First Impressions: A Modern Pride and Prejudice Adaptation

Chapter 34.1

The roads were relatively clear by the time they reached the Maryland border, especially considering the traffic jam he narrowly avoided in New Jersey. Apple panted contentedly at his side, his head resting on the door, nose pressed against the window glass, leaving smudged streaks on the otherwise pristine glass. Sunlight streamed strong and hot through the window, offset only by the gentle blow of cool air from the vents. Darcy was thinking about summer camp.

Not his own experiences with summer camp—which were really not that interesting—but other people's. Every year, the Darcy Foundation funded summer camp for local children and others from the Baltimore area. Having been run the same way for over a decade, Darcy felt it was time to make some changes to how the counselors were chosen; the board was not quite prepared to take his ideas into account yet. Thinking of the best way to convince them to change was enough of a problem to occupy his mind; he could think of the words to persuade them easily enough, but every time he considered himself saying them aloud, he lost the thread of his argument.

He felt weighted. And not just by the camp—by so many things, so many obligations that felt almost as if they belonged to another person.

His eyes flashed to his dashboard. Tor had requested he blurb the back of a new release, but it was the second in a series, so the audiobook seemed the most efficient way to catch up with the first. But perhaps not. He realized, after a while, that he hadn't heard a single word of the audio that was playing; he switched it off with a sigh.

The silence swelled around him like an embrace and he sighed again. The camp was not his, but he was obligated to see it through just the same. Over time he had come to care for it with almost all the fervor of a passion project, but still, it never quite felt like his. It was different with the book he was supposed to be reading, even if he was having an entirely impossible time getting through it. That he had chosen on his own. Writing was the one thing that really was his and publishing under a different name was perhaps one of the best things he had ever done for himself.

The reminder made him feel slightly better; as soon as was safe, he backed the book to the previous chapter and hit play again.

~~~~

Darcy could tell Apple was growing anxious. The dog's tail thumped energetically against the back of the seat and a few low whines escaped his throat. He considered as they sat at a light, and then flicked his turn signal towards the left instead of the right. Going right would take them home; going left would take them closer to the park. He reasoned out an excuse for his actions: It was just as close to go to the park as home; he could charge his car just as easily in the parking lot; it was fairer to the dog to let him run free in the park, rather than waiting for Darcy to get himself together at the house...

He refused to admit to himself that he was not prepared to go home. The tenor of his thoughts was once again too sour and dark for him to enjoy the experience; an almost offensively frequent occurrence over the last year. Pemberley was beautiful. Pemberley was quiet. Pemberley was the only place he had ever called home with absolute certainty.

But Pemberley was also, just a touch, haunted. If the haunting started with the death of his mother, it had run amok since then, never checked or tamed with new blood. First three, then two, then one soul, lost in the hallways of the too-large house. Almost against his will, he found himself anticipating Bingley and Georgie's visit, even if it did mean Bingley's sisters would be joining them. At least it would not be so still.

Darcy wasn't sure if Apple recognized it as the park or if he was just excited to seen greenspace, but he barked twice as they pulled into the lot, smacking his tail with even more energy against the leather seats. He noted the near-empty state of the lot. There were a couple cars clustered towards the back and one right by the sidewalk with DC license plates.