Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall (20 page)

Mason had been buried. Jane was a widow
once more, but time was not on my side. I had made my feelings known to her, and
I knew she had feelings for me, but I had no idea of her plans for the future.
I would soon be returning to sea for six months, during which time I was sure
she would be approached by other men. I had to speak to Jane with my intentions
before anyone else did, because I did not want to be an occasional playmate, as
my sister imagined I was. I needed to make her understand I wanted to be an
essential part of the rest of her life.

It was pleasing to encounter her with
Nell and the dogs on the bench by the stream. I was greeted with a warm smile
from Jane and a big hug from Nell.

“Lieutenant, what a pleasant surprise.
Please sit with us.”

“Michael, did you know I have a new room
upstairs?”

“Which one is that, Nell?”

“Miss Adele’s old room. She’s moving to
London with Mr. Greenwood, and when she comes back they’ll be married and
they’ll have the green room.”

“Miss Adele’s room is just below Mrs.
Mason’s, is it not?”

“Yes, it has a beautiful view to the
gardens, and Miss Adele has said I can keep her books. She has plenty of books
in her bookcase.”

I smiled. “You are quite a bookworm, my
little Nell.”

“I haven’t started reading
Treasure
Island
, yet! I want to know all about sea voyages, like yours, Michael.
Will you write to us?”

“Of course, I’ll write, but I’m afraid
letters will take a long time when I’m at sea.”

“Can I write to you, too?”

“I hope you will. I hope you and Mrs.
Mason will both write to me.” I looked at Jane, who was smiling contentedly. I
wished I knew what her smile meant. Was she using me as an amusement, or did
she have deeper feelings for me? I needed to know the answer.

“Nell, why don’t you chase the dogs? They
need some exercise,” said Jane, turning to me when as the child ran away.

“I am glad you came to see me. I missed
you yesterday.” Her words disarmed me. Why had she missed me? Because she loved
me or because she desired me as a playmate? She enjoyed our intimate moments,
but she had never told me she loved me. Did she love me?   

“I thought you would be busy with family
and friends after the funeral.”

“I was. They have all gone, thank
goodness. It has been exhausting to attend to so many guests, and so many
unexpected events.” Her expression clouded.

“What will happen to Daisy and Christy?”

“Christy is not well, poor girl. She has
been repeatedly abused since she was a child by her father, her brothers, then Raven’s
son and his friends raped her, and finally Richard was also taking pleasure
from her suffering. I cannot even begin to imagine what she must feel when a
man approaches her. I feel so guilty for not realising what was happening. Daisy
was just trying to protect her. They shall both stay at Eyre Hall, for the time
being. Dr. Carter will try to find out more about Christy’s mental illness, and
perhaps we can help her. I am sure neither of them are dangerous, and I prefer
to avoid the scandal which would ensue if what happened was known. I shall take
it one step at a time. When everything has settled down, I may find them jobs
away from Eyre Hall, when Christy recovers and is able to leave the house.”   

She moved closer, slipped her arm
through mine, and rested her head on my shoulder. I kissed her hair, which
smelled of lavender and her own perfume, reminding me of how much I needed to possess
every inch of her.

“It is pleasant to sit with you and
listen to the stream. I will miss you when you leave, Michael.”

I realised it was time to make my
feelings clear. “Do you think you will remarry, Jane?” I asked.

She looked at me inquisitively and
sighed. “Michael, what kind of a question is that? Why are you asking such a
question?”

“Because I believe you will be
approached in my absence.”

“Nonsense! Who would want to marry me?”

I decided to open my heart and tell her
my feelings. “You were and still are the most beautiful, intelligent and
generous lady in England, and I love you.”

“Michael, you can’t break my heart again.
I’m too vulnerable now.”

“May I court you, Jane?”

She smiled mischievously. “Isn’t that
what you have been doing since you returned?”

“I must leave soon, but may I ask you to
wait until I return?”

“I shall not be going anywhere.”

She was not taking my words seriously
enough, so I made myself clear. “Will you marry me, Jane?”

She looked surprised at my question and
hesitated before replying. “Don’t you think you should marry a young girl who
would give you many children, Michael?”

“I want you. Only you, Jane Eyre.”

She threw her arms around my neck and whispered,
“Don’t you dare break my heart again, Michael,” as she searched for my eager
lips. How could I ever break her heart? She was my only reason for being alive.

“Stay with me,” she whispered as we
parted. “I need you, Michael.”

“If you accept my proposal, Jane, soon
you shall be engaged to Captain Kirkpatrick who will be able to offer you his
position and his salary.”

“I do not care what your gradation is or
how much money you earn. I never cared about that.”

“You deserve to marry an honourable
person of rank and position. When I can offer you that, I shall be worthy of
you.”

“You are stubborn, and determined, and
ambitious, and brave, and so handsome… Will you embrace me again?”

We moved away as we heard Nell’s voice as
she chased Flossy around the bush. 

“Mrs. Mason, are we going to start
reading
Treasure Island
today?”

“Perhaps later, Nell. I need to talk to
Michael now. Would you like to walk back to the house with the dogs? We will be
right behind you.”

She nodded, but looked disappointed. I
turned to Jane. “Perhaps Nell would like to have dinner with us this evening?”

“Could I, Mrs. Mason?” She rushed up to
Jane and smiled tilting her head to one side.

“Yes, of course. Come down at seven
thirty.”

She ran off with the dogs, and I dropped
down on one knee. “I cannot live without you, but I will not stay unless I am
your husband. Will you marry me, Jane?”

She knelt down beside me. “Yes, I will
marry you, Michael.”

I kissed her chastely and held her
against me in a forceful embrace. I longed to hear her say she loved me, but at
least I had heard her say she would marry me. I would make her love me again,
more than before. She was my mission in life.

“Is that my only reward for saying yes?”

“You will be receiving your reward for
the rest of your life. No one will ever love you, honour you, or cherish you as
I will.”

“Promises, promises,” she said with a
furrowed brow, “but will you stay with me today and tonight, and every day
until you leave?”

I pulled her back up to the bench. I
wanted to spend all day with her, every day, and embrace her every night, but I
did not think it was possible, yet.  

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“John.”

“Let me worry about John.”

“I don’t want to be disrespectful to
him.”

“He will have to accept you, Michael.”

“And if he refuses to?”

“It will make no difference to my
decision. I do not want to live without you, Michael. I will never give you up.
Not for anyone.”

“We have to find a way to make him
understand. I do not want to cause a rift in your family.”

“I will speak to him soon. I need to
tell him the truth, about his father. I also need to free him from any
commitment to Phoebe, and he needs to know that Adele and Annette could be his
sisters.”

“It will not be easy for him.”

“He has had a sheltered and comfortable
life, which I tried to prolong, but it is impossible. He must know the truth
and act accordingly.”

“Perhaps we should wait until you have
spoken to him before I spend more time at Eyre Hall.”

“You prefer to make love to me
surreptitiously in the library than in my bed?”

“The library is our secret place.”

“You are the only man who has slept in
my bed or entered my bedroom, Michael.”

“Still, it brings memories of the other
men in your life.”

“There are no other men in my life! That
reminds me, I’d like you to do something for me tomorrow.”

“Of course.”

“I’d like you to accompany Leah, Simon
and Beth to the orphanage because I want you to choose my new staff. As Jenny
and Thomas are leaving, Christy is recovering and Daisy will be looking after
her, and with the building works for the extension, I shall need more maids. I
shall also need a valet to help Simon. I want you both to choose him. Simon
will have to teach him, so I want you to decide together.”

“What about Fred?”

“I’ve sent him to the Jackson’s. They
needed another valet.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because I don’t want you to be on that
frigate in the middle of the ocean for six months worried about who’s bringing
me my tea, while I’m comfortably sitting by the fireplace.”

“I did not expect you to do such a
thing. Surely Mrs. Leah should make those decisions, not me.”

“Michael, you will have a great deal of
responsibility being married to the administrator of the Rochester Estate and
the owner of Eyre Hall. You will have to help me make many decisions, so you
may as well start now. I trust you.”

I realised marrying Jane would be far
more complex than waking up with her in my arms every morning. I remembered how
much work there was managing the estate and wondered what my role would be as
Jane’s husband. She noticed my reticence.

She pulled her arm through mine and
squeezed. “Don’t worry, my love, I assure you it will be easier to manage Eyre
Hall than a frigate in a storm or a mutinous crew,” she said, interrupting my
gloomy thoughts.

I asked her if we would ever have a home
of our own, like other couples.

“But this is my home, Michael. I built
Eyre Hall myself, and now I will be building an extension for us. It will be
our home. You are part of my life and my family. Does it not please you?”

“But John will inherit it all in nine
years’ time.”

“Eyre Hall and the grounds will always
be mine, but if you wish, we can live elsewhere. We have a long time to think
about it. I will not make any decision you do not agree with, ever.”

She looked at me earnestly and then
rested her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and held
her tightly, as if she were my beacon in a starless night sailing though a raging
storm. 

I placed my cloak over her shoulders. “Shall
we go back? It’s getting chilly.”

She lifted her head to mine and pulled
me closer. “Thank you, Lieutenant. Your cloak mesmerises me. Could you kiss me,
please? As your betrothed.”

***

‘Such terrible things happen,’ I
said. ‘Why? Why?’

‘You must not concern yourself
with that mystery,’ said Sister Maria Augustine. ‘We do not know why the devil
must have his little day. Not yet.’

She never smiled as much as the
others, now she was not smiling at all. She looked sad.

She said, as if she was talking to
herself, ‘Now go quietly back to bed. Think of calm, peaceful things and try to
sleep. Soon I will give the signal. Soon it will be tomorrow morning.’

 
Conversation
between Bertha Mason and Sister Maria Augustine before Bertha leaves the convent
in Spanish Town to meet and marry Edward Rochester in
Wide Sargasso Sea, by
Jean
Rhys.

“I’ve asked you to join me because I
have important news for all of you, and it is so rarely that we are at home together,
I thought it would be best to do so now, before you leave Eyre Hall and carry
on with your lives.”

I looked at the three young people whom
I considered my children and my responsibility. John, my dear son, had been for
many years, while he was a child, the most important person in my life. Then, he
grew up and left home, first to go to boarding school and then to college, and
now he was no longer my little boy. I had tried to plan his life, but I
realised that I must let him find his own way. He was to be his own master and
make his own decisions.

Adele Varens had been under my care
since I was first employed at Thornfield Hall, when she was ten years old. I
had tried my best to curb her capricious and often superficial personality, and
although she had been a supportive and pleasant companion for many years, she
was now on her way to a new and independent life, away from Eyre Hall.

Finally, the stunning Annette Mason, who
had been thrust on me recently. When she arrived, I had considered her a heavy
burden, but she had become one of my greatest allies due to her mature character
and understanding nature.

They were gathered around me in the
drawing room by the hearth. The fire flickered on their serious faces; they
were no doubt wondering about the reason for this unprecedented assembly.

“First there are some practical
household matters I wish to discuss with you. Fortunately, our family is
growing, and I want you all to have your own rooms when you return to Eyre
Hall. I also intend to build a bathroom in each wing where there will be a
permanent bathtub, and I will be installing washstands in the bedrooms.”

“How beautiful, Jane!” Adele jumped up
from her seat. “I saw some beautiful bathrooms in Paris. How delightful to be
able to have a bath every day. Our London house is having a bathroom installed,
too.”

I smiled at Adele’s enthusiasm. “Adele
and Mr. Greenwood must have a large double room to themselves. I think Mr.
Greenwood is enjoying his stay in the Golden Room, so this will be adapted for
you whenever you come and stay at Eyre Hall, which I hope will be often. Dante
and Susan should also have a room, as they are now part of our extended family.
It will be wonderful to have a child again at Eyre Hall. They will have the Green
Room, which is ample enough to have a cot fitted for the baby. It pleases me
greatly, and I hope that they will also visit often.”

“Dante is to marry Susan? Susan who was
Adele’s maid?” asked John.

 “Yes, John. Susan is with child and
Dante is the proud father.”

“Wasn’t Mr. Greenwood negotiating
Annette’s wedding to Dante with you only a few weeks ago, Mother?”

“Neither Mr. Greenwood nor I had any
idea at the time of Susan’s condition, nor that they were in love.”

“So now you are a great believer in
marriage for love instead of convenience, Mother?”

“Of course I am, especially when there
is a child involved.”

My son turned to Adele. “Did you not all
live in the same palace in Venice?”

“We did, but we were not aware. They
were obviously very careful,” she replied.

John raised an eyebrow, as his father
used to do when he was displeased. “Surely you mean not careful enough, don’t
you?”

“What do you mean, John? Are you
suggesting it was my fault?”

I stood between them. “Please do not quarrel.
There is no point now, and in any case, it is done. A child will be born to
loving parents, and that is a joyful occasion. Let us not spoil the wonderful
event.”

“I do not understand why you would
allocate them a permanent room at Eyre Hall, Mother.”

“Firstly, John, because it pleases me,
and secondly because Dante is Mr. Greenwood’s only son, for the moment, and he
is also Adele’s family now. The child they will have will be Adele’s grandchild
through her marriage to Mr. Greenwood. Thirdly, they have honoured me with the
responsibility of being the child’s Godmother.”

“Who is to be the lucky Godfather, Mother?”

“Susan’s brother, Michael.”

My son rolled his eyes. “Of course. I
should have guessed.” 

I wondered why he was so angry with all
of us. “As I was saying, Annette must have her own room too. She will be using
the Blue Room. The room Edward and Richard used will become the guest room. As
you know, my cousins visit at least once a year with their husbands, and I like
them to feel at home. John will keep his room for the moment, I will keep mine,
and Nell will be using Adele’s room. That means we have run out of extra rooms
for guests, so I will build an extension to Eyre Hall.”

“Why is the little imp, I mean Nell,
sleeping upstairs?”

When my son had become so arrogant and
uncaring. Why had I never noticed before?

“Because Nell’s mother and brother have
decided to leave Eyre Hall, and this country. They are taking part in the Settlement
Programme and will be leaving for Australia next week. She will be alone in
England, and as you know, she has become my constant companion and a great
comfort to me since you all left Eyre Hall. I would like her to live upstairs.
Do you have any objections, John?”

He shrugged. “None. I was just curious. Tell
me about the extension.”

“We need more guest rooms. With the new
arrangements, we shall only have one, and we receive visits from both my
cousins as well as Bishop Templar, and other occasional guests, such as Mr.
Cooper, Mr. Briggs, Mr. Smythe, and Mr. Dickens, to name a few. I am sure you
will marry, and so will Annette, in the not too distant future. You will both need
larger rooms, and no doubt there will be children to fill the house with
laughter.”

“How many rooms will the extension
have?” asked John.

“One bathroom and four bedrooms. Would
any of you like a room in the new wing? In any case, there is time to decide.
It should be finished by next Christmas.”

“Where are the funds coming from?” John’s
question surprised me because he had never shown any interest in the running of
the estate or financial matters.

“The estate is too large for me to
manage. I have sold parts of it to the Jacksons, and I will be selling more to
them. They plan to build another mill, which will bring a great deal of work to
the residents of the area. The plantation I bought with Mr. Mason in Jamaica is
doing better than I expected. Sugar and rum imports are increasingly lucrative.
According to Mr. Cooper and Mr. Smythe, our new lawyer, Annette is part owner
now, as Mr. Mason and myself had signed a pre–marital settlement. Although the
house and half of the plantation belongs to Annette, she has generously
bequeathed the profits to the Rochester estate, which as you know is under my
administration until you, John, are thirty. I hope to pass on to you an even
greater estate, by then.” I smiled at my son.

“Eyre Hall and the grounds will always
be my property, although I wish you all to consider it your home.”

“And what of your social work and novels,
Mother?”

“The tenancy and the income from my
novels is mostly maintaining the parish schools at Hay and Millcote, and the
church, as well as Mr. Woods’ and the teacher’s salary and school equipment. I
am also on the Board of Governors at Millcote Hospital, and donate regular
large sums. My Uncle John, after whom you are named, imported wine from
Madeira. The wine we are drinking now. I am also part owner of the business, which
is a source of income for my social work. The extension and Eyre Hall expenses
will be funded by our heads of cows and sheep. The Rochester Estate is
prosperous, and it will continue to be so for many years to come. We will all
be able to live comfortably, and I hope you will all feel at home in this great
house, which I built the year you were born, John, with the money I inherited
from my generous uncle, John Eyre.”

They were all silent, waiting
expectantly for me to continue.

“You know I love you all dearly, but I am
afraid I have not always been honest with you, and I believe the time has come
to bring to your knowledge the truth of your relationship.

“I had thought it would be hurtful and unnecessary
to do so, but I will not lie any longer. I have tried to shield you from the
knowledge I am about to disclose, and you may be surprised, and even hurt. In
any case, I hope you will understand that my intention in withholding the truth
was your well–being, although it may now cause you distress.”

My son and Adele moved uncomfortably in
their seats, while Annette clenched her hands on her lap and held her head
high.  

“I will begin at the beginning. Edward
Rochester was his father’s youngest son. His older brother inherited the
Rochester Estate, and Edward was sent to Jamaica to marry a rich heiress named
Bertha Mason. Bertha was Richard’s stepsister, as his father had married
Bertha’s mother, Antoinette. It was an unhappy, arranged marriage. Soon after
his wedding, Edward’s father and brother died, so he returned to England to administer
his estate. His wife accompanied him, but she was locked in the attic at
Thornfield Hall, and her existence was concealed for fifteen years, due to a
mental illness. During that time, Edward travelled freely as a bachelor in
England and France spending his money liberally and taking on mistresses. One
of them was called Céline Varens.”

I turned to Adele. “They had a daughter
called Adele. She was his first–born. Adele’s mother was even more fickle than
her father and left Paris to start a new life with an Italian lover, so your
father, Edward Rochester, brought you back to Thornfield Hall, as his ward. You
were nine at the time, almost ten, about Nell’s age.

“As you know, Adele, I was an orphan,
working at Lowood, the same school where I had been educated myself, and I
applied to be your governess. I met Edward Rochester and fell in love. He had
tired of roaming, at least for a while, and fell in love, too.”

This time I turned to Annette. “While I
was at Thornfield, Bertha, unknown to me, had a baby girl, who was given to her
uncle, Richard, to take back with him to Jamaica. He called her Annette Mason. She
was told her parents had died in an accident after her birth, so she believed
she was Richard and Bertha’s niece, but Annette is Edward’s second daughter.”

I watched my son glaring at Annette.
“What?”

He narrowed his eyes, fisted his hands
at his sides, and turned to me. I continued. “Shortly after, Edward proposed to
me and I accepted. On our wedding day, Richard Mason interrupted the ceremony
to inform us that the groom was already married to his sister for whom he had
received a plentiful dowry. I escaped from Thornfield Hall that night – although
Edward wanted me to stay, I refused. I found a job as a teacher in Morton,
where I met, quite by chance, my cousins, Mary and Diana. A year later, I heard
of Bertha’s death and returned to Edward. We married and we had a son, John
Eyre Rochester, here before you, Edward’s third child and first and only son.”

“This is preposterous, Mother!”  

“I have not finished yet. Please sit
down and listen.”

I waited for him to do so before
continuing. “I wanted more children, but unfortunately, I had several
miscarriages, and a stillborn child, which you no doubt remember, Adele. Well, while
your father was on his deathbed, he confessed that the child was born alive and
snatched from my side because he wanted no more children. She was taken to
London, and I am still looking for her, with Michael’s help. She is a ten–year–old
little girl who thinks she is an orphan, and I miss her every day.”

My son jumped up again and stared at me
fiercely. “Have you any proof of all these penny dreadful stories you have just
told us?”

“You have my word.”

“My father always denied fathering any
other children. I was his only son. He told me I was his only son!”

“He never acknowledged being Adele’s
father publicly. However, he endowed her with a dowry, a home and care. He told
her that her mother had died and treated her as his ward. Why do you think he
would do that?”

He leaned over my shoulder, grasping the
back of the couch. “Because he was a good man.”

I turned to face him. “Do good men lock
their wives in attics and deny their existence for over a decade?”

He hit the couch with his fist. “He
looked after her. She was a mad woman!”

I stood up to face him. “And Annette’s
birth?”

He strode towards me. “I don’t believe
Annette is Bertha’s daughter. Who can prove it?”

“Richard, Dr. Carter, and your father.”

He shook his finger at Annette “You knew
all long?”

 “John, I do not know who my father is.”
She walked towards him, arms outstretched, but he retreated, shaking his head.

I approached John, too. “Edward denied
being her father, and although he was prone to lying profusely, I believe him.
Nevertheless, he was responsible for Bertha’s well–being, and when she became pregnant
and had the child, he was legally married to her mother. Annette cannot prove
it, but her real name should be Annette Mason Rochester.”