This chapter is based on episode 33, A Terrible Wooer. Some of the dialogue is straight from the episode and some has been altered in order to fix some plotholes in it. As usual, this chapter may be a little difficult to understand if you haven't seen the episode.

THE RIGHT TURN OF THE ROAD

Chapter 26

Lieutenant Serrano was standing before Raymond's desk. The commander had just finished giving him a new set of orders, but Serrano wasn't sure if he had it in him to do what was expected of him. It was vile and dishonest and against all of his morals and... And it would add a nice bonus to his pay.

"I'm sure you realise that none of this can make it outside this room," Raymond said.

"Of course, sir."

"Good. And may I count on you with this business?" Raymond asked.

This time, Serrano hesitated with his answer. He felt like the commander's eye were tearing into him, and he had to clench his fists.

"Yes, sir," he finally said.

"I hope you won't disappoint me. This is a minor operation, but we have to start small."

The plan was quite simple. In a couple of days, a postal wagon would arrive in San Tasco. There was supposed to be a valuable shipment to the South India Trading Company in it, and Raymond had arranged for a group of bandits to steal it. It would give him the excuse to position more men on the route, and he was also planning to set up a toll system on the road – to ensure the safety of all future transportations, of course.

There were two points in the plan that Serrano was wondering about, and he wasn't sure if he had the courage to voice his concerns. However, it was as if Raymond could read minds.

"Something seems to be troubling you, Lieutenant," he remarked.

"Well, sir... There are two things I'm not so sure about."

"And they are?"

"Firstly, what about the shipment to the South India Trading Company? What will happen to it?" Serrano asked.

"It will of course be delivered to the company after you have arrested the bandits and confiscated it," Raymond said.

"And that's my second concern, sir. What about the men? Surely the South India Trading Company will want them punished, but if they're working for us -"

"You don't need to trouble yourself with that. I will arrange a trial in a different town for them. You and a few chosen men will escort them. On the way there, the men will escape, which is unfortunate, but it happens occasionally," Raymond interrupted him.

"I see," Serrano said. That wouldn't make him look good, but the money he would get after this should compensate for it. After all, hadn't Raymond said that money and family were the most important assets a man could have in the army?

"If you prove yourself to be worthy of my trust, we can move on to other projects later. Just don't forget what there's at stake here."

That was needless to say. Serrano had thought about it, and he had realised that Raymond was right. If he wanted to become powerful and rich, he would have to get his hands dirty. Wasn't that how everyone made their fortunes?

All the grapes had been picked, and the season was over. Most of the people who had been working at the Alvarez estate had to go and find new jobs, but a few of them were allowed to remain and look after the fields. This didn't mean that Gabriel had less work to do. His duties just changed. The estate and the surrounding buildings were in a bad shape, and it would be a long time before he, Pablo and Basilio got everything repaired.

Nevertheless, he had a little more free time now. He spent most of it in town because the estate was so quiet without the workers. Only a little over a month ago he would have never believed it, but he missed them now.

The first morning after the fence had been finished had been a little awkward. Nobody had known how to act – Gabriel had got along with the workers during the work, and now they didn't know whether things would continue like that or revert back to him ruling them with an iron fist. Gabriel had been just as uncertain and hadn't known which direction he wanted to choose.

Then the decision had been taken off his hands. Lupe had called out good morning to him as she had come to work, and somehow all the tension had disappeared. After that, there had been no conflicts at the estate, and Gabriel had slowly started to feel at home.

He had started to like San Tasco better as well. Now that he was visiting the town more often and not just because he had to purchase something, he was beginning to realise what a nice town it was. As a lieutenant, he had always looked down on the people and their common lives. Now that he was part of it, it felt more personal, more real. It was only when he saw soldiers that his good mood was ruined.

"I don't think I've ever been that embarrassed," Gonzales remarked before taking a gulp of his wine. He was the only exception. Somehow, Gonzales didn't make his jealousy and bitterness flare up like the others, not even when he talked of the army.

"You should have thought twice before accusing someone without any evidence," Gabriel pointed out.

Gonzales sighed. "I know, but it made so much sense. Who would have thought that the son of a duke would come to San Tasco?"

Gonzales had just finished telling him how they had tried to arrest a man called Emilio Esparda because they had suspected him of being Zorro. It had apparently made perfect sense – Esparda was excellent with a sword, had the same body build, hair and facial features as Zorro and got wonderfully along with Lolita. However, when Gonzales and the soldiers had approached the man, it had turned out that he was the eldest son of one of the most influential dukes in Spain.

Someone that important can't be Zorro, Gabriel mused. A man like Esparda would never risk his life to protect the common people. And yet he was fairly certain that he would have acted just like Gonzales. Even now he wanted to go after Esparda and have a word with him. How dare that man get so close to Lolita? Who did he think he was?

"But actually I'm glad he's not Zorro," Gonzales said.

"And why is that?"

The sergeant shifted on his seat and coughed. "Well, you see... It wouldn't have felt right to arrest him like that," he said. He couldn't meet Gabriel's eyes as he said these words. Gabriel doubted that was the whole truth. Knowing Gonzales, he felt sympathy for Zorro.

"Whether you arrest Zorro in disguise or not should be irrelevant," Gabriel said harshly. "It's your responsibility."

"Of course. You're right," Gonzales hurried to agree.

"If I were still in the army, Zorro would have already been caught," Gabriel continued.

"I don't doubt that for one minute," Gonzales said. "And don't worry. We're doing our best to capture everyone who opposes the army."

Gabriel let out a short hum. It irritated him that Gonzales kept avoiding the real issue. Common rebels didn't interest Gabriel. He wanted to see Zorro arrested and sentenced to death. Gonzales was doing a decent job as a sergeant, but as long as he didn't realise that Zorro was an enemy and nothing else, he would never reach his full potential.

He was brought back from his thoughts when he realised that someone was calling out his name. Gabriel turned to look and saw Edmundo hurrying towards him. Gabriel immediately noticed his bandaged hand. Edmundo hadn't come back to work again, but Celso had told him that his hand was getting better.

"Hello there! How are you?" Edmundo asked as he reached them.

"Fine," Gabriel said. He nodded towards Edmundo's hand. "Looks like you're doing better."

"Yes, and that's all thanks to Dr. Timothy. Without him, I would have probably lost my hand," Edmundo said.

"It's a shame you couldn't come back to work, but it's more important that you're recovering," Gabriel said.

"True, and the neighbours are helping us, so it's not as bad as it could be. Anyway, I don't want to bother you for much longer. I just wanted to thank you," Edmundo said.

"Thank me? For what?" Gabriel asked.

"Marco told me that you took him to Dr. Timothy and later asked the him to come and help me. That wasn't your responsibility, so I'm very grateful," Edmundo said.

"It was nothing," Gabriel said. He continued through gritted teeth, "And it wasn't me who convinced Timothy not to give up his work."

Everything had gone exactly as Zorro had planned – Dr. Timothy's name had been cleared and the hospital had been closed. Kapital and Raymond couldn't profit from the people's misfortune anymore. That wasn't the problem. Gabriel had wanted it as well. The problem wasn't even that Zorro had been successful. After all, that was nothing new.

No, the real problem was that Gabriel had wanted the same thing as Zorro. For a brief moment, they had stood side by side, not as enemies but as allies. It made Gabriel sick, as if everything that had ever been important to him had been mutilated and left to rot. He couldn't want the same things as Zorro. If he did, he'd have to approve of his actions. And then... He didn't want to think about it.

"Oh, but you played a part in it. Zorro said that you helped him," Edmundo said.

"He said what?" Gabriel snarled. From the corner of his eye, he saw Gonzales' shoulders slump. He turned to glare at the sergeant. "You knew about that!"

"I didn't want to make you angry," Gonzales said, frowning and looking down at his wine in defeat.

Edmundo was looking back and forth between them in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Who did Zorro tell about that?" Gabriel demanded to know.

"Everyone who was there. And they probably told it to others. That's how I know," Edmundo replied.

"Damn," Gabriel growled. Now Zorro was spreading lies about him and making it look like they had something in common. The man was mocking him, knowing that he was out of Gabriel's reach for the time being. But not forever. One day he'd show him.

"It's not such a bad thing. Maybe it's going to make you a little more popular," Gonzales dared to suggest.

"Do you think I want to be associated with Zorro? Are you insane?" Gabriel barked at him, and the poor sergeant nearly fell off his chair.

"Right. Silly me," Gonzales muttered.

"I think I had better go. I'm sorry I said anything," Edmundo said. Before he turned away, Gabriel had plenty of time to see the bewildered and apprehensive look in his eyes. He didn't know why, but this made him even angrier.

"Damn that Zorro! He ruins everything," Gabriel snarled.

"He means well. He probably didn't realise you'd be angry," Gonzales said.

"Of course he did! He mentioned me on purpose because he knew it would upset me! That bastard has been laughing at me behind my back ever since he ruined my shoulder!"

"Let's talk about something else," Gonzales suggested, and Gabriel knew the sergeant didn't agree with him. He felt his old dislike for Gonzales flare up; was the man blind or stupid? How could he not see that Zorro wasn't a hero? Gonzales was clearly controlled by his emotions – Zorro had helped him a few times, and now the sergeant saw an ally in him.

"Never mind. I'm going back to the estate. There's work to do," Gabriel said.

"I'm sorry if -" Gonzales started to argue, but Gabriel silenced him with a wave of his hand.

Gonzales remained sitting in the shade with his wine long after Gabriel had left. He wished their conversations wouldn't turn into arguments every time Zorro was mentioned. When they were talking about something else, Gabriel was mostly pleasant company.

In some ways, Gonzales had never stopped thinking of him as his superior, but if Gabriel had noticed that, he wasn't using it to his advantage. Though he was still loud and rude when his temper got the better of him, he mostly talked to Gonzales like they were equals. Gonzales had never expected such a thing could be possible, and if it hadn't been for a few details, he could have truly enjoyed their slowly forming friendship.

The most obvious wedge between them was the issue of Zorro. Gonzales was convinced that Zorro fought for justice. It was just that his methods were wrong. Gonzales knew it was his responsibility to do his best to arrest him, and given the chance, he would try. At the same time, he wouldn't say no to Zorro's help if they were fighting for the same goal.

It's not like we can catch him anyway, he thought. Zorro was too quick, too clever and too skilled. He honestly didn't know if he should have felt enraged at how often he humiliated the army or relieved by that he would probably never have to see Zorro hang.

If only Gabriel would see it that way, too. Gonzales had been hoping that his opinion of Zorro would soften with time now that he was no longer fighting him, but that didn't seem to be the case. Gabriel hated Zorro just as much as before, and Gonzales was starting to lose the hope that he would ever change his mind.

The other problem was the angry and resigned look that appeared in Gabriel's eyes whenever he spotted soldiers in town. There was nothing wrong with his life at the Alvarez estate, but it was obvious that Gabriel wasn't really happy. His hatred for Zorro and Raymond were probably all that gave him the energy to keep going, but they wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later he'd have to admit that he couldn't do anything about either man.

Gonzales didn't know what would happen then. He could only hope Gabriel wouldn't succumb to the irrational anger and bitterness that had consumed him right after he had been removed from service.

The sergeant's unhappy thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure on the other side of the street. It was Diego, walking with his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed on the ground.

"Hey, Diego!" Gonzales called out, hopeful that Diego might join him for a glass of wine.

However, Diego didn't even turn his head. Gonzales couldn't tell if he had heard him at all.

Oh, yes, he suddenly realised. Diego had to know about Lolita and Emilio, too. No wonder he was down. He had no chance against nobility.

I hope he can find some else, he mused with a shake of his head.

Gabriel was riding back towards the estate, and about half-way there he spotted a figure walking alongside the road. It was a child, and as he got closer, he realised that it was the peculiar girl, Pepita. He recalled that her mother was one of the few who still had work at the estate. The girl was probably going to visit her.

Still angered by the trick Zorro had played on him, he decided that this was his chance to talk to Pepita and find out if she really knew anything about the bandit. If yes, he would get it out of her and use it against Zorro.

"Hey, there," he called out as he stopped his horse by her side. "Are you going to visit your mother?"

Pepita stopped and turned to look up at him. A disapproving frown appeared on her face, and she pressed her lips into a tight line. Without saying a single word to him, she started walking again.

"Wait, not so fast," Gabriel said.

"I'm not talking to you," Pepita said.

Arrogant brat, Gabriel thought and urged his horse to get going.

"Are you angry about last time? I'm sorry about that. I was having a bad day," he said in his most pleasant tone.

Pepita didn't reply, but she glanced at Gabriel from the corner of her eye.

"I thought maybe we could have a new start. Why don't we be friends?" Gabriel suggested.

"I already have friends," Pepita said, but there was a defensive tone in her voice. Gabriel didn't know much about her, but he knew what children like her were like. They were always outsiders and easy for others to bully.

"I know. I didn't mean it like that. I just think that we should learn to get along since you're probably going to visit your mother often," Gabriel said. He stopped his horse again and dismounted. "Here, why don't you ride with me? It's still a long way to the estate."

Pepita hesitated for a moment, and Gabriel flashed her his most charming smile. He could see that she was tempted.

"Look, Pepita. I want to make up for how I treated you earlier," he said.

Her eyes widened in wonder. "You remember my name?" she asked, and Gabriel knew then and there that he was winning.

"But of course," he said. He picked her up and lifted her on the saddle. She didn't resist at all. "And I know even more about you. Such as that you have a very vivid imagination and like to tell stories."

He saw her shoulders grow tense when he said these words. Just as he had been hoping. She was making this all too easy for him.

"I try not to do that anymore. People always think I'm lying," Pepita said weakly.

"That's nonsense. You shouldn't worry about them. Most people are just too busy to stop to think about all the interesting things that happen around them."

"I think so, too!" Pepita blurted out. "The day before yesterday, I saw this beautiful bird, and it looked really nice in the sunset, so I told my mother that it was golden and -" she started, but she stopped, like she had suddenly realised that she was doing something bad.

"Do you know what kind of bird it was?" Gabriel asked.

"No. I don't know much about birds, but it was so beautiful."

"Where did you see it?"

And then Pepita started to tell him everything about the bird, what it had been like, where she had seen it and what it had reminded her of. Gabriel cringed inwardly at her blabbering, but he reminded himself that he had to win her complete trust if he wanted her to tell him about Zorro.

Pepita talked nearly non-stop all the way to the estate. Gabriel tried to slip in a few questions or comments to show that he was listening, but he suspected that the girl was so eager to talk about her fantasies that she wouldn't have noticed even if he had fallen asleep. By the time they arrived at the estate, he was feeling his mind go a little numb. Pepita had talked about all kinds of impossible things from imaginary robbers to some treasure that was buried in the area, but she hadn't said a single word about Zorro.

Pepita's mother was walking towards the main house when she spotted them coming. She immediately started hurrying towards them and nearly wrenched Pepita from the saddle when she reached them.

"Pepita, what are you doing?" she asked.

"But mama, I -" Pepita started, but Anita wouldn't let her finish.

"Not a word out of you," she said. Then she turned to Gabriel. "I'm sorry if she was bothering you."

"Oh, not at all," Gabriel said sweetly. "She's a bright girl. You should be proud of her."

Pepita was beaming in her mother's arms. Her cheeks were aflame with joy.

"What?" Anita asked. She was staring at him like he had gone insane and she wasn't sure if she had to grab Pepita in her arms and run.

"We had a great time, didn't we?" Gabriel asked and directed a pleasant smile at Pepita. She replied with a grin and a nod of her head, too pleased to speak. Her mother kept staring back and forth between them, but then she removed her hands from Pepita's shoulders.

"Pepita, go to the kitchen and ask Carla if you can help her out," she said.

Pepita whirled around to stare at her mother. "But, mama!" she complained.

"No objections, young lady. I didn't ask you here today just to visit me," Anita said in a stern voice.

Pepita sighed and started walking towards the house with slow, reluctant steps. Once she had entered the house, Anita turned to glare at Gabriel with such venom that it surprised him.

"What do you want from my daughter?" she asked.

"Nothing. I saw her on the road and decided to give her a ride," Gabriel replied as innocently as he could. He pondered how outrageous he could make his lies with this woman and decided to be careful. A mother who was worried for her daughter wasn't as easy to trick as most others.

"Last time you wanted to beat her. Now you're acting like her favourite uncle," Anita said, doubts and accusation evident in her voice.

Gabriel sighed. "A lot has happened since that. I'm ashamed of the way I used to act, but that's all in the past. Now I'm ready to start making up for my mistakes and be a better man."

"Nobody can change that much," Anita said, but Gabriel could see that she was considering his words. He supposed that all the work on the fence was an advantage to him.

"After I started working here, I've come to realise what life is like for the common people. My actions in the army were inexcusable, but now I'm willing to do anything to fix things," he continued. He realised he felt somewhat uncomfortable saying that, but he couldn't identify the reason. These were hardly the worst lies he had ever spewed.

"And what does that have to do with my daughter?" Anita asked.

"Nothing. It's just a coincidence that I met her on the road, and I wanted to be friendly," Gabriel said.

The frown on Anita's face softened. "Well, I suppose you have been acting differently lately. Thank you for making Pepita happy. She has friends now, but sometimes I still think that..." she started, but she drifted off and shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to bother you with that."

"If I can help you in any way, I'd be happy to do it," Gabriel said.

Hesitation flashed briefly on Anita's face, but it was quickly gone. "It's not something you could change, but thank you," she said and wouldn't elaborate any further.

Lolita couldn't stop smiling as she was driving her carriage towards San Tasco. She tried to keep her hands steady, but she was so full of bubbling energy that just holding the reins was almost too much. She would have much rather run her hands through her hair or picked on her dress, just to have something to distract herself with.

She glanced at the sky. The sun was setting, and it would be dark in about half an hour. She hoped she wouldn't arrive late. That would make her look bad, and she didn't want to disappoint Emilio. He would no doubt be there in time.

Lolita felt pleasantly warm inside as she thought of Emilio. His gentle voice and the adoration in his eyes whenever he looked at her made her almost ticklish. And yet that wasn't all there was to him – he was secretive and noble. After he had saved her from the crooks in town and addressed her, she had immediately known that they had met before.

"Zorro," Lolita whispered out loud. Emilio was Zorro. She had confronted him about it during their boat ride earlier that day, and he had admitted it. The almost shy smile as he had turned to look away had revealed it right away. He hadn't been able to lie to her. And then his words about how his life wasn't worth a thing if she betrayed him... Lolita had never thought that Zorro could be so wonderful. So bold and courageous wearing his mask, so romantic and gentle without it.

She wondered how things would develop now that she knew Emilio's secret. She wanted to help him, of course, and she was ready to do anything to keep him safe from the army. Maybe she would even have to say goodbye to him. Emilio would have to make it look like he had left San Tasco if he wanted to continue fighting as Zorro without anyone else making the connection.

Lolita bit her lip in determination. If it came to that, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. She would still be able to meet him as Zorro, and the lives of the people were more important than her happiness.

But she wouldn't think of any of that now. She was going out to eat with Emilio, and all that mattered was that they were going to have a great evening together.

"Lolita!"

Lolita was startled from her thoughts when someone called out her name. She turned to look back and saw Diego and Bernard trying to catch up with her.

"Stop, I have to tell you something," Diego called out.

"What do you want? I'm in a hurry. Emilio is waiting for me."

"And he's exactly what we want to talk about," Bernard said.

Lolita frowned at the serious expressions on her friends' faces and pulled at the reins to make the horses stop. She yearned to hurry to Emilio, but she knew Diego and Bernard would never bother her if it wasn't something important.

"Alright, what is it?" she asked as she got down from her carriage. "What do you have to say about Emilio?"

"We saw him in town earlier today. Do you remember those men who attacked you? Emilio was talking to them, and they seemed to get along just fine."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lolita asked.

Diego misunderstood the object of her irritation and continued eagerly, "I think there's something fishy going on. A nobleman like Emilio has no reason to associate with men like that."

"I'm not even sure he's a nobleman in the first place," Bernard added.

"What, you're saying Emilio is a liar?" Lolita asked. She felt as confused as if Diego had just claimed that the sky was green.

"Why else would he hang around men like that?" Diego asked.

"Yeah, I saw them too!" Bernard said.

"You two just want to ruin my evening," Lolita said, and then it suddenly hit her. Of course, how blind she had been! She felt a mischievous smile work its way on her lips as she added, "Oh, I see. You're jealous."

"That's not true. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Oh, stop that. I know exactly what kind of man Emilio is. Unlike you, he protected me from the crooks. Besides, his father is a duke in Spain, remember?" Lolita asked. She felt like shaking her head at Diego. It was so clear that he was afraid of losing her and had made up this story about Emilio and the men. It was almost cute, so she couldn't be angry at him.

"Yes, I know that," Diego replied.

"And that's not all. He is -" Lolita started triumphantly, but she stopped herself just in time. Just how stupid was she? She couldn't tell Emilio's secret to anyone, not even her best friends.

"What?" Bernard asked.

"No, I won't tell to you. You wouldn't believe me. But anyway, I won't let your lies ruin my friendship with Emilio. If that was all, I have to get going," Lolita said. She waved at her friends and hurried back to her carriage, ignoring how Diego tried to call her back.

That silly Diego, she thought as she picked up the reins and continued her journey. It was kind of flattering that he was jealous, but what had he been expecting? Of course she wanted to spend time with someone like Emilio. Unlike Diego, he was brave and strong and not always stumbling over his own feet or complaining about how he didn't want to carry her groceries. Compared to Emilio, Diego was... Well...

Lolita bit her lip as she felt a pang of regret. No matter how much she loathed Diego's weakness sometimes, he was still her best and oldest friend. He had stood by her side when it had looked like her father would have to sell their whole property and move away from San Tasco. Just because she liked Emilio didn't mean that it was right to laugh at Diego's feelings.

She would talk to him the next day, she decided. She would explain to him that they were still friends and would always be, even if things between her and Emilio developed further than this. He had no reason to be worried about losing her.

It was starting to get dark. She was a little late now, so she was about to urge the horses to go faster. However, it was then that she noticed a figure waving at her by the side of the road. She couldn't make out more than that it was a man.

"Help me, please!" the man called out, and Lolita immediately stopped the carriage.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"There's a hole in the road, and my carriage is stuck. Could you help me lift it so that my horses can pull it to stabler ground?" the man asked.

"I don't know if it'll help, but I'll do my best," Lolita promised. She hopped off her carriage and hurried to the man's horses. She walked around his carriage, looking for the wheel that was in the hole.

"I don't understand. There is no -" she started, but before she could finish, the man caught her arms and slammed her against the carriage.

Lolita yelled out in pain and struggled to free herself, but the man was much stronger than her. She strained her neck to get another look at him. Up close, she realised that he was one of the men who had attacked her in town a few days earlier.

"What do you want?" she snarled.

"Hey, hey, now. Be a good girl and nothing will happen to you," the man said. He forced Lolita's hands behind her back.

Two more men emerged from the carriage. One of them came to tie Lolita's hands so that all her hopes of breaking free were crushed.

"Let me go!" Lolita snapped, wincing at how the rope bit into her skin.

"We had better shut her mouth, too. I don't want her to make any noise and attract attention," one of the men said.

"What are you going to do?" Lolita asked, fear suddenly grabbing her heart. She was all alone with these three men. They could do anything they wanted to her, and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop them.

If only Diego were – No, if only Emilio were here to help her!

One of the men came to gag her. He saw the fear in her eyes as she tried to turn her head away and chuckled.

"Don't worry, sweetie," he said. "We're just going to detain you for some time. Nobody will lay a hand on you if you don't give us any trouble."

The men threw her inside their carriage and started taking her somewhere away from San Tasco. Lolita clenched her eyes shut and tried to ignore the pain from the ropes and the fear that was making it difficult to breathe.

Diego was picking at his food, unable to stop worrying. He shouldn't have let Lolita go to Emilio. Anything could happen. He should have been more aggressive and forced her to come back home, even if she would have been terribly angry. He didn't know what he'd do if something happened to her.

However, that wasn't all that was making him worried, even if he loathed to admit it. The fact was that so far Emilio had been the perfect gentleman. Just because he had been talking to some shady characters didn't mean he was up to something. Maybe he was everything he appeared to me. Maybe he was the man of Lolita's dreams.

"What is it? Don't you like Maria's cooking today?" Alejandro asked when he noticed that Diego had hardly swallowed a bite.

"It's great," Diego replied.

"Lolita turned you down, didn't she?" Maria asked.

"That's rubbish! What makes you think that?" Diego asked, suddenly feeling defensive in front of his father and the housekeeper.

"Is that true?" Alejandro asked.

"Not at all! We just had an argument," Diego said. He didn't want to talk about this with his father. It would just remind him that his son was a failure. His fiancée was having fun with another man, and he was sitting at home and not even trying to defend his honour.

"You need some more experience with how to deal with women. You have to show her how much she means to you," Alejandro said while Maria kept nodding her head in rhythm to his words.

If it only were that simple, Diego thought.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Don Carlos ran inside. He was followed by Emilio. Both were out of breath.

"Don Alejandro, please help me! Can you loan me some money?" Carlos asked, his voice shaking in fear that was rare for him.

"Of course, but what's going on?" Alejandro asked.

"Please help me! I don't have anyone else to turn to. I need the money. Lolita has been kidnapped!" Carlos announced.

"What did you say?" Diego asked, his blood turning into ice as he jumped to his feet.

"It's true. Oh, my poor daughter!" Carlos wailed.

I shouldn't have let Lolita go and see him, Diego thought as he turned to look at the young man by Carlos' side. It was his fault this had happened. If he had never come to San Tasco, if he had never tried to charm Lolita like that, she would be safely home. Uncharacteristic loathing threatened to overcome him, but then Diego saw the worry and regret in Emilio's eyes.

He cares for her, too, he realised and opened his fists that he had been clenching without even realising it.

"Let's go to the sitting room. It's a better place to discuss something like this," Alejandro decided. He brought Carlos something to drink in order to calm him down.

"Don Carlos, how do you know that Lolita has been kidnapped? I saw her only a few hours ago," Diego said.

"Emilio told me that he found her carriage by the road," Carlos replied.

Everyone turned to look at the young man. He nodded with a grim frown on his face.

"I was supposed to meet her in town at six. I waited two hours for her, but she never came, so I started to get worried. I decided to visit her at her home, and I saw the carriage on my way."

"And this letter was in the carriage," Carlos said, producing a piece of paper from his pocket. He handed it to Diego.

"We have your daughter. We demand five hundred gold coins. If you want to see her again, bring the money to the Stone Pine Valley tomorrow morning. If you try to get help from the army, she will die," Diego read out loud. It was suddenly tempting to tear the paper to pieces.

"How much are five hundred gold coins?" Bernard asked.

"A lot more than most people have," Diego said.

"I've put my savings together, but it's not enough. Don Alejandro, I still need three hundred – no, two hundred and fifty. Please help me!" Carlos said.

"I don't have that much at home," Alejandro said.

"You'll get it back. I promise," Carlos insisted.

Emilio, who had been mostly quiet since his arrival, took this moment to approach Alejandro. "I swear it on my name. Lolita means a lot to me. It was supposed to remain a secret, but Lolita has promised to marry me," he said.

Diego had thought he had already experienced the worst shock of his life, but the sudden chill he felt in his chest made his breath get caught in his throat.

"What are five hundred gold coins if I can save the life of my fiancée who means a thousand times more to me?" Emilio asked. His voice was laced with regret as he clenched his fists and turned to look away. "My father would surely give the money to me, but there's no time to ask him now. We have to try something else. Please, Don Alejandro. Give us the money or we're doomed."

"I understand, but -" Alejandro started.

"Is it really true?" Diego asked, making everyone turn to look at him as he jumped to his feet. His voice sounded pitiful even in his own ears, but he had to know. "Has Lolita really promised to be your wife?"

"Yes," Emilio said, looking baffled and surprised.

"I know it hurts, and I'm very sorry, but it's Lolita's decision," Carlos said.

Diego had no choice but to turn his eyes to the floor. If even Lolita's father said that, then it had to be true.

"Now I see," Emilio said all of a sudden. "You love Lolita, too, don't you?"

"Well, I -" Diego started, but the other man gave him no chance to continue.

"Please don't try to hide it. She'll marry me, but if you really love her, then you must help me free her from the hands of these criminals," Emilio continued.

"Yes," Diego said in defeat and sat down. Emilio was right. No matter how much it hurt, he wanted to respect Lolita's decision.

His father and the others discussed how to get the money together and decided that Alejandro and Carlos would go to their friends and ask them for the rest of the money. If everything went well, they would be back in time for one of them to deliver the ransom money.

After Alejandro and Carlos had left, it was uncomfortably silent in the sitting room. Maria dropped by to bring them something to drink, but other than that, nobody moved or said anything. Diego felt that he couldn't concentrate on anything.

"It must be quite a shock," Emilio said after the silence had lasted for a while.

"What?" Diego asked, lifting his eyes from the floor.

"I mean my engagement to Lolita. I hear you two were actually engaged before I arrived," Emilio said.

"Well, it wasn't much more than a technicality," Diego said. It was more that Carlos and Caterina had bothered Alejandro so much about the engagement that they had finally got a half-hearted yes out of him so that they would leave him alone. Diego wasn't sure if anyone apart from Lolita's parents had ever taken it seriously.

"Nevertheless, I feel terrible about how I just waltzed into town and stole your fiancée. Under these circumstances and to preserve my honour, I feel I must compensate for your loss somehow. When my father sends me the money, I will -" Emilio started, but Diego suddenly saw red.

"You can't buy Lolita!" he snapped. "It was Lolita's decision, and I will respect that. You can't make me feel better with money, as if she were just a possession."

"That's not what I meant," Emilio said.

"But that's how I took it," Diego said. Before Emilio could get another word in, Diego stood up and walked to the door. "Excuse me for a moment."

"Diego, wait!" Bernard called out and hurried after him. Diego ignored his friend as he walked outside to the small fountain in the yard. He often went there when he wanted to think, but it brought him little relief this time. The night reminded him of Lolita and how they had stood here when it had looked like her family would be forced to move away.

"Dammit!" Diego swore. He picked up a stone and threw it into the fountain.

"Maybe it's not too late yet," Bernard suggested. "Lolita could still change her mind."

Diego shook his head. "I don't think so. Why would she? Emilio is everything she has always wanted in a man."

"That's not true! You are," Bernard insisted.

"Lolita doesn't think so," Diego said with a sigh. He couldn't blame her. What kind of woman would be interested in someone who appeared as weak, as scared and as useless as he did? He only had himself to blame. He had known that every lie he spoke would make Lolita more distant from him and that one day she might choose someone else over him. It was a risk he had taken willingly when he had decided to become Zorro, but... He hadn't realised how much it would hurt when that day finally came.

"How could she think so when you haven't let her see your true self since you returned from Spain?" Bernard asked. There was a determined and eager look in his green eyes, and Diego found himself out of words for a moment. Bernard used his chance to continue, "Lolita doesn't know how brave and strong you really are or how much you've sacrificed for the people of this town. I bet she only decided to marry that Emilio because of the rumours that he's Zorro. But if you told her that you're Zorro, I'm sure she'd love you instead."

"But that's not what I want," Diego said.

"What? Then what do you want?" Bernard asked, frowning in confusion.

"I don't want Lolita to love me because I'm Zorro. I want her to love me for who I am," Diego said. Even as he said it, he knew how stupid he sounded. It was selfish of him to get angry. He had driven Lolita into the arms of another man with his behaviour. He had no right to expect her to remain alone when he couldn't yet give her what she wanted.

"But you're Zorro!"

"It's not that simple."

"I think you should tell her the truth. She deserves to know before she marries Emilio," Bernard said.

"I don't want to bring her to danger, but if she really is determined to marry him, then I will tell her everything," Diego said. Emilio would take Lolita to Spain with him. She would be safe there even if she knew Zorro's secret.

"But Diego..." Bernard said, and Diego suddenly realised that tears were forming in the boy's eyes. "I don't want Lolita to marry him. I want her to marry you. You're both my best friends, and I know you belong together."

"Sometimes things don't go the way we want them to," Diego said. Then he shook his head. "But right now it's more important to make sure Lolita comes back safe and sound."

"Are you going to save her?" Bernard asked hopefully.

"I think it's better to pay the ransom money. The kidnappers won't hurt her as long as everything is going according to their plan. I don't want to take the risk that they might realise Zorro is after them," Diego said.

"Maybe you're right," Bernard muttered.

"Come on. I think we had better get back inside and be good hosts to Emilio," Diego said. He decided that no matter how much it hurt, he would show a happy face for Lolita's sake. They were still friends, and the last thing he wanted was to make her detest him because he couldn't stand the man she had chosen.

The day had already dawned when Alejandro and Carlos came back. Diego, Emilio and Bernard rushed outside to greet them and were happy to see the triumphant looks on the arriving men's faces.

"We did it!" Carlos announced as he hopped off the carriage. "Alejandro's friends helped us and now we have the money. Exactly five hundred gold coins!"

"That's wonderful! Now we can save Lolita," Diego said, all his tiredness and worries washed away.

"Now we just have to decide who is going to deliver the money," Alejandro said.

Emilio stepped forward. "It's for the best if I do that."

"Out of the question. We can't demand something like that of you. It's too dangerous," Carlos said. He turned to Diego and said, "You should go, Diego. You know where the place is."

"Diego, what do you think?" Alejandro asked.

"I can't allow that. Lolita will be my wife one day, so it's my task," Emilio said.

"But your father would never forgive us if something happened to you," Carlos said.

"Something could happen to Diego as well. At least I know how to defend myself."

"I can go as well," Alejandro volunteered.

"No. Out of the question. I will do it," Emilio insisted.

"You're getting pretty worked up over this," Bernard remarked.

"Bernard, stop that right now," Diego snapped. He couldn't believe the others. Starting an argument now wouldn't get them anywhere. It was only a waste of precious time.

"I just want to prove that I'd do anything for her," Emilio said.

Diego couldn't quite shake the strange feeling that had bothered him the whole night. At first he had thought it was jealousy and shock and had tried to ignore it. But the more he thought about it, the more certain he became that it wasn't just that. Something about Emilio had been off even before Lolita's kidnapping.

He recalled what Bernard had told him the previous night and decided to give it a try. Maybe it was desperate, but it was his only chance.

"I think Emilio is the right man for it. There are rumours that he's Zorro," Diego said.

"What? Is that true?" Carlos asked.

For a moment, Emilio looked baffled and undecided, but then he made up his mind. A sweet smile formed on his lips and he chuckled at everyone's surprise.

"Well, nobody was supposed to know that. Please keep it to yourself," he said.

Diego didn't hear a word of how Carlos buried Emilio in praise and wished him a safe journey. It couldn't be this simple. Emilio could have other reasons to lie. Maybe he only wanted to convince them to let him go. He could still be an honest man who told white lies.

He was pulled back from his thoughts when Bernard called out his name. He realised that he had to forget about his doubts for now – for as long as there was even the slightest chance that Emilio wasn't what he appeared to be, he had to act.

"I'm coming too," Bernard said as they were hurrying inside and towards the secret passage.

This time Diego didn't even remember their agreement and didn't object as Bernard tied his mask around his face.

Lolita sighed as she kept leaning her face on her hands. She was sitting outside the building where she had been held captive, and she couldn't understand what had happened. Just like she had known, Zorro had come to her rescue, defeated her kidnappers and set her free. However, nothing else made any sense whatsoever.

She bit into her lip as she thought of Emilio. What a fool she had been. He had charmed her off her feet, and she had fallen for him right away. In hindsight, he had been too perfect, but... She couldn't help it. For those few days they had spent together, she had been happy. How he had arrived with the ransom money and transformed into a coarse bandit before her eyes had felt like a slap to her face.

"How could I be so blind?" Lolita muttered to herself. How had she not realised that Emilio was only lying to her so that he and his companions could capture her and get the ransom money?

It wasn't just the truth of Emilio that confused her. Zorro had been acting oddly, too. Lolita had expected him to take her home like countless times before, but instead he had left her here. He had said that someone who liked her was going to come and pick her up, but Lolita had no idea what he meant by that.

Well, it's not like she needed Zorro! If he had better things to do than take her home, so be it. She could walk. Lolita jumped to her feet, but instead of walking to the road, she gave a rebellious kick to the nearest stone.

"Damn this!" she snarled. She could feel tears burning her eyes. Damn Emilio! Damn Zorro! Damn herself!

She had just wanted to be happy. It wasn't fair that just when she found a man she liked, he was just using her to get money. It wasn't fair that Emilio wasn't really a duke's son, that he didn't really love her, that he wasn't Zorro...

Lolita wiped her eyes, angry at herself for crying over such a piece of scum. She wanted to feel happy about how the real Zorro had come to save her, but she couldn't. The experience with Emilio had taught her one thing, and she couldn't believe that she hadn't seen it before.

She knew absolutely nothing about Zorro. She had no idea what he looked like under the mask. She couldn't even begin to guess what kind of personality he had, what he did for fun, what his occupation was. The fact that Emilio had been able to fool her that easily proved how shallow her image of her hero was. Anyone could step into that role and pretend to be Zorro.

If she didn't know anything about Zorro, how could she claim to love him? It was a silly crush at best, and Lolita was now starting to realise how childish she had been. Zorro was only a figure of justice; he wasn't meant to be loved by anyone.

For so long, she had been certain that Zorro was the man for her. The more she thought about it, the lonelier she felt. The fact that Zorro had left her alone just proved how little she truly meant for him. She was nothing more than another citizen to be saved.

"Hello, Lolita!"

Lolita lifted her eyes from the ground when she heard a familiar voice call out to her. She turned to look towards the road and saw Diego riding to her direction. He stopped the horse when he reached her and dismounted the animal. He was smiling, but it quickly disappeared.

"Oh, Lolita. Have you been crying?" he asked.

"What, me?" Lolita asked. "Of course not!"

"Are you sure? You must have been terrified. I'm so glad nothing happened to you."

If he wanted to take her red eyes that way, so be it. It was fine as long as he didn't know that Lolita had been crying because of Emilio and Zorro.

"It's over now," Lolita said.

"I wish I could have done something to help, but we all thought it would be better if Emilio came to save you," Diego said.

"Don't ever mention that name in my presence again!" Lolita snapped, surprising even herself with the anger in her voice.

Diego winced at her tone. "I met Zorro on the road. I know what happened," he said. After a pause, he added, "I'm sorry. I know Em - he meant a lot to you."

"Oh, he's nothing. Let's just get home," Lolita said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Diego helped her on the horse and then climbed behind her on the saddle. Lolita leaned against his chest and was suddenly glad that Diego had come. No matter how bad things were in her romantic life, she knew she could always trust Diego. He'd always be there for her.

"Diego," she said somewhat awkwardly after they had been riding a while in silence.

"What?"

"I'm sorry about what I said to you yesterday. You were right about Emilio, but I was too stubborn to listen."

"That's alright."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have said you were jealous. I know you'd never lie to me like that because of something so petty."

She felt Diego's hold around her tighten. Just when she was starting to think that she had insulted him somehow, he spoke again.

"Maybe I was a little jealous," Diego said. "But I would never lie to keep you away from another man if I thought he could make you happy."

Lolita had never felt so comfortable riding with Diego. They had done it countless times before, but this was the first time that she realised how secure she felt in his arms. He was perhaps weak and a coward, but right now Lolita was sure he could have protected her from any danger.

Both Emilio and Zorro forgotten, she took Diego's hand so that they could hold the reins together.