* This is a repost of the chapter with a name change thank you for being understanding.
Chapter Four:
The master of Pemberley was back, he ordered for his horse to be ready, for his steward Mr. Wickham to Join him and requested Mrs. Reynolds take personal care for his daughter till a nursemaid could be employed he had to figure this out and find Elizabeth he needed to leave Clara with a person he trusted at least until he had figured it all out.
Elizabeth must have known he would come looking for her, she must of know how he felt for her surly it was obvious, surely she knew his character! he silently prayed she would still be at the cottage and they could talk this threw he could explain he had returned to Meryton for her after he had concluded the business that had called him away.
The urgent business had been Richard, Richard had been injured abroad while fighting for his majesty' army, that express stated he would arrive at Portsmouth at some point in the next few days. Richard had no one else who could be there for him as Viscount Stewart was currently covering for his father in the house of lords and managing the Earlsdon, with its vast estates as the current Earl and Countess were on a special diplomatic mission in Belgium. The Earl had told Darcy before he left that this was a personal request from Prinny himself that he could not refuse, they were not due back for needed to be there for him to make sure he has access to any medications he may need and to get him back to London as quickly as possible. There had been a delay on Richard's arrival and then Richard was far too ill with fever to be moved which meant Darcy spent through to the twelfth night in Portsmouth as a nurse to his cousin. It was harder in Portsmouth to get medication and doctors due to the number of wounded soldiers arriving back to the safety of English shores, but his connections and money soon lead him to a component doctor and medication for the right price and by the middle of January he was able to make the slow journey back to London with Richard.
When he had arrived at Darcy House in London Grosvenor square the business from his many estates all seemed to required his urgent attention all at once and he was forced to stay in London longer than planned. He spent much of this time thinking of Elizabeth, he was sure by now there was no repercussion from their night together she would have contacted him he had told her to contact him at Pemberly at any time previously whenever she would need aid surely she would remember to. So it was early February when he arrived at Longbourn to ask for her hand, he was shocked when her father had explained that she was traveling to America with Jane. Her father was excited about the opportunity his daughter was lucky to travel and to have relatives to take them as it was something he wouldn't be able to do. Mr. Bennet advised that wouldn't be back for some time he expected years from what his brother-in-law had said, Mrs. Bennet claimed she hoped that both of her daughters would return married if they returned at all, As Mrs. Bennet prattled on about the future her daughters marrying wealthy Americans and her future travels to the new world to visit her rich daughters. He couldn't perceive why they had suddenly traveled to the new world at the time why hadn't either Miss Bennet or Miss Elizabeth ever mentioned it these things could take months to organize for safe travel across the Atlantic.
He now understood, she would of know by the turn of the year eighteen thirteen she was with child. She had also stated she had tried to contact him and when that failed she had made provisions without him she wouldn't have known that he had returned for her he would be surprised if she was in contact with her family when she was meant to be on the other side of the world as letters would have to appear to take months and would be sent straight to America. Elizabeth would never know that he had pined for her ever since the last time he had sore her that night that he wanted her to be his wife. She wouldn't have known of the difficulties he had a face as far as Elizabeth was concerned she had forsaken herself lain with a man and been left abandon with a child. Abandoned by him the thought repulsed him. He needed to get to Lambton tonight.
Taking his greatcoat from the footman he left Pemberley in search of Elizabeth, however, he needs to speak to the Wickham's first to find out what they knew he had been joined by the colonel Fitzwilliam without asking and cherished the support his loyal cousin was showing him. If he hadn't been in so much shock he would realize sooner that she had to be in the area as the child, had only recently been left at the gatehouse for his attention from what he knew of her he knew she was the one who would have left their daughter on his doorstep, time was of the essence.
Mathew Wickham raced toward the Pemberley House as fast as his horse could carry him only to find his master outside ready to leave.
"Mr. Darcy Sir"
"Wickham, just the man I needed to see"
"Apologise for interrupting sir but you most come quickly there is a fire at the Smith farm, the farmhouse has caught fire I fear there are great damages and loss of life"
Darcy had spun, he needed to find Elizabeth but he needed to make sure that his tenants the tenants of Pemberley were safe, sadly they were his first duty as a landowner they had to be.
"Darc you go to the Smith farm and check on your tenants I will ride to Lambton and enquire after the other situation" suggested Richard.
The two-man parted ways
The fire at the Smith farm took many hours to extinguish luckily no one perished there were a few minor injuries and burns nothing the apothecary couldn't handle. The farmhouse was completely destroyed and would need to be re-built from scratch. He was exhausted as he had taken charge of the bucket line of water from the well to the farmhouse. Then he had to re-home the Smith family and animals, recover any of the family personal items that were salvageable from the ashes, make sure the family had enough warm clothing till new ones could be required all this while his mind was on the tiny baby in the manor house and Elizabeth before he could return home. As his mind raced through it all, he was grateful that at least he knew she had survived childbirth and that she was well enough to travel. Finally, he was able to return to Pemberley where he hoped Richard had been more successful than he had.
Richard as a military man was a good detective he had been trained by his Majesty's government on interrogation but the only information he was able to find was that the cottage belongs to the late Mr. Clark, who had left it to his daughter. Who had married a tradesman many years ago and now resided in London. If he wanted any further information on the property he would have to contact her husband's man of business at Gardner's emporium Cheapside London. He was also told the family rarely used the property but no one had been seen them there recently. His luck changed when he approached a stable boy who had been given one whole penny to attend the properties horses for two days, who said the young blonde lady had ridden ahead of the carriage with a groom as the rest of the party left in their carriage only two to three hours ago.