Chapter 9

A low groan came from the bed and awoke her with a start. It was still dark outside. She guessed it to be around midnight. The light from the single candle cast huge shadows on the wall as she moved over to the bed.

"Are you awake?" She spoke in a whisper so as not to wake him if he wasn't. The only answer she got was a somewhat louder groan. She suppressed a giggle.

Then the man stirred and struggled to sit up in the bed. "Oh…feel …so …sick…"

"I can imagine!" She had already moved the chamber pot to just beside the bed. She knew all too well just how sick he was feeling. Working in a tavern had made her an expert on the effects of too much drink. "You…should….GO!" he finished on a note of alarm.

"No! I'm staying. Get used to the idea."

"But—" He started to protest but his voice became more stressed. "No! The bed! Is it moving?" He had grabbed the edge of the bed as if to make it stop.

"No. The only thing moving is your stomach trying to get away from all that liquor you poured into it tonight."

"Oh…" And for the next several minutes, he was very sick indeed. Physically sick. He'd be embarrassed about this too tomorrow. That is, he would be if he even remembered it. As he lay back among the pillows, she wiped his face with the cool, damp cloth.

"This is ridiculous! You'd feel better if you took the mask off—it has to be hot!"

"No, it stays on. For now."

"Well, at least you are sounding a bit better. I just hope this teaches you a lesson. And you won't ever do this again?"

"No, I can guarantee…that I…"

"I just can't understand why you—" But he appeared to have fallen back to sleep.

She shook her head. Why had he been drinking? Men drank to ease pain, to forget their troubles. She sat back and wondered just what could have driven Zorro to drink in the first place. It was true—no one ever thought of him as having any problems. He had taken over the problems of everyone else. She didn't even know if he considered not being able to be with her a problem. He could so easily solve that one, but he didn't. So surely he didn't think it that much of one.

Then a stray thought leapt into her head. What if he… no…it couldn't be that. But someone had sent that note to Diego. Someone had seen them kissing in the padre's garden. What if Zorro had heard and… A smile overtook her lips at the prospect. Jealousy. Some men were known to drown their sorrows in drink when jealous of a woman's affections. She'd seen it often. But could Zorro really be jealous of Diego? The thought was absolutely delicious. She did feel sorry for him. He looked so pitiful lying there so sick and miserable. But if he had done this because he was jealous…She settled back down in the chair again, but this time she was smiling to herself.

No more than an hour had passed before she heard the soldiers at the door downstairs once more. She was wide awake in seconds and trying to shake Zorro awake. "It's the soldiers again. You have to hide! Do you understand?" But it seemed useless. The eyes that looked up at her were clouded and dull.

"Yes… I …I'll…hide. Don't worry." She didn't know if he could chance another climb out the window in such shape. "Go. I'll think…of something… Go!" She looked doubtfully at him. He had sat up in the bed and was holding his head. The banging grew louder. She would just have to keep the lancers from searching the rooms. She flew down the stairs, ready to do her best to protect him.

"Señorita! Still dressed, I see! Could it be you have a special guest tonight?" The Alcalde swaggered past her into the room.

"Alcalde! I thought I might need to stay dressed tonight with your men crawling all over the pueblo. I don't think anyone's going to get much sleep tonight with all the racket they're making!" She allowed the sarcasm to drip from her voice. "We should all feel so protected tonight."

"Yes, you will be! Once I get my hands on Zorro. I know he's been here. How else could he have gotten away from us tonight?"

"But your men have checked. He isn't here, Alcalde. Or don't you trust your own men?"

"We only checked your room before." He barked his orders to his men. "Men! This time, search every room! I want him found!" He turned to the señorita and smiled. "I'll check the kitchen myself. Now, if you'll lead the way?" He gestured toward the curtained entrance.

"Very well." she said through clenched teeth. She walked slowly toward the kitchen as her eyes traveled up the stairway to the lancers that were opening every door. The protests of her customers as the lancers stormed into the rooms above reached her ears as she prayed silently that somehow Zorro could escape capture.

The Alcalde looked in every dark corner, opened the back door and even checked the small storage room she always kept locked. "Now, do you believe me?"

"No! I know you've hidden him in the past." He continued to look about the kitchen as if he expected the tall man to be magically hidden in the tiniest of hiding places.

"Alcalde!" Mendoza stuck his head through the curtains. "He's not upstairs. We checked every room." He stared straight at the Alcalde and missed the immediate look of relief that spread across Victoria's face.

"Are you sure?" De Soto made the short question important with his low tone.

"Sí, mi Alcalde! There are four guests in the rooms, but no Zorro. We checked very, very carefully, sir."

"Very well, then, Sergeant. Get back out there and keep looking!" He turned back to the young woman and stepped in close to her, using his height to intimidate her. "We may be back. You see, I know something was wrong with him tonight. It was obvious to me that he was injured or possibly ill. He will be easy for us to capture if we find him. And, señorita, we will find him!"

"Then you'd better hurry. Since you now know he's not here." A few minutes later, she was rushing back up the stairs. When she entered the room, she was surprised to find him sitting on the bed, shirtless. He was awake and miserable. All the noise the men had made must have been torture for him.

"Here, let me help you get comfortable." Her heart was aching for him. It wasn't until she had gotten him settled back under the covers and sleep had reclaimed him once more, that she even gave a thought as to what had happened in the room. She looked about her and wondered where he'd hidden. His shirt and the other articles of black clothing were nowhere in sight.

Then it hit her. Mendoza had said "four guests". But she had only three. The lancers that had checked this room must have seen him. That meant he must have removed the mask and they'd actually seen his face! He merely pretended to be a guest, asleep. Her anger flared slightly when she realized he'd replaced the mask just for her. To protect her! She sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at him. The temptation was great to just take a peek under the mask. He'd never even know! It would be so easy. Her hand was actually reaching for the black silk when he stirred.

"Are they gone?" His groggy voice made her start. The blue eyes behind the mask opened and held hers. Then they locked on her hand.

"Yes." She moved her hand slowly back to her side and his eyes followed it. "I'm sorry. I guess I was about to give in to temptation."

"Victoria, you do know the reason for this mask."

"Oh, I know. It's protecting me! You've told me that often enough. I'm beginning to despise the word! But I just want to know so much…" Her voice trailed away and a single tear escaped the corner of her eye.

"But, are you sure?" His voice was tender, not accusing. If there was anything he could not bear, it was to see her cry. "If you removed the mask right now, could you accept me as I am? No matter whose face you find behind it?" He sat up and drew her into his arms. His lips burned for hers and found them. The kiss was long and took her breath away and then he drew back and asked, "Have you thought over the consequences?"

"Consequences?" She was still lost in the kiss, focusing on dreams she'd had for so long now. "What consequences are—"

Suddenly she pushed him away and he saw flames of anger leap into her eyes. "Oh, you mean that I just might hang for knowing your secret! Well, I've got news for you! I could hang just for helping you tonight without even knowing who you are! Your argument doesn't hold any water, Señor de—"

The name that had almost tumbled out of her mouth shocked her. She stared at the man in front of her and her mind was in chaos! She had almost called him—! Oh, but that was impossible. She looked deep into his eyes for a full, long minute. Then she shook her head in an effort to clear her thoughts. You'd think she was the one who'd been drinking! No, it just couldn't be!

Ire had made her voice grow louder and the change in her behavior from tenderness to anger had him confused. His mind was now clouded by hangover, if not by drink. A moment ago, she'd been kissing him passionately. Now she was furious with him. He collapsed back among the pillows with a pitiful moan, holding his head once more.

The effect upon her was immediate. Her whole manner softened and she spent the next half hour whispering soothing endearments to him, wiping his face (being careful of the mask) with a cool cloth and softly rubbing his chest. He drifted off into a deep sleep, enjoying the attention.

But rest didn't come easily for Victoria. There was just too much to think about, to worry about. So she sat back in the chair and her mind just would not rest. The soldiers might return at any moment. It would be a miracle if he could escape being found here a third time. She still needed to think through how he'd gotten past the lancers the last time. Could they really have stared him in the face and not have known him?

And there was still the question that really worried her. Just why had he gotten drunk in the first place? She wanted to believe that it had something to do with the frustration about their not being able to be together. But she knew that was just a romantic notion. After all, it was totally within his control to do something about it. Secretly, she would love the reason to be something like that. Or perhaps, jealousy. That would be so…well…so romantic. But why should Zorro be jealous of anyone? He knew she loved him.

Then her eyes moved over to the tray of cold food. She could just see it in the edges of the light from the single candle. The food she had made for Diego. The memory of kissing Diego in the Padre's garden waltzed through her mind. Oh, it couldn't be! But Diego said that he thought someone had seen them that day. Could it have been…?" She looked over at the sleeping man. No, that was impossible. But someone had seen. And if word had gotten back to Zorro…. She bit her lip and her face lit up at the very idea of Zorro being driven to drink at the idea of her kissing Diego. A giggle escaped her lips and she heard him give a little moan from the bed.

"Victoria?" He was rubbing his eyes and he had raised up to look about him.

"I'm here. How do you feel?" She sat down on the side of the bed once more.

"Not that well." But his voice had that 'in command' quality to it once again. She could see the furrowed lines on his brow even in the dim candlelight, and she guessed that his headache was still in force.

"Now, do you want some coffee? It might help."

He gave an embarrassed laugh. "I probably owe you a ton of apologies. I'm sorry. I don't know—'

"Apologies accepted. But I will still have quite a bit to say to you about this episode…when you can bear it a bit better than now."

"I'm sure you will. And I shall try to take it like a man." He reached for her hand and placed a tender kiss on it. Thank you. For everything." He looked over toward the window and saw the closed shutters. "What time is it getting to be, I wonder."

"About five, I should think. Hopefully, the lancers have given up on you by now. I suppose you'll be going." He could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"I really should. I've imposed on you quite enough."

Yes, he needed to go, but he didn't want to leave just yet. The events of the night were already growing hazy in his mind. But there was one memory he wanted to reinforce before it was lost to him and that was the feel of her in his arms. He reached for her once more and hugged her tightly. The scent of her hair and the feel of her body pressed against him he firmly imprinted on his memory. This moment, here and now, he wanted to retain and remember.

For several moments longer, he held her, rejoicing in her closeness, and then he knew it was time. He pushed her firmly away and threw back the covers to get up from the bed.

The sight of his bare chest caused a shiver to race up her spine. "No, you aren't steady enough just yet and you know it. Why don't you just lie back and sleep this off. The soldiers probably won't come back. This will be the one place you're safe."

He couldn't argue with her logic. And the bed did feel so inviting. So he let her talk him into relaxing back into the soft mattress.

Once she was sure he was asleep, she made her way to her own room to freshen up and prepare for the coming morning.