Chapter 7
When Victoria opened the tavern the next morning, she couldn't miss the whispered talks of her guest that always stopped when she came into hearing distance. She felt as if they were all scrutinizing her, expecting her to show the beginning of a pregnancy. Embarrassed, she retreated to the kitchen about lunch time, not knowing how she could face it for the next three weeks until the wedding.
Diego went looking for her in the kitchen when he missed her standing behind the bar at lunch time.
"Victoria, what's wrong? Your helpers told me you wanted to stay in the kitchen today, but I need you to come out with me. My father is waiting in the main room to announce our engagement!"
"Please, Diego, I don't know if I can go out there."
"Why not? What's wrong?"
"You warned me that a scandal shouldn't be taken lightly, but I didn't really understand it. I never knew it would be like this! People staring at me, whispering among them and stopping suddenly when I get closer."
"Do you regret it, Victoria? Would you have preferred to wait instead?"
Victoria shook her head determinedly. "No. I was tired of waiting for Zorro. It was the only thing we could do to get us married quickly, but I'd never have thought it would be so hard. It's different for a woman than for a man. A man gets applauded for his successful conquest of a woman while the woman gets the blame and the bad remarks."
"I'm sorry, Victoria. I wasn't aware of that before. The next weeks will be a hard time for you, but I'm sure it will stop once we're properly married and convince them that you're not expecting a child yet."
Reluctantly, Victoria followed Diego into the main room where Alejandro announced their engagement, buying a round for all at his expense.
Diego stayed in the tavern after the announcement, shaking hands from friends, who congratulated him to his engagement or mocked him for being caught accidentally. And then there were those, who couldn't refrain from remarking on the circumstances.
"Are you sitting there to guard your bride, Don Diego?" One of the men sneered. "I would too, if I were you. She discarded Zorro for you, and I would be careful to make sure she doesn't discard you!"
Angrily, Diego grabbed the man by the collar and threw him on a table. "Are you implying that my bride is unfaithful?" Diego turned the collar around in his hand, tightening it until the man could hardly breathe.
"I am sorry, Don Diego, I didn't mean that," the man pressed out with difficulty. "I take it all back and apologize."
"Apologize to my bride!" Diego demanded, pushing him in the direction of the bar.
"I apologize, Señorita Escalante, I didn't want to insult you and hope you will forgive me." Before Victoria could reply, he bolted out of the door.
"Thank you, Diego, for defending me." Victoria smiled at him, "but you should be careful what you do." They both knew that he couldn't be risked to be compared to Zorro.
"I know, but I couldn't have this man insult you. I will make sure that these insults are stopped."
"Please, Diego. I can bear with it. I don't want you to take any risks."
"Now that you are my bride, I will protect you, and I already know how." Diego declared stubbornly.
Z Z Z
Diego returned to the tavern in the late afternoon, shortly before dinner time, when the tavern was crowded the most, carrying a large box under his arm. Occupying a table in the center of the room, where he could observe most of the conversations, he dropped the box on it with a loud bang. Instantly, all faces turned to him, granting him the attention he wanted.
"Señores," Diego addressed the guests in the tavern, "as you all know by now, Señorita Escalante is to be my bride. As her fiancé, it is my obligation to defend her honor. Despite any rumors, Victoria is a woman of honor and anyone, who wants to doubt that, will have to face me."
Diego opened the locks on the box and opened the lid, revealing his father's two duel pistols.
"I cannot fight with the sword as Zorro does, but I can handle these pistols. Anyone, who insults my bride, will face my challenge. So, I would advise you to think about your words!"
The guests stared at him in surprise, as they hadn't expected this challenge. Diego looked around silently, making the guests avert their eyes. Confidently, Diego sat down at the table, keeping the box open for anyone to see. Slowly, the conversation returned to normal. If anyone mentioned Victoria's name, Diego's head turned towards that table and quickly the conversation shifted to other topics.
At the end of dinner time, Victoria sat down at Diego's table, smiling, relieved. "Thank you, Diego, for coming to my aid tonight. It was an effective way to stop people from making bad remarks about me, and I don't think they will try again soon."
"Victoria, this will not end after a day. The people like to gossip whether we like it or not. All I can do is to save you from direct insults, so you can continue with your work. I will stand by your side and defend you until this is over, and I have made an honorable woman out of you on our wedding day."
"Do you want to sit here in the tavern every day until our wedding? Don't you think this is overdone?"
"I have seen how it affects you, Victoria. I have brought you into this situation, and I won't let you deal with it alone."
Z Z Z
The next few days Diego stayed in the tavern, the pistol box always on the table as a threat to everyone. Alejandro agreed with Victoria that it seemed a bit overdone, especially since the bad remarks had stopped after the first day.
"Diego, I think you should take a break from your vigil in the tavern. There is a lot you have to do to prepare for the wedding, and you cannot take care of it if you stay in the tavern the whole day every day. There's your new suit for the wedding that will need several fittings at the tailor in Santa Paula, and you also wanted to go to the bank there."
"I know, Father, but I promised Victoria that I wouldn't leave her alone in this situation. The first day after we announced our engagement, she wouldn't leave the kitchen anymore with all the bad remarks she had to face."
"Diego, we all wish that this engagement had taken part under better circumstances, but I understand why you did it, as it was the only way for you to get married, after all the years you have been waiting for each other. Zorro could never marry her, and there is no end for Zorro in sight with de Soto as our alcalde."
"Yes, we both discussed it before we went through with it, but we didn't want to wait any longer."
"I am not happy with your plan to continue riding as Zorro after your marriage, but I will support you where I can. If it relieves you, I will take care of Victoria tomorrow. I want to meet with the other caballeros in the pueblo to get organized if Zorro is going to be around less. He will be occupied with his new wife," Alejandro winked.
"Father, please," Diego said, embarrassed.
"Then you will ride to Santa Paula tomorrow?"
"Why are you so eager to have me out of town, Father? Are you planning something?" Diego asked suspiciously.
"As I stated before, you need to get prepared for your wedding, and you can't get ready by staying in the tavern every day."
"I'm not sure what you're up to, Father, but as long as you protect Victoria for me, I guess it will be alright." Diego conceded to the plan, knowing that his father was right. There was much to do for the wedding.
