Chapter 2

The men sat around the de la Vega dining room table talking for hours. Don Alejandro was more concerned with issues of sufficient supervision and housing once the women arrived; Don Diego felt that enticing one hundred women to give up established lives to come to a faraway colony of Spain was the first priority.

"If you can't convince the women of the enticements of the pueblo, the question of what to do with them when they get here is moot," Diego insisted.

"Enticements? That would be the men, right?" Don Alberto asked.

Don Diego let out an exasperated sigh. "While that might be one, I think that the type of women you want to bring here will be interested in many other things as well." Seeing the blank faces of the two men, Diego continued, "For instance, they'll want to know about the climate, the church, even the school. If these women do come here to marry and have families, they will want to know what kind of environment they will be living in and what the pueblo will offer to their children."

"Children! Diego, we don't want women with children. We want young women." The two men looked at each other, laughed, and shook their heads in firm agreement.

"I meant their future children. And I wouldn't rule out women who are a little older. Many of your men would probably prefer a more mature woman when they start thinking of marriage." Diego looked intently at the men. "That is what you both said you wanted. Marriageable women. Isn't that so?"

"Well, it had better be," his father interjected. "I'll not be a part to an endeavor to bring fast women to this pueblo. That will not solve the problem you were complaining about in the first place."

The talk went on until well past midnight. By then, Diego had a list of good points about the pueblo and surrounding area for his pamphlet and he felt good about the men's motives and intents. They had begged him to accompany them to Spain and his father had agreed it was a good idea, but Zorro was needed in Los Angeles. Diego could ill afford to be gone from the pueblo at such a time.

The men left the hacienda excited over their mission. For that was what it was, a mission. It had become more than a mere idle bet. They were working toward a goal of expanding the population and horizons of the pueblo.

It was a race to get the dormitory built and furnished before the ships arrived. There were four vessels heading toward Los Angeles from Spain carrying a total of one hundred and twelve women. The two caballeros had more than met their goal. The pamphlet had proved to be a complete success for they had even had to tell some women they would have to wait until the next year before accommodations could be guaranteed for them.

The entire pueblo had donated items and money to help get ready for the arrival of the women. The one detractor was, of course, the alcalde.

"A bunch of nonsense!" he complained loudly as he sat in the tavern drinking his wine. "A boatload of women descending on us like a pack of wolves!"

"Alcalde, how can you say that?" Don Alejandro declared. "These are nice women. The men will have made sure of that."

"Those two! We'll be lucky if they don't come back with a bunch of tavern —"

Victoria slammed a pitcher of water down on the table just inches from his fingers. "Don't say it, Alcalde!" She flashed him a stern warning. "Or you may be eating in the commissary from now on!"

And with that, she flounced back toward her kitchen.

The señorita had been in a bad mood for weeks now. Even a few nighttime visits from her favorite hero had not lessened the tartness of her tongue. Outwardly, she was in favor of the coming of the brides. Inwardly, she feared the competition.

While the alcalde, his father and Mendoza bandied about the relative merits and possible negative effects of the coming influx of young women, Diego rose quietly and followed Victoria through the curtains separating the front room from the kitchen.

"Victoria? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, Diego, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I am a little on edge."

"I can see that. And what is it that has you in this mood?" He reached for the tray she held and set it firmly down on the long low table. "Tell me."

"It's those women!" She sank down on the short bench next to the table. "They'll come here and be beautiful and new and fresh and —"

"And you'll lose the attention of Zorro?" A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Yes!" She looked up and saw his barely contained mirth. "Oh, Diego! I know it's silly. I know it's petty. But it is a very real problem for me!"

"Is Zorro so fickle?"

"No, oh no, I don't mean that. But…well…he's a man! And yes, I guess I do think men are fickle. I've seen it here in my tavern day in and day out. I've heard the talk." Her fingers were worrying with the dish cloth in her lap. "He'll forget me. He'll be swamped with attention everywhere he turns and —"

"If he truly loves you, he would ignore it."

Something in his tone caused her to look up into his deep blue eyes. "How do you know?"

"I would." Diego sat down beside her and pried her hand from the tangle of cloth. "I would keep the gold I had instead of prospecting for possible silver."

She looked down at her hand enveloped in his. "Diego?" The muffled conversations and sounds coming from within the front room seemed to dim into a very distant background and the air grew close. His eyes held hers and she found she couldn't look away, despite wanted to do so. His whole face seemed to waver as if she were seeing him through shimmers of heat waves rising from somewhere below her line of vision.

"Victoria? Should Zorro ever throw your love away, mine would be waiting there for you, within your easy reach. You would only have to take it." His words were a mere whisper and she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Diego declaring his love for her?

But Diego was still talking. "…and the dormitory is almost finished. I think it will be ready for them to inhabit when they arrive."

Suddenly the noise was back and Diego was sitting there calmly. The dreamlike quality had vanished. Had she imagined it all?

"Victoria?" Diego was looking at her with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, Diego. Fine." She looked down and saw his hands on his knees. Had he even taken her hand at all?

"You don't look it. You look rather feverish. Victoria?" He put a hand to her forehead and felt the clamminess there. "Victoria, you're burning up with fever!" He stood, grabbed both her hands and pulled her to her feet. "You, young lady, are going straight upstairs and to bed. I'll have Doctor Hernandez come see you."

"Diego, I'm fine, really." But as she protested she saw the room swirl around her and stretch away into the distance. She could hear Diego saying her name, but she could not focus her eyes. Even as she fainted in his arms, she heard the words echoing in her mind, "…waiting there for you…only…take it."

The customers in the front room turned their faces to the spectacle of Diego carrying the unconscious taverness out of the doorway of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Father! Get Doctor Hernandez! Victoria is ill."

De Soto found his voice first as Don Alejandro moved quickly toward the door, eager to fetch the doctor.

"Hmm, fainting! Now I wonder what that could be a symptom of?" He laughed and looked around for someone to take up the thought, but he was only met with glares. Don Alejandro paused at the door to shoot him a look of sheer disdain.

Feeling uncomfortable from the stares, De Soto lifted his glass to the onlookers. "Well, it's only understandable," he said reasonably. "Don't any of you think it odd?" When there was no answer, he went on, "Does she not consort with the criminal Zorro?"

"That is enough!" Don Emilio stood up and walked over to the alcalde's table. He slowly removed one of his gloves and threw it harshly on the table near De Soto's hand.

"Señor, am I to take it —"

"You are! I have had just about enough of your arrogance, your insolence. And now you demean the character of a woman such as Señorita Escalante! It is enough!"

"It certainly is! Lancers!" The alcalde directed his shout to his men outside the door. Two came rushing in, bumping into each other as they spilled into the room. The alcalde rolled his eyes and snorted in disgust. "Lancers, arrest this man." He stood and leveled his eyes at Don Emilio. "Dueling is illegal in this pueblo, Señor. And challenging one to a duel is as well. My jail is not a comfortable one. Not nearly as comfortable as your hacienda! You should have thought of that."

De Soto turned on his heel and stalked to the door, confidant that his lancers would follow through on his orders. He knew it was an unpopular thing to do, arresting a caballero. Zorro was not going to like it, as Mendoza was so fond of saying. "But they make such good bait," De Soto said to himself as he opened the door to his office.