Strange thoughts.

Regarding Jane Eyre, which still remains a favourite story of mine. But it has plot holes.

And I was thinking that it was odd that once they found out Jane was their cousin, no fuss was made of the fact that the Rivers' father who had just died was also Jane's uncle. But then I realised that it was only Jane's uncle by marriage.

However, the Rivers' mother was still Jane's father's sister. And yet, over all those years, while the Rivers were aware that Jane had been taken in by her mother's relative (Mr Reed of Gateshead), they had never enquired about her, never gone to see her or asked her to come and visit. Jane's father had been a minister, as had Mr Rivers, albeit in quite different areas. But it wasn't Jane's father who had married down - it was her mother. So it is unlikely that there would have been a total break for that reason.

So I thought a bit longer, and considered the other possibilities. And my first thought was "vampires", but considering that vampires are mentioned much earlier in the book, I thought perhaps not.

Then I realised.

Little house in the moors, separate from the village, family living isolated?

Werewolves.

Although St John Rivers does meet a lot of the requirements for being a vampire. Indeed, he almost sparkles...