What is the name of Jane Eyre's pupil at Thornfield Hall?

Jane Eyre’s pupil at Thornfield Hall is Adèle Varens. Jane accepts a position as governess at Thornfield and is hired to educate Adèle, a young French girl in Edward Rochester’s household.

Adèle is Rochester’s ward and the daughter of Céline Varens, a French opera dancer who had been his former mistress. Rochester doubts that Adèle is his biological daughter, but he takes responsibility for her after her mother abandons her. Adèle’s French background helps explain her language, manners, and enthusiasm for fashion and music.

At Thornfield, Jane initially assumes Mrs Fairfax is the house’s owner, but learns that she is the housekeeper. Rochester is the master of Thornfield, and Jane’s work with Adèle brings her into regular contact with him. Their relationship becomes central to the novel.

Adèle is easily confused with Helen Burns, Jane’s friend at Lowood, or Blanche Ingram, a socially prominent woman connected to Rochester. Mary Rivers appears later in the story as one of Jane’s cousins, not as her Thornfield pupil.