Good Wives II

Amy and her Aunt and cousin set off for Europe and Laurie and his grandfather also leave America. Jo works in New York for several months and makes a new friend, a German professor who has 2 orphaned nephews and makes a living teaching German. Jo returns home after a while and finds that Beth is increasingly fragile. She tells her sister that she knows she's not going to recover, and Jo after a struggle, tries to devote herself to supporting her. Laurie tries to write music in Europe but realises that he has only a moderate talent, and gives up the idea of being a composer. Amy enjoys her time there but is worried about Beth, but the family tell her to stay until they are all coming home. She and Laurie meet and she scolds him for being idle. Meanwhile Beth dies, peacefully but Jo is miserably unhappy. In Europe, Laurie finally realises that he is over his love for Jo and he asks Amy to marry him. She agrees and they write home with the news. A few months later they return to America and Laurie comes to see Jo and tell her that he has married Amy in Paris. She is pleased for him but she is lonely without Beth. She has her parents and her writing but she wishes for more. Then, when Amy and Laurie have arrived at a party for them, Professor Bhaer turns up. He is going out west, to teach and decides to visit her. He has always feared that he was too old for Jo and that she loved Laurie but she tells him that Laurie's was a boyish feeling and she is happy that he has now married his Amy. She and Bhaer get engaged and plan to marry when he is a bit better off. Then Aunt March dies and leaves Plumfield to Jo. She decides that they will open a school for boys who have no mothers and that there will be a mix of rich and poor pupils. She and Bhaer marry and have 2 sons, Robert and Teddy and Jo gets her school with about 12 boys. Amy and Laurie have a daughter Bess and Meg and John have 2 daughters and a son.