[1] Darling was an army brat and spent her childhood moving every few years between bases in Japan, Hawaii, and Kansas.
[3] After graduating from Harvard University in 1972, Darling joined the staff of the Richmond Mercury, a local newspaper founded by Crimson alumni, including Frank Rich,[3] before being hired by Ben Bradlee of The Washington Post.
[4] While at The Post, Darling met her future husband, then-married editor Lee Adrien Lescaze.
[5][6] When Lee Lescaze was forced to leave the Post over the relationship, the pair moved to New York City, where Darling became a senior editor at Esquire.
[7] Darling married American editor and journalist Lee Lescaze on January 18, 1986[8] in Washington, D.C.