“You could.” He did. A few minutes later Elizabeth said, “Still and all, Fitzwilliam, please do not suppose I shall be expecting any further lavish trinkets. I am definitely not the kind of wife who would say, ‘Husband, you are very rich and handsome; now hand-some over.’” Elizabeth ran her fingers up his chest and then into his hair. Whilst gazing into his dark eyes, she whispered, “Husband, you are a very, very handsome barbarian; now lavish me with kisses again.” He performed as requested; and soon after, as they hastily straightened their appearances and rushed down the staircase, Elizabeth light-heartedly admonished, “Fitzwilliam, I am reasonably certain I said lavish me with kisses.”

“Absolutely not, my darling wife; I distinctly heard you say ravish.”

They found their sisters waiting good-naturedly in the music salon; and the four proceeded to the dining room where they feasted on an exemplary roast goose and vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding. While the others made their way to the drawing room, Lizzy dashed upstairs to fetch her gifts for Fitzwilliam, Anna, and Mary.

With Balthasar, Romulus, and Remus settled by his feet, the gentleman insisted he be the first to distribute presents to the ladies. Anna received a lovely cameo brooch as well as a recently published three-volume novel, Sense and Sensibility by A Lady. Mary thanked him for a mother-of-pearl needlework étui with stiletto, bodkin, thimble, scissors, and needle case. Lizzy was presented with ruby earrings to match her necklace, three packages of pretty personalized writing paper so she could keep in touch with her loved ones so far away, and a book on paint and pigmentation, The Paint Ingredient, by Lindsey Doyle.

Elizabeth gifted her husband with a rare 1766 volume of the skillfully-illustrated The Anatomy of the Horse by George Stubbs. “My love, how ever did you acquire this book? I have tried to procure it for years. Thank you. Do you remember how I raved about Stubbs’ artwork when we were at the Royal Academy exhibition? His paintings of horses are positively brilliant.”

“Yes, I did remember. My uncle and Papa searched for that first edition for months. It is advantageous, you know, to have a relation in the import/export trade; and Uncle Gardiner does have many valuable connections.” She next rather bashfully handed him another gift, which she had wrapped in a handkerchief painstakingly embroidered with his family crest.

Darcy admired her needlecraft and quoted Voltaire. “Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.” He untied the ribbon, and a silver pocket watch was revealed. As he turned it over, the light caught the engraving on the reverse, “For my HB ~ with all my love ~ E.” Fitzwilliam smiled uncertainly at his wife and said, “This is an exceptionally fine watch, Lizzy; however, I am alarmingly jealous. My initials are FD. Was this intended for some other man? It cannot be your father since his initials are TB. Does HB, perchance, symbolize husband?”

Anna tittered, thereby raising her brother’s suspicion. “Oooh no! Please do not tell me it represents … what I think it represents. I will not be able to pull this out of my waistcoat pocket. What if someone questions the engraving?”

Lizzy’s eyes sparkled and her sassy smile taunted. “You could always bestow one of your flinty, imperious glares and say HB stands for … um, Huffing Buffoon? Hot-headed Bonehead? Hokey Bloke? Huggable Bugbear? No? Well, you shall simply have to acknowledge it is from your wife to her Handsome Bar … ”

“No! Do not say it aloud.” He glanced at Lizzy’s sister, who was desperately attempting to stifle her giggles. “Mary … you know? You do know! Elizabeth! How could you?”

The three females could no longer suppress their mirth and quickly had the gentleman chuckling as well. Romulus and Remus looked up but saw all was well and rested heads on front paws, exhaled huge sighs of boredom or contentment, and dozed. When the puppy, Balthasar, was unsuccessful in persuading the adult dogs to frolic, he then explored the large room by investigating every nook and cranny.

“Fitzwilliam, my handsome barbarian, there is another component to that gift. Open the watch.”

“No. I am afraid.”

“Oh, for goodness sake! Open it.”

Darcy warily opened the cover of the timepiece and dimples instantaneously bracketed his wide grin. “Lizzy, how beautiful! Who painted this masterpiece?”

“It is neither beautiful nor a masterpiece. Self-portraits are exceedingly difficult to portray, so you may remove that miniature and replace it with a painting of your horse if you prefer.”

“Not on your life! The depiction is beautiful, you are beautiful, and the gift is beautiful. Thank you.” He went to her and placed a quick kiss on her brow.

Elizabeth then gave Anna and Mary the items she had wrapped in embroidered handkerchiefs for them. Her sister-in-law received a miniature of Herr/Fraulein Stewart, the rabbit, and Barb Thorne, the hedgehog; and the lace-trimmed linen was stitched with the initials AD surrounded by butterflies and flowers. Mary’s gift was a hand-painted fan, and her monogrammed handkerchief was sewn with music notes. Those gifts had been lovingly created by Lizzy’s own hand, but she then passed each girl a present purchased in London - a fringed paisley shawl in pastel hues for Anna - and for Mary, sheet music in addition to Sense and Sensibility.

Next, Anna handed out her gifts, which proved to be a calling card holder for her brother, a small pearl brooch for her new sister, and a beaded reticule for Mary.

When it was Miss Bennet’s turn, she gave her brother-in-law a pair of riding gloves Lizzy had helped select; and Anna received a selection of bottled, scented waters from Longbourn’s stillroom. As she handed Elizabeth her gift, Mary giggled and said, “Great minds think alike, Lizzy. Merry Christmas.” The others chuckled when Elizabeth unwrapped Sense and Sensibility.

The four were at ease to spend the remainder of the evening taking turns to read aloud from the ‘lady’s’ story; and Mary said, “Had I written such a superior work of fiction, I would undoubtedly want my name known. I am fond of this lady’s style and hope she pens many more novels in the same vein.” They all agreed the anonymous authoress was, undeniably, exceptionally talented.

Before they retired, hugs and gratitude were exchanged all around; and Elizabeth Darcy was pleased her artistic efforts had been worthwhile and appreciated. Her philosophy was ’Love, like paint, can make things beautiful when you spread it; but it simply dries up when you do not use it.’

As they were leaving the drawing room, Anna exclaimed, “Oh, look! Balthasar has left us a present too!” She beckoned a footman to dispose of the offering, but her brother pooh-poohed the suggestion. He was in an especially charitable disposition; and in view of the fact he was going to check on the horses anyway, Darcy simply scooped up the contribution with a section of newspaper and made his way to the stable. Relieved that the puppy was not in deep doo-doo with its new master, Lizzy summoned a maid to scour the stain; and prior to retiring she ensured the boxes of foodstuff and coin were ready to be distributed to the estate’s staff and tenants the following day.

The three Darcys and Miss Bennet spent the time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve peacefully and in preparation for their open house on December 31st. Elizabeth was surprised to discover a number of her neighbours embraced customs of the Scottish Hogmanay celebration; and the first-footer to cross Northumbrella’s threshold after midnight was the tall, dark-haired Randall Candel. The young man was thrilled to have beaten other revellers to the punch and hoped he would, in reality, be the bringer of good fortune to the household. The Darcys received traditional gifts of coal, whiskey, shortbread, fruitcake, and salt; and, in turn, they provided their guests with an endless supply of food, drink, and revelry. The estate’s festivities carried on well into New Year’s Day, and the merrymakers unabashedly sang Auld Lang Syne until the song was done to a cow’s thumb and the cows came home.

Northumbrella’s new mistress was very well satisfied with her husband, her home, and her neighbours; and her new family, acquaintances, and servants were very well satisfied with her. Elizabeth’s presents and presence cheered the entire household; and Darcy teased her about having a very merry charisma.

Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Fleming had not arrived at Eventide Hall, their estate farther north in Derbyshire, for their wedding night. The newlywed couple enjoyed celebrating with family and friends so thoroughly that they departed Pemberley later than planned. Fleming sent a rider ahead to secure lodging at a reputable cozy inn along the way and to notify his estate’s personnel he and their new mistress would arrive the following afternoon instead.