My deepest gratitude to my agent, Steven Chudney, for believing in this book and delivering it into the hands of Rachel Kahan and Amanda Bergeron at William Morrow. Thank you, Amanda, for your editorial insights and gentle guidance. Thanks also to the behind-the-scenes professionals who had a hand in bringing The Pursuit of Mary Bennet to publication.
Five years ago I joined the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) and began attending the meetings of the Denver/Boulder chapter. The members, with their comprehensive knowledge of all things Austen, rekindled my love of the six novels and greatly enhanced my understanding of Jane Austen and her time.
Among the numerous resources about Austen, I found David M. Shapard’s The Annotated Pride and Prejudice the most essential. So many details, big and small, explained in one handy volume!
Thanks to my husband, Jim, and daughter, Katie, my loyal first readers. Katie in particular helped me find the heart of this story with her sure grasp of character. To my critique group, the Wild Folk, you nourish, encourage, and sustain my writing. I couldn’t do without you.
I often wonder what Jane Austen would make of all the sequels featuring her characters. Perhaps she would say one thing in public, and something entirely different—with a little bite to it—in a letter to her sister Cassandra. Here’s hoping she would be, if not kind in her criticism of my work, at least a bit amused.