Chapters Fourteen through Eighteen

Hey everyone. Sorry it has been over 2 months since my last post. I learned shortly after my last posting that the due date for this project moved up to the end of April, so I procrastinated quite a bit. XD
Anyway, back to the show. ;)

In chapter fourteen, we learn a bit about Mr. Rochester (hooray!) It is noted that at first, Jane sees very little of Mr. Rochester, and that when she does see him, he is most often grumpy and rude. One evening he summons Jane and Adele to the parlor after dinner time. He seems to Jane to be much friendlier than usual, and Jane accounts it to the wine that he had been drinking at dinner. When Mr. Rochester confesses that he hasn't led the most pure and sinless life, Jane and he begin a philosophical discussion about sin, remorse, and reformation. They talk for quite a while, and near the end of the discussion, Mr. Rochester admits that he is raising Adele in order to try to make up for his sinful youth.
This is a relatively short and straightforward chapter. For me, it brought to mind a kind of confessional; the things Mr. Rochester admitted to would normally be confessed to a priest at this time.

• Do you think Mr. Rochester had confessed these things to a priest before now, or is this the first time he has spoken of it?
• Why did he feel comfortable telling these things to Jane?

In chapter fifteen, Mr. Rochester tells Jane about Celine Varens, the woman he fell madly in love a few years previously. He admits that it was stupid of him to think that Celine loved him, too, because one night Celine brought home another man, and together they made fun of Mr. Rochester. He says he ended the "affair" and went on his way, but not long afterward, Celine gives birth to a daughter (Adele) and claims that the baby is his. Mr. Rochester refuses to believe it, because Adele doesn't look like him, but when Celine runs off with a musician and leaves Adele, Mr. Rochester takes pity on her and brings her to England.

• How plausible is it that Adele is Mr. Rochester's daughter?
• If you were Jane, would that deter you from liking Mr. Rochester?

(still in ch. 15)
A few days later, around 2 a.m., Jane hears a creepy cackle outside her bedroom door, and scraping along the wall. She tries to tell herself that it is just the dog wandering the hallways, but when she hears a door open, she goes out into the hall to investigate. She sees smoke coming from Mr. Rochester's room. She goes in, and upon finding Mr. Rochester's bed ablaze, douses the fire with water. Mr. Rochester then wakes, and won't let Jane call for help. He tells her that it was most likely the crazy maid (mentioned in the last post) and that it was no big deal. Mr. Rochester then begs Jane to keep the incident a secret.
This scene was so rich in detail, that I really wanted to find a clip to show to see if it was as good as I imagined it.

So, obviously, this isn't an exact rendition of what happened in the book. But it was the only clip I could find that I liked.

• Why would Mr. Rochester ask Jane to keep this quiet?

Things are beginning to pile up at Thornfield...there is something going on that we don't yet know about, and it is extremely unsettling.

• If you haven't yet read the book, what do you think is going on?

In chapter sixteen, we learn that no one is shocked by what occurred the night before in Mr. Rochester's room. Jane is thoroughly shocked, especially when she learns that the servants all believe Mr. Rochester left a candle burning when he fell asleep. 0.o No one really suspects anything is amiss except for Jane. And the plot thickens...(eerie music)
Next, Jane discovers that she has romantic feelings for Mr. Rochester when she hears that he will be leaving town for a few days in the company of a very beautiful woman (that is not Jane).
AH HA! I knew it was coming! (Of course I did. I've read the book before, lol) Next we just have to find out if Mr. Rochester feels the same way and what will happen if he does.

• What do you think will happen now that Jane knows she loves Mr. Rochester?

In chapter seventeen, things get even more mysterious. Jane continues to be dismayed that Mr. Rochester remains gone, and is even more distressed when she learns that he may travel the continent of Europe without returning to Thornfield first, which means he may be gone for up to a year.
Just when things seem bleakest for Jane, she learns that Mr. Rochester WILL indeed be returning to Thornfield, accompanied by a large group of guests.
While the servants wildly prepare for Mr. Rochester's coming, Jane overhears them talking about Grace Poole (the insane servant mentioned a while back), and realizes that she doesn't yet know everything about what role Grace plays in the household of Thornfield. It gets even weirder when she learns how much higher pay Grace receives compared to everyone else.
Well, Mr. Rochester finally returns to Thornfield with his guests, and that evening hosts a bit of a gathering in the drawing room, which he insists that Jane attend. So she does at first, but when the guest begin treating her with disdain, Jane tries to leave. Mr. Rochester tries to stop her, but grudgingly allows her to go when he sees that she is crying. Before letting her leave, Mr. Rochester begs for Jane to come to the drawing room every night while the guests are there, then allows her to leave. As she walks away, Mr. Rochester begins to say something (that may or may not be magical) "Good night, my--"...

• What do you think he was going to say before he stopped himself?! <3

In chapter eighteen, nothing too consequential happens, but we do learn that the group of guests stays for about a week. During a game of charades, Jane sees Mr. Rochester and Ms. Ingram (the beautiful woman Mr. Rochester traveled with) competing, and it appears as though they will be getting married soon, even though they are not in love. Jane correctly assumes that Ms. Ingram only wants to marry Mr. Rochester for his money.

And that's the end of that section. Keep up for the last three sections that will finish up my project! Thanks for your support, everyone!