It was busy in the tavern, Diego noticed as he tied his horse. Dinnertime. And with such horrible rumours about the taverness going around, people were bound to show up in an even greater number than usual.
Quietly he cursed under his breath. But he decided to go in anyway and have dinner there. If he wanted to speak with her in private, he´d have to wait till closing-time anyway. Perhaps he could offer to help her clean up.
He entered the tavern, only to discover that all tables were occupied. For a moment he hesitated on the doorstep, but then he saw sergeant Mendoza´s face brighten.
"Buenas tardes, Don Diego! It has been quite a while since we´ve seen you in town! How are you?"
"Fine. Just fine," Diego mumbled.
"Come and join us, Don Diego! We´ve got a vacant seat here."
Diego nodded gratefully and sat down between the cordial sergeant and Don Sebastian, a friend of his father´s. Quietly he looked around the room, while the sergeant happily chattered over his tamales. And he winced when he saw Victoria coming through the curtains. She was passing out trays, and taking up new orders right away. He couldn´t take his eyes of her - perhaps Felipe was right after all? - but she disappeared into the kitchen without even having come near their table.
Slowly he let go of a breath he hadn´t noticed he was holding. Although she hadn´t been near, he had seen enough to suspect that she was quite miserable. Whether that went for her physical condition as well was something he couldn´t tell; she seemed rather flustered to him instead of pale or green.
He turned his attention back to Mendoza. The sergeant was telling him about his latest encounter with Zorro, and he always considered those tales as highly instructive for Zorro´s upcoming exploits. Still, when Victoria appeared again, his mind went instantly back to worrying about her.
This time she came to their table. "Buenas tardes, Don Diego. What can I get for you?" She only just glanced at him before fixing her eyes on the table. As if she was unable to face the crowd.
Diego´s heart ached. But he couldn´t very well go ahead here with dozens of other Angelinos around. So he simply ordered a portion of enchiladas and a glass of lemonade.
Victoria nodded her acknowledgement and proceeded to the next table without a word. But their short encounter had given Diego the opportunity to ascertain two things: first of all that Victoria was indeed absolutely miserable, and second: she was dead beat. His eyes followed her as she returned to the kitchen, and he had to hide his desire and his tormented state of mind quickly as Mendoza turned to him and in a loud whisper announced: "Have you heard the rumours about Zorro and the señorita, Don Diego?"
For a moment Diego´s eyes shot fire before he managed to control his emotions and ask casually: "No, what´s that?"
Mendoza took another bite before spilling the news: "It is said that Zorro has put the señorita in the family way," he explained.
With utter self-control Diego managed to just raise his eyebrows in disbelief. "And what does señorita Escalante say about that?"
Mendoza swallowed down another bite of his gorgeous tamales. "She hasn´t said a word about it! It´s just... you know, people put two and two together... And the fact that she doesn´t deny it - a woman with her temper...!"
Diego looked back at the table where Victoria was standing. "Well, sergeant," he said quietly but clearly audible for everyone around them, "it seems to me the people are jumping to conclusions - as is the case with most gossip. Have you considered the possibility of her being too embarrassed to either deny or confirm that story? After all, it is a rather painful subject, don´t you think?"
Sergeant Mendoza nodded awkwardly. "That is true..."
"And we might want to keep the alcalde unaware of this terrible piece of gossip," Diego continued. "We all know how jumpy he gets about Zorro. And I think the last thing the señorita needs right now is a night in the jail with the gallows awaiting her. Don´t you agree?"
Mendoza swallowed. "Of course, Don Diego! We wouldn´t let the señorita be hung just because she is in the family way!"
"Which you don´t know for sure yet," Diego pointed out again.
"Absolutely," Mendoza agreed. "After all, it´s none of the alcalde´s business with whom the señorita chooses to... ahem..." He coughed nervously. "You know..."
Diego put on a smile. "Exactly." He looked around from the corner of his eyes and noticed that several people around them had heard their discourse. Hopefully, this would cool off the worst of the gossip...
It was Maria who brought his food, and nor the rest of the evening was there any chance of just a few words of comfort to the obviously distressed señorita. So in between the short chats with Mendoza and some other people, he just watched her in concern, and felt his anger rising every time he overheard someone making an insipid remark about her. But finally, with closing-time approaching, the crowd started to thin, and in the end there were but four men left.
Victoria appeared from the kitchen and announced: "If you gentlemen would be so kind as to leave now? It is closing-time."
The three men in the corner laughed rawly as they got up. "Why, are you expecting another visit from your masked lover, my dear?"
Victoria turned pale, but before she could open her mouth, Diego had stepped in between and with a deadly edge to his voice he said: "If insulting the señorita is your way of showing your appreciation for her work, señor, I think you should find some place else to spend your time and money."
The man snorted, but noisily he and his mates made for the door and stepped outside. Diego followed them and bolted the door behind them.
"What are you doing?" Victoria enquired in surprise.
He turned back to her. "Victoria," he said quietly, "you´re absolutely exhausted. Why don´t you let me help you clean the tavern, so you can have an early night for a change?"
Victoria looked at him in wonder. "You??"
"Yes, why not? I´ve got two hands, so I should be as able as anyone to wash dishes and scrub tables, don´t you think?"
"Yes, but..." She fell silent as she saw him start gathering glasses from the tables. The tiniest little smile touched the corners of her mouth. "You´re a real friend, Diego."
He grinned awkwardly and disappeared into the kitchen. A real friend... yeah, sure...
They washed the dishes, scrubbed the tables and swept the floor in silence. And when they were done, Diego put Victoria on a chair in the kitchen, saying: "And now you get a drink from me. You look like you need it."
Slowly he poured two glasses of juice and tried to gather the courage to take up the horrible subject. But pouring juice doesn´t take much time, and far too soon he found himself sitting across the kitchen table. He looked at her with compassion. Yes, she was exceptionally pale indeed.
It took a few sips of orange juice for him to muster the courage to ask: "What´s the matter, Victoria?" As if he didn´t know! Oh, how he hated his own cowardice...
She looked up. "Haven´t you heard?"
He lowered his eyes in embarrassment and nodded. "I´m sorry you find yourself in such a predicament..." Well, at least that was true...
Victoria sighed. "You don´t have to feel sorry for me, Diego. It´s my own fault."
He looked up as he heard her gasp for breath, and all of a sudden she broke down in tears.
"Victoria!" He moved to sit next to her and took her in his arms. He rocked her lovingly, whispering idle words of comfort. But after no more than a few minutes she sat up again, trembling but determined. She had to tell someone. She had to confide in someone, or she´d go mad! Especially since...
"Diego," she asked with a quavery voice, "you have been one of my best friends as long as I can remember. Perhaps even my very best friend. Can I... can I trust you? I mean... can I confide in you, ask your help, without having to worry about the story being all over town tomorrow?"
He looked a little hurt, and felt bad for it right away. It seemed he had become so good an actor that he couldn´t stop pretending, not even in such serious personal matters. "Of course you can trust me. You may ask me anything; I won´t tell a soul."
She sighed with quiet relief. "I knew you wouldn´t. Diego," she had to swallow with difficulty, "Diego, you know about medicine and stuff, don´t you?"
He nodded. "A little." He hovered as he awaited her next question.
"Do you... how do you know a woman is... well... expecting?" Shyly she looked up in his face. He looked but a little shocked; she had expected it to be worse.
At the same time, Diego felt his blood turning to ice. So it was true...! "Do you mean..." he stammered, "do you mean you are...?!"
She shrugged slightly. "I don´t know. Maybe..."
He looked away from her to hide his own distress. And suddenly Victoria spilled the entire story to him. "It is true, Diego: I have slept with Zorro. I sort of tricked him to; it wasn´t his fault. But I was so tired of waiting for him... I so much want to have a husband, a family of my own... but it seems his quest never ends! So I came up with a scheme that would make him marry me: make love to him, let him get me with child, and then..."
Diego winced involuntarily. So not just that lovely nightmare of their lovenight, but the entire predicament they found themselves in at the moment was by her design?!
However, there was no time to reflect on that horrid thought, as Victoria already continued: "Why can´t we pretend to fall in love in real life and then get married? Then at least we could live the rest of his life together. The alcalde uses me against Zorro even now, so it would make little difference if instead I married the man behind the mask. Perhaps even better: the alcalde might think that I´m no longer interested in Zorro if I´m married to... well, whoever he is. But the whole plan backfired... Zorro was terribly disappointed with me. I think I may have scared him off, for I haven´t seen him in private since. Oh, how he must despise me...!"
Diego felt a pang of guilt. Had he been wrong in avoiding any more private encounters with her? Perhaps she had needed to talk things over with him... and instead he had hidden in his cave...
But Victoria wasn´t finished yet: "And then there was this unnerving business about being with child or not. I know nothing of the matter, absolutely nothing! And I had no one to confide in and ask about it: as you know, my mother has been dead for over ten years, and I never saw Zorro in private again either. And in case I am not in the family way, I´d rather keep that clandestine lovenight a secret to the town." She drew in her breath. "I am scared, Diego. I know I did all this with the sole purpose of getting myself in the family way. It was a stupid thing to do; I know that now. But right now I´m just scared to death by the idea that I really might be having a baby. And more so since I seem to have lost Zorro, too. I had expected the people to censure me when they´d find out, but I figured the happiness of finally marrying the man I love would be enough compensation. And now Zorro seems to have withdrawn, and it´s all far worse than I imagined. What am I to do!? Oh, if only I knew for sure whether I really am carrying his child...! If only Zorro could forgive me for what I´ve done, and perhaps..." Her voice trailed away. "And perhaps... perhaps marry me, too..."
She started crying again, and gently Diego pulled her against his chest. He coughed nervously. "Victoria..." Again he had to clear his throat. "Why don´t you marry me? If... If Zorro is unable to take his responsibility..."
She looked up at him through her tears and with a thoroughly incredulous expression on her face. "You?!"
He nodded solemnly. "I don´t know if you ever realized it, Victoria, but I love you, too. I´ve always loved you. And very much so."
She just stared at him.
"I love you. And I would do anything to help you." He swallowed. "If Zorro can´t, why don´t you let me marry you...? I promise I will take very good care of you. And it would definitely save your reputation. And to avoid the alcalde becoming suspicious about you carrying Zorro´s child, we could even say it is my baby."
Slowly Victoria shook her head. "Diego... you are a very, very dear friend... but I can not possibly accept you taking the responsibility for my own shameless schemes... To partake in the disgrace I brought on all by myself..."
He looked her in the eye. Quietly and solemnly. "But it is my responsibility, señorita," he said slowly with the deeper voice he used as Zorro.
She eyed him with wonder. "Your responsibility? How...? What...?"
Then she noticed him pulling something black out of his pocket. A large piece of black silk. Slowly, without taking his eyes off her, he raised his hands and tied the mask at the back of his head with the experience from years. Victoria watched him with her mouth open. Recognition fought its way through her brain: the dark blue eyes, the strong jaw, the mustache, the determined chin, the large head... "You!?" she gasped.
And then she fainted in his arms.
