Forever Ruined

Chapter Forty-one

"You are just as beautiful as I imagined," Sturgis said to her with a half chuckle, half sob.

"You can see me? You can really see me?" Clara gasped her own eyes clouding over with tears that spilled onto her cheeks as Sturgis smiled and nodded at her.

She rushed to him and they embrace for what seemed an eternity. Clara put her hands on his cheeks as she stared into his eyes, those beautiful eyes. "I knew it. I knew this day would come."

Sturgis laughed in earnest, now. "Thank you for never giving up on me, Clara. Your undying faith in this process, I swear, at times was all that kept me going. So many times I thought I could not possibly stand a minute more but you were always right there to encourage me."

"How could I not? I will never give up on you," Clara said her heart so full of joy she thought it would burst.

Ever since that day, Sturgis' vision had only continued to improve. He no longer needed assistance to get from place to place, to dress or to eat. These simple actions so taken for granted, he felt immense gratitude to have returned to him.

The day began early around five in the morning. Sturgis started his day with the Kashayam. The masseuses would work on him with such synchronicity it was like watching the ocean waves washing over the shore.

Several hours later he began the special cleansing technique of herbal extracts poured in a stream over the eyes for nearly twenty minutes.

They broke for lunch to catch up with Lord Fitton who was learning so much from the doctors here. Fitton felt so close to a possible cure for the King.

"Clara, I know the King can be cured of his ailments, his mind can be healed. I almost wish I could convince the Queen to travel to this place but I doubt the King would survive the voyage."

"We are at war too, don't forget," Sturgis chimed in. "If word got out that the King took to the sea it would be the most sought out vessel to bring to the bottom of the ocean."

Clara shuddered at the thought. "Do you think a doctor from here would travel back with us?"

Lord Fitton shrugged in postulation. "I can only venture to request. Still what complicates the matter even further is many of the herbs and tinctures they use they grow and make here. I doubt the doctor would have what he needed in England."

Clara frowned as she puzzled over the problem. "There must be a way, Aaron."

Lord Fitton smiled at how easily she now used his given name. "I wish I had another lifetime to learn it all. So many could benefit from the Masters here. Did you know that they have been helping the EIC since it's inception?"

Sturgis stopped chewing and swallowed briefly. "The EIC?"

"Yes, back when the EIC started many of the men were dying off of scurvy and various other ailments and diseases they've never encountered. The reality is if there were not these Ayurveda doctors and their intimate knowledge of the humours of the body, how it all works in balance, the EIC may have died out hundreds of years ago."

"So you're saying I owe them for my life and livelihood," Sturgis replied grinning.

"It would seem so."

"Well, I am off for the Shirodhara, I must admit this is my favorite part of the day, as they pour those oils over my forehead I just feel all my tension and anxieties disappear."

Lord Fitton smiled as Sturgis bid them farewell. His attention then returned to Clara. "You look concerned, is everything alright?"

"I am thrilled with Sturgis' results. This is his last week of treatment. I will rejoin him when he goes through the Tharpanam but I just wish my own results were as encouraging."

Lord Fitton reached out his hand and took her hand in his. "Give it time, Clara. They told you your mind is your biggest barrier to your healing. You must open yourself up to the idea that you are already healed and what you want, the future you seek, is yours for the taking."

"It is much easier to believe in another's dream than in my own," Clara confessed.

A student had approached their table. "Lord Fitton," he bowed slightly, "there is a man here to see you. He said he is an emissary to the Queen of England and has come to ... collect you?"

Clara's grip tightened on Lord Fitton's hand. Not yet, they are so close to the end of Sturgis' journey and possibly her own. Not now... the thoughts raced through Clara's mind.

"Don't worry, Clara. I'm not going anywhere. Not without you and Sturgis."

Clara simply nodded and slowly let go.

"It will all be well, you'll see."

She watched Lord Fitton walk off in the opposite direction Sturgis took moments ago. Panic, caused bile to rise and burn her throat. If this emissary demands Lord Fitton to come back to England with him there would be little he could do to refuse.

To deny him would be to deny the crown and that would be treason.

Her mind was made up. She must go. She must convince this emissary to, at the very least, postpone his mission until theirs was complete. She would beg if she must. Clara knew Lord Fitton made arrangements for Sturgis and her but she could not imagine ending this journey without him. Not after all Aaron has done. Yet, she did not wish him to get into trouble on their behalf, if the emissary refused Clara must convince Lord Fitton to go and assure him, she and Sturgis would carry on without him.

With a new resolve, she rose from the table and walked off in search of Lord Fitton and this emissary to the Queen.

Lord Fitton came across a very stern-looking man who was conversing with the Master Guru. He turned just as Lord Fitton approached. They must be nearly the same age. Obviously the man was ex-military, the way he linked his hands behind his back and held his stance at parade rest.

The Guru came forward. " Ah, Lord Fitton. I was just telling the Emissary here that you and your family are nearing the end of your treatments and was advising that it be best that he wait another week before returning to your home in England. He, however, informed me it is of utmost importance that you return at once. Hopefully, you will have better luck at making him see reason."

Lord Fitton thanked the Master Guru and held out his hand to the newcomer. "Lord Aaron Fitton, I do understand your urgency, sir but to leave now would not only be a detriment to my family but to the King's health as well. There is so much more to learn, secrets to the mind I have only begun to unlock."

The man ignored his outstretched hand and he appeared to be looking past him for some reason. Lord Fitton, turned to look back to see what had caught his attention but saw nothing there. Feeling foolish that he still held his hand extend, he put it down.

The man glowered at him with an icy glare. Lord Fitton found Redgrave intimidating but this man was downright terrifying.  "The King's health is failing, Lord Fitton. His mental stability hangs on by a thread. I have had too many delays already. It is time for you and your... family to return home. We must leave at once."

"My son is in the middle of a treatment. I cannot disturb him. We cannot return to England this very moment so I see no reason to disrupt him. We will come back with you once his treatment is complete."

The man's gaze caused a shiver to course down Aaron's spine.  He was obviously not a man to be trifled with and knew it. "You are bound by the Queen's demand. You do not have a say in this matter. To deny me is to deny the Queen and therefore an act of high treason. I should..."

"Please! Please, sir! I beg of you. Please, let him stay!"

Benjamin heard her voice before laying eyes upon her. A scarf covered Clara's hair, she looked much thinner than before but no less beautiful. Her eyes implored him to give her, her way. Until they locked upon his own and then he'd seen her stumble and waver as recognition took hold.

Both men raced to her side but it was Benjamin who managed to get to her only seconds before she would have hit the tiled floor.