A/N - Many thanks to my loyal readers and reviewers, it's good to know that you're enjoying the story. And to the guest reviewer Suzanne, you made me laugh with your reviews of being "honoured" to be in charge of the household servants in the previous chapter :)

Chapter 8

They stayed with Celia for four days in which time they had all regained their land legs and were no longer swaying with each step they took.

Victoria went shopping to buy more fashionable clothing for she had no time to buy anything before they left Los Angeles and she asked Celia for the name of a reputable dressmaker and the older lady gave her the name of her own seamstress. The two women visited Señora Beltrán and Victoria had been pleased to discover that the dressmaker already had several outfits made and it only taken some small alterations for the clothing to fit her. At first she was worried by the amount of money she was spending but both Diego and Don Alejandro re-assured her that she need not worry and for her to order what she needed, so she bought three outfits and a number of extra blouses to keep her well dressed until they reached Madrid where she would get a complete wardrobe made for her.

Victoria wasn't the only one to buy new clothes, the three de la Vega men also bought new suits which had more ornate stitching down the length of the trousers and on the cuffs of the jackets but the white shirts were not as ruffled as they were five years ago; which Felipe was most grateful for, he hated frills and didn't like to wear it.

The only thing that caused some concern was Diego's strange feeling that they were being followed. He couldn't explain it and although he casually scanned the crowds for trouble but he never saw anything out of the ordinary; at least nothing that could explain his feeling of anxiety. His father had told him that it was because he wasn't used to such large crowds, after all Cadiz was a large city with thousands of people but Diego just couldn't dismiss his feelings so lightly and he continued to keep a wary eye on everything and stayed close to his wife and son.

Vargas was always very careful in his surveillance but this time he kept well away from the de la Vegas as they went about their shopping for he noticed just how wary de la Vega was. It seemed as though the other man knew he was being followed; he kept casting his gaze in wide sweeps around him, searching for some unknown threat in the crowds and unconsciously flexed and unflexed his fingers on his right hand.

He instinctively knew that this man was dangerous in his own right and that he would have to be even more cautious if he was to be successful in his task. He watched as they arranged their transport to Madrid and once he found out which route they were travelling, he made his way back to his lodgings, paid his account and left Cadiz on his horse; he needed the time to put his plans into action.

They said their goodbyes to Celia and boarded their coach for their final journey to Madrid and as there were five of them, there was only room for one more person but thankfully they had the coach to themselves.

"So, our first stop is Seville, correct?" Victoria asked as the coach reached the outskirts of Cadiz and she gazed out the window watching the scenery go by.

Teo nodded. "Yes, our route will take us to Seville then to Cordoba and through Sierra Moreno to Ciudad Real, Toledo and finally Madrid. All up it will take us about six days."

"Six days!" She shook her head. "It seems we have been travelling forever.

Teo chuckled. "Yes, it certainly does." he replied.

Felipe was looking at the other window in awe at how big the city had been and how narrow the dirt road had become. He signed it to his father.

Diego grinned. "Just wait until we reach Despeñaperros Pass and then you'll see just how narrow the road becomes and any slip could see us going over the edge."

Don Alejandro chuckled at the wide eyed look on his grandson's face. "Not only do we have to worry about falling over the edge of the ravine but it's also known for the wild bandits who prey on travellers."

Victoria frowned slightly. "Bandits?"

Teo chuckled. "Ignore them Victoria, it's not as bad as Alejandro makes out. The government has cracked down in that area recently with more lancers patrolling the area. It's no more, no less dangerous than anywhere else."

Vargas sat on his horse in the shadows of a grove of trees on a small rocky hill and watched detachedly as the stagecoach carrying the de la Vegas rumbled along the main road between Cadiz and Seville. As the stage came over a small crest, four masked bandits rush out from behind some rocks, yelling and firing their pistols in the air, startling the driver and the horses. The driver made to whip his horses into a more urgent pace when one of the bandits shot him and he collapsed in his seat.

He watched as another of the bandits jumped onto the back of the racing horses and pulled on the reins to bring the stage coach to a halt and before he knew it, the doors of the coach flung open and out burst the de la Vega men with swords in their hands and he was stunned as two of the men; Diego and the younger man, immediately set about dismounting and disarming the bandits so rapidly that it spoke of great skill that he hadn't seen for many, many years. He had known that de la Vega was dangerous and now he knew that the man was not only a skilled swordsman but he fought as though he was a common street fighter; he didn't fight like a gentleman at all.

He also knew that this plan had failed but there was one more sure way of completing his task to the satisfaction of his employer.

Diego gazed around at the scene of the short lived battle. "Is anyone okay?" he asked as he held Sir Edmond's toledo steel blade in his right hand. He received nods from Victoria and Felipe while his father and Teo were tying up the four bandits and they would take them to the nearest town for the local authorities to handle. He heard the driver moan and was about to help him down from the stage when felt someone watching him again; it was the same feeling he had when they were in Cadiz.

He swept his gaze around the area and he stopped when he saw a figure on horseback, about a half a mile to the west of them, just sitting there watching them.

"Who's that?" Don Alejandro asked as he came up to his son. "And why didn't he come to help?"

Diego frowned as he watched the figure turned his horse around and disappeared over the hill. "I don't know, perhaps he thought we didn't need help." he replied.

Don Alejandro heard the worry in his son's voice. "What is it son, you seem rather pensive." he said quietly.

Diego sighed as he faced his father. "You remember that feeling I had a couple of days ago..."

Don Alejandro frowned. "The one where you felt we were being followed? Are you saying you have it again?"

"Yes and I'm certain that the man on the horse has something to do with it." He replied as he glanced once more to the place where the man had been.

Don Alejandro ran his fingers through his silver hair. "But why would anyone do us any harm?"

Diego shrugged. "I don't know." He looked back at where Teo and Victoria were tending to the wounded driver, while Felipe tied the bandits horses to the rear of the stage coach. "I want to keep this to ourselves for the time being father, just in case I'm being paranoid." he said quietly.

Don Alejandro nodded. "Of course, we'll both keep an eye on things."

"Hey Diego, do you know how to drive a stage coach? The driver is okay but he won't be able to handle the four horses, at least not on his own." Teo called out.

Diego exchange a glance with his father before they crossed over to the others. "I guess I can learn." he replied with a smile.

The next several days passed without any further incident; but Diego refused to let his guard down for he knew that the man, the stranger, would still be there, following them and he had to make certain that he was ready for anything.

It happened on the night after they had left Cordoba; they had made their overnight stop at a small roadside tavern before they were to transverse the Despeñaperros Pass the following day. They were relaxing in the tavern, having just finished their supper, when they heard shouts and then gunfire from outside. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do but when they heard another musket shot. Diego, his father and Teo raced outside along with the driver of the stage coach and the owner of the tavern who took a lantern from the top of the bar while Felipe and Victoria stayed inside with the owner's wife.

The shouts came from the coral and in the full moonlight, Diego saw one lancer standing beside another who was kneeling beside another man on the ground, while a further two lancers were searching the area. "I wonder what happened?" he muttered to his father.

Don Alejandro shrugged. "Not sure. Sergeant what is going on here?" he called out to the lancer as his son crossed over to them and knelt down to assist the soldier with the wounded man but even in the dim light, he knew that the man was not long for this world.

The Sergeant turned and gazed at them. "We caught this man tampering with the stage coach." he replied.

The driver cursed as he moved over to his stage. "I need a lantern. Which part of the coach was he near?"

"Around the rear of the stage Señor." The sergeant replied as the tavern owner walked over with the lantern so that the driver could check his vehicle.

Diego felt his stomach twist in knots as he saw the scarred face of the dying man and he had a sudden flashback to the time he was jostled at the docks when they disembarked from the ship. "You were at the docks when we arrived." he said with a frown on his face.

Vargas turned his pain filled gaze to the man he had been paid to kill but in the end it was him who would die; the lancers were not meant to be there, it was not the time of their routine patrol and he almost succeeded but he knew that he was dying as he coughed up more blood from the chest wound he had received from the lancer's musket and he had a sudden need to seek redemption before he met his God. He reached out weakly and with one last fight of his breath, he uttered. "The...ring...the man with...the ring...wanted you...dead..."

"What ring? What man?" Diego asked but Vargas eyes rolled back in his head, his hand went limp. Vargas died without giving him the information he needed.

The driver cursed once more as he found what the man was doing to his stage. "That fool had removed one of the wheel nuts and loosened another. It would have meant all our deaths tomorrow going through the pass."

Don Alejandro glanced at Teo before he turned his gazed to his son who was now standing over the body of the man who would have killed them all. "Why would anyone want to kill us?"

"I think I can answer that." A familiar but a very unexpected voice came from behind them.

Diego swivelled around. "Ignacio? Ignacio de Soto?" he said as he stared incredulously at their former leader and his one time rival.