Page 55 of Euphoria

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His fingers disengaged from mine, and he stepped around the bust, continuing on his path through Thornfield, leaving me to tremble in his wake, such was his effect on my very being.

When I had gathered my wits, and my heart had calmed, I emerged and descended the stairs, crossed the gallery, and entered reception where I found Alice tapping away at her computer. I saw the unmistakable blue menu bar and knew she’d been wiling away her newfound freedom on Facebook. Smiling, I announced myself by opening the door all the way, so it thudded against the wall.

“Jane,” Alice said as she glanced up. “You look feverish. Are you well?”

I nodded, sinking into my chair. “I’m fine. Bessie just dismissed me!”

She laughed and shook her head. “You got out of housekeeping duties. Count yourself lucky!”

“She told me there’s going to be a party tonight.”

“Oh, yes,” she replied with a bright smile. “Nothing formal or anything. Just the usual dinnertime but with more booze and an elevated noise level.”

“Sounds nice.” I glanced at the ceiling where I knew a few floors above the library sat.

“Rocky won’t mind,” Alice declared, sensing what I wanted to say. “We’re not costing him any money since it’s all just leftover food, and the alcohol is BYO. Besides, Thornfield is empty, and his rooms are on the other side of the house. He won’t hear a thing.”

“Then I’m looking forward to it,” I said, already knowing we’d have no trouble from the master of the house. The ruse was still alive and well.

I busied myself with cleaning out the chaos on my usually ordered desk, tossing papers that weren’t needed and bringing out the file on the artist retreat, which was Thornfield’s next major event. I knew I’d work more efficiently with a little more structure and simplicity.

“You and Rocky seem to get along well,” Alice said, fishing for some gossip now that her main source had departed.

I stilled slightly before wondering what she’d noticed. We’d been so careful.

I shrugged. “I suppose we do now.”

“You seem to be a favorite of his,” she mused.

“Truthfully, I do not know much about him,” I said in an attempt to turn the conversation around so I could learn more about the elusive Edward Rochester. “We talk some when it takes his fancy, but I never learn a thing about him. It’s quite frustrating.”

“It’s odd, you know,” Alice commented. “That he talks to you. He rarely talks to anyone, and when he does, it’s to bark an order.”

“I suppose it is. I’ve come to tolerate his whims,” I replied. “I have you to thank for preparing me!”

She sat up in her chair, her eyes lighting up. “Perhaps it was the night he came off his motorcycle on the road. You stood up to him—in ignorance of his person—and you didn’t hold back.”

I’d all but forgotten that lonely night on the road to the village. I’d been escaping the oppressive gloom of Thornfield for a little excitement, and as it turned out, I’d gotten a great deal more than I’d bargained for. What a strange trigger to all of the things that had happened since.

“Maybe you’re right,” I said. “We had a strange introduction.”

“I think so.”

I ran my fingers over the keyboard in front of me, my mind going over the things I wished I knew about Edward and sieved through them to find the simplest lest I raise Alice’s suspicions. Considering the things I did know about him, it was a wonder my cheeks didn’t heat!

“Alice?” I asked. “What kind of business does Mr. Rochester do? Is it all properties like Thornfield?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

I shrugged. “I don’t mind talking to him, but he’s fond of riddles, and that’s all he seems to have time for. I’ve realized I don’t know the simplest things about him.”

Alice thought for a moment, then said, “He keeps himself hidden, that’s for sure. In all the years I’ve known him, he’s been closed. Next to his brother, he would easily be passed over. He is quiet and thoughtful whereas his brother was loud and charismatic.” She sighed and shook her head as if she was clearing away a memory. “As for his business, it’s mostly property and finance. Investing in primary industries and technology, those kinds of things. I don’t know too much about it to be honest.”

“It sounds rather complicated,” I mused. Complicated was a very Edward trait.

“My brain hurts just thinking about it,” Alice replied with a laugh.

“So his business is located in Europe? Is that why he goes away so much?”

She nodded, her eyes beginning to glaze over as she lost interest in the conversation. I suppose it wasn’t scandalous enough, but I’d learned a great deal about the mysterious Edward Rochester. He’d always been brooding and secret—most likely a pale second to his charismatic brother in his family’s eyes—and had a mind as sharp as a diamond. To conduct business on the scale he did, in property and startups, he’d have to have quite a refined skill in analytics.

I pondered this as the day wore on, my body humming in anticipation of the night to come. I fidgeted at dinner, but the party the staff threw in celebration of their newfound freedom was a welcome distraction, and no one noticed how on edge I’d become.

Alice took it upon herself to pile drinks on me—bourbon, scotch, and an assortment of cocktails she declared I needed to experience—and I fell under the spell of the frivolity before long. It was a strange sensation for me to be included so fully. I was so accustomed to my solitary ramblings that this family around me was alien at best. I didn’t know how to act or feel, or even what to say.

Remembering the first night I approached Thornfield on foot, I’d hoped this place would be my true beginning, that it would hold something more for my wandering soul. A place to call home. It was the very least I wanted, but it was also a formidable thing to ask of an unknown local. Still, without my knowing, that is what it had become. Mysteries, affairs, skulking maids, pompous guests, and all!

When the alcohol ran dry and the hour crept toward midnight, the staff parted—leaving the kitchen in chaos until the morning—each soul sufficiently drunk enough that they’d sleep soundly that night.

As darkness fell completely, Thornfield slept like a stone, and I stole through the halls, my night only just beginning.