The Noble Life

Epilogue: Seven Months Later

Catherine felt William was either very kind-hearted or very foolish in being able to find some good in Miss Russell – for she refused to believe that William was so shallow as to only be interested in her beauty. No, he had almost certainly offered for Miss Russell simply because he knew no one else would, and wished to save her from a life of poverty. She still felt William was making a mistake, but Catherine truly admired him for such a noble sacrifice. At least now Miss Russell and her mother would both be provided for, and although it would be in a far more modest way than they were accustomed to, Catherine felt it was more than they deserved.

The only person Catherine felt had been badly done by in this whole experience was poor Julia. Of all the young people in the family, Julia had been the one most eager to be married, yet she remained single and heartbroken whilst Catherine and William had both secured matches for themselves. Although Julia had not selected the most ideal young gentleman in Lord Russell to lose her heart to, Catherine did feel desperately sorry for her cousin, for she would certainly make a very lovely wife and deserved to find happiness.

For now, though, it was time for Catherine to concentrate on her own happiness. There was just one final hardship to deal with – and as Bessie was assisted into her carriage by an old friend of Mr Taylor's who had offered to accompany her home, Catherine was suddenly struck by how difficult it truly was to say goodbye to her sister. To her horror she found tears pricking her eyes, and a hard lump forming in her throat.

"Be safe, my dear," called Catherine wanly, desperately searching for her handkerchief in her sleeve. "Do look after yourself."

"Oh, Catherine – please do not get upset!" begged Bessie, poking her head out of the carriage window. "It is not so bad."

Catherine sniffled slightly, marvelling at how their roles had reversed since she first departed for Somerset. Back then it had been Catherine offering comfort to a lonely, miserable young girl who bore no resemblance to the bright young lady before her now.

"I am so proud of you, Bessie," murmured Catherine softly. "I am so proud of the lovely young woman you are becoming, and I will always love you."

"And I you," replied Bessie solemnly. "For so long you were my only friend, Catherine, and I cannot thank you enough for what you sacrificed. Although it is now time for us to live our separate lives, I shall never forget everything you did for me. You will always be my dearest friend; no distance between us can change that."

Catherine felt herself overcome with too much emotion to make a reply; she simply stood in tearful silence as the carriage began to draw away, waves of grief washing over her as it reached the end of the driveway and disappeared out of sight.

She had no idea how long she remained there, motionless on the doorstep of her new home as the absence of Bessie drove a hole right through her heart. So lost in her pain was she that it startled her when someone suddenly spoke behind her.

"You are so very brave," murmured a soft voice in her ear. "You are proud of your sister – and I am proud of you, my darling."

Catherine turned to face her professor, the agony dissipating slightly as she lost herself in those warm brown eyes.

"I know it is the right thing for both of us," she replied with a sigh as her husband encircled her in his arms, "yet that does not make it any easier."

"It is so hard," the professor agreed, planting a delicate kiss on Catherine's forehead. "I miss my sisters terribly too. They may not be with us now, but they, and Bessie, may visit as often as they please. In the meantime, we have each other – and you, Catherine, are more than enough for me."

Catherine could not suppress a bashful smile at these words. Even after knowing Professor Lawes a year now, she still sometimes found herself taken a little by surprise at his occasional romantic speeches – a small part of her would always remember him as the shy, awkward professor of astronomy she had first met in Barnbury.

"Well, now that the final part of my old life has departed, I think I am ready to begin my new life as Mrs Catherine Lawes in earnest," said Catherine, smiling up at the professor.

"Then let us not waste another moment, Mrs Lawes," he replied playfully.

Arm in arm, Catherine and Professor Lawes turned away from the driveway to face the threshold of their new home, and their new beginning. For the moment they had everything to look forward to, in the state of pure bliss and eager expectation that only newly-married life can bring. It would not last forever; they were both sensible enough to know that life was not so straightforward as that. But whatever else might be to come – whatever challenges Catherine and Professor Lawes might face – they knew nothing was insurmountable, as long as they had each other.

----------

A/N: That is officially the end of The Noble Life! I can't believe that what originally started out as an idea for a little story in my head has now become a novel of over 50 000 words! I have had so much fun writing it, and I have equally enjoyed reading all your reactions and lovely words of encouragement as you followed Catherine on her journey :) For that, I cannot thank you enough - especially to those who offered your support in this story's very earliest stages.

All that's left to say is thanks again for being such amazing, supportive readers, and I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas :)