Tessa and Marta were fifteen minutes late as they made their way down the wooden sidewalk to the Cantina. Tessa saw Doctor Helm sitting at an outside table in the shade of a canopy. "Sorry we’re late." she said.

Tessa sat down at the table in the chair opposite to him while Marta sat at another table. She saw that his eyes had a glazed look to them, probably attributable to the nearly empty bottle of wine sitting in front of him. She placed an elbow on the table and her hand under her chin. "I see that you're drinking your lunch. Did something happen?"

He stared back, looking belligerent. "You tell me."

"Tell you what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Carlos told me all about the intimate encounter the two of you had when you met him on the trail. I guessed you figured that, since he was leaving town for good, I would never find out about it."

Tessa was furious. "I didn't tell you because there wasn't anything to tell. I intercepted him on the trail to see if I could get any information from him about what his uncle was up to. Carlos was broken-hearted about being sent away and I felt very sad for him. I kissed him goodbye, that's all!"

His mouth tightened in an ugly line. "If he hadn't told me, I would never have known because you would have never told me. How many others have you felt very sad for?"

Tessa stood up, knocking down the chair behind her. "There's an old Spanish saying about not trying to argue with a drunk." She walked away. "Come, Marta. We are leaving." Looking puzzled, Marta followed her.

The women walked to the buggy and Tessa got in. Marta climbed up beside her. "Tessa, what is it?"

"Doctor Helm accused me of hiding a relationship with Carlos. Then, he accused me of having a relationship with others. This from the man who I saw kissing another man’s wife? It’s over, Marta. Not another word."

Marta shrugged, but said nothing. For all Tessa knew, Marta agreed with Roberto, but at the moment, she just didn't care. She snapped the reins and drove off.

Act Two

Tessa was depressed. All the next day, she kept to herself. When she returned from her morning ride, she sat in silence at the kitchen table hardly touching her food. After finishing her coffee she spent the rest of the day reading in the rose garden under the shade of a large fir tree.

Marta found her late in the afternoon, sitting by her parents' graves. Even now that I am married, Tessa is more a daughter to me than a friend or mistress, she thought sadly, watching the girl. It saddens me very much to see her like this. She is no longer a child but instead a young woman. It is time that she learned for herself how easy it is for a woman to lose her honor, even over the most innocent of actions. I will not interfere.

That night, Tessa got dressed in the Queen's outfit. "A rumor is going around about a stranger coming to Santa Elena," she told Marta. "He's a guest of Montoya. I need to check into this first hand."

Marta was worried. "I have a bad feeling about this, Tessa."

Tessa waved her off and left. Marta waited for Tessa’s return in the front room, sitting in the easy chair. Three flickering candles sat in a candlestick on the mantle and dimly lit the room. Marta drifted off to sleep. An hour later, a sound woke her. She shook the sleep out of her head. She saw a black form standing in front of her. It was Tessa.

Tessa swayed in place, holding her leg. "Marta, I am bleeding."

Marta became alert. "Madre de Dios!" she cried. She picked up the lantern and shone it on the wound. Tessa was holding her gloved hand over her upper left thigh in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding from the wound. Blood was oozing around her fingers and down her leg. Her pants and boots were covered with blood.

Marta placed her arm over Tessa's shoulder and helped her into the kitchen just as Tessa was about to collapse. She reached up and turned up the wick on the oil lamp hanging down from the ceiling on a chain and then, with her free hand, swept everything off the kitchen table and onto the floor. Marta helped Tessa lie down on top of the table and rolled her onto her right side. "Tessa, have you been shot?" she said.

Tessa grimaced. "No, It was a lancer!"

Marta untied the red sash from around Tessa’s waist, removed the main gauche from her boot and carefully used it to slit her riding pants up the leg. Using both hands Marta tore away the material exposing the bleeding wound. She grabbed a towel and held it over the wound, applying pressure. She took Tessa's hand and placed it on the towel. "Here, hold this tight against the wound."

Tessa was too weak to hold it very tight and the blood began to bleed through. Marta grabbed the sash and used it to tie the folded up towel over the wound and the bleeding slowed. "Tessa don't go to sleep, stay with me!"

Tessa looked weaker as Marta picked up the dagger and went out the back door. She picked up the bellows that was leaning against the wall. The oven was still warm from her baking and she used the bellows to bring life back into the coals. When the coals glowed, Marta put the blade onto the coals. She walked back into the kitchen with the tip and three inches of the blade glowing red. Tessa was not moving and the blade was beginning to cool. Marta pushed back the bandage and placed the hot blade against the puncture wound. Tessa squirmed to life as the pain brought her back around and she gave out a weak moan.

"Nais tuke, Devlese." thought Marta. "Thank you, God." She placed her hand on Tessa's shoulder. "Everything will be alright now." She removed Tessa’s mask and brushed the hair away from her eyes. A weak smile showed on the vigilante’s face and Marta smiled back. But inside, she wept.