Chapter 39

Victoria stood outside the corral. In her arms, she held her daughter Felicia. Exactly nine weeks old today.
The foal born on the same day tumbled through the field.

Alejandro laughed at the enthusiastic jumps the young stallion made. Satisfied, he remarked, "He may look like his mother outwardly, but the suppleness and way of moving show that he truly is a son of his father."
Alejandro stroked Felicia's cheek.
"And this little one is already as beautiful as her mama. Mark my words, Felicia will need to fight the Caballeros off her later."

Yesterday, a long letter arrived from Mexico City. Foremost, there had been the congratulations on the birth of Felicia. Felipe had started studying the law this semester. He was having a good time at the university.
He had made friends, and the professors were satisfied with his performance. Felipe wrote that he benefited greatly from the lessons given by Diego and that he was one of the best in the debate group and had his first fencing lesson last month. His instructor thought he was a natural talent.

After the elections, the pueblo had found the peace that Los Angeles was longing for so many years.
With an alcalde who had the interests of the pueblo at heart, instead of self-interest and self-enrichment, Los Angeles had become a pleasant place to live.

After the theft of Jupiter, Alejandro resolved to turn his son into a good tracker.
For weeks, the old don had tried to teach his son the delicate skills it took to be a good tracker. Or so the people in the pueblo believed. In reality, Alejandro and Diego had spent many an hour together in the saddle, sword-fighting, in the cave, or playing chess.

There were still bandits along the cameo royal. Since the lancers these days rode their patrols regularly and were better trained to recognize the danger, bandits rarely succeeded in their evil intent.
The one time in recent months that the alcalde had called on all the men in the pueblo to track down some bandits, don Alejandro had insisted on his son to lead the search party.
And to everyone's surprise, it was this party that had managed to track down the bandits. Although it later became known, that was mainly since don Alejandro had disagreed on every decision his son made. So the catch had been a stroke of luck.

Alejandro held his hand over his eyes to protect them from the sun and peered into the distance. "Are you expecting visitors? A horse and cart are coming."
He took Felicia over from Victoria. "You come to your abuelo."
Chatting to Felicia, Alejandro walked to the gate to see who was coming.
"And when you get big enough, I'll take you out riding and teach you how to fish." Felicia looked at her grandfather with big blue eyes as if she understood exactly what the don was telling her.

Victoria said, gazing in the distance. "I think it's Pilar."

And indeed, a few minutes later, Pilar jumped down from the trestle and greeted the don and her friend.

"A letter has arrived from Francisco, from Monterey. I thought you would like to know what it says." Pilar uttered.
She waved the thick envelope in her hand.
"He writes that he's coming next month to Los Angeles for my wedding."

"That's nice to hear. Have you come all this way just to tell us?" Victoria muttered.

Pilar laughed and took Felicia's small hand in hers. "I also miss this little princess. Your mama should bring you by more often."

Victoria glowed, seeing how fond her friend was of her child. "Are you coming in? I've made lemonade and apple pie."

Pilar nodded and followed Alejandro and Victoria inside.

"I almost regret we are getting married so soon. In about a year Felicia will make the most adorable flower girl." Pilar cried.

Felicia began to whine. Alejandro tried to soothe her and succeeded only partially. Victoria stretched her arms out to her daughter.
"You better give her to me. I think she's hungry."

Alejandro handed Felicia to Victoria. "I'll go to tell Maria we have a guest and like something to drink."

Pilar and Victoria watched the don as he walked down the corridor towards the kitchen.

Pilar uttered. "And I have more news I want to share with you."

Victoria sat down on a comfortable chair, wrapping the shawl hanging over the back of the chair on her shoulders.

Pilar took a seat on the sofa opposite Victoria. She took the letter out of the envelope.
"Listen, whatever else Francisco writes.
I can also inform you the governor has read all the letters Los Angeles had sent. He was very impressed by the things he read. I was able to tell him that some of them are actual testimonies concerning Zorro's actions and are accurate. Since I was there as an eyewitness.
And it seems likely to me that what I did not witness myself are genuine accounts of things happening in Los Angeles.
All of this, combined with our father's request of Zorro's misdeeds, as described by alcalde Ramon and alcalde de Soto, to be re-examined. And, if necessary, reconsidered, has led the Governor to grant Zorro a pardon."

Pilar looked up from the letter and saw Victoria sitting stiffly in the chair. Felicia was lying contentedly in her arms and making soft smacking noises.
"Isn't it good news? The letter goes even further. Listen. Since I will be travelling to Los Angeles shortly, to witness your wedding, I, my dear brother, will, therefore, at his request, personally hand over the appropriate forms to the current alcalde de Fuentez."

"I..., I...," stammered Victoria.

Pilar stood up and knelt beside Victoria's chair.
"I thought you would be overwhelmed with joy.
Zorro will soon be a free man."

Victoria did feel thrilled. It was that she was holding Felicia. Otherwise, she would not stand for herself.

Pilar ignored the odd reaction Victoria gave. "Of course, it has to remain a secret for a while. But I wanted to tell you. And, of course, you can tell don Diego. I am so happy for you both."

"How eeh...," Victoria cleared her throat.

Pilar raised herself and kissed Victoria on her cheek.
"Congratulations,"

Victoria laughed nervously, "It's good news for Zorro, but it is not like it has anything to do with me and Diego."

Pilar throat her pityingly. "Sure it has. It has everything to do with you and Diego.

Pilar laughed teasingly, sinking back to the floor. "Finding out Zorro's identity, being able to marry him without raising suspicion ..., having his child." Pilar glared at Felicia. "You once told me it was what you wanted above everything else. That is why I did it."

Victoria's mouth had fallen open in genuine surprise. "Did what?"

"Don't you remember? I told you, that in your heart you probably knew who was hiding behind the mask all along. That was to put you on the right track." Pilar whispered. "In all these years, I not once doubted his identity."

Lost for words Victoria saw how don Diego came walking in. He was carrying a tray full of beverages, followed by don Alejandro.
Diego said, "Pilar, what a pleasant surprise. My father has just told me Francisco wrote he is coming to your wedding. That is nice to hear."

.

"How do you mean Pilar knows?"

Victoria responded calmly. "Well, as I say. Pilar knows that you are Zorro. She told me this afternoon after she told me about the pardon, and she was helping me to put Felicia to bed."

Diego paced up and down between the garden doors. Victoria was feeding Felicia sitting on the sofa in their bedroom.
"Do you think she's going to betray me?" He asked, slightly nervous. Though somewhere, he was convinced it was an unnecessary question.

Victoria uttered. "You don't have to worry about that. Pilar said she knew who Zorro was from the first time she saw him."

Amazed, Diego gazed at her. "How could she have known from the beginning? I had just returned from Spain, and she had never met me before."
The family of Pilar had arrived in Los Angeles during the time he was in Spain.

Victoria was busy changing Felicia from one breast to the other. Diego gasped at the view of creamy white skin and a dark nipple from which a drop of milk still hung. His reaction seemed to pass entirely by Victoria. She had all her attention focused on Felicia.
"According to her, it was obvious."
For a moment, Victoria stopped talking, encouraging Felicia to take the nipple into her mouth before continuing.
"Pilar told me it was because of how we stared at each other when you, as Diego, first entered the tavern. She said we were looking at each other rather intensely, and she believed you would drop to your knees right away to propose to me."

Diego let what Victoria said sink in for a moment going back in his mind to that one moment when he had indeed fallen head over heels in love.

"Diego, are you still listening?" Victoria asked.

"Yes, and it's true, that was the moment I felt you were the only woman I would ever want to marry. As a teenager, I had a crush on you before I left for Spain. When I saw you again, after all that time, you were lovelier than I dared to remember. And I did fall in love. But that still doesn't explain why she instantly suspected me of being Zorro."

"That came later on. It came after Zorro made his first appearance, which Pilar did not witness, by the way. And all the interest we had in each other had vanished." Victoria tried to recall every word Pilar had told her earlier today in the nursery. After they had finished their refreshments, Victoria had asked the woman to help her put Felicia down for a nap. It had given the women the opportunity to talk about what her helper had said in the library.
"Me, because I had fallen in love with Zorro and was trying my best to forget you.
And you, because you were suddenly behaving differently."

"I was trying to find out what role to play as don Diego to be as different from Zorro as possible," Diego uttered in an apology.

Victoria took the time to give him a reassuring smile. "Diego, it doesn't matter why you did what you did. Back then, we both made mistakes. In any case, Pilar said she didn't understand what was going on. And she wondered what had caused us all of the sudden to change our minds.
Until she saw Zorro for the first time. And she realized that Zorro and I reacted to each other the same way Diego and I had.
According to her, it could only mean one thing."

"That I had to be Zorro." Replied Diego. "And she kept her mouth shut to everyone all this time?" He struggled to suppress his astonishment. It was a frightening thought. It turned out someone in the pueblo had known his secret all these years and had been without him knowing a constant threat. Had others suspected don Diego and Zorro shared more than the same eye colour and posture?

Meanwhile, Victoria continued speaking. "Yes, and in case you are curious. Pilar is also responsible for telling Mendoza it would be a nice idea to send letters to the governor."

Diego couldn't suppress a smile when he remembered something one of her siblings had once claimed. "Then I guess her younger brothers are correct in their suspicions. Pilar knows when someone is up to mischief even before the person thinks of it."
Diego looked at the most beautiful sight in the world.
He sank to his knees, pressing a kiss to Victoria's cheek and gently stroking Felicia's hair.

Victoria chuckled. "She has confessed to trying to get me on the right track because I simply seemed to refuse to see what she thought was so obvious."
It remained silent for a moment. Victoria thought how different her life would be had Pilar kept her mouth shut.
Would she ever have realized that the man she considered her closest friend was also her true love?
Probably she would have. Some day she must have admitted it to herself. But then, it would probably have taken months or even years longer before she would have been sitting here, with that man beside her, holding their child in her arms.

Victoria said. "Zorro's days seem to be near his end. Are you relieved? His task seems finished."

Diego allowed himself a moment to think about her question before answering. "Yes, and no. Los Angeles has for what Zorro has fought. At the same time, Zorro has been a part of me for so many years. I am going to miss him. I admit that I also enjoyed the role I played. It doesn't change the fact I like the idea I will probably not have to risk my life as often.
And my alter ego can no longer endanger your life, or father's, Felipe's, and Felicia's."
Felicia finished drinking, and Diego took her from Victoria, flattening the girl against his shoulder and patting her gently on the back.
"I got so much in return," he mumbled.

"I will miss Zorro," Victoria uttered. "Apart from being a hero, he has also been a symbol of hope for better times for so many. And I find him as charming as ever. However, I prefer to live with Diego by my side above Zorro risking his life."
Victoria was closing her dressing gown and gazing at her great love. Diego was with a limitless tenderness in his eyes, cherishing the tiny creature in his arms. Diego's hands were so large that they almost completely covered Felicia's entire body.

Diego stood up in one effortless movement. Patting her back, he walked with Felicia to the doña's room, which now served as the nursery.

A few days ago, Victoria had asked Maria when it was customary after the birth of a child for a woman to allow her husband back in her bed again.
Maria had told her that it was different for every woman and that she would feel when the time was right.

Victoria walked behind Diego into the baby's room.
While Diego was preparing Felicia for the night, Victoria closed the curtains, folded a nappy, and pulled aside the blankets so that Diego could put Felicia in her cradle.
The girl rubbed her face with her fists. Diego and Victoria kept watching until her eyes fell shut.

Together they walked back to the sofa and sat on it. The garden doors were still open, and a gentle breeze blew in the sultry evening air, fragrant with roses and lavender.

Diego embraced Victoria, and turned her face towards him with his thumb, kissing her. "I love you, mi querida. You've made me so happy."

"O, Diego, and I love you so very much."

.

"Diego, would you do something for me?" Victoria asked him later, blinking her eyes.

He enjoyed sitting beside her, feeling her body against his as she sat cruddled against him. "Anything you want."

Victoria looked at Diego penetratingly.
"Mmm, I was hoping you would be willing to wear this for me tonight."
From behind her back, she pulled out a black silk mask.

His mouth went dry. "Victoria, are you sure it's not too soon? I have no problem waiting until you feel up to it."

For the first few days after Felicia's birth, Victoria had slept in the canopy bed of the dona room.
For a few weeks, they had been sleeping together again in their familiar marital bedroom.
But there had been no physical intimacy.
Victoria licked her lips sensually, and the glare she gave him said more than a thousand words.
Diego felt warm and wondered if had his pants set on fire.

Then she whispered the relieving words. "But I do mind waiting any longer." Victoria undid the ribbon holding the dressing gown in place.

He chuckled and took the black silk from her as it slowly slipped through her fingers.
Skillfully and with years of experience, Diego knotted the mask around his head.

.

The only sounds heard was uttered expressions of love combined with deep growls, excited moans, shared laughers, and sighs of pleasure alternated.

.

Diego and Victoria had fallen asleep entwined. On the floor, beside the bed, gleaming in the silver moonlight that shone in through the French doors, lay, long forgotten, a piece of black silk.

.

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The end.

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Well, this was it. A crazy idea that suddenly came to me. Combined with my first attempt at a story. And some new ideas as they came along while writing it.
I hope you enjoyed this story. And would appreciate any feedback.

Mjf2468, thank you for being such a faithful reviewer.