A Required Engagement #3 Read online

  “Now I know that you are speaking nonsense,” Elizabeth said with a smile, “Mr. Darcy? In a faint? I should never hope to see the day.” She moved across the room to take Jane’s hands in her own, and squeezed them tight. “It will all be well, will it not?”

  “How could it not? You will leave Longbourn, the newly made Mrs. Darcy, to arrive at your estates, the beautiful, incomparable Pemberley. Were you anyone else I would worry you’d not be able to manage it, but I know you, Lizzy, and you’ll get along just fine,” Jane said, leaning on her tiptoes to plant a loving kiss on her sister’s forehead. The action soothed Elizabeth’s nerves.

  “It is… I feel quite the monster for saying so, but it is easier for me, knowing that the specter of his father’s disapproval will not haunt our happiness,” Elizabeth said. She had been with Mr. Darcy in the months of his mourning after his father had passed, and despite the torment the old man had put her fiancé through, Mr. Darcy had still grieved deeply for his loss.

  “Do not even think upon it, my dear sister,” Jane said sharply, and then smiled to soften her words. “Do not look back at what happened. You are in love, and today you join the man you are to be with, forever. Cling to that happiness, so tightly, for life feels fleeting, and it could be gone in an instant.” Jane embraced her closely, and then sighed.

  “Now, little sister,” Jane’s lips were twisted into a laughing smile as she spoke. “I must get you to the church, for it would not do for you to be late to your very own wedding.”

  * * *

  Later that evening, as she sat in the carriage, Elizabeth looked out the window. It had begun raining during their wedding breakfast, although nothing could have dulled her happiness. She turned to Mr. Darcy, who was resting, his eyes closed, although she knew him well enough to know he was not sleeping.

  “Mr. Darcy?” she asked. He raised one eyebrow, but his eyes remained stubbornly shut.

  “Yes Mrs. Darcy?” he asked, and she could not stop the thrill of excitement at hearing him addressing her as such.

  “Mr. Darcy?” she asked again. This time he chuckled, opening both eyes as he sat up.

  “Yes, Mrs. Darcy?” He smiled at her. She bit her lip to stop her own answering smile, but it escaped her regardless. He leaned in closely, his thumb stroking across her cheekbone. “Yes, Mrs. Darcy?”

  “I just wanted to hear you say it,” she replied, blushing. He smoothed his palm over her reddened cheek and then leaned in, placing a gentle kiss upon her brow, and then where he had traced a path along the side of her face.

  “You may ask, at any time, of any day, and I shall always respond, ‘yes, Mrs. Darcy?’ if it promises to bring such a happy expression to your face,” he said. A flush of joy filled her and she wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder.

  “I should not imagine a time where it would not bring me happiness,” she confessed, “so enamored am I with being Mrs. Darcy.”

  “And do you not think that I, in turn, am very enamored with you being Mrs. Darcy?” he asked. She tilted her head to look up at him, and was taken aback by the raw, naked exhilaration on his face.

  “I believe, Mr. Darcy, that should I be unaware, you will make every effort to remind you of how you feel,” she whispered. He smiled, placed a kiss upon her nose, and sighed with contentment.

  “I am pleased to inform you that you are are perfectly correct in your assumptions, Mrs. Darcy,” he murmured to her, and then put all doubts from her mind with a slow, passionate kiss.

  Afterword

  All stories have to come to an end, although despite my good sense in knowing this must be true, I always hate that I just can’t continue the tale forever and ever.

  Or can’t I? Devious Mr. Wickham did not get his satisfaction in seeing Mr. Darcy lose everything he held dear, so perhaps… what is it they say? Plot holes are simply a way of setting up future sequels?

  It is, after all, the prerogative of an author to continue a story she may have previously thought to be completed, so perhaps we will see more of Mr. Wickham in the future. One of the perks of being a self-published author is not having to convince a publishing house that a story ought to be told and will be marketable - it is no small joy to be able to write anything I please and as long as my editor and my beta readers love it, it goes to print.

  My next project, however, is going to be a full-length novel, weighing in at about 75,000 words (for reference, this is just under 20,000, and my first novel, Shadows Upon Netherfield, was around 50,000). It started as a short what-if story, where Mr. Darcy has come to learn that Elizabeth Bennet is engaged to Mr. Collins, and he races off to stop the wedding because he simply Cannot Be Without Her. Unfortunately for me, Mr. Darcy insisted that I not spend 5000 words alone of him interrupting a Collins-Bennet wedding, and took me on a grand journey through 75k words instead. He is quite insistent, our Mr. Darcy, and I am not one to tell him no when he sets is mind upon a thing.

  For now the book is off to the editor to have all my curious little typos fixed as much as possible (for it seems no matter how many times you read a piece, or how many hands it passes through, there is always something that gets missed, like a wrong place name… or worse, ask me about the time I wrote Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy informing Mr. Darcy of his impending fatherhood much to his astonished joy… twice, in the same book, about the same pregnancy… sometimes I could probably do with a little more sleep and a little less writing at 3AM). I hope to have the book out later this month, or early September 2017.

  And just for fun, here is a picture of what the cover will look like:

  I am so very excited, and I hope you will love it as much as I do.

  * * *

  Until we meet again,

  Nora

  Acknowledgments

  As always, to my editor and confidant, Nix, who is so kind and patient with me in correcting my non-American spelling mistakes. While Jane Austen was from Britain, I know most of my readers are in the USA, so I like to make them comfortable with word-spellings they are familiar with… and Nix catches all my extra u’s in everything, so thank you love.

  To Eli, for yet another beautiful cover image. Thank you for your kindness in letting me beg for “just one more revision”, and for indulging me in all my pretty flowers and gorgeous script. Eli has done graphic design for many a rock star and album cover design, as that’s his main gig, so it’s quite amusing to see someone come from grungy metal design to pretty flowers and teacups. I think he does admirably.

  And lastly, but not leastly (is that a word? It is now!), I would like to thank you, dear reader, for your kindness, your enduring love of Jane Austen and her work, and for allowing me to continue spinning tales for you. You tolerate when I have Our Dear Couple break the conventions of the day, and have pushed me into learning ever more about the Regency era as I do so love to research. It is an absolute honor and privilege to write for you, and I hope I never let you down.

  About the Author

  Nora Kipling is an emerging author of Jane Austen variations. She has a fondness for pretty dresses, tea-cakes, and collects vintage linens in her spare time.

  She was named after the most incredible, resourceful, and clever woman she has ever known, whom she misses every day and wishes that Nora-the-elder could see now the young woman Nora-the-younger has become. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too disappointed!

  www.norakipling.com

  [email protected]

  Also by Nora Kipling

  Shadows Upon Netherfield - A full length Novel

  Mr. Darcy has insulted her vanity, but when she needs him most, he will be her salvation.

  Set shortly after Jane falls ill upon going to Netherfield Park, Elizabeth follows and injures herself on the way, only to be rescued by one Mr. Darcy. She stays with her sister at Netherfield where they both convalesce together. While she is there, Elizabeth attracts unwanted attention to one of Netherfield Park’s other residents. Will scandal and gossip ruin her forever? An
d what part will Mr. Darcy play in saving her again?

  This is a sweet, clean romance suitable for all lovers of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

  * * *

  Christmas at Netherfield - A holiday Novella

  What if Elizabeth Bennet had turned down Mister Darcy's second proposal?

  What would have happened if Wickham’s devious nature had been exposed before Lydia had run off with him? Set shortly after Jane’s wedding to Mr. Bingley, Christmas at Netherfield answers these questions and more, such as what might cause dear Mr. Darcy to propose to Elizabeth a third and final time? Would she say yes? A Christmas-time ball, the Bennet family, and lots of ribbons await you in Christmas at Netherfield.

  This is a sweet, clean romance suitable for all lovers of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.