“William.” Georgiana’s voice cut through his brooding as she breezed into the sitting room, shaking rain from her coat. “Please tell me you haven’t been standing there all evening.”
“I’ve been contemplating dinner with the Bennets,” Darcy replied, not moving from the window.
“Ah. That was last night, wasn’t it? That explains the tragic expression.” Georgiana collapsed into the nearest armchair with her usual disregard for its considerable cost. “How did it go? Did they interrogate you? Did you pass inspection?”
Darcy turned from the window, considering the question. “I’m not sure. They’re very warm. Very . . .”
“Lively?” Georgiana asked with a grin.
“That’s a good word for it.”
“Did they grill you about your income?”
“A bit. Her sister Lydia wanted to know if I had a younger brother.”
Georgiana laughed. “Did it throw you? Did you do that ‘on the outside looking in through the window’ thing you revert to when you get nervous?”
“I did.” Darcy frowned. “But it was fine. Elizabeth’s family were kind enough.”
Georgiana studied his face with a penetrating attention that made him distinctly uncomfortable. “But?”
“But nothing. It was a pleasant evening.”
“William.” Georgiana’s voice took on the tone she’d perfected during years of dealing with his more stubborn moments. “You’ve got that expression you wear when you’re trying to solve a complicated financial model. What’s wrong?”
Darcy moved to the sideboard and poured himself a whisky, taking longer than necessary to consider his words. He held up the bottle, and Georgiana made a face and shook her head.
Darcy set the bottle down. “I suppose I’m wondering whether Elizabeth and I are quite as compatible as I’d thought.”
“Because her family asked you inappropriate questions about your income?”
“Because she belongs with them so completely.” The admission came out rawer than he’d intended. The whole family was so vibrant, and he was . . . not. Would she become bored with him? “She was so natural, socomfortable. And I’m—”
“Of course she was. It’s her family.” Georgiana waited, and when he didn’t respond, she asked, “Was Elizabeth upset?”
“No, she didn’t seem to be.”
“Then stop worrying. You were just being careful,” Georgiana said. “You always are when you’re not sure of your ground. It doesn’t mean anything except that you care about making a good impression.”
Darcy sipped his whisky and tried to convince himself she was right. But the image that kept returning to him was Elizabeth laughing at something her father had said, her face bright with genuine delight, unselfconscious in a way that seemed completely foreign to his own experience of family dinners.
He changed the subject before Georgiana could pursue the matter further. “I’m going to ask Elizabeth to come to Pemberley for Christmas Eve.”
“Well, that’s wonderful, but you’ve left it a little late—Christmas is a week and a half away. Can she make it?
“That’s why I have to ask.”
“I hope she’s free. I’m looking forward to spending some time with her.” Georgiana’s expression softened. “Are you nervous?”
“Of course not.” The denial came too quickly, and Georgiana’s raised eyebrow told him she wasn’t remotely convinced. “I just want everything to go well.”
“It will. Pemberley’s beautiful this time of year. And Mrs. Reynolds has been waiting for a chance to meet and spoil her.”
Darcy nodded, though privately he wondered whether Pemberley, with all its elegant formality, might seem rather cold after the cheerful disorder of the Bennet household. Perhaps Elizabeth would find it too grand, too removed from the life she was used to. Perhaps she’d feel as out of place at Pemberley as he’d felt in Hertfordshire. Maybe she’d decide that he, and Pemberley, were just too much to take on.
The thought made his chest tighten with something uncomfortably close to panic.
The Christmas market at Southbank was the type of holiday event Darcy always tried to avoid—throngs of tourists clutching hot chocolate, overpriced stalls selling questionable crafts, and enough fairy lights to illuminate a small city. But watching Elizabeth examine a display of handmade ornaments, he found himself rather charmed by the entire spectacle.
