Dear Father, Miss Bates, and Mrs Bates,

We are sorry for leaving so abruptly but we could not afford being delayed any further. Waiting has only proven to cause more difficulties for us and we desire a content peaceful life. I am sorry that we have left especially in this manner but we are not running away, I promise you Father I will return home. We will be back in two weeks time with the new Mr and Mrs Weston; we thought a quick quiet seaside wedding was the best.

Yours always,

Emma.

Mr Knightly reread the letter for what felt like the thousand time. The very idea that Emma has left Highbury in order to become Mrs Weston did not sit well with him. It was not just because of his own affections towards her that made him feel like this but how out of character the whole situation was. Emma had always appeared as the type of girl who wanted to be home and surrounded by her family when she finally married and although she enjoyed being spontaneous every so often suddenly running away to marry by the sea was not her type of adventure.

Or perhaps he just did not know her as well as he thought he had.

Once they had awoken the poor footman and he had recovered enough to elaborate on his outburst they discovered that Jane, Frank, and Emma had disappeared in the middle of the night with nothing more than this note to tell everyone what they were doing.

John took charge having to soothe his wife as well plan their next move. It had been agreed that John and Mr Knightly will go back to Hartfield with the footman while Isabella prepares for the children and herself to be moved back to Hartfield for a few days to keep her father calm.

Not that he needed calming down. In fact he was silent and appeared to have aged decades since the last time Mr Knightly saw him. The grieve on his face spoke volumes as he stared longingly at the dying fire in the fireplace.

This was Frank's fault.

Mr Knightly knew Emma would have some blame since she agreed to such a terrible plan but he knew she would not cause this pain to her father if she had not been persuaded by Frank.

If Mr Knightly sees Frank soon he will not be held for his actions.

"Do you think," Mr Woodhouse said quietly, "if I had been more supportive for Miss Taylor's marriage, Emma would not have felt this need to run away."

"I do not know what to think sir," Mr Knightly said gently, "but I do know no matter what has happened, Emma will return home."

"Will she?" Mr Woodhouse questioned hopelessly.

"She will," Mr Knightly said firmly. "She loves you, sir, and she would not want to bring you harm."

"If she had just spoken to me," Mr Woodhouse continued as if Mr Knightly had not spoken. The hopelessness was etched into his face and voice, it was ever so heartbreaking. "I would have understood her feelings. I would have supported her. She should be able to marry surrounded by her people. Not in some faraway place riddled with dangerous things. Bring her home, Mr Knightly; tell her that she can marry here. Just make sure she comes home."

"I will," Mr Knightly promised patting the elderly man's hand. "I will."

Mr Knightly would fulfil this promise to find Emma and try to convince her to come home and marry in the local church with Mr Elton performing the service. He would even go as far as trying to convince her to change her choice of groom if he did not think it would make her miserable.

But would he be able to do this before it was too late?

EWEWEWEWEWEWEW

Mr Weston was tired, hurt, upset, and confused.

The two Mr Knightlys agreed that he should come with them for the search of Emma, Jane, and Frank, and as they rode through the countryside with a great speed that worried him he could not help but wonder why Frank felt the need to elope over coming to him. Although he had not been a constant presence in his son's life he had thought he was approachable and close to his son nonetheless. Did he think Mr Weston would not approve of such a match? Did he merely not want to upset either him or his heavily pregnant wife? Or did he feel that he could no longer approach his father because there was a new child on the way?

Such thoughts were haunting him as well as tiring him mentally. He needed his answers and soon.

With Mr Knightly and his brother's quick thinking they managed to trace the route the troublesome threesome took through interrogation at each carriage coach stop. They were successful in finding the first driver who had confessed the trio were aiming for Brighton however he was not pleased at being bothered seeing as he had been working all night. They rested for a night midway through the journey and while Mr Weston was exhausted from the constant riding he was too worried and upset to actually sleep and therefore he moved rather slowly in the morning much to Mr Knightly's out of character irritation. It is often the other brother who seemed so irritable.

"Do you think I am a bad father?" Mr Weston asked as he they rode out as soon as they broke their fast.

"Pardon?" John Knightly asked looking somewhat befuddled.

"Do you think I am a bad father?" Mr Weston repeated. "After all Frank could not bring himself to confide in me about his affection for Emma."

"It might be Jane," John pointed out, "Emma was not very clear in her letter which no one else seemed to notice. She might only be there as a witness to the marriage of Frank and Jane rather than marrying Frank herself."

"You make a valid point if this was a court case," Mr Weston agreed, "however my wife as an eye for this sort of thing and she had noticed that Frank is far more affectionate to Emma than he is to Jane."

"I cannot comment I have no eye for these sort of things," John said dryly, "but I can say that you are not a bad father. You did your very best to ensure that Frank had everything he needed or could have wanted in his life. You placed him in a loving environment and never gave him a reason to question your own affection for him. Perhaps he cannot confide in you because he cannot find the right words, I know I had difficulty in discussing my own intentions for Isabella to either my brother or her father."

"Perhaps but he must know that he can marry at home with my blessing no matter who the bride is," Mr Weston sighed.

"He will as soon as we find them," John reassured him.

They continued to ride without a break until they arrived at Brighton. Once they were refreshed they had began to question at every hotel there was. Unfortunately this took quite some time and it had gotten dark and the lack of sleep had affected all three of them. They rested for the night and then set out once more to search the rest of the city for Emma, Jane, and Frank. Unlike the day before there was a strong wind coming in from the sea and as they explored the road by the sea front for the more expensive hotels the wind picked up and blew Mr Weston's hat off.

"Oh no!" Mr Weston cried out. He attempted to catch the wayward hat but the wind maliciously blew it out onto the beach.

"Allow me," Mr Knightly said placing a hand on the elder man's shoulder. "You and John continue the search for our troublesome threesome."

He then hurried away without accidentally bumping into passersby and onto the beach. John Knightly looked unbothered as he carried on walking. "George would not want us to abandon the search," he said calmly. "He'll find us eventually."

Mr Weston continued forward hoping he will find his son and before the wedding.

EWEWEWEWEWEWEW

Mr Knightly swore under his breath.

"How troublesome is this hat?" he muttered as he continued to chase after the infernal thing that was now being pulled by the wind on the sand. Every moment he was close to picking the hat up the wind pulled it further away. He bent down to pick it up once more and just before his fingers could even touch the evil thing the wind blew behind him and the thing was dragged away once more. Only into the feet of some lady who was taking a stroll, she bent down and picked up the hat. "Thank...Emma?"

"Mr Knightly!" Emma cried out in surprise. "Why are you here?"

"I was looking for you!" Mr Knightly said unable to believe his luck. What he had thought would keep him from preventing Emma to wed had turned into some wonderful twist of fate allowing him to find her. "Do you have any idea how worried everyone is at home? Your father is distraught with grieve."

There was a flash of guilt on her face as well as hurt. She hated the idea of upsetting her father. "We had to do this," she said pleading him to understand, "Frank's aunt would never approve of such a match. She feels that anyone in Highbury is beneath Frank especially when he inherits her wealth. She would have prevented Frank from marrying or even disinherit him which is highly unfair towards him for it is not his fault for loving who he chooses."

"Nonetheless Emma, Mrs Churchill is terribly ill and is likely to die soon, could you not have waited?"

"There was...well," Emma's cheeks flushed a bright red with embarrassment, "a doubt in Frank's affections. He had wanted to reassure that there had been no change in his feelings."

Mr Knightly could not understand this doubt after all the whole of Highbury has perhaps commented on how good Emma and Frank were together. There had been no doubt that the two would wed in the mind of everyone but his own. He stood there silently unable to think of an argument against Emma's rather embarrassed confession that she doubted Frank's love for her. Did that not prove he was not a good husband for her? Did she not think there would be others more constant than the likes of Frank Weston?

"Surely Emma this is not the way to do things," Mr Knightly argued. "A simple gesture would suffice until you could marry properly. Think of how the Westons and your father feel at this hurried elopement."

"I understand that Father would naturally be unhappy but it would not change much. I will assure him of this, very little will change, and is this not a good thing? Is marriage not a happy blessing in life? And the Westons surely cannot be unhappy with Frank's choice as it means he has no duty away from Highbury?"

"Nonetheless such a manner to do the deed causes scandal and whispers that neither your father or the Westons can bear. Could you not come home with us, Emma? Come home and wait before having a wedding in Highbury," Mr Knightly asked softy in hopes to persuade her.

"I am sorry," Emma said sadly, "but it is too late."

Mr Knightly felt as if someone had come and punched him in his gut once more. That familiar feeling of dread filled him as the wind seemed to affect him more. He is so very cold and his lips felt numb as he heard him question Emma.

"What do you mean, Emma?"

His very words were quiet and emotionless. He could not bear to hear what Emma was going to say but he knew what her words will be and if he did not hear them now he will never be able to move on. Her eyes were glittering with happiness, regret, and guilt as her lips moved to tell him the words he dreaded to hear.

"The wedding already happened this morning. I am sorry but you are too late to stop it."

Mr Knightly felt his very world end at those words.

He had lost Emma forever.