Chapter 21

Diego nervously walked up and down in front of the chapel. Dressed in a black suit with golden embroideries along the sleeves and legs, he waited for Victoria. His father had arrived half an hour ago, and Victoria should have arrived much earlier. What kept her?

It was already close to noon, the time the wedding was scheduled, and Victoria hadn't arrived. His father had spoken with her before she had left the de la Vega hacienda, and everything had been fine.

What had happened? Why hadn't she come? Had something delayed her, or even worse, had she changed her mind about the wedding?

As noon passed by, his fear increased that she wouldn't come at all. The situation reminded him of the day when he had waited in vain for Zafira at the chapel, and she hadn't come.

"Where is she, Father?" Diego asked. "Did Victoria say anything when you said goodbye to her at the hacienda?"

"No, Diego, I told you that before. She seemed to be in a good mood, and there was no indication that she had changed her mind about you. She would have found a moment to tell me."

"But, why didn't she come? She should have been here more than an hour ago!"

"Maybe something has delayed her, a blockage of the road or something. Please, Diego, you're making me nervous with all your walking up and down. Please, sit down. Victoria will come, I'm sure of it!"

"And, if she doesn't? She may finally have realized that she can't go back to Los Angeles if she marries me. Maybe she doesn't want to give up her life to live with someone like me." Diego tugged at his right arm to emphasize what he meant.

"Diego, please. Victoria loves you. You can't doubt her love. She was so devastated when Zorro set her free again, and she was asking for your return all the time when you had us believing you were at the northern estates."

"I believe you, Father, but why isn't she here?" Diego started to pace up and down again. "This time I'm not going to wait until the evening for a woman who does not come to her wedding!"

"This time? What do you mean by that?"

Diego sat down again. "There was a woman in Madrid. I thought I loved her, and I asked her to marry me. As she didn't want to wait until I had finished my studies, we agreed to marry the next day, and I waited for her at a chapel near Madrid."

"And, what happened? Why didn't you get married?" Alejandro asked, curiously.

"She didn't come. I waited and waited for her, until it was evening, and I finally had to realize that she wouldn't appear. The next day I got your letter calling me home."

"Did you ever find out why she didn't come?"

"Only last year when she passed through Los Angeles. She told me that her brother had been fatally injured, and she nursed him until he died two weeks later. When he died, she was trapped in Segovia because of the revolution. She told me she left me a message, but I never got it. She assured me that she still loved me, but she was married to Correna, the revolutionary, and I was in love with Victoria."

"You never told me about it, Diego." Alejandro said, astonished. "When did you meet her again, and why didn't I meet her?

"It was shortly after Cordoba was arrested. You weren't in Los Angeles, because you were giving your testimony in Monterey."

"I think there is a lot you haven't told me, Diego. Maybe we can have real conversations in the future, now that I know? I want to be there for you if you let me be a part of your life."

"I will try, Father." Diego paced up and down again. "Where is Victoria? I need to find out. Will you lend me your horse?"

"Of course, Diego. What are you planning? Do you want to ride to her? I thought you didn't want to be seen?"

"Not far from the crossroad, where Felipe and Victoria are planning to meet, is a small hill that is a good vantage point to overlook the Camino Real. From there, I can watch the crossroad and see Victoria and Felipe without being seen myself. If I can't spot her, I will ride down the road to see if Victoria needs my help."

Z Z Z

It took Diego only a short time to get to the hill he mentioned. From his scouting as Zorro, he knew the area well, and he left Dulcinea at the bottom of the hill, out of sight from the road.

Below him, the Camino Real made a slight bend to the left and then right again behind another hill, before heading straight for Santa Paula. The crossroad was at the bottom of the other hill, marking the border between the Los Angeles territory and the Santa Paula territory.

Diego had made sure that his hacienda wasn't in the Los Angeles territory, so the alcalde wouldn't go there as they had no jurisdiction outside of Los Angeles.

From his vantage point he had a good view of the comings and goings on the road without being seen while he lay flat on the ground.

There were several riders on the road coming from Santa Paula, and there was a cart coming from Los Angeles. As it came closer, he identified it as Victoria's. Finally! She was coming! What had taken her so long? All she needed to do now was to take a right turn to the road that led in his direction.

Eagerly, he waited for her to take the road towards him, but what he saw shocked him. Instead of leaving the Camino Real, Victoria hesitated for a moment at the crossroad, slowing her cart, before she made her horse drive on to Santa Paula.

Did she miss the crossroad? No, she knew the road well from her travels to and from the bank in Santa Paula and the other times she had visited him before during the last two weeks. What was she doing? Had she changed her mind about the wedding and decided to go to Santa Paula for real, leaving him?

Devastated, he watched her cart vanish behind the bend to Santa Paula. Without looking back, he stumbled down the hill to the spot where he had left Dulcinea, mounting her without using the stirrups.

At first, he thought of riding back to the chapel directly, but then he remembered Felipe who was waiting for Victoria. Turning Dulcinea around, he rode to the small grove that was a little way off the crossroad.

"Victoria hasn't come yet, Diego," Felipe signed, when he recognized him.

"I know, and I think you can stop waiting, Felipe," Diego said, angrily. "Victoria won't come!"

"Why? What happened?" Felipe asked, shocked. "What did your father tell you?"

"Father knows nothing. I was looking out for Victoria on the small hill nearby," Diego pointed at the hill a way back, and Felipe nodded, being familiar with the area. "I saw Victoria drive on to Santa Paula. She has changed her mind!"

"How can you know that? You haven't talked to her!" Felipe asked, incredulously.

"I know what I have seen! It's enough. I told her I'd understand if she changed her mind and didn't come. I'll inform Father, and then I'm going home." Diego said, hurt. "Are you coming, too?"

Felipe shook his head. "If you don't want to talk with Victoria, then I will. I don't believe that she won't come."

Felipe mounted his own horse and rode down the road to follow Victoria.

Z Z Z

Not much later, Diego returned to the chapel where his father was waiting.

"Where's Victoria, Diego? What's wrong? Why didn't she come with you? Did you miss her?"

"We can go home now, Father. The wedding is called off," Diego said, brusquely, as he dismounted from Dulcinea.

"Why? What has happened, Diego? Did you meet her? What did Victoria say?"

"No, I haven't talked to her, but I saw her drive by the crossroad where she was supposed to leave the main road. For a moment I thought she might have missed it, but I saw her slow down shortly before the bend, looking down the road leading here, but then she urged her horse to go faster again, heading for Santa Paula. I told her I would understand if she didn't come to the wedding. She doesn't come, so I know that she has changed her mind."

"There must be a reasonable explanation for it. You should talk to her, Diego."

"What kind of explanation could that be?" he shouted, angrily. "That she doesn't love me enough to marry me? I don't need to hear that from her. Her actions speak louder than words!" The hurt in his voice was audible. "It's not the first time she has changed her mind about a wedding. Maybe she panicked when she realized that there will be no turning back. You'll never know what is in a woman's mind."

"I still can't believe that from Victoria. She said nothing in the morning when she drove away from the hacienda," Alejandro was confused, feeling for his son. "What will you do now, Diego? Can I help you?"

"I only want to go home, Father. Don't ask me anything right now." With determined steps that spoke of his anger and hurt, Diego returned to his carriage to drive back to his hacienda. Alejandro thought about following him, but he wasn't sure if Diego would welcome his company, hurt as he was.