Chapter 2
Two weeks later under the disguise of going away on a business trip to Santa Barbara, Alejandro married Victoria in a simple ceremony, with Felipe and the Padre's sister as witnesses. If the Padre had any misgivings about the age difference of thirty-one years, he said nothing. He had married a variety of age groups over the years and this was no different.
The three de la Vegas stayed a week in Santa Barbara to do business regarding an upcoming sale of their cattle and to see their lawyer about their new family member. Victoria had her own room at the tavern where they were staying and she was grateful. Although she knew it was a marriage of convenience, by law her husband could demand his rights and no-one would interfere but he never did. Alejandro didn't even kiss her lips during the ceremony, just a gentle peck on her cheek.
During that week, Victoria thought about her future and what it meant. It was a major change in her life for she was now the wife of a de la Vega, mistress of the large estate. She had a new position in society to uphold, a new respectability that she hadn't had before. She knew that Alejandro would expect her to behave as a proper Doña, to run his household, to entertain his quests. She just hoped that she could live up to his expectations.
And unlike Diego, she knew that Alejandro would not appreciate her continuing to work in the tavern. Although the tavern now belonged to her husband, for the first time she thought about selling it. It just held too many memories for her, of Zorro's visits to her in her kitchen, his many deeds had been fought in or around the tavern and most of all it held the memory of Diego's gentle but passionate lovemaking.
During dinner that evening, Victoria bought up the subject of the tavern. "Alejandro, about the tavern, I know it belongs to you now but I would like to sell it."
Both Alejandro and Felipe looked at Victoria in amazement.
"You want to sell your tavern!" Alejandro said his voice showed his astonishment.
Victoria nodded. "Si, with your permission."
Felipe signed. "Why."
Alejandro nodded. "Why would you want to sell. It's been your home since you were born, it was your parents dream to operate the tavern."
Victoria started to speak but she was interrupted by the waiter bringing their meals.
"I...it's just that it holds too many memories for me, both good and bad." she sighed.
Alejandro saw her sadness, reached out his hand and touched hers. "Because of Diego?" he said understandingly.
Victoria swallowed hard to keep her tears at bay. "More of the other, than of Diego."
They both knew who she was talking about.
"I understand my dear, but you'll be living at the hacienda and there are even more reminders of him there."
She smiled softly. "I know but I can't explain it, I have more memories of both of them at the tavern than at the hacienda." she shook her head, she didn't want to go into the details.
Felipe signed which caused Alejandro to chuckle. "I know Felipe, I'm confused too but that's women's logic for you. It makes sense to them but rarely do they make sense to us."
Even Victoria laughed at his statement.
They ate in silence for awhile before Alejandro spoke up. "Victoria, I think we should hold off from selling the tavern for awhile." he paused and gave a small sigh. "We are all still grieving and may not be thinking with a clear head. It's a profitable business and besides you can always use it as an inheritance for your child. Perhaps he or she would like to run it in the future. We'll get a manager to run the day to day operations in the meantime."
Victoria was overwhelmed by his generous offer and she felt tears burning her eyes again. He was so generous, as was his son. "I...thank you Alejandro, I will think about it."
Alejandro smiled warmly. "Good, good. Now what about dessert, I hear this tavern serves a delicious apple tart."
Felipe signed eagerly, which needed no interpretation.
Both Alejandro and Victoria laughed at the young man's enthusiasm.
"He's still growing." She said.
Alejandro chuckled. "At eighteen, he would be."
"And a very handsome young man too, in his new clothes." Victoria added.
Felipe blushed at the gentle teasing. He still wasn't comfortable in his caballero clothes, which he had been wearing for the last two months. He was after all, the heir to the de la Vega estate and could no longer wear the loose linen clothes that he loved.
It took the citizens of Los Angeles only one day to notice the change within the de la Vega household. First, they saw a gold wedding band with a small diamond in the centre on Victoria's hand, on the same finger as she wore the now known engagement ring given by Diego. Secondly, they saw her shift her meagre belongings to the sprawling hacienda.
They gossiped for days, all speculating on whom she had married and why, until Don Alejandro put out an announcement that he had married Victoria Escalante. No reason was given for this unbelievable news. Again speculation was rife, some was plain ridiculous, while most were outright lies. Of course, all these rumours and innuendoes came back to the de la Vegas and Alejandro felt his temper rising at the ignorance of some of the people. He could see the hurt the lies were doing to Victoria and he had to put an end to it.
It was a week after they returned when Alejandro asked Victoria to prepare a dinner for Don Ricardo and his wife Doña Amelia. Victoria looked stricken, she didn't think she was ready to start entertaining and especially not with all the stories about them.
He saw her panic and sort to reassure her. "It's okay Victoria, it will be just the five of us. Ricardo and Amelia are my oldest and dearest friends. Together we can work through all of this." He sighed and ran his hand through his silver hair. "I'm so sorry Victoria, I had no idea that our marriage would cause this much pain for you."
Victoria saw his obvious distress and placed her hand on his arm. "It's happening to both of us Alejandro."
Victoria was nervous as she waited in the library with Felipe for Don Ricardo and Doña Amelia to arrive. She was wearing her best outfit and realised that it wasn't good enough. Although she had barely worn the dark green skirt with matching jacket, it was old and with Alejandro's blessing, she had ordered a completely new wardrobe only the day before. She knew that Alejandro had approved of her choice for more refined clothing and had given her an allowance for such things.
She had met Don Ricardo many times in the tavern and she respected him but she had only met his wife a handful of times and she had always felt a little intimidated by the older lady. She was tall as her husband, slender and her clothes fitted perfectly, her manners were impeccable.
Victoria turned as she heard Alejandro's voice warmly welcoming his friends inside, they chatted for a moment or two before coming into the library.
"Ah Doña Victoria, it's a pleasure to see you again." Don Ricardo said warmly as he raised her hand to plant a courteous kiss to her warm skin.
Victoria blushed as his gallantry and his respectful use of her title. "Gracias Don Ricardo, it's wonderful to see you too."
Don Ricardo motioned to his wife. "Do you remember my wife Amelia?"
Victoria smiled. "Of course, I'm please to meet you again Doña Amelia."
"Likewise Doña Victoria." Dona Amelia smiled warmly at the younger woman, noticing her nervousness. "I don't know about you but all these titles get in the way of good conversation between friends. I would be pleased if you call me Amelia."
This time Victoria's smile lit her eyes. "If you call me Victoria." she found herself liking this straight talking woman and wondered why she ever felt intimated by her.
During dinner, they chatted about anything except for the obvious subject. Both Ricardo and Amelia were burning with curiosity as to why Alejandro had married Victoria, a woman thirty-one years his junior, who had been engaged to his son. They saw a genuine affection between them but not as husband and wife, but more like father and daughter.
After dinner, they all moved to the library, the three men had a glass of wine each, while the ladies had water.
"Well, Ricardo, I guess you would like to know why we have asked you to dinner." Alejandro asked wryly.
Ricardo gave a small chuckle. "Alejandro you do have a way with words. Of course we are curious, about a lot of things."
Alejandro chuckled too. "I thought so. Well I don't know where to begin." he looked over at Victoria and then to Felipe, saw their nods. "You know that I have married Victoria and that you have heard all the rumours."
"Si, I don't believe I have heard such terrible lies." Amelia said heatedly.
"Gracias Amelia and they are lies." Alejandro stated.
"But Alejandro, you must have known that people would talk when you didn't give a reason for marrying Victoria."
Alejandro sighed. "I know, that was bad judgement on my behalf. I thought it wasn't anyone's concern but Victoria's and mine. That's why I asked you here tonight, we need your help to defuse this situation."
"Of course we will help you." Ricardo paused. "But we need to know the reason why you married, if you don't mind."
Alejandro glanced at Victoria. "It's..."
"No Alejandro, it's my problem and I should be the one to tell them." she stated firmly.
Alejandro nodded.
Victoria took a deep breath. "You know how much I loved Diego..."
Both Amelia and Ricardo nodded. "Of course Victoria, everyone knew of your feelings for Zorro, well for Diego that is." Ricardo said.
Victoria nodded. "Well the night before Diego died...well we did...um." she couldn't finish her words as she blushed deeply, but she was understood completely.
Amelia took Victoria's hand in hers. "You made love with Diego."
"Si." came her soft reply.
Amelia squeezed her hand. "Are you expecting Diego's child?" she asked compassionately.
Victoria felt tears form in her eyes as she nodded. "Si, I am. Please don't think badly of me, of us."
The older woman placed her arm around Victoria's shaking shoulders. "I could never think badly of you or of Diego for giving in to your love, Victoria. If it had been Ricardo, I would have done the same thing."
Her husband looked shocked at her remark. "Would you have done Amelia?"
Amelia chuckled. "Of course. I think the men sometimes take their sense of propriety too far." she replied boldly.
Victoria nodded. "That's what I always thought about Diego too."
Both ladies laughed at the shocked looks on their husbands faces.
There was a moment of silence in the room.
"So you married Victoria because she is carrying your son's child."
Alejandro nodded. "To give my grandchild our name and to make sure that Victoria is treated with the respect she deserves."
Victoria felt tears start again at his sincere words.
"Why don't you tell the truth, that Victoria is expecting Diego's child and wish to raise him or her within the family." Ricardo said.
"We had thought of that but what would people say about Victoria?"
"Alejandro, what they are saying now is horrible, but I'm sure that most of the people would understand the actions that Victoria and Diego took." Amelia said. She was still holding onto Victoria's hand in comfort.
"Amelia is right Alejandro, no matter how hard it will be to tell the truth, it would be better this way and believe me, the gossip and the lies will stop."
Alejandro looked at Victoria, who slowly nodded and looked at Felipe, who also nodded. He sighed. "Alright, we will tell the truth, but how do we go about it?"
Amelia patted Victoria's hand. "Leave that to us. We will set everyone straight in a discreet manner."
After Ricardo and Amelia had left, Alejandro escorted Victoria back to her rooms. She was looking tired and he felt the same. It had been an emotional night for both of them but he believed that only good would come from their discussion.
"I see that Amelia wasn't so frightening after all." he teased.
Victoria giggled. "No, I like her Alejandro, she's fun."
"And she liked you too."
They stopped outside her rooms. "Will everything be okay now Alejandro? With those lies about us,"
Alejandro nodded, "Yes, once Amelia does her magic, everything will settle down, you'll see,"
The citizens soon discovered the real reason for the unexplained marriage between the wealthy but older Don Alejandro and the young tavern owner. Many approved of the honourable action that Don Alejandro had done and they were feeling contrite of believing the worst about the couple but there were a few that still had their misgivings. Alejandro was thankful that Amelia had taken Victoria under her care, giving the younger woman her guidance and protection.
For Amelia was the most respected Doña in the district and by showing her public support for Victoria, she was helping to fight the battle to be accepted by the some of the other Doñas. She knew that most of the malicious gossip had come from one or two the local wives and she wanted to protect the young woman from the hatred. She had always admired Victoria for her tenacity and strength in running the tavern.
Victoria understood that Doña Amelia was guiding her in the ways of her new station in life, and she was grateful for the help. As much as she loved Alejandro as a father, there were matters that only another woman could advise on.
So, slowly over time, Victoria grew from Senorita Victoria Escalante, tavern owner, to Doña Victoria de la Vega, mistress of the sprawling estate. She found that running the hacienda was similar to running the tavern, although it had its own set of challenges. Since the de la Vega hacienda had been without a Mistress for many, many years, she found that Maria, their housekeeper wasn't used to having another woman in charge of the hacienda and this caused some friction within the household. She knew that she had to resolve the conflict between them but she was still unsure of her position and she asked for her husband's advice.
After dinner one evening, Victoria broached the subject as they relaxed in the library. "Alejandro, I need to speak with you about something."
Alejandro nodded. "Of course, is it about Maria?" he asked kindly as he lowered the latest edition of The Guardian to the small table beside him. He had been expecting this and he would have mentioned it himself if Victoria hadn't raised the issue.
She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You know?"
He smiled slightly. "I couldn't help but notice the tension between the two of you."
She sighed. "I'm sorry Alejandro I don't mean to cause any friction in your household."
"Victoria, you have nothing to apologise for." he replied firmly. "Our marriage not only affects the two of us but also all of the servants. We all need time to adjust."
She nodded. "I understand that but..." she paused to gather her words. "I need to know what my authority is in regards to the servants." she felt her face burn with embarrassment.
Alejandro realised she didn't fully understand what her position meant, it was his fault, he should have made sure that she was aware of it. He moved and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry Victoria, I should have explained this better. As mistress of my home, you have the authority to discipline the household servants, to hire or dismiss any that you believe are not pulling their weight, you're to ensure that the hacienda runs smoothly, that there are no quarrels between the servants or if there is, resolve the problems and to run the household accounts." he sighed and ran his fingers through his white hair. "I would imagine that running a tavern would be similar."
Victoria nodded. "It is but with Maria...If I have to dismiss her, how would you feel...I mean she has been with you for so long..."
Alejandro patted her hand. "I hope that it doesn't come to that. Dismissing a servant is very serious and must be done only as a final option. I would be sad to lose her but I would fully support any decision you make. The servants are aware of your authority but it is up to you to find the best way to use it." he smiled warmly. "I hope this has helped you in someway?"
She smiled back. "Yes, yes it does, thank you Alejandro."
He squeezed her hand. "You're most welcome Victoria. Please don't ever hesitate to come to me if you have any problems no matter how small it is. If I don't know, then I can't help you."
Two days later Victoria had to confront Maria over her behaviour and she felt nervous. Although she had the authority, she still felt uneasy that she had to discipline Alejandro's long time housekeeper. But it had to be done.
She called the older woman to her office. "Maria, I would like a word with you." Victoria asked politely, calmly.
The older woman nodded. "Of course Ma'am."
Victoria motioned Maria to sit on the chair opposite her. "I think you know why I have called you here, it's a matter of your behaviour..."
Maria spluttered. "My...my behaviour ma'am?"
Victoria nodded. "You must be aware of the tension between us."
Maria lowered her head and felt her face burn, she knew very well that her recent behaviour had been terrible
Victoria continued. "Maria, I do have the highest regard for you and I know that my husband feels the same. You have served the de la Vegas for a very long time and I can understand that you may resent my presence here as the mistress after so long without a lady in charge. But I am Doña, I am in charge of the hacienda and it is my duty to ensure the smooth running of my husband's home."
Maria nodded. "I understand Ma'am." her voice trembled.
Victoria sighed. "I want us to get along but if we are unable to work together, then I would have no choice but to dismiss you."
Maria gasped in shocked. "But...But..." she had no idea that her behaviour had been so bad that she could lose her job over it.
Victoria leant forward. "Maria, I don't want that to happen. You are almost like a member of the family and my husband and I would hate to see you leave us. So if you are willing, I would like for us to start over, to forget everything that has happened."
Maria had tears in her eyes. Doña Victoria had been right, she had not liked the younger woman coming into the hacienda and taking over what she had longed thought of as her own private domain. "I'm sorry Doña Victoria, I never meant to be disrespectful to you. I would like to start again."
Victoria smiled. "Excellent, we shall start over." she paused and then continued. "I think that in the coming months, I will be relying on you for a lot of things." she lowered her hand and gently rubbed her stomach.
Maria wiped her tears away. "I would honoured to help you with the little one."
Victoria nodded. "Good, now shall we go over the guest list for our dinner party next week."
Maria smiled warmly as they began the task of drawing up a menu for the party.
The tension between the two women disappeared almost overnight and was replaced by a growing respect on both sides, and in no time at all, the servants settled down and the hacienda began to run smoothly once again.
Alejandro was proud of Victoria and her handling of the situation, he never doubted her ability to resolve the conflict between her and Maria, considering that she had run the tavern on her own for almost ten years, there would have been plenty of disputes, not only with her staff but also with the patrons. All she needed was the confidence to run his hacienda.
During the time that Victoria was discovering her new role as mistress, Alejandro was teaching Felipe the business side of the ranch. He was pleased that his grandson quickly grasped all the finer details of bookkeeping as well as understanding the comprehensive stock records for both their cattle and horses, and he felt that when the time came to hand over the ranch to Felipe, he would be leaving it in good hands.
