He hurried back into the study and knelt beside the armchair where India was huddled. Her eyes were fixed on a spot across the room, and she rocked back and forth, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs.
“India?” he asked softly.
She didn’t acknowledge him. He wasn’t even sure she had heard him. He reached out and touched her cheek.
“Sahib, what is wrong with her?” Udaya demanded from the door.
He held out a hand. “Leave us.”
Udaya looked as if she would argue, but clamped her mouth shut and retreated.
Ridge grasped India’s shoulders and gave her a slight shake. “India, speak to me. Are you hurt?”
She blinked and refocused her eyes on him. She was looking directly at him, but he wasn’t at all sure she was seeing him. He shook her gently again. “India, you’re safe now.”
“Sahib, let me tend to her,” Udaya said.
He turned to see her standing again in the doorway, a look of sorrow on her face. Reluctantly, he stood and nodded at the woman.
Udaya rushed over and enfolded India in her arms. She murmured comfortingly in a language he didn’t understand. India gripped Udaya’s arm, her panic-stricken eyes wide and fathomless.
For several long minutes, Udaya rocked India back and forth making soothing noises. Ridge stood helplessly by, willing the physician to arrive soon.
Nearly a half hour later he heard a noise in the hall. Moreland, looking a bit haggard, and the physician walked into the study.
“Do sit down, Moreland,” Ridge ordered. He gestured toward India and addressed the doctor. “She has received a great shock. I was unable to determine if she suffered injury.”
The doctor hastened to India’s side and gently pushed Udaya away. “Let me examine her, madam.”
Udaya reluctantly stood up and backed a few feet away. Ridge closed the distance between him and Udaya and inquired in a soft voice, “What is wrong with her?”
“Where did you find her,Sahib?” she asked, ignoring his question.
“She was locked in the armoire.”
Her hand flew to her mouth and she gasped. Then she shook her head and turned her sorrowful gaze toward Ridge. “There are two things India cannot withstand. The dark and enclosed spaces.”
Ridge mulled over the information in his mind. Was it a natural fear, something she had held all her life? Or was it the product of an event? Whatever the cause, the stark terror in her eyes had been very real.
He glanced over at the desk again, despair swamping over him with every passing second. He’d been so close to realizing his dreams only to have them snatched away. Now the journal was gone, and with it, any chance of finding Pagoria.
The doctor stepped away and motioned for Ridge to come closer. “She’s sustained quite a shock and other than a bump on the head, I’ve been unable to find any injury. I’m going to give her a dose of laudanum so she’ll rest. I recommend her staying in bed for the remainder of the day.”
Ridge nodded. “I’ll see to it that she goes to bed at once.”
The doctor nodded then proceeded to give Udaya a small bottle and murmured instructions to her. Ridge walked past them to where India still sat huddled on the sofa. Her arms were wrapped around her legs and her face was buried between her knees. Her shoulders trembled and she rocked back and forth.
He placed his hand on her back and she flinched. Not removing his hand, he stroked it over her back in a soothing motion. “India,” he murmured. “I’m taking you up to your room now.”
She didn’t respond and slowly, he curled his arms underneath her and lifted her slight form. He strode by Udaya, who was still conversing with the doctor, past an unsmiling Kavi who stood at the door.
He mounted the stairs and slowly made his way up to her room. When he walked in, he deposited her gently on the bed and stepped slightly away. “Do you need me to help?” he asked, ignoring the impropriety of the question.
When she didn’t acknowledge him, he sat down on the bed beside her and cupped her face in his hand, forcing her gaze to his. “India,” he said quietly. “No one can hurt you now. I won’t allow it.”
Finally her eyes seemed to focus, and panic flared in her dark orbs. Her mouth opened as if she would say something then it snapped closed just as quickly.
He stroked his thumb over her cheek, enjoying the softness of her skin. “You’re all right now.”
