She looks down and fiddles a bit with her embroidery, despite knowing that it is highl improper.
"No, I am afraid that I have met few people here. I have spent most of my time ....thinking, in my chambers."
She omits that she had definitively been brooding, most notably on the figure of Mr. Rochester. She focuses on her companion to prevent her beloved's face from appearing befor her eyes.
"I am not accustomed to meeting people. My lie until now was a fairly sheltered one."