The Lady's Companion Ending Explained: Do Elena and Santiago End Up Together?

‘The Lady’s Companion’ is a riveting Spanish romance comedy show where a fierce leading lady—for whom the fourth wall is more of a suggestion—drives the narrative in 1880s Madrid. Elena Bianda is on the hunt for her next job as a chaperone—a lady who is tasked with the crucial job of managing her ward’s social life, including her marriage prospects. Therefore, Don Pedro Mencia’s family, with three young daughters, remains an ideal place of employment for her. However, it is only after she takes on the responsibility of overlooking Cristina, Sara, and Carlota that she realizes just what a handful the girls truly are.

To make matters worse, Pedro has a charming godson, Santiago, whose long-standing interest in the oldest Mencia’s sister is shaken up by his (possibly reciprocated) attraction toward Elena. As a result, instead of a cushy long-term job, the chaperone finds herself caught in a love triangle and a web of lies that threaten to dismantle her world—and heart—if they come to light. SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Lady’s Companion Recap

Elena Bianda is excellent at her job as a lady’s companion. Yet, every successful matchmaking attempt only leaves her vying for another job under new employment. Therefore, this time around, she seeks out the position of a chaperone at Don Pedro Mencia’s. The family has recently undergone the tragic passing of their matriarch, leaving the three sisters, Cristina, Sara, and Carlota, without a mother. As such, the position is basically a goldmine in the lady’s companion business. For the same reason, Elena brings her A-game to the table—research into the girls through dubious means of bribery and fake sob stories of dead parents to earn Pedro’s trust. Thus, she snags the position, much to the displeasure of her rival, Alicia, who vows to find a way to get her fired.

Nonetheless, Elena has more pressing matters to care about, namely, earning the trust of the Mencia sisters. While the morbidly curious 11-year-old prankster Carlota remains easy to win over, her sisters present a different challenge. Still, the woman manages to convince a grieving Cristina to embrace a change of pace and attend a soiree in town with her potential suitor, Eduardo. However, she ends up taking her advice too enthusiastically—and hooks up with her date inside his carriage. Yet, after Elena discovers the two, Eduardo insists that he’ll prove the reality of their love by properly asking for Cristina’s hand in marriage.

Nonetheless, a month later, when the time comes for Eduardo to visit the Mencia estate for a formal proposal, the man bails. Instead, he sends a letter informing Cristina that he has changed his mind and has left for Paris. This news is incredibly upsetting for the young girl, least of all because of her heartbreak. As it turns out, their one night together had impregnated Cristina. As a result, Elena scrambles to swiftly find another suitor for her to ensure the young girl doesn’t end up becoming a scorned single mother. The solution presents itself soon enough through Santiago, Pedro’s godson and a close friend of the three sisters.

It’s evident that Santiago is at least a little in love with Cristina, who has yet to pay him similar attention in kind. Yet, once she begins to notice his small expressions of affection, she realizes she can have a real future with him. Nevertheless, simultaneously, Santiago starts to fall for Elena and her contrarian, witty remarks. Furthermore, the inconvenient reconnection with an old flame, Gabriel, makes matters more complicated for the chaperone, who is hellbent on keeping her past a secret from the Mencia family. Eventually, Santiago finds himself in a tough spot once news of his and Cristina’s tentative courting reaches Pedro, who is overjoyed to have his godson as his son-in-law. As things continue to grow out of hand, another chaotic revelation arrives when Eduardo returns to town, apparently still in love with Cristina and willing to fight for her hand.

The Lady’s Companion Ending: What Happens Between Elena and Santiago?

Elena and Santiago’s love story remains tense from the start. It’s evident that the woman—with her sarcasm, irony, and no-nonsense attitude—has a colorful past behind her. Gabriel’s introduction and the revelation that she was the one who wronged him in their relationship further cement her complicated relationship with romance. Therefore, she has no disillusions when it comes to the idea of falling for her employer’s godson, who is also Cristina’s prime suitor and only hope in avoiding a dark future as a single mother. On the other hand, Santiago, the bright-eyed writer, remains beguiled with Elena and is full of disillusions about how they can have their happy ending.

Nonetheless, as their narrative nears its conclusion, the duo ends up switching positions. By then, most of the secrets between them regarding Elena’s attempts at pushing an engagement between Santiago and Cristina come to light. For the same reason, the writer is incredibly betrayed and heartbroken to learn that the woman he loves was prepared to condemn him to a future of lies and deceit. As such, he finally gives up any hope he has left for a relationship between them. On the other hand, Elena’s reality also unravels after Cristina deems her secrets too indelible to forgive. Even so, after reading the new operetta Santiago had been working on, the young woman realizes his feelings for her chaperone were real and undeniable. Therefore, despite her anger at Elena, she encourages her to read his writing and chase after him if his feelings are reciprocated.

In the end, Elena ends up doing just that, embarking on a grand chase after Santiago—who is leaving for a two-month work trip to Lisbon, Portugal. In her head, she has the perfect grand romantic speech to make and confess her love. Regardless of her skepticism of cheesy romance throughout the story, she’s willing ill-advisedly to put her heart on the line and dreams of winning over the writer. After all, Elena has always been a fan of happy endings in love stories and wants one for herself as well. Nonetheless, her daydreams end up benign for naught, as Santiago’s carriage refuses to stop for her and drives away, leaving her behind. Ultimately, her indiscretions seem to have been too much for the writer, compelling him to run away for now. Still, while their love story gets a bleak ending for now, all hope is not lost, and there’s always a possibility of a second chance in the future.

Does Cristina Choose Santiago or Eduardo? Who Does She Marry?

The show sports a myriad of complicated love stories—chaperone Josefina and her lady, Esther, who are in love, to Adela, who falls for the womanizing Lazaro. Yet, Cristina’s love life remains perhaps the most convoluted. Initially, she’s head-over-heels in love with Eduardo, her long-time suitor who has been by her side through thick and thin. She’s so swept up in her feelings for him that she sleeps with him, which results in an untimely pregnancy. Nonetheless, Eduardo leaves her high and dry, pushing her to find a new suitor as soon as possible to hide the fact of her pregnancy out of wedlock. This brings her to Santiago, a reliable friend she has never evaluated under a romantic lens.

Once Cristina begins putting in the effort to fall for Santiago—partially influenced by the news of Eduardo’s engagement to a Duchess in Paris—she begins to see him in a new light. She likes his reliability and honesty, even when he reveals that he’s undecided about his feelings for her due to another woman in his life. In comparison to Eduardo, he’s a better option—both for a husband and the future father of her already-conceived child. For some time, her insistence on being with Santiago continues because he’s her last resort. Nonetheless, this changes once Eduardo returns to fight for her love.

Although Elena is reluctant to give Eduardo another chance with Cristina, the man’s feelings for the latter remain genuine. His parents forced him into an engagement with the Duchess, and he rebelled against them, prepared to give up his family for the young woman. Once Cristina learns about the same, her carefully crafted indifference for her ex dissipates, turning her into a confused mess. Simultaneously, Santiago’s new career opportunity to travel to Portugal has compelled Pedro to fast-pace his engagement with his daughter. As a result, Sara and Elena realize the eldest Mencia needs to make up her mind before she ends up inadvertently hurting someone.

Thus, they resort to an extreme measure—and lock Cristina in a room with Eduardo. Initially, the woman attempts to refuse any persisting feelings for the man. Nonetheless, the spark between them is as alive as ever. She had only ever attempted to get over him because she was worried he couldn’t be trusted. Yet, his presence in front of her now proves how dedicated he is to her. Additionally, it would be better to start a family with the actual father of her child rather than saddling Santiago with a life of lies. Therefore, as Cristina inevitably hooks up with Eduardo again—too moved by the passion between them—she concludes that she must choose him as her beloved. In the end, she ends up coming clean to Santiago—as well as her father. Although Pedro is initially shocked beyond words, he comes around in time and supports his daughter’s decision to marry Eduardo.

Does Elena Lose Her Job? Who is Sara and Carlota’s New Chaperone?

Alongside her love life, Elena’s job remains one of the most crucial parts of her story. Throughout the tale, she’s desperate to hold on to her job. She lies, schemes, and manipulates the cards, all for the sake of her career. Yet, once she gets to know the Mencia girls, her motivations become clouded by her genuine care and love for the sisters. She keeps Sara’s secret pursuit of medical studies from her father and advocates for her right to attend university once the truth comes out. Likewise, she dutifully covers up Cristina’s pregnancy to ensure the young woman avoids angering or disappointing her father. In fact, she’s willing to break her own heart by orchestrating a betrothal between Santiago and her.

Nonetheless, Elena keeps several secrets of her own in the process, which grates on Cristina. She considers the older woman a true friend and is slighted after she learns of her apparent high pedigree as the daughter of a not-dead noble Lady. As such, the fact that Elena snatched the job by pre-emptively learning all the secrets about the sisters becomes the final straw for Cristina. She realizes that she can no longer trust Elena, which compels her to fire her from the position of chaperone for the Mencia family. As such, the day of her wedding becomes the last day of work for the older woman. In her stead, her cunning rival Alicia swoops in and takes the job.

The repercussions of this decision will no doubt grate on Crisitina’s sisters as harshly as it will on the newly unhoused and unemployed Elena. Sara’s pursuit of higher education isn’t something that every lady’s companion will readily understand or support. Furthermore, her budding romance with Camilo is bound to bring some trouble, given the interracial nature of their dynamic. Whether or not Alicia will be up to the task of handling the same—or Carlota’s menacing, pranking ways—will only be seen in the future. As for Elena, her unemployment from the Mencia house only serves to accentuate the rock bottom she has found herself in at the end of this season.

Why Did Eduardo Run Off to Paris? Why Did He Not Propose to Cristina?

Eduardo is an intriguing character in the story, not least because of his jumbled feelings toward Cristina. He writes the young woman a letter every single day after her mother’s passing as a show of his love and support. He’s overjoyed to get to formally court her and remains steadfast in his declaration of love and intentions of marriage. Yet, when the time comes, he’s a no-show who sends a half-hearted letter that offers no rhyme or reason for his actions. Months later, once Cristina begins to move on with Santiago, he sends another letter and returns to Madrid, claiming to still be in love with the woman.

Thus, the reality of Eduardo’s situation comes to life. As it turns out, his family has apparently gone broke. As a result, they’re relying on leeching a good dowry out of Eduardo’s bride to restart their business. Initially, they trick their heir into signing a contract to merge business with the family of the Duchess of Paris. Unbeknownst to him, the contract comes with a condition of marriage between him and the Duchess. Consequently, Eduardo isn’t able to show up at Mencia’s estate on the day of the proposal and sends in the letter that his father forced him to write. Although he plays along at first to please his parents, he ultimately refuses to marry the woman and leave the real love of his life behind.

Why Was Santiago Courting Cristina? Was He in Love With Her or Elena?

Santiago’s tangled feelings for Elena and Cristina remain the most confusing in all the complicated attractions and affections between suitors, ladies, and chaperones. After all, if Elena so sways Santiago’s feelings, why does he agree to court Cristina at all? In the women’s case, they’re pushing for a quick courtship and marriage between the couple to hide Cristina’s pre-existing pregnancy, ensuring the mother and her child have a safe future. However, Santiago is entirely in the dark about the pregnancy until the very end, when the young woman chooses Eduardo over him. Therefore, the question arises: why does he go through with the courting?

Santiago has been in love with Cristina for most of his life. Nonetheless, the other barely ever paid him any romantic attention in kind. Once Eduardo comes into the picture, he takes up all of her romance capability, leaving the writer to accept his fate. Thus, he begins to get over Cristina when she starts formally courting the other man. The fact that Elena is around, challenging his worldview and compelling him to consider new perspectives, further helps the process along since he starts falling for the other woman. Nonetheless, once Eduardo skips town, everything changes.

Cristina sets off on a mission to seduce him, and Elena is adamant about ignoring her own feelings to ensure her ward’s happiness. Despite the few moments and kisses that Santiago shares with the latter, she remains firm in her decision against pursuing a romance with him. Since his godfather employs her, she knows a relationship between them would only bring trouble for her. Similarly, he’s scared of handing over his heart to her outright because he thinks she’ll abandon him like she did with Gabriel. On the other hand, Santiago is also confused about turning down Cristina’s advances, especially once Pedro pre-maturely learns about their apparent courtship.

The Mencias is the closest thing the writer has to a family. He doesn’t wish to earn their ire by delivering Pedro the bad news of his developed disinterest in his daughter in favor of her chaperone. Still, despite the confusion clouding his brain, the reality of Santiago’s feelings emerges when he shows up at Cristina’s door drunk on absinthe. He reveals that his feelings for her are no longer of the romantic variety—a sentiment the woman reciprocates. Afterward, he learns of her pregnancy, which comes as a horrifying betrayal. However, he isn’t hurt by Cristina’s actions but rather Elena’s. This expression of heartbreak reveals once and for all that Santiago has been in love with the chaperone all this time. Nonetheless, since he leaves Madrid without hearing her out, he won’t be able to learn of her reciprocation of his feelings for some time.

The Lady’s Companion Ending Explained: Do Elena and Santiago End Up Together?