Page 93 of The Cheapside Runners

Despite the offer to stay in London, Maria Lucas returned to Meryton for a year, then joined her sister in Hunsford the next. To the surprise of everyone, she effectively came out with Anne de Bourgh. They made an odd pair with a decade between them, but somehow it all seemed to work out. Lady Catherine was as proud (and nauseatingly boastful) of Maria’s eventual marriage as she was of Anne’s. By then, the Darcys had more or less reconciled, so they visited for a fortnight or two every Easter.

Mr Bingley eventually returned hat in hand to Jane. He was most disconcerted to find the colonel at the table regularly, but after a good honest conversation, which included a great deal about all the various sisters, Jane decided to give him another chance, presuming he got his house in order first.

Jane had matured in the interim, and she spent the time to teach him the lessons of Mrs Black. She even suggested they consider a similar school for gentleman, and was surprised whenthey did not laugh her out of the room out of hand, though nothing ever came of it.

Jane and Bingley eventually married and purchase Netherfield, where she found taking care of her far less excitable mother was not much of a chore, especially when their young children found Grandmother Bennet much like the young Mrs Bennet had been before her years of crippling anxiety. She was still not particularly decorous, but young children did not mind.

The colonel, meanwhile, quite enjoyed tweaking Bingley’s nose by speaking to Miss Bennet in a way that could not help but rile his jealousy. It was therefore a surprise to everyone in the world except Mrs Black when he proposed to Mrs Rose and was accepted. He had to promise her he would do his best to keep his brother alive so she would never have to be a countess, but alas, some tasks were beyond even him. It took the couple decades to recover the earldom’s finances from the depredations of his father and brother, but eventually, all was well with the world.

Mary quite surprised everyone by deferring her season time after time. She came to Elizabeth in the year she reached her majority and suggested setting up another school geared to servants and tradesmen’s daughters. She had been saving her pin money to start it, but it was not quite sufficient.

Elizabeth loved the idea, so bought her a building and hired some staff without even dipping into her own fortune or pin money by simply asking for donations from her former students. In actuality, she only askedoneparticularly friendly and well-connected student and considered the problem solved (correctly).

Mary’s school was free for servants, but otherwise modelled on Elizabeth’s pattern of charging what the guardian could reasonably afford.

She ran the school until the ripe old age of twenty-six when her luck ran out, and she accidentally captured the heart of ayoung gentleman. She made him work for it, but in the end, they were blissfully happy. She never moved from London or gave up control of her schools but let others take care of most instruction.

Both schools continued to prosper and grow, eventually training hundreds at a time all over the country.

For many generations, several descendants of the Bennet girls served a few years as Mrs Black, and the world became just a slightly better place.

~~ Finis ~~