First Impressions: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Adaptation

Chapter 16.1

The time around Christmas had been difficult for the Darcy siblings for a long time. It had seemed a magnet for misfortune and terrible events ever since their mother, the late Lady Anne Darcy, had passed the day before Christmas Eve closing in on two decades previous. And even when some calamity did not occur, the gloom of the past seemed to linger in the air, turning a cheery holiday into a dark, anxious one.

As Fitzwilliam Darcy drove north, he did his best not to dwell on the particular misery of the previous Christmas. At least this time he knew exactly who would be in Georgia's apartment when he arrived in New York. He thrummed the fingers of his left hand against the top of the steering wheel, waiting for the light to turn green.

From the town of Pemberley, Maryland to New York City was an optimistic three-and-a-half-hour drive, usually closer to four. He didn't mind the time alone; it gave him time to clear his head.

Or would have, normally. But he had been spending an even greater amount of time than usual alone for the last four months and it was beginning to wear on even his solitary heart. All he had had time to do was think. He could tell his writing was suffering. It took him longer to fill a page and half the time the words were unusable in the end. Somehow, when Bingley had been in law school, they had had more time together. But with Bingley working and Georgie back at NYU... He could feel the press of the silence at times, close and cloying.

He knew his agent would be on him after the winter holidays, but he did his best to ignore the inevitable. Luckily, he had bought himself almost the whole month of January off already. The thought of just a little more time cheered him better than any thought he had had all day, except for seeing Georgie, and his mood was significantly brighter as he passed into the Holland Tunnel.

When he stopped at a traffic light, Darcy double checked the address. After Georgie left school abruptly at the end of the previous fall semester, Darcy let her lease run out, told her he would help her find a new building. When she moved, he insisted she find a building with a doorman. Although he hadn't really expected to Wickham to show up again, he refused to take any chances on it—especially after seeing his sneering over the summer.

He thumbed the turn signal with a scowl and a little shiver. He would be perfectly happy to never set eyes on George Wickham again. If they met again in 50 years, it would be too soon. Always, it seemed, as soon as he had one happy thought, another dark one brought him down again. He fidgeted in his seat as the New York City traffic forced his car to a crawl.

The idea of Wickham moving on to new prey was not a comforting thought. The thought hovered over him like a cloud all the way to Georgie's apartment. He pulled up into the front driveway and put his car into park. He hadn't brought the Tesla up—he didn't want Georgie's dog sitting in the back for several hours and he didn't feel like organizing his route along charging stations.

He slipped out of the car and locked it. He was met immediately by the doorman, who recognized him and let him leave his car where it sat. "Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy!"

"Good afternoon, Sam. Is my sister in?"

"I think so. Are you bringing her home for Christmas?"

Darcy nodded. "Of course."

In the lobby, he signed in at the front desk, nodding at the seated security guard. Another security feature he appreciated; the elevator required a key to get to the residents' floors. He inserted it into the slot and pressed the button for Georgie's floor. He fiddled with his keyring as the elevator ascended, grasping and releasing the keys so they clattered gently.

When the doors opened, he stepped out and walked down the hallway. There was a little table set up with a large, draping plant that seemed too large for its pot, the leaves so long they crept towards the floor. Next to it was a little piece of cardstock, folded into an upright triangle shape; on it, Darcy recognized Georgie's handwriting. It read, "Please don't step on my leaves!" with a little smiley face next to the exclamation mark.