Midsummer at Eyre Hall: Book Three Eyre Hall Trilogy (3 page)

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The Rochester Estate, 4
^th
December

“Thank you, Annette. It is so kind of
you to look after me while Harry’s working.”

Mrs. Carter’s haggard face, heavy
breathing and rumbling cough filled my heart with sorrow. I held her limp hand,
and whispered words of encouragement, but her despairing sighs and the putrid
smell rising from her bed reminded me that the end was creeping upon her like a
thief in the night, and I was sorry that Harry would be completely alone in the
world. He had asked me to marry him on several occasions, but I had declined. I
was not in love with him, and had told him so, but he insisted that I would
grow to love him. I couldn’t tell him the truth - that I still loved John, and
I’d never marry anyone else.

When the carriage from Eyre Hall
arrived, I left a sombre Harry with his waning mother. Joseph’s hands trembled
violently as he opened the carriage door, and he shook his head, saying, “Dear
Lord, help us all.”

I thought something might have happened
to Cook, but he mumbled something about Michael and Jane. When I asked him what
had occurred, he said he didn’t know, but that the archbishop had moved in and
sent the rest of the servants away into the dead of night with an hour’s notice
to pack their bags. He rubbed his nose and eyes with a grubby handkerchief. “He
made us do it. We ain’t got nowhere to go.” I couldn’t make any sense of his
incoherent words, so I braced myself to face whatever had happened at home
during my absence.

As we approached Eyre Hall, the new moon
was absent from the pitch-dark night, and the building was eerily quiet, like a
ghost ship in the black ocean. 

A vaguely familiar face opened the door.
A servant whom Jane had dismissed last year greeted me.

“Fred?”

“Good evening, Miss Mason. I’m pleased
to see you again.”

“Where’s Simon?”

“I’m afraid he’s left.”

“Simon’s left? And Beth?”

“Beth left with him. They are no longer
employed here.”

“And Christy and Daisy?”

“They have also been dismissed, madam.
New staff will be arriving tomorrow.”

“Where is Mrs. Leah?”

“Mrs. Leah is downstairs, in bed with
flu, I believe. Cook has made some broth and roast lamb. Archbishop Templar is
waiting for you in the dining room, madam.”

“And Helen?”

“Helen is in her room. Confined for
misbehaviour.”

I walked towards the staircase to fetch
her at once, but Fred stepped in front of me, blocking my way. “You are
required to see the archbishop first, madam.”

“Get out of my way, Fred. I’m going
upstairs to see what’s happened to Helen.”

“I’m afraid my orders are to instruct
you to go to the dining-room, not upstairs.”

“Where’s Jane?”

“She had to leave.”

“Leave? What are you talking about?”  

“No doubt the archbishop will inform you,
madam.”

“Where’s Michael?”

“Michael is no longer employed here.”

“What do you mean ‘employed here’?
Michael is not employed at Eyre Hall. He is engaged to Mrs. Mason.”

Fred moved towards me, pressed his
fingers into my arm, and pulled me towards the dining room. I gasped and tried
to break free. “Don’t touch me! This is insane. What are you doing here?”

“I have orders. Please be so kind as to
join the archbishop in the dining-room at once.”

“No!” I tried to break free again, but
he dragged me towards the door and pushed me into the room.

“Excuse me, madam. I did not wish to be
disrespectful, but I had strict orders.” He bowed, closed the door and disappeared.

The room seemed different, although it was
exactly as it had been when I left yesterday. The furniture, fireplace,
paintings, and candles were in the same place, but the archbishop sat at the
head of the table, chewing a leg of lamb, which he held up to his greasy mouth
with both hands. What was happening? It was like a nightmare. Everything had
been normal when I left on Saturday morning and now the Lord of Misrule had
taken over Eyre Hall.

“How wonderful to see you, Annette. I
was hoping I wouldn’t have to dine alone.” 

I stayed close to the door. “What’s
happened? Where’s Jane?”

“She’s been taken to Grimsby Retreat.”

A shiver crept up my spine, pulling the
hairs at the top of my head. I staggered forward and grabbed the back of the
chair facing the archbishop. “That’s impossible.”

“Please sit down, Annette.” He gestured
casually to the chair against which I was leaning. “There’s plenty of lamb and
cabbage. It’s delicious.”

He licked his lips and the smell of lard
and greens turned my stomach.

“It’s the best place for her. She’ll be
well looked after.”

Bile crawled up my throat. I coughed.

“Have some wine, my dear, and then eat.”

I dropped into the chair, afraid I might
fall. “I’m not hungry.”

“I insist.” He gestured towards the
plate in front of me.

“I’d like to visit Jane, at once.”

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question.
It’s against the doctor’s orders.”

“Dr. Carter is her doctor. He should see
her, at once.”

“Jane has a new doctor at the moment, Dr.
Stevens. She needs a special type of specialist for her illness. A doctor for madwomen,
like her.”

“Jane is not mad.”

He slammed the table with his greasy
hand. “She’s a raving lunatic, a woman possessed with lust, one of the seven
deadly sins. Have you seen the way she looks at that servant and lets him touch
her? It’s ungodly.”

“You can’t keep her there.”

 “Can’t I?” He bit off some more lamb
and spoke with a full mouth. “The devil has taken over her mind and her body.
They have been sharing the same bed; fornicating like animals on heat.” 

“They wanted to be married earlier, but
you kept persuading them to postpone their wedding. They are to be married on
Christmas Eve.”

“Mrs. Mason will not be marrying anyone,
ever.” He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “She has lost her reason and consequently
her legal rights. She has been incapacitated.”

“You can’t take away her rights.”

He refilled his glass of wine and
smiled. “I have the power of attorney at the moment, until John returns.”

“I’ll write to John. I’ll tell him what
you’ve done.”

“My dear child, it’s John’s wish that his
mother should be confined until she is able to come to her senses. She wanted
to marry a servant, who is young enough to be her son, and hand Eyre Hall over
to him. If that is not madness, tell me what is?”

“John can’t agree to this. It’s monstrous.”

“It’s the soundest thing he’s ever done.
His poor father, Edward Rochester, married two lunatics. The first, your
mother, Bertha Mason… yes, my dear, don’t look so surprised, I know all about
that. As I was saying, Bertha was mercifully locked in the attic, and Jane Eyre
is locked in a much more unpleasant place.”

“Who says Jane is mad?”

“Let me see. In the first place, we have
the testimony of her solicitor, Mr. Briggs.” He chewed hungrily, ignoring my
shocked gasp.

“Her solicitor is Mr. Smythe, Mr. Briggs
is retired, and we both know he doesn’t even remember his own name.”

“I have Mr. Briggs’ sworn statement that
Mrs. Mason is not in her right mind.” He smiled and poured the glass of wine
into his mouth. “Excellent vintage. Drink up, Annette.”

“You have one sworn statement belonging
to a sick old man, and you plan to keep her at Grimsby Retreat with that?”

“No, my dear, I have six testimonies in
all.”

I was having difficulty breathing. “Six?”

“For the moment, yes, six, but soon
there will be more.” He refilled his wine glass, observing my reaction to his
words. “Including yours.”

My mouth was so dry I was having trouble
swallowing. I sipped some wine and coughed. “Archbishop, I beseech you, you
know she’s not mad.”

“I know no such thing. Quite the contrary,
I have seen her possessed by the devil, sharing her bed with a man who was not
her husband, even before the marriage was blessed.”

I needed to find out who our enemies
were and who I could count on to help us. “Who else has signed?”

“I also have John’s testimony.”

“John? John has testified that his
mother is mad?”

“He has seen her disgusting behaviour
after his father died; first she married your uncle, who squandered half of his
father’s fortune, and then she planned to marry this servant who would no doubt
squander the rest. He has a duty to preserve the Rochester Estate from the
likes of Mr. Kirkpatrick.”

I decided an argument would not provide
me with any more information, but I needed to find out more. “Whose is the third
testimony?”

“A valet who served her last year. You
just saw him. Fred. He swears he saw her speak to the devil and conjure his
help.”

“Jane has never spoken to the devil!”

“I saw it myself when Mr. Junot, the so-called
Sin-Eater, was invited into this house to carry out his demonic rituals. When
your uncle died, she conjured him again and conversed with him. Fred was not
the only person who saw it.”

“Fred was only working here for a few
months.”

“Enough!” The table shook under his
angry fist. “Anyone can see she’s mad in just a few minutes.”

I waited while he drained another glass
of wine. “Whose is the fourth testimony?”

“The vicar, Mr. Woods.”

“That’s impossible! Jane takes care of
the church, his salary, and the parish schools. How could he betray her?”

“My dear, you understand nothing. Mr.
Woods has not betrayed her. He is helping her. He has witnessed many of Jane’s insane
actions over the years. She’s a heathen, a devil worshipper, a sexual deviant,
and she’s a danger to herself and those around her. She needs to be locked up
for her own safety.” 

“Of course, a vicar is hardly in a
position to refuse an archbishop’s mandate. You know that’s not true; Jane is
neither mad nor a devil worshipper.”

He ignored my comment, biting and chewing
the last morsels of meat on the bone before speaking again. “I also have Cook
and Joseph’s testimonies. Six in all.”

So that was what poor Joseph was
babbling about when he arrived at Ferndean.

“Leah’s in bed,” he continued. “She’ll
sign when she’s recovered. The rest refused, so I told them to leave Eyre Hall
at once.”

“Where did they go?”

“That’s their business. New staff will
be arriving tomorrow.”

My eyes were stinging and a thick lump
of dread was climbing up my throat.

 “Come, my dear, it’s for the better.”

I wiped my tears with my unused napkin,
avoiding the archbishop’s smug smile by staring at the embroidered flowers.

 “I need your testimony too, Annette.”

I closed my eyes, pinched my arms and
bit my lip to make sure it was real. I needed to feel physical pain and wake
up, but when I opened my eyes, he was still there, sneering at me. “Why are you
doing this?”

“I would be careful, if I were you. You
could find yourself accused of being her accomplice, Miss Annette Mason.” He
shook his finger at me. “You have a family history of madness. You had better
not contact Mr. Smythe, or Dr. Carter, for your own good.”

“When is John returning to Eyre Hall?”

“He has been informed. He’s on his way.
His ship will be arriving before Christmas.”

I shook my head and wiped my tears,
which were flowing uncontrollably. “I can’t believe it.”

“I’ll look after matters at Eyre Hall in
the meantime. I’ve moved in.”

“And your work as Archbishop of York?”

“I’ve resigned. My duty now is to the
Rochester family. John is alone in the world and he needs me. For the time
being, things will remain the same. Fred will be returning as your valet, to
make sure my orders are obeyed. You will not visit Dr. Carter’s residence
again.”

“But I’m helping him with his mother.
Mrs. Carter is frail and unwell.”

“Then her son should employ someone to look
after her. You are not his servant, nor his wife. He is below your station.”

“But I’d like to continue my work at the
hospital, helping the patients.”

“You may visit the hospital
occasionally, but it is not suitable employment for a member of the Rochester
family. We will find you an appropriate husband. There are already several
candidates.”

He wiped his hands and mouth, threw the
napkin on the table and belched loudly before speaking. “Do you remember the
Bishop of Leicester? I introduced you last summer. I owe him a favour, and he
needs a young wife who will give him many children. I’m guessing, due to your
ample thighs and rosy cheeks, that you’ll have plenty of them.”