Edited
That evening, Alyssa woke with a start, trying to process what she could remember and yet refused to eat. The doctor explained the repercussions of her decision and despite her lack of energy, she still managed to stick by her decision. The doctor's scientific mind and rigid logic ordered the maids to bind the girl to the bed. It had been a permission Sir Micheal had given him reluctantly,
"I cannot understand why my daughter would add a layer on the inside of her dress if she is trying to lose this so-called weight,"
The Doctor gave the man a sympathetic look through his spectacles, "In all honesty, Sir Michael this condition is incomprehensible, we have a few cases that resemble it but it has not yet been classified." There was a pause as the Doctor tried to find the most pleasant words to convey the next message, "This condition is to do with the way the person views themselves, their state distorts reality. It could very well be one part knows that what it's doing is wrong but the other overpowers it and it only manages to conceal, we assume it must also be something to do with the brain, but we have no definitive proof, "
" Yet although it is speculation, My Lord, there is much we do begin to understand regarding the brain " Blake added.
Sir Michaels headache from the conversation, the words spun endlessly around his head, without really settling.
"What cure is there?"
There was a silence as Blake and the Doctor turned to the doomed man.
"Surely there is a cure, ?" Sir Michael urged weakly,
"There is no tangible cure, Sir," the Doctor hadn't wanted to say the words, he'd hope the man would accept the reality through inference.
"But there is a path to the cure," Sir Michael urged slightly more emphatically. It seemed he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else in the room.
Blake coughed uncomfortably, "Uncle, this issue is too complex for a liquid to solve."
"Don't treat me like an idiot, son." Sir Michael's emotions were heightening, verging on anger. "Are you telling me in this age of Science, there is nothing!"
Blake raised his hands to appease his uncle, "There Is a letter that I gave to my Aunt, I was intending to contact my colleague who runs an experimentative Rehabilitation centre in Inverness"
Sir Michael heard the location but he was too fixated with the chance at curing his daughter, "Will it be able to cure her?" He couldn't bear the weight on his conscience that his daughter would not make it.
Blake couldn't lie regardless of Sir Michael's desperateness, "It's the best chance she has but it is not certain,"
Evaluating the situation Sir Michael saw no other options, he saw no need to speak about it with his wife since she had been already moving ahead with her own decisions before the catastrophe that had befallen the house. The doctor established that if she didn't eat when she awoke he would have to force the patient to intake the necessary nutrition. The implications of what the doctor explained pained Alyssa's father but with his little understanding, he gave the permission for force-feeding. By the end of their meeting, the desperate call for help had been sent to Blake's colleague.
The next couple of days saw Lady Kate regain normality, the family made the arrangements to postpone their return to London and she urged her youngest daughter to not abandon her ball preparations. Lady Kate aided Honey with sorting out the guest list and they hired extra help from the nearest town for the day. Rosalie barely involved herself, she thought it insensitive to proceed with the ball when there was a sick Alyssa who always put up a fight when it came time to eat. Alyssa was under careful supervision, still refusing to eat and refusing to speak to anyone.
Over the passage of days, Rosalie began to realise that the ladies were preparing the ball not out of insincerity towards Alyssa, but rather because it was the sincerest action to do for the girl. A gesture of normality. A gesture of opulence for Alyssa, who cared dearly about grandiosity. Honey verified every important detail by Alyssa, following her requests and ignoring her own. Rosalie grew to slowly love Honey as she saw the manner in which she cared for her sister.
Yet, nevertheless, these efforts came to a meaningless end when an unrecognisable carriage arrived a week later.
Blake was in the library and very much surprised to hear the Butler Fiennes announce "Lord Ethan Chadworth is here to see you, my lord." Blake rushed to welcome his old friend in the entrance hall. The two shared a hug of comradery.
"This is very unexpected, Ethan." Blake turned to Fiennes to order some refreshments and filling food. Rosalie, who had been promenading with Lucky, entered the house curiously, flushed from the outside air. She was greeted by the pair, Blake's eyes shone when he saw her but she couldn't ignore the man with startling blue eyes that pierced out of dark-rimmed eyelashes, black hair curling over his forehead. A handsome man who almost rivalled her own man. By gosh she called Blake hers.
"Good Afternoon," she dared to speak to the stranger, Blake watched her eyes scan the stranger, "Will you not introduce us, Blake?"
"Lord Ethan Chadworth," the blue-eyed stranger interceded, sticking his hand out to shake Rosalie's. Rosalie took his hand and smiled demurely, she could feel Blake's intense gaze and it was destabilizing her.
"Ethan is an old school colleague," Blake stated simply, walking to stand beside Rosalie. He wanted to know where Ethan's gaze was directed. He knew too much about his friend not to worry about his thoughts when it came to Rosalie. She looked resplendent with her curls escaping her coiffure and her skin touched by the sun's caress.
"Why don't we talk privately, Chadworth." To Rosalie, Blake's voice sounded restrained but between men, the line quietly warned the other to move along. Swiftly or else.
"Of course, Franco, as long as I have the pleasure of dining with your family later."
"That can be arranged," Blake said curtly, he pointed in the direction the two would be heading. The man bowed to Rosalie, his eyes fixed on her face. Rosalie smiled, an inner voice recognised the way the blue eyes were trying to read her. She was a difficult book to read, so he could try all he liked. It did not escape her notice that the warmth of Blake's body, spread a reassuring sense of comfort in front of this over-examining stranger.
"We shall acquaint ourselves at dinner, Lord Chadworth," Rosalie said, she aimed for her voice to sound as mundane as possible, another of Alyssa's trait. Blake glared at Rosalie, angry pikes of jealousy poking his hard-held pride.
"A pleasure I cannot wait for,"
Blake gripped at his friend's arm and led him to the library, "What are you doing here, Chadworth?"
Blake closed the door and gestured at a chair.
"My brother and I received your letter, Carlton couldn't leave all his responsibilities but I thought that I could offer my opinion on the situation," Ethan looked at the door, smirked and took the seat, raising his booted feet onto the table.
"The letter was addressed to Carlton," Blake muttered, there had been a reason why Blake had sent the letter to the younger of the Chadworth twins. That twin wasn't a womaniser.
"You know we hide no secrets from each other," Ethan said uninterested, his eyes were elsewhere.
"So, you're here for my cousin Alyssa?" Blake questioned,
"Was that the delightful lady I just met with?" Ethan questioned back, his eyes alight. Blake resisted the urge to knock over his friend,
"No, but a warning to you. Keep yourself in check around her." Blake made his words clear. Ethan looked at his friend, his blue eyes glinting, he coughed out a chuckle.
"Are you and the brown-haired goddess in a courtship?" The situation had become amusing, Ethan had never seen Blake so defensive.
"Not officially, but yes" Blake wasn't comfortable talking about Rosalie with his friend. He had great respect for the man but they differed when it came to relationships with women.
"So to speak she is still fair game," Ethan decided.
"NO! Most definitely not!" Blake growled, the jealousy had translated into murderous intent. He was sure Ethan was now a human target for the darts his eyes were launching. Ethan laughed, dropping his stretched out legs to the ground.
"Do not worry, my friend. If this unofficial courtship is true, she will not be swayed by my unresisting charms."
Blake swallowed, he held a fist in his hand, making a show of it to his friend. Ethan stood to hit his shoulder lightly.
"Fear not dear friend, I did not come here with the intention to seduce any woman but to see if we can be of help to your cousin."
Blake was sure that Ethan could not suppress his human nature of seducing women but for the sake of the bigger issue at hand, he decided to quell his anger and follow the new conversation. It wasn't long before Rosalie was no longer the main subject and the two could fall into an easy dialogue. Blake explained that Alyssa had been under careful supervision and under compulsory meals.
Ethan clicked the roof of his mouth at that information, "Undoubtedly, your Doctor obliged this."
"Yes,"
Blake was confused by this reaction, Ethan explained the consequences of forcing food down and how it could slow down the process of healing Alyssa's could go through. "We can't make her hate food any more than she already does,"
Ethan came to realise the severity of the situation. "I should probably talk to her," Blake looked uncertain. "Blake, you know I take my craft seriously, she will be nothing more than a patient." This was true Blake knew that Ethan took his profession seriously and as a perfectionist was immaculate with details and precision.
"I will arrange for you to speak to her before dinner,"
"You do realise Blake that if I think we can help her, she'll have to depart with me to return to Inverness." Blake was aware of the carriage. Ethan could have easily ridden a horse.
"We are all aware of it, "Blake started, "Except Alyssa is not overjoyed, to say the least,"
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