At Maer on 31 August 1831 she was with her family when they helped Charles Darwin to overturn his father's objections to letting Charles go on an extended voyage on the Beagle. During the voyage Charles' sisters kept him informed of news including the death of Emma's sister Fanny at the age of 26, and the gossip that his brother Erasmus Alvey Darwin was "paired off" with Emma to avert "an "action" in the Papers" over his "carrying on" with Hensleigh Wedgwood's wife, Frances "Fanny" Mackintosh. When Charles returned he was quick to visit Maer, where Emma shared in the interest of his travels.