Forced Marriage with a twist

Chapter 1

Diego was bored, hoping that the party would finally end, and the guests would leave the hacienda. Until they did he was required to entertain his father's friends including their daughters who hoped to corner him and win a rich husband. It didn't help either that his father was all too willing to support their efforts by encouraging him to take a tour around the hacienda with one or the other young woman he had invited. Unfortunately, Victoria couldn't leave her tavern unattended and had declined the invitation, or he could have spent the evening in her company.

Diego had tried to escape by hiding in the garden, but then he heard a woman calling for him. "Don Diego? Where are you? I know that you're here in the garden. You promised me to show me your paintings."

Diego sighed, recognizing the voice of Emilia Garcia, who was most persistent in her efforts by pretending to be interested in his science and everything else he used to bore off young women. Before he could escape, she had spotted him in the dark corner he was hiding.

"Don Diego, there you are. Will you give me the tour now?" She offered him her hand to lead her back to the hacienda.

"Just a moment, Señorita." Diego stepped next to her. "I was watching the stars. Can you see the twinkling stars? If you see one, you can make a wish." Diego pointed up though the sky was hidden under clouds.

When Emilia looked up, Diego used her distraction to retreat into the shadows and escape through a side door locking it quietly behind him. Relieved, he breathed out. He had enough! No matter what his father expected of him, he wouldn't go back to the party. It was shortly after dinner time, and he could make better use of his time. Smiling at the thought, Diego walked around the hacienda to the back entrance of the cave where he changed into his Zorro outfit to ride to the pueblo.

Z~Z~Z

At the pueblo, he left Toronado at his usual hiding spot in calling distance to the tavern before he slipped silently into the kitchen. Victoria was about to take care of the leftover dishes that weren't eaten by the guests and could be served tomorrow.

"Your flan looks delicious," he looked at the small bowl with a tiny rest. "No wonder there's only a little left. It's the best in the area, even better as Maria's."

"Are you talking about the de la Vega cook?" Victoria asked.

"Yes, but I didn't come to talk about cooking," he brushed over it.

"Then why did you come?" she teased him. "Any suspicious guests in my tavern or the newest gossip or some bandits you need to catch?"

"For something sweeter than your flan." He drew her into his arms to kiss her. "I missed you in my arms the whole day," he whispered in between breaks.

"I missed you too." Victoria smiled at him happily and tightened their embrace for another kiss.

Z~Z~Z

On his way back to the hacienda Diego hoped he hadn't been missed during the time he had spent with Victoria at the pueblo. The hour he had spent in the tavern kitchen kissing her and holding her in his arms had gone by like the blink of an eye, and he had wished to stay longer, but as Zorro, he couldn't risk being discovered by the soldiers, and as Diego, he couldn't stay away from the party too long.

In the cave, he quickly changed into his suit from the party before he checked the spy hole for the library. When he spotted his father pacing the room, he sighed, because it meant he needed to use the back entrance from the cave and walk around the hacienda, instead of slipping into the library and mingling with the guests.

When he entered the hacienda, the house was suspiciously empty of the murmur of guests though the parties normally lasted several hours after dinner. Knowing where to find his father, he entered the library.

"Diego, where have you been?" his father asked angrily when he spotted him.

"I took a walk outside," he said. "Where is everybody?"

"You took a walk? In the darkness? Why can't I believe that?"

"I was stargazing."

"I was cloudy! There were no stars! Tell where you've been after you did what you did to Emilia Garcia!"

"What do you mean with 'after I did what I did'? And what about Señorita Garcia?" Diego asked alarmed.

"I'll tell what I mean," his father confronted him. "After you took a walk with her in the garden, she returned to the party, crying and with her dress torn in front. She told her parents you had tried to force yourself on her."

"I never touched her, Father."

"Señorita Garcia told another story. That you went for a walk in the garden together, and you complimented her, being happy to have found someone with the same interest. When you reached the back of the garden you started to kiss her and act inappropriately resulting in her torn dress." His father looked at him. "What do you have to say to this? Didn't I teach you to act like a gentleman? How could you do this?"

"Father, you must believe me but none of this ever happened. I never touched, and I'm not in any way interested in her."

Alejandro looked Diego into the eye and finally nodded. "I believe you, Son."

Diego let out a breath of relief but held his breath again when his father continued. "It doesn't change a thing if you did anything or not. You will have to marry her."

"I will not marry Emilia Garcia because she made up this story!"

"You have no choice. Everyone saw her torn dress and believed her. Her father told me he'll challenge you to a duel on the plaza if you don't marry her. With your lack of swordsmanship, you don't stand a chance against him."

Diego realized he was trapped as he couldn't fight a duel. Either he let himself get killed by Emilia's father, or he fought back, and the alcalde would hang him as Zorro. What a nightmare!

"I need to talk to her father and tell him that it's a lie and that I never touched his daughter," Diego said.

"I don't think you can convince him. After Emilia told about your encounter in the garden, we were looking for you but you were nowhere to be found. The servants checked the whole hacienda but no horse was missing, and you weren't in your room either. Her father convinced the other guests you had left because you didn't want to face the consequence of what you did to his daughter."

"But I didn't do anything! Father, you have to help me to get out of this!" Diego pleaded.

"There is nothing I can do. You shouldn't have left the party then you could have tried to convince her father of the truth but now it's too late. Her father expects us to come to his hacienda tomorrow to propose to her. The wedding will take place in three days."

"I will not propose to her, and I will NOT marry her, Father!" Diego said angrily. "I won't be trapped into marriage by a woman like her who is only interested in my money."

"There is nothing you can do, and maybe it's for the best, Diego. It's about time for you to get married. You should have married years ago but now you can no longer choose your bride. I hope married life will suit you anyway. I will accompany you tomorrow to the Garcia hacienda."

"You can't force me to get married, Father!"

"I will not allow our reputation to be tarnished. I expect you to accept the duty that comes with your name and get married. This is my last word." His father faced him sternly. "Get used to the idea that you will marry her, and we will talk about the rest tomorrow. Good night, Diego!"

His father left him in the library and Diego sunk down on the couch. How had the evening turned into a nightmare when he had only wanted to spend some time with Victoria? Victoria! How could he ever explain it to her? What could he do? Without her his life was meaningless, and he couldn't imagine spending his life without her love and shackled to another woman.