“Small ones. We work on that together. They also receive bonuses, of course. They all work so hard to help us maintain the house and grounds. Even if we were both here full time, it wouldn’t be possible for us to do it on our own. But Mrs. Reynolds is family, though we’ve never been able to get her to join us up here for the present exchange. William will want to give her our present personally.” She leaned in. “We’re giving her and her sister a cruise to the Mediterranean in January. The cold and damp are more difficult for them now that they’re getting older.”
Elizabeth smiled to herself. Next year she meant to send her parents on a cruise for their anniversary. Jane could contribute if she insisted, but Elizabeth intended to have all her sisters sign the card regardless. She’d never had the means before, and now that she did, she found herself in complete agreement with the Darcys. One of the real pleasures of having money lay in being able to spoil the people you loved.
Georgiana was still speaking. “He spent weeks trying to figure out the cruise they’d like best. It’s how he shows he cares, you know—by thinking everything through seventeen times to make sure he gets it right. It must be exhausting, being inside his head.”
Elizabeth had noticed that habit too. She took out another box of the truffles. “I brought three, one for you, one for Mrs. Reynolds, and one for me,” she said with a grin.
Georgiana took one. “How’s the writing going? William said you were having a little trouble at the end of your latest book?”
“I’m nearly there. Just waiting for the click.”
“I think I would go mad waiting for the answer to form. I need to have a to-do list and check it off.” Georgiana spoke around little bites of the truffle. She closed her eyes and moaned a little.
“Right?” Elizabeth asked with a grin. “Best truffles ever.”
“Wonderful pressie,” Georgiana agreed. “What did William give you?”
Elizabeth paused. “Noise-cancelling headphones.” She took a large bite of her own truffle.
Yes. Still luxurious.
“Did he? How practical.”
There was something in Georgiana’s tone that made Elizabeth look up sharply. “You don’t sound surprised.”
Georgiana sighed. “Well, he did spend rather a lot of time last week explaining how modern technology could solve acoustic problems in older buildings. I assumed he was researching something for Pemberley, but now I suppose he was researching something for you.”
Elizabeth felt her cheeks warm. “Right. Because I mentioned having trouble concentrating with all the noise in my flat.”
“And naturally, William heard ‘problem’ and immediately began researching ‘solution,’” Georgiana's smile was wry. “That’s very much a man, isn’t it? See issue, fix issue, present solution with quiet pride in own efficiency.”
Elizabeth smiled at the mixture of affection and gentle exasperation in Georgiana’s voice. It was very much what she had thought. “Is that what he did with the headphones, do you think? Saw a problem and fixed it?”
“Oh, definitely,” Georgiana said. “That’s how William shows he cares about people. He listens to everything you say, files it all away, and then spends ages working out how to make your life better.” She shook her head. “And while he shines at Christmas, he buys little things for people all year long.”
Elizabeth found herself thinking of all the small considerations she’d noticed over the past weeks: the way he’d rearranged his morning routine to walk with her and Waffles, how he stocked the coffee beans she liked, how he’d somehow known which books she’d enjoy from his collection. Had those been expressions of feeling she’d been too focused on grand gestures to recognize?
She just wasn’t sure.
Georgiana took a tiny bite of her truffle and licked her lips. “William’s always been like this. When I was small and upset about something at school, he never just told me it would be fine. He’d spend his entire weekend contemplating the issue and then would present me with a comprehensive solution. Drive to the school to speak with teachers, buy me books about handling difficult situations, even hire tutors if he thought that would help. It used to drive me mad sometimes. I just wanted him to hug me and tell me everything would be all right.”
“And did he? Hug you, I mean?”
“Eventually I learned to ask for that specifically.” Georgiana laughed. “Once I worked out how to translate my wishes into William-speak, things got much easier between us. When he starts researching solutions to your problems, that’s him saying ‘I love you and I want to take care of you’ in the only language he trusts.” She finished the truffle. “Ask my therapist how I know.”
Elizabeth felt . . . well, not quite relief, but a loosening of the knot of uncertainty she’d been carrying. “So, the headphones . . .”
“Are him paying attention to something that bothers you and spending considerable time and thought working out how to fix it,” Georgiana said. “Trust me, William doesn’t research acoustic solutions for people he’s indifferent about.”
Darcy came back into the room then with a tray of their mince pies and mulled wine.
Elizabeth stood to help him set things on the table and then ladled the warming wine into mugs. She breathed in the rich scents of cinnamon and orange peel. “This smells Christmas-y.”
“Much better than our pastry efforts.” Georgiana eyed their lopsided mince pies.
“That’s an understatement.” Elizabeth took a sip of the mulled wine.
“The kitchen smells incredible,” Darcy said with a grin. “But Maggie very kindly gave me the rest of our mince pies to eat. I think they were bothering her.”
