Then he turned to us, with a bitter smile. "You see, gentlemen, this is my wife. This is the partner I must live with forever. And instead, I wanted to have Jane Eyre, this young girl. Can you honestly blame me? [-----1-----]!"
We all left the room silently. As we went downstairs the lawyer said to me quietly, "Miss Eyre, I know you did not know about Bertha Mason. None of this is your fault; it is Edward Rochester's terrible mistake. Mr. mason will tell your uncle what happened when he returns to madeira."
"Do you know my uncle?" I asked, surprised.
"I am John Eyre's lawyer, also. Your uncle and Mr. Mason know each other. On his way back to the West Indies, Mr. Mason stopped in Madeira and stayed with Mr. Eyre. He told Mason that you were going to marry a Mr. Rochester in England."
"Yes, I wrote to tell him I was getting married," I said.
"Well, when Mr. Mason told him that Mr. Rochester was already married, your uncle told him to return here immediately, to stop you from marrying Rochester. I'm afraid your uncle is ill, and he may die soon. I think [-----2-----]."
After the men had left, I went to my room and locked the door. Slowly I took off my wedding dress and veil. I was tired, and my head hurt as I began to think about what had happened. Could I ever trust Mr. Rochester again? Had he ever really loved me? My hopes were all dead, and my future was empty. [-----3-----]. |