Miss Austen ending explained: What happens to Cassandra?

Miss Austen draws to a close as heartache and romance touch Cassandra Austen.

The period drama concludes with Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) finally realising what her friend Isabella (Rose Leslie) and kindly doctor Mr Lidderdale (Alfred Enoch) mean to each other, but can they recapture their lost love?

Meanwhile flashbacks show the young Cassy (Synnøve Karlsen) and Jane hit hard times and further storm clouds are gathering…

Here’s everything that happens in Miss Austen episode 4…

As the episode begins in 1830, Kintbury's new vicar Mr Dundas (Thomas Coombes) and his pregnant wife (Rebecca Lee) arrive to look over the rectory before Isabella (Rose Leslie) moves out, but Mrs Dundas is rather critical of the house.

Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) arrives back from seeing Isabella's sister Beth (Clare Foster) and apologises to Isabella for giving her the impression that Beth and Mr Lidderdale (Alfred Enoch) were becoming close, as she hadn’t realised the true facts of the situation. Isabella is gracious and reveals her own past with Mr Lidderdale and that they once had feelings for each other but she turned down his proposal because her father would not give permission, as he felt the doctor was beneath them because his mother was a servant. Mr Lidderdale has no real inheritance and serves the poor but he is proud, so Isabella feels he won’t ask her to marry him again. Isabella said she is inspired by Cassandra’s example as a single woman and asks her to visit her other sister Mary Jane (Florence Bell) to settle where she will live when she leaves the rectory.

At the cottage, Mary Jane says Isabella can live with her, in accordance with their father’s wishes, but Cassandra says the house is too small and they will have to find new lodgings together. Mary Jane says she is only doing this to stop Isabella from returning to the same shameless behaviour with Mr Lidderdale that upset their father but Cassandra says they were in love.

When she returns to the rectory, Cassandra tells maid Dinah (Mirren Mack) she will soon be leaving and goes to pack her things, but she finds another old letter, this time from herself to Isabella’s mother Eliza (Madeleine Walker).

In flashbacks, young Cassy (Synnøve Karlsen), Jane (Patsy Ferran) and their mother Mrs Austen (Phyllis Logan) are trying to come to terms with the death of Mr Austen. Jane is not coping and has stopped writing but Cassy tries to set out their financial situation for them now they can’t rely on Mr Austen’s money. Their brothers have all offered to give them an annual allowance but they will have to take smaller lodgings. Jane is increasingly bitter and feels she is not contributing anything, as her novel, Susan, was not published in the end and she feels nothing can come of her writing now. The Austens then move to affordable accommodation in Southampton. But Cassy is worried that Jane is on the brink of another bout of melancholy.

Back in 1830, Cassandra is looking at potential houses for Isabella and Mary Jane to live in. Cassandra urges Isabella to have a garden and a room for her to continue teaching. Mary Jane is reluctant, but Isabella agrees and stands her ground.

As the flashbacks resume, Jane is still depressed and says that her next novel "Sense & Sensibility" will never be published. Cassy is shocked to receive a letter from her former suitor Henry Hobday (Max Irons) and Mrs Austen confesses that she has been writing to his mother. Henry visits Cassy as he wants to tell her he is getting married. Cassy congratulates him but says she doesn’t know what that has to do with her. But Henry clearly still has feelings for her and wants to find out whether she cares for him too. Cassy is upset, as she tells him her family's circumstances have changed and that Jane and her mother need her more than ever. Henry says he could help them, but Cassy insists her duty lies with Jane, who wouldn’t survive without her. Henry admits defeat and says he won’t ask again.

But the bad news continues, as Cassy and Jane’s brother Edward (Hubert Burton) is left in turmoil when his wife dies in childbirth. As Cassy goes to visit him at his home in Kent, he asks her to live with him and his children but again, she says her duty is to Jane and their mother. But she has an idea, as Edward has an estate in Chawton, Hampshire, and there is a cottage in the village where the sisters and Mrs Austen could live so they could see Edward and his family whenever they were there. The new home proves perfect for them and there is even a desk for Jane to start writing again…

In 1830, a perfect house has been found for Isabella and Mary Jane, and despite Mary Jane's grumbles, Isabella says she will be happy as long as she has her garden and her teaching. Later, Cassandra and Isabella bump into Mr Lidderdale, who reveals that he has been offered a new position and he is moving away soon and he and Isabella awkwardly wish each other well.

Back at the house, Isabella wants Cassandra to finish reading "Persuasion" to her before she leaves. As she gets to the part where the character of Louisa has a terrifying fall, Isabella is horrified, while Dinah is listening at the door and comes up with a cunning, if rather dangerous, matchmaking plan… As she throws herself down the stairs, Isabella and Cassandra hear the noise and rush out to help her and Cassandra urges Isabella to fetch Mr Lidderdale… Isabella races off and brings him back and together they help to treat Dinah, while sharing several meaningful looks at each other. Isabella says he could have been forgiven for refusing to come and Mr Lidderdale says he would never turn his back on a patient or her. And when he leaves, Isabella sees him out, but he suddenly turns around and they come together and kiss!

As Dinah recuperates on the sofa, Cassandra praises her for her "escapade" as because of her, Isabella and Mr Lidderdale have reconciled. Cassandra admits she herself had been slow to realise what was going on between the couple. Dinah is pleased with her ‘meddling’ and she and Cassandra are now on good terms.

Cassandra then goes through the letters and decides to take away all the ones in which Jane is upset or down, but others, where she is happy or where she talks about her work, she leaves for her sister-in-law Mary (Jessica Hynes) to find.

In flashback, we learn that Sense & Sensibility is now being published, followed by Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma. But Jane is now in pain and has seen many doctors but none of them can say what is wrong with her. Cassy is desperate to hold onto any hope of a cure as they visit Cheltenham, then the rectory at Kintbury to see Isabella’s parents, before heading to Winchester to visit another doctor.

But it becomes clear that Jane is beyond help and takes to her bed. Young Mary (Liv Hill) comes to visit her and shows surprising sympathy and care as they share their memories. Later, as Jane reaches the end, she lies in bed with Cassy and says that she doesn’t want the world to know of her sadness, just the joy of her stories and they both reveal how blessed they are to have had each other, before Jane tragically passes away.

Back in 1830, Cassandra puts the letters she wants Mary to find in Eliza’s settle. A delighted Isabella then tells Cassandra she has accepted Mr Lidderdale’s proposal and thanks her for insisting she fetched him to treat Dinah. As Cassandra prepares to leave, Dinah secretly slips her another letter that she has found. Cassandra then says to Mary that maybe the letters are in the settle, which is the only place Cassandra hasn’t looked (!) As the sisters-in-law say goodbye, Cassandra says their history is safe in their memories and they can pass it on to those who come after them. Mary says nobody will be interested, as they are women!

Cassandra sets off for home in her carriage and reads the letter Dinah gave her, it’s Jane’s last letter to Eliza, asking her to look after Cassy, who she knows will protect her legacy. It will be hard for Cassy, but Jane is glad it is this way round as she wouldn’t have been able to live without Cassy by her side if she had died first.

As Cassandra, smiling, burns Jane’s letters and therefore loyally keeps all her secrets from being made public, the episode ends with the young Cassy and Jane happy on the beach…