Chapter 14
Felipe had just returned to the stable.
He had been visiting the Indian camp today and walked with his girlfriend. Felipe was now giving his Pinto an apple before going to bed.
Startled, he jumped backwards when the stable door flew open, and Diego came in storming in.
"Felipe, Victoria, is she here?"
To Diego's horror, Felipe shook his head, and the stable of the mare Victoria always rode was empty.
"Diego," His father came panting into the stable.
"There is nothing wrong.
Victoria has ridden from the hacienda to the pueblo many times, even later in the evening.
My guess is it must have been busy at the tavern, and they closed late. She will be here any minute, I am sure of it."
Diego was already saddling Esperanza, "Father, do you believe I ever let Victoria ride back to the pueblo alone at dark?"
His father looked at him with his mouth open in amazement.
Diego snarled at his father.
"Zorro has been shadowing her all these times."
"Diego, nothing is wrong.
Wait for half an hour or so, and she will be home."
Diego was adjusting the holster. "You wait, I'm going to get her."
Alejandro did feel partly responsible.
He had planned to pick her up. He must have been tired, or else he would not have fallen asleep so easily.
"Diego, wait, I'm coming with you." The don decided.
"No, Felipe, you stay here. There must be someone at the hacienda in case we miss her. You go and get a lantern."
In no time, Dulcinea got saddled.
Desperately, Diego peered down the road, hoping to see any sign of movement. When he concluded that the road remained empty, he mounted Esperanza. And the two men rode off into the night towards Los Angeles.
During the two miles long ride to the pueblo, the men encountered no one.
Alejandro felt his concern rise.
Diego was sure that no light had been left on in the tavern when Zorro had been in the pueblo not forty-five minutes earlier. Had Victoria been on her way home, they must have seen her by now. His mind began to run wild with what could have happened.
"Perhaps she decided to stay in the tavern," Alejandro muttered, optimistic, knowing it was wishful thinking.
Had there been a reason for her to do Victoria would have let them know.
When the men finally arrived at the plaza, Diego felt sick with worry. They had not come across Victoria, and the tavern was shrouded in darkness. The horses came to a halt.
"The tavern is closed. We must have missed her."
Alejandro tried to reassure himself and his son.
Diego had already dismounted and tried to open the door and found the door locked.
"I'm not going back until I'm sure she is not here."
In a brisk trot, Diego ran around the large building. He tried to open the back door. This one, too, refused to open. It was beginning to look as if Victoria was not here. And they had missed her for some reason. Diego wanted absolute certainty and ran back to his father, who was already meeting him halfway.
"She's probably already home." His father's voice betrayed that he mostly hoped so.
"I have to get inside," Diego said determinedly.
Alejandro, meanwhile, genuinely worried, asked in a panic. "How?"
"Through the balcony." Diego took off his jacket and began to roll up the sleeves of his shirt.
His father whispered loudly, insistently. "How will you do that without your whip or Toronado?"
"I'll use Esperanza." Diego threw his coat over the porch. "Hold her firmly, she is not used to someone standing on her back."
Diego jumped on the mare, her back, and rode the horse up to beside the balcony. He knew where the climb would be the easiest. Zorro had done it numerous times.
Alejandro took the reins and was comforting the mare, rubbing her neck. "Be careful."
It took a little more effort than usual. Esperanza's height at the withers was lower, and without a whip to pull himself up, Diego had to push himself up on the railing.
evertheless, he managed to climb up like a cat.
"Father, wait for five minutes.
Should I not have opened the door, bang on it twice.
If I don't respond, go warn the lancers."
Concerned, Alejandro watched as his son got swallowed up by the darkness and disappeared from his sight.
To Diego's relief, the hatch in the roof that Zorro always used to gain access to the tavern had not been closed this time, either. Before their marriage, Victoria used to leave it open. In case Zorro visited her.
Nowadays, it was so that if necessary, Zorro always had a hiding place in the pueblo.
He climbed inside and lowered himself to the floor.
The tavern was pitch dark, and he could not see his hand in front of his face.
"Victoria", Diego cried with his ears pricked up for even the slightest sound, he followed the railing until he found the stairs.
He knew that Victoria always kept some candles and sulphur sticks under the bar.
Diego walked down the stairs and soon found the bar by touch.
It took him long before, at last, felt a candle.
Next to it were indeed sticks of sulphur.
A few moments later, a small flame lit up in the darkness.
Should he not be alone in the tavern, he was now an easy target for attack.
In the little light, Diego waited for what was to come.
He heard nothing.
Diego walked to the front door and let his father in as his eye fell on a shapeless heap on the ground.
"God, Victoria." Faster than seemed possible, he dropped beside her.
She looked terrible, and Diego only dared to breathe again when he felt a faint heartbeat on her neck.
Diego had to struggle to control himself to vomit.
The candle gave little light, but enough to see something terrible had happened.
Her skin was pale, dark shadows seemed to be suspiciously like blood, and the clothes she wore hung in rags around her.
."Diego, Diego!" There was a pounding on the door.
His father! Five minutes must had passed.
"Father, wait! I'll be there as quick as I can."
Diego jumped to his feet.
He couldn't do it to both Victoria and his father that the old man would see Victoria in such a state.
Again there was banging, this time louder. "Are you all right, son!
Should I get help?" Meanwhile, Diego had run up the stairs.
Diego opened the first door he saw and pulled the blanket off the bed.
As he stormed down the stairs, he heard his father pounding louder. Diego shouted.
"I'm coming. Give me a minute."
Again, Diego knelt beside Victoria.
To his dismay, he realized her hands tied behind her back.
She gagged by the bandana stuffed in her mouth.
He didn't want to think about what might have happened.
She lay half-naked, motionless on her stomach.
For the second time, he checked her heartbeat.
He undid the ropes around her wrists and pulled the bandana from her mouth.
Victoria groaned.
After covering her body with a blanket, Diego rushed to the door and began to open the locks.
When the door finally opened, he pressed the candle into his father's hands.
"Diego." Asked his father, peering into the tavern worriedly.
"No questions.
Light a few more candles, then help."
Alejandro looked as if his son spoke a different language, and he had no idea what his son meant.
Diego had already turned around and rushed back to Victoria.
Alejandro needed a few seconds to come to his senses stepped into the tavern.
He walked over to the bar to do as his son had ordered him.
After lighting the third candle, there was enough light to see his son sitting on the floor holding an unconscious Victoria.
"Madre de Dios!" Alejandro exclaimed in horror. "Is she alive?"
Diego did not hear his father.
Worried, he stroked the hair from his wife's face and begged her to wake up.
Alejandro grabbed a candle and went into the kitchen as fast as his legs would let him.
In passing, he took an empty bowl from the rack and filled it with water at the pump.
He quickly walked back to the main room, water sloshing on the floor.
It got caused by the rush he was in and partly because he trembled like an aspen leaf.
Alejandro put the bowl of water next to their son, dipped a clean handkerchief into the water and squeezed it.
Again, he asked his son. "Diego, is she alive?"
Diego took the wet handkerchief and began to dab her forehead.
When she felt the cold cloth against her skin, her face contorted.
Again, she moaned softly in pain.
" Victoria, my love, please, open your eyes." Begged Diego.
"I'm going to get the doctor." Stuttered Alejandro, wanting to do something.
What could he do?
The most important thing, for now, was that Victoria was alive, everything else for which this moment was unimportant.
Alejandro feared the worst and forbade himself to think about it for a moment.
Diego nodded in agreement. "Quickly."
"No." The voice was weak and barely audible.
Victoria opened her eyes.
"Victoria, the doctor..." Diego tried to convince her.
At the same time, he was overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude that she was at least responding.
It took a lot of strength for Victoria.
She managed to open her eyes and look at him pleadingly.
Victoria lifted her hand to place it on Diego his wrist.
"No doctor." She pleaded.
"Take me home, por favor…"
Diego trembled like a reed and sought help from his father.
For the first time in his memory, he was literally at a loss for words.
His father looked on the outside, completely calm.
Yet every fibre in the old don his body was screaming to burst into rage. He wanted to find the person who had done this to her.
Alejandro knew, at the moment, only one thing was more important than letting out his anger.
He had to be there for his son and his wife.
Determined, he looked at his son,
"We'll do what she wants." He sounded a lot stronger than he felt.
"We'll go home, and we decide what to do once we get there."
Wearily, Alejandro got to his feet and waited for his son to get up, holding Victoria in his arms.
He went ahead of his son out of the tavern to fetch Esperanza.
Diego climbed into the saddle while Alejandro supported Victoria sitting on the veranda's railing.
Together with Diego, Alejandro helped Victoria take the seat in front of Diego in the saddle.
Alejandro patted his son's upper leg. "Take her home as carefully as you can.
I'll close up here. When done, I come after you."
The trip to the hacienda was hell.
As soon as Diego tried to go faster than the walking pace, Victoria began to moan in pain.
He hadn't gone a quarter of a mile when he heard hoofbeats approaching. His father came riding up beside him.
"I'll ride as fast as I can to the hacienda and prepare for your arrival.
I'll make sure there is a bath ready for her."
The journey that usually taken not even fifteen minutes seemed to last forever.
Somewhere halfway, Victoria had woken up and was muttering his name. Diego had restrained the horse and tenderly kissed her forehead.
"It's over, my love.
Whatever happened is over.
You are safe."
He had felt tears burning in his eyes when she answered. "I know.
When I am with you, I am safe."
Silently, they continued on their way.
Victoria was drifting in en out of consciousness, and the few times she was awake, she was barely able to speak.
Diego did not dare ask anything for fear that the worst would turn out to be the truth.
When they arrived at the hacienda, his father was waiting for him with a lantern in his hand.
"Felipe is filling a bathtub in the guest room.
I thought that would be better.
I only told him Victoria is injured, nothing about...,"
the don cleared his throat and remained silent.
"Thanks." Carefully, Diego touched her shoulder.
Victoria cringed.
"Victoria, try to wake, querida."
Victoria fluttered her eyes, "Diego." Her voice was hoarse.
She did manage to sit up on her own and make it easier for Diego to dismount.
Only so he could take her into his arms immediately afterwards.
"Diego," her voice sounded a little stronger. "I think I can walk."
"Like hell, you will not."
Alejandro held the doors open while Diego carried Victoria inside.
In the guest room, Alejandro chased Felipe out.
He began to look around hopelessly, searching for something to do.
Diego carefully flattened Victoria on the bed.
"I…, um…, I'll go check on Felipe to see, or he needs help.
If you want me to get to the doctor or anything else..., I'll be waiting in the hallway."
Diego nodded that he understood as Alejandro closed the door behind him.
.
.