Chapter 3

Victoria urged the mare to a fast gallop without even thinking about it.
Behind her, she heard Diego yell. "Victoria, stop!"

He could scream all he wanted. She refused to listen. Something was on fire at the plaza, and whether it was her tavern or not, she had to get there and see what was going on.
Using the reins and her heels, Victoria chased the horse at ever-increasing speed.

Diego came alongside, caught up with her and grabbed the reins to stop the horse.
"Victoria," Diego panted. "First, we need to find out what is going on."

Why was he always so careful. Victoria spitted the words. "I know what it is. There's a fire, and it might be my tavern." She tried to get loose, Diego holding her horse firmly.

"It could also be something else. Remember that time when the whole pueblo was kept hostage? What if it's like that again. We better be careful and find out what is going on." Diego tried to reason.

Diego's voice sounded different from how she had barely heard before. Here spoke a true leader. A man who knew what he was doing. Diego didn't panic and was confident.

Victoria sounded rather hysterical. "Let go! I have to get there!"

Out of the distance, a rider approached.
It was Felipe. His Pinto came to a stop right in front of him. Felipe began to make signs that Victoria did not understand. She had never been able to understand the gestures Felipe was making. This time it didn't cost her any effort. As soon as Felipe drew a house in the air and pointed at her, she knew enough.

Victoria ignored Diego's shouts.

Three minutes later, Victoria jumped off the mare. A thick smoke that spread across the plaza bit into her eyes.
The sight was horrifying. From the pueblo fountain in the middle of the plaza, people had formed a line passing buckets to the one standing next to him. Others were busy using shovels and sand to fight the flames.

The large yellow building that was her pride and joy was burning.
On the left side, where the kitchen was, flames were already bursting from the roof. There was no stopping them. Her life's work, everything she owned, and everything she worked for were burning before her eyes.

De Soto had seen her entering the pueblo and came walking towards her. He didn't seem particularly bothered that the building was on fire.
"Señorita Escalante. I'm sorry. As you can see, my men are doing everything they can to prevent it from getting worse. According to the person who discovered the fire, he saw a man dressed in black getting away."

Victoria looked at the alcalde with an angry expression. She gave him a shove and ran towards the burning building.

Halfway there, she got grabbed by a pair of strong arms. "Let go of me! Let go of me!" Screamed Victoria. She had to get inside to save her possessions. Most items she wanted to get out were worthless to others. To her, these items were the most precious things she owned. And her savings. She had to try and get to her life savings. The money was hidden in her bedroom in a secret compartment under the floor under a carpet.

"Let go of me!" Victoria screamed again. She didn't even notice who was holding her. The only thing she felt was she was being held back in her attempt to save her most valuable belongings.
With inhuman strength, Victoria wriggled herself free, punching the person who tried to stop her in the face.
And she got what she wanted. The man holding her tight let go. Victoria had no idea what she was doing. She ran to the porch. All she knew was she had to get inside. Victoria was mere inches away from the door when suddenly, two arms so much stronger than the ones holding her earlier clamped themselves in a tight grip around her waist. As if she weighed nothing more than the air she tried to gasp in her lungs, Victoria was lifted and thrown off the porch onto the plaza.

The fall squeezed all the remaining air out of her lungs. Victoria tried to get up and was immediately pushed into the dirt again. An immense weight had landed half on top of her.

People screamed as they watched the don who had managed to pull the tavern owner away in the nick of time. Don Diego was midway in his jump when the roof gave way with a thunderous crash. He landed on and next to Victoria, holding his arms over their heads. Using his body, Diego tried to protect Victoria and himself from flying debris.

As the immense cloud of dust caused by the building collapsing dissipated slowly, Diego quickly got to his feet. Victoria was coughing as her lungs filled with dust and smoke.

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Victoria stood with her arms crossed, staring at what had been her tavern just this morning. Someone had wrapped a warm scarf around her shoulders. She was shivering like a straw and couldn't stop crying.
Everything she had hopelessly lost.

Everyone in the pueblo had done what they could to put out the fire and prevent worse. The fire had not spread to any other building, but all left of the tavern was a ten feet high pile of rubble. No one did not have soot all over themselves, clothes with holes, and blisters on their hands from passing buckets.

Victoria cringed when she saw the padre come walking toward her. She had given him a black eye when he had tried to stop her from entering the tavern.

It turned out that Diego had a surprising amount of strength in his arms. He had been the one resquing her.
His suit was covered in soot stains and mud. He could only get recognized by his moustache and the ruffles on his shirt. Victoria hadn't realized it at the moment. But it had been cowardly don Diego who had risked his life by pulling her from the porch. Or rather, he had thrown her out mere seconds before the roof had given way. Diego had saved her life.

She didn't know if she had any tears left to cry. Her eyes ached, and she felt empty.
Slowly everyone returned to their homes, feeling sorry for the tavern owner and secretly relieved that they got spared the suffering.
A friendly-feeling arm slipped around her shoulders. Victoria put her arms around the man's neck and began to sob.

Don Alejandro said nothing. Nor could he think of words of comfort.
Every word would fall short.

"What can I do? Where am I supposed to sleep?" Cried Victoria burying her face against the don's armpit.

Don Alejandro spoke softly. "You will come with me to the hacienda. There you can stay as long as necessary. And tomorrow..., we'll see about that in the morning. Come."

With infinite patience, Alejandro gueded and helped Victoria into the carriage. The don's clothing were no longer only black with soot stains. HIs jacket was soaking wet from her tears. Still, Victoria cried on. Occasionally he could understand a question or remark she mumbled. Alejandro didn't know what else to do but trying to be comforting.
Horrified, he had watched his son come running into the plaza. Within half a second, Diego had taken in the situation. Alejandro was furious with his son.
Without thinking, Diego had run to Victoria to drag her away from the edge of death. If his son had not been so decisive, if Diego had jumped a single heartbeat later..., He would have lost his son. Alejandro was furious that Diego had been so careless with his life. And he felt proud because his son had, for once, acted in the only right way.

Diego had ridden out in front of him and Victoria and was already waiting for them at the gate.
He lifted Victoria out of the carriage and carried her to the guest room.
Maria had received instructions to prepare a bath and take care of the woman.

.

The first thing Victoria was somewhat aware of again was when soft, fragrant cotton slid over her body, and she was skilfully helped into the bed by Maria.

"You don't have to do this. I'm fine." Victoria uttered.

The brisk woman simply continued what she was doing. "That's up to the doctor to say. Don Alejandro has instructed me to take care of you. And Doctor Hernandez is coming this way as soon as possible."

"The doctor?"Victoria asked.

"Mmm." Murmured Maria as she tucked the blankets around Victoria. "To make sure you haven't got injured."

Victoria tried to get out of bed. "I'm fine."

Not even pretending to seriously listen at what Victoria was saying, Maria pushed her into the pillows again.
"That is for the doctor to decide. I want you to rest and lay down. You made a nasty fall. You have blisters on your hand and a cut on your forehead." Maria grabbed her other hand and squeezed it. "As soon as we heard what happened, don Alejandro rode to the pueblo with as many vaqueros as he could find to help. I am so sorry. I pray there was something left to save."

Victoria shook her head. Thinking of the ruins, she knew the tavern was lost.

"Oh, señorita. How sorry I am. You need to keep up some courage. Who knows, in broad daylight, it is not as bad as it seemed. It may prove not all are as helpless as it appears right now. Let me get you something to eat and drink. And I'll go see if Doctor Hernandez is here yet."

"Don't bother, Maria. I have no appetite whatsoever."

Maria gave her a pitiful glare. "I do bring you something anyway. You need to take good care of yourself. The time ahead will be hard enough."

A soft knock followed by don Diego's voice announced the doctor's arrival.

Doctor Hernandez could hardly find the words to express how sorry he was for her.
Other than a few scrapes, a bruised knee probably caused by Diego saving her, and a hand with blisters, doctor Hernandez couldn't discover anything alarming.

"Drink as much as you can." He advised Victoria. "And try to sit up straight while sleeping. You've been breathing in a lot of smoke, and it may cause you to become stuffy when you lie down. For the rest, we need to prevent your blisters from getting infected." Doctor Hernandez looked at Victoria with a pitying expression. "And enjoy the hospitality you get given. Don Alejandro has already told me that you can stay here until the tavern gets rebuilt. Let them spoil you a little."
Hernandez turned to the tree-high don Diego who was over five inches taller than himself.
"So, now I've done for señorita Escalante all that I can do at the moment, I assume I can finally examine you?"

Diego spread his hands and smiled apologetically. "I am at your disposal."

After the doctor left, it wasn't long before Maria came marching into the bedroom. In her hands, she held a filled tray. "I didn't know what you would like to eat. So I just brought you a bit of everything."

Soon after, don Alejandro and don Diego entered the room again.

Victoria was most startled by don Alejandro, who was limping a bit.
"Don Alejandro. What happened to you?" She asked, concerned.

The don gave her a wryly smile. "Nothing. Except I value your life more than you do. You gave the padre and me a pretty tough fight."

Shame crept across her face. Victoria had fought when someone had tried to prevent her from getting on the porch. Had she slammed two men she respected so highly?
"Did I do that?" Horrified, she looked at the don as Victoria felt tears welling up again.

Alejandro soothed her. "It doesn't matter, dear. I have been worse. You tried to push me away, and I lost my balance."

"I'm so sorry," Victoria uttered.

"Victoria," don Alejandro stroked her cheek for a moment. "We won't talk about it again. You weren't yourself."

With tearful eyes, Victoria shook her head. She felt so bad for what she had done.

Alejandro uttered. "Should you insist on apologizing, start by doing me a favour."

She glared at him feeling shy. Even after what she had done, don Alejandro still had invited her to his hacienda as a guest.

"Eat." Alejandro continued. "No one is seriously hurt. There is only material damage, and that all can get replaced. All I want you to do is eat and rest."

"You are so kind to me." Victoria sobbed.

"That's what friendship is all about. In the good times and the bad. You would do the same for us."

Victoria managed to eat a few bites of bread and a few pieces of cold chicken. Under Maria's hawk eye, she drank a glass of milk.
"I really can't swallow another bite." Victoria apologized.

Maria, however, settled for what she had eaten. The cook picked up the tray again and spoke in a stern tone. "Don Alejandro, don Diego. I expect both of you and Felipe at the table for dinner in fifteen minutes. You all need to eat as well."

"Of course. Let us change clothes first. We look scandalous."

Of course, it was don Diego who said this. The man just cared too much about appearances.
Secretly, Victoria had to admit that she thought Diego looked very attractive at the moment. He had taken off his jacket and gilet. His shirt was covered in soot stains, three top buttons were undone, his hair disarrayed, and he made a slightly feral impression.

Before leaving the room, Diego said. "Try to get some rest, Victoria. After dinner, one of us will come and check on you. But you know how Maria is where the meal is concerned."

The men excused themselves and left Victoria alone.
Slowly, tears streamed from her eyes. Don Alejandro was right. The damage was only material. But today, in just a few hours, she had lost everything, absolutely everything.

.

Victoria didn't know where she was. The sheets covering her body felt nicely cold and softer than hers. The nightgown she was wearing was made of fine cotton trimmed with delicate lace. She was not in the tavern, and had she been sleeping?
Gradualy the memories of where she was and why she was here began to surface.
Her eyes became accustomed to the darkness, and Victoria discerned a tall white figure sitting next to her.

"You're awake." It was the calm, always soothing voice of don Diego.

Victoria coughed a couple of times before she could say. "Apparently." Her throat felt dry and irritated.
An arm gently encompassed her shoulders and helped her up a little. Greedily, Victoria sipped the water from the cup Diego held for her. After she had drunk enough, he flattened her back into the thick piles of pillows. Diego placed a hand on hers.

"Doctor Hernandez said you might wake up in a panic. That is why I thought it would be better not to leave you alone tonight."

Damn, Victoria thought. Why did she feel tears welling up in her eyes at getting so much care?
Victoria swallowed a gag away from her throat.
"Gracias, don Diego."

"Would you like some more to drink? Or anything else. Maria left some fruit, in case you wanted to eat something."

Victoria shook her head. She only had one question to ask. "What happened. It was real, right? It wasn't some stupid nightmare?" Victoria gazed at Diego hopefully against her better judgment, wishing he would deny what had happened.

Diego turned his gaze away from her. Those dark brown eyes were full of tears and stared at him so full of hope it was painful. Diego couldn't help but mutter. "Victoria, I wish it was."

During that night, Victoria woke up four times. And each time, Diego sat beside her awake.
One time, Victoria felt a stab of pain as she considered that should a woman ever manage to win the heart of the don, the woman could call herself a lucky wife.
Few men would show as much caring as Diego de la Vega had done to her. And she was nothing more than a friend.

.

In the morning, Maria brought Victoria a sumptuous breakfast in bed, which she barely touched.
Victoria got up and started searching for her clothes. Victoria didn't know Maria had taken them with her to try and get them clean.
Victoria looked around, not seeing any clothing. She opened the closet, only to find empty shelves. She pondered where the housekeeper could have put them when someone knocked on the door.

A female voice asked. "Señorita Victoria, can I come in?" Not waiting for a response, the housekeeper entered the bedroom again.

She was holding a dressing gown. "Let me help you put this on."
The housekeeper was determined in her actions and helped Victoria into the dressing gown, explaining. "I've tried to wash your clothes, but I'm afraid they got ruined by the fire. That's why I took the liberty of asking Don Alejandro to lend you some clothes."

"Don Alejandro?" Reacted Victoria, bewildered. She couldn't possibly wear men's clothes.

Maria smiled. "He immediately approved."
She opened the door, and Felipe, closely followed by don Diego came in. Each carried a large trunk into the room.

To reasonable arguments such as that one set of clothing was enough for her, don Diego refused to listen. He argued that she needed clothes and these clothes were laying around.
Diego and Felipe excused themselves and left Victoria in the care of Maria.

In the trunks appeared to be the most magnificent garments. Even the simplest skirt and blouse were still of a quality Victoria could never afford.
Maria explained that they were the clothes that had once belonged to doña Felicidad.

"You are a bit shorter than the doña. But at the waist, it makes no difference." Spoke Maria as she helped Victoria into a dark blue skirt.
"I think that mauve gown will also look very smart on you." Maria pointed to a dress that was so delicate it almost looked transparent.

"Oh, no," Victoria uttered. "I will never wear something like that. Besides, don Alejandro and don Diego already do so much for me. I will wear this skirt and blouse because I have no other choice. I will not take anything else than needed."

Maria didn't want to hear of it. "Nonsense, these clothes have been lying around gathering dust for over fifteen years. You are insulting don Alejandro by not wanting to wear them. Everything is a little out of date, I admit. But with some new ribbons here and there and by torching off some lace, they look like new. I will start on the alternations as soon as I can."

Victoria uttered. "Maria, surely you understand that I can't accept such a thing?"

"No, I don't. It is not your fault you have lost everything. The dons see you as a close friend. It is only natural they want to help. Doña Felicidad has been dead for so many years. She was a warm, welcoming woman. Had she lived, she would have insisted on loaning you her clothes. Her husband is merely carrying out her wish."
Maria took out one ornate garment after another from the trunk.
"I will start by checking everything and give it a good airing. This afternoon I will take your measurements, and then I can begin to make the alternations."

Last item to come out of the first chest was the most stunning gown Victoria had ever seen.
The colour blue reminded her of Diego's eyes. The bodice was richly decorated, with embroidered flowers that glistened because of the silver thread used for this purpose. The leaves and stems got made with a deep green silk thread.
Victoria gasped and said. "What a beautiful gown."

Sadly, Maria looked at Victoria. "It was doña Felicidad's wedding gown. Doña Felicidad wore it every year on her wedding day." The expression on Maria's face saddened. "That is until her final year. Don Alejandro and she were so happy back then."

Victoria remembered what had happened. Dona Felicidad had died in childbirth.
"That was sad. My mother told me what happened."

You could hear in Maria her voice she was upset. "Yes, don Alejandro and doña Felicidad had longed for another child for so long. And finally, it seemed it was going to happen. Doña Felicidad died three weeks after their fourteenth year of marriage. Everyone was so sad. Especially don Alejandro and young master Diego. I don't think I've ever seen anyone so sad."
Maria secretly blinked away a tear. "I'll put this one away again. Too many memories cling to it."
And Maria carefully tucked the beautiful dress back into the thrunk.

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