Chapter 16

Finally, after the alcalde and the lancers left, leaving a mess. Don Alejandro didn't care.
His son was safe and sound in the cave behind the hacienda. He went back inside and stayed with his son. He knew Diego had tremendous medical knowledge, and the cave was probably where his son kept many of his medicines. The don didn't dare try to find one. Consciously, the cave was no longer an escape route for Indians. But more like the cave of wonders. And in addition to things that could help, some things could be dangerous.

Felipe had been looking for Zorro from the moment he realized Victoria was missing. It was dark and late when he returned to the cave in hopes of finding Diego there, and he could tell the woman was missing. Felipe was startled to see Don Alejandro tending the mighty stallion.
The old man muttered to the horse. "I hope I did the right thing by not telling Victoria the secret. I think Diego doesn't want her to know, just like he doesn't want me to know. I hope one day those two find out they belong together, as the day needs the night.
Unintentionally, Felipe made a noise, alarmed Alejandro turned around. "Felipe!"

When he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, he looked up and saw the startled face of the young boy he loved like a son.
"Why am I not surprised? I should have known. And am I right when I say you can hear too?"
The boy just stared at him, his eyes wide.
"I see. I'm right. We have to keep Diego safe. The alcalde came to the hacienda looking for Zorro. I told him that Diego left for Santa Barbara today. That should give him a few days to recover. If anyone asks, Victoria stayed for dinner with me tonight. You were looking for Zorro, I presume?'

Felipe started gesturing. Alejandro had already heard part of Victoria's story and only had to fill in the gaps.

"You told Diego that Señorita Annabella got kidnapped, and he went after her like Zorro. You later found out that Victoria was missing, so you wanted to tell him.
I get it. I told the alcalde you were in the pueblo, as you told me. Has anyone seen you?"

Alejandro silenced so Felipe could respond.
"Some lancers, the blacksmith and people in the tavern. That should be enough." Alejandro felt assured by the number of people that the boy, Felipe, was safe for the time being.

Felipe, gesturing again and pointing at Diego, still in Zorro's outfit.

"He was shot in the back by señorita Annabella. I got the bullet out. We have to wait and pray he doesn't develop a fever." Felipe kept gesturing. The old don answered the questions he would have if he were Felipe. "How did I find out?" The boy nodded.

"Felipe, I've lived in this hacienda almost all my life, and I know my son." Alejandro grimly smiled as he continued. "Well, not as good as I thought I was, I admit. I got suspicious after I dreamed I was Zorro. At first, I thought it was a dream, but I had bruises on my back as if I had fallen from a horse..., or the gallows, I think it was. In my dream, I was in this cave. It took me some time, but I remembered how to get in and voilà. Here I was."

Felipe had to sit down to absorb all the information Alejandro gave him. Years of lying and cheating. Careful planning and tiptoeing around the hacienda. Diego would be just as shocked as he was when he found out that his father knew. Alejandro stared at his son.
Felipe doubted he saw anything. There was something else on his mind.

"Why didn't I tell? I wanted to, and maybe even tried a few times. Until I realized Diego was right. The less I know, the better. And if you and Diego didn't know I knew, he didn't have to try to protect me. Does this make any sense?" His eyes tried to find in his youngest son some sort of approval that he was right. Felipe his mouth was wide open, Alejandro shook his head. "I didn't expect either.
However, it was done and done for the best. I hope Diego is as forgiving as I am when he finds out."

For hours, Alejandro and Felipe talk while Diego sleeps on the cot. Sometimes he wakes up a little, and then one of the men tries to give him some water. Alejandro asked Felipe if he knew where Diego kept the medicine Diego used to help with fever.
Felipe knew what the man meant and prepared the willow bark tea that cured or relieved many diseases.

Together, they took care of Diego as best they could.
Sometimes he would half wake up and ask for Victoria. Alejandro assured him that the woman was safe and that he had nothing to worry about, causing Diego to fall back into a restless sleep. Alejandro sighed and said, "Let him sleep. Other than the tea, I think it is the best medicine we have right now."

Don Alejandro is sitting in the chair behind the desk his grandfather bought just after the hacienda got finished. Alejandro couldn't explain how it had happened. Except that the dream made it all a lot clearer. When he had finally come to believe that his performance as Zorro wasn't a fantasy but reality, he searched the fireplace until he found the Indian escape route he'd long forgotten. And he found Zorro his hideout. At first, Alejandro had tried to convince himself that it was a mere coincidence. The cave was discovered and used by the outlaw. It was not like his son could be the notorious, masked hero. After some time, Alejandro had no choice but to accept that his son was the one who rides at night, fighting criminals and standing up to the oppression of the people.

Hours after midnight, Alejandro fell asleep.
Felipe stayed up all night worried about what the man had told him. Victoria had also been in the cave. Alejandro had prevented her from taking off the mask, or so he had said.
Felipe tried to remember more information about what Diego had told him about taking care of gunshot wounds. For now, everything seems to be going well.

When Alejandro woke up again, Felipe was grooming Toronado. Not because it was necessary, but because he wanted something to do while worrying about what might happen in the coming days.
"How is Diego?" was the first thing Alejandro asked.

Felipe told him Diego was doing well.

"I promised Victoria I'd send you to the pueblo when it was safe. So she could come and see Zorro."

The look the boy gave him made all the signs superfluous. Alejandro, defending himself.

"How else was I to get her out of here? Do you think she would have left otherwise? That woman is stubborn. I could not leave her alone in the cave, risking exposing Zorro when the alcalde was about to come and search the hacienda. What would you have done?"

Felipe raised his arms and shoulders and gestured that he had no idea how he could have solved the matter better.

"Felipe, please go to the pueblo and get Victoria. Just go to the tavern, have a drink and make sure she sees you. Then she knows she can come. Make sure no one follows you. I don't trust De Soto. He'll have the hacienda and Victoria monitored. If not, he's even a bigger fool than I always thought.
I'm going to change, saddle a horse and go to the cave on the other side."

Felipe couldn't understand why the don wanted to go to so much trouble.

Alejandro thought how much easier it was to communicate with the boy, knowing he wasn't deaf. And Felipe didn't have to be careful about what he was trying to say.
"Why? Victoria is unaware that there is another exit that ends in the hacienda. And I can't know either. We better not have her find out, or she will realize that her hero is her best friend."

Felipe signed something, Alejandro understood immediately.

"Yes, I hope Diego and Victoria get married someday. I also think it's up to Diego to tell who he is and not us. We'd better have her in the cave when I'm around. Knowing Victoria, she'll come this way anyway. So if we want to keep it a secret, we have to make sure she's here when we know about it."

.

"Señorita Escalante must remain in prison. She helped a dangerous outlaw."

"That is absurd, a scandal!" Alejandro slammed his fist on the desk of the alcalde.
Felipe had gone to the pueblo and heard that the tavern owner was arrested, for accomplishing with Zorro. Alejandro had driven into the pueblo to demand that the woman be released, and so he confronted the alcalde.

De Soto revelled in the power he had over the most important don in the pueblo, and had an annoying habit of contesting all of his decisions. "De la Vega, I don't need to tell you that her mother died in front of a firing squad for hiding rebels. Like Mother, like daughter.
She must remain behind bars for further questioning." Smiling patiently, as he saw smoke almost billowing from don Alejandro ears.

"Hiding rebels? Señora Escalante helped a wounded man in need and had no idea he was a rebel! And even if he was, it was wrong to sentence her to death!"

"One more word, de la Vega, and you may join the wench in jail!"

Alejandro counted to ten, swallowing his pride. "I want to talk to her."

"I can't allow it. My witness told me that Zorro got injured in the shed on your property close to your hacienda. He managed to escape with the help of the señorita. I haven't found the evidence. I, however, have no doubt you helped and hid the man. I can't arrest you, but I can keep you from talking to a fellow traitor."

"And what evidence do you have to hold Victoria? Nothing!" Alejandro, again, slamming his hand on the desk.

De Soto bends over his desk, glowing on the inside. "I told you. I have a witness."

"And who could that be? Because he lies! I told you Victoria was in my hacienda all afternoon and evening. You can ask Felipe and any of my staff."

De Soto smiled maliciously. "Really? And are you prepared to swear that in court?"

Alejandro straightened his jacket and looked as proud as possible. "Si, I do. A de la Vega never lies."

De Soto stared at the don, squeezing his eyes. "I hope you believe that yourself. My witness is Señorita Annabella Palez. Señorita Escalante must remain in prison for questioning, and that is final!"

Alejandro and Felipe drove back to the hacienda. Using Diego's telescope, the people in the hacienda watched as two lancers watched the hacienda.
Alejandro, staring out the window. "De Soto will think we can lead him to Zorro. He'll never know we don't even have to leave the hacienda to help Zorro."

Felipe had checked Diego, who had not developed a fever. And he had been awake for a short while, now asleep again.

"I think those lancers need some exercise. I ask Manuel to saddle Dulcinea and go for a ride to the beach. She runs out those army horses with ease. There are a lot of caves there.
That will keep them busy for a while. You watch Diego. When I get back, we'll have to figure out a way to get Victoria out of jail."

Felipe made a sign.

"How? I don't know yet. Don't worry, I'll come up with something. Just don't tell Diego."

Victoria was lying on the bed in the prison cell. Mendoza had brought her some food from the tavern. The basket almost empty and did not have any of the sergeant's favourites. She had little to do but wait for the alcalde's plan. Zorro wouldn't come to free her. She hoped Zorro was still alive, and that don Alejandro was taking care of him.
Zorro was less on her mind than she tried to convince herself. It was hard to figure out she was, Diego's, secret love. What to do? She loved Zorro. She cared for Diego.
No, that was not entirely true.

She adored Zorro, and the jealousy she had felt the last few days proved that Diego for her meant than just a friend. How hard she tried to tell herself that it was a friendship between the don and her, it didn't help.
Even if she couldn't be honest with others, she had to be honest with herself.
Zorro, she adored and admired. Diego held the piece of her heart she had hidden and ignored for years.

A few days after he came back from Spain, she found that he had changed so much. In a conversation, Don Alejandro had doubted whether it was his son who had returned from abroad and not an happened when she and don Alejandro got arrested by Alcalde Ramón.
In prison, the old don had been sure Diego would stand up. Using his knowledge of law would set them free. His son was a de la Vega and would help organize the Caballeros. And put an end to the tyranny called Luis Ramón.
That hadn't happened. Diego had returned to the hacienda, unpacked his luggage, and waited patiently for what would happen. Zorro had shown up to get her and don Alejandro out of prison.

In the weeks and months that followed, Zorro had appeared a few more times. Fighting, the alcalde, the oppression and defence of the pueblo.
And Diego? He'd stayed at the hacienda, read books, did some painting, and expressed his hopes it would end.

Zorro had started helping the lancers by catching dangerous criminals.
Diego? He had complained of not having easy access to knowledge, had fallen off horses, got lost on his way from the hacienda to the pueblo, and slept in late.

Zorro tried to drop some of the heaviest taxes by teaching the alcalde some life lessons.
Diego? He had tried to explain why taxes had to pay. It had to have a strong military defence and trained lancers. Ha, all the lancers in the pueblo could be defeated by Zorro while he had two hands behind his back.

Slowly, Victoria had forgotten her feelings for Diego and gave way to admiration for Zorro. And when he began to pay attention to her, give her winks and compliments, it changed from admiration to romantic feelings. Zorro had all the character traits she had seen in Diego as a little girl. Sometimes she could see the fire in his eyes. Like that time at the emissary in Santa Paula, and that same evening again in a windmill. Diego had set her on fire by looking at her.

She thought again about the poems and this time heard Diego's voice and began to cry.
At first, Victoria tried to convince herself that it was because of all the things that happened today and her worries about Zorro.
Later, she was finally able to admit that part of the crying was her worrying. But mainly out of frustration for Diego, who expressed his love for her as the mystery writer. Her life could be completely different had she not fall for Zorro. Most likely, she would be married and have children. Victoria cried even harder. How can she be in love with two men? While they were both different as day and night.

Victoria had to choose who she wanted to share her life with. The man she adored and had a slim chance of ever calling hers. Or the man she loved and cared for. He was her best friend for as long as she remembered and could make most of her dreams come true.

For the first time in years, Victoria daydreamed about what her life might be like if she and Diego got married.

.

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