"You will write, Catherine? Do you promise?"

"Of course I will. I will write to you as often as possible; I am determined neither of us should miss out on a single moment in each other's lives, even though we shall be apart!"

Catherine and Bessie were stood on the driveway outside Catherine's new Cheshire home, making their farewells. It had been lovely having Bessie to stay for the past month – she had journeyed directly back to Cheshire with Catherine and Professor Lawes following their wedding, and it had been extremely comforting for Catherine having a little piece of home life with her as she transitioned into her new one. But now the time had finally come for Bessie to return to Donbroke, and for Catherine to begin the new chapter of her life as Mrs Catherine Lawes.

As the sisters embraced, Catherine was reminded vividly of the almost identical conversation which had taken place between them just over a year ago when Catherine had ventured on her journey to Somerset, and she marvelled at how much could change in a year. Back then it had been a tearful farewell between two sisters who felt unable to function without one another; but during the past year, each had grown to become a stronger, more independent person.

It saddened Catherine to admit it, but Professor Lawes had been right: Bessie did not need Catherine as much as she had liked to think. On leaving Warwick a year ago Catherine had felt extremely guilty for leaving Bessie behind – when in fact that turned out to be the very best thing Catherine could have done for her little sister. Independence had been what Bessie craved, and Catherine, too caught up in trying to protect a vulnerable little girl, had not seen that she herself was in fact hindering Bessie's opportunity to grow.

Over the past year Bessie had remained true to her word, focusing her attention on her artistic pursuits with a newfound drive and determination, finding that with hard work her talent for drawing far surpassed anything she had expected. Delighted to see their daughter so happy, Mr and Mrs Taylor had arranged for a drawing master to visit the house once a week, and the results – both in Bessie's artistic ability and state of happiness – was astounding. The drawing master had even offered to introduce Bessie to one of the other girls he taught, offering her the prospect of a friend her own age for the first time in her life.

Catherine had not known it at the time, but the weight of responsibility for Bessie was a heavy burden on her shoulders. To know now that her sister was perfectly able to cope without her, therefore, was a great relief. Although it was hard to admit that she was no longer needed, being assured of Bessie's contentedness had put an end to Catherine's guilt for neglecting her sister, allowing her to freely enjoy what had been the best few months of her life.

The weeks leading up to the wedding were indeed the most exciting, chaotic and terrifying weeks Catherine had ever known. It had seemed an age away at first, as Professor Lawes first had his sister's wedding to arrange before turning his attention to his own – but before Catherine knew it, her own big day had arrived. As she stood at the altar in her brand new wedding gown beside the man she loved, Catherine felt more blissfully at ease than she could ever remember being. To have her entire family gathered in her local church completed the occasion; it was a final chance to revel in her old life before journeying to Cheshire to begin her new one.

It had certainly been a busy few months for weddings; not long after Catherine's betrothal, the news had come that there was indeed to be a union between William and Miss Russell, due to take place in a few months' time. Catherine still did not agree with William's marrying her, as in Catherine's opinion Miss Russell certainly was not worthy of such a generous, kind-hearted husband – but William seemed adamant in his choice of wife, so nothing Catherine or anyone else said would be likely to change his mind now.

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.

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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 :)