A Required Engagement: Book Two of A Pride and Prejudice Variation

A Required Engagement #2

by Nora Kipling

Part two of a three part novella series, featuring a clean romance centering around our dear couple, Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth by Nora Kipling.

Mr. Darcy has been accused of the most unnatural of desires, and must find a wife to allay the rumors as soon as possible.

Mr. Darcy has met the Bennet family and their daughters, and has fallen completely, decidedly, in love with Miss Elizabeth Bennet. He has only the small issue of competing for her affections from the buffoonish, boorish Mr. Collins, and the wicked and blackguard Mr. Wickham.

When Elizabeth shows indifference, and even dislike, to both of his competitors however, he sees an opening to her heart that he wishes to take… only for the gravest of news and ultimatums to fall upon both him and the Bennet family. Will his utter happiness be ruined by his father? Will he in turn ruin the complete happiness of his best friend, Mr. Bingley?

Set a few years earlier than the original Pride and Prejudice, this what-if novella variation can be enjoyed by all ages! This is a sweet, clean romance suitable for all lovers of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

75 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2017

Reviews

[wosedwew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this free through Scribd -- the third part is not available there but I find I'm not curious enough to pay for it.

Prices for these 3 parts add to $11 if purchased as 3 parts or are available for $10 if purchased as a single book -- which it should have been. Cliffhangers at the end of the first two sections.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I got this free through Scribd. I must say, had I paid, I would be disappointed. For the price the author charges there are quite a few editing errors that are glaringly obvious and make reading the story somewhat difficult in those places.

This story is really just part 2 of a book that should have been told in 1 book not 3 parts (each part has a cliffhanger to get you to buy the next book). The plot is far-fetched and not fully fleshed out, but an interesting story. not really a romance, more action/angst.

In this book, Darcy is trying to pursue Lizzy, but Wickham seems to be beating him to the punch. Collins is so awful that Darcy removes him from the home by walking with him, leaving Lizzy home to recieve Wickham. Wickham reveals his horrible horrible self to Lizzy after they go out riding where Charlotte (recently married with no explanation as to who or why or how) chaparones. Darcy shows up at home, Mrs. Bennett says she's out, Jane clarifies where and with who (totally not proper) but says she's worried that Charlotte is not a good enough chaparone for lizzy who she thinks is with Wickham the scoundrel (she learned from a letter from her friend?!!?). Then we have Darcy rushing to Meryton, saving Lizzy and immediately proposing to her after she has fended off Wickham's unwanted advances (pulling on her skirt to bring her to him in an alcove in a bookshop) in a fairly public place. She says no as she is obviously still in shock.

Darcy and Lizzy both return home (respectively) and we learn that Jane has run off to Gretna Green with Bingley. (there is no mention of what happened to Collins who was acting like Jane was his bethrothed).

Next we have Darcy senior arriving at Netherfield cursing at Bingley (not there) for stealing Jane from Darcy (even though Darcy doesn't want her and wants another from the same house). Mr. Darcy threatens Darcy with Georgiana's happiness (in addition to disinheritance) and essentially Darcy is in a bind and must now go to the Bennetts and demand satisfaction and chase down Jane or sue the Bennetts. All of a sudden Mrs. Gardiner shows up and she, Lizzy and Darcy decide to chase her down. Once again we have a cliffhanger and off to Gretna Green we go for the conclusion.

Mrs. Bennett is her usual self (pushing Collins on everyone and wailing). Mr. Bennet is do indolent I'm amazed his estate is running. The other girls are so insignificant to the story it's not worth mentioning. Wickham is truly evil and the narrator tells us: "He would have the pleasure of bending her, and breaking her to his will, seeing that bright spark in her eyes dull and die out as she learned through his fist and the weapons of the marriage-bed, that he alone could make her life a misery or a dreamland."

So, I'd recomend reading if you can get for free (its somewhat diverting), otherwise, I've read better.

[Jacquelin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is book 2 of 3, or part 2 of 3. I’m not sure, it says different things depending on what website I’m on. And I can’t find out if there are 3 or 4 books total. The end of the 3rd book sums everything up but it the author’s final note alludes to a 4th book. Some websites say it’s a 4 part series, others say it’s a 3 part series. All I know is that all 3 books/parts are very short so it’s baffling as to why they chose to split them apart. All these "parts" are, in essence, one average length book. So, I am giving them all this same review. The author has definitely made it an almost complete departure from the original, rather than a “variation”. And the choices she made are truly odd. Mr. Darcy senior is still alive and is a horrid person. Drunk, abusive and nonsensical. Darcy Jr. comes home from London with Bingley only to find his father furious and in his cups, though it’s still morning. Rumours abound that Darcy Jr. is gay and he insists that he marry at once to dispel the rumours. Apparently Senior knows Mr. Bennet and he “owes him” a debt of some kind so he sends Junior to Longbourn to find a wife amongst Bennet’s 4 daughters (Lydia isn’t out yet which was the ONLY thing I really liked about this book; I didn’t have to read about her ridiculousness or tantrums or wildness). Senior is a tyrant and threatens to dis-inherit Junior if he doesn’t do his bidding. So Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Bingley go off to Netherfield (a weird side note: Darcy and Bingley have no idea that Netherfield is in the same vicinity as Longbourn! It’s just a coincidence that Bingley has let the house and offers to Darcy to take him away from his father for a while to the new house he has let). So they head to Netherfield, meanwhile, Mr. Collins shows up at Longbourn, offers for Lizzy and she turns him down. Then he sets his sights on Jane. Wickham shows up in Merryton and Darcy hasn’t seen him in a long time and expects to see the old friend he used to know. But Wickham reveals himself to be a changed man; misogynistic, a gambler, bitter, all the personality traits he has in the original P&P. Darcy senior also shows up, unannounced, at Netherfield, takes in the scene (being very rude to Bingley) and orders his son to marry Jane Bennet. But Junior has already fallen in love with Lizzy. And, unbeknownst to anyone, Wickham has a plan: he was the one who started the rumour in town about Darcy Jr. being gay; Senior will then insist his son offer for Jane Bennet; Wickham, who’s plan is for Junior to disobey his father, sets things in motion for Bingley to offer for Jane (which he wants to do anyway, Wickham just pushes him along); Meanwhile, Wickham will get Lizzy into a compromising position, thus forcing her to marry him; Senior will be angry with Junior for not offering for Jane when he told him to, then Senior dis-owns Junior and casts him out, leaving Wickham all the spoils (because Senior likes Wickham as they are cut from the same cloth). Confused yet? A very strange and precise plan, makes no sense. However, most of this comes to pass except that when Wickham tries to ensnare Lizzy, Darcy is there to save her and Wickham ends up in a heap on the floor, unconscious and you never hear from him again (unless there actually is a 4th part out there). Also, when Lizzy gets home after the ordeal it’s discovered that Jane has run away with Bingley! In case you haven’t noticed so far, this book is filled to the brim with unbelievable events that had me, at the same time, rolling my eyes and scratching my head. The story is all over the place with way too many inner monologues going on. Page after page of the characters droning on and on about their plights. So here’s another odd choice the author made: When Darcy Senior finds out that Jane has run off with Bingley, he is enraged beyond anything, because he believes that Jane has been promised to his son. Even though no mention is made of any promise, at no time is it revealed what “debt” he owes to Mr. Bennet, AND at no time in either of the three books are Bennet and Darcy Senior in the same room together! You’d think that the moment Senior got to Netherfield he would have sought out Mr. Bennet. Not so much. So, Senior orders Darcy to take a letter to Mr. Bennet saying that he will take legal action against the Bennets if they don’t track Jane down, bring her back and force Jane to marry his son! What the hell? Senior even strikes Fitzwilliam in the face when he dares to point out how ridiculous he’s being. Darcy initially defies him but Senior pulls out the big guns: he threatens to not only dis-inherit Junior, but to cast Georgiana out, leaving Darcy Jr. and his sister to fend for themselves. This is the point where I was tempted to stop reading. But a sick part of me wanted to see how much more ridiculous the book gets. Mrs. Gardner happened to be visiting when Jane and Bingley run off so it’s decided that she, Darcy Jr. and Lizzy will head to Gretna Green in an effort to stop the wedding. But they all know that it will be too late, they’ll never catch them in time. But Darcy has to do his father’s bidding because he doesn’t want to be the reason why Georgiana is ruined. Yet another reason why I kept reading; I had to see if Darcy Jr. eventually (pardon my crudeness) grows a pair and tells off his father. It’s a long journey to Gretna Green, during which all three become very aware that Darcy and Elizabeth love each other. They reach Gretna Green to find that, of course, Jane and Bingley are married. A happy meeting occurs and the group spends the next several days enjoying the sights. On one of the days the three women go on a picnic, the gentlemen show up and Darcy (who has been searching for the right ring for Lizzy) takes her aside and proposes to her. She says yes, the happy group head back to the inn, it starts to rain, they all enter the inn laughing and wet only to find…Darcy Senior is there. He’s not looking good and using a cane. He starts his usual ranting, gets read-faced and falls down dead. Darcy and Lizzy get married and the book ends. A very disappointing story. Not to mention several grammatical errors, misspellings and other mistakes made throughout.

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wickham takes Elizabeth into Meryton with Charlotte as a chaperone. Darcy comes after them and finds Wickham beginning to assault Elilzabeth so he knocks him down. Immediately after he follows Elizabeth and Charlotte out of the bookshop and falls to his knees to propose. Elizabeth, still in shock from Wickham’s actions, turns him down. She arrives home to find that Jane has eloped with Bingley. Darcy returns to Netherfield and finds his father raving mad and threatening to throw Georgiana out of Pemberley if Darcy doesn’t follow after Bingley and secure Jane for himself. Darcy goes to Longbourn with the letter his father has sent to the Bennets, threatening to take action against them for this elopement. Mrs. Gardiner is there and offers to travel with Darcy as he chases after Jane and Bingley. Elizabeth decides to also go along.

Once again: I read this story as part of a collection of this author's stories and chose to post my review separately as I read some of the stories in 2020 and some now in 2021 and wanted them counted in the correct year's total. The author continues to need a good spell check program and/or editor.