The next morning as I rose and dressed, I thought over what had happened the night before, wondering if it were a dream. I couldn’t be certain of it until I laid eyes on Edward and saw his affection, so I proceeded cautiously.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I studied my features and felt I was no longer plain and little. There was hope in my eyes and a flush in my cheeks, and everything I saw was pleasing. If a man as handsome, powerful, and strong-willed as Edward Rochester wished to marry me, then I must have overlooked all things desirable in myself all these years.

Holding up my hand, I beheld the ring he had placed there and found it entirely real. It sparkled under the glow of the little bulb hanging over my head, each facet glinting as I tilted my hand. He wanted to marry me.

Outside, the sun was shining through the clouds, the ground sparkling with the last of the rain. Everything looked lush and very much alive after the storm, and it echoed in my very being. Thornfield was quiet in the wake of such rain, and I could hear the dull roar of the groundskeeper and his tools working away in the grounds someplace hidden from sight.

Walking through the halls, I felt much changed. It was a strange sensation and one that had altered my balance so abruptly my head was spinning. It was true. I was lovesick.

Turning a corner, I came to a complete standstill when I saw Edward approaching from the other direction. When he saw me, his lips curved in triumph as if he’d been seeking me out. He came toward me, his eyes flashing with desire and tenderness in every facet of his features, and I was transfixed. A moment later, I rallied and waited for him to approach me fully.

“I have never seen you look so happy,” he murmured, pulling me into a soft embrace. “Nor so beautiful.”

I shivered in his arms, thrilled he was holding me in such a familiar fashion in plain sight of anyone who should wander down the hall. I breathed in his scent deeply, committing the earthy spice to memory.

“Is this my wild spirit?” he went on. “Is this Jane Doe? She feels the same, but now all is light and easy. It’s very welcome, don’t you agree?”

“It is me,” I replied. “And no other.”

He grasped my hand and lifted it, his eye finding the ring upon my finger. He smiled, his gaze finding mine again.

“Four weeks,” he said. “No more, no less. That is ample time to make the necessary arrangements, wouldn’t you agree?”

“That soon?” I asked, my eyes widening. It was very fast, and any other woman would be overjoyed, but I felt something close to shock with a little piece of fear added in.

“Now you’ve gone pale,” Edward said with a frown. “Have I displeased you yet again, Jane? You must tell me.”

“I must admit, I’m a little afraid,” I murmured. “All my life, I have been solitary, and to give myself to another so wholly… Well, it’s a little frightening, sir.”

He lifted his big hand and placed it on my cheek, and I felt color returning to my skin at his touch. “Human beings never enjoy complete happiness in this world. I was not born with a separate destiny to the rest of my species, Jane, and neither were you. It’s perfectly natural to feel afraid. A marriage, especially one so unexpected, is an upheaval.”

“Then I am comforted,” I whispered.

He studied my features for a long moment, his steely eyes wandering, and then he said, “Once I have seized you for my own, I’ll never be parted from you again.”

I shivered under his scrutiny, my veins warming with blistering desire. “I wish the very same.”

“You will have everything you long for,” he whispered. “I will adorn you with jewels, my dear Jane.”

I felt panic once more and shook my head. “No, if you please, Edward. I don’t need jewels or finery. Please don’t.”

“Jane Doe shall have her diamonds,” he replied, placing his hand over my heart. “Do you remember that night last summer?”

I stilled, allowing my head to fall forward. I assumed he was speaking of the fancy dinner he’d commanded me to attend, the one where I’d felt as fake as the shard of glass posing as a diamond, which sat daintily around my neck.

“Diamonds for Jane Doe sounds strange,” I replied, my heart thrumming to a wild beat. “I’d much rather not have them. I am no great beauty, I need no riches, and I am satisfied with you, Edward. You, your mind, and your soul.”

“What about my body?” he asked, his lips curving into a smile.

“That is a given.” My cheeks flushed, my mind conjuring images of our short but very sweet tryst under the chestnut tree.

“Surely, you’ll have something, Jane?” he asked. “Anything you desire. Just name it.”

“Edward Rochester,” I declared.

He sighed and held me close. “I see life will never be dull with you, Jane, nor will we ever have to worry about being destitute.”

I smiled, resting my cheek on his shoulder. “I value practicality.”

“In four weeks, once we are married, I wish to take you away,” he said. “I want to take you across Europe and to wherever else you want to go. We shall while away the last days of winter in Tuscany, traverse the French Riviera, sojourn in Spain, and sail to Morocco. I shall carry you to the highest peaks in Switzerland and make love to you in twenty different countries and in a hundred ancient cities. Venice, Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid… I shall even take you to Egypt to see the pyramids.”

“That all sounds wonderful,” I whispered. “A treasure.”

“You are an angel sent to save me, Jane.”

“Me? An angel?” I replied with a laugh. “I am only Jane Doe, sir. I shan’t be an angel until I die, and I hope it’s not until I’m a hundred years old.”

“What a very Jane-like thing to say. I’ve never met your likeness. You please me, and you master me.”

“You have already won my hand, Edward,” I said. “There is no need for all these pleasantries.”

“You must get used to it,” he replied, his eyes sparkling. “You have conquered me, Jane, and I thought it impossible. My heart has been cold for so long, my soul dark with demons, but you… You…”

His lips met mine, and he kissed me there in the hallway, out in the open, and my heart soared.

I loved him dearly—more than I could trust myself to admit—and more than words had the power to express. In fact, there were none adequate enough to explain what I felt for Edward at that moment. He was everything. His light filled the dark spaces inside my soul and made them shine with fierce energy.

“You must want something,” he murmured. “You cannot be content with my company alone.”

“Is it such a strange notion?” I asked. “All I desire is an easy mind and a purpose. I don’t wish to be kept.”

“What is now mine will be yours, dear Jane, and I would give you all of it.”

“I cannot be idle.”

“Then you shall be worked to the bone,” he said with a wicked grin.

Returning his smile, I said, “Speaking of work, I am due in reception.”

He caught me around the waist, preventing me from parting. “You still want to work in this dreary hotel? Now I give you leave to retire from such nonsense, you do not wish to go? Typical Jane Doe.”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Sit by my side, and keep me company whilst I work,” he replied. “Then you shall be in reaching distance when the desire to taste your lips overcomes me.”

“Just my lips?” I asked. “Nothing else?”

His eyes sparkled, and he placed his fingers over my mouth. “Dear Jane, there are these lips…then there are these.” His hand lowered, brushing over my breasts, over my stomach, and then settled between my legs, igniting a sharp throb in his most favorite place to touch me.

“You are insatiable,” I whispered as he applied pressure, rubbing the hard seam of my jeans against my sensitive flesh.

“But,” he declared, pulling away. “You wish to go to work in the office, so off with you!”

My mouth fell open, and I pushed him gently. “You wicked man!”

He laughed, the sound of it like pure magic in my ears, and began to walk away. Edward Rochester was happy, and it warmed my heart to see it. The joy on his face changed his aura completely, and I found myself drawn to him like moth to a flame.

When he kept walking, I shrugged and continued on my path—two could play at that game! Descending into the main gallery and stepping into the office, I glowed.

“Did you hear, Jane?” Alice asked as I entered. “Lightning struck the chestnut tree last night!”

“Which one?” I asked, feeling uneasy at the omen.

“The one at the bottom of the garden, near the forest,” she replied. “Split it in two!”

It appeared to be another omen, and I didn’t like it at all. Sitting at my desk, I shook off the sense of foreboding. Lightning struck where it may, no matter what any human being wanted. It was a random act of nature.

“I suppose that’s why there’s all that racket out there this morning,” I said. “The groundskeeper’s chainsaw has been going for an hour.”

“I saw you last night when you came in with Rocky.” Rolling her chair next to mine, she peered at me curiously. “So you have reconciled fully?”

I nodded. “Not without some drama, but it wouldn’t be Edward if he didn’t come with some variety of fanfare.”

Silence greeted my response, and when I looked, her eyes were fixed upon the jewel that Edward had slipped onto my finger the day before.

“Jane!” She grasped my hand and pulled it toward her face. “Is this what I think it is?”

I nodded.

Her mouth fell open in astonishment. “He asked you to marry him?”

I pulled my hand away, beginning to feel uncomfortable at her reaction. “He has.”

“I’m shocked!” Alice exclaimed, her gaze darting from the ring on my finger to my face and back again. “I wanted you to be together but marriage? I hardly know what to say.”

“It was a shock, indeed, but a welcome one after all we have been through.”

“Do you believe him? Have you accepted?”

I nodded. “Yes, of course. I’m wearing his ring.”

Alice looked bewildered, but she hadn’t been privy to the conversations Edward and I’d had after Blanche’s attack and subsequent dismissal from Thornfield.

“I never thought it possible,” she said after a moment. “He is changeful and proud, and his family loves money. Though they are passed, I always assumed he was the same. I’m sure this will go down a treat with the social crowd. He means to marry you no matter what?”

My cheeks heated at the mention of fortune and class divides. There was no impediment if money was a factor, but I still wished to keep it a secret.

“Is it really for love he’s going to marry you?” she asked again. I was hurt by her skepticism, and I felt my hopes come tumbling down. “I’m sorry, Jane! It’s such a surprise after everything that’s happened. I only wish to keep you on your guard.”

“Why?” I asked. “Am I a monster? Is it so outrageous to consider Edward could love me?”

“No,” she replied. “It’s only I thought it impossible he could love at all.”

“I understand what I’m getting into, Alice,” I returned. “I know he harbors secrets and difficulties. I have my own. In time, we shall work together and solve them all. We love one another.”

“I know, Jane.” Alice frowned and patted my arm in reassurance. “I hope all will be right in the end, but you cannot be too careful. Rich men are not usually accustomed to marrying their employees.”

“You needn’t worry about me, Alice,” I said. “I am used to being downtrodden. I know how to deal with other people who disapprove. Besides, all that matters are the feelings Edward and I share. This is between him and me, not the rest of the world.”

Turning back to my computer, I turned it on and watched the screen start up, the ring growing heavier and heavier on my finger.

Downtrodden, abused, underestimated, looked over, scorned, destitute… These were all circumstances I was familiar with, and there was no person on this planet who could use them against me. Not anymore. I knew how to counter them all now my shield was impervious to their scorn. I was no longer the poor, plain, and little Jane Doe who had arrived at Thornfield a year ago.

I was Jane Eyre, and I could now admit fully that I was in love with Edward Rochester. Such progress could not be squashed under the doubts of the world.