February 14, 1815

After all the planning and plotting and worry, it turned out that it was all for nothing. As soon as court was called to order, Coloma pronounced Enrique Vargas innocent of the charges of bank robbery. It was the only reasonable verdict, but still, there were several seconds of surprised silence after the words rang out.

Then there was applause. Lots of it. The magistrate called for order. Everyone ignored him. Diego sagged slightly, then pushed up to his feet. He shook hands with Enrique Vargas. He had to duck out of the way as the other Vargas swooped down and picked Enrique up into the air.

Carefully dodging flailing limbs as the bigger Vargas swung the smaller Vargas in circle, Diego edged around them and turned to Sergeant Mendoza. Felipe couldn't hear what he said, but his expression was almost conciliatory. Mendoza cheerfully took the hand Diego offered and then clouted him over the shoulder.

Up front, Coloma gave up and adjourned the trial. He stalked indignantly to the stairs – presumably up to his room. Felipe was a bit embarrassed for Los Angeles; they were being very rude. On the other hand, things had been very tense. People needed a little while to calm down. Perhaps the magistrate even realized how much of a disaster it would have been to give an unpopular verdict.

The push of people trying to congratulate Diego was so thick and enthusiastic that Felipe quickly lost sight of him in the forest of shoulders. It was five minutes before he spotted Diego again, slipping out the door. It took another five minutes for Felipe to edge his way through the crowd so he could follow him.

Diego had only gone as far as the porch. He sat very straight and composed, his hands folded on the table in front of him. Felipe laid a hand on his arm.

Diego smiled thinly. "I'm fine. It was terribly hot in there, that's all." He started to reach for his cravat, but stopped himself from actually clawing it off. Felipe could tell he wanted to.

Felipe sat down and considered Diego, looking for some sign of illness. Diego sighed and leaned forward. "I am fine. I admit, I could very nearly weep with relief – for the last week I couldn't help imagining that man's blood on my hands…but now it's over."

"Do you want to go home?" Felipe asked.

Diego smiled. "We only have a couple of hours before the wedding. How could I go home?"

It was Don Emilio and Senorita Amanda who were getting married. Felipe made a face.

Diego laughed a little. "But think of the party afterward! Think of all that food! I don't doubt Don Emilio will raise the bar for all wedding celebrations in the future. How could I deprive you by going home?"

People were trickling out of the tavern at last. Many stopped to congratulate Diego as they passed. Diego leaned back in the chair and nodded politely, until Victoria appeared and planted herself in front of him.

"Don Diego, if we could have a word….?" she said, very formally.

Very formally, Diego answered, "Certainly. I am at your service…?"

She frowned slightly. "Not out here, Diego."

He averted his eyes. "It might be better if we - "

"It's business, Diego. I've decided to advertise in the newspaper. I assume that is permitted."

Diego's eyes narrowed, but after a moment he rose and led the way to the newspaper office. Puzzled by the entire exchange, Felipe followed. Why would Victoria need to advertise? She had the only tavern in town. And since when had Diego refused to see her? Or, in fact, refused her anything?

On the other hand, Diego had not been to the tavern very often these last few weeks. And Victoria had not come out to the house in….when was the last time?

When Victoria tried to shut the door behind them, Diego stopped her. For a moment Victoria scowled. Then she said, "Never mind that. This is important."

"Yes, your advertisement - ?"

She snorted. "Have you spoken with Zorro?"

For a moment he looked at her blankly, then he said, "About today, you mean?"

"Of course about today!"

He paused. "What do you want me to say, Victoria? I would never have encouraged it. If either of you had asked me before planning it all out, I would have stopped you. Thank God it didn't come to that, I don't know….."

"It didn't come to that because of you," she said. "You were brilliant." There was no particular admiration in her voice. She only seemed to be recounting a flat fact.

Diego sat on the edge of his desk and folded his arms.

"But if we had had to take to the streets…how could we allow that innocent man to be framed for bank robbery? How could we?"

Diego nodded. "I do understand. But don't ask me to approve of you taking part in something so dangerous."

"Hmmm." She planted herself in front of him and said very softly, "Tell me the truth, Diego. Was the clerk in it alone? Or was the alcalde behind it all?"

"I have no idea," Diego said immediately.

Victoria ignored that. "You should have heard him this morning, all outraged at the crime, wondering where Seva had hidden the money! 'He certainly didn't spend it. Could he have buried it somewhere? Could he have slipped it to an accomplice to take out of town?' Well? Luis Ramone knows exactly where it is, doesn't he?"

Diego sighed. "Probably. But, Victoria, I have no proof, and without proof, there is nothing I can do. I was lucky to get Vargas acquitted. I am sorry, Victoria. I'm…sorry."

She nodded slowly.

"I don't want you talking about this. I'm serious. If Ramone feels himself in danger, he will defend himself. I was lucky this time - "

"Yes, I know. No, I won't say anything…." She said soberly. "He's getting worse, isn't he? This wasn't like public whippings and absurd taxes. He was going to let that man hang!"

Diego leaned forward. He spoke so softly that Felipe could hardly hear him. "He is very dangerous. It would be best if you kept your head down and stayed out of his way – yes, I know. The idea of submitting to that cruel, stupid, little man is intolerable. But Victoria, surely you can see that just drawing attention to injustice won't solve the problem. Not anymore. We are trying - " he stopped and passed a hand over his eyes. "Please. Try to be patient. We must limit the damage he does long enough to … until we can… Victoria, please."

She nodded stiffly. "All right, Diego."

"I'm sorry."

She softened slightly. "Oh, Diego. What would we have done without you? When I think what almost happened….But it is all right, now, isn't it? For the moment? And…well, perhaps Zorro will think of something."

Diego blinked, drawing back slightly. "Zorro."

"You've done your part already. And he's dangerous, you said so. You and I are too easy to…locate. You have a family, Diego. And he already feels threatened enough by you to…to…."

"To do something extreme and horrible?" Diego sighed. "No. All right, I promise you. I'll leave Ramone to Zorro from now on. And if I should, somehow, stumble on a solution to our problems, he'll get no warning."

Felipe had to turn his head and grit his teeth together. It was horrible and scary, but it was funny, too. Diego did most of Zorro's plotting. As persuasive as Victoria had been, Diego still had not escaped any of the responsibility.

Victoria stepped back. "What is the largest advertisement you have?"

"Four inches, but that is rather expensive. Six pesos…."

She took the money out and laid it onto the table. "We have been here so long because you have talked me into something extravagant." She smiled. "Are you staying for the wedding."

"Oh, yes. I was telling Felipe it would likely set the standard for fiestas for years to come."

"I don't have an escort."

Felipe gasped. When Senorita Amanda had been staying with them, he had had many occasions to observe her with her suitors. She had always hinted so slyly for what she wanted, coy and indirect – if terribly greedy. She'd always gotten what she wanted, but she had been so delicate about it.

What Victoria had said was clumsy and blunt and very nearly an open demand. Was she bad at flirting, or – might she just not care how it was supposed to be done?

For a moment Diego's eyes darkened. He seemed almost angry. Felipe had never seen him angry with Victoria for anything. She looked at him sadly and said, "Why can't we celebrate this? Today could have been so horrible, and here we are, and…oh, please, Diego. There is no reason not to."

"We'd regret it later, that is reason enough," he whispered, "It is already so difficult…."

"I promise. I won't regret anything."

The silence seemed to stretch out for a long time. Then Diego gently lifted her hand. "Senorita Escalante, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the fiesta this afternoon?"

"Why thank you, Don Diego. That would be very nice. I'll see you later, then."

Felipe waited until she was gone and shut the door. "What was that about?"

Diego shrugged. "That? Nothing. She just shouldn't be wasting her time with an old friend, that's all. She's old enough to be thinking about a husband."

Felipe thought that Victoria was thinking about a husband, and a little too obviously. He also thought that Diego was being very stupid, but there was no talking to him about this sort of thing. He was convinced he couldn't marry her –

Oh. Apparently he and Victoria had talked about it. Felipe took a deep breath. "Maybe your father needs something." He hurried out the door, wondering how he would spend the next two hours. Maybe Don Alejandro would have an errand to send him on.

Gilberto

There hadn't been a chance, that morning, to spend much time with Diego discussing how angry with him Father might be. Diego, scandalized by Gilberto's quick sketch of the the plans Victoria and Zorro had made, was too busy fuming himself to say anything more than, "Stay out of his way and talk to me before you talk to him."

He gave Diego an hour or so to digest his victory in court before going to the Guardian office to pin him down for details. Diego, once the heat of the moment had passed, always returned to 'reasonable' very quickly. Gilberto found him not only calm, but conciliatory. It turned out that he had told Father that Gilberto – Gilberto himself, not Zorro – had liberated the account books of the bank.

"Mother of God, why, Diego?"

"He was so disappointed, 'Berto. I just couldn't stand it."

"So…what? You confessed to larceny on my behalf?"

"As though he would see it that way! You know he'll approve."

"Yes, because I want to fool him into approving of me with contrived heroics!"

Diego blinked at him. "Contrived? The heroics are completely genuine. All of them."

"In a costume," Gilberto hissed. "Playing a game - "

"Are you even listening to yourself? A game? If you want to call it that, then the stakes are innocent lives and justice and the safety of your family - "

"Shut up, Diego."

He paused, looking at Gilberto so hard that his eyes seemed bore straight through his skin. "Is it getting to you?"

"No. Of course not," Gilberto denied.

"It's been almost two years."

"No. I'm fine."

Diego stepped close enough that Gilberto had to look up.

"I lie to him," Gilberto found himself whispering. "Every day, I lie to him, and he is trying so hard, he has been so much more patient than any other Father has ever been, forgiven so much -"

"I won't stop you from telling him," Diego whispered.

"He is safer this way." Gilberto closed his eyes. "He would stop me."

Diego said sadly, "He might."

"It doesn't matter, all this thinking. I know what I have to do."

"I'm sorry I can't help more," Diego said.

"Help more? You have already saved me once this week! I did his dirty work for him - "

Diego smiled faintly. "Your efficiency greatly inconvenienced him. Forcing this trial was as much a problem for him as for us. More, perhaps, in the long term."

"If you hadn't realized - "

"Enough. Enough."

Gilberto surrendered. If Diego – who overthought everything, who worried about everything – saw nothing to stew over, then it was safe to pause, for a moment at least.

Diego put an arm around his shoulder and took him to the tavern for a glass of wine and some fresh bread.

Everyone filed to the church for the wedding not long after. The mass passed by in a blur. Gilberto couldn't help thinking of Luis Ramone, sitting across the aisle.

Afterward, though, he tried to put it out of his mind for a while. The wedding festivities were huge and extravagant. Don Emilio had hired a dozen musicians. Streamers were everywhere. Four long tables had been set up in the square, and they were groaning with tamales, seafood stew, rice with chicken, roast venison, honey cakes, apple tarts…too much food to even keep track of.

No doubt Father would be taking note of everything with an eye to how much ostentation he would have to show when Gilberto got married. The thought made him wince, but really, Father never mentioned it. He wasn't hurrying Gilberto along….

Diego, at least, was enjoying himself. He was dancing with Victoria. For every song they danced, they spent two sitting on the tavern porch or in front of the newspaper office, resting.

"Do you think he's overexerting himself?" Father asked softly, coming up beside him.

At that moment, Diego and Victoria were seated at a table, leaning slightly towards one another, laughing. "He looks fine," Gilberto said. "Anyway, the priest has been after him to get a bit more exercise, and taking long, quick walks just in the rose garden is very dull. Apparently. I expect this will do him some good, especially after the last few days. He's been worrying…." Gilberto frowned. "For a while he was fencing with me fairly regularly, but…." He shrugged. "Not lately."

"Is it still bothering him? His loss to that Englishman?"

"He didn't lose," Gilberto corrected. "Diego is better than Thackery. He is better than Zorro."

"Zorro said something like that at the time…."

Silently cursing himself for saying just a little too much, Gilberto kept his shoulders down and his face relaxed. "Then he must have been in town when Diego fought." He shook his head. "I only paid attention to Diego. I have no idea who else was there."

Father glanced at him sharply. "No speculation on whom Zorro might be."

"Ah, no, that's not information I'd want to have."

On the tavern porch, Diego and Victoria were rising again.

Don Alejandro sighed.

"He's fine, Father. Yesterday, I was worried, when he was so…driven."

"Terrified."

"Yes, that. He looks much better today." Gilberto glanced at the sky. It was beginning to grow dark. Pascal servants were going around the square lighting lanterns. And – yes. "Look, the mother of the groom. Someone should ask her to dance."

"She's still in mourning," Father protested.

"It doesn't look like it. Her son's wedding, someone should ask the senora to dance. And I am the wrong generation."

But Gilberto made sure he did dance, and speak to many people, and make his presence felt. He withdrew when Father collected Diego and complained that he was tired and wanted to go home. It was, by then, Diego who was tired. It was impossible to judge his pallor by the lantern light, but coming away from the ring of dancers that last time he had stumbled and Victoria was starting to give him uncertain glances.

Gilberto didn't go home with them, but he sat to the side and made himself uninteresting. He'd gone to enough parties while at school to have the trick of being invisible; it was no harder than being fascinating. He waited, watching Ramone, until it was definitely too late for him to head to his home outside of town. Then he slipped off to retrieve the set of black clothing he had hidden in the Guardian office (he couldn't use the old mill since it was currently operating. Unfortunately. Having Zorro's things at the newspaper exposed Diego more than Gilberto liked.)

It wasn't a long wait. No doubt the alcalde didn't exactly feel like celebrating. He had surely withdrawn from the fiesta as soon as it was polite. It wasn't as though he had any friends; the goodwill and warmth everyone else enjoyed would surely have bypassed him.

There was no pity in that observation. Zorro was waiting in the shadows when Ramone entered his quarters. He held his breath and rested solidly on the soles of his boots while Ramone removed his decorative sword and jacket and sat down to remove his boots. Zorro glided forward and rested the tip of the Sir Edmund's sabre lightly between Ramone's shoulder blades.

Ramone froze. "Zorro, I assume."

"Very good. Your foresight impresses me. Too bad you didn't exercise it sooner."

"Yes, I would have brought in a couple of guards to kill you."

"That, of course, but I was thinking of your little game with the bank books, Alcalde."

"What are you talking about?" he protested earnestly. "I have been connected to no crime."

"No," Zorro agreed, managing to keep his tone light. "De le Vega wasn't quite smart enough to put the pieces together. But we know better, you and I, Luis. Seva was your pawn, and you killed him when he couldn't keep the secret anymore."

"Don't be silly - "

His temper went all at once. He seized Ramone by the hair and swept him backwards, hard, sliding him off the bed and onto the floor. He had enough presence of mind to get the sword out of the way so Ramone wasn't impaled, but he didn't think to worry about the noise until Ramone smashed into the floor and wardrobe with a terrible crash.

That might well bring the lancers, and Zorro didn't have Toronado in town.

Swiftly, he crouched down and seized Ramone by his cravat drawing him up just enough to be uncomfortable. "I didn't enjoy being your pawn in this. I handed Vargas over to your men for justice."

"Yes," he gasped, "imagine my surprise." He tried to get his hands under him, but he was trapped against the wardrobe and Zorro had a knee in his gut and one hand at his throat.

"I am running out of patience, Luis. Give it up. Go away. Apply for a transfer. Retire."

Footsteps sounded on the stairs outside. Zorro was in no mood to deal with lancers. He dropped Ramone with another thump, rose from the floor, and sprang out the window, up to the roof. He only needed to make it as far as the armory roof before the search started: in the dark, with the noise and glare of the party to confound them, the lancers would never find him.