To the Editor of Victorian Gossip

I have offered these pictures to you and your magazine Victorian Gossip. These following photos are ones I tried to keep close to my heart but I know they would be published in your magazine one way or another so I would rather be the person to release the pictures willingly. These pictures depict Rochester and I at our happiest but also my most naive state of mind. It is difficult for me to look at these photos considering what we have become due partly to the exploitation of our relationship through this magazine. How I wish things had worked out differently. I know that Rochester feels the same as I when I say these pictures make me long to be in Edward's arms once again.

QUIZ: How well do you know these Britain stars? By: Chitchat Rumor

1. The orphanage that Jane Eyre grew up is called _________?
A. Thornfield B. Gateshead C. Lowood
A= 1 B= 3 C= 2

2. What is Bertha Masons's friends name; she is the one that looks after and guards the room in which she is locked. Bertha is able to escape the room occasionally due to this person's drunkenness.
A. Grace Poole B. Eliza Reed C. Bessie Lee
A= 3 B= 1 C= 2

3. Jane befriends a girl named Helen Burns at Lowood, who helps her to get through the treatment and conditions they face daily. Helen dies in Jane's arms during the night and when news hit the stands nobody could believe it. What did Helen die of?
A. Typhus B. Influenza C. Consumption
A= 2 B= 1 C=3

4. If you have not read the previous issues of Victorian Gossip, then you may not have heard that Jane Eyre had already declined a marriage proposal in her past. St. John Rivers proposed to her while she was living with them. Why did Jane decline?
A. If she married St. John Rivers she would be sacrificing marrying for true love in which she longed for.
B. He was planning on going to India and she did not want to go. There was no talking him out of it.
C. She was already in love with Rochester.
A= 3 B= 2 C= 1

5. Why was Edward Rochester so rude, cold, and abrupt when Jane first meets him?
A. He was having a bad day and he had a long trip back to Thornfield
B. He was an outcast in his family and he was not the first in line to inherit Thornfield. The only reason he has it now is because of his brother's passing
C. That's his personality
A= 1 B= 3 C=2

6. Which one of the Reed sister's (Jane's cruel cousins) joins a convent?
A. Georgina B. Eliza
A= 1 B= 2

7. What is John Eyre's relation to Jane Eyre and why is he important to her?
A. He is her father
B. He is Jane's long lost brother and Jane realizes that she does have a family
C. John is Jane's uncle and he wished to adopt her so she could inherit his fortunes, but Jane's aunt does tell Jane about the letter he has written her
A= 1 B=2 C= 3

Add up your points and read your corresponding score:

15-20 points: Expert -- Gossip Queen
Great job!! You must be reading the latest issues of Victorian Gossip! You are a pro at the gossip and lives of British stars.

9-14 points: Semi-Pro
So close, but not close enough! Keep reading the articles in this issue and touch up on your information. Be sure to complete the star crossword puzzle on page 41.

Under 9 points: Clueless
Nice try, but you have clearly not been keeping up on the latest news in Britain. I'm sorry to say this but you are not a gossiper.

My response to Victorian Gossip

Dear Editor,
I would like to say that I am very disappointed in the way your magazine has portrayed these unfortunate events. I believe that you favored Jane Eyre and her side of the story. You portrayed me as a crazy woman, and you have made Jane look like the victim. Rochester was shown as a confused soul, but he obviously does not love me anymore, and he should be with that husband stealer Jane. I have decided to take matters into my own hands, and there is nothing you can do about it. I hope you know that your magazine only forced me into this. I have no choice but to part with this world, and start my new life in heaven. And while I am at it, I might as well send Rochester to hell which is his rightful place. I hope Jane dies of a broken heart because that is what she deserves. Goodbye to everyone and thank you to Grace Poole, my only friend.
-Yours truly, Bertha Mason

Bertha Mason: A Response

Excuse me, but my own husband thinks I should rot in hell!! He will pay for this! As for the rumors, that I am depressed, angry, insane and violent, these are not all true. Yes, I am very angry at my husband and that tart, Jane, but I do not consider myself to be insane. I was hidden away for years by my husband, whom I trusted to care for me and love me. Yes, I have acted out in violence, but that was only because I was crying out for help! Hardly anyone knew that I even existed, so I needed to do something drastic to draw attention to myself. I started a fire in Rochester's room while he slept, but I only meant to scare him. I should have killed him though! Next time, he won't be so lucky!

As for Jane, she needs to stop pretending to be the victim. It is very sad that she is an orphan and has no family, but at least she had a home with Rochester. He is my husband and he cared more for her than he did for me, his own wife. I have no sympathy for her whatsoever. She was not locked inside the attic to rot away as everyone else lived a normal life. Rochester should have told Jane that he was married to me, but he failed to disclose this information. He is a snake and a liar! He is the one who should rot on hell for all the trouble and misery he has caused me! If it weren't for him, I would be living a normal life with my family. I wish I had never married him in the first place. It was all a mistake-we were both young and naive.

This is a warning to Rochester-he better watch his back, for he is in real danger! It said so in my horoscope.

Dear Chitchat Rumor,

It is true that when I was young, I lived with my aunt and cousins and was constantly treated badly.  I was isolated from the other children because I was apparently to unusual of a girl.  Sometimes when I was bad, my aunt would lock me in the "red room" where I would scream and cry until I was let out.  The red room was an extremely scary place for a young girl to be locked away in.  I often imagined ghosts and spirits taunting and attacking me while I was in that room.  

It has been difficult for me to develop an interpersonal relationship with anybody based on the fact that I have never felt like I truly had my own place in a family.  My real family was kept a secret from me and when I was finally told about them, a sense of relief washed over me because I knew that I was not as different as everyone thought I was.  

When I moved into Mr. Rochester's house I was hired as his nanny or governess.  I was to teach his young daughter arts, language, science and math.  Though she was quite the strong spirited little girl, she enjoyed my company for she was also isolated in her own home considering her father was constantly away or just hiding out somewhere in the house.  

I remember when I first met Rochester I found him to be extremely cold and it was hard to have any sort of conversation with him.  After I came to his rescue by waking him up out of a deep sleep while the bed he slept in was on fire, he was extremely thankful for my bravery and became much more enjoyable to speak with and I started finding myself actually quite taken by Mr. Rochester.  I actually spent a lot of time drawing pictures of who Rochester would be attracted to and pictures of myself so I could compare the two.  I would find so many differences between the two women, I would end up trying to talk myself out of feeling anything emotional for him because I knew Rochester could never fall in love with a young woman like myself.  

I do not think that I fell in love with Rochester based on the home he provided me considering I believe I worked very hard for my place in the house.  I fell in love with Rochester because I was able to have intelligent conversations with him.  I felt as if he completed my thoughts and I completed his.  Though he is much older than I am and much more worldly of a person, I feel as if he is my true other half and I his.  

Dear Chitchat Rumor,

I don't know where you get your information but I feel like nothing in my life is personal anymore. This magazine has ruined me and continues to depict the horrible events of my past. I wish in some way that I could change the past, but I can't so stop punishing me for it. I have lost everything including my home, sight, dignity, and most importantly Jane. I still believe she will come back to me someday because I know she still feels the love in her heart as I do. I saw the picture of me Victorian Gossip published on page 35, now not only do I have to watch my back every time I go out in public but also in the privacy of my own home. I sat in the park yesterday only to be interupted by a woman wanting me to sign the magazine with the picture of me eating my dinner. I was told I was holding my fork the wrong way but I certainly don't remember that. I can't believe people pay for my aggony, I will pay them to take it off my hands. I assure you that you have not heard the last of me. Rochester

Behind the Scenes: The inside life revealed By: Chitchat Rumor

Many of us know Jane Eyre, Bertha Mason, and Edward Rochester on the surface. Much of their past is hidden and never really discussed. Jane Eyre was orphaned throughout her whole childhood and never really had a place to call home. She constantly felt a sense of alienation and loneliness. Throughout her childhood as well as her relationship with Edward Rochester she deals with cruel treatment and obeying demands. The unbearable treatment Jane's Aunt Reed and cousins put her through sent Eyre on a search for freedom. Jane attached herself to Rochester so quickly because he is the first person to have offered her a true place to call home. However, even when she met Rochester she had to still continue her search because she has had to live as Rochester's mistress. Jane in a sense is and will always be an orphan because she has no family and can never be her true self. While with Rochester she must always watch what she says and obey his every demand. Rochester clearly wears the pants in this relationship and Jane must bite her tongue, whether she agrees with him or not.

Edward Rochester also has secrets hidden about his past. Many do no know that Rochester married Bertha Mason at a young age and has been miserable ever since. The married couple put on a act for the first several years, but as soon as Jane Eyre became a part of their life, the truth has been slipping out. Rochester is also Eyre's employer so their relationship has been somewhat of a secret all along. Victorian Gossip readers you'll hear it here first; Rochester has become blind due to the fire that Bertha Mason set to his bed chamber. Rochester and Jane are trying to keep this out of the public eye, but as always Victorian Gossip will provide you with the newest and latest before anybody else.

Once a beautiful and wealthy woman, Bertha Mason has gone down hill since the news has hit the press. Ever since the truth about Jane and Rochester has leaked she has become very depressed, angry, insane, and violent. We do feel bad for Bertha, however, because she has been forced to live in a secret guarded room at Thornfield. Bertha has been dealing with the awful conditions that Rochester has been putting her through and has been living with very little food and water.

These Britain celebrities are not perfect and along with everybody else, they have something about their past they keep hidden. That's all for now folks, but you can be sure there is more to come. Be sure to take the quiz on page 34 to see how well you really know these Britain celebrities.