Chapter 2
Later that evening, Diego was standing in front of his full length mirror, wearing a light blue dress suit, and fidgeting with his black cravat, trying to tie it properly. His concentration was broken as he heard a knock on the door.
"Diego, it's almost time to leave to pick up Victoria. I told her you would be there to pick her up with the carriage at 7 o'clock." Alejandro informed his son through the door.
"I know, Father." Diego retorted in frustration as he abruptly untied his cravat to try again.
Hearing the frustration and nervousness in Diego's voice, Alejandro opened the door to see why Diego was so irritated. Noticing the source of his problem, he stepped up to his son. "Let me do that." He told him as Diego acquiesced and relinquished the stubborn tie to his father's hands. "Diego, it will all work out. You will see." He tried to assure him.
"But do you really think our plan will work to fool the alcalde?" Diego asked his father in regards to the plan they had discussed upon returning home earlier that afternoon.
"Yes, I think it will." Alejandro tried to assure his son. "You just need to have a little faith."
"I still think this is a big mistake." Diego insisted as his father finished with his tie.
"There, that looks much better." Alejandro told his son as both men looked at Diego's reflection in the mirror. "Don't worry." He told him as he patted his left arm. "Come on. You better get going or you will be late."
Diego sighed and followed his father out of his room and down the hall to the front door. "I'll be back shortly, Father." Diego told Alejandro before going out the open front door to the carriage. He took the reins from the awaiting servant, stepped into the carriage, and then snapped the reins to urge the team of horses forward just as he took his seat.
A little while later, Diego pulled up in front of the Taverna Victoria where Victoria was waiting for him on the front porch. "Buenos noches, Victoria." Diego declared in his usual friendly manner, trying not to let on how much Victoria's appearance was affecting him. She was wearing a new cream colored dress he had never seen her wear before with the red shawl that he, as Zorro, had given her wrapped around her arms and shoulders. "You look beautiful tonight. Is that a new dress?"
She smiled at him and blushed as his compliment. "Yes, it is. Do you really like it?" Victoria asked as she twirled around.
"Yes, very much." Diego told her honestly as he stepped out of the carriage so he could be a true caballero and assist her into the carriage. "You look very lovely in it."
Victoria smiled as he put her hand into his pro-offered hand and stepped into the carriage. Diego then followed suit by joining her. "You look very handsome tonight, too, Don Diego. Is that a new suit?"
Diego looked down at the suit he was wearing. "Uh…yes…I ordered it when I was in Santa Paula a few weeks ago. It just arrived yesterday." He told her with a smile as he flicked the reins to ease the horses forward again.
Victoria glanced over at Diego with curiosity. "And how are you doing? After what happened today, I mean?" She asked him with concern in her voice.
Diego tried to put on a good face. "All right. As best as one can be in a situation like this. It's not every day that a man finds out that he had a twin brother he had never met who was trying to kill him."
"I'm sorry. My question must seem insensitive." Victoria apologized as she looked down at her lap and started fidgeting with the tassels on her shawl.
Diego shook his head. "No, I didn't mean it like that." He tried to assure her as she glanced back up at him with relief. "Thank you for asking."
The rest of the journey back to the de la Vega hacienda passed in awkward silence as neither seemed to know what to say to the other. Victoria was concerned about bringing up another painful subject; and, little did she know, Diego was worrying about her reaction to the news he intended to share with her tonight about him being the man of whom she is secretly betrothed.
When they finally reached the hacienda, Diego pulled the carriage up to the front gate. "Well, here we are." He announced as he stepped out of the carriage again and proceeded to assist Victoria down as well. He handed the reins to a servant and then he escorted her to the door.
Don Alejandro, upon hearing the carriage pull up, met them at the door. "Welcome, Victoria." He greeted her with his usual charm. "Dinner is almost ready." He told her as she smiled back at him.
"Thank you, Don Alejandro, for inviting me." Victoria told him graciously as he offered her his arm.
"Coming, Diego?" Alejandro asked as he looked over his shoulder towards his very nervous looking son.
"Yes, Father, I'm right behind you." Diego replied as he shut the front door and followed both Victoria and his father into the dining room.
During dinner, both Victoria and Don Alejandro, who were deep in conversation, kept glancing every so often over at Diego with concern as he seemed to be off in his own little world. "So typical of Don Diego." Victoria thought to herself as their dessert dishes were being taken away. "Are you all right, Don Diego? You've been so quiet this evening." She finally inquired, her curiosity getting the best of her.
Diego snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the concern in Victoria's voice and noticed the pointed look his father was giving him. "Oh…yes, I'm fine, Victoria." He tried to assure her when she didn't look convinced. "Really."
"Well, then…" Alejandro started as he got to his feet and dropped his serviette on the table. "…I have some expenses I need to record in the books." He paused as he looked at his son again. "Wasn't there something you wished to discuss with Victoria, Diego?"
Diego got an extremely anxious smile on his face as he nodded. "Yes, yes, I do."
Victoria gave Diego a look of curiosity as Don Alejandro took his leave. "Well, if I don't see you before you leave, Victoria, goodnight, and thank you for joining us for dinner. As always, it was a pleasure to have you here, my dear." He told her as he bowed his head while putting his hand over his heart.
"Thank you, Don Alejandro. Buenos noches." Victoria replied to the elder de la Vega as both Diego and she watched him leave the room.
"What is it you wish to speak to me about, Diego?" Victoria asked him with curiosity.
Diego turned to her and then rose to his feet. "Shall we go to the library where it's more comfortable and talk there?" He suggested as he offered her his left arm.
Victoria stood and took his arm. "Yes, of course." She replied as the two best friends walked, arm in arm, into the library.
"Please sit down." Diego suggested as Victoria simply nodded and sat on the settee, taking note of how nervous Diego was acting.
"All right. So now what is it you wish to talk to me about?" Victoria queried again as Diego anxiously sat in the chair next to the settee.
"Victoria…" Diego began as she watched him with anticipation. "…we have known each other a long time; and we are good friends, are we not?"
"Well, yes, Diego." Victoria replied, still not understanding what could be troubling Diego so much.
"Good. Good." He replied as he glanced down and then up at her again. "Um…can I ask you a hypothetical question?"
"Certainly, Diego." Victoria answered him, now totally interested as to what he needed to say.
"If…" He paused. "…if things had been different…if Zorro had never appeared…do you think you would have found me attractive enough to let me court you?" Diego asked her with anticipation.
Victoria was now very confused and also stumped by his question. "Well…I-I…don't know, Diego. I suppose. You are a good man; you are my best friend. But you are a caballero, and I am just a business owner."
"Class distinction doesn't matter to me, Victoria. I hope you know that." Diego tried to assure her.
Victoria then became thoughtful…thinking she knew where this conversation was going, remembering what he had told his ex-fiancé, Safira, when they were both helping her and her revolutionary husband, Joaquin Correna, to escape the alcalde and his men. "Oh, Diego, are you trying to tell me that I am the woman you are in love with who is in love with another man?"
Diego then became flustered. "Um…no…well…yes…sort of."
"Sort of?!" Victoria was really confused now. "So you are saying that you love me but you don't?" Seeing Diego was going to refute what she said, she stopped him by putting up her hand. "Diego, you know my heart belongs to Zorro."
"I know that." Diego replied with defeat in his voice as he looked away from her and then down at his feet.
"Then you know that there is no way I can even consider letting you court me, if that is what you are trying to ask me." Victoria informed him, knowing she was probably breaking her best friend's heart.
Diego was crushed…not just from her words but because she hadn't yet really answered his question. "I don't think you truly understand what I'm asking. You didn't really answer my question, Victoria." He paused as he looked her in the eye. "If Zorro didn't exist, if it didn't matter that I am a caballero and you are a business owner, would you have possibly let me court you, perhaps marry me…if I had asked?"
Now Victoria was becoming very uncomfortable with this line of questioning. "Diego, why do you even want to know such a thing?" She paused as another thought entered her mind as to what exactly Diego wanted to know. "Are you trying to ask my advice? So you can approach this other woman who is in love with another man…to ask her if you can court her?"
Diego sighed. "This is not working." He thought to himself.
Seeing Diego's frustration, Victoria stood up and walked over to her friend, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Diego, I do want to help you. You are my best friend. But you have to tell me exactly what is on your mind."
"Victoria, I…" Diego didn't know what else to say. "Best friend. That's all I'll ever be to her." He reflected.
"Diego, please tell me. How can I help you?" Victoria pleaded with him again.
Diego looked down again, not knowing how to continue. "I am a coward." He determined to himself as he continued to look down, afraid to gaze into her beautiful, brown eyes. He sighed. "The truth?" He began. "I have been harboring a secret from you; from the whole pueblo; and, even until today, my own father."
"And what secret is that?" Victoria asked him with astonishment and curiosity.
Diego stood up as her eyes followed him. He stared at her, gazing into her brown depths with the same look of passion and love he did when he was Zorro. This startled Victoria. "That I am in love with you, and that I have been in love with you since that first day I returned from Spain."
His disclosure of his affections definitely made Victoria uneasy. "Diego, so I am the woman you are in love with." She stated as she backed away from him, not knowing how to react to his declaration. The look of longing he was giving her was making her feel very uncomfortable. "I think I better go home now, Diego."
"No, wait!" Diego bellowed, halting her verbally from her retreat to the door. He calmed a bit. "Victoria, please wait. Let me explain."
Victoria turned to him. "Diego, you know that I am in love with Zorro. There can be no one else in my life."
Diego looked away from her, avoiding the pity in her eyes. "I can't tell her. She doesn't love me and never will."
Victoria's eyes softened towards her friend as she stepped forward and put her hand on Diego's left arm. "I'm so sorry, Diego…for hurting your feelings. But you have to understand that there will be nothing between us but friendship. I hope you understand that."
Diego sighed, with his back still facing her and tears starting to form in his eyes. "Yes, I understand." He paused. "I'll ask Felipe to drive you home." Without looking at her, he walked away, leaving Victoria feeling helpless and alone in the library, knowing that their friendship was now irrevocably damaged.
ZZZ
Later that night, a dark figure crept into an open window on the second floor of the tavern and paused in the shadows as he watched Victoria brushing her raven curls. She was now in her nightgown, sitting in front of her vanity, with tears in her eyes, knowing that she had truly hurt her dear friend, Diego, badly. She gasped as she noticed Zorro's reflection in her mirror as he stepped into the candlelight.
Victoria's face lit up with a bright smile as she turned to face him. "Zorro!"
"Buenos noches." Zorro greeted her as she got to her feet and approached him. She tried to put her arms around his neck for a kiss; but with a solemn look in his eyes, he stepped out of her grasp to prevent her from doing so.
Victoria then looked distressed. "What's wrong?"
Zorro sighed. "Victoria…I've been thinking. I think it's time that I let you go and let you move on with your life."
"No!" Victoria interjected, shaking her head adamantly.
Zorro held up his hand to stop her as she tried advancing towards him again, stepping back away from her as he did. "We cannot see each other anymore."
"But why, Zorro?! We are engaged." Victoria pleaded with tears forming in her eyes.
Zorro shook his head. "Not anymore. I release you from our engagement, Victoria. Find a good husband who can give you the life you deserve, who can give you a safe home and the ninos I know you so desperately want. I am not that man. And it's unfair of me to continue to lead you on when there is no future for us." Zorro told her as he moved closer to the open window. "Adios, Victoria. I do love you, and that is why I must let you go." He then was gone before Victoria could react.
"Zorro, no!" Victoria exclaimed as she ran to the window, searching for her love. But it was too late. He had slipped into the night and out of her life forever. Victoria collapsed against the wall next to the window and wailed in agony, weeping uncontrollably, as she slid down the wall to her knees.
