Chapter 16. Now that I know it.

Don Alejandro was going through some accounts in the library, when Diego came over with a letter in his hand. "I consulted an attorney about the mission's problem with Don Luis' inheritance. I must go and inform Padre Benitez, and I will eat with Victoria at the tavern."

Padre Benitez was attending to some parishioners, so Diego waited a moment sitting on a bench in the garden. The priest approached him smiling.

"Padre, I have good news. The lawyer I consulted confirmed to me that without compulsory heirs, don Luis' nephews cannot contest the will, and that his assets will go to the mission as stipulated in his last will and testament.

"I'm so glad, son. That money will do a lot of good."

"I know it will be in good hands," said Diego, holding out his hand to the Padre as a farewell.

"I wanted to talk to you about a personal matter. I noticed that you would have preferred a closer date for your wedding, but it's better this way. I know you are sure, but I think Victoria needs some time to think seriously about her feelings. Besides, I don't know if you are aware of the rumors that are circulating about her. I'm concerned."

"I heard something, but I don't believe what they're saying," Diego replied cautiously.

"I don't believe what they say either, but Victoria is a passionate woman. Are you sure you can be happy together? Your character is so different that in time you could grew apart."

"On the contrary, I sincerely believe that in time she will love me as much as I love her."

"I wish with all my heart that you are right," said Padre Benitez. He recalled some of Diego's confessions, in which he recognized how much he wanted the woman he was in love with and thought that perhaps there was more passion in that man than he seemed, but he was still not completely convinced about her.

zzZzz

The next Saturday Victoria went with the cart to doña Carmen's house. Doña Carmen was wearing a more elegant dress than usual, although she remained discreet. Victoria saw that she was nervous. "Do you think it's too daring?" asked Doña Carmen anxiously pointing to the dress.

"Certainly not, it's very appropriate for a widow."

"Who else is going to come to the dinner?"

"There will be the hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Vargas and us. It's just a little gathering."

"The Vargas are that old couple who greeted Don Alejandro the other day after Mass?"

"The same. They are old family friends, and they always sign up to hear Diego play the piano or violin. They're very fond of music. They're very nice."

"What if they heard the rumors about me?"

"Well, it will be the same as if they heard what they say about Diego and me, that they won't have believed it. I really don't think you have anything to worry about."

They arrived at the hacienda and one of Don Alejandro's men took care of Victoria's cart. Don Alejandro and Diego went out to meet them. Diego offered his arm to Victoria and don Alejandro to doña Carmen.

They went into the room and don Alejandro introduced doña Carmen to the Vargas. Both treated her with courtesy, as if they knew nothing of any rumors.

After dinner Diego sat down at the piano and played two very difficult pieces. Doña Carmen listened attentively, appreciating the nuances of his interpretation. Then Don Alejandro replaced him by playing a simpler piece. "I'm afraid my ability cannot compare with that of my son."

"I think you played beautifully, Don Alejandro. I didn't know you were a performer, too." doña Carmen said.

"A simple amateur. You seem to appreciate music. Can you play too?"

"Yes, a little, but compared to your son I don't intend..."

"Come here, maybe you know some of these pieces. I'd love to hear it."

Doña Carmen approached the piano and saw that among the scores they had, was that of her favorite piece. She could not resist. It had been so long since she had played the piano...

He sat down and put her hands on the keyboard. At first she noticed her fingers were somewhat stiff, but within a minute she was playing the Moonlight Sonata, concentrating on sound and rhythm. When she finished the others applauded sincerely. "I think I have some competition," Diego said cheerfully.

"Not a chance, Don Diego," she replied.

"Come on, don't be modest," replied Don Alejandro, smiling.

As they returned, Victoria noticed that doña Carmen was very quiet. "Aren't you going to make some sharp remarks about the evening?"

"It's been a lovely evening. Everyone's been nice to me."

"It seems to surprise you."

"They know what I am."

"Yes, they know you're an educated and charming woman."

"That's not what I mean."

"Yes, they know what you did too. How many times do I have to tell you they don't care?" But doña Carmen was still not convinced.

zzZzz

The days passed very slowly. Although it had only been four weeks for Victoria, it had seemed like an eternity. She headed to the hacienda in the middle of the afternoon. She had left the cook and Pilar in charge of dinner. She was about to start a new life with Diego and wanted to distance herself from her work at the tavern.

There were dark clouds on the horizon, and increasing gusts of wind brought the smell of wet soil, but the hacienda was close by and there was no danger of the storm catching her on the way.

Felipe received her and they managed to communicate by sign. Victoria was learning to understand his gestures and they practiced whenever they could. Don Alejandro had gone out, and Diego was not there either. Felipe wrote a Z in the air and she understood immediately.

Soon a terrible storm broke out. The wind was howling and the rain was pounding the ground. Victoria began to feel worried and decided to go down to Zorro's cave to wait for him.

zzZzz

The air pulled at his cape and threatened to take his hat. Tornado snorted, uneasy at the smell of the storm in the air. Zorro slapped his neck to calm him.

"You're right, viejo amigo, we'd better get home as soon as possible."

He headed west, and after a few minutes it started to rain. In a few moments it became an intense rain, which rumbled on the ground and made it difficult to see. He spurred his horse on, knowing that the stream would start to grow quickly and that if he did not reach the ford in a short time he would have to make a detour in order to get a less dangerous place to cross.

As he approached, he heard screams and the whinnying of a terrified horse. As he took the bend in the road he finally saw them. A wagon was stuck in the middle of the ford, while a man, dipped in the river up to his waist, tried to pull the reins while the horse kept moving his head sharply. Zorro saw the water coming down harder and harder and realized that there were people in the wagon.

"Come down from there, the river is rising!"

A man, a woman and a girl turned to him, startled by the sight of a masked man shouting at them. Diego didn't recognize them, but there was no time to think about anything else. He approached Tornado and extended his hand to the woman, who stood up abruptly when she realized that the wagon was starting to float and be dragged through the water.

"Take my hand," he shouted, not understanding why she did not use her hands to hold on, until she saw the baby in her arms.

"Maldita sea!" he mumbled, and guiding Tornado with his legs, made him stand by the side of the wagon and grabbed the woman by the waist, sitting her sideways on the saddle. The water made it difficult to hold her, so he decided to take off one of his gloves to prevent her from slipping. He managed to get to the shore and leave her safe, then turned around and saw the wagon moving downstream, crashing into the rocks and pushing the horse as it went. The girl was standing in the wagon, pulling her skirt, which had been caught in one of the woods, with her eyes full of fear.

Tornado turned on himself and went back into the river, which now almost reached his neck. The man had stopped fighting with the horse and climbed into the wagon, crawling towards the girl, whom he freed by tearing her skirt in one go. Diego held out his hand to them, but then the wagon abruptly detached itself from the rock that was blocking its way and tipped over. The man and the girl fell into the water.

Diego released a roll of rope he was wearing in his harness and threw it to the man, who managed to catch him. Tornado lost his footing and had to start swimming to the shore. The river rose sharply again, and a branch floating in the current impacted Zorro, causing him to fall from his horse.

The current dragged him to a much deeper part of the river. He struggled under the water, and trying to keep cool, he took off the cape that pulled him to the bottom. A whirlpool caught him, and he felt a strong impact that emptied his lungs. Dazed, he realized that he did not know which way was up.

He tried to keep his eyes open and look around. He could barely see a gray, diffuse clarity in front of him. He felt his heartbeat rumble in his ears, time seemed to stand still as he tried to move his arms in a liquid that seemed thick as molasses. He felt the river bottom under his feet. As the cold seemed to engulf him, a black form began to take shape, a horse's head surrounded by mane that waved gently under the water. He saw two eyes glowing like embers, and Tornado pushed him to the surface.

zzZzz

Victoria was waiting at the cave. She entertained herself by reading a book by candlelight. The noise of the storm was coming from the door of the hill. She thought it would be night, although she could not be sure down there. She thought of going up to check, when the back door opened and Diego rode in on Tornado. They were both soaking wet. She realized that his hat, cape and one glove were missing.

"Victoria. How lucky that you're here! Please take a blanket, pass me another one and help me dry Tornado or he'll get sick."

Victoria did as he asked, although he too seemed chilled. His lips were almost blue. He climbed down from his horse with difficulty, without moving his left arm, and groaned as he put his right leg on the ground.

As soon as they had finished tending to the horse he leaned against the wall, his breath shaking and shivering.

She picked up another blanket from a bed in the corner of the cave. "Take off those soaked clothes immediately or you'll catch pneumonia," she said with concern.

He nodded and for the first time Victoria took off his mask. She felt a little strange doing it. Then she helped him take off his shirt, which was torn, and immediately threw the blanket over his shoulders. She helped him to the chair, where she made him sit down to take off his boots and socks.

He was shivering non-stop and she went to take off his pants. "I'll do it." he said somewhat confusedly.

"As you wish, but hurry up. You have to dry yourself as soon as possible."

He looked a little embarrassed as he took off the rest of his clothes trying to cover himself with the blanket. She thought it a bit silly for him to worry about something like that, but turned to Tornado so as not to make him more uncomfortable.

He finished wrapping himself up, and she came over to rub him vigorously with the blanket trying to warm him up. She helped him sit up in bed. "I'll go up and fix you something hot," she said and ran upstairs.

She met Felipe in the kitchen. "Diego's cold, he needs hot tea. Can you take him down to the cave?" He nodded and started taking what he needed while she went back to Diego's side.

He was sitting on the bed, face down in his hands, sobbing and shaking.

"Diego!" she exclaimed and ran to his side. "What's the matter with you?"

I could barely hear his voice. "I couldn't hold them."

"Who are you talking about?"

"The current dragged the cart, and I saved the mother and baby. The child was trapped in the cart, her father tried to get her to safety, but he couldn't and I... didn't get there in time. I couldn't reach them."

"I'm sorry," she said tenderly.

"They were swept away by the river."

She hugged him without saying anything else. After a while she parted from him and looked into his eyes. "I'm sure there was nothing more you could have done."

"It wasn't enough," he said in a tormented voice.

She hugged him again, overwhelmed by the realization of the danger he had run. "You're exhausted. You need to rest."

Diego seemed to calm down a bit. She began to feel the heat that was coming off even through the blanket. "Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"A little." he said. Looking at her he seemed a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I've put you in a difficult situation."

Felipe arrived with a steaming pot and some cups. Victoria got up to bring a small table. As she returned to him, she noticed the bruises and scratches on his arms and back. His left shoulder was cut pretty deep and bruised. Felipe also saw it and went to a shelf, where he took material to clean and bandage the wound. He offered the bandages to Victoria.

"Let's get that shoulder wound dressed. What happened?"

"Something hit me and threw me against the rocks, I think a log that was carried away by the current, but I couldn't see it well," he said in a tired voice. "The next thing I remember, Tornado was pushing me out of the river."

When she saw Felipe treating Diego, Victoria assumed that it was not the first time he had been injured, and with discouragement she realized that it would not be the last. I'll have to learn how to dress wounds, she said to herself.

Felipe indicated that he would go and fetch Don Alejandro from the neighboring hacienda. Victoria stayed by his side and bandaged him according to his instructions, while Diego drank small sips of tea. When he finished, she sat down next to him.

"I cannot leave you now. I will stay until they arrive."

"Thank you," he replied. "I don't want to be alone. I can't stop thinking about them."

"Diego. Look at me. I'm with you. Everything will be fine." When he turned to look at her, she kissed him, slowly, as she caressed his neck. At first he only responded gently, but then he embraced her, as she intertwined her fingers in his hair and the kiss became more intense.

As he moved his left arm to embrace her the pain made him wince and they parted.

"I'm sorry, Victoria. I didn't mean to..."

"It's all right, don't worry."

"Can you bring me my clothes? We'll wait for my father and Felipe in the living room."

She helped him put his shirt on, because he couldn't move his left arm back, but she stepped aside to let him put his pants on himself. When he went to get up again he felt pain in his hip, he had also hit it.

He leaned on it to climb the stairs and they sat down in the room.

"Diego, you should go to bed. You need to rest."

"I'll wait for my father to arrive. I'd rather he accompany you back to Los Angeles."

"I'll be fine, I've done that road many times myself."

"Please wait until they get here and go with you. It's late, and I couldn't bear for anything to happen to you."

"As you wish, we'll ask him to join me."

Diego was dozing on the couch when don Alejandro arrived with Felipe. He looked at him with a worried expression. "Are you hurt?"

"One blow to the shoulder and one to the hip, but I'll be fine."

"You should go to bed immediately."

"I will, but please escort Victoria back. I don't want her to go alone."

"Felipe, help me get him to his room. I'll accompany Victoria, don't worry, but you have to rest."

He had trouble sitting up in bed. They helped him to change his clothes, and when Don Alejandro touched his forehead, he realized he had a fever.

Don Alejandro and Victoria rode back to Los Angeles.

"Do you know what happened?" Don Alejandro asked.

"The river rose with the storm and swept away a cart trying to cross, in which a family was traveling. The mother and baby were able to get to safety, but the father and daughter were trapped in the current, and although he tried to reach them he could not. He thinks he was hit by a log. If not for Tornado..."

They continued to ride in silence. "You know Victoria? I'm glad to know what he does, but I lived more quietly when I thought he was only interested in his music and studies. I suppose you were aware of the danger Zorro was in."

"Not really, because it seemed like nothing could happen to him. Now that I see him as a man of flesh and blood, I realize the danger he's in."

They arrived in Los Angeles. Most of the houses had their lights off.

"I'm going to go over to the doctor's house, see if he's still awake and can go see him in the morning."

"What are you going to tell him?"

"That the wind broke a tree over him, making him fall off his horse. I think that will explain his condition."

Victoria nodded and they said goodbye.