Goodness gracious! Time does fly. It’s only been six months since the launch of The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy, and here I am ready to celebrate the unveiling of A Wife for Mr. Darcy with my fellow Austen lovers!

A Wife for Mr. Darcy is a “what if.”  What if Mr. Darcy went to Longbourn the day after the assembly to apologize to Lizzy for his rude comment, and rather than demurely accepting his apology, she teases him about it? (Below is an abbreviated version of the scene.)

“Mr. Darcy, I understand you wish to speak to me,” Lizzy said.

“Yes, I do, and I thank you for receiving me.” After declining an offer of tea, he began. “Miss Elizabeth, at the assembly, you overhead a remark I made in which I stated that I chose not to dance with you because you were merely tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me. Even if the statement had been true, it was incredibly rude to have uttered it, and I have come to apologize.”

“Your apology is accepted, Mr. Darcy, and I appreciate that you took the trouble to tell me in person that I am more than tolerable,” Lizzy said, half laughing at his clumsy effort to repair any damage resulting from his comment.

Darcy winced at her response. “I can assure you that I find you to be much more than tolerable, Miss Elizabeth. You are a very handsome woman, and I might have had an opportunity to express such a sentiment if I had sought an introduction. However, I do not have the talent of conversing easily with those whom I have never seen before, and I find I have little patience for the type of discourse one hears at these dances.”

“What type of discourse is that, Mr. Darcy?”

“The usual banter about weather and roads and other such things that are of little interest to me.” Leaning forward in his chair, he continued, “Whether it be Meryton or London, I hear the same conversations. A lady will comment on the number of couples in attendance at a dance, and the gentleman will respond by mentioning the size of the ballroom. And what, pray tell, do we learn from that exchange? One party is good with measurements, and the other can count.”

Now Lizzy laughed openly. “Sir, you mistake the purpose of such an exchange. It is certainly not about the dimensions of the room or the number of couples. The parties are merely trying to sketch each other’s character so that they might discover if this is a person they would like to get to know better.”

“But you are an intelligent woman. Do you not find the whole exercise to be tedious?”

“No, I do not, and may I add that you puzzle me. You tell me you are uncomfortable conversing with those with whom you are not acquainted, but then you complain about a lack of conversation. This puts me in mind of a gentleman I met at a card party. He said that he did not like the food and then grumbled that there was not enough of it.”

“I realize that is a contradiction,” he said, crossing and uncrossing his legs, indicating his discomfort.

“It is indeed. I take it that what you really want to do is to begin in the middle. Somehow, without benefit of introductions or the casual conversation that follows, you may come to know your party well enough to discuss weightier matters in a more intimate venue.”

Darcy nodded his head in understanding. “Do you think it is possible to overcome a bad first impression?”

“Most definitely. A more satisfactory performance will replace the previous image, and it would reflect well on you in that you recognized where you fell short and…”

“…and that I was willing to make corrections,” Darcy said, finishing her sentence. At that point he stood up. “The Bingleys and I have been invited to dine at the home of Sir William Lucas. Will you be there, Miss Elizabeth?”

“Most definitely. Charlotte Lucas is my dearest friend.”

“Then I shall look forward to having a conversation with you on a topic somewhere between the number of couples in the room and the wars on the Continent.”

After watching the gentleman ride down the lane, Jane asked her sister, “What are we to think about Mr. Darcy?”

Lizzy shook her head, confused by the whole visit. But some things were clearer. Mr. Darcy was more handsome than she had remembered and had eyes that were more green than gray, attractive legs, and a voice that was very pleasing to the ear, especially when he used it to say that she was handsome and intelligent. Because of these things, she found that her determination never to think well of him was faltering and that might not be a bad thing at all.

From that brief interchange, Darcy finds that he is smitten with Elizabeth. But there are complications—there are always complications—or it would make for a very short story. Darcy has been paying sufficient attention to a woman in London, Letitia Montford, so that there are “expectations” of an engagement. What is Darcy to do? I hope you will want to read my novel to find out.

In celebration of my launch, I am giving away one copy of A Wife for Mr. Darcy. All you have to do is answer the question: If you could have a conversation with any of Austen’s characters, who would it be? I would love to sit down with Jane Fairfax from Emma and ask what she sees in Frank Churchill (other than not having to be a governess).

Here are the rules: (1) Comment by July 12, 2011 and (2) leave your e-mail address–this is a must. That’s it. For additional opportunities to win a copy of A Wife for Mr. Darcy, please visit my blog: http://marysimonsenfanfiction.blogspot.com and click on the blog schedule in the sidebar. The winner will be announced July 13^th. This giveaway is open to everyone.