I hope you all have had a Merry, Happy set of days! I've been working on this one since I posted the last, and it's pretty long. Hopefully it makes up for my slight delay...we celebrate a little bit of everything including several birthdays, so it's been crazy. Fortunately for all of you...not me, I came down with a terrible cold which kept me from the ski slopes and in our condo writing today. Hope you enjoy...
She was so warm and cosy and could feel gentle lips pressing themselves onto her neck. Could it really be time to wake up? Actually, she couldn't actually remember going to sleep. Allowing one eye to open, she found herself in bed, her jeans had been removed, enmeshed in William's body. 'Well somehow I managed to get here,' she thought as she felt her husband wrapped around her. "Good morning," she whispered.
"You're finally awake. Good morning." William's voice was still gravelly from sleep but Lizzy could certainly feel that the rest of him was wide awake. Rolling over in his arms she found herself face to face with William.
"I should probably brush my teeth and wash my face before this goes any farther," Lizzy gave a quick squeeze to his bum and, having successfully distracted him from kissing her, wriggled herself out of his arms to make her way to the bathroom. A few minutes later she reappeared to find William reclining against the headboard, blanket tucked in around his waist and shirtless, waiting for her to return.
Upon seeing her, William opened his arms, "Come here." She quickly clambered onto the bed and found herself divested of her remaining clothes before he tucked her into his arms again.
"I see we're wasting no time this morning," Lizzy chuckled.
"We haven't made love in days and I need you," William said insistently before resuming his prior efforts to devour her with kisses. He was a man on a mission this morning and Lizzy was ready to follow his lead. She was still amazed at the things he was able to do to her own body; things she hadn't realized could be done. He was so in control, in charge all of the time, and in this space, their bed, was the one space they both were capable of losing a little control. The few times they'd been together in this way, she'd cherished. They were equally open and vulnerable in these moments and she endeavored to meet him in tenderness and passion. Yes, he was passionate, in their bed he showed who he truly was, a man who felt things fully and deeply. He had so much love to give.
They were snuggling in bed when a loud grumbling noise emanated from under the covers. "I guess with all this activity, I shouldn't be surprised that you're hungry this morning," Lizzy teased.
"The things you do to me, Elizabeth," William teased back.
"I'm going to need a few minutes before I'm ready to head downstairs."
"Let me pop downstairs and get a tray together. I'm sure Mrs. Reynolds has breakfast prepared and I can return with a suitable spread shortly."
"That'd be excellent. If you don't mind, I'm going to hop in a shower and will be out in a few." Lizzy placed a quick kiss on his lips and and quickly made her way to the bathroom. She wasn't quite used to walking around without clothes in front of others but was in fact quite anxious for a shower.
"Richard Fitzwilliam for Miss Darcy please." It was only a few days ago when he'd left Georgie here in the midst of a full blown tantrum. He hoped that with a few days to reflect she'd show some remorse for all of the trouble she'd caused.
Ten minutes after first calling for her, Richard watched as Georgiana slowly descended the stairs. "I wondered if my brother was planning to make an appearance but I guess he doesn't need to if he has you to run his errands," Georgie spat when she reached where Richard was sitting.
"And I'm beginning to wonder why I bothered to come at all. As a matter of fact, I think I'll leave now. Spoiled little girls don't warrant this kind of attention and care. I'm almost relieved that my aunt and uncle didn't live to see what their precious little girl has become." Pushing past his cousin, Richard stood straight and tall and walked directly to the door.
Georgie was stunned. Richard was the one who'd always taken her side on anything and he was leaving. She knew what she'd said was wrong, it simply didn't occur to her that he wouldn't laugh it off like he always did. Looking out the window, she could see him walking towards his car.
"Richard, please stop. Richard, I'm sorry. You're right I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking out my feelings on you." Having run out of her dorm and down the stairs she was breathless when she reached him. Slowly he turned around and looked at the young woman in front of him.
"Let me be perfectly clear Georgiana. You are skating on incredibly thin ice. If you can manage to be respectful, I'll stay. But if there is an ounce of attitude, I'm gone. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I... I understand."
"Wonderful. Let's get back inside one of these buildings before you catch a cold." Richard said as he draped his coat over her shoulders. Georgie directed them to the dining hall. She made Richard a cup of coffee, cream no sugar, and poured herself some tea, before joining him at one of the dining tables. The rest of the room was relatively empty.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."
"I can't imagine what your intent was. It would be helpful for you to remember that most members of the family are outraged with your words and actions of the past week. The idea that you'd speak against your brother to anyone outside of our family is untenable. Even more because his decision to marry Elizabeth, someone we all like, was in part motivated to protect you and your inheritance. It's actually baffling," Richard suggested.
"Richard, you've asked me to be respectful. I can't be if you continue on this topic. If my brother truly cared, then why isn't he here? He's judged me for being manipulated? Well I don't see anything different in this situation. No one's convinced me that she's not using my brother just like George used me. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted Caroline, but that's nothing compared to marrying some illegal immigrant. As I see it, she befriended a wealthy American and got lucky when the codicil became known."
Richard looked over at his cousin. Her face earnest, blue eyes imploring him to take her side. He was here today because he'd always been the one she'd open up to. Her honesty and logic wasn't necessarily impressing him this morning however. She was a little too confident of her own viewpoints. "Georgie, I've a few things for you to consider. First, your brother has never taken an ill considered action in his life. And even if this is a mistake, he's almost 28 years old and has had an incredibly tough road these past five years. Since he's met Lizzy he's lighter, happy and actually laughs. I've spent some time with her too you know, as have my parents. She's witty, bright, and kind. I think you're making a big mistake by not giving her a chance." Richard said to his young cousin.
Georgie felt like screaming but knew she needed to try and keep Richard on her side. "We'll see. You all want me to keep my thoughts to myself? That's fine. But you can't command me to be her friend. And I'm still not happy about this marriage but at this point, it's done. I just hope that this doesn't cost William too much."
Sighing, Richard shook his head, "Whatever you say Georgie. As you say, I can't force you to see our way of thinking. I need to head out shortly and am here to give you this phone. It has six number programmed in. You can make or receive a call only from these six numbers. If you're wise, you'd be well served to answer when your brother or my mother call." Standing from the table, Richard squeezed her shoulder and put his coat on. "My dad will be by on Friday to pick you up. You'll be staying with my parents through Christmas Day and then home with Will and Lizzy through your break. Give a call if you want to talk. I'm number 4 on your phone." Richard started to leave when he felt Georgie's hand on his shoulder. Pausing, he turned around and gave her a quick hug. "Good luck this week. I'll see you at Christmas."
"Thanks Richard for taking time for me. I'm lucky to have you." Georgiana said, her voice muffled by his coat.
Richard pulled back, a bit frustrated that she still refused to see the family she had supporting her. He gave her a last hug and headed for his car.
Once back on the road he decided to give William a call.
"Richard. What has you calling me on this beautiful morning? How are you?" William's voice boomed cheerfully over the line.
"Well someone's gettin' some." Richard responded taken aback by the joy in his cousin's voice.
"Really, can't a guy simply be happy to hear from his cousin? Does your mind always need to go straight to the gutter?"
"You've never been this happy to hear from me. How's married life?"
"It's good. Very, very good."
"Like I said, you're definitely gettin' some lovin'," Richard laughed. "I wish my morning had been as pleasant as yours. I'm just leaving Georgie and am heading back to DC."
It took only those simple sentences to bring him crashing back to Earth. "Oh. How'd it go? Has she settled down a bit?"
"A bit, but that stubborn Darcy streak continues to rear it's head. My G-d, she's just so opinionated. If I was like this when I was a teenager, I owe my mom big time."
"I'm not sure we can blame the Darcy line for this level of attitude. And yes, you owe your mom big time. Between you, your brother and me, she had her hands full, not to mention the girls." Becoming serious again, William asked, "So Georgie hasn't let up on Lizzy yet?"
"Nope, and she's pretty upset with you too for not coming to see her yourself." Richard explained.
William moaned, "I should've gone. I knew it! But after everything this past week and finals next week, I just didn't want to take the time away from Lizzy and exams."
"Look Will. Do not beat yourself up. I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't tell you that to make you feel guilty. And you shouldn't. We are a family and you can rely on us sometimes. You need to balance your time. Even more, Georgie's behavior certainly doesn't entitle her to the expectation that you drop everything to fly down to Maryland to give her a phone."
William was quiet, silently beating himself up. "You aren't her guardian. I am. I should've gone down there. It's my responsibility."
Richard was thoughtful before continuing. He understood how his cousin's mind worked and should've expected this reaction. "Will. Georgie may demand many things but it doesn't mean you should give her everything she asks for. Her behavior for the past week has been abominable. She should be thankful you organized a new phone for her and arranged for her to get it. In one week she'll be home and will have almost five weeks with you and the rest of the family. There'll be many opportunities for you two to talk through everything. Right now, focus on your finals and your wife. Georgie's not in any danger. There's no reason for you to give her more attention for her bad behavior. It'll only encourage her."
"I hope you're right Richard. I really do."
"I'm pretty sure I'm right on this one."
"Thanks. I'm grateful for everything you've done this week. I should probably get back to studying anyway."
"Give your beautiful bride a kiss from me." Richard teased.
"I'll kiss her but it'll be from me."
"You do that." Richard rang off hoping Lizzy could keep William from brooding about his spoiled teenage sister. He loved Georgie but really didn't like this 15-year old version.
Lizzy found William, head in hands, staring at the floor. She couldn't imagine what had happened in the 15 minutes since she'd left to get their lunch together. Setting the tray down she got down on the floor in front of William. Placing her hand on his shoulder she quietly called his name. As he looked up gone was the bright smile he'd had plastered on his face all morning. "What's wrong?"
Quickly he pulled her onto his lap, holding her close. After a few minutes of absorbing her love, he finally released her. "Are you ready to tell me now what happened in the time it took me to heat up soup and make sandwiches?"
"Richard called."
"Is everyone ok? Did something happen?" Lizzy asked anxiously.
"Everyone's fine. It's my sister. Richard just left her."
Quietly she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" Lizzy reached up and began to weave her fingers through his hair.
Taking a deep breath, "She's angry that I didn't come down to see her this weekend. I probably should've gone and not left it to Richard to check in on her and give her the phone."
Lizzy wasn't sure what to say and decided to simply sit and wait for him to continue. She was in no position to have an opinion, especially given that she was the reason things were such a mess with Georgie.
"I simply didn't want to go. I felt so betrayed that the last thing I wanted to do was disrupt my plans, our plans, to fly down to Maryland to hear her latest complaints."
"What did Richard say? Does he think you should go down to see her?" Lizzy asked gently.
"No. He doesn't. Richard basically said she's acting badly. She's not hurt or in danger and that nothing will change in one week." William shrugged his shoulders. He knew his cousin was probably right but guilt ruled his mind when it came to Georgiana. It seemed that nothing he did was ever enough to keep Georgie safe and happy.
Lizzy continued to run her fingers through William's hair as she pondered the best possible response. She thought about the situation from his point of view. He was serving as Georgie's substitute father. Perhaps that was a way to help. Tentatively she asked, "How do you think your father would've reacted to Georgie in this situation?"
William had to pause. He hadn't really thought about how his dad treated him when he was a teenager and acting out. Maybe that's because he never would've dared to. George Darcy would've had none of it. If he couldn't treat his father and really, all of his elders with respect, then he would have been thoroughly punished, stripped of all privileges and ignored until he started behaving as a Darcy should. Reaching over he placed a kiss on Lizzy's forehead. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I think I need to call my sister. She needs to understand how things will work between us if she expects me to respect her opinions."
"I'll be here for you when your done." Lizzy returned and watched as her husband strode from the room, cell phone in hand. It wasn't entirely clear to her what she'd done to be thanked for but he seemed to be in a better, or more determined, frame of mind. She looked over at the soup and sandwich she'd prepared, thoroughly untouched. Picking up the two bowls of soup she brought them back to the kitchen. Pouring the soup back into the pot, she thought about her own papa. Her youngest sisters were certainly irreverent and he could barely be bothered. That said, she didn't think his style of parenting was the model she would go for.
"Was there a problem with the soup Elizabeth?" Mrs. Reynolds voice from the corner of the kitchen startled Lizzy from her contemplations.
"Oh no. William needed to call his sister and I didn't want the soup to get cold so I am simply re-warming it. I'm sure it's delicious."
With warmth and no shortage of curiosity, Mrs. Reynolds offered, "Well then, why don't you sit and keep me company while their speaking. You can eat your sandwich and we can get to know one another a little better." She'd been dying to get some one-on-one time with the young woman who'd transformed her little boy. She was thrilled to see William smiling again. It had been years since he'd been so happy. William always displayed good judgment but she needed to see for herself that that the young woman he'd given his heart to wouldn't turn around and take all that happiness away.
William settled himself into his office. It had been his father's office before him and he thought this conversation might require the strength of his father's memory to give him strength. There were few places that reminded him as much of his father as this room. He'd modified it a bit over the past four years, adding in a few more pictures, removing the old desktop computer his father had and replacing it with a sleek 27" iMac and wireless sound system, but for the most part, the room was unchanged.
Settling into his father's chair, now his, he pulled out his phone and pressed the picture of Georgie under favorites.
"Hello?"
"Georgiana, it's William."
"Nice of you to call. I wasn't sure if you still remembered you had a sister," she quipped.
Well at least he had no doubt as to the direction of this conversation. "Do you really want to antagonize me?" he asked.
"I like to think of it as honesty," she retorted.
"I see. A very wise person asked me what dad would be thinking and doing in my place. It led me to some important conclusions. If you're smart, you'll listen to what I have to say and do some reflecting before we see one another in one week."
"Oh, I've been reflecting. I've reflected on how everyone seems to care more about some 20-year old immigrant than they do about their own flesh and blood. Where's the Fitzwilliam-Darcy family loyalty huh?"
He wanted to scream but focusing on a picture of his loving parents, he took a deep breath before continuing, "I don't think my loyalty to family is the one being questioned. Georgiana, loyalty demands honesty. And despite your claims at the outset of this call, you haven't been honest with me. I must assume that your criticisms of Elizabeth come from love of me, and not out of jealousy or spite. Assuming the appropriate motive, if you had thoughts about Elizabeth, the only person to convey those thoughts to is me: not your friends and certainly not Caroline Bingley. If our father had been alive, he would've been horrified by your lack of loyalty. It's certainly not what's expected of a Darcy. Our traditions are one of hard work, loyalty, honesty, and caring. My wife Elizabeth has those attributes in spades. If you took the time to know her, you might understand that."
"Yea, like I've had so much time to get to know her. You sprang a wife and a wedding on me a week ago. What do you expect? You don't care what I think. Why should I bother?" Georgie fought back.
All attempts at calm were gone. Without thinking, he plunged forward. "Why should you bother? Did you really just ask me that? You should bother to have some level of trust in me. I expect some amount of respect and love in return for all I've tried to do for you. Lord knows I've made mistakes, but I've tried my damnedest to do everything I could to help you when things have gone wrong and to help things go right. I know mom and dad would've done a better job, but they're not here and I can't change that. I can certainly arrange for Aunt Cathy to be your guardian. She's up for the job."
"Oh so now we're down to threats. That's mature." Georgie flung back.
He'd let this conversation get out of control. He needed to get off the phone in a calm manner that wouldn't make things worse. "Obviously, we have a lot to talk through. It's not going to be resolved today. It might not be resolved next week either, but we aren't doing ourselves any favors with this conversation. Let's end this now before we say other things we may regret."
"Fine!" she retorted.
William paused, then calmly began, "I love you Georgie. I love Elizabeth too. You hurt me this week. If you're angry, take it out on me, but don't defame or hurt someone I love to another. I will see you on Friday night."
"Good bye." Georgiana huffed before ending the call.
William needed to find Elizabeth. He knew he should've handled that conversation better. Georgie had seemingly mastered the art of pushing his buttons. It wasn't too hard to find Lizzy. The sounds of her laughter led him to the kitchen where she and Mrs. Reynolds were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their cheeks. Finding her laughing with the woman who'd cared for him all these years, calmed him.
"Can I hope that this laughter is not at my expense?"
Catching her breath, Lizzy looked up at her husband, "Oh William, Mrs. Reynolds has the best stories of your childhood. I loved the one of the fly that had been driving your mother crazy and you raced to the rescue singing, 'shoo fly don't bother me, shoo fly don't bother me...' How old were you?"
William's cheeks turned a bit pink, "I have no recollection."
"He couldn't have been more than three or four. William you truly were the most precious child. Now you must be starving. I'll pour you both out some soup, and William can start on his sandwich."
"I can pour it out Mrs. Reynolds. All those years growing up in a restaurant, gave me a few skills."
"It's Maggie, dear. My children call me Maggie and you're one of my children now. Let me take care of you. That's what I'm here for anyway." Mrs. Reynolds busied herself stirring the soup and ladling it out for them. William looked over to Lizzy, impressed she'd won over his lifelong housekeeper and nanny so quickly. Of course, everyone seemed to love Lizzy, except the one person who mattered most, his sister. He couldn't think about that right now. Today he was going to enjoy the happiness in his kitchen. It was exactly the balm he needed after the horrible phone call he'd just completed.
"What are your plans this afternoon and evening children?" Mrs. Reynolds asked as she placed the soup down in front of them.
"I have a bit more work to do this afternoon so thought maybe we'd work for awhile and then head into Lambton to walk around and have dinner at the Inn. What do you think Lizzy?"
"I'm game for whatever. I haven't had much opportunity to see the town so that sounds lovely."
"You two eat up and I'll call the inn for reservations. You deserve a quiet night out together. And don't worry about driving. Mr. Reynolds will drive you so you can enjoy a nice bottle of wine together." Maggie Reynolds said as she busied herself around the kitchen.
Lizzy was about to protest when she caught William's eyes. They seemed to indicate that she say nothing so she closed her mouth and focused on her soup. A few minutes later, Mrs. Reynolds left for her house, with instructions to leave the dishes where they were. Once they saw Maggie on the path towards her cottage, Lizzy started to laugh. "What was that all about? Poor Mr. Reynolds, being consigned to driving us around tonight. They must have a very interesting relationship."
William laughed, "You don't know the half of it. For the years when Georgie lived with me in Cambridge, before she left for school, Mrs. Reynolds would spend all week in Boston. She said it was better for their marriage for her to be away during the week when Mr. Reynolds could putter around and sleep when he wanted without her getting annoyed. But I figure, if it works for them, don't interfere."
"I guess so. Tell me about the call with your sister. Are you feeling any better?"
"To be honest? No. Not really, although perhaps a little less guilty. She's really being difficult and by speaking to her I realized that we're only going to resolve this when we're both stuck dealing with one another day in and day out. If I flew down there, we'd likely just argue and then I'd get on a plane and leave, with nothing resolved. I guess we'll deal with it when she gets home."
Reaching out to hold his hand, Lizzy offered, "I'm sorry, William. Truly I am."
He squeezed her hand, "You've got nothing to be sorry for. You've helped me, more than you can know. Georgie and I will work this out. There really is no other option."
"Ok. Then let's finish studying so we can take that trip to town. I'm looking forward to getting some fresh air." She said as she squeezed his hand in return.
It was 4:30 before they emerged from their home, Mr. Reynolds waiting in the Escalade to escort the pair to town. "Arthur, thanks so much for driving us."
"It's no trouble William, you know that. Maggie's been itchin' for me to get to the store all day so's she can make her blackberry-ginger-peach scones tomorrow morning. This gave me an excuse to put it off until tonight at any rate. Jus' send me a message when you order dessert so I knows when to come get ya."
Lizzy peered out the windows looking for the first signs of civilization. It was closer than she'd thought and in less than ten minutes they'd were driving down Main Street, white lights wrapped around antique looking lamp poles, and a tall, decorated pine gracing the town square. On one side of the square sat a beautiful white church, fully decorated in pine boughs, white lights and two large wreaths with red velvet bows on each the double doors. On the left side of the square sat the Lambton Inn. Arthur Reynolds pulled up in front of the Inn to drop them off. He'd see them back there in a few hours. The Inn was set back on a large piece of property, white columns dominating the front. A large bonfire had been built up out front on the lawn and several lawn chairs were encircling the fire. The chairs were full of people enjoying the warmth of the fire for a few minutes before moving on. "What a beautiful Inn. It's positively charming." Lizzy enthused.
"It's built up quite a reputation in New England and the food is excellent. First, let's visit a few of the shops so we can get you properly outfitted for winter activities." William said as he pulled her along.
"I should've know you had an ulterior motive for getting me to town. You know I'm sure I can find what I need online. It'll likely be less expensive that way."
"I always try to shop in town when I can. It supports the local economy and helps to maintain the small town atmosphere. I may spend a few extra dollars but I care about this town's survival too so we try to do what we can." William instructed.
"That's very noble of you. I'll try to remember that it's all in the name of the locals as we spend your money." Lizzy teased.
"You do that," and he placed a kiss on her nose.
Walking across the town square, William veered to the right towards an outfitters store. It was packed with supplies for all manner of winter activity from ice fishing and deer hunting for the sportsmen, to cross-country and down hill skiing, to ice-skating and snow shoeing. Lizzy spotted her snow shoes on the wall amongst a range of options. The array of options was dizzying and she was glad William was with her. She was busy examining the various ice skate options when she heard someone approaching.
"If it isn't William Darcy! Good to see you boy. Who do you have here with you?"
"Mr. Nash, It's nice see you. This is my new wife Elizabeth Darcy. We're here to get her outfitted for all manner of winter sports."
"I'd heard you'd gotten married but didn't believe it. I guess I've been proven wrong and what a beautiful girl you've chosen. We've been outfitting the Darcy family since William's parents first built their home. We're glad to be of service. If you need anything at all, we're always here to help."
"Thank you sir. It's nice to meet you. I've got lots of opinions on ice skates, and I've spotted the snow shoes William bought me on that wall over there but beyond that I'll take any advice you're willing to give."
She found herself directed over to a wall where her weight, height and shoe measurements were taken, all the while William and Mr. Nash kept up a steady conversation. She'd rarely seen William so amiable and yet that was the best word to describe his manner.
"How's Mrs. Nash? I spoke with Andrew when I purchased Lizzy's snow shoes. I can't believe he's actually working in the store now. I remember when he was born but I guess he's two years older than Georgie so it makes sense."
"Mrs. Nash is doing great. I think she's enjoyed having Andrew in the store. It's given her a little freedom although that'll be gone next year when he goes away to college. But then Jack will be almost old enough to start working here and Alexa will be right behind him. Now tell me Mrs. Darcy, what winter sports do you like and what experiences have you had."
Lizzy wasn't expecting the sudden turn in conversation and focus on her. "Oh, well, um, I've really only ice skated. Growing up in Boston I started skating when I was 4. I played ice hockey until I was 12 when, well, I stopped when I was 12, but I love to skate."
"So beginner on skis, both cross-country and downhill, ice hockey skates, and you're all set on snow shoes. Does that sound right?"
"That's perfect. The pond isn't quite frozen through yet but hopefully by Christmas it'll be. There's enough snow for cross-country skiing tomorrow though. I'd like to get out there for a few hours before we head back to Boston."
Mr. Nash disappeared into the storeroom and Lizzy looked up to William. "So where did this friendly, outgoing and amiable person come from?"
"What are you talking about?" William asked, his brow wrinkled.
"You're usually so quiet and reserved and here, you're chatting up the store owner. I've just never seen you like this before."
"I don't know. I've known the Nash's my whole life. It'd seem strange to not talk to them. This town is pretty small. I know most of the local businesspeople in town."
It didn't take long until Lizzy was fitted with skis, boots, skates and the rest of the hardware she'd need for cold weather activities. "Arthur's picking us up after dinner at the Inn. He can probably fit most of this in the truck. We won't need the skates or downhill skis until next weekend at the earliest. Do you think you can get the cross country equipment ready by the time Arthur comes to get us?"
"That won't be a problem. I'll have the rest delivered to the house when it's ready."
"Thanks so much. Merry Christmas and send our best to the family." William added before guiding Lizzy out of the store.
The scene was similarly repeated two doors down where Lizzy was outfitted with a ski jacket, snow pants, additional thermals, fleece outerwear, a helmet, googles, ski mittens, wool socks and two balaclavas, all color coordinated with her silver and black boots. The proprietor, Mrs. King had also known William all her life, and apparently, William knew all about her husband's stroke and his difficult recovery. Before leaving, they'd promised to come by and visit over the Christmas holidays to check in on him.
They had one more stop to make before heading to the Inn for dinner. Opening the door to a small gift shop, the clanging bell brought a middle-aged man out from the back. "William, well I'll be. It's great to see you. Harriet will be so disappointed she missed you."
"Mr. Simpson, it's a surprise to see you here behind the counter. Where's Mrs. Simpson?"
"Oh she caught a cold. Probably from our granddaughter when she stayed with us last weekend. Anyways, I told her to stay home and rest and I offered to watch the store for her."
"I hope she feels better. Allow me to introduce you to my new wife Elizabeth. We came by to pick out our ornaments and to choose one for Georgiana. Do you think Mrs. Simpson will be back next weekend when we come to get them?"
"I'm sure she will be. Let me go and get the notebook with your list and I'll be right back." A few moments later, Mr. Simpson returned with a well-worn spiral bound notebook. The notebook had alphabetical tabs attached to the pages and he quickly turned to a page with Darcy emblazoned across the top. Along the left side were years and across the top were the names of each of the Darcys. They watched as Mr. Simpson wrote Elizabeth's name next to Georgiana's to create a new column and then added 2013 under the list of dates. All right then, you go and pick out your ornaments. You might want to review what your sister has gotten over the years so you don't duplicate any of them. Our newest ornaments are on the wall. Lizzy scanned the meticulous record, 'reindeer, sleigh, ball, angel, tree,' the list documented what type of ornament was purchased each year for each person. There were no repeats in anyone's list although there were overlapping items between the lists. She followed William over to the wall and saw several silver and brass ornaments hanging on pegs, all different shapes and sizes, waiting to be engraved with a name and year.
"Do you see one you like Lizzy?"
"They're all so beautiful. What a wonderful tradition. I'm not sure what to pick."
"Why don't you pick one for me and I'll pick one for you." William suggested.
"I like that idea. I'm going to need that notebook though. You have 27 or so already. I want to make sure they're aren't any duplicates," she said with a smile.
William quickly picked out one for Lizzy, which was to be a surprise until Christmas Eve when they'd unwrap them and place them on the tree. He chose a snowflake for Georgiana, which she'd also get on December 24th. It was pretty and delicate and unlike any other ornament she had. Lizzy studied William's list and examined the wall. At the end, she chose a Santa. William was so generous to everyone around him but often did it so quietly that no one knew what he was up to. It seemed apropos, and he hadn't received one yet. William agreed to wait outside while she brought the ornament to the counter. Once this errand was complete, they made their way around the block and strolled towards the Inn, hand in hand.
So? What did you think of Georgie and William's reaction? Did you enjoy the D&E time together? Thoughts? reactions? Disappointments? I wanna hear em...