Chapter 7

Two weeks after the wedding, the de la Vegas were invited to the birthday party of Don Emilio, a friend of the family, living on a neighboring hacienda.

It was the first time Victoria joined the de la Vegas on a formal occasion. The dressmaker had given her best in finishing the new elegant gown in time, so that she'd be dressed according to her new status a Diego's wife.

Nervously, Victoria waited in the parlor for Diego and his father to get ready. Alejandro was the first to arrive.

"Hola, Victoria, you look beautiful," Alejandro looked at her admiringly and encouraged her with a smile. "You'll be the most beautiful woman tonight."

"I don't know," Victoria said insecurely. "Maybe I should rather stay at home. I don't think I belong there, I'm not a noble bred caballero's daughter, but only a working woman." Victoria bit her lip, already regretting that she had agreed to go on that birthday party. If she faked a headache, she could stay at home.

"Nonsense, Victoria," Alejandro contradicted her, "You're a de la Vega now, and as a member of our family you'll be accepted." Then he eyed her again and began to smile. "Wait a minute. I think I have something for you." Hurriedly, he left the room. Victoria wondered what Alejandro was up to.

"Isn't my father ready yet?" Diego entered the room, dressed in his elegant dark blue suit and she couldn't ignore that he looked very handsome in it. The color matched the silk of her dress and she wondered if the dressmaker had been prompted to take a like color for her dress.

"He was here some minutes before, but then he left again to fetch something," Victoria explained. "I don't know what he's up to."

"And he's complaining about me taking long to get ready," Diego mused. "Now we'll have to wait for him again."

"I don't think he'll take long," Victoria said. "I expect him to be back any minute."

However, they had to wait about ten minutes until Alejandro came back. In his hands he held a small ornate jewelry box. "Here in this box is a piece of jewelry that belonged to my wife," Alejandro explained, holding the box out to her. "It was always intended to go to Diego's wife, and I believe today is the right occasion to give it to you. It's a necklace and a matching ring, but the ring is missing. I have been searching for it and that's why it took me so long, but I couldn't find it. Do you know where it is, Diego?"

"I'm sorry, Father, I should have told you, but I took the ring some time ago," Diego admitted.

"You took the ring? What for? Why didn't you tell me?" Alejandro asked, surprised. "It was meant to go to your wife. I think now is the time to give it to Victoria."

"I'm sorry, Father, but I misplaced the ring," Diego declared without looking at Victoria.

"You misplaced the ring? How could you lose it? I gave it to your mother on the day of your Christening. It was a token of our love. Why did you take it at all if you couldn't take better care of it?" Alejandro said angrily.

"I didn't say I lost it. I misplaced it. That's a difference, meaning I can't find it at the moment," Diego declared.

"Can't you find or don't you want to find it, Diego?" Victoria asked with a white face. Diego didn't answer and only looked at her with a blank face. "It's the latter, isn't it?"

"It's a love token," Diego pressed out.

Victoria handed the jewelry box back to Alejandro without looking inside. "Here, take it back. I won't take it if Diego doesn't want me to have it." She turned her head away, so that the men wouldn't see the tears glittering in her eyes. "I'll be wearing the gold cross from my mother. I don't need any jewels."

"Victoria, are you sure?" Alejandro asked helplessly. "It's yours now."

Victoria shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"It's time to go," Diego intervened, relieved that Victoria had refused to take the jewelry. If she had looked inside, she would have noticed that the necklace matched the emerald ring he had given her when he proposed to her as Zorro. "We've already wasted too much time."

He took the box from his father. "I'll take this, and when I find the ring again, I'll put it back into the box. You two go ahead to the carriage."

Diego turned around and went into the library where he slipped into the cave, after making sure that nobody had followed him. Opening a hidden compartment in his desk, he retrieved the emerald ring he had gotten back from Victoria, sadly staring at it for a moment. Then he opened the box and placed it next to the necklace, before he put the box into the hidden compartment and closed it.

Z~Z~Z

At the party Don Emilio welcomed his guests and thanked them for their birthday wishes.

"Thank you, Alejandro, my good friend," he smiled. "I'm happy you managed to come with your while family. Don Diego and Doña Victoria, welcome too."

At dinner Victoria was seated between Diego and his father and despite her initial fear, she was welcomed by the other guests and didn't have the impression that the caballeros were looking down on her. It was a pleasant evening though she didn't say much and was mostly listening, because she felt out of place and wasn't familiar with many topics that were discussed.

At the ball after dinner Diego led her on the dance floor for the opening dance.

"I don't know if I can do that," she whispered. "I haven't danced a Viennese waltz before, and I'll only step on your shoes. I'll embarrass you."

"I know you do the waltz, and this one is not that different, Victoria," Diego assured her. "Just follow my lead. Nobody will notice any mistake, because it's much too crowded for that."

Victoria looked around and noticed that Diego was right. All the couples were on the dance floor for the first dance and there wasn't much space left. Diego held her tight and led her through the dance, so all she needed to do was to follow his moves. Through the dance floor was filled with dancers, it appeared as if Diego was gliding effortless across the floor while he evaded collisions with other couples as it happened frequently around them, anticipating their moves and maneuvering them to open spots without ever stopping his movement until the music was over.

"That was wonderful, Diego. I never realized what a good dancer you are," Victoria smiled.

"I knew you could do it, Victoria." Diego bowed to her.

Alejandro approached her for the next dance and then she didn't have a break for the next dances as others asked for a dance too. She saw Diego dancing with Don Emilio's daughter and several other young women. Diego was smiling and talking amiably with them, appearing to have a good time.

When she finally had a break, she took the chance to slip into the garden for fresh air. Staying in the shadows, she overheard several women talking.

"My foot is hurting," one of them moaned. "Don Pedro stepped right on my foot."

"I need a break too," another one said. "Doña Antonia bumped right into my shoulder."

"That's because she danced with Don Enrique," one laughed. "He walks across the danced floor like a bull. How did you get away unharmed, Ana?" she asked Don Emilio's daughter.

"Well, I was lucky. I danced with Don Diego," Ana replied.

"You were really lucky," the first one said. "Diego is the best dancer, and he always knows where to step, so that nobody gets harmed. He's such a handsome man, and I always thought your two families would be joined."

"Diego never gave me any reason to hope, and it's too late now since he's married."

Victoria didn't want to hear any more of their talk when they were discussing Diego and who he should have married. It suddenly occurred to her that some of these women might be the one he had been secretly in love with or even worse, the woman he was meeting every night could be present at the ball too. The thought made her feel sick, and her good mood from dancing vanished suddenly.

When she returned inside, Alejandro was coming towards her. "There you are, Victoria. Have you been outside? I have been looking for you, but I couldn't find you. Diego has a headache and has already left. He asked me to take you home instead. Do you want to leave too or do you want to stay?"

Victoria would have preferred to leave, but she noticed how much Alejandro enjoyed the evening among his friends, and she didn't want him to leave because of her.

"I can stay for a while longer," she agreed.

"Then I have the pleasure to ask you for the next dance!" Alejandro drew her on the dance floor.

Z~Z~Z

Diego thought about the evening on his ride home. When he got the annulment of his marriage with Victoria in a few months, he would be free again and then there wasn't any reason to stay single any longer. All the years he had waited for the time when Zorro would no longer be needed and he could marry Victoria without putting her in danger, but now this would never happen. He continued to ride as Zorro even after his marriage and there was no end for Zorro in sight.

He longed for a family with a woman he loved and he didn't want to wait any longer. His plan had been to enjoy the evening and maybe look with an open eye at the young women his fathers had previously thrown at him as possible brides, but it hadn't worked out. It had felt good to have Victoria in his arms while they had danced so closely, and none of the other women had attracted him. He would need more time to overcome his broken heart, before he was open for someone new. Frustrated, he had decided to leave early, especially when several of the caballeros had told him of problems with cattle rustlers. It was something for Zorro to look into, and he had nothing better to do this night.