Chapter 11

Victoria was in her bedroom. She had inspected her hair and, for the third time this week, she pulled out some grey hairs. Zorro had visited her earlier. Usually, she was thrilled and could hardly sleep after a night like that.

At the moment, she wasn't thinking about Zorro. Another man with blue eyes entered her mind in an uncountable and frustrating way. Diego had once said only willing to marry out of love. So if he had proposed to the snake, he must have genuine feelings for her. Had he given up on ever being with that other woman? The woman whose name she didn't know and never found out whom it might be. In the beginning, Victoria had tried to unravel the mystery. But her close friend had never mentioned his secret love again and did not seem to pay any extra attention to any woman.

Hey, wait a minute, secret love? The weirdest idea popped up in her mind.

From the drawer of her dresser, Victoria took the richly decorated box in which she kept the poems. It had a false bottom, and besides the poems, she kept her greatest secret hidden in the box. The beautiful gold ring Zorro had given her the day he proposed to her. Victoria took out the ring, and slid it around her finger, as she often did when she was alone and wanted to feel him close by. It distracted her from Diego. This time it hardly seemed to help.

A secret love, and the mysterious writer, who wrote anonymous poems for his lover?
It seemed so romantic, but what if the writer was just too shy to express his emotions. Afraid of being rejected because he was not known for doing anything rash quickly?
What if Diego was the poem writer?
But why then did he keep on writing and did not encourage her to include them in her column?
If Don Diego had figured out that he could approach his señorita by writing her poems in secret, why not encourage doña Corazón to publish them in her column?

No, this had to be a dead end. The de la Vega hacienda was a little over two miles from the pueblo, that part of the mystery was correct. Don Diego did not need her to get poems published. Furthermore, most likely, he was going to announce his engagement to the snake. Don Diego never would if he only somewhat believed he had a chance with the woman he secretly admired.

Victoria reread the poems. Some just got better the more you read them.
Some poems sounded strangely familiar if she heard the voice of the man writing it in her, sounding comforting.

After a terrible night of sleeps, Victoria again had that nightmare in which she ended up old and alone, waiting desperately for Zorro while Diego was unhappily married to the snake.
Long before opening, she had already finished all the morning chores and had now just opened and poured herself a cup of coffee. Of course, now she was tired. Why not at four o'clock in the morning when the mere thought of having to spend one more minute in her bed made her jump out. She heard footsteps and looked up to see who was entering. It was don Diego in the company of Felipe. The young don up and about hours before his usual hour raised questions. The men ordered two coffees. The don greeted Sergeant Mendoza, who also happened to walk in. Victoria knew why it was. Mendoza had standing guard this morning and had seen his friend entering the tavern, now walking accidentally in for a friendly chat. Counting on the young don to invite him to join him at the table for a free snack, and that was precisely what happened.

Usually, Diego and Mendoza could always find something to talk about. Today it stayed rather quiet at the favourite table of the don, and because of that, it was also the table of the sergeant preferred most. After Mendoza could no longer come up with an excuse to stay in the tavern longer, Victoria walked over to see or something was the matter. The look on the man face did not make her think of a person happily engaged to the woman he cared over.

"Don Diego, if I have heard correct, congratulations are in order?"
Victoria asked herself how her mouth had been able to form the words and even made her voice sound normal and casually, perhaps only a little bit squeaky?
Diego looked up, and for a rare moment, he allowed her to make eye contact. She hated him doing that, it made her heartbeat rise, and Victoria needed to sit down because her knees were fading from under her.

"Not that I am aware of. Whatever rumours my father tried to spread señorita Annabella, is to leave tomorrow and has no plans over returning to Los Angeles." His voice was grim, or so Victoria thought it sounded to her. She must have been mistaken, for when Diego went on, he sounded normal as ever.
"Victoria, do you have a room available tonight for me to stay?"

"That will be a problem, I am afraid." it was not uncommon for any of the de la Vega men to spend a night in the tavern. It had happened before. Mostly it was for a good reason. "I already have four guests. The only room I have available is the small one in the back." She was usual only rent it out when someone could not afford the better rooms.

"That will be fine. It is only for one night. Thank you, Victoria."

"Diego, is something the matter?"

"No, I just prefer not to stay in the hacienda tonight."

"Did you and your father argued again?" Victoria felt a little sorry for her friend. Don Alejandro had high expectations for his son. Diego simply could not live up to. Every once in a while, the don lost his self-control, accusing Diego of not being a true don and Caballero. This time was the first Diego refused to sleep in the hacienda after such a fight. It must have been a fierce discussion. Victoria was wondering, perhaps, it had something to do with the snake, and don Alejandro long wishing to have a daughter-in-law and more specific grandchildren.

"Si, something like that. I better be off. I have promised the padre I, and Felipe to help him at the school today."

Victoria had to say something to comfort the young don.
"Diego. Your father only wishes the best for you. And, don't you worry. She is out there, somewhere. Señorita Annabella was too much woman for you anyway, I think. And your father will see that too..., someday."|
Victoria saw how Diego and Felipe left the tavern. Why had she said that? And why had Diego, for a short moment, looked so..., sad?
Waving the idea out of her head, Victoria went back to work.

For the rest of the day, Victoria did not see Diego. And when it was closing time, he still wasn't in. She was not the least bit concerned. Most likely, father and son had already made up, and he had simply forgotten to tell her he was to sleep in the hacienda.
Don Alejandro was known for his sudden outbursts of anger. Don Diego was just as famous for being a scatterbrain.

Victoria was busy doing the last dishes when someone was knocking on the front door. A late guest? Victoria took the lamp in one hand and her broom in the other. She placed the broom beside the door when necessary, having something to hit someone on the head.
"Who is there?"

"Victoria? It is me, Diego. May I come in?"
Victoria, holding the door open, so Diego could come in.
"I am sorry, Victoria. I forgot all about time."

See, a scatterbrain. "Have you eaten yet? If you want, I have some cold tamales and apple pie? I thought you and your father had made up, and you forgot to tell me."

Diego was a little startled by this remark and followed Victoria to the kitchen whereby, to the looks of it, she had been working when he knocked on the door.

Without giving him any look or wait for the answer, Victoria filled a plate with food and poured a glass of lemonade. Putting it all on the table and went on doing the dishes.
"Have you seen Zorro? He was in the pueblo earlier this evening. The alcalde also has his accommodations full tonight. From what I heard, Zorro captured the Rodriquez brothers."

Diego had just taken a large bite of his tamales, and after he swallowed, he said. "Then the alcalde must be pleased. Those men are merciless, and didn't they have a bounty on their head?"

"The alcalde pleased with Zorro getting away again?" Victoria chuckled at the idea. "But indeed, they have a bounty on their head. A thousand pesos each. Mendoza was in earlier complaining tomorrow he and some lancers have to bring both brothers to San Juan."

"Ah, and Zorro will be asking the padre or the alcalde will contribute to the poor box. It is a shame Zorro never forgets that part."

"As the alcalde has found out the hard way over the years."

Victoria and Diego talked some more until Victoria was done doing the dishes, and Diego had emptied his plate. Saying he wanted to go and rest. Diego was standing in the door opening of the smallest room the tavern had. It was more a large closest, a bed and one chair just fitting in.
"O, Victoria. I almost forgot. I have received mail again for doña Corazón." Diego took out an envelope from his inside pocket.

Victoria took a good look at Diego and tried to read his body language. Even since the strange idea had popped in her head, Diego could be the mystery writer that thought had been simmering. She had always been proud of her understanding of human nature, but Diego was often a mystery to her.
His face seemed inscrutable.
"Uh, don Diego," It was more difficult than she thought. "There is someone who regularly approaches doña Corazón in writing with a poem. I have already had two of them published, as you know. But, um, I was wondering, um, should I put one more in my column? What do you think, as an editor, I mean?"
So if he just answered positive, the mystery is solved. Victoria was glowing on the inside for having such a good idea.

Don Diego completely relaxed, leaning against the doorpost. "Victoria, it is your column. You have a free hand in the printing process, as long as you stick to the available space, of course. If you would like to have another poem printed, I am at your disposal. Do as you think best."

That helped a lot! Why didn't he simply say yes or no? Now, she still had no idea.

"Bienstar, Victoria."

"Bienstar, Diego."

Diego went into the small room and closed the door. Leaving Victoria frustrated by his answer. She then rushed herself upstairs, tore open the envelope and began to read.

The night is cold and lonely.
Countless stars are in the sky.
I try to count.
Every star holds a wish
I have made...,
for you ever to be mine.

Victoria took a closer look at the handwriting and paper. It wasn't scratch paper. It was the kind that was of high quality and by no means cheap. Victoria held the sheet of paper up to the lamp to see if it might have a watermark in it. Nothing.
The handwriting was elegant and legible. Suddenly something came to mind.
Ten years ago, before Diego left for Spain, he once helped and explained to her how to keep her cash books and supplies more efficiently. She still had those books. Tomorrow she was going to search for it and compare the two handwritings

.

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