Death of a Schoolgirl: The Jane Eyre Chronicles Read Online Free Page B

engage me. It is a game he plays. Mr. Carter tries to keep the worst from me, and I respond by working harder to pry it out of him. He thinks me too young and delicate to bear up under this adversity. I think he underestimates me. In fact, I know he does. It is a common mistake.
    “Are you certain? Is there nothing you can do?”
    “I have done all I can, but I encourage you not to give up hope. I suggest that Mr. Rochester visit an oculist in London. I have located one who has an astonishing success rate.”
    “We shall pack our bags immediately!”
    “Not just yet, my darling. Carter thinks we should wait,” said Edward, putting a staying hand on my knee. “He thinks that if I rest properly, some healing might occur. The oculist would be a last resort.”
    “More to the point,” Carter interjected, “I prescribe hot compresses twice daily. And no strenuous activity. For several days at least.”
    I put on my best smile and tried to sound cheery. Instead, I heard myself prattle on and on. “So, my husband, you must let me devote myself entirely to you and your comfort. I shall start by warming your tea and serving you scones. Mr. Carter, may I offer you more refreshments, too?”
    “That would be most welcome. But I cannot stay long. I need to hurry back in the direction of Millcote. The Farrows’ youngest son has a touch of the croup. It makes the rounds of thecountryside faster than I do. I promised I would stop in on my way home.” He frowned at the sky. “Perhaps I will be forced to spend the night with them. A storm appears to be moving in. When the clouds cover the moon, the roads are too dark for a lone traveler to journey safely. Especially with highwaymen about.”
    The talk then drifted from the weather to politics. Eventually that led to a discussion of the ongoing adultery trial of Queen Caroline, wife of King George IV, who had ascended the throne when his father died that past January.
    “The masses are supportive of her. After all, our King was the most dissolute of all princes,” Mr. Carter said with a disapproving shake of his head.
    Few thought Queen Caroline innocent, but since her husband publicly cavorted with his mistresses, many found it difficult to blame her for seeking comfort in the arms of another man. Even at this distance from London, we had heard how her daily processionals to the trial aroused sympathy.
    “It is shameful,” my husband said, “how the King has lived a life of pleasure and excess while many of his subjects starve because of the low price of corn. The common folks identify with her and repudiate him—and with good reason.”
    The subject of crops changed the course of conversation. I sorted the mail and listened carefully as Mr. Carter reported sadly on the general condition of farmers in the area. Pauperism in the counties was a very real problem. The local landowners feared a revolt, much like the French had suffered, so they met regularly to share their views and to try to find methods for reducing unemployment and the more general discontent.
    “Is there a letter from Adèle?” Edward asked me after a while, likely seeking a break from such dismal news.
    “I am looking. Surely this bundle will include a note from her.”
    For a short time before our marriage, unhappy circumstances had caused me to take my leave of Edward. My absence had left then eight-year-old Adèle without a governess.Considering the girl’s overly dramatic nature and her chaotic early upbringing, Edward decided she would benefit from a traditional English education. He asked his friends for recommendations. Mrs. Lucy Brayton, the wife of Edward’s dearest friend, Captain Augustus Brayton, suggested the Alderton House School for Girls, in London.
    Once Edward and I were reunited, we did not have time to fetch her back from London before the wedding, which we conducted hastily before a parson and a clerk, not even telling John and Mary until it was done. I did not like to be fussed