Chapter 5. Smokescreen.
Don Alejandro decided to sit on the table, he was stunned to hear what he had just been told, and after almost a minute of staring at his son without saying anything, he drank a sip of water. He still had to assimilate that his son was Zorro, that he and Victoria were talking about getting married and that he was capable of arguing with her without ending up agreeing with her on everything. The latter was proving very disconcerting to him.
Looking back at Diego, Victoria noticed how he looked with wet hair and clothes and regretted throwing the contents of the glass at him, "Sorry about the water."
He made a gesture downplaying it. "It was just the water, not the glass, and with the heat in five minutes I'll be dry."
Victoria looked down, feeling very discouraged all of a sudden. "I finally know who you are and we still can't get married." she whispered.
Diego walked over to her and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "If you still want us to get married we'll find a way. The only thing that can stop me is for you to tell me you won't go through with it. is that what you want, Victoria? Now that you know, do you want to marry me?"
She stared at Diego and began to nod her head. "Yes, but how?" she said frustrated.
"I don't know yet."
"You're in quite a mess you've gotten yourself into." said Don Alejandro.
"I figured that out long ago." replied Diego.
"At least the alcalde doesn't suspect anything. He thinks you've been out there making conquests."
"That won't be true. won't it?" said Victoria with a frown.
"You're the only one, I give you my word." he said earnestly. "Besides with all the work that being Zorro gives I would not have had the time." he added in a much more lighthearted tone.
"Well, I'm afraid there are many people who believe that the alcalde is right," said Don Alejandro.
"Who?" asked Diego quizzically.
"A couple of neighbors have come over to gossip. One has even congratulated me veiled, saying that in town some people commented that it was strange that you didn't show interest towards women, but that he had never believed it. He says you are still young and can settle down later."
"I've never given them reason to think such a thing." he said.
"They say that's why you spend days out of town, because you look for women in the contours, so it's harder to get caught by someone you know. The alcalde says avoiding women from Los Angeles is a good strategy."
Diego snorted, not knowing what to say to that. Finally he said, "When I spend days away it's because I'm looking for cattle rustlers or stagecoach robbers, not because I'm having skirt affairs."
"My assistants think the same thing." said Victoria. "That you can have any women you want." she said somewhat sulkily.
"If I can have you I don't want any more, so in a way they're still right, I have all the women I want." he joked.
She smiled slightly. "You'd better not be infatuated with others."
"Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to somehow admit that there have been other women." said Don Alejandro.
"What for?" asked Diego as Victoria glared at don Alejandro.
Seeing her face, don Alejandro made a gesture to reassure her. "Peace, Victoria, I mean it's still not bad that they think he's leaving the other women for you."
"Letting the alcalde think Diego is a seducer?" she asked.
Diego nodded thoughtfully. "It's what he thinks he's figured out, and it's very easy to convince someone of something when he already thinks he's right, especially if it makes him look a lot smarter than the others. "After a few moments he added, "That's fine with me, but we'll have to see what we do about Zorro." Then he looked at Victoria. "The question is whether you want to risk being married to a scoundrel."
"Let me get this straight: ever since you came from Spain you've feigned disinterest in me and what was going on in town to hide the fact that you're Zorro, and to keep the alcalde from finding out you're going to pretend you were having affairs with other women. I don't understand how that justifies you wanting to marry me now."
"The point is that we get everyone to believe that even though I've had affairs you are the only woman I'm really interested in, but I was looking for others because I couldn't have you."
"Yes." interjected Don Alejandro. "While you were in love with Zorro he would have entertained himself with them, but for you he is willing to change his life now that he has seen he has a chance."
"That would have been very wrong." said Victoria very seriously. "Who would play with women's feelings like that?"
Diego shrugged. "The alcalde, if he found any woman gullible enough."
Don Alejandro nodded and Victoria made a disgusted face. "I prefer not to imagine de Soto trying to seduce a woman. I had enough when we took that darn potion."
"Better not think about it." agreed Diego.
"We'd better discuss the details among the three of us, to see if we can come up with a good story." proposed Don Alejandro.