Behind the Mask (91 page)

“Let me help with—”

“I can take care of it,” Abbi interrupted. “Thank you, Franz.” She took the things from him.

Franz gave Cameron a questioning gaze. “Thank you,” he responded. “My good wife will help me.” Wanting to be alone with Cameron, Abbi was relieved when Franz left the room.

Little was said between them as Cameron sat on the edge of the bed, and Abbi cared for the bullet wound that had been hideously disturbed earlier today. When that was taken care of, she took it on herself to gently rub salve everywhere that he was bruised. She sat behind him on the bed to administer to his back, and then she urged him to lie down so she could reach his chest and torso while she sat cross-legged beside him.

“You’re so good to me,” Cameron said and saw her smile, but he sensed her disquiet while she occasionally glanced around the room as if she were in a foreign country. The silence became uncomfortable, but all he could think to say was, “Talk to me, Abbi.” She smiled timidly but still said nothing. He decided he would prefer some kind of outburst rather than this unbearable quiet. “You must tell me what you’re feeling,” he pleaded.

“I suppose I’m just . . . trying to get used to all of this,” she admitted.

“That’s understandable.”

“I still can’t believe it.” She focused on her gentle attention to his bruises rather than meeting his eyes. “All this time . . . and I had no idea. Since I first met Nikolaus, I’ve been well aware that I am terribly naive and ignorant of life beyond my own little world.” She laughed softly. “Perhaps that’s what made me the perfect woman for you.”

“That is the least of it, I can assure you.”

Abbi sighed, grateful for a task to keep her hands busy while she mentally tried to catch up with her life. Her mind wandered through more than a year’s worth of occurrences that had brought her to this moment. She thought of the dream that had initially led her to Cameron, and all that had transpired between them since.
It was all so impossible.

“Talk to me,” he said again.

“I keep wondering how I might have felt if you’d told me the truth months ago. It must have been so difficult for you . . . not to talk about it.”

“I wanted to tell you so badly, Abbi,” he said, “but I was more concerned for your safety than your feelings, or mine. When I was accused and overthrown, Nikolaus made it clear that anyone associating with me—period—was to be arrested. There is nothing like genuine innocence when it comes to being questioned by people who are trained to look into a person’s eyes and find the truth.”

Abbi’s confusion showed in her face. Cameron sighed and resigned himself to telling her things that had haunted him since he’d first dared admit that he loved her.

“Abbi, listen to me. I know this operation like the back of my hand. There are people who used to work for
me,
who know how to get people to talk. When it comes to dealing with criminals and fanatics with evil motives, such methods are necessary. But until today, those people were working for my brother. Whenever I was tempted to tell you the truth—and I was tempted practically every day—I would imagine you looking into their eyes and saying with complete confidence that you knew absolutely nothing about the man you loved; you didn’t know what he was guilty of, you didn’t even know his name. Because if I had failed,
anyone
who could be connected to me would have been lined up and executed.”

She stopped her massaging and he took her hand. “I once saw a woman executed for treason. She was evil and wicked, and the punishment equaled the crime. But still, I will never forget watching her fall when that bullet hit her. That’s exactly why it was so difficult to let myself get involved with you in the first place. I feared that your love for me could end up costing you your life. Then I realized that I would never make it back without you, and I knew in my heart that God had sent you to me. Still, I considered your naiveté a great blessing, and I was willing to keep you naive for as long as I possibly could.” Cameron leaned up on one elbow and touched her face gently in an effort to soften the horrors of what he’d just told her. “Do you think I was wrong, Abbi, to keep it from you? Should I have told you from the start who I really was?”

Abbi shook her head. “No, Cameron, I think you did the right thing. Truthfully, I’m grateful I didn’t know. If I had known all this time the full extent of the situation . . . of the danger you were in, I think I would have lost my mind. I’m just grateful that we’re all alive and it’s in the past.”

“Amen,” he whispered and sat beside her, pressing a kiss to her brow. And then her lips. Abbi was just getting caught up in the familiar passion of his kiss when a clock chimed and he turned to look at it.

“Good heavens,” he said. “I’ve got to go. Georg will be waiting for me.”

“Where are you going?”

“We have to get your father—tonight.”

“My father?”

Cameron started changing his clothes while they talked. “Your father is the man who can prove I didn’t kill Gwen.”

“My father?”
she said again. “Is that why he’s been kept guarded all this time?”

“Truthfully, we don’t know the whole situation. There must be more to it than that. The only thing I know and care about is that he can absolutely testify to my innocence. I need him in the courtroom tomorrow morning, or all is lost.”

Abbi’s mind went wild with trying to put the pieces together. One point stood out. “You told me you worked with him.”

“That’s right. He was my valet.”

Abbi made a dubious noise. “My father was the duke’s
valet?
And he never told me?”

“You said yourself that the two of you weren’t close.”

“No, we weren’t, but—”

“He didn’t want his family to know. His father would have considered it a demeaning profession.”

“You were close, then,” she said, considering the depth of such knowledge.

“Yes, very. He loved his work, and he took excellent care of me.” Cameron dressed in clothes that were more familiar to Abbi as he continued to explain. “He was loyal and committed. He became a great support to me. Ironically, almost like a father. What started out as casual chitchat during the times when he was assisting me, gradually evolved into long conversations. He was wise and insightful and helped guide me through many challenges.” Cameron paused to touch Abbi’s face, saying with tenderness, “You are so much like him. When I realized you were his daughter, I truly had to accept that God’s hand was in my life.”

He kissed her quickly and resumed his efforts to get dressed. “As I understand it, not long after your mother died, Gerhard came to work at the castle. He gradually worked his way to the top.”

“The top?”

“That’s right.” He stated with matter-of-fact humility, “The personal servants to the duke and duchess are the highest paid, and carry the most prestige among the hundreds of people who are employed here.” Abbi felt a little stunned in relation to her father, and also in thinking of what this meant for Elsa.
Hundreds
employed here? Would she ever get used to this? Cameron gave her one more layer of amazement as he added, “They are the ones who care for the crowns—both figuratively and literally. Elsa has already been versed in the proper protocol of her position.”

“I see,” she said while Cameron buttoned his shirt. “And when will the duchess be versed in the proper protocol of
her
position?”

He smiled as if he found the question amusing, but she couldn’t see the humor. “All in good time, Your Grace.”

Not liking that topic, she said, “You were telling me how my father became involved in all of this.”

“Gerhard heard rumor among the servants that Gwen was dabbling in something that bordered on treason; he didn’t know what. Our marriage was a disaster, but I certainly didn’t want her getting into some kind of trouble. He offered to keep a discreet eye on her. Then she was killed. I’d been on the mountain for two years before Georg was able to find out for certain that Gerhard knew something relating to Gwen’s murder. That’s all we know. We’ve tried desperately to reach him, but as you know he is heavily guarded, and messages are not received. When he saw you wearing the bracelet, which let him know I was alive, he found a way to get word to Georg. The man who risked so much to make that contact is the one who couldn’t help us last night because he was ill.” He looked at her intently. “His wife made the lace Georg gave you yesterday.”

Abbi sighed as the pieces came together. “Where
is
my father?”

“I don’t even know,” Cameron said. “But I have officers who do. And now that they won’t have to fear being executed for treason to help me, we’ll just go and get him.” He sighed and threw his cloak around his shoulders. “The whole thing has been so complicated, it’s difficult to believe that what I have to do now is so simple.” He chuckled. “It’s good you didn’t realize you were aiding a revolution.”

She groaned. “Yes, I think that’s very good. But I have a question. Did the fire in town last night have something to do with this?”

Cameron chuckled again. “One of our revolutionaries donated his barn to the cause, and then we had false robberies reported to distract the Guard while we took the castle. There wasn’t as much of a fight as I had anticipated, thanks to Georg, who had it all mapped out very carefully. He’s been planning this since the night he got me out of prison . . . making contacts with the right people and so on. I couldn’t have done any of this without him.”

“Where would
either
of us be without him?”

“I shudder to think.” He took her hands into his and kissed her gently. “I must go.”

“I wish I could come with you,” she said, fearing any separation after all they’d been through.

“I won’t be long,” he said. “I’ve been told it’s less than an hour’s ride, there and back. And the minute that trial is over tomorrow, you and I are leaving.”

“Leaving? Where?”

“A honeymoon, of course,” he said with a little grin, and Abbi laughed. The thought of being alone with him away from here seemed heavenly. “I figured we could use some time together to adjust to all of this.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said. Cameron kissed her once again and moved toward the door. “Do hurry and be . . .”

“Careful,” he finished with a smile. “Always. And you.” He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t leave for any reason. Until Nikolaus is under control, I’m not taking any chances. Now, get some rest; it’s been a long day.”

The minute Cameron left, Abbi felt the evidence of just how long the day had been. She rang for Elsa and slumped into a chair, shaking her head to think of the reality.
She was the Duchess of Horstberg
.

Twelve uniformed men and an empty horse rode quickly through the black night. Cameron and Georg wore dark cloaks, riding among them. Two officers had remained at a rendezvous point a short distance from the castle, where they would wait with instructions on what to do in case the others didn’t return within the specified time. The heavily guarded lodge that served as Gerhard Albrecht’s prison wasn’t difficult to locate. Cameron and Georg remained quietly in the trees while four officers went into the lodge and walked back out with Gerhard in less than five minutes.

Indescribable relief washed over Cameron to see for himself that Gerhard was alive and well. He sighed and heard Georg laugh softly just before he whispered, “We’re almost home free.”

“What’s going on?” Cameron heard Gerhard demand as he was escorted to a clearing in the trees where the horses were waiting.

“His Grace wishes to speak to you,” an officer retorted and Cameron chuckled.

“I have nothing to say to
him,”
Gerhard countered.

“What’s this?” Cameron asked, stepping toward him. “After all these years, I thought you’d be glad to see me.”

Gerhard’s stunned expression quickly merged into an eruption of laughter. “I don’t believe it!” he exclaimed, and they shared a firm embrace. He pulled back with tears in his eyes and looked into Cameron’s face
. “His Grace?”
Gerhard asked. Then he laughed again. “Does this mean that you’ve taken it back?”

“I have, but I won’t be keeping it unless you can prove that I deserve it.”

Gerhard laughed again. “That will not be a problem.”

“Good, we have a courtroom appointment in the morning.”

Gerhard slapped Cameron lightly on the shoulder. “You’ve changed, my boy. What have you been up to?”

It amazed Cameron to look at this man he’d known so well and see the striking resemblance to Abbi. “Oh, nothing much,” he said with light sarcasm. “Inciting a revolution, overthrowing a duchy. Trivial things like that. And I got married today.”

“Really?” Gerhard lifted his brows expectantly. “Who’s the lucky princess?”

Cameron glanced slyly at Georg and said, “It’s Abbi.”

Gerhard’s serene smile held no surprise at all. “Didn’t I tell you, boy? If you’d have listened to me back then you’d—”

“I knew you’d say that,
Father.”
Cameron chuckled. “But we’d better get moving. We can catch up on the way.”

“Spoken like a king,” Gerhard said lightly. They mounted and Gerhard rode between Cameron and Georg, with officers leading the way and taking up the rear.