A/N: I got the idea of writing a story about a girl from the 21st century landing in her favourite novel from "Lost in Austen", which I have seen several times and still loved equally as much as the first time I saw it. After the film "Jane Eyre" with Michael Fassbender & Mia Wasikowska came out, I wanted to delve deeper into the story and so I read the novel. I've also seen the BBC mini-series with Toby Stephens and Rita Wilson (my favourite rendition of the novel). In short, "Jane Eyre" has quickly become my favourite Victorian novel. That is why I desperately wanted to recreate the story for myself, so that I can live vicariously while Ruby gets to thrive in Jane's world.

I hope you enjoy this story. I know it's not much yet, but I am still hashing out the details of how I want to construct the plot. Your opinion and input is much appreciated. Knowing that there are some of you out there who are supporting me, will keep me going when the going gets tough.

I - Introducing Ruby Blakewood

There was no possibility of taking a walk today, but I must confess that I was glad of it. Who goes for walks in the middle of winter, wandering around aimlessly with the cold wind blowing mercilessly around their faces, freezing them to the marrow? That does not sound at all inviting to me. Like Jane Eyre, I would much rather curl up on my window seat where it is cosy and warm, desperate to escape into other worlds, only in my case it is Jane's own world I escape to. Snuggled up in my rustic four poster bed, Jane's universe has always been my favourite place to be.

From the moment I first glimpsed my favourite heroine's innermost thoughts, I was captivated. I accompanied Jane through struggle and strife from Gateshead and the red room to Lowood and the loss of her friend. I joined Jane on her journey to Thornfield–Hall until I finally fell head over heels for Mr. Rochester, or as Jane later reluctantly calls him, Edward. Jane's thoughts are fraught with pain and unhappiness in her childhood and early youth. I have always admired her strong sense of justice and her need to speak out about cruel injustice, not only if endured by her, but also by her fellow human beings. One of the many character traits I have in common with Jane is her sense of what is right and her feeling of empathy for those in desperate situations. From the first paragraph of "Jane Eyre" alone, I knew I would learn to love her dearly, as if she were my own true friend. I felt I had found a kindred spirit in Jane, although I myself did not speak up when I was bullied or defend myself in my childhood. I merely endured the agony. I tried not to be noticed anymore, to become invisible, which is exactly what I became to the greater masses at my school.

Of all the Victorian novels, the love story of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester is the most enthralling to me. Though I appreciate the trials and tribulations of the Bennet family, I feel Jane's story brought out in me a feeling of having found my soulmate in some strange way. Never before had I realised it to be possible to relate to a fictional character the way I did with Jane. She is one of a kind, which is why I aspire to be as brave as her and why I have always desired to meet her one day. Of course, this is out of the question. She is not a real-life human being, made of flesh and blood, after all, but one can always dream and dream I do. I dream of being wrapped in a conversation with Jane, telling off Mrs. Reed and her spoilt specimens of children and, not in small part, I dream of being loved by Mr. Rochester, the tortured soul who finds his other half, whom he cannot survive without. In my dreams, Jane's life would become my life, only I would ever-so-often fast forward to the good part, meeting Mr. Rochester, falling in love with him and being so dearly loved in return. I hold these dreams close to my heart like precious treasures to which only I hold the key. They are my prized possessions. Though not material in any way, they enrich my life.

However, never would I have dared to wish to find my Edward in real-life. Although, I am a romantic, I haven't had a lot of luck in that department. I am aware that I might never meet someone like Mr. Rochester, the dashing romantic hero, but I am willing to overlook that fact and lower my expectations, although I won't accept the first offer I receive either, not that I'm being showered with them. In fact, I have never had a boyfriend and I am now twenty years of age. "When will I meet him?", I ask myself sometimes. "When will I meet 'the one'?". Telling yourself you'll meet someone when you stop thinking about it doesn't help either, not that I do think about it a lot. Who am I fooling? We all think he's out there somewhere, the man of our dreams. There is just the small matter of finding him. In the meantime, we settle for less, but never give up hope of finding our own knight in shining armour. Rightly so, I say, for what are we without hope or without love?