"I've found myself wishing a time or two that I could have Wil at one of my family's events. The presence of him and Audrey would have brightened up my engagement party considerably." He paused then, realizing that he could indeed have Audrey at such events in the future, but she would doubtless be considerably less fun than usual. "I would have liked to see that," he finished, and then turned his attention back to the wrapped parcel.
"I am going to open it," he said, and propriety be damned. He was more often the one giving presents rather than receiving them, and he wanted to see what she'd brought back for him from Ordalia. Besides, he assumed Ari wouldn't mind a lapse in manners.
He unwrapped the paper and removed it from what he discovered to be a book of Ordalian lullabies: precisely what he'd requested. The maid materialized just then with their tea, and Altair passed the brown paper off to her to be disposed of. Gingerly, he flipped through the pages until he came to one lullaby in particular. The words were familiar, and the tune was indeed the one that echoed in his memory.
Closing the book, he set it aside before meeting Ari's eyes across the table. "Thank you," he said. "This is ... quite nice."