The Dream Fulfilled
4 - Awaiting
Chapter 4: Awaiting
Once the family knew, it was no time at all until the servants in both the De la Vega and the Sheraton haciendas knew of Doña Margarita's "indisposition". And thanks to the fastest means of communication known — servants' gossip on market day — it was not long before most of the pueblo was aware of the coming event.
And so the seasons ran their course. Diego's wife went into the pueblo on market day only two or three times more, for two reasons: First, her level of fatigue became such that she preferred not to go, even in a carriage. Second, she decided she had had enough of the pueblo's attention when she began gritting her teeth after hearing someone ask for the twentieth time, "How are you feeling today, Señora?"
Doña Elvira Ramirez came calling one day with Luisa, bringing patterns for various layette items and advice on how many of each would be needed. Cresencia scoured every storage bin and every cupboard and finally found the family's christening gown and the cradle used by baby Diego. Doña Luisa Torres, Doña Maria Pérez, and several other doñas came calling, bringing gifts of small blankets, tiny infant gowns, and tea preparations said to ease backache and swollen feet. And stories. Endless stories of their own experiences of childbirth.
Diego, although he loved his wife more than life itself, found all of this bewildering. When he heard another landowner's carriage pull up to the hacienda, he often fled to the stables and started grooming a horse — any horse, whether the horse needed grooming or not. Occasionally he went down to the cave and took Tornado for a good long run. Don Alejandro, who had vague memories of Isabella's "indisposition", never failed to find some very pressing business to attend to in his study. Faithful Bernardo always came to alert each of them once the doñas had departed.
In the afternoon, when she grew tired, they often sat out on the patio. Sometimes Diego would sometimes read to her. Sometimes he would play his guitar. The servants tended to hover, making sure that fresh lemonada was always at hand.
Margarita had been asleep for some time, but noise in the secret room now woke her. She hefted herself out of the bed, picked up a shawl, and pushed the button on the mantle. The panel swung in and she found Diego just arriving, with Bernardo coming up behind him on the stone staircase. She took two steps into the room and held out her hand for the mask her husband had just removed. "Ah, querida!" he smiled at her. "Are you well?"
"Oh yes, I'm fine, all things considered. I've been fairly comfortable tonight. Let me help you change."
But in the small space it was easier said than done. In the process of shedding his cape Diego managed to elbow his wife into a corner. In trying to hang the cape up, Margarita bumped into the table and jarred the lantern, almost knocking it over and starting a fire. Then Bernardo, taking the sword and attempting to hang it up, poked her in the back with it, knocking her off-balance until her black-clad husband got his arm around her. Diego held her, laughing and shaking his head. "Margarita, mi amor, I'm afraid there is not space enough for the three of us — or perhaps I should say the four of us — in this little room. Por favor, go back to our bedroom and wait for me there." She could only agree.
When he finally emerged into the bedroom and the panel swing shut behind him, she asked, "What did you find?"
"Nothing, really," was his reply. Two days ago one of the vaqueros had reported seeing a small band of unidentified men camping near Coalinga pass. The men did not seem to be doing anything suspicious, but Zorro had decided to investigate, just in case. "I found the campsite, but the firepit was stone cold. There was some rain yesterday afternoon, and I saw no fresh tracks in the wet ground. I did meet a shepherd grazing his small flock in the area. He told me that four days ago a group of men had approached him about buying a lamb for a meal. They paid him a fair price for it and he killed and dressed it for them. These men were not very talkative about who they were or where they were going, but the shepherd was able to gather that they were heading south for some contracted work. I believe they have left the area, and it appears that they have done no harm, so I see no need to ride out again.
"I'm certainly in favor of that," replied his wife. "A night with my husband by my side is always preferable to a night by myself in our bed."
He slid in beside her and after a moment said, "Querida, I am wondering about what should happen to Zorro after the baby comes. Perhaps he should leave again?"
"It's true, our having a child changes things. But if Zorro suddenly disappears I think the residents of Los Angeles would be alarmed. Zorro, which is to say you as Zorro, for you are still only one man, means so much to them. I don't think you can just walk away."
"But I will have the responsibilities of a father as well as those of a husband. Can I continue to take the risk?"
"Risk or not, if someone was in danger, or if the pueblo itself was in danger, you couldn't stop riding as Zorro any more than you could stop breathing. But the pueblo has been peaceful for a while now. Let's just hope it stays that way."
"Yes, let us hope it stays that way. Sleep well, querida." And he placed his hand on her belly and kissed her.