Chapter 4
Zorro crept effortlessly along the tiles, the guards standing outside the cuartel oblivious to his presence. Climbing in through the window in the roof, Zorro dropped quietly down into the alcalde's office and drew his dagger.
Picking the lock, he slipped into the alcalde's bedroom and grinned down at the sleeping man.
"You make this all too easy, Alcalde." Zorro crossed his arms and waited patiently for the man to shake the sleep from his head.
"Zorro!" De Soto leapt out of bed and reached for his baldric. Struggling for a moment with his sword, he finally drew it and adopted the customary stance.
Zorro took a step back and chuckled at the sight the alcalde presented, standing in his nightshirt and cap, holding his sword.
"What do you want, Zorro?" De Soto stepped over to the bedside table and lit the lamp.
"I've come to deliver a personal warning, Alcalde." The mirth vanished from his eyes and he regarded de Soto with a stern stare. "If you had anything to do with the destruction of the Perez home, you will pay adequate restitution."
"The Perez home –" de Soto choked, his eyes widening. He'd been furious when he heard about the house and barn burning down—those fools were only supposed to frighten the farmer into selling, not murder them!—but fortunately, there was no proof to connect him to the fire. "I had nothing to do with it."
"Yes," Zorro stepped closer, as if daring de Soto to take a swing at him, "I know all about your continued attempts to buy his land. If I discover something nefarious in your intent –"
De Soto thrust quickly and Zorro sidestepped the blade with ease. He drew his own famous sword, saluted the alcalde, then dropped the tip immediately to parry another oncoming attack.
"As much as I enjoy each and every one of our splendid encounters," Zorro executed a quick reposte before de Soto could return the parry and his blade went sailing out of his hands, "I have other pressing matters this evening."
Zorro sheathed his blade and extended a black-gloved hand toward de Soto's neck. Pressing him against the wall, Zorro leaned toward the wide-eyed man and hissed, "I repeat, if you had anything to do with the destruction of the Perez home, I will hold you personally responsible. Likewise, if anything further happens to them."
With a quick right hook, de Soto was sprawled into a heap, unconscious. Before slipping out the door, Zorro turned and touched his hand to his hat. "Sleep well, Ignacio."
The next day, Diego slipped into the cave at first light, intent on riding out to what remained of the Perez house and investigating the cause of the fire.
As he finished dressing, he heard the little babe crying. Instantly, he moved to the viewing hole and was entranced by the image of Victoria bouncing the baby on her shoulder, trying to calm the little one before she woke up the entire household. A longing stronger than anything he had ever felt shot through his heart and he stood rooted in place, imagining it was his babe Victoria held.
When his father stepped into the library, Diego watched as he took the little one and bounced her on his lap. The girl instantly quieted and Victoria sank into a nearby chair oblivious Alejandro's amused smile.
Diego shook his head to clear the longing thoughts. He had a job to do and he needed to get out to it so he would not be missed at home. And, he admitted to himself, Victoria would only be at the hacienda for one more day and he wanted to spend as much time with her as he possibly could.
He quickly mounted Toronado and urged him out of the cave, "Let's go, boy. We've got some investigating to do."
In the middle of Zorro's investigation, two riders appeared on the horizon, moving steadily closer. He knew he'd been seen, so he simply sat waiting for them to arrive. With a smile, he tipped his hat to Alejandro and José as they pulled their horses to a stop.
"Buenos dias, Señores."
"Zorro," Alejandro nodded. "Investigating the fire?"
"Sí, but I have yet to find any incriminating evidence."
"That is unfortunate," Alejandro sighed and began to look around the completely burned out home and barn.
"And fortunate for the alcalde that he does not appear to have been involved," Zorro muttered as he kicked the loose sand in frustration.
"You sound as if you would be happier if he had been involved," Alejandro turned a questioning eye on the masked man.
"It would certainly make things much easier," Zorro grinned, clutching his sword.
"Would you kill him?" José asked, his eyes wide.
"I've not yet found a cause worth killing for, José," Zorro began, his eyes soft, "But he could be forced to pay restitution to you for the destruction of your property. As things stand now, there is no one to bring to justice for this – crime."
José nodded sadly. "I understand."
"The fire had to have been deliberately set." Zorro stalked around the burned structure, eyes scanning the area with hawk-like vision. "If it had started spontaneously, more of the surrounding brush would be burned."
"Yes," Alejandro agreed as he looked around the area. Only the structures had burned, very strange if the fire had started naturally.
"I will get to the bottom of this, José." Zorro clasped the young man on the shoulder. "It may just take more time."
The next day passed too quickly for Diego's taste. He was thrilled at continually seeing Victoria at the hacienda, which did nothing to suppress his desire for her to know his secret. Much to Diego's relief, his father had consciously given them as much time alone as his sense of propriety would allow.
Stopping a passing servant, Diego inquired as to Victoria's whereabouts. He smiled knowingly when the maid answered that she was in the garden with the baby.
As he made his way out the side entrance, his breath caught. Victoria was softly walking, the baby dozing on her shoulder; and humming a lullaby in a low, relaxing tone. He leaned against the adobe wall and crossed his arms, watching her every move, her every sweet expression. Dios, he wanted to tell her everything. This deception was tearing his heart in two. But would she welcome his kiss as much as she welcomed those stolen in the midst of heart-pounding danger by her masked love?
He didn't think she would. And that fear was the only thing now that kept him from taking her in his arms and revealing it all. His excuse that the knowledge would be too dangerous wouldn't work anymore. He knew that. She suffered at the alcalde's whim from simply loving the masked man, whether or not she helped him publicly.
His heavy sigh drew Victoria's eyes in his direction and he smiled warmly, simply refusing to look away, as he had so often done when caught watching her.
"She is a little magnet, isn't she?" Victoria approached slowly, her voice low so that she wouldn't disturb the sleeping babe in her arms.
You have no idea.
Diego forced as much longing out of his voice as possible, but he knew he wouldn't be able to cover it all. "Very much so."
Victoria was surprised by his strong reaction to the babe but, she admitted, perhaps she had just not given him enough consideration when it came to these sorts of things. She'd never thought of her friend as a man who would one day want to marry and have children. Since he'd returned from Spain, she hadn't seen the look of an enamored lover in his eyes once directed toward a woman – except herself. Which she found puzzling enough since he knew she was in love with Zorro. She hadn't seen that look more than a handful of times, but she was certain it was there, until it vanished as if it had never existed – leaving her to wonder if it had just been her imagination.
She smiled at her best friend as his eyes lingered on the sleeping babe. Perhaps, as he aged, he felt the pull, the desire to have children as strongly as she did. Maybe she had just been so absorbed in her own feelings for Zorro, that she had completely missed whatever emotions Diego had concerning the subject.
Victoria watched with a curious stare as Diego turned and plucked a fragrant rose from its vine, carefully avoiding the thorns. She smiled warmly as he slowly removed the thorns and placed it on the sleeping babe's chest. "To remember us, little one."
Victoria was momentarily silenced by Diego's affectionate gesture and sweet words. "How could she forget this place?" she whispered when she found her voice."It's the most beautiful garden in the territory."
Diego chuckled lowly, his rich baritone voice sweeping over her like the gentlest breeze. "Don't let the padre hear you say that. He's worked tirelessly on his own garden."
Victoria watched as he plucked another rose from its vine and began to pull the thorns from that one as well.
"If you keep plucking roses from the vines, your father will find his beautiful garden bare the next time he comes out here." Victoria's eyes danced playfully.
"Ah, but he would have no objection as to the cause of their disappearance." Diego reached out and slid the de-thorned stem into her hair, securing it as best he could without bringing himself improperly close. "Why do we have such a garden if not to shower beautiful ladies with the bounty within?"
"Diego." Victoria was astonished by the – romantic overture. "Such flattery. I never realized –"
Diego swallowed nervously and shifted his eyes to the babe, "Well, such close proximity to two lovely ladies must have brought out some hitherto untapped ability."
"It's a nice change in you, Diego," Victoria admitted, her eyes searching his face. "Your father would be proud."
Diego shook his head. "My father will not be proud of me until I manage to give him those grandchildren he keeps incessantly nagging me about."
Victoria thought she caught a hint of resentment, of sadness, in his eyes. "You are a good son, Diego. Your father is proud of you regardless of your unmarried state."
Diego caught himself as he lifted his hand to trail the back of his fingers down her cheek. Instead, he diverted that hand to rest gently on her upper arm. "Thank you for the kind words, Victoria. They mean more than you know."
Victoria once again found herself drawn into his eyes. Diego looked away as if he were uncomfortable for revealing a part of himself that he wished to keep hidden. Victoria couldn't explain it, but she felt a small sense of loss.
Before she could frame an appropriate response, they were interrupted by Alejandro. "Oh, Diego, Victoria! My apologies, I didn't realize you were out here."
Diego offered his father a slightly strained smile as the older man raised his hands. "Don't let me interrupt!"
He made a hasty exit, giving his son an encouraging wink, which only caused Victoria's brows to knit together in confusion.
"No doubt he is encouraged by my desire to spend time staring at this magnetic babe in your arms," Diego offered before she had the chance to voice the question he knew was sitting at the tip of her tongue.
"Well, stare away." Victoria's eyes caught his and she was certain she saw a mixture of surprise and encouragement radiate within them before vanishing, making her wonder if the look was even there to begin with.
"I believe I will," Diego answered quietly and indicated a bench not too far away where they could sit and relax in the peaceful garden for the remainder of the little one's nap.
They sat in silence for a long while, each absorbed in their own confusing thoughts and allowing the peaceful sanctuary of the garden to offer temporary comfort.
A growing sadness settled over Victoria when she realized that she would need to return to the tavern this evening. She was well enough to return to work after a few days of pampered recovery. As much as it made her uncomfortable to admit it, she had felt like part of a family for the last two days and would very much miss the people, the conversation, and the welcoming warmth of the hacienda.
Taking care of the little babe whenever she could, talking with Diego, Alejandro, the servants, even Felipe had forced her to realize that she missed being part of a home, missed having a family. Even Diego had seemed unusually excited at the unexpected to guests in his home.
Diego – he was another mystery. She had thought him for so long to be open and uncomplicated, but she had discovered more about his character, his carefully guarded emotions, in the last two days than she had ever expected him to even possess. Their candid conversations had drawn her to him and she found herself admitting that she would miss the comfortable feeling that enveloped her whenever they were together.
"If you'd like to eat one last meal with us," Diego was speaking now, suddenly, and Victoria blinked rapidly to clear her thoughts. "I will be happy to escort you back to the tavern this evening."
Victoria smiled widely. "Thank you, Diego, I would like that very much."
Diego's gaze shifted from the babe to Victoria, and she suddenly felt very transparent. A small smile curled his lips as he said quietly, "I'm not the only one reluctant to part with the intoxicating beauty in your arms."
Victoria blushed and gazed down at the sleeping babe and admitted, "No, I suppose not."
The longing he could hear in her voice prompted him to gently touch her shoulder. He knew what she wanted to hear – reassurance that her waiting for Zorro had not been in vain. That he would one day be able to claim her and publicly profess their love. It was a day he feared would never come; more and more he was forcing himself to believe it was a very real possibility. The injustice in the pueblo would never go away and he would never be able to stop himself from getting involved.
It wasn't fair to make her wait for him. Not when she had so much love within her to give. He'd been selfish to make her wait until he could be the sole recipient of that affection. With a quick, decisive decision, and remembering his father's gentle suggestion, he decided to plant a seed within her mind and hope that the intelligence he knew she possessed revealed itself to her.
And – he admitted, he was a coward for not simply taking her right now to the cave and professing his love.
"I don't think you should worry too deeply about whether or not Zorro loves you enough to marry you and give you one of these little miracles of your own," Diego broke the comfortable silence and brushed his fingers against the babe's rosy cheek.
Victoria glanced sharply at him, her eyes searching his for the reason he had brought up the masked man.
Diego smiled wryly. "His love is very obvious."
Victoria smiled, despite the longing with which the mention of his name filled her. "I know."
The sadness and hope in her eyes prompted him to lift his finger from the babe's cheek and slide it beneath her chin. He turned her head toward him and gazed kindly into her eyes. "A love so strong would be difficult to mask."
After a moment of contemplation, Victoria inhaled sharply, her eyes widening, "Are you saying –"
Diego held his breath, thinking she had suddenly had an epiphany and figured out his secret. He tensely waited for her to finish, secretly hoping, yet fearing, that she had figured it out.
"Are you saying that if I looked closely enough, I would see that love –"
"Reflected in the eyes of the man behind the mask," Diego finished for her. "Yes, Victoria. It goes to reason that is exactly what you would see if you looked hard enough."
"Oh, Diego!" Victoria exclaimed so loudly the baby stirred. "I never thought of that!"
A wry smile tugged at his lips. "Well, if he visits your tavern, I think only a bit of careful scrutiny would be necessary to discover his identity."
Victoria stood, unable to stop her fidgeting, and Diego stood with her, as custom and respect dictated. But when she turned to him and excitedly kissed his cheek, he stared at her with a barely suppressed longing of his own. Had she been looking at him with the scrutiny he had just mentioned, she would have been taken aback by the similarity
"Thank you, Diego!" her eyes glistened with happy tears and he couldn't help but share in her enthusiasm. After all, if she guessed his secret, that happiness would transfer to him – wouldn't it?
She swept out of the garden, leaving him staring after her and wondering just what their future held.
TBC
Thethirdtroll – Yes, Alejandro is quite happy that his son is showing an interest in a woman – even if it is Zorro's woman! He'll meddle a bit . . .
You've never seen the New World Zorro series? Are you kidding? No, no, this just won't do. You must get copies of them!
Uhm. What – Yes, Alejandro isn't blind… he demanded to know at least some of his son's secrets while I was writing….I had no choice!
InuKurama – Victoria is one lucky woman, that's for sure! She's intelligent…why didn't she figure it out! That man's eyes cannot lie . . .