Miss Bennet looked surprised. She nodded and said, "I will listen to whatever you and Georgiana wish me to hear."

"I barely know what I ought to say or where to begin and we are both tired. May I call on you later at the parsonage? Then we can discuss our next steps as well."

Miss Bennet agreed. While Euphrosyne nursed Darcy arranged for a carriage to bring them back to the parsonage. Then he returned to his room where he found Fitzwilliam waiting for him.

"You have not been very kind to poor Wilkes," said his cousin, "going out in such a state. He will take it hard, poor man."

Darcy had forgotten how disheveled he was. What a state to be talking to his aunt in, not to mention Miss Bennet!

"I will make it up to him as best I can. I needed to check on Georgiana. I did not expect to be gone so long. Miss Bennet was still there with Euphrosyne."

Fitzwilliam looked a little embarrassed. "I assumed someone had attended to her."

"Euphrosyne needs to nurse often and Miss Bennet cannot be separated from her. It is like that when they are so young."

"Yes, I remember that from when my brother bonded, and then of course with you."

Darcy thought he detected a tone of bitterness in his cousin's voice. "I am sorry for your sake things did not go differently." He would have liked to reassure his cousin that he would have another chance but he had no particular reason to think it.

He shrugged, "I will not attempt to deny I am disappointed. But I understand how these things go. I knew I only had a one in three chance, or rather, one in four. I confess I did not think Miss Bennet so little to be trusted."

"Little to be trusted? How do you mean?"

"Do not misunderstand me, I am grateful for what she did for Georgiana, for that reason I am glad she was there. But I have to wonder at the coincidence of her visiting her friend just when Georgiana was ready to give birth and her showing up as she did, in the middle of the night, could only have been by design."

"I understand why you would think so but I have come to understand something of Miss Bennet's character and, while her father may have been acting by design, I am convinced she knew nothing of it. She is perhaps a little reckless. When she believes someone is in need she does not always think through the ramifications before she acts."

"That may be true in general but in this particular circumstance, she had no reason to believe anyone was in need. All creatures make noise when they are in labor."

"She did not come until Georgiana was in distress."

"Before she arrived, she could not have known she was."

"She… Fitzwilliam do you ever understand your father's bonded or your brother's? Are any of the noises they make distinguishable to you from another?"

"No, how could they be?"

"Miss Bennet believes she can understand them."

"Do you believe her?"

"I believe her to be sincere in her own beliefs."

His cousin merely raised an eyebrow and Darcy continued, "Of course it is impossible, perhaps a noise or two might be distinguishable from another, but in general, they can only communicate with us through emotions, and yet, she is thoroughly convinced she does understand them and her guesses are usually correct."

"So you think she made a lucky guess?"

"No, I think she has a certain affinity, not the empathy of a bonding, but some sort of general sensitivity."[i]

"I suppose you will be supporting them at Pemberley."

"Of course, as I would have done if it were Samuel." Darcy was becoming annoyed. What did his cousin mean to imply?

"Samuel would have gone on as he is, working at Pemberley, with the addition of his bonded hunting there. Miss Bennet will simply enjoy the privileges of living there without any benefit to you. It is worse than having a wife. Come to think of it, she may have marriage to you in mind already. You should be careful, she will be setting her cap for you if she hasn't already."

"I would hardly say there is no benefit to me but I can assure you. Miss Bennet is the last woman in the world to "set her cap' for me."

"Or so she has you believing, it may be a clever ruse to draw your interest. Your actions toward her sister would make it clear you would never willingly consider a woman in her circumstances, she must be aware she would have to be particularly clever to draw you in."

"Fitzwilliam I know you are disappointed but you assume too much. Your accusations toward Miss Bennet are unfounded, and I dare say, beneath you."

"Well, you would know better than I. I bow to your superior knowledge of Miss Bennet's character." He stood and made an actual bow, said, "And with that, I will leave you to Wilkes," and walked out of the room.

Darcy was left to the dissatisfaction of his cousin having yielded without being reasoned into changing his opinion. It was vexing indeed but not so vexing as the realization that his cousin had said nothing he had not once accused Miss Bennet of himself. No wonder she distrusted him.

He rang the bell for Wilkes and turned to the mirror looking himself in the eye, "Your accusations toward Miss Bennet were unfounded, and I dare say, beneath you."

(0)

Colonel Fitzwilliam waited until he was out of the room to chuckle to himself. If he had simply asked Darcy how he felt about Miss Bennet instead of professing such extreme opinions he would not have learned half so much. He had often thought that he would like to see Darcy in love and in some doubt of a return. It would do him good.

(0)

Darcy entered the parsonage to find Miss Bennet sitting with Mrs. Collins and Miss Lucas. Miss Bennet was feeding Euphrosyne the milk he had sent earlier and the other two were doing needlework. He wished he could have found Miss Bennet alone but he knew it was unlikely. At least Mr. Collins was not with them. After making his bow Darcy pulled a paper out of his pocket and handed it to Mrs. Collins. "These are my directions. I hope my aunt will not do you or your husband the injustice of placing any blame on you for recent events but if she does make things difficult for you here I beg you will let me know."

Mrs. Collins thanked him and invited him to take a seat. "My husband has gone on business into the village he will be sorry to have missed you."

"I see." He could not say he was sorry to miss Mr. Collins.

They fell into silence and he was grateful that Mrs. Collins was sensible enough to dispense with the usual pleasantries. He sat watching the tender look on Miss Bennet's face as she finished feeding Euphrosine and placed her in a sort of sling that held her against her chest.

"That is clever," he said.

"It is a purse I had started netting that I reworked a little. It was far enough along that I was able to make it for her quickly."

He nodded wondering if she thought he was accusing her of having made it ahead of time, "It is useful. I remember when Georgiana fit in my coat pocket but it wasn't always convenient to have her there."

She smiled at this. "I would like to hear as much as you can tell me about caring for a baby griffin. I was planning to take a short walk after Phrosy finished eating, perhaps you will join me and tell me more?" Turning to Charlotte she asked, "If you do not mind?"

Mrs. Collins assured her that she did not mind, Miss Lucas said nothing and Darcy agreed to the walk grateful that Miss Bennet had been the one to suggest it.

They left the house, walked to a small clearing, and took a seat on a bench. Georgiana joined them sending him feelings of encouragement.

He took a deep breath. "I do not know what Mr.… Mr. Wickham told you. But I can only refute it by laying before you the whole of our history.

"Mr. Wickham is the son of a very respectable man, who had for many years the management of all the Pemberley estates, and whose good conduct in the discharge of his trust naturally inclined my father to be of service to him; and on George Wickham, who was his godson, his kindness was therefore liberally bestowed. My father was not only fond of this young man's society, whose manners were always engaging, he had also the highest opinion of him, so much so that he convinced my mother to let George Wickham be present when her bonded, Hybris[ii, gave birth, along with two of my Fitzwilliam cousins, and me."

Miss Bennet's eyes widened. "There were four of you present?"

"Yes. The original plan was that it be my cousins and me but my father has always advocated for including someone without land with a promise of patronage should a bonding occur. It was a difficult birth though not as difficult as what Georgiana went through. My mother had given birth herself only two weeks prior, but the infant was stillborn. She and Hybris were both grieving and my mother was very ill."

As Darcy told the story the memories came flooding back to him as if it were yesterday. His mother had been too ill to attend the birth but his uncle was there in her stead.[iii] Darcy stood with the other three boys watching in hope and fear. Hybris had been frail and his uncle was so grave and serious. His uncle had been on the verge of sending for help when Georgiana was finally born. Such a weak, tiny thing, small even for a newborn, and quiet, only making the softest mewing noise. He had felt a pull toward her, like a tether tugging at his heart. He took a step forward, two steps, but George Wickham had rushed forward, his face lit up with glee as he reached for the fledgling. "Athena! He cried joyfully, her name is Athena.[iv]" He took the fledgling gently from the earl's hands and snuggled her close.

It was wrong. Darcy knew it was wrong though he did not yet know her name. He still felt as if his heart were being tugged forward. George turned to the others with a smile. Would you like to pet her? As if he were being generous! But Darcy could not resist the urge to touch her himself.

"As soon as I touched her," Darcy continued, "I felt a wash of affection. I felt as if my heart were soaring and a kitten was running around in my head. In that moment, I knew her name…"

Darcy narrowed his eyes, "You are lying," he said to George Wickham. "Her name is Georgiana."

"Georgiana? What sort of a name is that for a Griffin?" Darcy could not tell which of his cousins had said it.

His uncle frowned. "We are all disappointed, nephew. If it could not be one of my boys. I would rather it had been you than this one. But there is no sense in telling such a tale. Griffins choose who they choose."

"I am telling the truth," Darcy answered, trying to keep his voice from breaking.

His uncle turned to his sons saying, "Charles, Fredrick, go and fetch your uncle Darcy, he can sort this out. I need to tend to Hybris. She is very weak.[v]"

Darcy's father brought both the boys, and Georgiana, to his study. He looked exhausted but he spoke to them calmly, "Now I know you are both good boys. I know neither of you would lie intentionally. Sometimes when we want something very, very much we convince ourselves it is true."

"Athena," Wickham whispered, "her name is Athena."

"It is Georgiana. I am sure of it's being Georgiana."

Darcy's father shook his head, "Fitzwilliam, your mother is very ill. I do not wish to bother her with this."

"Neither do I."

"I have an idea," Wickham said brightly. "We could take care of her together. Take it in turns, until she is big enough to let us know for sure who she wants. You can take her tonight Fitz and then I'll have her tomorrow night."

Miss Bennet gasped, "You were separated?"

"I could see how my father warmed to the idea. How impressed he was that Wickham had come up with it. I thought it would make me look like the liar if I were to disagree. I ought to have pressed harder, applied to my uncle again, told him more of what I had experienced (having bonded himself he would have recognized it), insisted on seeing my mother, even talked to my father alone and explained more. But as a nine-year-old, between the fear and confusion I was feeling from her, and my desperation to have her with me, I thought only of the moment. I think perhaps I thought it would all be resolved, if only I could hold her it would all be resolved, I was telling the truth, my uncle would see it, or Hybris would recover and alert my mother. Something would prove me right, like in all my books, virtue would triumph in the end. I was remarkably naive and for that, Georgiana and I both suffered.

"My uncle and cousins left early in the morning, without my seeing them. Both Hybris and my mother were still too ill to realize what was happening. I had Georgiana for the night. I comforted her, fed her, you know what the first night is like. The next day we cared for her together, but when evening came it was Wickham's turn. My father was a good man, Miss Bennet, the best of men, he simply did not understand. When I protested that I could not let Georgiana go, he took her from me and… I will not go into that… suffice it to say I was not able to get to her. By morning I was ill with a high fever. My father sent for the apothecary immediately, but nothing helped. Worried as he was he did not give a thought to getting Georgiana back to me. It was not until the next day, when my mother was told of my illness, and left her sickbed to see me, that the truth was discovered. I was half delusion by then but I recognized her touch on my forehead. I knew if I did not make her understand all was lost. I do not know what I said but it was enough to make her understand I was speaking of the infant Griffin, and that I knew her to be named Georgiana.

"My mother was the only one to realize the significance of that name, the only one to understand why Hybris's daughter, would be named Georgiana. It was the name she had carried in her heart, the name she had intended for my sister. She understood immediately that it was being separated from my bonded that had made me so ill and we were reunited. Georgiana had suffered far more than I. She had not eaten since I last saw her, you know how often they need to eat at that age, she had mewed softly for several hours, and afterward was so lethargic she barely moved, George Wickham admitted this much, but still insisted he believed himself to have bonded. We were reunited. She was nothing but skin and bones. She did not understand why I had left her. I could barely coax her to eat. I almost…" he coughed and tried to swallow the lump in his throat, "I almost lost her, all because I failed to act."

Miss Bennet had been blinking back tears, now a single tear rolled down her cheek. "It was not your fault." She said softly. "Mr. Darcy, you were only a child, it was not your fault."

Her words were like a balm to his heart. He took a moment to feel the comfort of them before he continued, "My father believed it had been an honest mistake, that Wickham had convinced himself it was true. He continued to support him at school, and afterwards at Cambridge…"

He went on to tell her how his father had recommended in his will that he support Mr. Wickham in his career, and if he should go into the church, as his father hoped, a valuable living would be his. He described how Mr. Wickham had requested, and been granted 3,000 pounds in lieu of the living, had squandered the money and come back to Darcy asking for the living, and his abuse when Darcy refused, "…After this period every appearance of acquaintance was dropped. How he lived I know not. But last summer he was again most painfully obtruded on my notice."

He paused and glanced at Georgiana. She gave him an encouraging chirp. "This next part would put Georgiana in danger if anyone were to find out. I have not revealed it to a single person until this moment."

"You can depend on my secrecy, but you do not need to say more if you do not wish to."

Darcy longed to know if she meant that he did not need to say more because he had said enough to change her opinion of Mr. Wickham but he did not ask. "We trust you. Having told you this much I would like you to know all."

"Very well."

"Last Summer Georgiana and I went to Ramsgate. There also, unbeknownst to me, went Mr. Wickham, by coincidence or design I do not know. We have enough acquaintances in common that it is easy to believe he could have learned our plans if he tried. We had been out flying over the sea, and Georgiana caught several large fish, anyone could have seen us, and Mr. Wickham would know that she always napped after she ate."

Darcy had been swimming when he felt Georgiana panic. He had rushed back to her, barely taking the time to get back into his breeches, running barefoot and shirtless back to the aerie, not noticing the cut and bruises on his feet until hours later, or giving a thought to the impropriety.

Of course, he did not tell that part to Miss Bennet. "I had gone for a swim, I rushed back to her as soon as I felt her panic, Mr. Wickham had snuck up on her while she was sleeping. He was trying to take one of her claws[vb]. I got there in time to stop him, but not in time to stop her defending herself."

"The scar on his hand?"

"Yes."

"She is so gentle. I can not imagine how terrified she must have been. The law is so unfair.[vi]"

"Luckily I had bought up his Lambton depts, so I had something to hold over him if he should ever expose her. With that threat over his head, Mr. Wickham quit the area immediately. And so we are at a stalemate he and I. I know he has been casting aspersions against my character but I do not publicly expose him for Georgiana's sake, and he knows what I would do to him if he were to expose her. Thus far he does not seem to have realized that I have far more to lose. I can only pray he never does or at least not to the extent that it makes him unreasonable, for I would give anything to protect her."[vii]

(o)

Elizabeth's head was reeling. Mr. Darcy's story if true, must overthrow every cherished opinion of Mr. Wickham's worth, and bore so alarming an affinity to Mr. Wickham's own history of himself, her feelings were acutely painful and difficult to define. Shock, apprehension, and even horror oppressed her. She wished to discredit it entirely, but Georgiana had been making soft noises of affirmation as her bonded spoke. Perhaps even with this, she could have convinced herself that her wishes did not err, that there had been circumstances Georgiana had not understood, especially in regards to the living, but when he had gone on to tell her of Ramsgate it was impossible to doubt. He would not tell such a story of Georgiana if it were untrue. He would not risk the life of his bonded only to mislead her. No, it must be true. She grew absolutely ashamed of herself.

"I do not know," Mr. Darcy continued, "In what manner Wickham managed to impose on you. I am sorry if this revelation causes you pain. If you do not unequivocally dismiss my story as false, I hope you will be careful of Euphrosine around Mr. Wickham. My cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, can verify much of my story, though the events of Ramsgate are known only to you, Mr. Wickham, and me."

That he would put so much power into her hands after the way she had spoken to him was astonishing. "That will not be necessary Mr. Darcy. Georgiana has assured me of the truth of what you say, and indeed, even without her reassurance, I could not believe you would invent such a story in regards to Ramsgate if it were not true. I believe you."

Mr. Darcy sighed and visibly relaxed.

She continued without meeting his eye, "I have wronged you, Mr. Darcy, I am sorry, exceedingly sorry, for how despicably I have acted. I have been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd."

"Miss Bennet." He exclaimed in a tone of alarm, "You take too much blame upon yourself. Surely Mr. Wickham is more accountable for misleading you than you for being misled. His success is not to be wondered at, ignorant as you previously were of everything concerning either. Detection could not be in your power, and suspicion certainly not in your inclination."

"You are more gracious than I deserve. If you knew how I have valued myself on my abilities, how often I have disdained the generous candor of my sister and gratified my vanity in useless or blamable distrust, you would understand how just a humiliation is this discovery. The truth is that I wanted to believe him."

"Miss Bennet think how many people have believed his lies besides yourself. My father was completely taken in and he knew him all his life. Even I, who witnessed his vicious propensities and want of principle, often wished him to be sincere. I think he has even convinced himself of his own lies. You must not doubt yourself simply because he is more skilled at inventing falsehood than you at detecting it."

She shook her head.

"Really, Miss Bennet, you ought to trust me about this as well as the rest. We had no idea of your reproaching yourself. We only wanted you to know what Mr. Wickham is for the better protection of Euphrosine and, I will admit, I also hoped if you acquitted me of cruelty toward Mr. Wickham, you would find it less disagreeable to accept my hospitality at Pemberly."

"I am more concerned that you must find it disagreeable to extend it. Even I, though I am the beneficiary, understand the unfairness of your having to support us indefinitely. It is for this reason as much as any other, that I wish to relieve you of the responsibility as soon as possible."

"Is that what you think of me? That I would resent my duty?" He checked himself and continued in a gentler tone, "But you would think so after the things I have accused you of on previous occasions. Miss Bennet, let me be perfectly clear, I hold no resentment toward you for being present at the birth, nor am I convinced for a moment that you had any motive other than concern for Georgiana; quite the opposite. I am afraid I have not properly expressed my gratitude for what you did to help Georgiana. Let me do so now on behalf of us both. God only knows what would have happened if you had not intervened. I was terrified of losing her, and as much as I tried to repress my feelings, she felt my fear as I felt hers and thus the terror was amplified in us both. When you arrived it gave us both hope, hope that was invaluable on its own, to say nothing of the service you performed. I was barely aware of it at the time but Samuel told me of it all, told me with particular zeal. Samuel is not easily impressed but he could not say enough in your praise. I am, Georgiana and I both are, exceedingly grateful. What do I not owe you? Any support I might offer is nothing in return. Regardless of whatever deceit I may suspect your father of, Euphrosyne could not have made a better choice for her bond."

However little deserving Elizabeth felt herself to be of such a speech, she was aware that any protest would seem to beg for further praise, and could only thank him.

They lingered a little longer for Euphrosyne to nurse and the two of them to speak of their plans. They agreed they would leave Kent late the next morning and travel to London where Elizabeth would spend a few days with her aunt and uncle Gardiner before going on to Longbourn. By then Georgiana would be well enough to join her in the country and hunt at either Netherfield or Longbourn. Darcy would stay in town for a fortnight to take care of some business and hire a companion for her. Then they would all travel to Pemberley.[viii]

Elizabeth returned to the parsonage to pack and wonder at all that had happened. She never could have imagined such a reversal of her opinions to be possible. Never would she have imagined that Mr. Darcy would respond so kindly toward her after the way she had spoken to him.

Colonel Fitzwilliam would also be traveling with them on the morrow but she could barely spare a thought to wonder how he would feel toward her. Her mind was too full of all she had learned to think of anything beyond her wonder at Mr. Darcy and her wish of never seeing Mr. Wickham again.

i: Darcy and Lizzy are both correct. Griffins do make distinguishable sounds but this would only allow for the most basic communication. Lizzy has been learning more in conversations that could not be reasonably learned by asking yes and no questions unless one had some sense for which questions to ask. Recent theories hold that some people have the ability to pick up on Griffin's emotions and that this predisposes them to be chosen for bonding. Elizabeth would seem to be an example of this. Since so few people spend much time with Griffins it would seem likely that there are any number of people who have this ability and never discover it. There has never been a large enough sample to test the theory.

ii: Greek goddess of insolence, hubris, violence, reckless pride, arrogance, and outrageous behavior in general.

iii: This would have been Colonel Fitzwilliam's father the Earl. Since he was already bonded himself there would be no danger of the newborn choosing him, or at least it has never happened. His presence makes it likely that the Fitzwilliam cousins Darcy refers to are Colonel Fitzwilliam and his older brother. Their sister hadn't been born yet and the older brother bonded about five years later.

iv: As previously noted this name does not seem suitable for Georgiana. It seems likely Wickham used the first Greek name that came to mind.

v: If both griffins hadn't been so weak Wickham could not have gotten away with this as the Griffins would have made their feelings known.

vb: Griffin claws, much like the tips of the feathers, have healing properties. Unlike a feather tip the powder of a ground griffin claw remains potent for several years. The powder can also be an aphrodisiac when mixed with wine. Claws are even more rare than feathers.

vi: As mentioned in Chapter 6, during this period, a griffin who attacked a human would be instantly put to death. Since Griffins did not have the rights humans did, it would not have mattered that it was self-defense. Ironically, since Griffins were not considered property there would be no recourse, under the law, to punish Wickham as there would have been if he had harmed Darcy's horse or one of his dogs.

vii: This probably means the threat of debtor's prison is enough that Wickham has not tried to blackmail Darcy. It is likely Wickham doesn't realize how strong the bond between a human and a griffin actually is.

viii: Because Elizabeth is bonded with Georgiana's offspring, She and Darcy would have a bit more flexibility as to the rules of propriety than an unrelated lady and gentleman normally would. Her having a companion with her is enough of a chaperone for her to stay in his home and she can travel the short distance between Kent and London with him and Colonel Fitzwilliam with no chaperone at all.

A/N: Ooof! That chapter was exhausting to write! (emotionally exhausting I was feeling so much of what the characters felt.) I hope you enjoyed it, or maybe enjoyed is the wrong word for such a chapter but I hope it was satisfying to learn what happened. Thank you all for reading, thanks to those who favorited, and thank you, to those who left reviews.