Chapter 3
As Victoria reined her mare to a halt outside the de la Vega hacienda, she felt somewhat hesitant over what she was doing there. When Diego first stepped down from the coach, she had felt a wave of excitement, of anticipation of confirming her suspicions about the identity of Zorro was true or not. When she saw him, she knew without a doubt that it was true. Diego de la Vega was indeed Zorro. The excitement came from knowing that it was the man she relied on the most, the man who was a large of part of her life, the man she had feelings for, was Zorro. She didn't know what she would have done, if he had turned out to be a complete stranger.
But now, as she sat on her mare outside the hacienda, the first rush of emotions had passed and she was unsure about a lot of things. Should she confront Diego straight away, as she wanted to or should she wait until the right moment came along? Would he be happy that she found out or would he be angry? Did he really care for her or was it just part of the role he played as Zorro?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Don Alejandro emerged from the hacienda, "Victoria, I'm glad you came." He greeted her warmly.
She smiled, "Hola, Don Alejandro," she replied as she dismounted, "I hope I'm not interrupting you. I mean Diego has only just returned home -"
"Nonsense," he replied as he walked up to her, "As I said before, you're like a part of our family." he added as he took the reins from her and tied them loosely to the fence post, "In fact, I would only be to pleased for you to become a more, shall we say, permanent member." He reached out and gently touched her arm, "You like my son, don't you Victoria." He asked quietly, sincerely.
She felt a blush rise over her face at the forthright question, a question which deserved an honest answer, "Si, I do. I...I did miss him when he was away. More than I thought and it made me realise...some things...about my life that I...didn't want any more. I realised how he...was always there for me, how he always supported me. I came to realise that I had..have...feelings for him. I think I always had." She stammered over admitting her love to Don Alejandro about his son.
He gave her arm a gentle squeeze, "I thought as much. You seemed lost, somehow, over the last couple of months while he was away, like you had lost your best friend," he paused for a moment, "I know Diego cares deeply for you, though he doesn't show or even speak of it but I always knew there was...someone...he cared about. It's why I never pushed him to marry, even though I would have been within my rights to do so. I may have dropped hints but I would never force the issue," he paused again to gaze at the woman his son so obviously loved, "It would make me happy if the two of you married. You are suited to each other, you balance each other."
Victoria felt hot tears well in her eyes at his heartfelt words.
Don Alejandro squeezed her arm once more, "Now go and speak with Diego. He's out near the rear garden."
Diego was restless as he tended to the roses in the rear garden. His father's sudden compulsion to push Victoria and himself together was totally unexpected and was fraught with all kinds of peril, least of all Victoria's reaction to the truth. His father hadn't elaborated further on the journey home, except to tell him how sad and lonely Victoria was while he was away. That she obviously missed him a great deal and with Zorro's absence, she might be realising her hero wasn't the marrying kind.
Even Felipe had not been able to tell him more, except to say he had left Zorro's letter at the tavern where Victoria could find it. It seemed only two people knew what was going on; his father and Victoria herself. Just what exactly did they know, or perhaps what did they think they knew.
Well he was about to find out, as he heard soft footfalls coming around the corner.
"Buenas dias, Diego," Victoria greeted him with a smile, "Your father said you would be out here in the garden."
"Buenas dias," he replied as he turned to face her, "You have seen my father, then." He added as he gestured for her to take a seat on the bench.
She nodded as she moved closer to the bench but didn't sit down, "Si, he met me when I arrived."
He frowned slightly, "I must apologise for my father's behaviour at the tavern. He shouldn't have pressured us, I mean you, into coming here."
She took a step closer, "Oh no Diego, he didn't pressure me," she sort to reassure him, "I wanted to come."
He raised an eyebrow, "You did?"
She nodded, wondering how she never realised that Zorro and Diego were the same man, when it seemed so obvious to her now, "I wanted to hear about your holiday, what kind of interesting people you met. You mentioned you wanted to visit some wineries while you were there, so perhaps you could help me with choosing a more reputable wine merchant. I'm not happy with my supplier at the moment. I think he charges too much for wine, which isn't all that good."
He smiled, "I can certainly give you some names of other wine merchants, if you are interested. You may have to pay more but the wine is of good quality."
She thought for a moment, "I don't mind paying more for a better product, as I can charge more." she replied.
"That is certainly true," Diego said, "And I'm sure there are a number of caballeros, who would gladly pay for quality wine."
She nodded, "Si, there would be a market for it. Perhaps not a large demand but it's something to think about," she paused as she gazed up at the man she loved, "But I didn't just come here to talk about wine or your travels."
She took another step closer, "I came because I know your secret, Diego de la Vega."
