Wow, no one comments on the alcalde's bad mood, with all the fun I had making him mad. Let's see if I have better luck with this chapter.
Chapter 5. Summons.
The day they were scheduled to meet with the alcalde Don Alejandro met Diego in the library, and noticed that Diego was dressed more elegantly than usual, in a suit he had acquired in Monterrey, while he was simply wearing practical riding clothes.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
Diego adjusted the sleeve of his jacket. "It's part of my plan, to look concerned about my image. Remember the story we agreed on."
"Yes, sure, but. should I change my clothes too?"
"No, it's perfect, it's very noticeable the difference in style between us. Remember, I'll decide what I'm going to say after I hear from the alcalde. You just have to disagree with whatever I say."
"I don't know, son, I've never been a good actor."
"It's not hard, you just have to look disappointed in me, protest that I don't behave like a de la Vega or something."
Don Alejandro was indignant just thinking about it. "Yes it is difficult, Diego. I'm enormously proud of the man you are, and I don't like that pipsqueak thinking you're worth less than you really are."
Diego smiled gratefully at his words. "Well focus on that feeling of frustration. We're doing it for a good cause, you know that."
"I never thought it would be so hard to keep a secret." sighed Don Alejandro. "But I'll do my best."
Diego walked over to the library for a moment to grab a folder of documents and came out behind his father.
Diego and his father dismounted in the plaza and tied their horses to the post in front of the barracks. There were several gentlemen in a huddle in front of the alcalde's door. Don Alejandro approached to greet them followed by Diego. Everyone commented on the strangeness of the situation.
Sergeant Mendoza opened the office door and called them in. Diego entered after Don Alejandro, and the father could see that his son was walking a little shuffling, not as upright as was usual for him, and that as soon as he entered he opened his folder and began to look at one of the documents with a worried expression. He decided to look at the alcalde defiantly, actually as usual, only now he was doing it on purpose.
The alcalde pretended to be reading a letter while the gentlemen were entering, although in reality he was watching them slyly. It seemed to him that Diego was worried. Perhaps he could take advantage.
When they were all in front of him he made them wait a couple of minutes to realize who held the reins, and finally looked up at them.
"I am glad to have in front of me the cream of the Los Angeles population. Unfortunately I must say that the reason is that all of you have pending causes with justice."
A murmur of indignation arose from the gentlemen, although the only one who spoke openly was Don Alejandro, as was to be expected. "This is an outrage. We are faithful subjects of the king and respectful of the law."
Don Diego approached his father, somewhat nervously, and placed a hand on his arm. "Father, you know you are accused of defying authority. Perhaps you'd better listen to the alcalde before you act."
Don Alejandro turned to his son with irritation. "This man does not represent the government, he has never looked out for the good of the citizens." Diego withdrew his hand and looked away.
The alcalde disguised a smile. Perhaps he could benefit from the differences among the de la Vega. From Don Diego's attitude he was sure he could get more from him than from the others.
"Well, señores, most of the accusations are for minor offenses, which can be settled out of court by paying a fine."
Don Diego looked at him without seeming convinced. "But have any of these accusations reached the territorial judge?"
The alcalde was not expecting that question. "I haven't gotten to process any of these accusations, and even if the previous alcalde had sent some brief to the court, if I send report that you have plead guilty and paid the fines I'm sure they will file the cases."
"Are you sure that this list collects all the accusations?" insisted Don Diego. "It may be that Luis Ramon sent something that you have not taken into account because he did not register it or you have missed some report. I don't want to have pending charges with the justice system." Diego knew that there were indeed charges against them in the Monterrey court, because he had asked there, although they had been pending trial for a long time because the judge had not given them importance and after the death of the previous alcalde no one had been interested in them. Diego wanted to know if de Soto had bothered to find out, and he saw that he had not.
"Diego, I think you are exaggerating this matter." said Don Alejandro.
"I've already told you it's important, Paloma is related to the governor's secretary, and if her family finds out that I have pending lawsuits they won't allow us to see each other again."
"If they are so delicate I don't think that señorita will suit you. They will have to understand that sometimes it is more important to help someone than to follow the law to the letter, especially in a territory as far away from the capital as this one."
Diego made an exasperated face at his father's reproachful look.
"Sergeant, give everyone here a summons to come and discuss the matter of their fines with me."
"Sí, mi alcalde." said the sergeant handing a document to each one.
"You made us come here just for this?" asked don Emiliano somewhat offended.
"Yes, you know that the administration has its formalities." replied the alcalde satisfied to be able to bother the citizens several times. Bureaucracy was sometimes wonderful.
Don Diego read his document, and slyly glanced at his father's document. Then he gave a slight shake of his head. As the others filed out amid murmurs of protest, he intentionally stayed behind.
"Excuse me, alcalde." he said when he was sure his father had left. "Couldn't you reschedule me? I'd rather not coincide with my father when we discuss this matter."
The alcalde's expression was calculating, that was going even better than he expected. He was dying of curiosity to know what Don Diego wanted to talk about behind his father's back. With a condescending gesture he opened his agenda and spent some time turning pages until he finally made up his mind. "All right, don Diego, you can come next Friday at 11 a.m."
"Thank you, alcalde." said Diego somewhat relieved.
z...Z...z
Felipe went to open the hacienda door, which someone was pounding mercilessly.
Victoria greeted Felipe in a curt voice, and the boy, seeing the girl's face, turned away as he waved at her with a hand gesture. She headed straight for the library, where Diego was reading.
"Hola, Victoria." said Diego getting up immediately.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, you scoundrel."
Don Alejandro had heard the door (as if not to hear it, Victoria had pounded on it like hell) and had come over to say hello, but he decided to make a gesture, which she didn't even see, and stay a little away to see how his son was going to get out of this one.
Diego looked at her with a relaxed expression. "I went to the tavern earlier to talk to you, but you were busy and I had no excuse to insist."
"Were you going to tell me about that Paloma, your new girlfriend?" she said angrily. "Mendoza kept talking, saying that she is from a very good family and that you are very interested in her, but that your father doesn't seem very convinced with you courting her."
"Precisely what I wanted to talk to you about. She's really just part of a story I've made up. One of the hypotheses I was tossing around is that the alcalde wanted to ask us for money in exchange for dropping the charges against us, and I wanted to have a reason to be very concerned about having unfinished accounts with the law."
She looked at him suspiciously. She wanted to believe him, but she needed him to give her more details. "So there are no other women?"
"Well, yes there is a woman named Paloma, but she is my great aunt, who we actually visited these days while they were answering my request for information at the court. She is lovely, she just turned 81 years old. I'm going to go visit her more times while I continue to make inquiries in Monterrey."
"And why are you dressed like that now?" he said pointing to his new suit.
"To make it look like I'm taking better care of my appearance because of that señorita's influence. I'm sure it will help convince the alcalde that that's the reason I'm making trips to Monterrey, when really what I want to do is get information from the court and plan with the lawyer a line of defense."
She looked at him with a look of continuing anger on her face. "I still don't understand why you have to dress like that."
"You don't like it?" he said not knowing what she meant. "When this is all over I'll leave these outfits only for special occasions, the truth is I prefer the clothes I usually wear."
"All the señoras and señoritas were commenting about your change of style." Diego looked at her, not knowing what she was referring to. She added. "Saying how good it looks on you, and that it was about time you took an interest in a woman." The truth was that so much attention on Diego's looks was making her feel somewhat jealous. What she wasn't telling Diego was that she had felt terrified when at the tavern Pilar had said that now that Don Diego had a girlfriend he would surely stop paying so much attention to the townspeople, and that most of them would realize how much he did for everyone when he stopped. "You don't value what you have until you lose it." had been her exact words.
Diego tried to make her understand what he was doing and not make a big deal out of it. "I guess they'll be gossiping about me for a while, I hope that helps everyone think that's why I'm going to Monterrey more often."
"Why didn't you tell me about it before?"
"Because I didn't yet know what the alcalde wanted, it was possible I might have to resort to a different ploy. I had thought of several plans, but none of them were well outlined."
She continued with a sulky expression, but found no reason to complain further, much to Diego's relief. "'All right, but if you have a plan I want you to tell me the rest of it."
"Sure. Can you stay for dinner?"
"Yes, I told the girls I had a problem with the bookkeeping and I was coming to ask your father for advice, as I have done other times."
"Did they notice you were upset?"
Victoria blushed. "Well, yes, but I told them I thought one of the suppliers was gouging me on prices and they thought that was why, or at least I hope so."
"I'll tell Maria to put on one more plate." said Don Alejandro heading for the kitchen.
Maria, the cook, was just finishing preparing the food when don Alejandro walked in.
"I heard the door, señor. Are you going to have guests?"
"Yes, Señorita Escalante is staying for dinner, will there be enough?"
"Yes, señor, don't worry about that." the woman, in her 50s, looked up at the man she had been working for since she was 14. Don Alejandro had always treated his employees with kindness, and although she had always respected the family's privacy she wanted to say something. "I hear Don Diego is interested in a señorita from Monterrey."
"He's only seen her for a few days, you know how people are and how rumors spread." he replied.
The woman nodded, a little solemnly. "Adela and I would be delighted if Don Diego married and had a few children running around the house, but a city lady would not want to live here, she would try to take him away, and that would leave the hacienda much sadder and emptier."
Don Alejandro saw that she was worried. "I don't think any señorita is going to take him away, I know his heart is on this land, with us."
Maria continued stirring the stew and said philosophically. "I hope you are right, love can do strange things to a man."
Don Alejandro smiled slightly. Yes, love can do many strange things to men, no doubt.