Chapter 13

Diego entered the bedroom and paused on the threshold for a moment, taking in what he saw, to never forget it.
Victoria was sleeping on his bed, under snow-white sheets. Her raven black hair spread like a fan across the pillow.

He knew she was naked under the cotton.
Part of the sheet had fallen on the floor, and a piece of bare skin from her shoulder and chest was visible. He took a few steps, placed the tray he was holding on the night stand, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Slowly, Victoria awoke from her sleep. She felt like a kitten that had been napping in the warm sun. She opened her eyes to discover that she was in a strange environment. The room looked vaguely familiar to her. Suddenly she knew where she was, don Diego's bedroom.
She also remembered how she had ended up here.
Diego had carried her to his bedroom before dawn this morning. And after a long conversation followed by a delicious being together, she had fallen asleep exhausted. A crimson blush flew across her face.

"Good morning."
It was Zorro's soft, penetrating voice. No, it was Diego saying it.

"Good morning."

She saw a well-stocked tray on the night stand. Topped with fresh fruit, bread, orange juice and coffee.
There was also a vase with a rose in it that was at the peak of its bloom. Victoria bent down to take in the sweet scent.
"I suspected that Zorro occasionally sneaked into the garden to steal roses." She confessed to Diego.

A grin came to his face. "Zorro is not a thief."

"No," Victoria knew now. "That was one of the many clues you gave me, wasn't it?"

Diego leaned over to press a kiss on her forehead. "Possibly.
Victoria, I've asked for your hand three times before. The first and second times were both by Zorro. Both got done on an impulse that I should never have given into. You deserved more. I gave you hope without letting the real me a chance to win your heart.
The last time was possibly even worse. We got forced into what you thought was a loveless marriage. Purely out of self-interest,I gave in. I had to have you." His gaze found hers, and her breath caught at the sight of so much love. How could she have been so blind?
"Victoria, allow me to do it once more and then as I should have done it the first time."

Diego slid off the bed and sank to his knees beside her. He took her hand and kissed it, and no longer hid his feelings behind an invisible mask.
"Victoria Maria Escalante, I love you. With body, heart and soul, I love you. Without you, I am nothing but an empty shell. With you by my side, I hope to be the man worhty of you. With you by my side, I have everything I dare to dream of.
Will you spend the rest of your life with me? In every way possible, as my best friend, my lover, my conscience, my counsellor, the mother of my children…, my better half?"

Victoria felt tears welling up in her eyes. She had to struggle to tell her answer in a way he could decipher. "Yes, yes, there is nothing I want more."
Diego slipped the ring that had once belonged to his mother. And which Victoria had returned to Zorro weeks before on her finger.

They kissed Victoria, grabbed the robe by the fronts and pulled Diego closer to herself.
Willingly, Diego let himself be pulled onto the bed until he laid next to her.
He pulled her into her arms and returned her passionate kisses. "I love you, querida. Only when the sun no longer rises in the east will I no longer love you." The rough silk of his dressing-gown rubbed against her skin. Her breathing quickened and came in short bursts.

Warm lips slid over her cheeks, lips, shoulders. She was overwhelmed by his touches and kisses. Victoria wanted to tell Diego that she loved him just as much. But how on earth was she supposed to do that?
There was only one way, and that was to get closer to him and say it with a kiss, given from the depths of her soul.
Everything got forgotten except each other.

Later.

"Felipe," Victoria uttered.

"What about Felipe?" It was almost noon, and after having breakfast, Diego laid lazy on his back, holding his wife.

"What must he be thinking?"

"Felipe has gone fishing. I think I have been such short-tempered the last few weeks, he preffered to spend a lot of time elsewhere."

"So no one knows we haven't risen yet?"

"Nope, no one. I sent Maria home this morning, telling her we didn't need her services today."

Victoria felt a bit uneasy. "I am not used to spend the entire morning in the bedroom. The last time was when I was sick. Unlike you."

"You're wrong. Diego pretends to be in bed while Zorro gets out to save the day. This time I am not complaining. We both have some sleep to catch up to."

Victoria laughed in his armpit, it was true. They had slept hardly at all.
"It is too bad you haven't found the bracelet you gave me."

"I'll find it. It must be somewhere on the floor in the cave. I was too upset with you giving up on Zorro so easily. I am thankful I didn't throw away the ring, I was gonna."

She glared at him again. Would she ever get tired of looking in his eyes and see what he felt for her? "You never gave up on me, did you?"

"I tried and couldn't. Not as long as there was the slightest chance. Why did you give up on Zorro so easily? I must confess I expected more resistance."

Victoria thought and bit her lip.
"I don't remember. I know it sounds crazy, but that entire day is blurry. If I do my best, I remember parts of it. It just felt like the right thing to do at that moment. Just yesterday, I remembered don Efrem saying marrying you was my destiny. I remember walking down the aisle and saying I do, but that is about it. It was like it was all happening, and I knew it was happening, but I wasn't a part of it. You know what I mean?"

Diego tried to think of what she meant. It was hard to believe what she was saying. "No, and I guess we will never find out. As we will never find out who was the mystery Zorro the lancers saw."

"You mean you had no hand in it?" Victoria uttered in surprise.

"How? I was on the other side of the ravine with a crippled horse, and you, remember? And you know, frankly, I don't care. Whoever he was, he did me a favour. Whenever I find out, I shall thank him." Diego said it to reassure Victoria. It did nag him in the back of his head.

Thank him, why did those words give her a weird feeling?

Diego saw something was on her mind. "What is it, Victoria?"

"Nothing. I just had the strangest feeling we will. Someday. Thank someone, I mean."

Diego and Victoria enjoyed their time together.|
Diego told Victoria that his father knew nothing about Zorro, and he wanted to keep it that way. The man was too impulsive and protective not to draw attention. Also, that, Felipe was his confidante. And it was thanks to Felipe's guts and perseverance, he had managed to hide his second identity on several occasions.
Victoria promised herself to bake the boy his favourite pie to thank him.

Later, she insisted on going to the cave and trying to find the bracelet. Diego gave in, so he took her into the cave, where she could now roam freely and study the fascinating artefacts and books more closely.
Victoria went over to Toronado and stopped at a distance. Impressed by the size of the stallion and the power he radiated.

"You're not afraid of Toronado, are you? You have ridden him a few times and spent two days near him."

"Never without Zorro or so close by. He is so big. You have to admit, he is impressive."

Diego came to stand beside her and rubbed his fingers over the curious nose. He gently patted the animal's neck.
"Toronado is essentially a sissy. He is intelligent, and I have always felt that he sensed what our mission is. But give him an apple every so often, and he will become like a lamb in no time."

Victoria laughed as Toronado just then shook his head and snorted. As if he had understood what Diego was saying and warned his owner, he disagreed with the words.

Diego had taken an apple from his pocket and broke it into four pieces. "Just try. I guarantee you, give him a piece of apple every day, and there's nothing he won't do for you."

Victoria took two pieces of apple in her outstretched hand, and Toronado took it off immediately.
She turned to Diego and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Does that also apply to you? What must I give you to get what I want?"

Strong arms encircled her waist and lifted her off the ground so that their eyes were level. "Kiss me, Victoria."

Victoria wrapped her legs around his hips. Diego chuckled and walked toward the desk on the other side of the cave.
He heard a sound. Victoria had heard it too, unfolded her legs and sank to the ground. She leaned against Diego for a moment, regaining her balance.

Felipe had walked into the cave and stood on the bottom step, staring confusedly from Victoria to Diego.

"It's all right, Felipe. As you can see, Victoria is aware of the secret. Is there something wrong?" Diego knew this could be the only reason Felipe had come to the cave to try and find him.

Felipe started gesturing, and Diego automatically translated him aloud, as he always did. As soon as the seriousness became apparent to him, Diego began to unbutton his shirt.

"De Soto arrested don Marco on suspicion of being Zorro? What a ridiculous idea. Don Marco is over a foot shorter than Zorro."

Felipe gestured again and then walked to the back of the stable to saddle Toronado.

"Don Marco has purchased a black horse? And de Soto thinks this could be Toronado. That makes some sense, of course. Why else would someone own a black horse?" He added sarcastically. Was that what happened. Had the lancers seen don Marco? It would explain a lot. Including, how Zorro could have been seen near the pueblo. While he was miles away on the other side of a ravine. Then it was just a mystery who made that big donation on the same night that remained. "Let's hurry, suppose De Soto once again gets it into his head, and a man who could impossibly be Zorro gets convicted."

Victoria watched as Felipe saddled Toronado at breakneck speed and Diego turned into Zorro. Just a few minutes later, Zorro was ready to ride out.

Zorro's ride was short, and the fight was even shorter. When Zorro arrived in Los Angeles, he saw his father engaged in a heated argument with De Soto.
Don Alejandro was relieved when Zorro made his entrance. Zorro left it to Toronado to convince the alcalde that he was the only horse in the region that was the masked outlaw's true confidant.
None of the lancers who tried to follow de Soto's orders was skilled enough in using the sword. And when Toronado placed a well-aimed kick to De Soto's butt, he was landing it head first into a manure cart that happened to be there. His father and the bystanders erupted into cheers and applause.

When all the lancers except Mendoza were on the ground, Zorro mentioned to the sergeant. "Mendoza, I think Toronado has proved that don Carlos cannot possibly be me. So since the alcalde's charges will get dropped, I assume you can release the man from his cell."

Mendoza looked from the cheering crowd to his superior, who was trying to scramble up from the manure cart as elegantly as possible.
"Uh, si, I think so."

Zorro got on Toronado and let the horse take a few steps before he changed his mind and held the reins.
"Sorry, boy, we have to go back, I forgot something. Alcalde! To make sure there is no misunderstanding about who I am!" Toronado had walked back and was now near the Soto.

De Soto sensed the idea Zorro had and tried to draw his sword. "You don't have the guts!"

Zorro stretched his leg, and de Soto fell again, this time on his back into the manure. Zorro unsheathed his sword and scratched a neat Z on the alcalde's uniform. "I couldn't sleep tonight if I'd failed you, señor alcalde."
Zorro placed his sword back in its scabbard and saluted the crowd. He mandated Toronado into a brisk trot. While the crowd laughed, he left the pueblo through the gate.

When Zorro returned, he told Victoria what had happened, who could hardly stop laughing. "Oh, I'm so sorry I missed that. It sounds hilarious."

Zorro pulled her to him and began to caress her. "I'm sure you'll get a detailed first-hand account from my father. I saw him in the pueblo. He has returned." His hands glided under her blouse. "Well, where were we?"

An hour later, Diego was reading on a bench in the garden. Victoria lay with her head in his lap, playing with his long fingers.
Victoria had taken off her shoes, and her feet dangled lazily over the other armrest. Every time Diego turned a page, his eyes sought hers.

"Ah, you see. I told you, a few days together would bring the two of you closer." Don Alejandro stood in the garden and clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"Excellent, excellent. I'm going to tell Maria that there are five people for dinner tonight. And that we want to eat early. By the looks of it, neither of you is looking forward to keeping me company tonight."

Victoria felt embarrassed. She stammered, trying to get up and settle herself. "Don Alejandro."

"Buenos días, Diego, Victoria. The auction went better than expected. And, do I have a story to tell you. Trust me, you can't stop laughing when you hear."
Alejandro walked back in, leaving Victoria and Diego in the garden.

"You do remember you gave Maria the day off." Victoria reminded Diego.

"Then we shall eat what we can find. Do you think you can prevent us men from starving?" Diego had laid his book aside and pulled his wife onto his lap,

"What? Make dinner for four, or should I say five men I care for? I'll manage, but it does remind me the number of women in this house is underrepresented."
She placed a kiss on that sensitive spot right behind his ear.

Diego let his fingers glide under her skirt. "There is something to be done about that. But it will take a lot of effort, and I can only give you a fifty per cent success guarantee."

"That is enough for me." Her finger wandered past his ear to the edge of the collar of his shirt.

Diego got up without a problem, holding Vitoria in his arms. With determined strides, he hurried through the garden in the direction of the bedroom, whose doors were open.

Meanwhile, Victoria was occupied unbuttoning his shirt.

Diego uttered. "We still have some time left. We can certainly try to make a start. Given all our sideline activities, we have to spend every spare minute on it if we want to succeed."

Victoria ran her hands over the back of his head. Her fingers curled into the thick black hair. "If you say so I believe you."

Later, Victoria apologized for the poor dinner, and Diego explained he had given Maria the day off since his father wasn't expected to return today.

Alejandro winked. "And that's how it should be with newlyweds.
I'm glad you two grew closer together. Now, let me tell you what happened in the pueblo. I had just had a beverage and was on my way to get back to the hacienda when we heard de Soto arrested don Carlos on suspicion he is Zorro. He has purchased a fine dark brown, almost black stallion. Can you imagine? Carlos, Zorro? The man is even shorter than Victoria. Anyway, naturally, Zorro heard of it and...,"

.

Over the month's, Zorro was seen in the pueblo less frequently than before. He did show up when needed and got seen riding at night.
In the beginning, everyone could tell you how the tavern owner had let the hero down. Zorro did no longer single her out anymore but did treat her with respect.
The tavern owner made sure that word spread on how pleased she was and no longer was interested in the outlaw. And secretly relieved she had married a man that had no secrets.
De Soto didn't think much of the marriage and broken relationship. His behaviour showed some slight improvements. Also, he did enjoy his meals with don Efrem twice or three times a week

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