Chapter 11
It took Zorro a long time to feel at home in one of the extra bedrooms of the hacienda, for he was there as Zorro, not Diego. He loathed being extra trouble for the servants, but he had insisted that all his meals be served in his room. He said he wanted to preserve the feel that he was still under some kind of house arrest. But actually, he was just being careful to protect his secret. Being in his own home with his own family and house servants around could very easily lull him into carelessness. He couldn't take the chance. He was careful to keep his mask close and the curtains drawn at the window.
Don Alejandro had instructed that he be given some of Diego's clothes to wear. After all, they were much the same size and build and they should fit him. He had also supplied Zorro with ample reading material on various subjects. One book was even the very one Diego had been in the middle of reading ...was it only last week?
The time passed slowly. The scene in De Soto's office played itself out over and over in his mind, and his guilt had only deepened.
Señor Ricardo Olvera had arrived from Monterrey within days and had questioned both Zorro and Sergeant Mendoza. He had pulled in some favors from the office of the governor so that the trial would be held quickly. His research and methods were impressive to Zorro, but his pleas to Zorro to help in his own defense fell on deaf ears. This was one trial in which he would not interfere. He did not want to hang, but he wanted his fate to be decided by an impartial jury.
Long talks with Don Alejandro and Señor Olvera, had led him to believe more and more that he would be acquitted of the crime. There was just no one that could be called to act as a juror that would ever vote him guilty.
Judge Saucedo, the judge that would be presiding over the trial, was scheduled to arrive in two more days. Saucedo was known to be fair. And if Señor Olvera remembered correctly, he had once told a story at a party once about having his life saved by a certain masked bandit on El Camino Real! So it would seem that Zorro's legal problems were being solved one by one.
Felipe had found Tornado easily that night, and had been looking after the stallion admirably. He had also managed to sneak Zorro's sword and whip out of the alcalde's office, right out from under Mendoza's nose! As long as Zorro's identity was still secret, Felipe intended to see to it that Zorro would have everything he needed to resume his fight for justice, should the need arise!
Sergeant Mendoza was managing quite nicely with the business of the pueblo and quickly gaining new respect amongst the townspeople.
Alcalde Ignacio De Soto had been buried quickly and quietly with only the Padre and Sergeant Mendoza in attendance. There was only a small tombstone and no flowers were placed on his grave.
Victoria was torn. She wanted to be with Diego but she knew that, right now, she couldn't see him. Not that he would have permitted the servants to let her into his room.
The strange disappearance of Diego had been explained as a sudden visit to Santa Paula to complete some business dealings for Don Alejandro. The story was different than the one she had suggested to Felipe and it made Victoria wonder. But she hadn't seen Felipe to ask him about the change in alibi.
She was going mad thinking about it all. Two more days and then maybe, life would return to normal! The waiting was impossible. Zorro was the only topic of conversation wherever she went. But usually her entrance stopped conversations cold.
Speculation was running rampant. What was to happen to Zorro? What was to happen with his romance with the pretty young señorita? She had heard the whispers of her customers as they wondered why she was not at the hacienda with her lover.
Her lover! Is that what people thought? That she and Zorro were lovers! But what did it matter? A soiled reputation was not what would keep her from marrying the man she loved. Her parentage was enough for that. She had thought long and hard about all the possible outcomes of the present situation. But she had pushed to the back of her mind the question about marrying Diego.
There hadn't been much said with regards to the future of their relationship that night in the cell. And saving Zorro from a prison term, or worse, had been the main objective since that night. Now that the question appeared to be solved, she needed to think about this. Would Diego really marry her? Would Don Alejandro permit him to do so? Was there already a stain on her reputation that would make it impossible even if their difference in class could be overlooked?
They had done nothing wrong when they were alone together. But just what did the pueblo believe? She thought back to that beautiful bathing room at the hacienda. And immediately, a gloom settled upon her shoulders. There were far many more reasons that such a union could not take place than to support it.
She finished up the dishes and dried her hands. The tavern had settled down for the night. There were only two guests upstairs and very little else to do. The air in the tiny kitchen was hot and humid. Victoria decided she needed a little fresh air so she grabbed her shawl, unlatched the back door and set out for a walk in the moonlight.
As she stepped over some of the rubble left by the men who had helped repair the damaged roof tiles to the tavern, she wondered how the repairs to her neighbors were progressing. So, instead of going around the building to the street, she walked on down behind the row of buildings.
The general store just two doors down had not fared nearly as well. She noted with satisfaction that the back wall had already been repaired and the adjacent storage building was halfway rebuilt. Señor Gomez was a good merchant, very honest and fair. She was pleased to see his business would be able to get back to normal.
She walked a little further and then paused. Thoughts of a certain masked man would not be denied for very long and she could feel them pushing back into her consciousness. She gave a long sigh and began walking again, her head down and her gait slowed.
What was he doing right now? How was he mentally, emotionally? It had been over a week since she'd seen him or talked to him. She had not envisioned that night that it would become so impossible just to see him.
She missed Zorro. But what really surprised her was she missed Diego. She had gone longer periods of time without seeing Zorro. But Diego had been a daily part of her life. Until this week, she had not realized just how big a role he had played in her thoughts. Had she not now known his secret, she would be very confused indeed! Diego was like a solid foundation in her life. She had laughed at and with him, chided him, and argued with him almost every day for the past six years. Losing him left a bigger hole in her life than she would have ever dreamed possible. Why had she been so blind to her feelings for him?
Furtive whispers crept into her thoughts and brought her back to the present. She had walked all the way to the back of the blacksmith's shop and could hear some men talking in low voices and whispers. She immediately turned and started back toward the tavern, embarrassed that she might have intruded on a personal conversation.
But then the urgency in the voices dawned on her. And one of those voices sounded familiar! She crept closer to the back wall of the building and listened intently.
"It will be easy! For the first time, El Zorro is confined and we know exactly where he is! I have waited so long for this. He will pay for the lost years of my life! Tonight he dies." The man uttered a coarse oath. "You worry too much. You know what to do. So do it!"
"Easy for you! You just give the orders! Why don't you come with us?"
"Because if you fail, our back-up plans must not! Now go. And make sure. No witnesses! You got that?"
The familiar voice was crude and rough. The other men had obviously been drinking. Had they been her customers tonight? She bit her lip, trying to place the voice of the one man. Who was that? Whoever it was, there was danger for Zorro and he had to be warned!
As she turned, a hand closed around her mouth and another pinned her against the wall. In seconds, she was bound and gagged and thrown over a man's shoulder. The more she struggled, the rougher she was treated.
"Look what we found! She heard everything. What should we do with her?" A hand grabbed her hair and pulled her head back.
"She's the Escalante woman! What luck! If Zorro should escape, we'll have a hold on him now! Take her to the camp!"
She was thrown like a sack of potatoes across a saddle and the horse took off at a gallop. Fear closed in upon her. There was no one to save her this time! What would they do to her? And what were they planning for Zorro!
Felipe willed his horse to fly back to the hacienda. After a fast trip to the cave, Felipe entered Zorro's bedroom through the window. There was no time to risk answering questions. Zorro was needed! Unlike Victoria, he had heard the first part of the men's plan. He knew who some of the men were and what they intended to do. He also knew that the only way to save both Victoria and the hacienda and its occupants was to get the news to Zorro as quickly as possible.
"Felipe! What are you doing h—" Diego had tried to impress on the boy of the need for minimum contact with him for the time being and he had complied. So he was surprised to see him come through the window in such haste.
Felipe began signing rapidly.
In minutes, Diego had the idea. There were men, many men, in the pueblo tonight, enemies of Zorro. And they had kidnapped Victoria. Diego reached for the whip that Felipe had retrieved for him. It took a second longer before he reached for the sword and Felipe could see pain in his eyes as he fastened the belt and scabbard to his waist. Prisoner or not, there was no way he could ignore danger to Victoria.
But he felt Felipe pulling at his sleeve. There was more.
"An attack on the hacienda! A fire? Go to Father. Tell him about this. Then help him to get the vaqueros ready. They will need loaded pistols, muskets and get them to draw buckets of water just in case. There are plenty of men around to help defend the house, but Victoria is out there alone. I will be back as soon as I can."
He patted the boy on the shoulder in farewell and leapt from the window onto Tornado's back.
Even with the knowledge of impending danger, Felipe paused to smile as he watched his patrón gallop off into the darkness. He had seen that spark behind Diego's eyes flash! It had been missing for the past week. Resignation had been the only thing he had glimpsed behind those eyes. Now the determination was back. Zorro was back!