Nevertheless, Zorro´s bold statement to the alcalde that Victoria and Diego should be married within a month appeared to be a little too optimistic. First of all there was lots and lots of paperwork to see to. By marrying the taverness, Diego would automatically gain property of the tavern. But he knew too well how much Victoria loved her work there, as well as being aware of her sense of business so far superior to his own. So he had a contract drawn up which in name indeed - following the law - would make him the owner of the tavern upon his marriage, but ensuring the role as managing director upon Victoria herself, making her responsible for all day-to-day decisions concerning the establishment. Neither of them could predict how Victoria would feel about working in the tavern when she would have her own family. But this way, at least she would have the opportunity if indeed she wanted to.

Apart from that, an in Victoria´s eyes incredible sum was settled upon her in the case of Diego´s death. "Are you trying to get me to kill you or something?" she teased him as she had gotten over most of her awe.

Something that puzzled her was the matter of her private quarters. Three beautiful rooms were to be at her disposal: a bedroom, a sitting-room and a bathroom. She was free to furnish them any way she wished, without having to worry about the expense. That was a state of mind to which she was not accustomed; she had always had to compromise between beauty and economics, and as a result, the taste she had developed that way was rather modest. It all made her awkwardly aware of just how rich the family was that she was marrying into.

Still, that was not what puzzled her the most. For why on earth should she and Diego each have their own bedroom after they would be married?! Wouldn´t that defeat the whole object of marriage?

Diego gave her a puzzled look when she brought up the subject with him. "I don´t know," he answered pensively. "My mother and father always had separate bedrooms. I believe it is customary in our circles. I just assumed..."

"Well, my parents had only one bedroom. And only one bed, too," Victoria told him.

"Only one bed?!"

"Well, a big bed. But it seems kind of weird to me not to spend your nights together when you love each other."

A mischievous twinkle crept into Diego´s eyes. "Well, of course I can´t tell you for sure whether my parents indeed slept each in his or her own room. I never checked. You might want to ask my father about that."

Victoria blushed. "Don´t be silly..."

Diego chuckled. "But I must say I find your idea of sharing one big bed very tempting. I´d love to hold you in my arms every night when I fall asleep, and wake up, only to find that I´m still holding you. Perhaps it´s time to start a new custom then, eh?"

So to Don Alejandro´s surprise, the bed Victoria got for her room was uncommonly wide.

"Won´t you get lost on such a wide stretched plain?" he wondered with his eyebrows raised.

But Victoria reassured him happily: "Oh no. Not when I´ll have Diego with me. This is what they call a double bed."

"Well, what do you know..." Don Alejandro muttered. "Before we know it, we might have triple beds and quadruple beds that fill the room from one wall to another!"

xxxxx

Another matter that Diego wanted to settle was Felipe´s status. Officially, Felipe was nothing but a servant, and a very low one, too: as a foundling, he didn´t even have a last name. When Diego had found him, the little boy had been unable to tell them his name, and Diego himself had decided to call him Felipe for the time-being. Later on, when they had learned to communicate even about more abstract matters, Diego had asked him if he remembered his real name. The boy had only become very distressed, and even on later occasions, Felipe had insisted that he did not recall his former name at all. His name was Felipe, and that was all there was to it.

From the very beginning, Diego had felt a kind of paternal love and responsibility for the lost boy. He still felt guilty about neglecting, nay, almost forgetting him during his years in Madrid. But since then, their bond had only strengthened as Felipe became Zorro´s helper and consequently Diego´s closest confidant. Their relationship was one of friendship and complete trust, as well as a love similar to the love between a father and his son, he believed. And even though they were hardly more than twelve, thirteen years apart - no one knew exactly how old Felipe was - Diego was quite sure that he could not love a child of his own flesh and blood more than he loved his protégé Felipe. And as his special protégé, he and Don Alejandro had seen to it that the boy - so eager to learn - had received a schooling and education far above the general standards for servants. Inspite of his status as a servant, when it came to schooling Felipe had been educated almost as a caballero.

Years ago, when he had his will drawn up, Diego had already made Felipe his main benificiary. Perhaps the time had come to make his position in the De la Vega family clear for all the world to see. That is: if Felipe wanted so himself.

Fortunately, when he sounded Victoria on the matter, it appeared she welcomed the idea of Diego and herself adopting Felipe. "I know how fond you two are of each other," she said. "Felipe is so dear, so smart..." She chuckled. "And handsome and intelligent, too! Yes, Diego, I will be honoured if he will have me for his mother. And I can only hope that our own child will grow up to be just like him."

Diego simply beamed with pride, but he added cautiously: "But do you realize that if I adopt him as my son, he will in time automatically become heir to the whole of the De la Vega estate? Inspite of any sons you and I will have together? We can settle a large sum on our ´own´ children of course, but they will not inherit the hacienda. What do you think about that?"

Victoria merely shrugged. "With you being as rich as you are, I´m sure they will always be well provided for. With or without the hacienda. But more importantly: Felipe is a sensible, intelligent young man, with his heart in the right place. I don´t know much about running a hacienda, but I am quite sure that Felipe would be a very good master to serve. Simply because he has been a servant himself for ten years. He will see to the needs of the weak, and as Zorro´s assistant he must have developed a good sense of justice, too. Yes, I think he will make a perfect manager of the hacienda one day."

This time Diego beamed with gratitude, and he went off to find Felipe. He found the young man in the library, engrossed in one of his lawbooks.

"Felipe, can I have a word with you, please?"

Felipe looked up and made an inviting gesture as Diego sat down on the other side of the chess-board.

Diego cleared his throat. "Felipe..." he started rather hesitantly. "Felipe, you know that I love you very much, don´t you? Like you were my younger brother. Or my son."

Felipe nodded, but kept his eyes fixed on Diego without signing anything in return. It was as if he could sense the magnitude of the moment in the air.

Diego continued slowly: "What do you say about making that bond official? Me adopting you as my eldest son?"

Felipe sat motionless; he could scarcely believe his ears. Sometimes, in very daring wild dreams, he had contemplated on how it would be one day: Diego adopting him as a son. Having a father again. And in Don Alejandro a grandfather. A family. But he hadn´t dared to believe in those dreams. Too far-fetched. Unreal. And here...

Diego watched him expectantly, and suddenly Felipe jumped up and embraced his patron. And Diego hugged him back. No words were necessary. The mutual hug - an expression of affection they hardly ever used - said all there was to say.

When they finally let go of one another they both had to blink away some tears.

"I love you, father," Felipe signed timidly.

"I love you, too, son." Diego´s face had an emotional smile.

They sat quiet for a while, pondering about their future.

"How soon can this be organized?" Felipe wanted to know. "For I suppose some papers will have to be drawn up and signed."

Diego nodded in acknowledgement. "The magistrate is coming by here one of these days to give his official approval of the provisions concerning Victoria. We could take up your adoption right away then."

A slight grin appeared on Felipe´s face. "Will Victoria be my mother then?"

Diego smiled. "A bit odd, isn´t it? She is less than ten years older than you are..."

Felipe shrugged. "I don´t mind. I would like to have her for a mother. She is really nice." He hesitated for an instant before adding: "Actually I believe I was a little jealous... You marrying Victoria, and then this new baby... I was afraid that they would take my place in your heart..." He shrugged apologetically. "A childish thought, I know, but... You know..."

Diego leaned forward and took hold of his shoulder. "Yes. I understand. But you need never worry, Felipe. Even if I´d get twenty more children, that won´t change my love for you."

Felipe´s eyes popped wide. "Twenty children?! What does Victoria say about that?"

Diego grinned. "Nothing. I haven´t asked her. But I think I would really like to have a whole bunch of children. Growing up as an only child has its advantages, but I would have liked to have a few brothers and sisters to play with. Instead of always having to find friends and playmates elsewhere. Though twenty may be a little exaggerated, you´re right."

Felipe in his turn let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. But he sobered immediately as another question came to his mind: "What about my hearing?"

Diego watched him with understanding. "Would you like people to know you can hear?" he asked quietly.

Felipe hesitated, but nodded.

Diego leaned forward and took the young man´s hand in his. "Has it been bothering you to keep it a secret?"

Felipe sighed. "Recently, yes. I would like to get on with my life. Especially now that I see you and Victoria making your dreams come true, so would I like to let people know the real me, too. I think that would be easier if my only handicap was to be that I have trouble speaking."

Diego nodded. "I am sure you are right. In a way, your life has been as trapped by Zorro as mine."

"Oh, but I don´t regret it!" Felipe hurried to explain. "It was for a good cause!"

Diego sighed. "Yes, I know. And I think you are right. As much as Victoria and I by now feel we deserve to get on with our lives, that goes for you, too, of course. So what do you say we announce that you´ve regained your hearing together with the official announcement of you becoming a member of the De la Vega family?"

Felipe gave him a sheepish grin. "You mean I´m really going to be called Felipe de la Vega?"

"Don Felipe de la Vega," Diego corrected him with a broad smile as he got up. "And if anyone is worthy of that title, it´s you, my friend!"

Felipe shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh yes, you are!" Diego chuckled. "You´d better get used to it, son! Oh, and by the way: you might want to think about a few extra middle names to add. Never in the entire history of the De la Vega family has there ever been a member with only one first name. And we wouldn´t want you to be the exception."

Felipe shook his head. "I only want one more name, and that is yours," he told Diego.

"Mine?" Diego asked surprised.

Felipe nodded. "All that I have, all that I am... I have only you to thank for that. Without you, I would be nothing; I would probably be dead. You brought me here, you gave me a home, a future... and now even a family. I can never thank you enough for that. So if I may choose, I would like to be called Felipe Diego de la Vega. In your honour."

They looked at each other in silence. And in the end, Diego said quietly: "Thank you, my son."