it there?"
"It is lovely" he said easily, "Certainly one of the most beautiful corners of Europe".
"I thought so too" she said, and there was a tone in her voice that Jane did not quite understand. Something which pulled at her uncomfortably.
"We spent quite a lot of time on the beaches there. I never knew such places existed so close to England, but then you see I am not well travelled, nor very learned".
Edward bowed his head slightly,
"It can be surprising what one finds when one travels".
"Yes, and I imagine travelling alone opens many more opportunities up to a person then when they are forced to travel with another".
And then, the odd drawn-out tone of her voice suddenly was suggestive, and Jane felt her jaw tighten ever so slightly. it was clear she was not invited into this conversation.
"Travelling alone is different, yes" Edward responded, "Though I would not travel anywhere again unless my wife was with me".
At that he turned to look at Jane, as did Emily Fisher. For a second her eyes were appraising, judgemental, almost as if she took much comfort in the fact she was indeed the more attractive woman. Though Jane wasn't threatened, she was suddenly irrationally annoyed.
"Naturally," Emily said, her gaze lingering a little too long.
At that moment the Clarke's returned to the sitting room with two other people. Jane thought that they must be the Sheppards, though they were both unfamiliar to her. They entered the room rather noisily, the woman hanging off of the man's arm, looking up into his face in adoration and laughing at some joke he had apparently just made. They looked almost surprised when they came upon the room of people, all watching them curiously. The normal introductions were made, but the Sheppards were obviously distracted. They looked at each other more than the others who were being introduced to them, and their responses were brief, just enough to be considered polite. Jane felt like stifling a laugh when they turned on her and her husband, for she thought they rather looked like the same person. Both young, blonde, curly-haired, round-faced and blue-eyed, she thought they rather resembled twins. When they approached the Daltons, and Emily Fisher had returned to her husband's side, Jane confessed as much to Edward under her breath.
"Jane" he said, turning his back on the crowd so that only she could see his grin, "How wicked of you to say such".
"Is it not the truth?"
"It is absolutely the truth. I just did not expect to hear such come out of your sweet mouth".
"I am afraid I am rather piqued at present, actually".
"Why?" he asked in confusion, but at that moment the Clarke's announced that dinner was served, and everyone began moving into the dining room through the large sitting room doors.
. . .
After several hours of eating and talking, Jane found that her initial impressions of the group were largely correct. The Clarke's were lovely and thoughtful hosts, and this made the night worthwhile. Everything else, however, made Jane desirous for the night to be over as quickly as possible.
The Sheppards were indeed insufferable, barely able to keep their hands off each other while feeding one another little bits of food off their forks. Jane thought this rather silly as both were eating the same meal, yet they must have seen it as a mark of their new love for one another. Often, when another person was speaking at the table, Ms Sheppard burst out into quiet giggles at something her husband had whispered to her, and then spluttered an apology as she tried to quiet herself. This happened over and over until everyone simply spoke through these outbursts.
The Dalton's, oddly out of place in their old age, sat near Mr Clarke at the top of the table and rarely engaged in conversation with anyone else.
On the other side of the table were the Fishers. Mr Fisher took every opportunity to speak and Emily took none, except for the moments where she leaned over to ask Mr Rochester a quiet question only he could hear. The more it happened, the more it annoyed Jane. It was not that she was worried, only that she thought it rather presumptuous of Emily Fisher to single out another woman's husband- especially given that she had only married a few months before herself. Edward was polite in answering, but Jane could tell that he became somewhat confused as to why she seemed to focus on him out of all the company. While this unfolded, Jane mostly talked to Emma Clake who was at her other side, but she did manage to catch some of the conversations between her husband and Ms Fisher.
"Mr Rochester, I have been told you do not often shoot with the other gentlemen"
"Mostly I find I do not have the time for it".
"That is a shame. No man should be denied the things which he enjoys. Especially a man in your position. Personally, I would not do that to my husband".
Edward looked amused as he responded,
"I am busy doing the things I enjoy more, or rather-" he stopped himself, clarifying, "spending time with the people I enjoy most"
There was a pause, and Ms Fisher looked as if she had been put in her place. She slumped back into her seat and Jane bit back a smile.
. . .
After dinner had ended, and final drinks were poured, Edward politely made their excuses for having to leave before tea. It was an unexpected surprise for Jane, and so she was not long in gathering herself together. The Clarke's were so grateful that the Rochesters had come that they were more than understanding of the early departure, thanking them again and again for coming. Goodbyes were exchanged amongst the group, and then the Rochesters followed the Clarke's to the front door. Just as they left the room, however, Ms Fisher looked up.
"It was lovely seeing you, Mr Rochester, I hope we shall meet again soon".
"Good evening, Ms Fisher" was his only reply, and Jane repressed the desire to either smile or roll her eyes, she did not know which.
The Clarke's finished walking them to the door, stopping on the threshold,
"Mr Rochester, Ms Rochester, thank you so much for coming tonight. Your company was very much appreciated. I do hope it did not put you out too much"
"Of course not" Jabe replied, "Thank you ver much for the invitation. It was a lovely meal and you were wonderful hosts".
"Then I hope you will be frequent quests here"
"Oh" Emma exclaimed suddenly, "Your cloaks! Let me go and find Ms Coffin"
She left before her husband could catch her attention,
"Ms Coffin is not the person she needs. She did not put them away. Excuse me a moment".
And then he was gone, leaving Jane and Edward alone together at the door.
There was silence for a long, drawn-out moment, though Jane was aware she was the only one with something on her mind. Eventually, he turned on her and she turned on him, but he was instantly taken aback by the look on her face.
"Jane, what is the matter with you tonight?" he mused, "You have worn that same disgruntled look on your face the whole night, and while I do find it rather endearing, I am confused".
"Do you honestly have no idea what has been going on tonight?"
He shook his head,
"No, I do not"
Jane rolled her eyes but she couldn't help but smile, for she believed him at once.
"Ms Fisher has been flirting with you all evening".
"What!?" he said, clearly surprised, "No, Jane. Why would she do that with you beside me?"
"Oh yes" she teased, "Because no man ever engages with women outside of his marital union"
He raised an eyebrow, amused understanding playing over his face.
"Is that something you are worried about?"
"No. Though perhaps Ms Fisher believes I should be"
"Well, that isn't very likely"
"All the same, Edward" Jane argued, "How very bold of her! And I beside you the whole night"
"My, my" he said, now positively beaming, "I did not realise how attracted I am to a jealous wife. I could get used to this"
She narrowed her eyes, but at that moment there were footsteps heard coming up the hallway. Edward's eyes lit up in his curious, almost mischievous way, and before Jane had time to look at who approached he pulled her forward gently, kissing her surprisingly intimately for the swiftness of the gesture. She was left a little staggered by it, and the moment she righted herself again she noticed Emily Fisher stopping beside them, now looking a little embarrassed and even a little annoyed. Her eyes were diverted to the ground.
"Excuse me, but you left your glove Mr Rochester".
Jane took it from her, smiling with the most honesty she had possessed all night.
"Thank you very much, Ms Fisher".