"A Mr. Charles Bingley to see you, Sir."

Darcy was about to remind Barton that he was not receiving company but stopped himself realizing his butler would hardly have forgotten his orders and would not have disturbed him without good reason, "Bingley?"

"He says he knows you from Eaton. He is most anxious to see you, Sir, and assured me you would understand."

Ah, now he remembered. Charles Bingley had fagged* for him, in his final year at Eton. Bingley had been an eager first year, the first in his family to be given a gentleman's education, but such an engaging lad he had made friends quickly, Darcy had liked him, in spite of his habit of rattling on and burning the toast, Bingley had even convinced him to tutor him in Latin, he was so anxious to succeed that turning him down would be akin to kicking a puppy, besides there was something endearing about the boy that made Darcy wish him to succeed. He smiled at the memory, it was the first time he had smiled in weeks. He had not known anything of Bingley since he left school, but if he was anything like he'd been as a boy Darcy could understand how his enthusiasm had convinced even Barton that Darcy would want to see him. But what could have brought Bingley to Darcy's London home, at this hour, after so many years?

"Very well. Show him to my study. I will join him there shortly."

"Very good Sir."

{0}

Darcy entered his study to be greeted with great enthusiasm and a smile he easily recognized despite all the years that had passed since he'd left school.

"Darcy!" Bingley practically bounced from his seat extending his hand, "By God, it is good to see you!" as Darcy shook the proffered hand, Bingley seemed to take in Darcy's mourning attire. He continued in a more sober tone. "I heard about your father. I am sorry, exceeding sorry to disturb you at such a time but I did not know where else to turn."

Darcy raised an eyebrow. "You had better sit down and tell me what this is all about. May I offer you a glass of port?" To Darcy's surprise, he found he did not mind the unexpected guest as much as he normally would.

As they took their seats Darcy asked, "How have you been? You must be in university by now, or have you finished?"

"Last year, and then this happened." With that Bingley reached into his tail-coat and pulled out a tiny creature, that could almost have been mistaken for a kitten, but then, with a small noise somewhere between a chirp and a mew, it turned its eagle-like head toward him and Darcy noticed the barely formed wigs of a fledgling-cub no more than a few days old. Darcy had almost forgotten how tiny they were as babies. It had been many years since Georgiana was that small.

"A griffin."

"Yes."

That Bingley would be carrying it around could only mean one thing. "You're are bonded?"

"Yes." Bingley's tone was expressive of awe. Griffins choose a human to bond with, within a few hours of their birth. In principle, the griffin could choose anyone, but those members of the upper classes with a bonded griffin about to give birth normally ensured that only those in their own circle were present.

Bingley continued. "A third born. My father spent half his fortune to give me the privilege of being present at the birth, but there were so many of us and I was toward the back, I never expected…"

It was a vulgar practice, but sometimes those in financial distress would raise money by charging others for the privilege of being present at the birth of a griffin. Never had anyone done so with a firstborn griffin, and only in one recorded case with a second, but sometimes it would be done in the rare case of a third griffin birth.

The Bingley family were working their way up from trade, bonding with a griffin would raise Bingley's status a great deal, but it had been a large gamble on his father's part. The fee would be high, so high that he could easily have purchased a grand estate. Of course, there were those in society who would consider a bond with a third-born griffin to be subpar or look down on a family with a first-generation bonding, but griffin bonds were rare. There were many families among the gentry and even among the nobility who had no griffin bond. Before they had started bonding with humans griffins had been hunted nearly to extinction.

"If you were toward the back," said Darcy aware that the places in the front would cost more, "It is all the more commendable that the griffin singled you out. Your father must be proud."

Bingley's ears turned pink. As a boy, Bingley's father had thought the world of him, and Bingley had been eager to live up to his father's high regard, it seemed this had not changed. "He is proud. But Darcy you are the only one I know who has a griffin. What do I do?"

"You will need to provide for it…"

"Him."

"…him. When he grows he will need room hunt."

"Yes, my father is to purchase an estate. That is why I was in the back, there are still nearly one hundred thousand pounds, after my sisters' doweries."

Darcy was relieved to hear it, for a moment he had been afraid Bingley had sought him out because his father had spent his entire fortune on the chance of a bond and left his son without the means to care for his bonded.

"Then you will be well able to find an estate large enough to suit his needs. You need not worry."

"Yes, my father will take care of the estate, but what do I do? He is so tiny, I am almost afraid to hold him, but when I put him down he cries, I have been feeding him broth and goats milk but how long until he should have solid food, and what can he eat, and do all the griffins eat the same things or might one's diet make another sick, and what if he gets sick, and how do I know if he's too warm, or too cold, and what about when I go to sleep? He will not go to a servant. He will cry if I do not hold him, but if I fall asleep I could roll over on him, and he is so tiny, so very tiny."

Darcy could not help smiling as Bingley continued. "I know these must be foolish questions, but you have had a griffin since you were twelve, and your mother had one, so she was able to instruct you. I do not know the first thing. And Sir Walter only made some kind of remark about my being tolerable to look at, and he advised me to use Gowland and stay out of the sun and further advice, all of which I thought was for the griffin but turned out to be for me, and then, at last, his daughter mentioned the broth and goats milk, and I thought she meant for me, but she actually did mean the griffin. She was very kind, a Miss Anne Elliot, she told me that the griffin, Oizys, who gave birth to mine had been bonded with her mother, and had been grieving so horribly since her mother's death she was afraid she would not long survive the birth. Indeed she did seem very week, Oizys, griffin I mean, and she, Miss Anne Elliot, told me when her own griffin, Thaumas, was small she gave him broth and goats milk, and she was starting to tell me that he liked the broth warmed and then her father interrupted, and spoke over her when she tried to tell me more, and then Mr. Shepherd shuffled me off. I gather there was some resentment that the Thaumas chose his second daughter, the first having been alone with him for almost an hour without a bonding, but at any rate, she had no chance to give me further advice, and Caroline offered to write, but that could take days, and she may not even read the letter without an acquaintance and then I thought of your having a griffin and I hoped you might tell me what to do."

"The first thing to do, Bingley, is take a breath and you should not speak of griffins in terms of ownership, he is your bonded not your pet."

"Of course, not my pet, I knew that…" Bingley spoke softly as he used to as a boy when he was taking notes.

"Everyone is nervous at first but he is not so fragile as he appears, if you roll on him in your sleep he will peck you, hard, and you will wake up. You do not need to worry so much about how much to feed him, he will mew when he is hungry and you will begin to anticipate his schedule. He will stop eating when he has had enough. At first, I would vary the broth and milk in equal parts, if he refuses one, try the other. They are intelligent creatures, he will find ways of letting you know what he needs, and as your bond grows stronger you will pick up on his emotions. When he is ready for solid food he will begin to hunt and as his wings develop he will start to fly, he will not always be wishing you to hold him, probably only a month or so. They grow so fast, and soon you will miss the days when you were always holding him."

"Could you give me some paper so I can write all this down?"

"Bingley trust yourself. You will not hurt him and you will know what he needs. Even Sir Walter would not be so foolish as to send you off without instruction if this were not so."

Bingley looked incredulous.

"Well, perhaps he would but it is a moot point." They really should not have sent Bingley away so soon even with the mother griffin grieving but perhaps it was all for the best. Darcy had met Sir Walter and his oldest daughter. The man was an idiot (Gowland!) and the daughter was not to be born! Bingley was better off without their advice, even if the second daughter was more sensible.**

Bingley nodded. "I thank you for your time." He started to stand but Darcy stopped him with a gesture.

"Wait, it would be better that he spend some time around another griffin, at least until he is a few months old, and it might do some good for Georgiana as well to have a child around. Perhaps you would do me the honor of visiting Pemberley? If it is convenient of course."

Bingley's face lit up with enthusiasm. "Darcy, my friend! That would be capital! I cannot thank you enough. I knew I could depend on you."

Darcy was half alarmed and half amused by Bingley's faith in him merely on the bases of their acquaintance so long ago, but it also pleased him. It was not like Darcy to issue an invitation so readily but it was not completely altruistic. Georgiana had failed to mate and perhaps the infant griffin would awaken a maternal instinct in her. In addition, there was something restful about being around Bingley. In the short time, they had been together Darcy had felt as if he'd had a brief respite from the weight of his grief over his father's death, his worries over Georgiana's failure to mate, and his responsibilities to all those who depended on him. He would be glad to spend more time with Bingley.

{0}

In the months that Bingley stayed at Pemberley, Eleos, Bingley's bonded, grew to the size of a small pony and the bond of empathy and affection grew strong between the two. Bingley no longer worried about his ability to care for Eleos (who had taken his first flight and had long been hunting on his own) and looked forward to the day when the griffin would be large enough to ride. Darcy rejoiced in his friend's success but could not help feeling a touch of envy. If not for their early setback, his own bond with Georgiana must have proceeded in a similar manner. He could not help but wonder if this setback was behind her failure to mate.

While Bingley no longer needed Darcy to mentor him in the ways of griffins he continued, over the next five years, to depend on his advice in other matters and Darcy introduced him in society. Some men in Bingley's position, who had managed to bond, would get ideas above their station but Bingley was so humble and affable that he was sure of being liked wherever he went. Between them there was a steady friendship, Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his temper, and on the strength of Darcy's regard Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion. In understanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no means deficient, but Darcy was clever.

Darcy had not initially thought of mating Georgiana with Eleos. He was from a respectable linage but third-born griffins were thought not to be as strong, and there was the matter of the Bingleys having been so recently in trade***. But, after Georgiana's having gone into heat twice a year for the last five years, and failing to mate with any of the eligible griffins, from good families, she had been introduced to. They were running out of options. Perhaps a gentle compliant griffin like Eleos was the sire she needed.

It was a few days before Nicholmas when Darcy visited Bingley, in his rented townhouse to extend an invitation, only to find the house was nearly packed. Bingley said with a grin, "I was going to call on you later today and invite you to visit me."

"Have you finally found an eligible purchase?" Bingley's father had died before purchasing his estate. Bingley intended to purchase likewise, and sometimes made choice of his county, but had yet to do so. He could not put it off much longer, Bingley often visited Pemberley and other estates but now that Eleos was fully grown he would need his own territory.

"No, but I have taken a short lease on an estate, Netherfield Park, it was recommended to me and the owner said a great deal in its praise."

"You did look at the place, I hope." Darcy had tried for years to teach Bingley not to believe something just because someone who had an interest in the matter told him it was so.

"Of course I did. We flew over it last week, Eleos was most pleased with the aviary and we have the liberty of the manor, there is plenty of room for him to spread his wings and hunt. The grounds from above are quite impressive."

"And the house?"

"I looked into it for half an hour and I am satisfied with all the principle rooms."

"I see." At least it was only a short lease. But knowing Bingley's disposition, if the house and manor were half so good as his first impression he might be just as likely to settle there indefinitely and leave the next generation to purchase.

"What say you, Darcy? Will you visit me? I know you will not want to be with us when Georgiana is in heat but perhaps you could come for a fortnight or so and have a safe margin."

As usual, Bingley's enthusiasm was contagious and Darcy had no reason to refuse his friend's hospitality. "I was actually going to propose a visit while she is in heat. I would be happy to amend the proposal to our visiting you."

"But Eleos will be there. He is old enough to mate."

"Yes. That is rather the point."

It took a few minutes for a look of comprehension to dawn on Bingley's face. Anyone else would have thought years ago that he might leverage his friendship with Darcy into an advantageous mating but Bingley would never be so presumptuous. Even now as his face lit with delight at the idea, he did not seem to contemplate what it could mean for his status. "If this succeeds we will be Grandfathers together. It will almost be like we are in-laws."

"Only in the sense that we will be nothing like in-laws. But let us not pin our hopes on anything of the sort until we see whether they take to each other once she comes into heat."

"Of course but Darcy I… thank you… I…" at a loss for words he gave Darcy's hand a hearty shake and patted him on the shoulder. Did Bingley not realize Darcy was turning to Eleos as a last resort? Darcy had not intentionally misrepresented himself, but he could hardly correct the impression now

Trying to ignore the guilt he felt at the deception, Darcy replied, "Yes, well if it is agreeable, you can expect us by the 20th of October."

Little could Darcy have suspected that this date would bring him into the neighborhood just in time to attend an assembly room ball.

* Fagging: a traditional practice whereby younger pupils were required to act as personal servants to the eldest boys.

** She was, in fact, quite a bit more sensible as Darcy would learn years later when he made her acquaintance. So much so that Darcy, who was introduced to her as Mrs. Wentworth, was shocked when after conversing with her agreeably for some time to learn whose daughter she was. Anne and Captain Wentworth met not long after the day of Bingley's bonding and were married a year later after Thaumas had rescued Captain Wentworth from certain death at sea. Wentworth had been badly wounded and ready to go down with his ship, when Thaumas, the griffin bonded to the lady who had broken Wentworth's heart, swooped down from the sky and carried off first each of the members of Wentworth's crew, and then Wentworth himself. The Crew Thaumas carried only as far as the shore, but Wentworth he carried back to Anne. That Thaumas even knew he needed rescuing, let alone performed such a feat (Griffins hated both water and battle) was such a proof of strong attachment between the two young people that Lady Russell no longer made any objection to the match.

*** This way of thinking is consistent with the biases of the time. There was no scientific reason to think a third-born griffin would not be as strong as the first, it would only mean the mother was more fertile than most which ought to have made Eleos a more sought-after sire. Even once it had been disproven this prejudice against thirdborn griffins continued well into the twentieth century. Furthermore, Bingley's family background in trade would have no bearing on the suitability of his bonded as a mate, but at the time many would have been convinced it did.