Archive of Our Own ^beta

Your Admission Decision is Ready! The unread email’s subject line proclaimed. William Darcy had spent all day at school itching to get home to click on it, but now that he was here, his mouse hesitated. This morning his father had been so confident that William would be accepted, that waiting for the email was just a formality. His father had clapped him on the shoulder and said “as of this evening you’ll be the fourth William Darcy to attend Harvard. I’m so proud of you.”

William had always shared his father’s confidence, but at this moment, he had a flash of uncertainty. What if he hadn’t measured up? The house was empty; Gigi was at swim practice, and his parents were still at the office. William had a vision of a future in which he was rejected from Harvard. His father, ever the diplomat, would put on a good face, and William would attend some other good college, possibly Stanford, maybe Princeton or Columbia. But every time his father looked at him, he’d see the William responsible for breaking the streak. The first William Darcy in almost a hundred years not to attend Harvard. William’s father would never say it to his face, but he knew his father would be bitterly disappointed.

Tires crunched in the driveway, and their driver pulled up to the house. William heard a key in the lock and Gigi’s voice rang through the house. “William? Are you home?”

“Yes,” he called. “In the computer room.” He felt a pang of jealousy for his younger sister. At twelve years old she was far too young to be thinking of colleges, but when her time came she would have none of the pressures facing him. Without the legacy of a name that had had four previous occupants, and a college that had been chosen for her from birth, she could forge her own path. He walked to the kitchen, where Gigi was leaning against the counter, phone in one hand, banana in the other. She was lanky, but with none of William’s height. Her dark hair was in a messy bun and still wet from the pool. “Hey, how was practice?” He gave her a hug, and smiled at the smell of chlorine that still hung to her skin and clothes.

“Practice was good. Coach Paulson is, like, so out to get me though. He had me doing 100 meter fly repeats long after everyone else was let go.”

“He knows you have potential,” William grinned at her.

Gigi rolled her eyes at him. “And I’m starving. When are Mom and Dad getting home? I thought they were coming home early. Isn’t today the big day?” She looked up at him.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, “Yes.”

“Well?” She asked expectantly. “Did you get the email?”

“And?” Gigi elongated the initial vowel, as she always did when she got excited.

He shrugged. “I was just checking when you got home. I haven’t read it yet.”

“What are you doing here talking to me then?” Gigi grabbed his arm, dragged him back up to the computer room, and sat him down at the computer. He pulled his email up again, and the email was right where he’d left it, at the top of his inbox. Your Admission Decision is Ready! He hovered his mouse over it. Gigi got tired of waiting for him, and put her hand over his on the mouse and clicked for him. He glared at her. “Oops,” she shrugged, giving him an innocent look.

He read the first line three times before he let himself believe it. It is my pleasure to offer you a place in the Harvard Class of 2008. Gigi let out a squeal so high-pitched that he thought it might burst his eardrums. “Congratulations!” He got a fresh whiff of chlorine and banana as she gave him another hug. He let out a sigh of relief. “Aren’t you excited?” she asked.

“More relieved,” he said. “Now I don’t have to go through the rest of my life unable to look Dad in the eyes from shame.”

“He would have been okay with you going somewhere else, eventually.” She smiled.

“You’re lucky, Gigi. You’re the first Georgiana Darcy, and Mom doesn’t give two hoots if you go to Wellesley. You can go to college where ever you like. But I got in now, so maybe that’ll get Dad off my back for a little bit.”

“He’s just hard on you because he knows you have potential,” Gigi parroted back at him. He rolled his eyes.

“Go shower,” William shoved her towards the door. “You reek of chlorine.”

“Love you too, bro,” Gigi said, but she ran off to do as he bid.

William read the letter several more times, allowing himself a small grin. His phone rang a few minutes later. “Fitz,” he answered.

“Will D! I was hoping you might have some neighborly news for me.”

“Ah,” William replied. “And here I was, thinking you might have a certain announcement to make.”

“After you.” Fitz offered.

“After you,” William laughed.

“I honestly hope to hear you will be joining me at Harvard next year.” Fitz alliterated.

William smiled. “I will be joining you.”

“Whoo!” Fitz cheered. “Your Dad must be over the moon. We are going to tear it up out there Will D! Cambridge won’t know what hit them.” Fitz paused. “Have you heard from George? Do you know if he got in?”

William paused for a second. “No, I haven’t. I think he’s probably still at swim practice.” I’m sure he’ll text me. Dad invited him for dinner tonight, so I’ll see him then. I hope he got in, otherwise that will be awkward.”

“I bet he got in.” Fitz was always optimistic. “I know his grades aren’t so good, but his test scores are decent and he was being recruited for swimming, right? And your Dad put in a good word.

William heard a car in the driveway. “I think I hear my parents. Congratulations Fitz. See you at school tomorrow.”

“Congratulations to you too, Will D. That’s my boy!” Fitz hung up. William heard the door open and his parents chattering from the front hall. He sighed and went to meet them.

His father looked at him expectantly. William put his hands in his pockets, and kept his face blank for as long as he could. “I got in,” he said finally.

“Oh, William,” his mother gave him a hug. “I’m so pleased.”

His father gave him a rare smile. “I never doubted you for a second. I would expect no less from a William Darcy.” There was a flurry of activity, calling relatives, getting the table ready. His father brought his old Harvard sweater down, and made William put it on. There were pictures taken. Gigi wore her crimson dress, and the air was festive. The doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” William offered. He went to the door. George was standing there, his hair still wet from the shower, his usual smirking smile plastered across his face. William felt George’s eyes look over the sweater, and saw George’s smile disappear.

“I guess you got in then,” George observed.

“Yes,” William replied, “You didn’t?” he inferred.

“Deferred.” George replied. “But that’s great for you, man. I know it means a lot for you and your family.” George put his smirk back on, but William could see his heart wasn’t in it.

“Thanks. Come on in,” William led him to the living room, where his family had gathered, and his mother had set out a tray of appetizers the cook had made during the day.

“George!” William’s father greeted George warmly. “It’s good to see you.”

“Always a pleasure, Mr. Darcy.” George smiled. “Mrs. Darcy,” he nodded to William’s mother. “Congratulations. You must be so proud.”

Mr. Darcy smiled warmly back at George. “I am. And what about you?” He looked at George.

“I got deferred, officially” George looked sad. “But I also got an email from the head swimming coach there. They’re no longer interested in recruiting me. So I don’t have a realistic shot of getting in anymore.” He made a pathetic face and hung his head. William rolled his eyes at George’s theatrics, but his father was eating it up. “I’m really sorry Mr. Darcy. I know you’d set up that fund and everything.”

“Don’t give up, George. Your father was a dear friend of mine, and you’ve been like another son to me. I’ll give them another call and see what I can do.” Mr. Darcy slapped George on the back. “If I have anything to say about it, you and William will both be on the Yard this time next year. Regardless, you should be pleased about what you’ve accomplished. Your father would have been very proud of you.”

“Thanks Mr. Darcy. That means a lot.” George smiled. “And how’s my favorite little swimmer?” He turned to Gigi and rubbed her head.  

Can you imagine if I’d gotten deferred? William asked himself. William, you need to work harder. William, you can’t just count on my name to get you in everywhere. William, do you realize the importance of the Darcy legacy? William, nothing you ever do is good enough. William, do you understand how much this means to me? All I got was a “I would expect no less,” and I got in. George gets “Don’t give up, I’ll call for you, I’m so proud of you,” and he was deferred. He’s barely even pulling a 2.7 GPA.

“William? You awake there?” George pulled him back to reality. “I was asking if you had a date for the Winter Formal. If you don’t, you should know that Emily Carr would totally go with you.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I would rather go with an angry goose. Or better yet, not go at all.”

“Ooh, burn! I mean, I know she’s not the prettiest, but she’s not that bad, and she’s super nice. She’s a real peach.” George grinned at him.

“Her looks, while sub-standard, are nothing to her lack of taste. She wears clothes from a thrift shop! Regularly! How can I be sure she wouldn’t show up to the dance in a dress that is ten years old and smelling of moth balls? At junior prom last year, she did the macarena in public; I saw it with my own eyes. And she’s dumb as a rock. She actually thinks Alfred Tennyson invented tennis!”

“William!” His mother said sharply, “That is quite uncharitable. I’m sure she is a lovely young lady, and regardless, that is not a gentlemanly thing to say about anyone. What if she heard you?”

“It doesn’t matter if she hears me,” he replied, “I don’t care what she thinks.”

His mother smiled at him. “One day William, you’ll care about what a girl thinks, and you’d better hope she doesn’t hear you talking about her like that.”

“I would never fall in love with a girl who had anything less than impeccable taste. And certainly never a girl who would dance the macarena of her own volition,” he asserted with all the confidence of a seventeen year old boy. His mother just smiled knowingly, and called them all in to dinner.

Later that night, he was in his room, finishing up an essay for the next day, when he heard a knock at the door. “William?” It was his father.  “May I come in?”

“Yes.” His father was still in his suit from work, and even though in the past few years William had grown to be an inch taller, he still felt his father towered over him.

“I was going to wait for your 18th birthday, but Darcys aren’t generally known for their patience.” His father gave him a warm smile. He handed William a folded handkerchief.

William carefully unfolded it to reveal a familiar silver pocket watch. “Your pocket watch?” He looked up at his father.

“Have I told you the story behind it?” His father asked. William shook his head. “Charles Darcy, my great-grandfather, gave it to my grandfather when he was accepted to Harvard. He was the first William Darcy, and the first to go to Harvard. Open it.” William did, and he saw, engraved on the inside of the cover:

“I’m going to send it away tomorrow to get William Fitzwilliam Darcy, Class of 2008 added. I’ll officially give it to you on your birthday, but I wanted to tell you now. I’m really proud of you.” He took the handkerchief, watch, and went to leave the room.

“Thanks Dad.” As he left, William asked, “What would you have done if I hadn’t gotten in?”

“Well, first I would seriously rethink my opinion of Harvard as an institution of higher learning. And then in the spring when you were accepted at some other much more sensible University, I would have sent it off to be engraved with your name and class year. It’s not like it says ‘Harvard’ anywhere on this old thing.” He smiled.

“And what will you do when it runs out of room on the cover?”

His father chuckled, “I won’t do anything! That’s going to be your problem, or your son’s problem! And if there are William Darcys around long enough that we run out of room, well, I figure that’s a happy problem to have indeed.”

“Goodnight, Dad.”

“Goodnight, William.”