THORNFIELD HALL

Jane Eyre did not know the whole story - now redoubtable housekeeper Alice Fairfax reveals what really happened at Thornfield Hall!

THORNFIELD HALL, an event now notorious in the public imagination, was first described by Jane Eyre. As a naïve teenager she made the mistake of believing what the neighbours told her. Now, an eyewitness, the redoubtable housekeeper, Alice Fairfax, tells us what really happened that fateful night. For an upper servant in a gentleman's house in nineteenth century Yorkshire, Alice has to deal with some very challenging matters: a woman falsely imprisoned, an inconvenient child spirited away and a body wrongly identified. With the aid of some polite blackmail Alice contrives to fulfil her responsibilities to others while becoming a woman of wealth with a comparatively easy conscience.

JANE STUBBS studied English at London University. She went on to teach the subject to a variety of ages and abilities in several different schools and colleges. Her work for various charities has brought her into contact with a wide range of people and the many forms of mischief they can get up to. She had a weekly column in a Scottish newspaper and has won prizes for short stories.