J. Marie Croft is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (Canada) and admits to being ‘excessively attentive’ to the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.

She can be contacted at jmariecroft@gmail.com.

Acknowledgements

Family, friends, and colleagues deserve heartfelt thanks for various reasons. From the onset, Dennis, Heather, and Jessica provided much-need support and encouragement. When my family rolled eyes, shook heads, and uttered groans, they were just being helpful … right?

Readers at two Jane Austen fan-fiction websites (Derbyshire Writers Guild and A Happy Assembly) provided invaluable feedback; and although too numerous to name, those on-line friends were ultimately responsible (i.e. to blame) for this book. Author Emma Hox (Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker) started the ball rolling, and it came to rest across the continent at Rhemalda Publishing. That company’s President, Rhett Hoffmeister, merits an ENORMOUS THANK YOU for going above and beyond the call of duty. I’d also like to put in a good word for Rhemalda’s Editor, Kara Klotz, who put in a good word or two (or umpteen) for me and deleted those that were … not so good.

Gregory Watters has my unending gratitude for inspiration as well as for tea caddies, toddy lifters, and Regency glass. Sincere appreciation goes to Elise Besler-Harnish for enthusiasm and assistance, to Lola Doucet for advice, and to Glane Gorveatt for patience.

Finally, Mary Simonsen (author of The Second Date, Searching for Pemberley, and Anne Elliot, A New Beginning) gets a long-distance hug for being such a dear, generous, obliging lady. Thank you all, so very much, for being there for me while I took the plunge.

~ J. Marie Croft ~