Don Alejandro made sure to spend as much time as he possibly could at the tavern when Doña Maria was there, always offering to accompany her to Ignacio's hacienda in the evening, which gave them the chance to spend some time together, getting to know each other better, and to discover how much they truly had in common.
Not only was Doña Maria a beautiful, kind woman but, as Don Alejandro soon found out, she was also a very well-educated one, a true admirer of Cervantes' work, and quite knowledgeable when it came to music, art, and even farming. The one thing he didn't much appreciate was being defeated in chess, but he had become used to it since Felipe had grown up, and could hardly help himself but admire her strategies.
Time passed rapidly, too fast in the old don's view, especially if said time was spent in Doña Maria's company.
They did not kiss again after that evening in the hacienda's garden but, soon, the older don grew convinced he wanted more than a companion in Doña Maria. He wanted nothing better than for her to become his wife.
That was why, in late April of 1822, leaving Mendoza in charge of the garrison, he took one of his vaqueros with him and headed for San Diego. Several days later, he returned with a beautiful diamond ring to give her, as he felt it was wrong to give his future wife the jewelry of his first, especially since Elena had left her jewels for Diego to give the woman he'd marry.
It was the last day of the month when Don Alejandro finally decided, after days of hesitation, that the time had come to offer Doña Maria the ring he had bought for her. Wondering how to go about it, he resolved to try to persuade her to accept his proposal, especially since he wasn't very sure she'd simply agree to it on the spot. Since that required a private place to do it, though, he decided to first invite Doña Maria for a walk, so that he'd have the perfect opportunity to make his case.
The white-haired woman happily agreed to a walk through the nearby orchard, so, her arm linked with his, they headed that way.
"There was something I wanted to discuss with you." Don Alejandro said after a few minutes of silence.
"You know you can tell me whatever is on your mind…" She replied with an assuring smile.
"Maria…" he said, suddenly stopping and turning to face her, "I thought about it… I thought about it a lot… And I think… No… I know, that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
"Now… you might say that we are not young anymore, and that we also have families to consider in taking certain decisions. But I will argue that time is becoming scarce at our age, and we should not waste it. Instead, we should make the most of it. We should live in the present, enjoying every moment and the ones we love. And I, Maria… I love you.
"I know that to be so because just seeing your face fills me with joy. Because the sun shines brighter whenever you are near me, and the world seems far more beautiful now than when you weren't yet in my life. Because I have been blessed to love before, and I can recognize love now" he continued, lowering to one knee, and pulling out the wedding ring to offer it to her. "So… For all these reasons and many more which a poet would be far more suited to put into words than I am, I would be honored and blessed if you'd accept becoming my wife."
The Doña stared at him open-mouthed for a few long minutes without saying a word. "You want me to marry you?" She uttered, unsure she had heard right.
"Yes. More than anything, well… Perhaps anything except grandchildren and a good-hearted daughter-in-law…"
The older woman chuckled. "How about our sons? Do you think they could learn to live with the idea of us married? With the idea of being stepbrothers?"
"Diego and Ignacio are both grownups, each living his own life. Ignacio has already started his own family, and Diego… Well… So far, he's been avoiding marriage for some reason. Perhaps, though, if he'd get the chance to see how happy we would surely make each other, he might also be tempted to finally find a woman to marry…"
"Victoria would be perfect for him…"
"Oh, believe me! Nothing would make me happier than to know those two married. But she's already engaged…"
"To Zorro?"
"He's a good man, Maria, despite what Ignacio might have told you about him."
"I know. I know he's a good, brave man... He saved my son's hacienda the very night of my arrival, despite Ignacio's own actions against him. And Jessie recounted for me how he risked his life to save him and many others. But I still believe that Victoria should marry your son. They would make each other very happy."
"Indeed… It's not up to us, though. Victoria should decide for herself. But I believe we are getting off topic… This is not about them. It is about us. We, too, have the right to happiness, do we not?"
She didn't reply right away. "We do, Alejandro." The older woman eventually said.
"So? Will you marry me?"
"I… Yes, I will… I will, Alejandro!" She answered happily.
ZZZ
Diego, Felipe, and Jessie headed for the tavern after finishing their morning work at the medical office. They had just sat at a table near the entrance and ordered lunch, when De Soto also came in and joined them.
"Is my mother here?" He asked after kissing his wife, barely greeting the caballeros.
"She was here in the morning, but left an hour ago." Victoria replied instead of Jessie, having overheard the question when coming to take his order.
"A plate of arroz con pollo, por favor, Señorita." He ordered. "Did my mother say where she was going?"
"No, she just said she'd be gone for about an hour or so." The taverness answered him. "Oh… Here she is!" She proceeded to inform him as she smiled at Doña Maria who entered the tavern, her right arm linked with Don Alejandro's.
"Diego, Ignacio, how good that you are both here! We have an announcement to make!" The older caballero said instead of a greeting as they neared the table, a broad smile on his face.
Diego noticed it was the first time his father had ever called De Soto by his given name. He also noticed the way Don Alejandro was holding Ignacio's mother's arm and the ring on her finger.
Just like Jessie, he had difficulties in understanding how such a gentle woman could be De Soto's mother. He had grown to like Doña Maria a lot, since she was treating him with what could only be described as affection, and she was always kind and generous with everybody. But the excited expression on the two parents' faces and the diamond ring on the woman's finger meant something he had never imagined, so he held his breath, bracing himself for what was to come next.
"Maria has just accepted my marriage proposal!" Don Alejandro said, causing Ignacio de Soto to spit out the juice he had just drank, Diego to sink in his chair imagining spending the holidays with Ignacio for the rest of his life, Felipe to wonder how his father must be feeling at the thought of being related to someone like De Soto, and Jessie to chuckle, part of her still unable to shake off the suspicion that Diego was Zorro, despite all evidence to the contrary.
"Are you sure about this, Father?" Diego inquired.
"You think my mother is not good enough for your father, De la Vega?" Ignacio asked bitterly, unsure as to why since, as already mentioned, although he was considering Diego his friend (his only friend), he was also living in constant fear that one day his wife would wake up, decide she had been wrong at marrying him and run straight into the tall caballero's arms. Finding more reasons for her and Diego to spend time together clearly was not beneficial to stopping that scenario from happening, he realized, just after the words had already left his mouth.
"No! I mean, of course she is, Ignacio." Diego replied, suddenly finding himself at a loss for words. "Your mother is a good and gentle woman, whom I appreciate with all my heart." He added as he glanced lovingly towards Doña Maria. "I am just surprised at hearing the news."
"I believe that what your sons are trying to say, Don Alejandro, Doña Maria," Jessie decided to step in at seeing the confused looks in their eyes, "is 'Congratulations!'"
"Yes, of course!" Diego uttered, getting up and heading towards the pair. "Congratulations!" He repeated as he hugged each one while Felipe followed his example.
"Yes, Congratulations!" Ignacio repeated, firmly attached to his chair.
"We will be married within a month. I have already talked to Padre Benitez!" Don Alejandro informed them.
"So soon?" Diego asked.
"A month is not that soon, Diego! And, at our age, time is a resource that is becoming rather scarce, don't you think?" Doña Maria replied with a kind, big smile on her face.
"Come, my dear, let's give the news to our friends!" Don Alejandro decided, pointing his wife-to-be towards a table occupied by several dons and two of their wives.
"So..." Jessie concluded as they left to talk with some of the other dons there "... you two will be brothers in a month. My father always said God has a strange sense of humor!"
"Right. Brothers..." Diego repeated, less than enthusiastic by the idea, raising his eyebrows in resignation. He did want Don Alejandro to be happy and it did look as if he had finally found the right woman to brighten his life. He also liked Doña Maria very much. It just disturbed him that the woman was also Ignacio de Soto's mother.
ZZZ
The next morning, while Diego was tending to some of his father's flowers in the courtyard while the older don was away, riding with Doña Maria, a bull escaped his enclosure. The frightened animal entered the yard and noticed the red flowers Diego was working on. Bowing his head and breathing noisily through its nostrils, he decided to attack the caballero who, at that very moment, had his back turned to the animal and was completely lost in thoughts.
Felipe just arrived at the hacienda when he noticed the bull about to attack his father, but he was too far away and had no chance to reach Diego in time to save his life.
As the bull charged, Felipe gathered all his strength and yelled "Fa… Father!" His first word in over three years.
Hearing him, Diego turned and was able to get out of the animal's way at the last moment, as the bull wreaked havoc on his father's flowers.
A few moments later, two vaqueros also arrived and, between the four of them, they were able to calm the animal down and take him back to his corral.
When it was all over, just Diego and Felipe were left in the courtyard. The tall caballero turned towards his son, "Say it again!" He asked, "Say Father!"
Felipe answered hoarsely with tears in his eyes. "Father! Father! Father!" He repeated, his voice getting better with each repetition of the word as Diego embraced him.
"Do you understand what this means, Felipe?" He asked after a few minutes.
The younger man, not yet used to talking, just stared at him with wide eyes.
"It means you can finally go to university and become a lawyer, as you've wanted for so many years already!" He replied.
"You" Felipe signaled then remembered he was able to speak "still… need me!" He said with some effort, shaking his head in disapproval to his father's idea.
"I'm not saying you should leave next week." Diego told him. "Nor that you should go to Spain. I think Mexico City would be better, considering that Mexico is now independent and the laws are being written in the new capital." Felipe still watched him hesitantly. "It's just about a month's journey away, and you'll be able to come home for every summer holiday. You'll also have the chance to travel, just as you've always wanted." Diego tried to convince him. "Felipe, you can't put your entire life on hold to help me in my fight. Moreover, Zorro is hardly needed these days. You have to think about yourself, follow your own dreams, your own path, instead of being stuck on mine. I will certainly miss you, but I am your father now, and I need to think about what's best for you!"
"I go… only if… you… stop… being Zorro… before I leave." The younger man eventually answered.
Diego nodded understandingly. He knew Felipe worried about him, even if he did his best not to show it. "Well… First things first." He decided. "We need to focus on the admission. I have already written to the university last October to inquire about the requirements and the exams you need to take."
"You have?" The younger man wondered.
"I always knew it was just a matter of time until you'd speak again, and I wanted to be ready. I have sent similar letters to the universities of Madrid and Mexico City for the past three years now, since that day you first spoke. As I said, I already have all the information, but we need to hurry since the deadline for sending the requested documents and papers is in only a few weeks. I'd say your voice returned just in time!"
Felipe grinned and nodded.
"Thank God for that bull!" Diego uttered as they headed towards the hacienda.
ZZZ
It took Diego a few days to truly accept the idea that his father was getting re-married and Doña Maria was to soon become his stepmother. The older don had been close to taking a similar step twice before during the last decade but had not even considered the idea after his first love had so tragically died saving his life. After that episode, the tall caballero had convinced himself that his father would never look at another woman the way he had looked at Mercedez Henche and at his mother before her. Yet, now, he could see that same exact look in his eyes whenever he was with Doña Maria.
He knew the day the older couple would marry was to mark the end of the De la Vega men's way of life. But it also seemed natural for it to end. Soon, he, too, had every intention of marrying Victoria, and when that happened, she and Marisol would come to live at the hacienda. Felipe, on the other hand, was slowly recovering his speech and was to leave for Mexico City in August if everything went well and the papers they had already sent arrived in time. Like it or not, Diego knew, things were changing and there was no stopping them. All he could do was hope that said changes would bring happiness to the ones he cared about most in the world.
"Love does have a truly remarkable effect on people." The tall caballero muttered to himself as he watched his father spring into Dulcinea's saddle one morning with all the agility of a twenty-year-old, and head at a trot towards the De Soto Hacienda. "Felipe!" He then called as he entered the house.
The younger man, who was waiting for Diego in the library immediately stood up and headed towards the fireplace.
"No, Felipe. Zorro is not needed at this time." The older man told him. "What we need right now is a proper present for my father and… well… my future stepmother. Now," he continued, putting a hand over the younger man's shoulder, "I have been thinking… It should be something personal… Something we could make for them ourselves."
"You could make a portrait of them," Felipe suggested.
"True, but that wouldn't be from both of us," Diego said. "No… I believe I have a better idea: we still have about four weeks till the wedding. With the help of some good men, that should be just enough time for us to build them a cottage. A refuge, just for the two of them. They could spend their honeymoon there, and use it to escape whenever they might find the hacienda too noisy in the future…" He uttered with a wink.
Felipe smiled back and nodded as he followed his adoptive father to the stables.
About an hour and a half later, after a rather intense gallop, they were reaching the seaside. Diego guided his son up a hill and dismounted, then took a paper out to show it to him.
"This is where our lands end." He told his son, then turned towards a nearby hill. "There," he uttered pointing towards it, "there is where I want us to build the cottage. They should have a perfect view of both the ocean and some of the most beautiful of the De la Vega lands; and there is also a cave in that hill, which could be used both as a cellar and as a shelter in case they might need it. It is also rather close to the hacienda and a well-trained horse could bring any message home within an hour or so.
"I would suggest we build the kitchen facing northeast and the bedroom to face southwest, towards the ocean. A secret entrance to the cave could be built to be accessible from the bedroom. There is also a nearby stream cascading down the cliffs, quite close from here. We could make a shallow aqueduct to diverge some of that water towards the house, and install a pump for the kitchen. What do you think?"
The young man, still unused to talking, nodded again.
"We'll need four or five men, of course, to carry the stones and the wood for the foundation, and to help us out, since there's a lot of work to be done and hardly enough time to finish. But I've already talked to the carpenter to have him make the furniture for the house, I have ordered the building materials, and I have drawn the plans." Diego continued by saying.
ZZZ
During the following weeks, Diego, Felipe, and several of the De la Vega vaqueros and servants spent all their afternoons working on the small house. Steadily yet surely, their work advanced and the house grew higher and higher with each passing day.
When, about three weeks after they had started the work, the external structure was completely finished, and the only thing missing was the furniture, they all admired their work and headed back to the hacienda together, wide, satisfied smiles on their faces.
"You won't need to come back tomorrow," Diego told the men as they were stabling their horses. "Felipe and I will handle the rest and I am sure we can finish within the three days still left until my father's wedding."
The men nodded, more than a little grateful for the extra payment he soon gave each of them and headed for their quarters.
"What?" Diego asked his son at noticing his disconcerted look.
"Why did you tell them not to help us anymore? We could still use some help if we are to finish on time." The younger man signed.
"For two reasons," Diego replied. "The first is that I plan to make the entrance to the cave a secret not even our men will know, so I can't have them there as we work on it. The second one is that I believe we should use this time to also work on your speech. It is improving, but there are still letters you can't pronounce well; a problem some exercise would easily correct, though."
ZZZ
Don Alejandro and Doña Maria married in May of 1822 and celebrated at the De la Vega Hacienda. The wedding party was initially meant only as a small social event, but the new Alcalde of Los Angeles was a popular man. Having made sure to send out the invitations rather quickly, the small party they had in mind, soon turned into a large one for nobody wanted to miss it. Even the Moncadas managed to arrive from Monterey, and were joined on their way south by the Santa Barbara De la Vegas, as well as by several of Don Alejandro's friends from the pueblos north of Los Angeles.
The wedding ceremony itself was rather simple. Victoria was Doña Maria's maid of honor and Diego acted as his father's Best Man, while Marisol was charged with carrying the rings, a job she performed remarkably well. After the ceremony was over, everyone headed for the hacienda, where a feast awaited.
After several hours of dancing, talking and enjoying their big day, at Diego's suggestion, the newlyweds made their escape a little after 6 p.m., already tired after an emotional and full day.
"Are you sure we are heading in the right direction?" Doña Maria asked her new husband as they were nearing the seaside as the night was falling, having already spent about two hours in the buggy.
"No… I know these lands like the palm of my hand and I am rather certain that there's nothing here. But I trust my son, and if he says that the horses know where to go, we must hope they do… Otherwise we'll spend our wedding night by a campfire…Though that is not a bad perspective, either" Don Alejandro said with a wicked smile just as his eyes rested on the cottage. "Although, I think we might just have a roof over our heads after all…" He continued, pointing the small house to his wife. "Can you pass me that letter Diego gave you? The one he asked us to only open when we'd realize where he had sent us?" Don Alejandro uttered.
The new Doña De la Vega handed him the requested envelope and the older caballero opened it to read the message inside.
"Felipe and I thought you might enjoy some time alone. We, thus, made sure you'd have a place where to spend said time together.
"The cottage is fully furnished as you will see. We also made sure to leave enough food, wine and champagne to last you for a few days. It is stored in the small cave behind the middle wooden panel in the main room.
"Should you need anything else, the horses you took are both trained to make their way to the hacienda and back, so just send a message with one of them.
"Have a wonderful time!
"With all our love,
"Diego and Felipe."
Don Alejandro read the letter out loud, then reached inside the envelope to take out a key. "They built us a cabin!" He uttered incredulously as he allowed for the horses to continue on their way.
As soon as they reached their destination, he jumped down from the carriage and helped his wife descend, then insisted on carrying her across the threshold, a feat not easily accomplished by a man his age. His back cracked a little as he hesitantly managed to carry and deposit Doña Maria just near the doorway, inside the house.
"Your son and grandson truly are remarkable!" The woman said as she admired their gift. The cottage wasn't large, but it did have everything they needed, from a proper kitchen to a small bathroom with a bucket strategically placed to be used for showers, and, most importantly, a large bedroom overlooking the ocean.
"They are the two most remarkable men I know." Her new husband answered as he locked the door behind him and, taking Doña Maria's hand, led her to their bedroom.
ZZZ
At about the same time Don Alejandro and his new wife were discovering their new refuge, some 13 miles away, at the De la Vega hacienda, the party was still continuing and everyone seemed to have a great time, dancing, eating or simply enjoying the good wine and interesting conversations.
Ramon Escalante was just exploring the food prepared by the hacienda's cook and her helpers when his attention was drawn to a conversation he overheard by pure coincidence.
"…it's why I am sorry to have missed you a month ago, when you were last here." Don Esteban told his interlocutor.
"A month ago? No… I haven't visited Los Angeles in over two years." Came the reply.
"But my vaquero, Lando, told me he had seen you ride towards Buenaventura, coming from Los Angeles, not so long ago."
"I'm afraid he's mistaken…"
"He said you passed right by him… And he knows you quite well, Don Rafael. He used to work for your uncle, and has been at your father's hacienda several times in the past few years…"
"Perhaps, but he surely took me for someone else. You may ask both my uncle and my cousin, and they will tell you I haven't been here in quite some time."
"I… I guess he might have been mistaken. But he swore… It doesn't matter, anyway. I just meant to say that I am sorry to find out that Don Rodrigo ended up selling that fine stallion of his to Don Valentino of Buenaventura. I would have offered him an even better price if I had known it was for sale."
"I don't know, Don Arturo… We did receive quite a good price for Trueno..." Rafael replied, and Ramon didn't listen further.
Instead, he exited the courtyard, heading for the premises normally used by the vaqueros and the servants, who were enjoying their own feast, courtesy of Don Alejandro. Lando, who Ramon had known since they were children, was in a corner, talking with one of the De la Vega servants, a young Señorita he had been trying to woo for over a year at that point.
"Ramon Escalante!" The young man uttered at seeing him. "Aren't you supposed to be at the wedding, or have you already grown bored and come to join us?"
The woman he was with gave Lando a chiding look. "Don't mind him, Señor Escalante. He's just jealous…" She said.
"As he should be. It's one of the best wedding parties I've ever attended." Ramon replied with a smile.
"Why are you here, then?"
"Well… I was just wondering how you've been doing… and I also wanted to inquire about your eyesight." Ramon replied with an innocent grin.
"What about my eyesight?"
"I hear it's failing you these days. Apparently, you mistook some stranger for Don Rafael de la Vega a few weeks back…"
"That was no mistake, and I assure you my eyesight is perfect. I know the man well enough to recognize him, even if he pretended to have never before seen me in his entire life…"
"But, my friend, most people here already know he was ill a few weeks back, barely able to move. How could he have come to Los Angeles when Don Diego went to Santa Barbara to help him get better?"
"It was not then that I saw him. I saw him a few weeks after Don Diego returned from there."
"Really?"
"I saw him as I see you, Ramon! He was riding a grey stallion with black hair and a white star on his head. A beautiful animal… Mid-April I believe it was. And he was heading at full speed north, on El Camino Real, coming from Los Angeles."
Ramon didn't prolong the conversation much longer after that, for he already knew what he needed to know. Leaving his childhood acquaintance shortly after that, he made his way towards the stables, where he took some time to inquire about the horses.
Returning to the courtyard, he saw Marisol heading for Diego and asking him to dance. The caballero lifted her in his arms and headed for the dance floor, leaving Victoria with Mendoza, who rapidly excused himself after noticing a fresh plate of tapas being brought to the food table.
"She is right, Victoria," Ramon stated as he neared his sister, wondering if he should reveal his firm conviction that her best friend was also the masked man she loved. "Diego would certainly make a good father for our niece."
"So will Zorro!" She replied. "He is so wonderful with children, Ramon!"
"I am sure he is, Victoria, and I'm sure he'll make a great father…" Ramon mentioned with a grin. "But… you know, Señorita Escalante," he added, "somehow, I always thought you would, one day, become a De la Vega."
"My former helper, Paula, told me the same thing when she left for Monterey," Victoria confessed. "Diego is quite handsome, and he has always been the best of friends, but, unless he is Zorro, I don't see how that will ever happen!"
Ramon did not reply to that, deciding, instead, to trust that his friend would reveal the truth to Victoria at the right time, and, in the meantime, keep his secret.
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AN: Another story is done. Hope you liked it. Two more and this series is over. Hope you enjoyed it so far and will like the next chapters.