Chapter 2
In the tavern, the events at the de la Vega party the night before were the main topic at the tables.
"Can you imagine, Señorita Victoria, Diego de la Vega is finally getting married?" Don Alfonso said, who was discussing the party with his peers.
"Don Diego wouldn't do that to a woman," Victoria defended him.
"Then why would he leave afterward and not stay to defend himself?" Don Alfonso said. "It says enough, and it proves Don Diego is a man like any other after all."
"I can't believe you can think so low of Don Diego when he is the son of your friend," Victoria said.
"It doesn't matter what I believe or not, Señorita, but Diego has to marry Emilia Garcia now or face a duel with her father. As we all know Don Diego's fencing abilities," the comment was followed by laughter, "there's nothing he can do about it."
Victoria angrily took the empty wine pitcher to refill it in the kitchen as requested. Once she was out of sight she could no longer hold back her tears. Diego was going to marry Emilia Garcia! How could she live with that? To Imagine him kissing another woman and there was nothing she could do!
Around noon, Alejandro entered the tavern and immediately draw the attention of the guests.
"Don Alejandro, tell us the news. Is it true that he's going to marry Emilia Garcia? Where was he last night after he attacked her? Where is he now? Has he already talked with her father?" his peers asked when he passed their table.
"Diego told me he hasn't touched her but it's her word against his," Alejandro explained. "We are on our way to the Garcia hacienda but Diego insisted on stopping here because he wanted to talk to the padre about the wedding."
"Did Diego agreed to marry her? And is he now arranging the wedding with the padre?" Victoria asked, trying to hide her shock.
"There isn't much he can do, is there?" Alejandro said. "It's about time for him to get married and once they are married, they will get along."
"If you think so," Victoria huffed. "I don't think Diego will make it so easy on her, and I wouldn't want to be around him if he is truly in a bad mood. Which he will be if he is forced into a marriage he doesn't want." Victoria walked to the kitchen to fetch the ordered drinks. On her return, Diego had entered the tavern and sat down on the table with his father.
"Hola, Diego. What can I bring for you? Same as always?" She poured the wine for his father and put down the pitcher on the table. "I heard what happened yesterday, but I won't believe you did something to Señorita Garcia. Is there anything I can do?"
"Thank you, Victoria, the drink can wait but there is something you can do. Is the room next to the stairs free?"
"Yes, it is. The key is outside in the lock. You can have it. What do you need it for?"
"I'll tell you in a moment." Diego rose from his chair and took off his jacket, hanging it at the back of the chair. "I don't intend to marry I don't care when there is another woman I love and that is you, Victoria." His father and Victoria stared at him stunned.
"You love me? But it's too late now! You will have to marry Emilia Garcia," she said.
"It's not too late because I can still change it," Diego declared. "If my reputation is ruined I will ruin it with a woman of my choice!" He took her into his arms and kissed her. Too surprised to react, Victoria didn't resist when Diego picked her up and carried her up the stairs and into the room next to it. Putting her down on her feet, he took the key and locked the door from the inside. Then he pushed a wooden chest of drawers across the door.
"This should give us some time and keep my father from storming into the room," he said satisfied, turning back to Victoria.
"Time for what? What is this all about?"
"Time to ruin you or at least our reputations," he grinned. "I want to marry you and this is the only way I can do it before I'm forced to marry Señorita Garcia." When he started to pull his shirt out of his pants, she stared at him. "Are you planning to...?"
"No. You can trust me, Victoria. I will never hurt you and will never force myself on you." He drew her into his arms and kissed her. Instead of resisting, Victoria returned his kiss, put her arms around his neck and let him lead her to the bed while his father could be heard banging on the door.
"Diego, open the door at once! Now! I can't let you hurt Victoria! Open the door! Diego!" His father was banging at the door while he was trying to get inside but the lock and the chest of drawers kept it shut.
"We don't have much time, but we should make it as convincing as possible." He pulled her with him onto the bed.
"I thought you didn't want to?" Victoria asked hesitantly.
"No, I won't," he assured her. "I'd like to kiss you some more and save the rest for our wedding night." Keeping her in his arms he lay down on the bed. Careful not to crush her, he lay half on top of her and continued kissing her, ignoring his father's calls and the noise from the outside.
After a few minutes, his father's calling and banging stopped, and he could be heard shouting and walking downstairs.
"Do you think he has given up?" Victoria asked.
"I guess he will be coming back with enforcement. The door and the chest of drawers won't offer much resistance to several men forcing their way inside. He'll be inside the room in a few minutes."
Diego's assumption proved true, and his father burst into the room with several of his friends who helped him to break the door open, pushing the furniture away. Diego didn't resist when his father pulled him away from Victoria.
"Are you hurt, Victoria?" Alejandro asked, concerned, but Victoria only shook her head.
"We will have to get married now, Victoria," Diego declared as he rearranged his shirt again. While his father and his friends were still staring at them, he went down on his knees and stretched out his hand. "I have always loved you. Will you marry me?"
"I will," Victoria answered.
"I want to get married now before I'm forced to marry someone else," Diego said. "Will you come with me to the church and get married immediately?"
"You want to get married now?" Victoria asked.
"Yes. I talked to the padre before I came here, and he is waiting for us at the church to perform the ceremony."
"I thought you were planning your wedding with Señorita Garcia when you told me you wanted to talk with the padre," his father exclaimed. "But instead you were planning this attack on Victoria. How could you do this?"
"I love Victoria and want to marry her. Will you come with me?" Diego asked her.
"I will come, but I need to get changed first." She pointed at her dress that was torn at the bottom. "If you excuse me now."
"We will wait for you downstairs," Diego said.
Surrounded by his father and his friends, Diego descended the stairs as Victoria headed to her room to change.
While they waited for Victoria to come downstairs, his father berated him for his actions. "How could you do this, Diego? I'm truly ashamed of you! You forced yourself on Victoria! This is unacceptable. Weren't there enough women who wanted to marry you at the party I hosted for you? Why did you bring shame not only on Emilia but also on Victoria?"
"I will not be forced to marry a woman I don't want," Diego replied controlled. "I never touched Emilia and won't marry her because I will marry Victoria first as she has agreed."
"She agreed because you left her no choice! How could you do this to her? Have you lost your mind completely?"
Diego refused to answer, but simply put on his jacket again he fetched from his chair before he went back to the bottom of the stairs, crossing his arms in front of him, waiting for Victoria to come down. His father's friend spread in the tavern, telling everyone how they had found Diego and Victoria on the bed with Diego on top of her.
Victoria changed into her wedding dress that she had ready since the day Zorro asked her to marry him, and after quickly brushing her hair she headed down the stairs a few minutes later.
"Victoria," Diego smiled at her, holding out his hand as she descended the final steps. Victoria took it and opened her fist, dropping something into his hand.
"You will need this," she whispered.
When he opened his hand he noticed the ring he gave her as Zorro. Stunned, he looked at her while she smiled at him.
"How?" he asked her dumbstruck, slipping the ring inside his pocket.
"We'll talk later," she whispered before she turned to his father. "I'm sure Diego didn't do anything to Emilia because he was here at the tavern."
"What are you saying, Victoria?" his father asked, confused. "I know Diego was at the tavern at noon. We had lunch here."
"No, he was here after dinner," Victoria explained, glancing in Diego's direction. "Diego praised my flan and was disappointed when it was already gone. That's the truth. I swear it."
Diego swallowed, clenching his fist around the ring in his hand at Victoria's additional confirmation that she knew who he was when he had come last night dressed as Zorro.
"Why did you go to the tavern in the middle of the night?" his father asked him.
"I like her flan best," Diego said.
"That's what he said yesterday too," Victoria said. "He liked my flan better than the one from the de la Vega cook."
Had his remark about the flan given him away? Diego looked at her questioningly but Victoria only held his gaze and smiled.
"You left the party for Victoria's flan?" his father asked. "But there wasn't any horse missing."
"I was going for a walk when I remembered Victoria's flan and decided to pay her a visit," Diego lied.
"You walked to the tavern? For her flan?" His father shook his head.
"It doesn't matter anymore, does it?" Diego said, offering his arm to Victoria. "Are you ready?"
Victoria nodded and put her hand on his arm to let him lead her to the church. As they stepped outside the church, Felipe was waiting for them, dressed in his best suit, standing next to the elegant de la Vega carriage. "Thank you, Felipe, for bringing the carriage."
"Why is Felipe here with the carriage? Was he privy to your plans?" Alejandro asked.
"Yes, I didn't want to get married without him," Diego said, patting Felipe on the back who signed at him.
"Yes, Victoria agreed to marry me." Felipe smiled broadly at Diego's announcement.
Both were nervous when they gave their vows in the sudden wedding ceremony under the curious eyes of the pueblo's citizens. Victoria smiled at him when he put the ring on her finger. Diego bent down to kiss her softly after the padre declared them husband and wife. When he drew apart, Victoria started to cry.
"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," she whispered. "I only thought this day would never come." She took the handkerchief he handed her to wipe her tears.
"You have a few things to explain," he said in a low voice bending down to her.
"Not as much as you," she whispered.
"I wish you both luck and happiness in your marriage," Alejandro patted his son on the shoulder and embraced Victoria, watching her tears with concern and throwing a disapproving glance at his son.
"Thank you, Father," Diego said who couldn't stop smiling. He was finally married to Victoria!
"I really hope you will be happy despite the circumstances. I always wanted to see you married but not this way."
"We will work it out after we talked about a few things, don't you think, Victoria?"
"We definitely need to talk, Diego," Victoria said. "If you will excuse us for some moments, Don Alejandro?"
"It's Father now, Victoria," he smiled at her. "Welcome to the family, my dear. I understand you need to talk under these circumstances, and I want to talk to you too, Diego." He looked at him sternly. "But it has to wait until later. I have to be on my way to the Garcia hacienda and explain why Diego can't marry his daughter." Alejandro faced Diego. "You should be the one to do the explaining but since it's your wedding day I'd rather have you answer to your wife as you deserve."
"Thank you, Father, for riding to the Garcias, but now I have to talk to my wife."
Diego led Victoria into the quiet garden of the mission where they would be undisturbed.
"Can you forgive me for forcing you to marry me under these circumstances?" Diego asked. "I know you found out who I am before the wedding. What gave me away?"
"Do you think I'm really that stupid not to know it's you after your talk about the flan and after this?" Victoria pulled his head down and kissed him. "The memory from last night was still fresh when we didn't do anything else."
"And I thought I had completely surprised you when I dragged you into that room," Diego laughed relieved.
"Only for a moment," she grinned.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"There wasn't time, and we had to be convincing, didn't we? And I didn't want to miss my chance to outsmart the fox," she teased him, slowly running her hand through his hair and along his cheek.
"You had me worried until you gave me the ring," Diego admitted.
"After all these years of lying to me, you deserved that, don't you think?"
"Is there anything else you have planned as penance for me?"
"Oh, I already have some ideas," she smiled. "First, you will answer a lot of questions, and you will have to make up for the time we lost."
"Make up how?"
"A honeymoon? Some time for us, so we can 'talk', and I will forgive you for this 'forced' marriage when we get back to the pueblo?" she suggested.
"Talk like this?" Diego took her into his arms and kissed her again. "I risked my life every time I came to the pueblo to meet you and I'm more than happy that I no longer have to do that to kiss you and have you in my arms for as long as you want. Your kisses are worth dying for, and I gladly accept my penance."
"Starting immediately?"
"Grab a bag, and we can be on our way to Santa Barbara this afternoon."
"Right now?"
"Before my father returns from the Garcias. We will escape him and his questions for a few days, and his anger about me will convince the alcalde this is a forced marriage and deviate him from the truth, thinking I'm the coward who ran away for some days to escape the trouble."
"Do you think you'll be out of trouble so easily?"
"I know I'll be in trouble with you working on my 'penance'," he grinned, "but I can live with that, and we can work on the details of our story before we come back." He bent down for another kiss that left them both breathless.
After some more kissing, they left the mission garden and returned to the tavern where Victoria excused herself to pack a bag for the next days. In the meantime, Diego informed Felipe about their plans to go to Santa Barbara for some time. The boy didn't need any instructions since he knew how to care for Toronado in Diego's absence. Curiously, he asked about their talk in the mission garden. "She knows," Diego assured him, "and she took it well. I'll tell you when we come back." Relieved by Diego's happy mood, Felipe congratulated him again on his marriage, and it was obvious he wanted to know more but understood it wasn't the time, nor the place to talk about it. Soon they were on their way to Santa Barbara after a short stop at the hacienda for Diego to pack a few things for their journey.
When they returned two weeks later, Victoria had obviously made her peace with her forced marriage to Diego, as she appeared quite content with a rich husband who spoiled her with new dresses and a lot of attention instead of an outlaw who never had time for her.
Alejandro had been angry about the way Diego forced his marriage, leaving him to sort out the situation with the Garcias but had calmed down a little during their absence. When Diego explained his true relationship to Victoria and his identity as Zorro, he forgave him as his pride in his son outweighed his anger though Diego still had to answer a lot of questions.
Zorro never reappeared after Victoria married Diego, and it was speculated he had left heartbroken. Since Zorro no longer caught the bandits, and the soldiers were too untrained to do it on their own, de Soto was eventually removed from his post for misuse of office and incompetence, having failed to catch either Zorro or other bandits.
The End