Chapter 2
Diego had just emerged through the hidden panel in the fireplace after handing over the bandits that had robbed the garrison to Mendoza. He stepped into the library and headed in the direction of his father's rooms to see if he needed any help with his injuries, when he heard his father's voice angry voice calling out to him.
"Diego! Diego...Where are you?"
Diego automatically sat down at the chess table and began to set up the pieces for a new game. There could be only one reason why his father was in such a rage and he wasn't sure if he wanted to face his father's wrath right at that moment but there was no hiding from him. "In here father." he called back with an outward appearance of calm but inwardly, he had a feeling of dread; how had he found out about his overnight stay with Victoria?
Don Alejandro walked slowly into the library, careful of his broken ribs but it didn't stop his fury that was raging inside him; he could not believe that his son could be sitting so calmly when he had ruined the reputation of a good and honest senorita. "You will have to marry her Diego." He ordered as he stared angrily down at his son; his arm across his chest in an effort to support the tightly wrapped ribs.
"What?" Diego blinked at his father, pretending to be confused. "Marry who?"
"Why Victoria of course." Don Alejandro replied as though he was stating the obvious.
"I don't know what you mean father." he said innocently; he wanted to discover just how much his father knew before saying anything.
Don Alejandro frowned as he picked up on his son's evasion. "Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about Diego. You spent the night alone with Victoria. I was against you travelling with her in the first place but you stubbornly went ahead anyway. Now you have to do the right thing by her."
"But...But father..." Diego was flustered as he stood up.
"Don't but father me, son. I thought I raised you better than this." He looked at his son with dismay, to think that a son of his would bring disgrace upon a respectable senorita and not do the honourable thing.
"How...how did you find out?" Diego's voice shook slightly. They had been careful not to be seen that morning; not that they had done anything to be ashamed of but he knew just how bad it looked for him to be escorting her back to the tavern just an hour or so after dawn and he believed, perhaps a little naively, that most people would still be in their homes especially as they had seen no-one themselves. But obviously some one HAD seen them.
"It doesn't matter how I found out. What matters now, is that you do right by her." he said angrily, hissing slightly as a hot shooting pain stabbed his chest. He had to keep calm, he didn't want to make his injuries worse.
"But father, nothing happened." Diego was again startled by the fury in his father's voice. He had underestimated his father's reaction to the news that he had spent the night with Victoria; he knew that he would have been upset but nothing like this.
Don Alejandro frowned again at his son's refusal to understand the consequences of his actions. "Do you deny that you spent the night alone with Victoria and by the way I meant to ask you earlier but just where did you stay? It certainly wasn't in Santa Paula, otherwise you wouldn't have been back so soon"
Diego shook his head; he didn't dare tell him that they had stayed in an old windmill. "Nothing happened father." he stated again.
"It doesn't matter if nothing happened, it's the knowledge that you were alone with her overnight, without a chaperone. Propriety dictates that you must marry her Diego and that is what you must do." he ordered.
Diego tried one last time to explain to his father. "But Victoria loves Zorro and they have an understanding." He just couldn't marry her like that, there was too much to consider, his secret life for one and Victoria's romantic feelings or lack thereof for himself was another.
Don Alejandro shook his head. "The so called understanding between them isn't the same as a formal engagement or marriage. He will understand when he is told."
Diego snorted. "I don't think he will father. To have the woman he loves forced to marry someone else because of some innocent affair..."
"Ah ha, so you call it an affair then." he pounced on the innocent words.
"Father, please..." Diego pleaded. He was beginning to feel ill, his stomach was in knots and his head was pounding with a headache that threatened to last for days.
"No. I will hear no more of this. I have sent a note to Victoria inviting her to dinner tonight and I expect you to fulfill your responsibility as a gentleman and propose marriage to her." With those last words Don Alejandro stormed out of the library as fast as his broken ribs would allow.
After a moment, the secret panel opened and Felipe stepped through. He looked at his mentor in shock; never before had he witnessed such an argument between father and son.
"I take it you heard." Diego said wearily, as he sat back down.
Felipe nodded as he sat down and signed.
Diego sighed. "I don't think I can do anything, Felipe." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "This is not the way I wanted to marry her."
Felipe tugged on his arm to get his attention and signed.
Diego frowned. "You think that this is the perfect way to marry her, that all I have to do is to tell her that I'm Zorro?" he shook his head. "I don't think so. She loves the legend, the myth, the mystery, she doesn't love the man under the mask." he said, finally putting into words the fears he has had for some time now; that she couldn't love anyone except a faceless, nameless fantasy.
The younger man let out a sigh, didn't know how to help his friend, especially when Diego was feeling sorry for himself and wouldn't listen to reason.
Victoria stayed in the kitchen for the rest of the day, leaving Pilar and Alicia to serve the patrons; she couldn't bear the whispers and see the glances directed at her especially after Don Alejandro had sent the note asking her to dinner. She knew that they were all gossiping about her spending the night alone with Diego and she wanted to shout at them that nothing had happened but she knew it would be pointless. There would always be people who would believe the worse no matter how much she protested their innocence.
She sighed as she closed the tavern for the evening, she knew why Don Alejandro asked her to the hacienda; he expected his son to do the right thing by her. She felt sicken by the turn of events. What about Zorro? What he will think about this? What would he do? What should she do? She had so many questions and no answers as she saddled her mare and rode in the direction of the de la Vega hacienda.
Diego was walking through the hacienda when there was a knock on the door and he crossed over to the door and opened it. "Victoria, please come in." he said with a small smile.
"Gracias Diego." She said, not even bothering to smile back as she followed him into the library.
"I'm truly sorry about this entire situation." he said gestured for her to sit on the lounge.
"It's alright Diego, we'll work something out." Victoria replied as she sat down.
"I'm glad to hear it." Don Alejandro said as he walked slowly into the room. "Victoria, my dear, I think you know why I have asked you here tonight?"
She nodded.
"Good, then this will make it easier." He paused and gazed at his son with disappointment in his eyes. "My son has compromised your good reputation with his actions last night..."
"Father, please..." Diego pleaded.
"Don Alejandro, your son behaved like a perfect gentleman...he...we...nothing happened." Victoria interrupted.
He shook his head as he tried to get these two to see reason. "I would expect that Diego behaved correctly but that's not what concerns me. It's of propriety, of the appearance of wrong doing."
"But father..." he tried again to get his father to see their side of the story.
"No buts Diego, you have an obligation to Victoria. Do you want her reputation ruined by this?"
"Of course not father but..." Diego's heart was pounding; he couldn't believe this was happening. He could not see a way out of this dilemma.
Don Alejandro became more irritated by the second, why couldn't his son see that there was only one way to save Victoria. "The talk is all over the pueblo, especially in the tavern."
Diego was shocked at this news, he hadn't realised that it had spread that far. "Is that true Victoria?" he asked softly.
She nodded, her gaze lowered to the floor. "There has been talk about us Diego."
"Madre de Dios." Diego cursed.
Don Alejandro realised that he was finally getting through to his son and Victoria about the consequences of last night. "You will have to marry to stop these hurtful comments." he said more kindly.
"But...But I love Zorro, we made a promise to each other." Victoria sobbed.
Don Alejandro sighed as he carefully sat down and held her hands. "I'm sorry Victoria but there is no choice but to break your agreement with him. I'm sure he will understand."
"Father, stop." Diego said heatedly. "I cannot allow Victoria to break with Zorro, they love each other."
Don Alejandro stared up at his son, his own anger growing once again. "Well you should have thought of that before you placed Victoria into this situation."
"It wasn't all Diego's blame, Don Alejandro, I was equally at fault, I went with him to Santa Paula." Victoria pleaded.
Don Alejandro shook his head. "The blame lies with my son. A gentleman doesn't put at risk a senorita's good reputation without doing his duty towards her. Now Diego, you must decide on a date for your wedding before Victoria leaves tonight." He turned to Victoria and softened his voice. "Victoria, it would please me greatly to see you part of our family, I've always seen you like a daughter." he patted her hand, stood and left the room.
There was silence in the room after Don Alejandro left. Diego couldn't believe any of this; he had to marry Victoria now but what about Zorro. Felipe was right, it would be the perfect time to tell her but his fears that she couldn't love the man under the mask came rushing over him. He heard Victoria cry and his heart went out to her.
He sat down next to her and gently held her hands in his. "I am so sorry Victoria." he whispered.
"Isn't there anything we can do." she shivered. She felt her life unravel with every passing second. She had been waiting for Zorro, she had built up hopes of a life with him, to one day marry and have children with him. Now all her dreams were rapidly disappearing.
He shook his head. "No, it seems we have no option. It's either that or everyone will believe horrible things about you, about us. At least you will have the protection of our name." He gently placed his arm around her shaking shoulders and gave her a gentle, almost brotherly hug.
She leant into his shoulder, tears running down her face. "What...what about Zorro, what am I going to say to him?"
Now he felt a surge of guilt and shame wash over him along with his fears. "I will do that Victoria."
"You don't have to do that." she sniffed.
"Yes I do, it's the least I can do." he replied as he reached out and gently held her hand. "Victoria, please do me the honour of becoming my wife. Will you marry me?"
She gazed into his troubled blue eyes, saw his concern and something else that flickered but it went to fast for Victoria to put a name to it. "I...I...Oh Diego...I..ye...yes...I will." she sobbed, knowing that her life with Zorro would be no more.
"Victoria, it will be okay, I promise you." he leant over and gently kissed her forehead.
Later that night after Victoria had left, Don Alejandro found his son in the library as usual.
"You've done the right thing son for both your sakes. We'll have the marriage banns posted on Sunday and the wedding to take place in four weeks, as long as Victoria's brothers can make it here in time." he said.
Diego shrugged. "We'll just postpone it if they are late. Victoria wants her brothers here."
Don Alejandro nodded. "Of course. Now we have to make arrangements in regards your rooms and to a nursery. Unfortunately, your old nursery is next to mine so its not appropriate but I think the small room at the end of the hallway near your room will be okay until they become old enough to have their own room. We'll clean it out and make it nice for a baby." he said somewhat eagerly, somewhat oblivious to the pain that his words were causing to his son.
Diego looked up at his father with a hurt look on his face. "Don't expect grandchildren anytime soon father." he replied.
"What do you mean?" Don Alejandro sat down, his arm across his chest, protecting his ribs.
Diego sighed. "It won't be that kind of marriage." he paused at the shocked look on his father's face. Well good, maybe he needs to be shaken up, he thought. "You are forcing this marriage on us, father."
"No grandchildren?" he said in disbelief, he had been waiting years for Diego to marry and give him grandchildren. "You're not going to...uhh...? Are you not going to take her away somewhere for a week or even just for a couple of days?"
"No, we decided that it would be best not to go away and as to consummating the marriage..." Diego shook his head. "That won't happen for some time." He sat upright, his father has to know what he has done in regards to this forced marriage. "Father, Victoria loves Zorro and I certainly will not force myself on her just to give you those grandchildren you have wanted. It will be some time before she can let go of Zorro, if at all. In the meantime, we will stay friends, not husband and wife."
"Madre de Dios, I would never want you to...to...force yourself on anyone, let alone Victoria. How could you say such a thing?" He was aghast that his son would think that he would be okay with that. What kind of man did his son take him for? Then he realised that's exactly what he had done; he had forced his son into a loveless marriage, something he had promised his beloved wife he would never do but there had been no other option, a marriage had to take place between them or they risked being ostracised by their friends and by society.
He stared at Diego and he saw the pain in his eyes and then he was hit by a wave of insight that shattered him; it wouldn't be a loveless match, at least not from his son's side. "You're in love with her." he said in amazement.
Diego sighed as he closed his eyes, he would tell his father this much. "Yes father, I've been in love with Victoria for a long time." he admitted quietly.
Don Alejandro reached out and gently touched his son's arm, ignoring the sharp pain to his ribs that his movement caused. "Oh son, why on earth have you never told her?" he asked kindly.
Diego snorted. "I have a rather strong rival for her affections."
"But you should tell her now." He urged his son.
Diego shook his head. "It would just make it worse between us. If she knew how much I love her, it would make her uneasy knowing that she couldn't return my feelings."
"Oh Diego, love may grow."
"I hope so father but until it does, I must ask you not to tell her."
The older man sighed and ran his fingers through his silver hair. "Alright Diego, I don't like it but I won't say anything." He was still shocked by this revelation; that his son had loved Victoria for years. He never knew this about Diego and it made him wonder what else he didn't know about his son.
A/N - I just couldn't let Diego have an easy way out of his situation :)