Tag Archives: Charlotte Bronte

Author’s Notes:

Ah, the delightful mystery of the chapter. Screams in the night, mysterious injured men, blood and drama! 

She sits all night with an injured man and then the morning with a fickle man who takes her hand, throws it away and then calls her a simpleton and pet lamb.

He tries to tell her his story. He all but tells it.

Authors Notes:

Here we go! Major chapter changes as I move her not the fifty miles, but four thousand miles across the world to northern India! We meet many of our players in this section for here is were we arrive at Lowood Institution, meet Miss Mandir (AKA Miss Temple) and Helen Burns.
Her flight and the sights she sees from the dirigible are greatly influenced by my own experience flying with my father in little airplanes when I was a child. I still adore flying and wanted to capture a little of the first experiences and obersvations through Janes eyes.
I have changed the name of Miss Temple to Miss Mandir and she is Indian. I have left poor Helen Burns alone. She is the only main character who stays the same as in the book as I have come to understand that she was based off of Charlotte’s sister, who died at a young age. It felt important to respect that.
The school is in the rainy season, all cold is changed to excessive rain and humidity. They wear tunic, pants and vests instead of the plain dresses, and saris on sunday. This school teaches all that she learned originally, but for the added education in mechanisms! All young ladies should know how to fix the basics on a steam engine, for who knows where they might end up….

Authors Notes:

This chapter took a little more work to adjust. There are many new ideas that flesh out the steampunk aspects of the world, but the main focus is the time difference that I needed to create. Lowood School is located in India and to follow the basic flow of book I needed her to arrive just before the monsoon season, which starts in June. I had to add a little more time and give Jane a few more things to do at Gateshead. I have added snips here and there and thus, given her a few more months in that unkind house.

I feel a kinship to Jane’s love of books as when I was young I too read as much as possible, so I have added a little more about the library which will make an appearance in later chapters.

Overall this chapter really underscores the difficulty of being a child in Gateshead Hall, and I feel for the poor wee girl. She is frustrated and unloved and Mr. Brocklhurst threatens her with the fires of damnation. I do appreciate that in the end she speaks her mind to Ms. Reed and has a small victory.