November 12th (6 months later)
Victoria held her son on her hip with her left arm and caressed him with her right hand, while the baby played with a beaded bracelet she wore on her wrist. She looked at Diego with a worried expression.
"Everything will be fine, don't worry. Go in the buggy and I'll meet you all in the plaza." he said.
"Are you sure about this?"
"I think it's necessary."
"All right. I'll see you there." she resigned herself with a sigh.
Don Alejandro helped his wife into the buggy and then did the same for his daughter-in-law. Victoria carried her son in her arms, while Felipe drove. Don Alejandro looked nervous and excited like a child before Christmas. Victoria sighed again.
"Everything will be fine." said Don Alejandro smiling.
"That's what Diego just told me. I hope you are right."
They walked the short distance to los Angeles and stopped in front of the tavern, leaving behind a dais decorated with ribbons and flowers. Victoria entered with the baby and was immediately greeted by Pilar and Alicia, who stopped attending to the customers for a moment to approach to greet her, or rather, to make endearments to the little one.
"Look at him, he's growing by the day!" said Pilar.
"He's as handsome as his father. He has his eyes." said Alicia, immediately regretting what she had just said and startled by the nudge Pilar gave her.
A man dressed as a gentleman made a strange sound behind them, as if holding back a giggle.
"Yes." Victoria said in a very loud voice. "Every day he looks more like him." she added clearly pronouncing each word and acknowledging to herself that Diego was right.
Pilar and Alicia looked at her quizzically, because normally she changed the subject when someone talked about little Alejandro's father.
Drums sounded outside, announcing the main event of the day. Don Alejandro approached her and they went out to the plaza.
Pilar looked at Alicia with a look of few friends on her face. "Who would think of saying that."
"I was referring to Don Diego, or doesn't he have blue eyes?"
"You're foolish."
Hiding on the roof of the tavern, Felipe waited for the right moment to signal with a mirror.
The alcalde, elegantly dressed, stepped onto the dais. There were murmurs, a cough and three or four cheers coming from the area where the soldiers stood.
"People of Los Angeles. Today I bid you farewell confident that I have done my duty to care for and make this village prosperous."
There were murmurs of dissent, but the alcalde went on as if he did not hear them.
"Under my mandate great things have happened, and although now, I as a faithful subject of Spain must leave this territory, I know that I leave you in good hands under the government of the new Mexican empire."
De Soto saw Victoria in the crowd, and looked at her with some contempt. "I am especially proud to have been a major player in the process of ridding this town of its greatest criminal threat."
Victoria held his gaze, defiantly, and he began to feel not so sure of himself.
"The outlaw known as Zorro met his end while I was alcalde, and although his accomplices tried to continue his criminal activity, my men and I, at great personal sacrifice, managed to bring peace and order back to the territory."
De Soto was surprised, because people had stopped looking at him, and were all with their eyes fixed on something behind him, with an expression of astonishment except for the de la Vega's, who were smiling proudly. One lady was even crossing herself. Not knowing what to think he turned around.
For a moment the color of his face matched his white beard. Before him, mounted on a black horse that looked as if it had come from hell itself, was the masked man who still populated his worst nightmares.
That ghostly vision seemed completely solid, and he raised his hand to say. "Please, alcalde, go on with your speech, it was not my intention to steal your thunder."
"It can't be, you're an impostor." said de Soto trying to collect himself.
"But look at me, don't you recognize my clothes, my hat, not to mention my horse?" Zorro guided Toronado a little forward, to stand a short distance from the other man. "Perhaps you would prefer to notice my sword, do you recognize it?" Zorro's famous saber came out of its sheath at lightning speed with a metallic hiss, and de Soto met the steel two inches from the tip of his nose. He didn't even realize he had gone cross-eyed.
"We buried Zorro, I was there." he growled after taking a step back.
"And how did you know it was me? Because he was wearing black pants and one of my boots?" said Zorro in a mocking tone. "Doesn't sound like very conclusive evidence."
"I finished off a Zorro and I'll do it again." said de Soto stepping back and unsheathing his sword. "I can still fight a poser."
Zorro nimbly got off his horse and gave the alcalde a sword salute and a small bow. "I will gladly help you correct this misunderstanding."
Three sword strokes later, de Soto's weapon was stuck in the ground two paces away from him. He glared at his opponent with hatred and jumped up to grab it again. The masked man did not move, in fact he remained motionless as the other man picked up his sword and charged at him, eliciting an exclamation from several people in the crowd, to move a step to the side just as the alcalde's sword would have hit him, letting it pass him by.
"You continue to fight like a ruffian." said Zorro clicking his tongue. At the same time he struck the mayor's butt with the flat of his saber. The mayor fell to the ground due to his own inertia and the unexpected momentum.
De Soto got up re-gripping his weapon, as he turned around a single sword strike caused him to find himself unarmed again. "This game has ceased to amuse me." said Zorro feigning a yawn. He picked up the alcalde's sword and threw it against a post, where it became deeply embedded.
"While the alcalde retrieves his sword I think I have time to pay my respects to you, Señora de la Vega." Zorro said approaching Victoria and taking her free hand to kiss it. "Your beauty is even more radiant than before."
The alcalde stopped pulling on his sword for a moment, frustrated that he couldn't help himself with his left arm.
"Are you seducing married women now, Zorro?" he said scornfully.
"She's the reason I'm here. I have learned that she suffers, and I cannot bear to be the cause of her pain. I know there are rumors about her, and I have come to silence them."
De Soto took two steps toward him. "So now you intend to make us believe that you are not the father of that bastard."
Several people among those assembled stifled an exclamation at hearing that term.
"You are wrong... again." Zorro said in an icy voice. "Why am I not surprised?" he added in a more casual tone.
He moved to Victoria's side and whispered. "Are you ready?" and then turned, putting his back to her.
She nodded with a smile. "I have to admit, I've always wanted to do this."
"I've actually come to claim paternity of this child." he said as Victoria pulled back his mask so everyone could see his face. "Because he is a legitimate de la Vega." he added turning back to his family and stroking his son's rosy face. Then he turned to some of the gentlemen, who were standing in front of the barracks. "There came a time when I found myself trapped in the legend I had created myself, with an alcalde unable to learn from his mistakes" he said gesturing towards de Soto "and conformist citizens, too cowardly to fight for what was right. Finally." he said turning and taking Victoria's hand again. "I realized that only a few people stood by my side without asking anything in return, and also that the love of a wonderful woman was what gave me the strength to continue in an endless struggle. I admit that the day came when I could no longer resist in the face of such beauty" he said with a suggestive smile that made her feel warmth in her cheeks.
"You look beautiful when you blush." he whispered just for her.
"This time you're going to pay me back." she replied in the same tone.
"Then, at home, I'm at your beck and call."
"From that day on, everything else had to take a back seat." he continued aloud. He kissed her hand, giving her that look she knew well, and looked up at the elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies. "I would have preferred to keep my skills private at this new stage of my life, but it hasn't been possible because of the behavior of some people, our neighbors, some of whom I considered our friends. Now that is over, if anyone ever insults my wife or any other member of my family again you can count on me to defend their honor by any means necessary."
Two of the gentlemen, who had been the most enthusiastic in spreading rumors about the de la Vega's, took a step back, impressed by a Diego de la Vega dressed in black, with Zorro's sword at his waist and a look as hard as his steel.
Pilar and Alicia were watching what was happening in the square from the door of the tavern. Alicia looked at a dumbfounded Pilar with a smile, "Well, it looks like what I said before was not foolishness."
"Lancers, seize him!" the alcalde shouted. The lancers stood motionless, staring at Don Diego.
"By what authority do you order me arrested, ex-alcalde? On what charges am I accused? Because I have no quarrel with the new government. What's more, last night I took advantage of the fact that it never occurred to you to put bars on the windows of the roof," he said, pointing toward the barracks. Then he paused to reflect a bit. "Not that it would have done much good either, I would have ended up sawing them off anyway. The point is, I snuck into the barracks while you were drinking in the tavern to celebrate your last night here, and took the money out of the box you hid under your bedroom floor. The town's money is kept in the safe, and I have changed the combination, which I will gladly give to the next alcalde. Therefore the new government will be able to thank me for preventing you from looting funds that rightfully belong to the citizens and should be used to make improvements in the town. The reward for my death clearly does not belong to you."
Several people muttered angrily.
"Ignacio, I have taken the liberty of reading your speech and it has been a waste of time. If I may suggest that you do not continue, it is not worth it. I will now leave you to your little ceremony. I wish you a good trip back," he said turning away.
He took a step forward and paused for a moment, he turned again to de Soto to tell him: "I forgot something, a little memento, for old times sake." he said making a Z on his vest just before whistling to attract Toronado, who meanwhile had placed himself between the alcalde and the sword that was still stuck in the post, as if daring him to try to retrieve it. Diego jumped on his horse and held out his hand to Victoria. She handed her baby to Gertru, who took it carefully, and said, "See you at home in a little while."
Victoria took hold of Diego's arm, who lifted her effortlessly and sat her down in front of him on the saddle.
Sergeant Mendoza stepped forward and addressed Diego with a smile.
"Don Diego, how glad I am that you are well." he put on a strange expression and scratched his head, puzzled. "Well, actually we already knew you were fine, I mean the other you are fine too." then he smiled enthusiastically. "You know what I mean."
Diego endured Mendoza's speech with seriousness, while he felt in the arm he had around Victoria's waist that her muscles were contracting from the laughter she was trying to contain without quite succeeding.
"Thank you, sergeant." he said sincerely.
Diego spurred Toronado on and they galloped back to the hacienda.
FIN
Note: all that remains is the chapter I promised about the first passionate encounter between Zorro and Victoria after she had a talk with Gertru.