Never Gone: A Study in Suitors Part Two ⭐

25 - More Blood on Your Hands

**SHERLOCK POV**

"Sherlock, do you know what you're doing?" Enola asked as we road to the cabin.

"I want to check on her Enola..."

"She doesn't want to see you until she is ready."

"And it's been 2 months!" I snapped.

"Sherlock, listen to me. She is fine. Mother, Emilia, Beatrice and I have been checking on her. She is fine. If there was a problem, we would tell you." Enola explained. They pulled up outside the cabin. "Do you really want to push this?" Enola asked and I sighed.

"No..." I said and he knocked on the carriage signaling for it to continue on. "You promise me she is fine? Taking care of herself...?" I asked.

"Yes, Sherlock she is fine and healthy." Enola said and I just sighed. She hated knowing that Portia was pregnant and hiding it from her brother, but she also knew it was the smartest thing right now.

**PORTIA POV**

I watched the carriage pull away from the house once it stopped and sighed a sigh of relief.

I couldn't see him, not yet. I looked down at the small bump that had appeared and sighed.

"Good morning baby." I whispered and sat on the couch.

As the days went by it was increasingly harder to hide this pregnancy. I wasn't going into town much anymore and if I traveled to my mother's I hid myself very well.

I wanted to tell Sherlock I wanted to forget this whole thing, but Irene was showing her ugly head even when I wasn't even thinking of seeing Sherlock. I didn't know how she was doing it but I was getting at least one note a day.

I didn't know if Sherlock was getting as many, but I could tell she was trying to drive me crazy.

I was sitting on the couch when someone rode up in a carriage a few hours after Sherlock and Enola came by and I looked to see it was Eudoria. I got up and opened the door and she just looked at me concerned.

"What's wrong?!" I asked.

"Your mother is at the estate, she was there having tea with me, she passed out on us. The doctor is saying you need to come." Eudoria said and I quickly grabbed my shawl, rushing to the carriage as it sped back to the estate.

I rushed to the door.

"Mother?!" I called out.

"She is upstairs in the guest suite." Emilia said and ran upstairs. I got to the door and stopped since it was closed. I sighed and knocked.

"Come in." The doctor said and I walked in. I saw my mother in a nightgown I could only guess was borrowed. Her eyes were closed as she was laying in the bed and I was concerned.

"She is sleeping Portia. We should talk." He said and I nodded as we walked to the sitting area of the room. I couldn't take my eyes from my mother.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Your mother was poisoned. No one is sure how it happened, and the staff is being questioned."

"Poisoned?! Sherlock and I were poisoned before..." I trailed off.

"From what I can assess, it's the same kind." The doctor said and I groaned.

"Will she be okay?" I asked.

"Yes, she will be fine. We are already working on giving her the fluids we gave you and Sherlock to get it out of your systems."

"Thank you." I said looking back at my mother.

"Portia, how are you feeling?" He asked me and I placed a hand in my stomach.

"Pretty good. The morning sickness has subsided." I said and he smiled with a nod.

"Perfect. You look very healthy." He said and I just gave a small smile.

"I've been trying." I said. "Would it be okay if I sat with my mother?" I asked and he nodded.

"I will give you two some privacy." He said and walked out as I walked over to sit beside my mother. I took her hand and sighed.

I looked at the table beside the bed and saw a folded-up piece of paper. I grabbed it and opened it to read it.

-Portia,

Sorry I came after your dear mother, she really was innocent in all of this. I just had to get my point across of the people who will get hurt if you don't leave Sherlock for good, forever.

You have done well so far and I'm proud of you for carrying his child. Now is the time to deliver the final blow to him. You need to divorce him for good Portia. He has basically been deserting you, you know how to claim that. Do this Portia and everyone you love will be safe.

Don't put more blood on your hands.

Regards, 

Irene-

I crumpled up the paper. She wanted me to leave my husband, make it official, make it known to people. I looked at my mother and thought of Eudoria, Enola, MJ, Emilia...all of them. They were all in danger because of me.

There was only one thing I could do...

🔍 🔍 🔍

I was told by Eudoria to take a break from watching over my mother after a few hours. She came in and sat with her. I sighed and walked down the hall. My feet stopped me in front of Sherlock's bedroom door. I sighed and walked in knowing he wasn't home. I was met with the familiar scent of his aftershave, I missed that smell, it had disappeared from the cabin. I walked around his room and smiled at the organized mess he always left things in.

I walked over to the mantel and found our wedding picture. We were looking at each other with so much love and adoration. My eyes welled with tears, if I did what Irene was asking this was not going to be easy.

I walked over and found one of his tunics lying in the bed, I picked it up and it smelled like him. I missed having this smell envelope me at night. I walked behind the changing screen, taking off my dress and pulled his shirt over my body. I smiled as I walked out from behind the screen and crawled into his bed. If this was as close as I could get to Sherlock it's what I would take.

**SHERLOCK POV**

Enola and I got home and were dead on our feet tired. We spent all day searching for Irene and searching all the leads we had. They turned out to be dead ends, so I was just ready to go to bed.

We walked through the door and my mother was in the sitting room.

"Mother?" I asked. She looked at me.

"I have something to tell you..." Eudoria started off as Enola and I walked in and joined her. "Beatrice is still here, we were having tea, and she was poisoned, I found the crumpled up note in her room. It was Irene." Eudoria said and handed me the note, I read it over. I instantly saw red and threw the note in the fire.

"Does Portia know?" I asked looking into the fire.

"She is still here. I found her sleeping in your room Sherlock." Eudoria stated. I rushed out of the sitting room and up the stairs.

I reached my room and quietly opened the door. There was my wife, fast asleep in my shirt on my bed. I sighed seeing her, the vision I had been missing coming home to. She was covered up and cuddled into my pillows, she was missing me.

I sat on the bed beside Portia, leaning against the headboard and running my fingers through her hair gently.

"Please don't leave me Portia, please don't let Irene win. I promise you I will find her. Just don't leave me." I whispered leaning my head back on the headboard and drifted into a peaceful sleep, finally able to sleep with Portia by my side.