Chapter 4

Zorro had gotten up before dawn to chase and catch some bandits, giving him a reason to come to the pueblo in the morning to hand them over to Mendoza.

"You don't let a man enjoy his sleep," Mendoza yawned, looking up with sleepy eyes at Zorro on Toronado, after he ordered two privates on duty to lock up the two men. "Why can't you come a little later, Zorro?" he complained.

"It's a nice morning, Mendoza." Zorro pointed at the rising sun that promised a warm and bright summer day. "It's still nice and quiet here in the pueblo but if you want I'll leave the chasing to you and stay in bed."

"No. No. It's fine, Zorro," Mendoza quickly assured him. "Then the alcalde would make me get up early and do the chasing and riding on top."

"I knew you'd see it my way," Zorro grinned, "but I must still disappoint you. This may be the last time I'll do your work for you."

"What do you mean by that?" Mendoza said alarmed.

"I mean that I won't be around much in the future." On his words, Zorro turned Toronado around and rode over to the tavern where Victoria was standing on the porch. As usual, she had opened the tavern doors at dawn to let in the morning sun and get ready for the day. At the sight of Zorro she had stopped working to watch him.

"Señorita Escalante," he addressed her, "I'm sorry that you had to suffer because I expressed my admiration for you in the past. I didn't want to harm your reputation, and I realized that I haven't been treating as you deserve. A beautiful woman as you deserves a husband who can give her a home and a family. I have realized that I can't be that man. As long as there is a price on my head, I can never marry you and I can't ask you to wait for me any longer. Please accept my apology for letting you live a dream that will never come true. I wish you all the best for the future." Zorro bowed deeply to her.

Though Victoria knew before what he was going to tell her, he could see the hurt in her eyes. "Then this is the end?"

"I'm sorry, Señorita." Zorro said sincerely, trying to keep his emotions under control. Tonight he would find out if Victoria could love Diego too or of she only loved the mask. If she rejected him at the altar this goodbye would be for real, and he didn't know if he could bear that. He reached out for her hand intending to kiss it but before he reached it with his lips, he changed his mind and bent down to kiss her cheek instead. "Goodbye, Victoria." Finally releasing her hand, he saluted her in his typical manner and rode out of the pueblo.

Looking at his back, Victoria started to cry, hiding her face in her hands. She knew that this was supposed to be only an act but what if it was real? Would he be there to marry her tonight? Suddenly, she was scared. His talk hand been so sincere and convincing that she almost believed he had truly left her.

"This is so sad, Señorita," Mendoza interrupted her thoughts. "I'd never have thought he'd leave you after all this time. This is so sudden. I think that he must love you very much to give you up."

"I don't know, Mendoza. I really don't know." She fled into the tavern, locking the door behind her.

Wiping her tears, she went up to her room and pulled from her dresser the three items that linked her to him; the mask he'd given her when he'd kissed her the first time, the ring he given her when he'd asked her to marry him, and the sash he had used when he had made love to her. Holding these items in her hands helped her to calm down. These were tokens of his love, and she trusted him. It had only been an act, so they could have a future where she'd be married to the real man. Today, she would find out his identity and get married.

The same questions, which had kept her awake the whole night, continued to occupy her mind. Who was he? She could wait to find out. Where did he live? Did he expect her to leave the pueblo after the official marriage? Why was he so afraid she might not love him and did not want to marry him? Hadn't she told him often enough how much she loved him? Why had she never been able to find out his identity before? When would it be finally be evening?

Victoria knew she couldn't continue to ruminate as it wouldn't help her to find any answers. All she could do was to wait for the evening and distract herself with work in the meantime. Carefully, she returned her treasures to their hiding place at the bottom of her drawer. With a final look at her best dress that she dusted off last night and carefully put back inside the drawer, she went downstairs to open her tavern and start working.

Z~Z~Z

"Hola, Victoria, how are you?" Diego greeted her when he arrived at the tavern later. He leaned against the bar, scrutinizing her.

"I'm fine," she lied though her red eyes belied her.

"I heard about Zorro. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I think he's right. It's time to go on with my life. I can't wait any longer." She picked up a try with glasses to take them to the kitchen, but her hands were shaking, so she almost dropped it. Diego took the tray from her hands and placed it back behind the bar.

"You should take a break." Diego took her by the arm and gently made her sit down at a table next to the bar. Serving himself, he poured two glasses with juice and placed one in front of her. "Drink! I can see that this affects you deeply. Why don't you come over to dinner tonight?"

"Tonight?" Thinking of her wedding, she searched for an excuse. "I don't think I can come tonight. There's so much to do, and I rather want to be alone."

"I understand but if you change your mind you're welcome." Diego gently put his hand over hers, squeezing it.

"Thank you, Diego, but I don't think I can come." Though she had refused the invitation, it would give her a reason to excuse herself to her helpers, pretending she went to the de la Vegas. "I'll think about it."

Her last sentence had him alarmed, though he tried to hide his nervousness. If Victoria considered accepting the invitation, did it mean that she had doubts about the wedding too? Had she changed her mind about their marriage? Would she reject him at the altar? He wouldn't be able to stand that.

"Is something wrong, Diego? You've grown so quiet suddenly. Why does it upset you that I won't come to dinner tonight?"

"It's alright. I had planned a surprise for my father tonight." Diego retreated his hand, nervously wiping across his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Diego. I'd like to come but not tonight. What kind of surprise did you plan? Maybe another day?" She wondered what Zorro had planned tonight after the wedding. Would he have time for her and spend the night with her or would he vanish again as he used to after a fast kiss and an embrace?

"Yes. Sure. I should go now and leave you to your work. I'll see you at the evening mass tonight."

"Yes, I'll see you there." The mentioning of the mass brought back the nervousness that she had blended out for a moment while she had shared her drink with Diego. Her hands were shaking again, and she almost spilled the rest of the juice over herself.

"Take a break, Victoria." Diego couldn't refrain from touching her and for a moment he put his arm around her shoulder. "I'll see you tonight."


A/N: I had planned this story with five chapters of about 1000 words each, but the next chapter has gotten much longer than planned. The story is now closer to seven or eight chapters and 8000 words in total. Enjoy reading and thank you for all your reviews.