A Traitorous Heart

by Tammy Jo Burns

  “Fond of? Not in love?”

  “I did not know her well enough for love. I still don’t. We found a church on the outskirts of the village and were married. Her father accompanied us, and he and one of the nuns stood as witnesses. If you will remember, Portugal had been attempting to play us and France against one another. I had been diligently setting up meetings, attempting to woo them permanently to our side. I had a very important meeting set up the next day with several high-ranking Portuguese officials, but I never made it.

  “Upon our return to the little village, after exchanging our vows, Junot began his siege. I suppose he grew tired of the waiting and took matters into his own hands. The little village lay close to Spain, but should not have attracted his attention as it did. Someone shot my horse out from under me and when it fell, I lay trapped beneath the beast, injured. The Captain lay dead killed by a sniper’s bullet, and they told me that Tessa had been killed as well.”

  “Who told you this?”

  “The priest and nuns that saw to my convalescence.”

  Gabe nodded his understanding. “Anyone else with your party that night?”

  “No. Occasionally the Captain’s secretary joined us, but had been gone for several days at the end sent to deliver messages.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “I’m not certain. I had assumed that he heard of the attack and joined up with our troops elsewhere.”

  “I see. Then you were taken to the church and transferred home when you were well enough?”

  “Yes. Gabe I know you have every reason to mistrust her, but we are not talking about any woman,” he watched as Gabe stiffened. “We’re talking about Captain Lochley’s daughter.”

  “Good could have gone to bad,” Gabe interjected quietly.

  “Just because that woman you were involved with turned bad, does not mean it happens to every decent woman,” Derek interjected harshly.

  “Think about it Derek. She, besides yourself and the handful that were severely wounded, are the only ones to survive. Do you find that in the least coincidental?”

  “Hell no,” conviction laced Derek’s tortured voice.

  “Truly Derek? You’re my best friend and I don’t want to hurt you, but think on this and think like a soldier. The daughter of one of the top spies in English history survives the same attack you did. She disappears for ten months and now is back, but only because soldiers caught her. She survived the attack without so much as a scratch. Who could have leaked the information to the enemy? She knew the weaknesses of the village. She survived the attack without a major wound. You could have lost your leg or worse yet, your life. Her father did lose his life. What if she planned all that? What if she worked with someone to ensure it happened? What if she put troops in danger even now?”

  Derek looked like a haunted man. “Everything you say is true, but it couldn’t be her. She is the very embodiment of loyalty. It must be someone else.”

  “Who? Everyone is dead but you and her. Did you leak the information?”

  “No, and I can’t believe you would even ask that,” he spit out the words. “Can you tell me what her reasoning might be? Have you thought on that, Gabe? Why would she order her own father, and women and children that she had become close to, to be so foully eradicated? What reason?”

  “Money? Revenge? Power? Who knows what motivates people in these desperate times? But she must be questioned and watched closely. If you can’t handle this situation, you need to let me know right now.”

  “I know you are doing your job Gabe, but I refuse to believe it of her. That is my wife and Captain Lochley’s daughter lying in there bloody and torn. I refuse to believe she could harbor that kind of evilness.”

  “You loved her,” Gabe declared in awe.

  “I...” A blood-curdling scream interrupted Derek.

  “Get away from me! Where’s my father? Papa!” Derek pushed himself out of the chair, and forgetting about his leg nearly went to the floor when it did not work properly.

  “Damn and bloody hell!” Derek gritted through his teeth as he regained his balance and took off limping through the open doorway behind Gabe. The flight down the hall had him sweating. He entered her room to more demands from her naturally sultry voice, “Who are all of you? I want papa!”

  “Contessa, it’s all right,” Derek interjected coming towards her.

  “Who are you?” Sapphire eyes flashed at him. With that simple question, Derek’s stomach began to cramp as if he had been sucker-punched by Gentleman Jackson. But worse than that, his chest ached as it had almost a year ago when he first thought her dead. “Oh, my head,” Tessa moaned. “I’m going to be sick,” and to add insult to injury she did just as she predicted, and Derek found himself unable to move quickly enough to get out of the way.

  Chapter 4

  Tessa looked at the strangers staring back at her. Humiliation coursed through her. Goodness, the man who had spoken to her practically took her breath away with his good looks. He seemed to know her, but she couldn’t place him in her memory. Her head ached and pounded as if a hundred drummers had taken up residence in her brain. Her stomach ached as well and her mouth tasted awful, and that nice woman tried to help her clean up. She moaned and eased back into a lying position on the bed.

  “Gentlemen, please leave us alone,” the elderly woman commanded them all to leave the room. They shuffled out and the women heard the man who had spoken to her ask the guard to find him a change of clothes.

  “I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Now, now dear. You couldn’t help it,” she patted the girl’s shoulder and watched tears leak from under her lashes. “Crying is only going to make your head hurt worse.”

  “I know,” Tessa wailed.

  “Well, dear, get it all out now. After we clean you up, I expect you have some questions to be answerin’.” The motherly woman helped Tessa wash her face and rinse out her mouth. She cleaned up the mess on the floor and then helped Tessa out of her filthy clothes and into a warmed night rail and dressing robe a guard had delivered earlier.

  She helped ease Tessa back into bed and recline against the pillows. She fed her a few bites of toast and some weak tea.

  “Now what do you say we let the men back in?” Tessa began to nod her agreement, but quickly changed her mind when the pounding intensified

  “Yes,” she whispered instead. Tessa watched in amazement at how stealthily a woman of her size moved. Sadly, the same could not be said for the men.

  The group tromped back into the room. The man she had been sick on now wore fresh clothes that did not fit him near as well as the earlier ones. His expression had pain etched on it. “I’m very sorry, sir,” she whispered. He nodded his head, but refused to speak.

  “Doctor, please proceed,” the other man commanded. This man stood a few inches taller than the one who had talked to her earlier. He had dark hair, almost black, and blue eyes. Right now they had sparks of silver in them. A scar slashed across his face making him appear dark and dangerous. He acted like a man that gave orders and expected them to be followed, no questions asked.

  “Yes, of course. Good evening young lady. From the lump on your head, I can only guess your head is pounding something fierce. I’ll give you something to help you sleep in just a bit, all right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now you don’t know the missus and me. I’m Dr. McGregor and this is my wife, Matilda. As I said, you’ve a rather nasty bump on the back of your head. Also, you had a dislocated shoulder, but that has been seen to, which started your screaming. I do apologize for the pain, but it couldn’t be helped.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  “I need to do a few tests now that you are awake, all right?”

  “Yes.”

  He had her follow his finger with her eyes. He looked at her eyes and made her repeat things back to him. “She is definitely concussed,” he addressed the two men in the room. They stood in the corner and she had time to
study the pair. The men whispered furtively to each other and cast glances at her. The one who had spoken to her seemed to look at her with concern. The other looked as if he would rather tear out her throat as look at her, much like a savage wolf. The scar that ran down the right side of his face did not help his menacing glare any. A shiver traveled up her spine.

  She swung her gaze to the one with light brown hair. He had a rather nice face. His eyes were a caramel brown color and appeared almost molten at times. His hair had a tendency to fall rakishly over one eye and caused him to continuously run his fingers through it attempting to comb it back in place.

  He had a limp that she noticed when he left the room earlier. He glanced away from the doctor and the wolf and looked her direction. It would not do justice to compare him to a Greek god. He appeared much earthier and a shiver once again raced through her, but she did not feel fear this time. She inhaled a sharp breath surprised at the way he affected her physically.

  “Dear, are you all right?” Mrs. McGregor questioned.

  “Yes,” Tessa murmured. Dr. McGregor broke from the men and made his way back over to the bed.

  “Young lady, I’d like to ask you a few questions. Can you tell me your name?”

  “I...,” she broke off and licked her lips, because they suddenly felt very dry. She looked at Mrs. McGregor who nodded encouragingly to her. Then she looked at the two men still standing in the corner. “Ummm,” she tried again. A tear slipped down her cheek. How could she not remember her own name? Her papa used to call her a nickname similar to royalty. She wracked her brain trying to think of it. Papa could help her if only he were here. Where could he be? Oh, what was she going to do? What were they going to do to her? She started breathing irregularly and couldn’t catch her breath.

  “Breathe dear, calm down,” the older woman had put herself between the men and her. “Look at me, lass. That’s it. Just breathe, you’ll remember soon enough. There you go. Breathe in, breathe out. Slow and steady. Good girl. Now dear, what’s your name?”

  “Contessa.”

  “Contessa?”

  “That’s what papa calls me. My real name is Tessa. Tessa Rose, I think,” she hesitated.

  “That’s a right fine name. Scottish?”

  “I believe so. The Lowlands.”

  “Now we won’t hold that against ye lass.” Mrs. McGregor gave a deep belly chuckle. Her husband came up and whispered in her ear. She nodded at his comment. “Remember Tessa, breathe in, breathe out. Slow and steady. Can you tell me the name of your parents?”

  Tessa kept breathing steadily. In. Out. She thought hard. Another tear traced a path down her cheek. “No,” she whispered.

  “Can ye remember how ye came t’be here?”

  She tried so very hard, but nothing would come to her. “No,” she said on a strained whisper.

  “It’s all right dear, I ken it will come back to you in no time. Herbert, can you give the lass something now. She must be hurting something fierce and upset to boot.”

  “Aye,” the doctor rushed over to his bag, pulled out a vial and then scurried to his wife. He poured some of the clear liquid into Tessa’s tea and Mrs. McGregor helped Tessa to drink it.

  “I’ll stay with her for a while and keep her company. Go talk to the gentlemen, and see if there aren’t more blankets to be had. This slip of a girl is freezing.” Mrs. McGregor settled Tessa lower in the bed and herself onto a chair.

  “Of course. Gentlemen, let us repair to the study and leave these two women to some privacy. We do have some matters to discuss it seems. Your Grace, my lord,” the doctor finished as he tried to herd the two men out the door.

  “Indeed we do,” the wolf growled as he left the room.

  The other one stood rooted to his spot, his eyes fixed on Tessa. The doctor came back, took him by the arm, and propelled him out the door. “Come my lord, it isn’t as bad as all that.”

  As he left the room, Tessa wondered if she would ever forget that stricken look in his warm, caramel eyes.

  * * *

  The man who had been walking around in a state of shock erupted like a volcano as soon as they walked into the room where his best friend had questioned him earlier.

  “What the bloody hell happened to her? She doesn’t even remember me, her own...oooomph,” Derek finished with a sharp elbow in his gut from his best friend.

  “Yes, doctor,” the brooding Duke of Hawkescliffe interjected smoothly. “What is going on with this young woman?”

  She’s a damn countess, Derek fumed silently.

  “It appears that bump on her head has caused some memory loss for the dear girl.”

  “Temporary or permanent?” Derek managed to bite out.

  “One never knows in these situations. Brain injuries can be tricky. It could last a few days or it could last years. She may only get back parts of her memory or it could come back all at once. One just can’t predict these things and I don’t want to give any false hope,” the doctor presented the situation in a very straightforward manner.

  “Is there anything I, I mean, we should watch for?” Derek asked with concern.

  “Oh, you’ll definitely know when, or if, her memory returns. You do need to watch for seizures, fainting, vision, and hearing problems. Send for me right away should any of these things occur. You never know what might happen with a head injury. Why I’ve seen men be kicked in the head by a horse or mule and be fine and then the next day drop dead. You just never know,” the man shook his head, unaware of how Derek paled considerably and his hands began to shake at the doctor’s words. Gabe grabbed Derek by the arm and forced him into the chair. Derek rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

  “Doctor, forgive me for being pessimistic, but could the young lady be acting?”

  “It’s possible, but doubtful. She remained coherent while I examined her. She even kept asking for her papa. Before I had to hurt her so badly, popping her shoulder back in, she also asked for her husband. I believe the girl is legitimate.”

  “Did she ask for either of them by name?” Derek asked hopefully.

  “Nay. She suggested they could be in a meeting, and then began screaming when I had to hurt her and blacked out momentarily. When she regained consciousness is when it seems her memory seems to have disappeared. Sometimes this happens with head wounds and cases of severe shock.”

  Derek nodded an understanding that he really did not feel. His thoughts were flying. Did she really remember him? Of course not, or she would have recognized him. He had not changed physically all that much in ten months. Perhaps she just remembered the idea of him. For some reason that made him feel worse. What would happen if she never remembered? They had been fond of each other and he had suspected her feelings ran deeper than his had. Regardless, he took his vows seriously and the fact remained the woman was his wife.

  “I can’t give you a timeline as to when her memory might return. I can say this, she needs to remain as stress-free as possible and not be pushed to remember. Also, if anyone knows her background, best that they not share it. She should remember on her own.”

  “Thank you, doctor. Gather your wife up and I will have my carriage take you both home.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace,” he bowed to both men then left the room directly.

  Derek stood and paced the length of the room several times, his leg dragging behind him slightly from exhaustion and the strain of the day. He came to a halt before Gabe. “You don’t believe this is legitimate at all, do you? You believe she is faking her memory loss,” he accused the man he considered a brother.

  “Derek, think about this logically and objectively. Remove yourself from the situation for just a moment. They found her with treasonous documents. Documents that show supply shipments as well as other things we’ve yet to decode. If she were a stranger, you’d think her guilty and acting her way out of the hangman’s noose as well.”

  “You’re right, and I know that,” Derek said, tunneling his fi
ngers through his hair. “However, she is not a stranger, and I refuse to believe she is a traitor. Nor can she act worth a damn. Besides all that, remember her paternal lineage.”

  “There have been traitors related to the king. She was with a man,” Gabe said softly, dropping a bomb that could have leveled all of London, it carried so much force. Who could believe that five insignificant little words when put in a sentence, would have the effect of bringing a man to his figurative knees? But Derek refused to show his weakness to another soul, not his family, and definitely not Gabe.

  Inside however, he had gone numb. He had been faithful, even going through a type of mourning with no one knowing. Yet she had been with a man? This knowledge changed everything he had thought before. Perhaps she had changed in their time apart. A crushing sensation went through him as he realized that his countess could very likely be a traitor. What would this do to his family?

  “Who?” His question clipped and emotionless.

  I have pushed him too far, Gabe thought sorrowfully. Too late now, always press forward, as his father would say.

  “He got away. They were chased down an alley. He attempted to lift her through a window into a brothel,” Gabe explained while watching his friend’s face turn into a stony facade. “I do not know exactly what transpired next, except that we have Miss Lochley and he got away. The soldiers did not get a clear look at him or hear her call his name. Until she gets her memory back or begins to talk, we are at an impasse.”

  Derek had taken up pacing again, clenching his hands behind his back. Abruptly he changed course and limped to the door. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. Without turning to look at Gabe he said, “I must go home and break the news to Mikala. She will be excited to learn she has a new sister.” He opened the door to leave and then paused, refusing to look back at Gabe. “Oh, and Gabe?”