Book 1 of 2 Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, recently returned from the battlefields of Spain, calls on his cousin Darcy to help him fulfill a troublesome debt of honor. In her husband's absence, Elizabeth is faced with an influenza outbreak at Pemberley, and she must make a dangerous decision to keep everyone alive.

Elizabeth Darcy has given her husband the very best of news. He should have known not to rely on it. In the aftermath of an influenza epidemic, Darcy is thrilled to learn that Elizabeth is carrying their first child. But as the months wear on, she becomes increasingly unwell, and he worries that she might not be strong enough to survive the birth. Elizabeth is weary of being ill, and even wearier of being coddled by her overprotective husband. She’s determined to host a family party to help them forget about their worries for a time. When the enigmatic Hawke sisters arrive along with the Fitzwilliams, however, trouble follows in their wake. Of course, Colonel Fitzwilliam is still single, and he’s always been rather fond of trouble. As everyone converges on Pemberley, the gathering might solve everyone’s problems—or end in disaster. Courage Requires follows the events of Courage Rises in this novel of 90,000 words.