Suddenly in the distance she spotted a ship with towering masts sitting at anchor a few miles out to sea.
Perhaps it came in too close and got beached?
No sooner had this thought entered her mind when she noticed the small dingy that had been rowed onto the sandy coastline. With a gasp she watched five men dressed in shabby breeches and coats climb out of the boat.
Pirates! Should she run or stay? The Queen would never run, but what could she do against five men without her sword?
As it turned out, her decision was made for her.
"Get the girl!" one of the men shouted as the other four ran towards Tessa.
She attempted to outrun them but she knew they'd catch up to her sooner or later. Sure enough, she soon felt a rough hand close around her upper arm as she was pulled to a stop and shoved into the filthy grasp of two others.
"Let me go!" she ordered.
"And let such treasure slip through our fingers?" asked the leader who had just joined them. "I don't think so. But don't worry. Perhaps some masked vigilante will come and save you."
All the men laughed at that.
"Then again," the first man added. "I wouldn't hold my breath."
As they began to drag a kicking and protesting Tessa back towards their boat, a sound stopped them in their tracks. A low, rhythmic sound that grew louder and louder until one of the pirates pointed down the shore.
"Look!"
They all turned as one to see a great black stallion racing towards them. The animal had eyes as black as the night sky and the setting sun glinted off what appeared to be golden horseshoes. Atop the fine creature's back sat a tall, lean figure dressed in tight black trousers and a loose-fitting, long-sleeved silk shirt. A black-gloved hand held a shining sword aloft as horse and rider skidded to a graceful stop in front of them.
Tessa looked at the man in awe. His hair was fairly short and shone dark in the setting sun. Intense green eyes peered at her from behind a black mask, not unlike her own. Where hers was lace, his looked to be made of a soft satin. A wry smile graced his lips as he surveyed the small group.
"Well, look at this," he said. "Pirates taking what isn't theirs. What a surprise."
"She's ours! We found her first," one of the men sneered, reaching a grubby arm around Tessa's waist.
The man in black was off his horse so fast that the other man blinked in astonishment as the offending arm was suddenly twisted behind his back in a quite painful position.
"Did the lady ask to be held by you?" the masked man questioned calmly. "Because I for one didn't hear her say anything of the kind."
"Enough!" yelled the leader of the pirate gang. "There's five of us and only one of him. Let's finish this and then take our prize!"
Tessa was shoved backward and barely managed to keep her balance as she watched the eruption before her. The man in the mask was a dark blur as he cut a swathe through the inept and incompetent pirates. One after the other, the men fell at his blade until the only sounds were the groans of the injured and semi-conscious.
Sheathing his blade with a graceful arc, the man turned toward the stunned Tessa and walked over to her.
"Are you alright, my lady?" he asked, kneeling to dust off some of the moist sand that now clung to the hem of her garment.
"Yes," she replied. "Thanks to your help."
"I'm certain that you can fend for yourself," he assured her, "but I fear this time you were slightly outnumbered."
"Indeed," she said with just a hint of a smile.
The man simply nodded and turned back to his horse.
"Wait!" Tessa called. "Surely you wouldn't leave without letting me know who it was that rescued me from such a horrible fate."
The tall figure slowly turned back to face her and she couldn't help but smile at the quirk of his beautiful mouth. Then he reached back behind his head and pulled the mask free.v Tessa gaped. "Dr. Helm?!"
----
Tessa sat straight up in her bed. Her gown was nearly soaked and her breath was coming in quick gulps.
What on earth was that? What a dream!
Reaching over to her bedside table to pour some water from the pitcher into a glass, she managed to slow her breathing and calm herself. She drank deeply of the liquid and then she replaced the glass on the table and flopped back onto the bed.
"That's the last time I drink any of Marta's potions that close to bedtime," she said to the dark, empty room.
As she lay still, thoughts of Dr. Helm in a black mask returned to tickle the edge of her consciousness and a grin slowly spread across her lips...
"On second thought...Marta!"
