“My mother’s wedding box,” Tessa whispered from the safe confines of Alec’s arms.
“I remember it,” Madge smiled. Made entirely of wood, but appearing to be cast in gold, the heavily gilded container was nearly eighteen inches long and a foot wide, standing nine inches tall at the highest point of the domed lid. “Your father acquired it from a dealer in Ferrara over two centuries ago. The decorations are modeled in pastiglia, a technique popular in northern Italy during the Renaissance. This piece was done with a white lead paste mixed with egg white and perfumed with musk. The scent was thought to have aphrodisiacal properties. He gave it to your mother as a wedding gift.”
Shaking her head slightly, Tessa straightened away from Alec to stand on her own. He let her move away, but then slid his hand up her back, under the fall of her hair, to cup her nape, his long fingers soothing the tense muscles knotted at the base of her skull. Her knees threatened to give way again, but this time it had nothing to do with rogue memories of her mother. Who needed a gilded box perfumed with musk to act as an aphrodisiac with him around? With his other hand, Alec reached around her to twist the brass catch and flip open the domed lid, revealing an empty, relatively shallow cavity lined in wine colored velvet.
“My mother used to tell me the story when I was little. I was so young when she died, it’s one of the few true memories I have of her without the use of my so-called gift.”
“Whatever your father’s intent in setting this aside for me, it clearly means a great deal to you, Tess. I want you to keep it.”
Tessa drew in a long slow breath and released it, carefully settling her shields in place. She smiled inwardly when Alec pulled her back as she reached for the casket again.
“It’s okay. I’m prepared this time. And thank you, Alec. This does mean a great deal to me, but I’m pretty sure the casket itself isn’t what my father wanted you to have.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” Tessa felt carefully around the inside edges until she found what she was looking for. Pressing a finger to the spot where the sides met the bottom, she slid the unobtrusive lever to the left, and with a faint click, the bottom rose up on one side. “False bottom. It’s so well done that if you weren’t aware of it, you’d never find it.”
“But, you knew about it.”
“Yes, my mother showed it to me.” Tessa lifted the panel and withdrew a packet wrapped in thick oilskin and tied securely with string. Handing it over her shoulder to Alec, she felt around to ensure she didn’t miss anything, and pressed the velvet covered wood back into place. Then she carefully lowered the lid into place and refastened the catch.
“Well, as much as I’d love to see what’s in there, you can fill me in later. I have work to do.” Madge flapped her hands at them. “Luca called earlier and he and Callista will be arriving soon, so while I finish cleaning up this mess, maybe you could take your new toys into the den?”
“She’s awfully close to term. Should she be traveling?” Alec asked.
“Probably not, but you know your sister. Luca tried to talk her out of it, but she’s determined to have me with her when she delivers. I told her I’d come to New York, but she’s decided she wants the baby to be born in Italy in deference to Luca’s heritage.”
“Callista? I don’t understand.” Tessa said, looking from one to the other. The only Callista she knew was Alec’s younger sister, and she’d been murdered by a Fallen named Jacques Rapier, known to the mortal world as Jack the Ripper, over a century ago.
“I guess with everything else going on, Alec neglected to tell you,” Madge glared at Alec and smiled at Tessa. “Callista is alive and well! After all those years believing her dead, I sometimes still have to pinch myself.” Madge glowed. “She and Luca are expecting their first child nearly any day. Can you believe it? I’m going to be a grandmother.”
“She’s alive?” Tessa forcibly snapped her gaping jaw closed and turned instinctively to embrace Alec as tears pricked the back of her lids. The loss of his sister had been a quiet shadow looming over him for as long as she’d known him. She couldn’t even imagine what it must feel like to have found her. After a moment’s hesitation, his arms came around her and hugged her in return. Tipping her head back, she rested her chin on his chest and looked directly in his eyes. “I am happier for you than words can express. Truly.”
Alec’s throat worked, and he blinked rapidly, then he squeezed her again. “Thank you. It’s pretty amazing to have her back.”
Tessa stepped out of Alec’s arms, and turned to embrace her mother-in-law.
“I’ve no doubt you’ll be a marvelous grandmother, but, I have to say, I doubt you’ll ever look like one.”
“One does what one can with what one has,” Madge patted her dark hair and winked. Though not immortal, Earthbound aged so slowly after the age of thirty-five, that though centuries old, Magdalena McAllister remained a handsome woman who could pass for someone in her late-forties. “Now, both of you, out of my kitchen so I can straighten up. Oh, and Tessa? I’m afraid I put you in Callista’s room last night. I hope you don’t mind if I have your things moved to the other bedroom down the hall.”
“Would that be the one connected to mine? Subtle, Mother.” Alec frowned.
“You know it’s the only available room, Alec.” She pressed a hand to her chest and blinked innocently. “Why must you assume everything is a conspiracy?”
“Because when you’re involved, it generally is.” Alec’s lips curled. “You’re not the only one who wasn’t born yesterday.”
“Listen, I can stay at the flat.”
“No,” Alec and his mother exclaimed simultaneously.
“Didn’t you say there were animorti there this afternoon?” Madge rushed on quickly. “We have no idea who or what they may have been looking for. You will stay right here where you’re safe, young lady.”
“Alec could set sigils around the place. That should keep the riff-raff out,” Tessa said, referring to the ancient symbols used as a form of protection by Earthbound to keep out anyone except those whose molecular signatures were woven into the angelic characters. “And there’s a former Defensori living right down the hall.”
“Yes, I could, but my mother would still worry. In fact, I doubt she’d sleep a wink.” He cleared his throat. “If you won’t think of yourself, at least consider her feelings.”
“Well, of course I don’t want your mother to worry. I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone.”
“That’s settled then,” Madge announced, waving her hands in the direction of the parlor. “Now, shoo, both of you. I have a table to bleach.”
Chapter Nine
Alec ushered Tessa into the study, closed the door, and then moved around behind the desk, keeping his gaze pointedly averted from hers.
“Alec, don’t you think we should talk about—”
“Not now, Tess. Just…not now. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. My anger got the better of me and—” If his mother hadn’t interrupted, he knew he would have taken Tessa right there on the kitchen table like some mindless animal.
“Don’t.” Tessa whispered in a strangled voice. “I’d much rather ignore the big purple elephant in the room than know anger is all that’s left between us.”
He grimaced. “I think we’ve just proven otherwise.”
“But, desire isn’t forgiveness, is that what you’re trying to say?”
“I have no freaking idea what I’m trying to say.” He shouted, slamming the packet on top of the desk with enough force to send papers flying in the air. He sucked in a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. Then he met Tessa’s pained gaze and continued in a quieter voice. “I’m tied in knots here, Tess. So until I figure it out, I think it’s better not to talk about it. Okay?”
She regarded him steadily for a moment, swallowed hard, and dropped her gaze to her hands. For the first time, Alec noticed she still wore her wedding band. Twisting it around and around on h
er finger, she finally nodded.
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
“What?”
“The packet. Don’t you want to see what’s inside?”
“Oh.” He’d completely forgotten about it. “Yeah, I guess.”
Alec undid the string while Tessa looked on from the other side of the desk. He peeled back the oilskin covering to reveal a packet of papers folded in thirds to letter size. He separated them and spread them over the top of the desk. Most appeared to be copies of telegrams and aerial maps, many stamped Top Secret, with later notations they’d been declassified. Mixed in with these official looking documents were a few newspaper clippings, a pocket sized spiral notebook, and a poorly done sketch of an ornate necklace drawn in a childish hand.
“Give me that,” Tessa snatched the drawing from under his fingers. “How on Earth did this get in here?”
“What is it?”
“Can’t you tell? It’s a priceless work of art, of course.” Tessa bit her lip and glanced up at Alec through her lashes. “A masterpiece I drew when I was a child.”
“Um. Tess? Don’t quit your day job.”
“Very funny. I can’t believe my father kept this all these years. And what’s it doing with these things he left for you?”
“Maybe he thought it had a connection to something?”
“I can’t imagine what.” Tessa shrugged.
“Why don’t you tell me about it. Maybe we can figure it out together.”
“You never ask for my input when it involves your work.”
Alec cleared his throat. “I’m asking now.”
“And people claim miracles don’t exist. Okay, let’s see…it was toward the end of the Second World War.” Tessa drew her brows together and crinkled her forehead. “I guess I was about ten or so.”
“The second World War and you were ten.” Alec shook his head and picked up the photographs. “Sometimes, I forget how young you really are.”
“Only because you’re over the hill.”
“Touché.” He looked up and smiled, then frowned as he returned his attention to the desk top, rearranging the photos. A lock of dark hair tumbled over his forehead as he leaned in for a closer look. Knowing it would feel as thick and silky as she remembered, Tessa’s fingers itched to reach out and brush it back. Instead, she curled them into a fist until her nails bit into her palm.
“I know that look, Alec McAllister. What are you thinking?”
“I’m not sure yet.” His gaze darted back and forth between the photos and the drawing, then widened. “These maps represent cities all over Italy. See these white blocks? They appear to correspond with historical sites and monuments.”
“Is that significant?”
“Could be. The Nazis were notorious plunderers of art, cultural property, and any other treasures they could get their hands on. They engaged in a massive campaign to steal valuables—artwork, jewelry, gold—from their enemies and even former allies, like Italy.”
“Not to mention their campaign to systematically exterminate entire peoples,” Tessa interrupted, her voice laced with undisguised disgust.
“Sadly, true. Not surprisingly, a good number of Fallen existed among the upper echelon of the Third Reich. But, just as many Earthbound were scattered across the globe working against them.” He picked up one of the missives and quickly scanned it. “Interesting.”
“What?”
“This is a copy of a secret communication from Dwight D. Eisenhower to the commanders of the various military branches in the European Theater of Operations emphasizing the importance of preserving historical monuments.” He tossed it on the desk and picked up another. “This one is an urgent, top secret telegram from General Marshall to General Eisenhower about a quantity of gold, foreign currency, and art treasures captured by the American forces in Germany. He was asking permission to move it to a place of safekeeping in the American occupied zone of Germany and keep it carefully guarded pending study and consultation with the Allies.”
Tessa snatched up a page, squinting to decipher the faded text. Then she opened her eyes wide.
“Oh, my God! This one says they found two hundred and fifty tons of gold bullion and over two thousand boxes of fine art buried in a German salt mine. Two hundred and fifty tons of gold? Where did it all come from?”
Alec frowned. “Some stolen from banks on the Nazi march across the continent, no doubt. Some of it…well, you probably don’t want to know.”
“No, I probably don’t.” Her heart ached for the lives lost and families torn apart. Innocent people robbed of freedom and dignity, stripped of their humanity, possessions, and even the gold fillings from their teeth to finance a madman’s heinous agenda.
“I suspect these documents are related to the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, or MFAA. It looks like your father worked with the Venus Fixers. I’ll be damned.” He looked up, his face creased in a grin.
“Venus Fixers?”
“Most people knew them better as Monuments Men. They were a small volunteer corps of historians, architects, museum curators, and professors put together by the Allies. They worked both on the front lines and behind them to mitigate combat damage to significant art and monuments, as well as track and recover stolen art treasures. Many of them went on to have prolific careers in the foremost cultural institutions in the world after the war. In Italy, the troops gave them the nickname the Venus Fixers, because they not only protected and recovered great artistic treasures, but when damage was unavoidable, they also worked to restore it.”
“Oh, that. I didn’t know the project had an official title.” Tessa shrugged. “Yes, my father worked closely with the director of the Galleria della Uffizi and others, organizing the evacuation of art from Florence to privately owned villas and palazzos in the countryside. If a treasure couldn’t be relocated, they did their best to protect it on site. Churches were sandbagged, windows boarded, the doors of the Battistero di San Giovanni were removed and hidden away. Artisans built what amounted to brick tombs around Michelangelo’s David and other priceless statues. Of course, everyone felt this to be precautionary. No one really believed the fighting would ever progress so far north.”
“I didn’t know he’d been involved, though it doesn’t surprise me. Barachiel and I lost touch for a number of years during the war. I spent my time in Britain working with the cryptanalysts at the Government Code and Cypher School in Bletchley Park. Your father remained in Italy. And afterwards…well, no one was especially anxious to talk about the things they’d seen or done.”
“I imagine you found the city much different from what you remembered by the time you came to Florence to visit my father. Though at least they’d rebuilt the bridges by then.” For weeks they heard rumors the Nazis were planning to blow up all of the city bridges spanning the Arno. The Nazi commander in Italy believed destruction of the bridges would slow down the Allies’ advance and assure the German army’s safe retreat to the north. She would never forget that hot, August night. When the first explosion came, Tessa thought the world was ending. She clung to her father, both of them with tears in their eyes, as the blasts continued throughout the night. By morning all that remained over the river was the Ponte Vecchio and a thick cloud of dark smoke.
“Many things changed. Especially you. You certainly weren’t the little girl I remembered.”
Alec lifted his gaze from his contemplation of the papers and captured hers across the desk. Tessa’s breath caught in her throat. She remembered that day as clearly as if it had been yesterday instead of more than half a century ago. She thought him the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. A living, breathing work of art. When he opened his mouth to speak, she couldn’t hear the words at first, because she heard only music. A symphony plucking at her heart strings. In the first moment, she knew. He was meant to be hers for all time. Or at least until she let her insecurities get the better of her and screwed it up.
“No, I wasn’t,” she whisp
ered. He held her gaze for a few seconds more, then cleared his throat and looked back down at the desk, and the spell was broken. Once upon a time they moved freely into and out of one another’s heads, their thoughts and emotions effortlessly intermingled. Now, his mind was a dark, blank slate she couldn’t read, and she kept hers as closely guarded. Swallowing audibly, she stepped around the desk and plastered herself to his side to view the maps from his perspective.
“What makes you think these things are related to this MFAA?” She picked up the drawing. “What could this possibly have to do with it?”
“The missives point to it, and I think these must be reconnaissance maps, marking areas Allied pilots were instructed to avoid on bombing missions.”
Alec pushed everything aside and tapped the childish drawing.
“Okay, tell me about this. I doubt your father would have included it unless it had some significance.”
Tessa blew out a long breath and nodded.
“Everyone in the area of town surrounding the Arno and the bridges had been evacuated. We took shelter in the Palazzo Pitti with hundreds, maybe thousands, of others after the German military occupied the city. The palace’s rooms were filled with cooking odors, unwashed bodies, and the constant noise and commotion of displaced people and pets. Quite a different atmosphere than those rooms were used to, I’m sure.” Tessa smiled. “My father left early that day, just after the sun came up. About midmorning, a woman came around asking for him. The lady he hired to care for me, well, maybe it’s more accurate to say the girl, since she couldn’t have been more than eighteen, sent her away. Later, I went outside to get some air and the same woman approached me. She pulled a small, cloth bag from her pocket and pressed it into my hand telling me it was very important I give it to my father, and tell no one else about it.”
“The necklace?”
Tessa nodded. “But, of course I didn’t know it at the time. I hurried up to the room we slept in, thinking to hide the pouch under my mattress until my father returned. As I pulled it from my sleeve, the necklace fell out. It was beautiful, and without thinking, I picked it up so no one would see. As soon as I touched it… well, let’s just say it wasn’t beautiful anymore.” Tessa handed the drawing to Alec and a shudder moved through her. “The next thing I knew, I’d been taken to a field hospital of some kind. Apparently, I became hysterical and Angelina couldn’t locate my father. She told them she didn’t know what else to do. Finally, he arrived and took me away.”
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