Chapter 12
By the time Victoria heard the knocking, she lighted a candle and hurried down the stairs. Diego was standing in his trousers and shirt barefoot next to the door, holding the broom in his hand.
Diego was not much of a fighter. He had proved he knew how to use a broom to defend himself against an angry bull. He looked at her. "Are you expecting someone?"
She shook her head. "Who is there?'" Victoria asked for the second time that night.
"Alejandro de la Vega. Victoria, will you please open the door."
When she finally opened the door, indeed, it was don Alejandro standing in the door opening, looking dishevelled.
"Father, what are you doing here?" Diego asked as soon as the door had opened.
"I need to spend the night in the tavern." Apologizing to Victoria, he looked at his son. "You were right, Diego. The señorita is a little too eager to get married."
Victoria, listening to this confession with her mouth wide open.
Diego explained. "Señorita Annabella maintains an unconventional method of gaining herself a husband. She tried to visit me in my bedroom last night, and apparently, this time my father almost fell victim."
The old don blushed slightly, feeling ashamed of what happened to him. "She did. She came to my room while I was asleep and tried to get into my b..." His anger was rising by the thought of what the woman had tried to do. Alejandro, remembering himself just in time. There was a señorita present. "I need to stay somewhere people will know I have not been alone with her."
"Where is Felipe?" Diego asked concerned, the boy was young but not too young to fall into a woman's trap or get married if left no choice.
"Felipe asked me, or he could sleep in the stable. I doubt the señorita will go search for him in there. The woman is a minx and dangerous to all men, I am telling you."
Diego was sure Felipe was smart enough not to sleep in the stables after what he had told him and was sleeping on the cot in the cave. Something Felipe could not tell the old don.
Victoria was closing the door again. "Don Alejandro, naturally, you are most welcome to stay. I only have no rooms left. Diego was already sleeping in the small room in the back."
Diego waved away her problem of not having enough sleeping places. "I think that is easy to solve. Victoria, if you have some spare blankets, my father can sleep in the small room, and I will sleep in the main room. With your permission, of course."
"You want to sleep on the floor?" Victoria knew as any other how much the wealthy young don prefered comfort.
Diego simply answered, "I have slept worse."
Victoria assumed Diego was talking about that time. She and Diego had had no other choice than to spend the night in an abandoned windmill on the road to Santa Paula. It had been a cold night, and the floor made of soil. All they had to find some comfort that night were two thin blankets. She had tried to forget the night, never succeeding. "You do know I will be up and about before sunrise, and I can not have you asleep on the floor..., I mean...,"
It was she thought of the de la Vega men as her family. It was very awkward what she and the men were discussing at the moment.
Alejandro, seeing the problem, Victoria, had to come downstairs tomorrow and find his son asleep on the floor. It was highly improper.
"It is alright, Victoria. I am always up and about early. I will wake Diego in time, so you can get to work and do as you always do on time."
"Thank you, don Alejandro."
Diego muttering. "I am perfectly able to get up on my own in time."
His father was responding in sarcasm. "Everyone present here will be more than happy to verify what you just said. But in my opinion it is preferable if I nevertheless check it first thing tomorrow morning, to be on the safe side. We don't want anyone finding you and Victoria in a compromised situation, do we?" Alejandro, ending in a joke only he had to laugh over.
A deafening silence followed.
Diego tried to read off Victoria's face for how she was responding to his father's poor sense of humour. To his astonishment, it seemed that Victoria was as confused about herself as he was. She blushed and stared at the floor uneasily.
About half an hour later, Victoria wished both men goodnight and went back to her bedroom. And as promised, when she went downstairs a couple of hours later, both father and son were up, and Diego had even folded all the blankets he had slept on.
Victoria restarted the fire in the kitchen and made some coffee. Both father and son, having a cup then leaving for the hacienda to make sure señorita Annabella would not miss the stage due to arrive later in the morning.
The men, leaving early, gave Victoria the opportunity to walk to the closet next to her room, where she kept her records. It took some searching, but eventually, she found the brown book she needed.
Victoria placed the book in her bedroom. She would take a look later that day. First, she needed to prepare breakfast for her other guests, and then the morning rush would start. And because the stage was to arrive in the pueblo, it was to be a busy morning.
Two hours before the stage was expected, the de la Vega carriage entered the pueblo. Señorita Annabella looked very displeased, and instead of a beautiful angel, Victoria now thought the woman shared more similarity with an evil witch out of a storybook. Victoria couldn't help but feel some vindication.
The woman did not drink or eat a thing and sat on a chair looking grumpy. It did cheer Victoria, her mood to a level better than she felt in days.
Both don Diego and don Alejandro did not leave Annabella or each other out of sight.
The stage arrived, and the mood in the tavern improved immediately when the woman was on it and waved goodbye by the two dons.
It was siesta time, and for some reason, Victoria felt like dancing and was singing. Cheerfully she had cleaned the tables and was now wiping the floor.
She did not hear one of the guests that had remained in his room all morning coming down the stairs. And when she did, it was too late. Before she knew it, Victoria had a gag in her mouth, and the man was tying her arms behind her back.
"You do as I say and make it as easy as possible for your own good."
By instinct, Victoria tried to struggle herself free. She tried to make a sound and kick the man.
Victoria failed in all. The man dragged her to her stable, where two horses were waiting. The man must have checked the pueblo, what the best way was to get out, on the quietest moment of the day.
Victoria didn't see anyone.
She and the man left the pueblo on the West side of the pueblo. No one saw that she got kidnapped.
Diego sat down in the library. He had just returned from being Zorro and making sure the Ramirez brothers were safely on their way to San Juan, guarded by six lancers and sergeant Mendoza. His father had gone to take some rest. He was not used to sleeping on a not so comfortable bed. Felipe had gone to the pueblo. Now that nearly a quarter of the soldiers were on their way to San Juan, Diego had asked Felipe to keep an eye on the pueblo.
Zorro returned from a long ride, and Diego looked forward to spending an afternoon for himself and doing some reading. He was not expecting any problems. The alcalde might be dumb, but was not stupid. And try to and lure Zorro into the pueblo on a day like this. As Diego had assumed, Felipe had spent the night in the cave.
He felt responsible for what happened. The woman had come to Los Angeles on his invitation. Diego enjoyed something to drink and opened his book about material warfare he had received over a month ago, still had no time to read.
Victoria was in an uncomfortable position on the back of a horse. She did not dare to move, frightened she might fall off. It was Francisco who had taken her so rudely out of the tavern. Why? Why had the man done that?
As soon as the pueblo was out of sight, the man changed the direction from west to south.
They passed the de la Vega hacienda by little over 400 yards. For some minutes, Victoria hoped one of the servants or her friend would see her passing by. Nothing in the hacienda was moving.
Not long after, Francisco stopped the horse by an old barn. He lifted her off the horse, throwing Victoria into the dirt on a filthy floor.
Before she could blink an eye, he kneeled beside her, pushing a knife against her throat. "Now, you listen to me. We can do this two ways. My way or the hard way. Whichever you prefer, and let me warn you, the hard way will be more painful for you than for me, understood!"
Terrified, Victoria nodded. The man laughed and slapped his hand against her cheek. "Now that is a good girl. All we have to do is wait for Zorro to arrive. And you be free to go, I promise."
Francisco got a rope out of his jacket and tied her feet together. "Just to make sure you don't try to do anything foolish and make me hurt you."
Francisco got up and walked outside to arrive back in less than a minute later in the company of…, señorita Annabella Palez!
The snake was smiling, kissed Francisco firmly on his mouth. "You did it, my love. You taken the tavern wench. Zorro will come for sure. I am telling you, all we need is the right decoy, and you can kill Zorro. We will be rich, and you can marry me."
"It was a good idea of you, indeed. You go and stand guard. Warn me if you see that fox approaching. He is sneaky and clever. We can not fail now, so we need to be prepared."
Annabella took the gun from one of the holsters around Francisco's waist. "Trust me, Zorro has dignity and honour. A man he will fight, a woman will be his downfall."
Francisco grinned, licked his lips and winked at Victoria. "Or in this case, two women will bring him down."
Annabella giggled when Francisco playfully patted her buttocks. "If we weren't expecting company, I take right here right now."
Annabella hugged Francisco. "All in good time, my love. We have our honeymoon ahead of us in no time."
Francisco growled, got out of her arms, looked out of the door. "Bella, you go and hide. Make sure you aim as we practised before you shoot."
.
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