The day of the rebels' arrival in Monterey ended up being a very happy day for the Presidio.
Several of the lancers chose to switch sides as soon as they were offered a choice, and the people proved far less loyal to the Governor than the man had believed. Rejoicing in his arrest, many went to see him in prison, then spent almost an hour laughing at him and throwing food at the man and at the lancers who were locked up with him. Diego put an end to it when he realized nobody else had any intention to do so.
The rest of the day was spent celebrating and planning the next steps towards obtaining full control over California. Some of the alcaldes were certain to refuse to step down without a fight, and many of the dons could choose to stand by them, arming their vaqueros and resisting the change if they believed it to be to their disadvantage.
As for the De la Vegas, they knew they couldn't afford to remain for too long in the Californian capital. De Soto already had a five-day head-start on them, as Don Alejandro had told his son, and they had no idea what the man would do when he'd return to Los Angeles. Nothing good, Diego assumed, seeing how he now knew or, at least suspected, the identity of his nemesis.
They had no trained pigeons to fly south in order to warn Felipe of the danger headed his way, nor were there any ships due for San Pedro for several weeks. All they could do was ride there themselves, and that was impossible since even a canter was still very painful for Diego.
In the end, after discussing all their alternatives, they decided to buy a coach and four horses to take them south. Before going, however, Don Alejandro also insisted that his son and Victoria marry each other right there, and spend the night in the tavern so that they'd be able to leave early in the morning.
In truth, the elderly caballero just wanted to make sure the marriage would not be postponed or, worse yet, cancelled, no matter what might come, and his interest happened to fully coincide with the wishes of his son and that of the woman he was to wed.
A tavern room, with a bumpy mattress, which had been used and abused over the years by so many who had stayed there, was not what Diego had had in mind for his wedding night. On the other hand, the first night he and Victoria had made love it had been even worse. They were soaking wet in the cold rain, half-covered in dirt, and only gave themselves to each other out of fear and desperation, certain they would be dead by the following morning.
Compared to that, a cosy tavern room with a bumpy bed and clean sheets, even if not as comfortable as Victoria's bed, was quite an improvement. And, seeing how willing, even eager she seemed as he slowly pushed her onto the mattress to lay on top of her, the new Doña De la Vega felt just the same as her husband.
"How did we survive, Diego?" She asked as they were lying naked in each other's arms after making love for the first time as husband and wife. "How did we make it out of that sinkhole? All I remember was waking up in your arms with the taste of alcohol on my lips, as we were riding Tornado back to the pueblo."
Diego looked at her and smiled as he thought back on their first night together. "Felipe. He had been worried about me when I didn't return with Tornado, so he took some blankets, tequila and a medical kit, mounted Tornado and found us. I, myself, only woke up when he came to put a blanket on me and check if I was still alive."
Victoria averted her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Diego asked.
"If he was the one to find us… that means he found us…"
"Naked and covered in mud." He said with a frown.
"Dios! How will I ever look into his eyes again?"
"Just pretend it never happened. After all, I was fully covering you with my body, so it was I the only one who had any reason for embarrassment. And he turned around when I covered you in the blanket." He assured her. "True, he knows what we had been doing, but I do believe he has always understood. He's never given me any hard time about it."
"That young man adores you, Diego! I doubt he'd scold you even when furrly deserved."
"You're wrong about him. He's scolded me at times. However, after all these years seeing me long for you, and you faithfully waiting for the masked man you loved, never knowing he was right beside you, I guess he decided we had every right to be together, with or without the blessing of the church."
"You longed for me?" She asked teasingly.
"Yes. I still do." Diego told her, his eyes piercing her very soul. "Every time I don't see your sweet face, I long for you. Every time you are not in my arms, I long for you. And every time I don't hear your voice, purring words of love in my ear, I long for you. It is why, after our first time together, I could no longer stop coming to you every night. I no longer only desired you, I needed to be with you. For you to be mine and for me to be yours."
She was left breathless for a few long moments as she stared back into the eyes of her husband. "I feel the same," Victoria answered in a whisper as she caressed his cheek and leaned in to kiss him.
ZZZ
The new don and Doña De la Vega only left their room around 10 a.m., at Don Alejandro's insistence for them to get ready to leave. They didn't carry much luggage, so packing was not a problem. Leaving the bed was.
"Goodbye Juan, and…" Victoria uttered, having a hard time putting into the right words the true range of emotions she was feeling towards the young man who had been her husband for about two weeks. She was grateful to him for all he had done and had tried to do for her, yet she was also mad at him for stabbing Diego and for his actions towards the rebels.
"I know." He answered, smiling at her. "And I understand what you see in him. I used to wish I'd meet a woman who'd feel about me how you feel about him. Now I just wish I might one day be the kind of man who would deserve such love from a woman."
Victoria nodded and embraced him.
"Are you ready?" Diego asked his wife after taking his goodbye from Zafira.
The new Doña De la Vega nodded as she glanced at her husband.
"Don Diego…" the Lieutenant uttered, "take good care of her, and, please, forgive me for what I did! It was a poor decision on my part, despite my intentions. Please know that I never wanted to harm you. I was just trying to protect you so that you might, in turn, protect Victoria."
"I guess it's true what they say: that the road to hell is paved with good intentions," Diego replied.
"Indeed. If there's anything I can do to make up to you for what I did…" Juan mentioned.
Diego stared at him squinting his eyes as an idea came to him. The Lieutenant was a little shorter than him, but a very good swordsman, intelligent and, at that point, in his debt.
"Perhaps there is a way for you to make it up to me." The caballero said.
"What way?" Juan wondered.
"How would you feel about coming to Los Angeles with us?" Diego inquired.
"What a good idea!" Luciano, who had overheard the conversation while taking his goodbyes from Don Alejandro, uttered. "I'll also be heading that way with thirty of my men, and I believe the Lieutenant should most certainly join us. That way he can convince us he deserves Zafira's hand. We'd not just allow her to marry anybody, you know?"
The caballero nodded with a grin at the implied humor in that statement. The men had resented Juan for the trap he had set for them, yet had since come to trust him once more, even if only because they realized he truly loved Zafira as she loved him, and all of them cared very much for the young widow. It had not been an easy thing to digest, the idea that she might marry the man who had led the soldiers who had killed her husband. However, the young De la Vega had tactfully pointed out that Juan had only done his duty, having been honor-bound to act in defense of Spanish interests, and that, in the end, he had changed sides when realizing that what he was doing was wrong. It was not a perfect way to excuse the young man's actions, but it was good enough for the men to give him a true chance to prove himself to them.
"You're heading south?" Diego inquired.
"Yes. We'll be taking charge of the pueblos on the coast as far south as Los Angeles, to thus make sure there is no resistance when the Mexican troops arrive. As you pointed out, De la Vega, no bloodshed is needed to win this fight, especially considering that Spain has already forfeited this territory." Luciano explained. "But why do you need the Lieutenant to come with you?"
"Let's just say there is a secret I need to remain hidden." He explained. "And I believe Juan might just be the man to help me make sure it does!"
ZZZ
The De la Vegas, Juan and Zafira, who insisted on accompanying them, left for Los Ageles by coach a little later that morning.
Around that same time, some 600 miles south, a ship sailing under the Mexican flag was slowly making its way towards the port of San Diego.
