Alice came to my rescue the following morning.

Having been ordered by Edward to be ready at precisely nine a.m., it had left me no time to ready myself. I had no dress, no vows, and I was entirely devoid of strength, my nerves having taken over my entire being.

At eight, Alice had burst into my room armed with a case of makeup, a variety of appliances to style my unruly hair, and a demure knee-length cream frock to serve as my wedding gown. I allowed her to wrestle with my appearance, weaving her magic while I stewed in my own juices, attempting to rally my remaining strength.

It was such a surprise to be married today! Four weeks was soon, but now? I had no time to mentally prepare for the biggest event my life would probably ever see.

When the rollers were taken out of my hair, and the dress was donned and my feet were squashed in a pair of alien-feeling high heels, I gathered myself and made for the door. At five minutes to nine, Edward would be waiting for me in the gallery downstairs, and I did not want to tarry. I needed to look upon his face and find comfort. He was strong and unyielding and would serve as my rock when the waters were rough as they were now.

“Stop, Jane,” Alice said, grasping my shoulders before I could dart away. “You haven’t looked at yourself. You must see the transformation.”

She turned me about, and when my gaze found my reflection in the tiny bathroom mirror, I found a stranger therein. She was small but not plain in the slightest. Her hair was smooth and silken with hazelnut-colored curls cascading softly over her shoulder. Her cheeks were pink and her lips crimson red, her green eyes made iridescent by the makeup that lined her lids. The dress she wore sat delicately on her slight frame, accentuating her shoulders and chest. She was a hasty bride but a beautiful one.

“What do you think?” she asked eagerly, clearly proud of her handiwork.

There was a banging at the door, and Alice sighed dramatically.

“What’s happening in there?” came Edward’s voice.

“Don’t be so impatient,” Alice scolded him. “We’re right on time.”

“I am not waiting a moment longer,” he declared and burst into the room.

When he saw me, his eyes narrowed, and his shoulders tensed, a look of desire all about him. He grasped my hand and all but dragged me from my room, through the halls, down into the gallery, and outside to the waiting car while Alice did her best to keep up. It was akin to a caveman dragging his woman off to have his way with her.

“Jane!” Alice called out as I was stuffed into the back seat, but Edward had obviously forbidden me to tarry any longer.

As the car moved down the driveway, I glanced back at her and frowned at the look on her face. She was worried, and her doubt made me begin to fret. Edward was in such a hurry to make me his wife, and it was unusual, to say the least. For a man who had struggled for so long, this change was abrupt…but then again, he was prone to altering his course on a whim. It was just his impatience driving him, that was all.

There were no bridesmaids, groomsmen, friends, or family. It was only Edward and me—and the driver—to bear witness to this mad flight to the altar.

I raised my hand to wave farewell, but she was already out of sight. As we turned into the lane and left Thornfield’s grounds, I turned to study Edward’s features. One look at him told me he would not suffer any delay, his determination to see this through was written all over his dark brow and etched in his stormy eyes. I didn’t know what kind of day it was, whether it was bathed in sunshine or doused with rain, nor did I turn my eye from him to find out.

“Edward,” I said, taking his hand.

He turned to me, his gaze finding mine, but he didn’t speak. It only served to unsettle me further, and I tightened my grip on his hand. His other came to rest over mine, his fingers playing with the engagement ring, and it was the only thing to pass between us the entire journey.

We arrived at the church some twenty minutes later, and I was again bustled out of the car. Edward took my hand and led me across the footpath and into the hallowed grounds, our shoes crunching on the white pebbled path. I expected him to lead me directly inside, but he halted just outside the shadow of the building.

We lingered, the wind ruffling the hem of my dress. For the first time that morning, I was able to be still and take in my surroundings and ponder on my feelings. My eye was drawn to the sky where the church’s steeple sat stark against the gray clouds and patches of blue. All around were the sounds of the village as its people went about their morning business. Driving to work, walking, running errands. I studied the grounds, my gaze drinking in the graves at the side of the old building, both of which dated back hundreds of years. A few cars were parked in spaces along the road, their windscreens glinting in the ray of sunshine that had broken through the cloud cover.

My heart beat steadily, thrumming a wild rhythm, my nerves tingling at the thought of standing on such a precipice. Mrs. Jane Rochester. I’d gone from having no name whatsoever to having two, all in the space of a handful of months.

“Have I been cruel, Jane?” Edward asked suddenly, tightening his grip on my hand. “Have I pressured you too much?”

I shook my head. “No, you have not. If there is any cause for criticism, it is for being quick in bringing about this day.”

“Would you go back?”

I turned to him, beginning to fear he had cold feet, and that was the reason he’d hastened.

“No, I would not,” I replied. “I would not have dressed, let alone allowed you to bring me here if I weren’t. You know the strength of my conviction.”

“Yes,” he said with a nod. “You are stubborn, indeed.”

“It should come as no surprise.”

“I have been amiss in my conduct today,” he went on. “I have not told you I think you make a beautiful bride, Jane. I like you in that dress, but I am looking forward to tearing it off you the moment we return to Thornfield as man and wife. I ache to have you in my bed once more, to taste you, to thrust into you, and give you such pleasure…”

I shivered, my thighs clenching together as his words awoke my desire for the very same thing.

“How soon do you wish to depart for Europe?” he asked. “I would take you tonight or tomorrow. The sooner the better, my love.”

“Why do you move so fast?” I asked. “Can’t we share our happiness with the staff—my friends—before disappearing?”

He stilled, his lust-fueled smile fading. “You are right. I am too eager. Come, let today pass, then we shall make our plans carefully and precisely tomorrow.”

We rallied and walked hand in hand toward the church. Crossing the threshold felt as if it were a point of no return, but I’d come willingly, even though I’d been rushed by Edward’s impatience.

Inside, it was hushed, and as we entered, a priest came forward. He’d been waiting for our arrival and ushered us forward with a few words of greeting. He was an older man, his hair white and his face wrinkled, and he wore all black with the traditional white collar that his faith obliged.

The walk down the aisle was a muted affair, no music echoed around us, and no guests stood to watch our procession. It was a little sad that we were so alone. I would have invited Alice, Bessie, and Georgiana in the least. When Edward had mentioned being married in a month’s time, I expected the entirety of Thornfield to be involved. This was a sight different, but at least the result would be the same.

Finally, we stood face to face at the altar with the priest before us. The pews were empty save for the driver who had followed us inside and now sat at the rear of the church, our one sole witness.

“I want no fanfare or speeches,” Edward instructed the priest. “I merely wish to have our union official.”

The man nodded and glanced at me, his brow creasing as he attempted to discern if I was here of my own free will or not.

“Proceed,” I said, giving my consent.

His expression softened, and he cleared his throat before getting down to business. “Who is giving this woman to be joined to this man?”

“I have no one, and I am freely giving myself,” I replied.

The priest hurried the service along as requested. “And do you, Edward Rochester, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

Edward took my hands and held them tightly, his gazed linked with mine. “I do.”

“And do you, Jane Doe, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?”

I smiled as the priest uttered the word husband. “I do.”

“If anyone here knows any impediment as to why these two should not be bound in holy matrimony, please say so now, or forever hold your peace.”

“Must we?” Edward snapped. “The only witness here is our driver. Proclaim it done.”

At that precise moment, the outside door banged open, light from outside illuminating the dark space, and a panicked voice called out, “Stop!”

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of a booming male voice, and my head turned just as Edward’s did. When I saw Richard Mason standing at the opposite end of the room, my mouth fell open.

“The marriage cannot go on!” he bellowed and all but leaped over the rows of pews to reach the altar.

I glanced uncertainly at Edward, who still held my hands in an iron-like grip, and found his expression to hold the purest form of anger I’d ever seen. Not even the day he’d come back to Thornfield and found Mason in residence held a candle to the fury that beheld him now.

I glanced at the priest, but he was watching Mason with a look of astonishment. How often did a wedding halt at this point? Hardly ever, I suppose.

A deathly silence had fallen upon the church as he stood before us, and I pulled my hands free of Edward’s grasp. Dread settled in my heart, and I began to breathe heavily.

“Mason, I beg you,” Edward said. “Stay this madness!”

“I cannot,” he replied, shaking his head gravely. “She is my sister, and I cannot allow her to be cast away. It’ll be her death.”

“What’s going on?” I whispered, my heart beginning to wither in my chest. I was dying…dying.

Mason glanced at me, his eyes full of remorse. “I’m sorry, Jane. I warned you not to trust him.”

Edward looked as if he was about to explode, and I guessed it was only by sheer force of will he did not.

“Mason?” I asked, a tear escaping my eye.

Mason steeled himself, wringing his hands together anxiously, and what he said next was the last thing I was expecting to hear. The very last in a long list of demons I thought could sit on Edward’s shoulder.

“He is already married.”