When she invites the enigmatic Hawke sisters and the Fitzwilliams to join them for the festive season, will the company provide the friendship and solace Darcy hopes for his wife? Or will the Earl's opposition to Richard's love interest divide the family?Courage Requires is a full-length novel (approximately 90,000 words) that follows the events of Courage Rises. It is Book 2 of 2 in the Courage Series.

    Charles Bingley, is instantly drawn to Elizabeth Bennet’s sister Lydia. More than twice, he asks the youngest Bennet daughter to stand up with him, and soon all the neighborhood is speculating on when Mr. Bingley will make an offer to their dearest girl. Elizabeth cannot understand the attraction. In her heart, she believes a match between Mr. Bingley and Lydia would end in tears all round, while Jane and Charles seemed made for each other. While Mrs. Bennet is giddy over Mr. Bingley’s attentions to Lydia, Elizabeth devises ways to divert them to Jane, but her every stratagem is thwarted by his friend—the arrogant Mr. Darcy. The man is maddening—truly! Excerpt: "Oh, Jane!" Elizabeth cried before she could stop herself. "How... how dramatic." "You're adorable, both of you." Aunt Gardiner was dressed as Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. She beamed at her nieces, apparently of the opinion that their costumes were a great success.Jane was dressed as the goddess of love and beauty, every bit as shocking as Elizabeth's Eve. Mrs. Swan had crafted a costume so provocative, so inviting to the male eye, that Elizabeth feared her sister would be too mortified enter Beaufellmont, let alone the dance floor. The pale pink chiton-style gown was cinched around the waist by a pale blue girdle of Hephaestus, embroidered with tiny silver and gold seashells. The girdle alone emphasized Jane's figure, and two large satin seashells covered her breasts. Her arms were bare from the shoulders, in the Greek fashion, and she wore short pink lace gloves that stopped at her wrists. Her hair was hidden under a pale pink satin turban, which had a golden apple affixed at the top. "You make a wonderful Aphrodite, Miss Bennet," Sally said. "So beautiful. It's a shame you'll be wearing a mask." Jane self-consciously touched the turban's ornament, the golden apple given to Aphrodite according to the judgment of Paris. Her face was red as a berry. No, Elizabeth thought. It is a very good thing we will be wearing masks. "The finer the lady, the more risqué the costume," Mrs. Swan said with full authority on the matter. "I certainly come up to the mark on that account." Elizabeth frowned at the serpent's head at rest on her breast. "Or should I say down to it?" "It is fancy dress, my dears." Aunt Gardiner laughed. "Do not spoil the fun by being unnecessarily overmodest. Lord Beaufellsey's affairs are notorious for their notoriety." "I like that," Elizabeth said drolly. "Let your imaginations take flight. For one night, we shall be outrageous! The three most dangerous females in history: Aphrodite, Cleopatra, and Eve." Elizabeth sat down at her dressing table to allow the second assistant to sweep her hair up and hide it under a turban of pale green satin. "I suppose I won't mind a little outrageousness. Especially as we shall be safely incognito behind our masks." She had always enjoyed her aunt's youthful vigor, but never so much as at this moment. Why not be daring? Especially when so little risk was involved. Even if their masks were to slip, it would not signify.

    Mr Collins had been even more despicable than in Jane Austen's original tale?Would such an infamous relation destroy Elizabeth and Darcy's chance of happiness forever, or would his actions set in motion an entirely different sequence of events?

    His attempt to arrange a “chance” meeting is successful and they cross paths in London. Soon afterwards, Darcy sails for Virginia to retrieve his newly widowed cousin, who has found herself stranded in a country on the verge of war with her native land. Once there, he suspects her sights are set on him as her next mate. Even worse, his journal—which details his feelings about Elizabeth—is accidentally posted to Elizabeth. Can he return to England, convince her he has taken her opinions to heart, and win her love before she receives it? The impulsive Elizabeth Bennet is injured while touring a Derbyshire estate with her aunt and uncle, and circumstances find her at the home of Georgiana Darcy while she recuperates. While there, Elizabeth realizes she is in love with Darcy, but will he arrive home and assume the worst about her after finding her living at his estate?

    Unfortunately, that man is Mr Bennet of Longbourn: a world-weary gentleman who prefers his books to ballrooms.What follows is a heartwarming tale full of wry humour and wisdom, set against the backdrop of the first half of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.Join Mr Bennet as he and his friends in the Meryton Natural History Society attempt to help John, a task that forces our father of five daughters to confront his own romantic past."Life must be mastered with pragmatism and sense, which explains why so few people succeed at it."Cake and Courtship is a standalone story, but also the first part of Mr Bennet's Memoirs.

    A secret from the past sweeps away everything in its path, endangering the very heart of our beloved family—their love for each other.Intrigue and anger, suffering and resentment draws a new map where each family member has to find their new place.In amongst the turmoil, the love Elizabeth denied in Kent unexpectedly emerges even more powerfully, bringing new alliances inconceivable only a few months before.Elizabeth and Darcy cross this tempestuous period hand in hand. Is their love strong enough to restore the peace at Longbourn and drive the two of them towards marriage and happiness?