Transmigrated as Jane’s Ghostly Godmother - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: A Brief Intersection of Fate — The Fashionable Aunt and the Wounds of Lowood…

Leather boots tapped against the floor, creating a rather cheerful sound.

Following the sound into the parlor was a young lady of remarkable poise and a spirited countenance, appearing to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. She wore a slim-fit, high-waisted gown with tailored long sleeves ending in pearl-colored silk gloves. Because of her brisk pace, she held one hand up to lightly steady the floral soft bonnet atop her head to keep it from slipping.

Eleanor’s face lit up with a glow of pure delight. “Auntie!” she cried in a high-pitched tone, leaping up to run into the arms stretched out for her.

“Lina, my little Ashford seagull, you look even happier than before.” Miss Constance hugged Eleanor tightly. “Don’t let those sighs of longing linger in your heart too long. The wind carried them to me, and they quite broke my heart.”

As she spoke, she looked up at the other two girls standing by the sofa, her enchanting dark-green eyes, like lake water, sparkling.

“Are these two young ladies your friends? Quick, introduce them to me.”

Jane felt as though her entire body was burning up from the radiance emanating from Miss Constance. She blinked and stole a glance at her other friend, trying to deflect the attention—Beatrice’s face had never been this red; her eyes were wide and unblinking.

Jane suspected she had forgotten to breathe, as Beatrice’s expression remained frozen until Eleanor began to recite their names.

“This is Jane, and this is Beatrice. They are wonderful people, Auntie; I think you’ll love them.” Eleanor pulled Constance toward them, speaking with a beaming smile. “Jane, Betty, this is my Aunt Constance. You will definitely love her too!”

“Good day, Madam,” Beatrice recovered her senses and curtsied. “Beatrice of the Knox family greets you.”

Jane also curtsied, though her greeting was simpler: “Good day, Miss Constance.”

As she finished, Jane realized that Beatrice had made a rare “error” in etiquette: she hadn’t added the lady’s first name before “Miss.”

Another entity noticed this unusual behavior and let out a light chuckle: “How rare. She looks absolutely smitten by Miss Constance.”

Lin Zhao had missed the conversation between Jane and Beatrice outside the woods earlier, so she naturally didn’t know about the latter’s high standards for appearance. Jane, reminded by this comment, couldn’t help but smile. As her lips curled up, her previous tension vanished. After all, Miss Constance didn’t seem like someone one needed to be guarded against.

“I am delighted to meet you.” Although her greeting with Eleanor had been long, Miss Constance didn’t seem to care much for stiff formalities. She responded with a smile and waved her hand, signaling everyone to sit down.

“Auntie, how was your time in London?” Eleanor asked as soon as she sat, her voice full of concern. “Father and Julian have been so busy with business lately, always running about. Even Mother went with them today. Is that why you slowed your pace as well?”

“I was wondering where Cecilia had gone; thank you for telling me.” Miss Constance was also smiling as she ruffled Eleanor’s hair. “However, I didn’t arrive late because of the shop. Rather, I passed a school on my way and stopped to help a bit.”

“A school?”

“Yes.” Her smile faded. “A very serious epidemic is spreading there. I spent some time bringing medicines and food to them.”

Lin Zhao’s ears perked up almost instantly.

At this time—May, when Jane is eleven—the book only describes one school suffering from typhus. The girls’ faces also grew solemn because of Miss Constance’s gravity.

The silence didn’t last long, for the sound of a carriage echoed outside again; the Harrisons had returned with Julian.

“Cecilia!” Miss Constance brightened again upon seeing Mrs. Harrison enter, standing up to embrace her.

The Harrison family exchanged warm greetings before they all took their seats. The topic returned to that school, as Mrs. Harrison’s outing today had been for that very reason.

“I only recently made an investment in that school. I never expected such a tragedy to occur.” Mrs. Harrison’s usual gentle tone was replaced by a deep frown.

“But if the contagion is so severe, Mother, how could you go there now? It’s too dangerous!” Eleanor was sweating at the temples, frantic with worry.

Julian lightly patted his sister’s shoulder, confirming Lin Zhao’s suspicion in the process.

“Don’t worry, Lina. Father and Mother went to contact the school’s superintendent; they didn’t actually enter the school grounds.”

This allowed Eleanor to take a long breath of relief. She followed up quickly.

“What school is it, Jay?”

“If I recall correctly, it is a boarding school called Lowood.”

As expected.

Lin Zhao felt the presence of the “plot” for the first time in a while, and a faint unease stirred in her heart. Jane was not at Lowood, yet the typhus had arrived on schedule. Did that mean other arrangements—so-called fate—might eventually chase them down even if they dodged them for now?

Unfortunately, this was a question destined to remain unanswered for the time being. She turned her attention back to the current conversation to gather more information.

Miss Constance’s arrival had diluted the fatigue of daily labor, which meant the Madeira vacation was now on the agenda. Mr. Harrison’s face was less stern than usual. He squeezed his wife’s hand as it rested on her knee, stating he would handle these matters and that the women should discuss things related to the upcoming trip. After that, he called for Julian and headed back to the study.

Once the men left, Mrs. Harrison rose to arrange tea and treats. For guests she valued, she preferred to do things personally. The parlor was once again left to the girls and Miss Constance, who broke the silence first with a shrug.

“Edward remains the same, always believing men and women should care about different affairs. If you ask me, he’ll suffer for it sooner or later.”

“Edward” likely referred to Mr. Harrison, and the latter half of the sentence was clearly a sharp criticism. But Miss Constance’s matter-of-fact attitude made her listeners care more about the words themselves than the breach of etiquette.

“Auntie, I think Father has restrained himself. This time when he saw you, the first thing he said wasn’t ‘get married immediately,'” Eleanor joked.

Hearing this, Beatrice couldn’t help but speak up: “Is Miss Constance not yet wed?”

“I am still young, and the world is so vast. I certainly don’t want to marry someone this early.” Miss Constance shook her head. Only then did she realize she hadn’t taken off her hat; she removed it and placed it on her lap.

“Is it because Mr. Harrison…” Beatrice’s eyes followed the hat as she spoke reflexively, “…is unwilling to support your lifestyle?”

Even Eleanor was shocked by this. It was an incredibly intrusive question. Normally, Beatrice would never have said it, let alone followed up so curiously. Eleanor and Jane exchanged a look, the latter equally confused.

However, Miss Constance’s expression didn’t change at the perceived offense. On the contrary, she laughed even harder.

“Quite the opposite. I run my own small shop in London. I wouldn’t call it wealthy, but it is enough to support myself.” Miss Constance winked at the girls. “That way, Edward can only grumble about me not marrying; in reality, he is powerless. After all, I don’t need anyone else to provide for me.”

Not just the girls, but even Lin Zhao was amazed by her words. In England during this era, the social stigma a single woman faced was far worse than what she had read in books. Miss Constance was truly an advanced, independent woman.

Following this statement, it was Jane—who had been listening quietly—who spoke up first.

“Miss Constance, is doing business very difficult?” Her eyes shone with a thirst for knowledge.

Miss Constance was momentarily taken aback, and then her smile took on a deeper meaning.

“I am very glad you are interested in this, Jane. I would say that once you have the determination to be responsible for your own life, all difficulties are but temporary.” She winked at her. “Take me, for instance: I would rather suffer for ten or twenty years to become a wealthy old woman thirty years from now than spend the rest of my life with a gentleman I’ve only met a few times just for a moment’s ease.”

Mrs. Harrison returned with the tea treats and shook her head upon hearing this.

“Connie, dear, forgive me for interrupting. This is perhaps not something to be said to twelve-year-olds.” She sat down, clearly unsurprised by Constance’s words but helpless in tone.

Miss Constance smiled at her sister-in-law and apologized: “Alright, alright, Cecy. If you don’t like it, I won’t say it.”

Though she agreed verbally, she shot a quick wink at Jane as she reached for a biscuit.

The conversation at the tea table turned toward the vacation. Amidst the laughter, Jane was quiet as usual. However, her mind wasn’t on the fun. The ghost lady sat beside her, continuing their earlier chat.

“In a way, I think both Mrs. Harrison and Miss Constance have a point.” Lin Zhao was still mindful of a major future “hazard.” Taking this opportunity, she quickly advised Jane: “You don’t need to think about those things yet. Study, keep improving yourself, and then use your knowledge to earn wealth for your life. If you settle down and want to experience intimacy—I hope you follow your heart—but before you commit, I want you to consider it carefully. Or rather, don’t let your feet be easily bound before you’ve seen enough of the great world.”

“…Especially those with a large age gap. Very dangerous.”

Her words were so specific that they were almost jumbled and illogical to anyone unaware of the context. Jane tilted her head in confusion, but seeing the genuine seriousness in Lin Zhao’s eyes, she eventually nodded.

Never mind, Miss Ghost must have her reasons. I can’t ask right now, so I’ll just agree.

Having received Jane’s “promise,” Lin Zhao fell silent. They turned their attention back to the others, noting the upcoming plans.

Miss Constance’s decisiveness was undeniable. Upon learning the ship to Madeira was only waiting for her arrival to set sail, she immediately pulled Mrs. Harrison along to arrange the tickets. The girls were told to pack their bags immediately and be ready to depart as soon as they woke up.

Back in her room, Jane couldn’t wait to talk to Lin Zhao.

“We are really leaving. To Madeira, the place where Uncle is,” she said, a smile pulling at her lips and excitement in her voice. “Lin, what kind of person do you think he is?”

“I don’t know, but I hope he is a good man.” Lin Zhao helped her pack, her gaze flickering to the copy of Jane Eyre nearby. “I think he will be. From what I know, he is very eager to find you and train you as his heir.”

“I am very eager to meet him too! But it has nothing to do with business or property; he is one of my few relatives—do you know his name?”

“Yes, I know. His name is John Eyre.”

“Eyre! Look, we share the same surname. That means we have the same blood. I am so looking forward to feeling, once again, that someone in this world is related to me.”

“Me too. If you two meet, I will be the third happiest… ghost in the world.”

“Thank you, Lin. Seriously,” Jane stopped what she was doing. She tilted her head up, looking closely at the ghost lady. “I wanted to say this to you while you were gone. Thank you for your support. Forgive me for doubting you at the beginning.”

Lin Zhao was moved by her sincerity and stood in silence, looking closely at Jane’s face. Over these past months, Jane’s transformation had been unmistakable. The inextinguishable light in her eyes had grown brighter, her cheeks were rosy, and her vitality was as vibrant as a rising sun. Most importantly, sorrow was no longer written between her brows. She still fell into deep thought often, but she was no longer swallowed by grief and despair. She had begun to smile frequently.

This was a reward as precious as Jane’s thanks. Lin Zhao stopped smiling; she felt a surge of unidentifiable bitterness in her heart. She stared quietly at Jane for a long time before reaching out to pat her head, answering solemnly.

“I am also very happy to have the chance to accompany you.”

She hoped she could fulfill her promise to make Jane happy.

But right now, what I can do is far from enough, Lin Zhao thought. I should try to do more. After all, it is unwise to place all hope on a stranger.

Her eyes fell on Jane’s nearly packed trunk, where something lay that Jane had only acquired after coming here. Her eyes narrowed as a thought blossomed.

Perhaps, during the time Jane and I are temporarily separated in Madeira, I can do this.