A New Governess

Thornfield is a massive mansion located on the outskirts of town. Although it may seem tranquil on the outside, it's mysteries lurk inside the house with the strange servant, Grace Poole. She can often be heard laughing eerily at night or wandering the halls of Thornfield. Thornfield's master, Edward Rochester, mirrors his estate's mysterious personality. He is secretive, quiet, and rarely home. I have been the housekeeper for a very long time and I know the story behind Rochester's secrecy, Grace's oddness and Thornfields mysteriousness. Several years ago Mr. Rochester had a wife named Bertha Mason. He realized that she was mad only after he married her and it was too late. He keeps her shut up on the third floor and has Grace Poole care for her. Most of the servants know the secret, but not the details. There are a few exceptions however, and the new staff member that arrived today falls into this category.

I was told yesterday afternoon that I was to expect the arrival of Adele's, (Mr. Rochester's adopted daughter of sorts), new governess. So I was sitting by the fire this afternoon, the house was very quiet since Mr. Rochester was not home and Adele was in her nursery, when the plainest girl I have ever seen walked into the room. She was dressed in gray and black and appeared to be no older than nineteen. She was introduced as Jane Eyre. Jane seems very nice and I think she will be a good governess to Adele. However, I do not know how long she will stay. Despite the fact that she is plain she is not unintelligent. Even though Bertha Mason lives in secret she cannot stay hidden forever and I am sure that Jane will figure out the mystery sooner rather than later.

The Fire

I am still recovering from the horrible incident last night. The staff is very worried and Jane is quite confused. Mr. Rochester is acting as though nothing has happened only because he knows the full story. I believe Bertha started the fire in his room. Who else could it have been? Jane, of course, thinks that it was Grace Poole but we did not really talk about what happened. She is probably still recovering from the scene since she did save Rochester's life. I have been hearing Grace's frightening laugh almost every night now. It seems as though it is Grace (I know that's what Mr. Rochester wants everyone to think) but I actually think it's Bertha. She has been shut up there for so long I wonder if one day she will just come down into the house and reveal Rochester's secret. Most of the staff knows of course, but Jane doesn't. I did not think it would be appropriate to mention Rochester's private affairs to the new governess. She seemed naive and clueless at first, but she knows more than she appears to. I can tell Mr. Rochester is curious about her, especially since she saved his life. She is very close with Adele and is an excellent governess so maybe he will share his secret with her in hopes that she will remain as a governess.

Parties and an Unexpected Guest

Things at Thornfield have started to get weird again. First of all, Mr. Rochester has returned from a very long journey bringing back with him a large party. The guests, including Mr. Rochester's pre-fiancee Blanche Ingram, are elegant and lively. They have parties and dinners every night, so there is a lot to do for the staff. I have been very busy every night organizing the dinners but I did notice that Mr. Rochester and Miss Ingram spend a lot of time together. I will not be surprised if he decides to marry her. Halfway through her visit however, an unexpected guest arrived. He introduced himself as Mr. Mason and I recognized the name immediately. It turns out that he is Bertha's brother. Last night after all of the guests were in their bedrooms Bertha attacked Mr. Mason. Of course Mr. Rochester immediately called the doctor and had Jane help him in taking care of Mason. Nobody but Rochester, Mason, Grace and the rest of the staff, and myself knew exactly what was going on. Jane of course, thought that Grace had attacked Mason, but everyone else knew better. Mr. Rochester did a fine job of explaining the incident to his guests and the next day continued normally. I am back to organizing and preparing the dinner parties, but I realize now that Mr. Rochester cannot keep Bertha hidden forever.

Together at Last!

Finally, Jane and Mr. Rochester have decided to get married! It did come as a shock when I saw them together last night in the hall, but I cannot say I did not see it coming. For a while I thought that Mr. Rochester was going to marry Blanche, but he was not in love with her nor she with him. After the guests left though, I began to see the relationship between Master and governess differently. I realized Jane was in love with Rochester when she constantly asked about him, but I did not know that he felt the same why until he demanded her presence at the parties. Without Blanche Ingram's tall, loping figure in the way, I can clearly see the feelings that these two people have for each other. Adele will be happy, I think, to have Jane in her life- she already loves her as a mother. There is much to do before the wedding. Jane and Mr. Rochester are going into town tomorrow. On a different note, I wonder if I am the only one who has heard the eerie sound of Grace Poole's laughter almost every night. I know that Mr. Rochester has heard it, I think it was Grace, but it also could have been Bertha. I hope Mr. Rochester tells Jane about Bertha because although Jane does not know the whole story, she has definitely realized that something is going on on the third floor of Thornfield.

The Truth Uncovered

Today was a terrible day for everyone. Poor Jane. Poor Mr. Rochester. We were in the middle of the wedding ceremony, I had little Adele all dressed up in a pink frock at my side, when suddenly a scandal began. I was too far away to hear the details but I heard Mr. Rochester admit to having his other wife shut up on the third floor of Thornfield! I heard him telling the whole audience about Bertha and how Grace Poole takes care of her. I wish I had told Jane about what was going on. She of course realized a long time ago that there was a mystery at Thornfield, and she knew that I knew, but I do not think she realized that she was part of the plan to cover up the mystery. Mr. Rochester admitted to trying to commit bigamy and that by marrying Jane he was trying to cover up his first marriage completely. I was not alone in the knowledge of the first marriage; Sophie and the other servants knew as well, or must have had some suspicions. I cannot have been the only person to have heard "Grace's" eerie laughter at odd hours of the night, or realized that Grace would not set fire to Mr. Rochester's bedroom, or even tear Jane's veil in half. I do not know what will happen next, but I have a feeling that Jane will not stay at Thornfield much longer; she's a strong girl and does not want to be used.

Sad Goodbyes

Today was a very sad day at Thornfield, I really did enjoy Jane's company but I do not think I expressed this in our goodbye. I think everyone was still shocked by the terrible event of the wedding. I must admit however, that I had my suspicions of what was going on in the attic. It seemed odd that Mr. Rochester would keep Grace Poole shut up on the third floor all this time instead of just sending her to an asylum because he did not have any connection to her. Mr. Rochester worked very hard to keep his secret of Bertha covered up because, I think, he really does love Jane. I wish that I had expressed more warmth towards her when she left, but I was still shocked and unsure of who to trust. Thornfield has many secrets and the biggest one of all was just discovered. It is unfortunate that such a young, nice girl had to be involved, but it really was not her fault. My views of Mr. Rochester have changed drastically. I once thought him a good, kind and honest man, even though I knew his secret, but now I see him only as a lying bigamist because he never told Jane the truth . I do not understand his reasoning for lying and cheating in such a manner. I realize now that Jane is innocent and I truly hope that she is doing well wherever she may be.

The End

It has been several months since Jane Eyre has left us and a lot has happened in her absence. Bertha Mason set Thornfield on fire and killed herself in the process. Mr. Rochester must have been heartbroken to see his beloved home burn down but I am happy to see that he can now live without the burden of his crazy wife on his shoulders. However, he had to pay the consequences of shutting his wife up on the third floor and is now blind. Last week I received news that he was going to marry Jane; I am happy that they will be together at last. As for me I must find work elsewhere as I am no longer needed at Mr. Rochester's service. I hope that he and Jane live a wonderful life together and I hope that Adele is happy in her new school. I must thank Jane for making my last years at Thornfield unforgettable.