Page 50 of Euphoria
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Wordof the fire in Edward’s room was kept so quiet it was as if it hadn’t happened at all.
No one spoke of it or hinted they knew of the chaos, not even Alice. It went like this for two days, and as my anxiousness grew, so did my annoyance at the mysterious Grace Poole and the feeling I was being kept in the dark about all the goings-on at Thornfield.
I spent this time apart from Edward, but not for want of separation on my behalf. He didn’t call for me once, and his playful side was all but gone. He didn’t capture me in the middle of my duties and hide me behind a curtain so we could kiss like teenagers. He didn’t tempt fate by stealing touches under the noses of others. He didn’t call me to the study to indulge in his special brand of euphoria. He didn’t do anything.
It was troubling, and I began to doubt he wanted me at all.
Then there was the matter of the fire. Such an event could have had disastrous consequences, yet I was forbidden to talk about it. His reasoning was apt given the circumstances, but not to mention it to Alice? Madness.
I was in the garden when he finally came to me.
The day was bright, the sun shining high in the sky and warming my shoulders as I sat on a bench deep in the greenery. My lunch had been devoured, and I was determined to spend the rest of my break in complete silence, but still, my thoughts rambled.
The crunch of gravel under a heavy foot drew my attention down the path, and I stilled as Edward emerged. I felt the rope that bound our spirits together spring taut as he approached, and I straightened up, my gaze clinging to his movements. He seemed grave, his brooding presence drawing light from the surrounding garden.
Something was bothering him, but there always was.
He stood before me, neither speaking nor moving to sit.
Little sparrows flittered through the trees, landing on the side of the fountain, splashing and dipping their beaks into the water. Birdcalls echoed from the forest past the lawn, and the muted sounds of the goings-on at the hotel behind us echoed through the stillness.
An insect flew past my eye, and as I shooed it away with my hand, the movement brought Edward to life.
“Will you walk with me, Jane?”
I nodded. “If you desire it.”
He turned as I rose and led me down the path away from the house and toward the little forest. It was a secluded place and was rarely occupied by humans, so I thought nothing of his choice considering our entanglement.
“Has there been any word on the fire?” I asked as we approached the tree line.
“It was a fault with the electric blanket,” Edward explained. “I had maintenance look at it, and they confirmed my suspicions.”
“But what of the sounds I heard?” I inquired. “Grace Poole…”
“Alice tells me she is want to wander the halls at night. She is an insomniac, the staff tells me, and is well known to be up at all hours.”
“I’m not convinced,” I said, my bones still chilled by the strange trail I’d been led on through Thornfield. “Edward, if someone intends you harm…”
“I am well and safe, Jane.” Lifting his eye to the facade, he cast a glare over Thornfield. I’d never seen him so angry before, which was a feat considering his temper.
“You don’t like Thornfield?” I asked.
“It holds many things I wish to escape,” he replied. “Many things bind me to this place I have no care for.”
“I see.”
“I must not include you among it,” he went on. “You have been the light in the dark.”
“Though what we are must be kept secret?”
“I would tell you it all, Jane, but I cannot put you in that position. You have a mind for secrets, yet I cannot allow it.” He hesitated as if he was deliberating telling me more of what troubled him, then he stilled. “The air is sweeter out here, yes?”
We’d found our way into the forest now. The air was denser here and much cooler. Leaf litter crunched underfoot, the scent of earth and greenery thick on the air. It was a magical place, and I fancied that if I closed my eyes, we might be on another planet entirely.
Here, we were entirely alone.
