I recently had the pleasure of connecting with an extremely talented writer. John D. Ayer’s has just recently completed his first Darcy novel and will soon be seeking publication. His writing is elegant, evocative, and sure to tug at your heartstrings and soul. It is with nothing but pleasure that I treat you to a sample of his work…

Mr. Darcy Parries Forth in Love

Darcy thrust forward with his foil, meeting Colonel Fitzwilliam’s outstretching advance properly, defeating Fitzwilliam’s parry before it could enter Darcy’s personal space.   Sweat dripped profusely from his brow underneath the guarded foil helmet that he wore for protection.   Both men were clad in white fencing uniforms that albeit would stop an errant foil gesture, but were additionally extremely hot to toil within.  Advancing his left foot forward, raising it in an exaggerating gesture, Darcy adroitly began moving his foil first to the left, and then deftly underneath Fitzwilliam’s poor defenses.  Striking a point against the chest of his foe, Darcy moved backwards to regroup.   Both of the men breathed deeply as exertion took its toll upon them.  Darcy had always been better at the foil than his cousin, and as such, the points awarded this morning reflected that.   However, Darcy’s mind begrudgingly grasped the fact that his cousin was infinitely improved as their sessions together continued.   The career soldier showed cause to be considered a more formidable foe with every encounter they entered into on the field.   Darcy truly enjoyed having an adversary that was worthy of his own skills to practice upon and inwardly felt joy that his teachings were having an effect on his opponent’s skills.   Thrusting his hand outwards, parrying forward yet again, Darcy’s advance was surprisingly met by a solid, underhand, round-about parry from Fitzwilliam.  Earlier this year, the other man would not have blocked my movement so deftly, Darcy mused to himself.   Backing up slightly and regrouping, Darcy next came in from the left side of his foe, knowing that this was the weaker less-defensible side of his cousin.   The sneaky parry slipped ahead, exaggerated with quick steps of footwork that disconcerted his foe for a moment.    “Oh cousin, keep your eye on my hand, not on my feet,” Darcy intoned to his able minded prey.  “Next I will go to your right side, are you ready for it my dear sir?” Barely had the sentence entered into the air as Darcy’s foil zipped through the space between them, snuggled under the late defense, and scored yet another point.

“It is not enjoyable to be at the losing end of the foil with you sir,” Fitzwilliam began to complain.  Backing up out of reach from his mentor and foil teacher the heavy breathing Colonel spit out, “Not only do I have to suffer the point into my chest, but your verbal abuse as well sir.”  Putting up a hand, causing a break in the proceedings, Fitzwilliam cast back his foil-lined headgear onto the top of his head so as to get additional breath into his lungs.   Darcy retreated as well and followed suit.  Both men drank deeply from the noon-time air.  A smile graced Darcy’s lips as he looked across the field to his down-trodden partner.   The other man was truly dripping in sweat, which made Darcy feel all the more victorious.   Even amidst being up eleven points to three, the beads perspiring on Fitzwilliam’s face were the sweetest part of victory.

“You are getting infinitely better cousin,” Darcy intoned.  “It seems not only is the sharp part of my blade getting through to you, but my continuing instructions are as well,” he chuckled with a haughty smirk upon his face.  “I have enjoyed our outing today to the utmost sir, and I thank you for being a willing participant.”

“Enough,” Fitzwilliam replied.  “You can laud your excessive skills in your own time.  Once I have caught my breath we will see who still has more energy and vitality left, dear older cousin.”   With a smile, Fitzwilliam tugged back down his helmet and brought his foil straight up in front of him at the ‘ready’ stance.   Quickly following suit with a welcoming grin spreading across his face Darcy deftly began stepping back with a flourishing bow.  He enjoyably acknowledged the willingness of his cousin to continue the friendly battle with vigor.

~~~~~

Darcy had sorely needed this vigorous activity this morning.  He had been cooped up indoors far too long.  Six weeks ago he and his bride had returned to Pemberley after the wedding.   The luxurious mornings of late with Elizabeth he would never trade for the world, but he had always been fueled by an inner angst borne of a need for physical activity.  Whereas Darcy and his new bride had certainly been enjoying a loving array of physical activity of late, Darcy’s body was continuously craving the need for a horse back ride or a fencing outing such as this one.  He found his mind was   the moment, and wondering where she was.   His very being missed her, albeit they had only been separated from each other for a few mere hours.

This morning he had awoken to his wife tantalizingly teasing her fingers across his chest.   Heaven on earth could not be described in a more decadent manner.  Still now his body could remember the feel of her fingers trailing along his bare torso.  His thoughts began venturing back to their glorious morning coupling together.   Upon waking fully to her wandering hands, he had begun to smile at his wife. Elizabeth at one point had shifted her eyes from his bare chest up to his face and had caught his loving gaze upon her beautiful visage.  He had enjoyed watching as a blush rose upon her fair countenance, coloring her porcelain skin.   He had felt that her smooth, delicately desirable legs beneath the covers had already become intertwined with his long, muscled ones whilst he had been yet asleep.   He knew that as he slept soundly she could journey her delicate fingers all over his body without him being any the wiser.  Her blushing visage upon his waking suggested to him she had been entertaining exactly that kind of delicate inspection, the little minx.

His response had been as natural as breathing, swiftly rolling on top of his wife.  He had taken her hands in his, interlaced their fingers together and had stretched her arms above her head.   Delicately moving slowly upwards on top of her, he made it known just how he would respond to such intimate inquiries so early in the morning.   Her face had betrayed her as it was flush with desire for him.  He had felt it was his duty as a good husband to fulfill the early morning fantasies she had obviously been entertaining before he awoke.  She had awoken him with her delicate touch and he had responded in a slow and gentle manner.   Her smooth skin brushed against his muscular frame as they moved against one another lovingly.  The morning was filled with sweet, tender love as they truly enjoyed each others nearness.   Never before had Darcy felt such a sense of truly being home.  Rapturously enamored with the unbridled intimacy to be found within one’s own bed, fulfilled with how his life now was, Darcy had rarely found such pleasure indoors.  Joined with his wife for the moment, Darcy luxuriated in the knowledge of just how many numerous mornings such as these were to stretch onwards into infinity. Elizabeth’s gentle moans and shivers had answered backwards to his motions as they loved one another fully, slowly, and delicately.   The mere graze of her porcelain skin upon his manly chest incited him to such heights of pleasure that he had never known with another.  His wife had captured him in true fashion, completing every facet of his mind, body and soul.

~~~~~

With the gardens of Pemberley opening its arms in a welcoming gesture, Elizabeth Darcy strode from the main house, exiting quietly through a tiled portico.  Moving lithely down a set of stairs into their calming embrace, Elizabeth took in a deep breath, surveying the glorious outdoor area set forth below her.  Enjoyably she entered into the gardens from the side door of the ballroom wing and gazed across the luscious greenery set before her.  The vaulted vantage point from which she looked out over the grounds made her pause for a moment as she drank in the splendors of Pemberley.  She then descended down the ancient stone staircase into the labyrinth of gardens.  She had been ensconced at Pemberley for six weeks since her nuptials were blessed and consummated.  Over the past fortnight Elizabeth had finally begun to find herself settling into the massive home.  She had recently started to fully enjoy the grandness of the impressive grounds and landscaping that surrounded the estate as she resumed taking daily walks.  The landscaper, Mr. Clark truly created a whole world for those inclined to walk through the labyrinth of hedges between the main house and the bordering forest. Elizabeth had always enjoyed the out of doors and now she found herself in a perfectly coiffed heaven of plants, bushes and flowers all displayed in a glorious concert of nature for her to pleasure among every day.   Fall was dawning on Pemberley at the moment and Elizabeth was quite certain that she would soon find the season to be her favorite one in which to explore the many lush and wooden landscapes making up the grounds.

Elizabeth viewed her time outside, whether with or without her husband, as a cathartic, healthy time away from the demands that she had undertaken during the past few weeks.  It had taken a fair amount of focus under the tutelage of the infamous house manager Mrs. Reynolds until Elizabeth had begun to fully grasp the routine of her new duties as the Mistress of Pemberley.  It was difficult for Elizabeth to come to grips with as she found herself without a point of comparison to draw upon.  Her early years were simpler, growing up in a more country style, without the massive staff and servants that were to be found at Pemberley.  Many of the duties that she was happily undertaking as the Mistress of the house were almost foreign in nature given her easy-going upbringing.  Her parents and the rest of the Bennet family resided in Meryton at their family estate of Longbourne and only had one servant.  Pemberley had scores of servants, footmen and kitchen staff, all of which fell under the watchful eye of Mrs. Reynolds. Elizabeth knew that the trusted, loyal woman performed her duties wonderfully, but she still wanted to understand the innate structure of the estate.   She had vivaciously risen to the challenge with unbridled enthusiasm when Darcy had inquired if she wanted to undertake the supervision from him.   She felt as if by understanding the functions of the estate it would make her a more successful and well-loved Mistress of Pemberley.

Elizabeth found herself musing upon the set of responsibilities borne by her mother, Mrs. Bennet, realizing that they were so minuscule in comparison to those at Pemberley.  Mrs. Bennet’s nerves were always in a heightened state of disarray for reasons that Elizabeth had never fully understood and had often chuckled about with her sister Jane. Elizabeth now wielded control over an infinitely larger and grander estate than her mother could have ever imagined.  At first it had all seemed entirely too overwhelming as Mrs. Reynolds lay out the myriad of schedules and staff issues that were overseen by her.  She desired and truly wanted to understand more of the inner workings of the home that she now shared responsibility for with her husband.  So, she had simply set her mind towards making sense of it all. Elizabeth had always been proud of her intelligence and fortitude, continually buoyed by her father’s praise, and knew that she was equal to the task.  Mrs. Reynolds, who had run the household in the absence of a Mistress, had been infinitely patient with the new Mrs. Darcy, which Elizabeth appreciated to no end.  Indeed her husband had never pressured her even once as she struggled to assume the duties that she desired to undertake.  He simply wanted her to be happy in her new home, and acquiesced to her desire to learn as much as she could about the domestic workings of the household.  However, Elizabeth felt like it was what she needed to do, so she put her mind to it, and steadfastly plowed ahead with a stubbornness and determination that her father would be proud of.  She was after all, his secretly favorite daughter, not that the affable, sweet Jane had ever minded that knowledge.  She also knew that Mr. Darcy loved her ongoing commitment to any new undertaking and loved that quality of her personality.  He also had an insatiable thirst for learning new things and was always trying to better himself which Elizabeth found to be a deeply endearing quality of his.

Over the past fortnight however, Elizabeth had started to find herself with more and more free time in her daily routine as the supervisory duties began to become easier to perform and manage.  Indeed one day about three mornings ago she had noticed a proud, sly little smile cross the face of her husband.  She had caught him watching her seamlessly directing and helping Mrs. Reynolds deploy the staff on their morning assignments. Elizabeth knew she did not need to be part of the process, as Mrs. Reynolds could easily manage it without her, but she truly enjoyed getting involved with the inner workings of the estate.  And she realized that her quick grasp of the requirements as the Mistress of the household made her husband proud, which made her heart beat a little faster in her chest the morning she saw the smile upon his face.

With a bounty of hours now free in her daily schedule as she became more efficient in what was expected of her, she took to the gardens and resumed her morning walks such as she had enjoyed at Longborne during most of her earlier life.  She had once even walked all the way from Longborne over to Netherfield during the time when her sister Jane had first become enamored with Charles Bingley.  She had always found that walking in the mornings centered her and cleared her mind in such a manner as to make it easier to further enjoy the rest of the day.  Many mornings of late she had not found the time to enjoy a walk through the gardens as she had been luxuriating in bed late into the day with her husband.   Knowing that there was no other activity, including walking, that was a more pleasant way to start her day than relaxing in their bed together, Elizabeth had happily made the sacrifice.  The newly married couple often even missed breakfast as they stayed in their room many mornings together, simply loving one another.   Often they lay in bed cuddled closely for hours as the suns’ rays rose higher and higher outside the large windows set into the expansive walls of their bedroom.  This morning however, Darcy was enjoying an athletic pursuit with his cousin in the courtyard so Elizabeth was able to roam the gardens.   An inner thirst for his presence was building within her though.  Even having been separated for only a few hours, she knew where the ultimate destination of her garden excursion would likely aim her feet.

A smile spread across her face as Elizabeth adjusted her bonnet and moved further into the gardens as it neared late morning.  Even with Darcy’s fencing activities today they had spent a couple short hours earlier luxuriating together before she had gone downstairs to converse with Mrs. Reynolds.  It was truly difficult to pull herself away from his warm body from in between their bedsheets.  Albeit this morning they had not lingered as long together as on some past occurrences given their busy activities  today so she already found herself missing him.  She had woken up early and had lain still and quiet under the sheets not wanting to yet disturb her husband.  She had curled up next to him, and observed his relaxed nature as he slept on further.  She so loved watching him sleep as his chest rose and fell contentedly as she gazed upon his serene face.

Entering the first row of hedges within the garden, this morning’s memory of teasingly running her fingers over his slumbering form began flooding back through her, warming her from within.  At that point the sun had not even begun to break through their windows.  After propping herself up on an elbow underneath the duvet she had found her eyes roaming over every inch of the handsome man lying beside her.  She had slowly reached out to his shape underneath the covers as she watched his chest continue to rise and fall with slow regularity.  He was such a deep sleeper which she had proven often as she knew she could touch him numerous times before he even began to stir.  These sly morning activities of hers were quickly becoming one of her favorite times of the day.  She found that she could not even run her fingers guiltily along his bare chest without a smile spreading across her face.  As he slept onwards deeply unaware, she began twirling her fingers along his cheek, lightly brushing a black curl of his hair off of his forehead.  She felt herself shiver anew at the sight of his handsome face.  One of Darcy’s favorite gestures was similar in nature to this action of hers as he was always running his long fingers along her cheeks, cupping her face in his hands before bending to kiss her.  Continuing onwards, she had begun by tracing her fingertips along his masculine forearms, moving with the lightest touch downwards as she sensuously began intertwining her slender fingers with his strong hands.

Her body began shivering at the image within her mind and brought herself back to the present, focusing on the steps before her leading her slender brown boots further into the garden.

The sun had been in the sky already for many hours today, so the air was not as cool as previous mornings during other relaxing walks that she had undertaken.  Her light yellow dress was adorned with an off-white, lacy bottom fringe that brushed against the high grass bordering the pathway as her feet moved silently along.   She was continually amazed at Mr. Clark’s prowess in the garden.  She had questioned Darcy earlier in the week whether it would be proper etiquette for her to request a small plot off to the side of one of the massive gardens whereupon she could toil in the soil and grow some flowers of her own choosing.   The request was met simply with a smile from her immensely courteous husband, as he had responded that “anything that she wanted would be made available to her.”   She knew that he aimed to please his new bride, and although he may have found the request slightly odd, he would make certain that an area was made available.   Little did he know that she had spent many hours outdoors at Longborne while growing up, in a small little plot of soil that she had cared for tirelessly.  She had grown sunflowers and many other varietals of the local region that were not otherwise showcased in the smaller gardens at her home estate.   Her father had been her only real admirer in her endeavors, wandering about as she bent down in the dirt, commenting that she should put some extra colors here and there.   Elizabeth knew that her love of the outdoors stemmed from her father, but that he joined his daughter in toiling on the small plot of soil simply to escape the indoors where Mrs. Bennet was certain to be involved in one drama or another.  Elizabeth’s father was a happy man, who found pleasure in books, and spent numerous hours ensconced in his study.   Whether to increase his knowledge, to find entertainment, or to avoid the affable Mrs. Bennet, he was sure to be found in his comfortable leather chair with a glass of brandy close at hand at various hours of the day. Elizabeth routinely searched out her father’s company as she knew that he deemed his second daughter the quickest of the Bennet women.

Elizabeth continued onwards with her walk, losing herself in admiration of the gorgeous arraignments of wondrous color that Mr. Clark had bestowed upon the gardens.  She moved further into the beckoning landscape and looked around at new plants that had not previously caught her attentions.  Her feet knew the paths well by now and moved forward of their own accord.  She did not question which fork in the path to take when happening upon a divergence here and there.  She simply ambled forwards, pleased to be outdoors, enjoying nature’s truest form displayed in the wonderland that was now her home.

Lost in her own reverie, moments after she rounded a corner in the hedge maze, Elizabeth startled slightly at the sight of Georgiana who sat on a stone bench positioned into a narrow space off of the path.  Darcy’s sister had quickly become very dear to her, and she already considered herself blessed to have the adorable young lady consider her part of the family.  Georgiana was obviously lost in deep thought, scribbling furiously away upon a leaf of papers and did not hearElizabeth’s approach until she was a few feet from her.   A light blush flushed across Georgiana’s fair skin upon being interrupted in her intent labors.   The young woman attempted to close her leaf of papers judiciously before her sister could see what she was writing. Elizabeth sorely did not want to intrude upon such a private moment, but the damage seemed to have already been done.   Standing before her sister, Elizabeth spoke, “It is a truly glorious day to be out in nature, enjoying the outdoors, is it not Georgiana?”  She watched a sense of calm come over the younger woman as the leaflet of papers went uncommented upon.

“I love spending time in the gardens,” Georgiana responded with a faint blush as a meager smile crossed her face.  “The abundance of nature gives me inspiration, and I feel so at one with myself unlike in no other place.”   Patting the stone bench beside her, motioning for Elizabeth to rest her feet and join her private place, Georgiana beamed with an innocent smile.  Elizabeth felt a strong sense of belonging well up within her as her new sister invited her to share the bench.  It was obvious that Georgiana had been intently pouring words onto the parchment in front of her but was gracious in her upbringing.  Although Elizabeth felt like she was mildly intruding, she smoothed her dress beneath her with her gloved hands and sat down next to the young woman.

Elizabeth’s father had always enjoyed her straight-forward nature, likely in strict contrast to Mrs. Bennet’s dramatic one.  He had always encouraged her to speak her mind as thoughts came upon her.   Whilst remaining proper in the true sense of society of course.  Elizabeth pulled from her inner being as she prompted, “Pray tell can you share with me what you were writing when I intruded upon your private place?”

“It is nothing of importance save for some scribblings that came to mind,” Georgiana responded, as a slight blush flowed across her cheeks and down her neck at the slight inquisition.  “Please do not tell my brother that I am putting words to paper as I know it is not a proper form of expression for a lady.   Albeit one such as me who has not even experienced my proper presentation in society.”  Elizabethreceived this admonishment in due course, her interest piqued even further, but acquiesced with her willingness to honor her new sister’s wishes.

“Pray tell I will not betray our confidences to your brother, as I value your friendship,”Elizabethcontinued, “and sisters are truly allowed to have some secrets you know.” Elizabethknew the veracity of that statement well as during her upbringing, her elder sister Jane had been her only true confidant within the Bennet household.   Their shared musings and experiences were amongst the most cherished remembrances that Elizabeth could conjure up of her earlier years.  However, her inner curiosity would not be delayed as she inquired further.   “Your inner thoughts as you put a quill to paper are safe with me, but pray tell, I admit I am curious as to what manner of prose your writings take on.   Is it a diary in the true sense of the word?  Or is it something deeper if you are putting thoughts into a semblance of prose to portray your feelings and emotions?   I am merely curious as I have no inclination myself to write down any of my musings, although I dare say that I could fill entire books if I did,”Elizabeth chuckled at herself, which she hoped put Georgiana further at ease.

Elizabeth watched as Georgiana sat and looked at her hands atop the leaf of papers in her lap.  An inner struggle appeared to be going on within the young lady as her sister looked on, silently waiting for some glance of the woman that was burgeoning forth and growing older every day before them all. Elizabeth well knew that her husband felt a true sense of caretaker-ship for his younger sister.  He had been thrust into the role of provider and guardian at a young age and although the early years had likely been difficult for him, she knew that he loved his sister more than anyone else.   His compassion for her well-being was truly one of the initial traits that made Elizabeth fall further in love with the man who would later become her husband.  Indeed, the first time that Darcy had professed a desire for Elizabeth to meet his sister Elizabeth had known fully how deeply Darcy’s feelings for her had developed.  She smiled at the memory as she watched Georgiana’s face beneath a light blue bonnet as the younger woman struggled with how much to share of her writings.

Having battled her inner thoughts and seemingly decided upon a thirst to finally share her emotions with someone, Georgiana responded in kind, “My scribblings are prose, as I see the world.  I would desire to publish them, but I truly know that the words are not worthy to be read in proper society.   I write down what I know and see.  And what I feel.   I feel that by getting the words onto paper, I am pouring forth some of my own soul and I know what my brother would feel about that.”  She stopped, looking at Elizabeth for some kind of confirmation that what she was doing was either right or wrong.

Knowing that she was on unsteady ground, Elizabeth read softly forwards.  “I would love to read some of your writings at some point.  Not now of course, but anytime you are ready to have someone else read your musings, I would be honored.  Your secret is safe with me Georgiana.   You should express yourself through writing.  There are a few ladies in proper society who have been published, and once you have been properly presented in society, perhaps you should entertain the notion.”

Georgiana smiled broadly in response to the kind words and leaned over to give her sister a small hug in return for her generous praise.   Before the moment could enter into the realm of awkwardness, Elizabeth stood up from the bench and proclaimed, “I am going to walk on a bit further this morning to clear my head of all the disastrous duties that Mrs. Reynolds has had me undertaking.  My ultimate destination is the side courtyard however, where your brother and Colonel Fitzwilliam are engaging in a friendly sparring session as we speak.  I would so love to view them as they entrench one another in the vigorous pursuit.  Shall I tarry back in this direction before I go and then we can ‘happen’ upon them together?  I would love it if you would accompany me to enjoy in the viewing of the fencing match.”

“Please come and retrieve me,” Georgiana intoned.  “I would love to watch the two of them boisterously working themselves against one another.  I will just finish up my thoughts here and be ready upon your return.”

Elizabeth smiled at her sister and without another word she proceeded down the well-worn path further into the glorious haven that Mr. Clark had created.   Her thoughts  tangented within her mind as she pondered the true nature of Georgiana’s musings upon the paper.   The young woman was immensely thoughtful and insightful and Elizabeth truly knew that her written words would be brilliantly enviable if ever published.  Motivating her husband to see that same conclusion would be a difficult one to overcome, but Elizabeth was already formulating a plan within her mind as her feet continued onwards down the path.

________

Meet the Author

As a gentleman, I truly appreciate and love everything from the regency period of Jane Austen.   Mr. and Mrs. Darcy’s world is one that many of us have journeyed into often, where we may lose ourselves within their story.   It was and is a veritable escape from the harsh realities of current life.   I began reading Jane Austen books back in high school.  I was a voracious reader, but can not say that I gravitated to them on my own.   They were assigned in English class.   I still remember to this day, our teacher telling us what the ‘real meanings’ were in between the words.    Over the past few years I have re-read many of JA’s works.   And have dug into the world of fan-fiction novels with tremendous excitement.  I have probably read at least two and twenty fan-fiction novels in the past three years.

I had written a couple of detective, mystery thriller novels previously.   And then had a blog.   From some of my blog postings, many people in my social networks recommended to me that I should write a Regency period, Darcy-esque novel.    They fully appreciated that side of my small blog musings, and were very encouraging.    The fact that there are really no male-written, Darcy point of view fan-fiction novels out there (aside from a western style novel by Jack Caldweld), it seemed that the genre was open for further input from a man’s point of view.

I have always been a romantic.   Deeply feeling, and have attempted to put myself in the mind of my readers.   In this case, the readers are those who love romantic times, between Darcy and Elizabeth, with a bit of drama and intrigue mixed in.   The true, pure connection between the two characters is something that I could write about for years!!!     Not to mention the intense, romantic scenes which seem to fly from my fingers onto the page with my heart beating rapidly throughout!!!

My very first Darcy novel is close to completion and has been a true labor of love.   I believe that I have held true to the characters and period that Miss Austen held dear to her heart.   It has been my honor to write the story, and I hope that readers will luxuriate in the expressions that I have created.  I escaped into the world of Miss Austen’s characters with pleasure and hope that I have done the period the justice that it deserves.

My dearest hope is that you will join my musings here as I follow Mr. Darcy into the world of Miss Austen’s time period.  As Darcy and I ride on horseback away from Pemberley I am there to catch and attempt to express the feelings within his head as I note him cast a backwards glance full of desire to his beloved Elizabeth.

I dearly hope you will join me, @TWDarcy in conversation.  Perhaps there was a time where you wished to know precisely what was going on within the mind of Mr. Darcy?  Please share your favorite Darcy moments with me and I will inquire with him in hopes of answering your desires…

You can also connect with John and read more of his musings on his website.