Chapter 21

Every time Diego glared at Victoria, he saw a blush appear on her cheeks.
It had been a struggle to get out of the tub in the most painless way possible for both of them. Victoria's water-soaked skirts were almost as heavy as she was, did not help.
Victoria had hit the edge of the tub hard. A bruise had appeared on her elbow, which she now covered using a shawl around her shoulders.
The pain in his crotch was bearable as long as he didn't move much or sat still too long.
Should their marriage remain childless, they would at least know the cause.

After Victoria had managed to climb out of the bathtub, she was appalled by the sight of the floor. Over half of the bathwater had splashed over the edge.
Fortunately, mostly was on the tiles, flooding a part of the bedroom.
After they were both dressed, Victoria had tried to get the floor dry as possible.
Diego had been in too much pain to be of usefull assistance.
Outside, it had started to get dark. They had wrung out the wet towels and clothes as much as possible and hung them out to dry in the hope no one would see the wet fabrics. And it would all be dry enough tomorrow not to arouse suspicion by the servants on what might have happened.
By the time they had finished doing all this, it had also been dinner time.

Sitting at the dinner table, his father had taken an extensive time to complain about de Soto and his outrageous insinuations.
The old don had never concealed his opinion.
Realizing it was his son who had to deal with the insults, made Alejandro ever more furious.
"I don't understand how you can remain so calm. Had it been up to me, I would have pulled de Soto across the plaza by his nostrils!"

Felipe probed at the idea.

"Because all our lives and Zorro's identity depends on me not losing my temper." Noted Diego.
"I did expect that kind of response from him. Of course, it hurts me. At such a time, I hold back myself. And, sometimes, Zorro takes his revenge."

Alejandro chuckled. "Yes, Felipe told me this morning de Soto had his head between..., eeh, something significant. You should have thrown that key into the ravine."

Diego shifted on his chair. Sitting still for long was not yet an option.
He wiped his mouth on the napkin. "Shall we go to the library?" Those chairs were more comfortable, and Diego hoped to sit better.

The rest of the evening got spent on Diego and Felipe telling anecdotes. How Zorro and, in some cases, even Diego had deviously taken revenge at first, alcalde Ramon and later on de Soto.
Just as Felipe announced he wanted to go to his room, there was a loud knock on the front door.

"I don't like this." Mumbled Alejandro to himself. "Visitors at this time usually have a calamity."

His father walked to the front door, while Diego positioned himself between Victoria and the front door, estimating the distance between him and the ash pan by the fireplace.

Alejandro asked loudly. "Who is there!?"

"It's me, don Alejandro. Sergeant Mendoza." Came a familiar voice.

Relieved, Alejandro opened the door, "Sergeant, what can I do for you at this unchristian hour."

"I am sorry to have come to disturb you this late. The alcalde said there was nothing more he could do to help find out the identity of those poor people. But I found this." He held a wrinkled envelope in his hands. "Don Diego said he was willing to help, so I thought ...," he said.

"Thanks, Mendoza." Diego accepted the letter the sergeant handed him. Diego started reading the letter. "At least it's a start." It was addressed to the woman, who turned out to be named Manuela. In the end, the writer asked to express her regards to someone named Armando. The letter was signed using the words, your loving sister, Consuela. The address on the envelope was unreadable. Probably due to the weather over the past weeks. "At least we have a name. We don't have to bury them completely anonymously." Diego uttered. "Thank you, Sergeant." Diego patted Mendoza kindly on the shoulder.
"I'll notify the padre tomorrow before the funeral."
During the bathing, before Victoria had distracted him, Diego had already wondered whether some jewellery Zorro had hidden could belong to the victims he had found. If he remembered correctly, it included several wedding rings.

After Mendoza had left, it didn't take long for Alejandro to indicate he thought it was time to retire, Felipe followed him.
Victoria glared at Diego, as he was staring at the letter, in search of other clues. "Shall we go as well? The funeral is at eight-thirty tomorrow."

Diego was mindful of the names in the letter.
"Do you mind going alone? I want to look at something else first."

The corners of her mouth curled up in a smile. "Let me guess. Something to do about that letter?"

"Something like that. I want to check something in the cave."

"Then I'll come with you."

Diego explained what his meaning was. Victoria urged him to do what he had suggested. "Lets go. I'll wait for you. Perhaps, I can be of assistance."

Together, Diego and Victoria entered the cave. Toronado whinnied enthusiastically when he saw Diego coming in.

"I think he misses our nightly outings. Not tonight, my boy." Diego turned to Victoria. "I'll be right back."
He grabbed a lantern and left the cave at the back.

Victoria walked over to the large desk, taking the opportunity to have a closer look at the envelope.
Something caught her eye, and she walked over to the large cabinet in the corner, opened a drawer and took out a piece of charcoal.

Less than ten minutes later, Diego was back. In his hand, he held a leather bag.

"I might have the address," Victoria informed him even before the door closed behind him.

"Really? How did you do that."

"My friends and I used to write secret letters to each other. We didn't want our noisy brothers discovering the secrets we shared. So we took two sheets of paper, put them on top of each other and made sure we pressed so hard that what we wrote on one sheet got pressed in the other. Afterwards, you burn the top sheet. And by rubbing charcoal over the bottom one, the writing becomes visible again.
Whoever wrote the envelope pressed hard on her quill.
Just look."

Diego looked at the envelope, and with difficulty, he could decipher the words Mexico City. In broad daylight, it was most likely to read the address.
"Querida, you're not only gorgeous. You're also brilliant, clever." Diego himself had considered whether it would be possible to become wiser by this method.
The leather bag landed with a dull thud on the large mahogany desk.
Diego now had his arms free to hold Victoria. " You're also warm-hearted, funny, intelligent, you smell wonderful, taste delicious and...,"
Between each character trait, he pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Did I mention you are perfect?"

"No, but first, let's see whether you were right."
With her eyes, Victoria pointed to the bag on the desk.

"And you are also a real pushover." Diego sighed. Victoria slammed playfully on his shoulder.
Diego turned the bag over, and countless pieces of jewellery fell out.

"Did they have all this with them? This must-have belonged to dozens of people and be worth a fortune."

"Some pieces have quite a bit of value. Most of them, like this one...," Diego took a brooch out of the pile. "Not that much. It's not a diamond, but a crystal. I only want to have a better look at the wedding rings."

Diego grabbed a magnifying glass while Victoria sorted the wedding rings out of the pile and paired as many as possible by appearance. Diego looked inside, searching for the engraving. In the end, there remained five rings. "These all have engraved with an A or an M. And these two." Diego shoved two rings apart from the rest. "Have the same date and the mark of the same goldsmith."

"So it's probably a pair," Victoria concluded.

Diego nodded. "What do you think?"

"It's quite a coincidence. It seems likely that these are their wedding rings."

"My guess exactly. I think Zorro needs to pay a visit to the pueblo." A little too hastily, Diego got to his feet.

"Mmm, too bad," Victoria uttered.

Diego was taking of his jacket. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not. I was just hoping we could continue our attempt of this afternoon in a more…, eh, safer environment."
Victoria blinked her eyes seductively.

"I don't think that will work out, not tonight anyway. My area is still a bit sensitive."

"O,"

"I will be fine." Diego continued to change his clothes.

Victoria placed Toronado's halter on the horse.
While Zorro fastened the saddle, he patted the stallion on the neck. "You were right, after all, my old friend. We are going out."
He mounted the horse and looked at Victoria. "I expect to be back soon. Will you wait for me in here or go to sleep?"

Victoria weighed both options. "I think I'll go to the bedroom."

Zorro brought his hand to his lips and blew her a kiss. "Then I'll make more haste."

.

In the morning, the de la Vega's were up early. Victoria had a scarf on, to hide the purple bruise on her elbow from view.
Diego, meanwhile, dared to move as normal again.
The de la Vega's left well on time for Los Angeles, using the carriage.
On the way, Diego and Victoria told Alejandro and Felipe what they had discovered, and Zorro had gone out during the night to place the wedding rings in the coffins.

"You did well," Alejandro spoke approvingly.

It was a surprise to see they were not the only ones present at the cemetery. The main absentee was de Soto, but Mendoza and all the lancers finding the couple were also there.
Alejandro greeted the sergeant. "I thought I had understood the alcalde ordering you and your men out on a foot march," he said.

"So had he. The men and I talked about it. We all felt that these people should get buried with respect. What happened to them was horrible. This is the least we can do. That's why we started marching at three o'clock last night. We just got back."

"That's admirable, sergeant."

The sergeant shrugged. "Ah, well." He didn't mention that they had taken some shortcuts during the march and had forgotten most of the package.

The padre gave a simple sermon in which he asked God to take care of these unfortunate souls.

.

Afterwards, the lancers returned to the cartel, and the de la Vegas walked to the tavern for a beverage.
Under the table, Diego held Victoria's hand in his and stroked her fingers and wrist.

After an hour, the party split up. Felipe indicated that he wanted to visit a friend. Alejandro was too occupied discussing with other dons about the scandalous accusations against Zorro. One of the dons suggested the Estaban brothers had seen in the area several weeks ago.
Victoria and Diego decided to travel the two miles back together on foot so that the old don would have the carriage at his disposal to return to the hacienda.

Both looked forward to spending time in each other's company and didn't mind the exercise.

.

"Will you play the piano for me?" Victoria and Diego sat together on the sofa.

"Sure, is there anything you prefer?"

"No, you choose."

Diego searched through the pile of sheet music and pulled out a piece he liked himself. He took a seat behind the piano, and a calm melody filled the room.
For a moment, he peered over his shoulder. Victoria sat with a somewhat dreamy expression, enjoying the music he played.

Diego was playing the third piece when Felipe entered the library. He tapped Diego on the shoulder and then pointed at Victoria.
She had fallen asleep while listening, her long eyelashes rested on her cheeks. Victoria looked so lovely and peaceful.
"I know. Leave her be," Diego whispered while continuing playing.

Felipe pointed to the cave and gestured that he was going to check on Toronado.
Before Felipe pulled the hidden lever in the fireplace, he moved the candle snuffer laying on the small oak table next to the fireplace. This way, everyone could see someone was in the cave.

The secret of the cave was shared by so many people these days, it still needed to remain carefully hidden. In order not to arouse suspicion among the servants, it was crucial that there was no unnecessary walking in and out of the cave.
From the library, it wasn't visible whether someone was in the cave. And also whether that person could be disturbed or not. The last was a request made by Diego. Mainly because some of his experiments required besides time also dedication, care and concentration.
While puzzling with the problem, his father had suggested that it would also be nice to know if Zorro was out riding.
After much thought, Felipe had come up with the suggestion of using the candle snuffer for this everyday object that didn't attract any attention as it was lying on the small table next to the fireplace.
The copper object looked almost like a pair of scissors.

When the candle snuffer lay closed, pointed in the direction of the cave, then someone, usually Diego, was in and did not wish to be disturbed. An option he and Victoria had gratefully used on several occasions.
When the candle snuffer lay with the point towards the cave, open as it was at the moment, it meant someone was in the cave, but you could feel free to enter should you wish.
The candle snuffer with the point to the library meant that no one was in there. And, was the tip pointing towards the window, then Zorro was out.

Since everyone had their own things to do, and it could so happen you barely saw each other all day, it had become an effective way of communicating.
In the beginning, everyone had to get used to it. By now, it had become automatic to put the object in the correct position depending on the situation.
And it was just as automatic to search for someone, usually Diego or Felipe, by first glaring at the candle snuffer.

Diego grabbed a book from the cupboard and sat down on the chair opposite the sofa. He wasn't reading. It was too difficult to take his eyes off his wife.
She stirred for a moment, licked her lips. What was she dreaming? Diego noticed that his body was also thinking about something.
It was his insidious body that responded more and more lustfully to her proximity.

Slowly, Victoria woke up. She felt she had a nice dream, although she couldn't remember it exactly. But, it made her feel delighted.
Fluttering her eyes, Victoria noticed Diego was staring at her while holding a large book in his hands.

"Hello," a faint smile played around her lips.
"Exciting book?"

"I wouldn't know. I was distracted by your beauty."

Victoria got to a sitting position. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep. You played so beautifully. I only closed my eyes for a moment while listening."

Victoria got up. Diego stretched out his arm and pulled her onto his lap.
She fitted so perfectly against his body.
Diego rubbed his face against her neck. "It pleases me to see you able to relax so easily. I love you."

Victoria closed her eyes.

"You are beautiful."

Soft lips caressed her forehead.
They had slept together since that night, weeks ago. They had been in each other's company a lot. Except for yesterday, Diego had not once tried to be intimate with her.
Victoria hadn't felt the need, either.
In the last few days, she had noticed that she hoped Diego would seek rapprochement sexually.
Her body began to respond again to the touches of the man she loved.

Her lips found his, as a matter of course. Diego hesitated and waited for Victoria to open her mouth. Therefore, it was Victoria who let her tongue slide over his lips. His mouth opened, Victoria pushed her tongue into his. Diego groaned, restraining himself from holding her tighter. Ideally, he would like to press her warm body against his chest.

As soon as Victoria ended the kiss, he was already longing for the sweet taste of her lips again.

"I love you," Victoria murmured.

To Diego's satisfaction, he noticed that Victoria responded to his touches as she had done before, not like a friend in need to be reassurance, seeking comfort, safety and security.
She clawed her hands into his hair, and he heard her breathing rise.
Victoria rocked her hips on his lap. Damn, his body reacted in a split second. Too quickly, perhaps. Victoria had to feel completely safe again before he could enjoy her arousing body.
Again her lips had found his or vice versa. Diego was not sure which it was. And, God, how sweet she tasted. He remembered the wonderful feeling of her femininity embracing his genitals like a velvet glove.

"Victoria, the servants." Diego moaned into her mouth.

Again, Victoria tore her lips from his, she was gasping for air. There was no doubt she was as lecherous as he was.

"The cave." stammered Victoria with difficulty.

What an idea. The cave was nearby.
There was something about it. Diego tried to remember what it was. With Victoria on his lap, it wasn't easy. How delightful she looked. Her cheeks had a charming blush.
Her lips puffed up by kissing.
And her eyes, oh her eyes shone as brightly as before.

Out of habit, her gaze slid over the little table on which the candle snuffer lay. The disappointment that slid across her face brought Diego back to the here-and-now.
"Felipe?" Her voice sounded disappointed.

Diego nodded. "He's in the cave taking care of Toronado."

"Oh," Victoria looked miffed and bit her bottom lip.

Diego gently pushed Victoria off his lap and took her hand in his. "Bedroom." He wasn't sure he'd be able to make the endless journey of the twenty-two yards between the library and their bedroom. The distance seemed infinitely more tremendous than between the library and the cave. They could at least try to attempt.

"Diego! Diego!"

How did he do it? Diego groaned in disappointment. His father was in the corridor. It would be impossible to get past him without being seen. "I'm sorry, querida. We're in the library!" Diego knew his father well enough to realize as the don knew his son was at home, he would search as long as needed to find his son. In a softer voice, he continued to Victoria. "Unbelievable, even when he knows, my father still has the talent to come barging in at the most inconvenient moments in search of me."

Victoria giggled a little uncomfortably. She stretched out her arm to get Diego's hair she had ruffled back to his model. In the distance, she heard footsteps approaching rapidly.
"Tonight, all right?"

Diego couldn't resist pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist.
"I'm looking forward to it."

Victoria seized the first book she spotted, and Diego followed her example, both took a seat in opposite chairs.

Innocent Diego looked up when his father came bursting in. "Father, what is the rush? It sounds rather urgent."

.

.

I got the idea of communicating by candle snuffer from a book. It seemed logical to me that it was convenient for them to have a way to communicate without having to walk constantly in and out of the cave unnecessarily.

During the Second World War, the famous Dutch windmills were sometimes used as a means of communication by, for example, the resistance.
If you knew the codes, you could tell by the position of the sails or blades if danger threatened.
Windmills can often get seen from a great distance, and it was a quick, noiseless way to convey simple messages.

Mills have been used as a means of communication throughout the centuries and still are today.
Although these days, it is often only symbolic.

For example, there is a mourning position and joy position for the sails representing death and birth.
So if you know the meaning, you can tell by looking at a mill with no rotating blades whether something special is going on.

I didn't think it was convenient to have Diego place a mill in the libary, and wasn't sure Alejandro would approve. So, I choose a smaller, more common object.