Page 55 of Zenith
Shaking Edward’s shoulder furiously, I cried, “Wake up! There’s a fire!Edward!”
His eyes flew open at once, and he was alert.
“Fire?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
“Quickly!” I exclaimed, pulling one of his discarded jumpers over my head. “We must do something.”
He shot out of bed and pulled on his own boots before donning the jumper I tossed him. Rushing across the room, he snatched up my duffel bag and shoved it into my hands—the bag that held all my papers and identification—and then grasped my free hand. He knew the value of what I kept inside, and in his haste, he did not stop to think of his own belongings. There was no time to traverse the study if the fire had spread further than this hall, and truly, it would be foolish to try.
“Why didn’t you let me fix the alarms?” I cursed as he pulled me toward the door.
My question remained unanswered as we burst out into the hall, and when Edward saw the flames licking their way up the tapestries, he let out a roar full to bursting with rage.
“Curse that woman!” he exclaimed, placing his forearm over his face to block the smoke from pouring into his lungs. “We cannot fight this!”
“Edward…” I said uneasily as my eyes beheld the wall of flame that was eating its way down the hallway toward us.
Heat radiated against my skin, my brow breaking out in a sheen of sweat that had nothing and everything to do with the fear that was threatening to take over my senses.
We began to back away and then turned, running in the opposite direction. When we reached the stairs, I gasped as I realized the curtains on the floor below had been lit, as well. Had this been Bertha’s aim the night she lit Edward’s bed aflame? Did she want to harm him? Did it even matter when she was so lost in the madness of her own mind? Right now, all I could think of was getting out of Thornfield before it burned down with us still inside.
“Edward,” I said, grasping at his arm. “The staff. Alice. Bessie… We’ve got to get them out!”
The alarms hadn’t gone off, and the sprinkler system was broken. They’d all be asleep in their beds, none the wiser to the flames bearing down on them. They’d all be burned alive!
Edward didn’t let go of my hand as we ran down the stairs and into the east wing. My bag knocked heavily against my back as we emerged into the hallway that housed the employee quarters, and we began rousing everyone.
I knocked furiously on Alice’s door as Edward barreled down the other side, thumping and yelling until perplexed faces began to appear.
“Quick! There’s a fire! Everyone must get outside now!” he bellowed. “Don’t take anything, don’t linger…run!Meet us down by the main gate!Go!”
Alice emerged, looking ashen, and when she smelt the smoke on the air, she clutched my arm.
“Jane!” she cried. “What’s happening?”
“You must get outside,” I replied. “Go at once! Thornfield is ablaze.”
Bessie appeared at my side, dressed in her nightgown and slippers, and coaxed Alice forward.
Edward guided us all through the rear of the house and out through the kitchens, which were untouched by the flames. He lingered by the door, making sure everyone had arrived safely before he too followed.
Out here, the air was clear, and I breathed deeply, ridding my lungs of the small amount of smoke I’d inhaled. We moved around the house and down the driveway toward the main gates.
We were a ragtag group of people lingering by the lane, all dressed in our pajamas and dressing gowns. Around me, the staffs’ pale faces all stared up at Thornfield behind us, their expressions full of fear and despair. I was terrified to look, already knowing what I would find when I did.
Edward did a quick head count, and when he saw Grace standing apart from the group, shivering in her cotton shift and bare feet, he grasped her shoulder and spun her to face him, his expression pure thunder. “Grace, where is Bertha?”
She shook her head, looking bewildered. “I don’t know. She wasn’t in her room. Sir, I’m sorry! I…”
He wrinkled his nose and practically shook her in his fury. “You’re drunk? You let her slip past you?”
“Sir, I…” Tears began to spill down her cheeks.
“All those times she escaped?” he asked, his jaw tensing. “You let her?I suppose you were the one who let Blanche…” He trailed off as understanding hit him, then he let his anger take him fully. “She could have killed me!She nearly killed Jane!”
I strode forward and pushed between them, forcing Edward’s hands to fall away. “Leave her be,” I demanded. “Now is not the time.”
He blinked and stepped back, his gaze turning to Thornfield the same moment mine did. The wind had picked up, and it twisted around the burning mass, fanning the flames and twisting them higher. The sound of the building being devoured was impossible to describe. It was a loud roar, paired with the creaks and groans as support beams were compromised. It was as if the spirit of the old house had risen up from the bowels of Hell itself and was let loose on the world.
