The following three months were the most difficult on Elizabeth's health. She had to spend a lot of her time resting, and when she was not at rest, she had to be consulting with the Steward and overseeing all of the Pemberly businesses. Jane was always at hand to take care of her, and Marianne supervised Ella and Anne's education with a maturity which surprised even Elizabeth. Georgiana was a constant guest at Pemberly, she came to assure Elizabeth of Wickham taking their bait, he was bound to give them an address soon, and then they will go to find Mr Darcy.
Elizabeth missed him a great deal, especially now that she knew for sure that he had not betrayed their love. The thought of never seeing him again kept her awake most nights, and the hope of presenting him with a child when she next saw him kept her mind preoccupied during the day. Sometimes, Elizabeth would let Ella and Anne come to bed with her, it made the children very happy, and it made Mrs Tompkins very angry.
"Children should sleep on their own Mrs Darcy. These ones are already dependent on each other, what happens if they become dependent on you? " Mrs Tompkins asked sternly.
"Then I will try and teach them some independence," Elizabeth replied with a smile as the young girls giggled besides her. She had to tell them of their expected sibling as things became too big to hide, and they were very much delighted with the prospect.
At last, on a cold winter morning, after a night of gruelling labour, Elizabeth delivered a son. Mr Richardson only let her hold him after he had been washed and clothed, despite her protests. She felt a love like no other when she first held the boy in her arms and nursed him at her breast.
For the next seven days, guests bearing gifts arrived at Pemberly in extraordinary numbers and offered their congratulations and wished the child well. Even those who had shunned her when Darcy supposedly ran away came too. Elizabeth knew the reason for their coming, they wanted to see the child's features and compare them to her husband's to try and gauge if she too had committed adultery in the absence of her husband. Elizabeth was really glad that the child was a boy, for he got all of his father's features, except his eyes, which were dark, with lashes so fine and shone as brightly as his mother's.
Colonel Filtzwilliam, being the closest male relation to the child was invited to stand in the place of his father at baptism, and Elizabeth asked Bingley to be his godfather, for Mr Darcy himself would have wanted him to be. The place of godmother no doubt went to Georgiana, after Jane had politely declined it since she was already godmother to ten or so small children.
So on the seventh day after he was born, with only a small party consisting of Jane, Kitty, Marianne,Grorgiana, Ella and Anne, Bingley and Colonel Filtzwilliam, the boy was christened Filtzwilliam Charles Darcy at the Pemberly church.
Her father wrote to congratulate her, and promised to come and visit her as soon as he was sure the child could be taken away during the time of his stay at Pemberly. Her mother expressed her joy, and urged Elizabeth to try and get her husband back using the child.
One mornings, when the child, whom everyone was now calling Fil was about a month and some days old, Georgina arrived at Pemberly, on horseback and looking very excited. Elizabeth admonished her on the dangers of riding on horseback all the way from London for a lady married in the Baronet's family but Georgiana listened very little, she always preferred horseback to the carriage.
"He has finally send Edward an address he is in a small village called Fishland, near the border at Scotland. We were able to locate the place on the map, Edward has offered to go and help bring Wickham back," Georgiana said.
Elizabeth shook her head," No, he cannot go alone, I must go with him. "
"You must not, Fil is only a month old, and he is still nursing, besides, you are a lady, ladies have not the strength to travel far,"Georgiana protested.
"Fil will be nursing for the next five years if I don't take it upon myself to wean him. I made a vow before God and men to stand by his side at all times, I have not been doing it off late, I need to start it now. "
"You made no such vow, you only vowed to honour and obey him. "
"And to love and cherish, but he is not here for me to do all that, is he? I need to find him first. "
"Listen Lizzy, you are in no condition to travel... "
"Let me be the judge of that. Pemberly cannot remain without a Darcy, I am leaving you in charge Georgiana, I trust you would take good care of your nieces and nephew, I am going to find my husband."
Georgiana knew better than to argue with Elizabeth once she had had set her mind set to do something. Elizabeth sent her back to London, to inform Edward that they will be leaving the next day for Fishland, and she will be bringing her own carriage.
Jane came by, to try and convince her not to leave, but Elizabeth had already packed enough gowns for four days and a knife to protect herself. Jane shuddered when Elizabeth showed her the small sharp weapon, appalled by the fact that any lady in the world should endeavour to carry a weapon.
"Do you need that Lizzy? "Jane asked in open astonishment.
"Yes. Have you not heard Jane? In Scotland people are not as civilized as we are, that is why people who elope usually go there to get married," Elizabeth said, struggling maintain a serious facade. She knew nothing of civilization in Scotland, but she had to assuage Jane's fears somehow.
Jane nodded her understanding,"Okay, you may carry it then, I shall go get Charles' things ready, he too is determined to leave with you."
Elizabeth had known all along that Bingley would insist on being part of the journey. She was not opposed to the idea either, traveling with two gentlemen was better than one, especially if one of them was a lawyer with tendencies bordering to the annoying side and another a very pleasant well spoken man.
The following day saw Elizabeth and Bingley depart from Pemberly at a very early hour. Elizabeth placed a small kiss on the head of her still sleeping son, kissed both Anne and Ella on the cheek and promised to come back to them very soon, repeated her instructions on how to feed the baby to Marianne and Mrs Tompkins and left with a heavy heart.
They met Edward and Georgiana at their home in London, it was the first time Elizabeth had been there, and she was glad to see that they were well settled, in a lovely home located at a very respectable street. They did not linger long, they set off at the same time, with Georgiana headed to Derbyshire and the other three on their way to the Scotland border.
They travelled all day, and Elizabeth found the journey quite enjoyable. Unlike most men she had met, Edward Woodland had a well read and improved mind, and he knew exactly when to tease and when to pull back, when to provoke her to speak her mind and when to let her stew in her own thoughts. With Mr Bingley's general good humour and Elizabeth's liveliness, it was decided without saying among the three of them that they shall always be traveling together in future.
They spent the night in an inn that was recommended to them by a certain gentleman on the way, and thanks to Mr Woodland's knowledge of the country and the road they were taking, they were able to feed and water their horses and groom them for the next day's journey. The following day saw them almost reach Fishland, this time round, at midnight, they were able to find a hotel and not just an inn.
The hotel servant assured them that Fishland was about an hour's journey with a carriage from the town they were staying in when Elizabeth ventured to ask.
"Do you receive a lot of guests from out of town? " Mr Woodland inquired from the servant.
"Yes sir, a lot of people who want to cross the border stay here."
Elizabeth saw no need to start asking of Wickham this early, it will only spread a report of alarm and he might escape before they could reach him. He must have no information of their coming, she decided.
"If the fellow did not kill Darcy, what do you think he did with him? "Mr Woodland asked in the easy joking manner he was used to.
Elizabeth looked at him vehemently, "He is not dead, "she said with finality.
"But what did he do to him to keep him from coming back to you? The man would have climbed mountains and swam oceans for you," Edward said thoughtfully.
"Maybe he is still climbing mountains and swimming oceans for her, Darcy was a little not well in the head if you ask me,"Bingley said with a fond smile.
Despite herself, Elizabeth had to smile, Mr Bingley's comment sounded like something straight from her father's head, which meant she found it quite funny.
"Could he have locked him in a wardrobe? Or perhaps he just tied him up and threw him in a hole somewhere? " Edward continued stubbornly.
Irritated, Elizabeth replied, "Or perhaps we could tell him to tie you up and throw you in a hole somewhere? No, that would not do at all, he should perhaps just tie your mouth, you are a really good fellow when you are not talking. "
Her words seemed to shut him down for the night and they went to bed soon, anticipating the next day with both dread and excitement in equal measure.