Chapter 2 - La Fiesta
Marta found Tessa sitting in the kitchen with a dazed smile on her face. "I trust something good has happened."
"Oh, Marta! Doctor Helm asked to court me. Me!" she emphasized.
"And your uncle agreed?" Marta asked, taking a seat across from Tessa. She was surprised how open-minded the alcalde had become since arriving in Alta California.
Tessa nodded vigorously, bouncing like she did when she was a little girl. Her smile faltered as she continued. "Look at me, Marta. I've hunted bandits and stared down pistols without flinching, and yet I'm a mess over a man."
Marta laughed. "It happens to the best of us. I do hope I will be invited to the wedding."
Tessa tossed a rag at her. "He asked to escort me to the fiesta tomorrow night. What am I going to wear?"
"You are like a real lady now, worrying about dresses instead of arresting criminals. Fortunately, I have just the thing." Marta hurried off in the direction of her quarters and returned moments later carrying a dress Tessa had never seen before.
"What is this?" Tessa asked, examining the rich black silk trimmed with red lace. Painstakingly embroidered red roses entwined the brocade bodice.
"Just something I made for a special occasion. Do you like it?"
Tessa took the dress and held it in front of her. "It's beautiful, but why does it make me think of something the Queen of Swords would wear to a ball?"
Marta tried to look innocent and handed over a beaded black lace shawl, not unlike the one the Queen's mask was made from. "Perhaps it's time you tell him. Your mission is complete. The Queen is no longer needed."
"I don't want to complicate things, Marta. Everything is going so well."
The Rose Courtyard was filled with blazing candelabras, and illuminated paper lanterns crisscrossed over the revelers' heads. The sounds of flamenco guitar and lively conversation filled the air. Tessa had seen all this many times before, but this time she strolled into the courtyard with her hand gently placed on the arm of Doctor Helm's grey morning coat. Marta trailed some distance behind, playing the role of dutiful servant and chaperone.
Tessa's black silk skirts rustled as she walked. Marta had completed her outfit with a delicate jet bead choker and styled Tessa's hair loosely away from her face, leaving the long espresso locks to trail down her back in soft curls. It was adorned by a single red rose picked from the late señora Alvarado's restored garden. It wasn't high fashion, but Tessa let Marta work her vision.
The flamenco dancers finished their performance and other musicians joined the guitarist. Slowly, couples began to fill the courtyard, and Santa Elena's elite twirled by in flashes of jewels and bold colors.
"I suppose one is expected to dance at these sorts of things," Helm said drily.
"They do have dancing in England, right doctor? I can't imagine a gentleman could grow up without learning something."
"Something yes, but I don't pretend to be any good at it." His tone softened. "And perhaps you could call me Robert."
"Well I hope you will oblige me, Robert," Tessa replied, gently leading him towards the group of dancers.
Parties were far from being one of Robert Helm's favorite things. Uncomfortable clothing and tedious conversation were a large part of his dislike, and while he still felt choked by his cravat and overly dressed for the warm California evening, he was genuinely enjoying himself as he led Tessa around the courtyard in a waltz. He was sorely out of practice but managed not to step on Tessa's gown.
Suddenly a woman's scream pierced the night, bringing the dancers to a halt. Doctor Helm ran towards the sound with Tessa close on his heels. She nearly collided with his back when the doctor suddenly stopped. Tessa stepped out from behind him to see a masked man wielding a gun with Vera Hidalgo's wrists held firmly in his grasp. Vera struggled violently to get away from him.
"Give me your money and jewelry and no one gets hurt!" the bandit shouted. A kerchief covered his face, and only dark, menacing eyes were visible.
Tessa started to take a step forward, but the doctor put his arm out to stop her. "Tessa, don't," he hissed.
Vera's husband, Don Gaspar, approached cautiously. "I have only a few reales with me. Please, don't hurt her," he pleaded.
A gunshot rang out, drawing everyone's attention. Helm threw Tessa behind him. Vera managed to pull free of her captor and run to her husband, pastel blue skirts and blonde hair flying behind her. Capitán Ramos and three soldiers rushed the bandit, and Ramos brought down his sword on the bandit's pistol, knocking the gun out of his hand. With the point of Ramos' sword resting against his neck, the bandit held still for another soldier to tie his wrists. The soldiers dragged the bandit out accompanied by the applause of the party guests.
"My apologies, damas y caballeros," the young captain announced to the crowd. "Rest assured, you will not be bothered for the rest of the evening." Ramos bowed and retreated after his soldiers.
As Tessa watched the captain leave, she saw a tall figure skulking near the courtyard entrance. Before she could get a closer look, she felt a hand gently grasp her arm.
"Are you all right?" Helm asked, pulling her closer.
"I'm fine," she replied, looking up at him. "Just a little more excitement than I was expecting this evening. Thank you for trying to protect me."
"You might be too brave for your own good. Were you going to take on a bandit singlehanded?"
Tessa had heard that same stern tone many a time as the Queen. "A sword would have been nice."
Tessa regretted the choice of words the moment she uttered them. The doctor looked quizzical for a moment as they locked gazes. Tessa thought for sure she'd been discovered with her ill-advised statement. Perhaps Marta was right about telling him.
"Robert..." She trailed off as he leaned in and kissed her. Without thinking, Tessa wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his warm hands against her back. She'd dreamt of this moment for so long, and all thoughts of confessing her dual identity fled.
When they finally broke apart, he took her hands in his. "I think it's time to see you home," he said softly.
Tessa nodded reluctantly. "Marta and I will be fine. You don't need to accompany us."
"Oblige me, Tessa."
Marta reappeared, as if by magic. "Thank you, doctor. I will feel much better not traveling alone in the dark."
The three left the courtyard to find the Alvarado carriage when shouts from the barracks drew their attention. Three men rode off on horseback at high speed with soldiers firing guns after them. Moments later, troops on horseback took off in pursuit. The doctor, Tessa, and Marta watched and waited a few more minutes for the chaos to die down before setting off for the Alvarado hacienda.
"Please stay, Robert," Tessa begged from the softly lit salon of her hacienda. "It's not safe, and we have plenty of guest rooms."
"I'll be fine, I promise." He kissed her hand. "Good evening, señorita Alvarado."
Tessa watched from the veranda as Helm rode off into the dark night. She waited another twenty minutes before grabbing Marta and heading to her father's hidden room in the cellar. "It's time for the Queen to make another appearance. Help me out of this dress, Marta."
The Queen of Swords and Chico set out by the light of a nearly full moon in the direction the bandits had fled. It was harder to track in the dim blue light, but she was familiar with the terrain and had the element of surprise in her favor. She heard horses approaching and guided Chico behind a large rock formation. She watched as the soldiers returned to town. The bandits must have eluded them.
The Queen continued on in the direction the soldiers had come from, following a trail towards a nearby arroyo that could serve as a hideout. She left Chico to continue on foot to avoid giving away her location. As she neared the base of the dry creek bed, she saw the light of a fire. She kept to the darkest shadows of the arroyo walls to avoid detection and approached with sword drawn.
Three men were gathered around a small fire. The firelight flickered on their sleeping horses, tied to a scrub oak. The men were drinking and not paying attention to their surroundings. The Queen took advantage of their distraction to creep up behind one and place the tip of her sword against his back.
"Lovely evening to rob a party," the Queen commented when the bandit flinched at her sword. The other two jumped up, brandishing knives. "Three against one? Well, I don't want to get rusty."
The man on her right charged, and she jumped aside easily. The man tripped and landed face first on the rocky ground.
"Who's next?" the Queen quipped.
Both remaining men ran at her, but the bandits weren't skilled fighters. The Queen parried their attacks, hitting one with the hilt of her sword. She used her whip to trip the other. In no time, all three were tied together, ready for the soldiers to cart them off to jail in the morning when the search was resumed. Satisfied with her night's work, the Queen started back up the arroyo bank to find Chico.
Halfway up the path, a searing pain exploded in her back and she fell forward. The pain became even more excruciating when she put out her arms to break her fall. After a moment of shock, she realized she'd been shot. Staying low to the ground, she made it back to Chico and led him by the reins to a large boulder that would protect them from any additional gunfire. The Queen slowly and painfully climbed into the saddle.
"Take me to the doctor, Chico," she whispered to her horse, guiding him back towards town. It was a long, slow, and painful ride. Every jostle added to the pain, and she was starting to feel dizzy. It took everything she had to stay on the horse.
The sky was just beginning to lighten when Chico stopped at the back of Doctor Helm's office and the Queen slid to the ground. Despite the pain, she pulled herself through her usual window, landing in a heap on the floor. She tried to stand up but no longer had the strength to do so.
"Who's there?" Doctor Helm shouted as he entered the room with an oil lamp in hand. The rumpled shirt and mussed hair indicated he'd jumped out of bed at the sound of an intruder. Cautiously rounding the table, he saw the Queen of Swords slumped on the floor below the open window. She was breathing, thank God. He grabbed some smelling salts to rouse her and helped her sit up.
"Tell me what happened."
"Good to see you, too, Doctor," the Queen replied weakly.
"Dammit, woman, I'm trying to help you. Now what happened."
"Shot in the back. Left side."
Crouching on the floor, he lifted the oil lamp to examine her wound. "I need to remove the bullet. Can you stand?"
"Yes." She reached up for the table edge to help herself up, but the movement caused another spasm of pain. The doctor picked her up by the waist and helped her onto the table.
"You've lost a lot of blood. I'm going to have to remove your corset to get to the bullet." The Queen nodded as the doctor started to unlace her stays. "I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt. I'll rinse it with a morphine solution to dull the pain a little. Your rib is likely broken as well."
The Queen gasped and clenched her jaw as the doctor retrieved the bullet with forceps. A hollow clang sounded as he dropped the bullet into a metal bowl. He gently cleaned the wound, stitched and bandaged it, adding additional wrappings around her torso to stabilize the broken rib.
"Three inches higher and you'd be dead," Helm commented softly as he tied off the bandage.
"I'm glad he was a lousy shot."
"You are maddening," the doctor exclaimed. "Now tell me what happened."
"I went after the bandit who assaulted Vera Hidalgo at this evening's fiesta and his accomplices who broke him out of jail. I found them and tied them up. All in a day's work. I didn't even injure them. You should be proud of me, doctor." By his expression, the doctor was decidedly unamused, so she continued. "As I was leaving, someone shot me. It was dark; I couldn't see anyone."
"You do realize this town has an entire garrison of soldiers to track the bandits. And yet you felt the need to go after them in the middle of the night. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" The doctor's anger was palpable.
"The soldiers weren't able to find them. I could. Why are you so angry with me?"
He looked her directly in the eyes. "Why do you think?"
The vague hinting and deflected questions had gone on for too long. The Queen slowly stood from the table, her defiant eyes never leaving his. "How about you tell me."
But he didn't. Instead he placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her. She leaned up against him and wrapped her right arm around him, just cognizant enough that moving the left would cause another flare of pain.
"Where have you been these last few months," he asked far more gently than their previous conversation.
"Around. With Montoya and Grisham gone, my services haven't been needed much. Did you miss me, doctor?" she teased.
"Yes," he replied seriously.
She reached out to run a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," she breathed. She glanced out the window to see dawn was starting to break. "I have to go."
"You can't ride like this. You need to rest. You can stay here. No one will see you. Dammit, highness, I will drug you if I have to."
The queen smiled gently at him. "No, you won't." She kissed him softly on the cheek. "I will be back, I promise."