Chapter 3

The padre was called by one of the servants and he reluctantly performed the ceremony. While Diego's "I do" was firm and clear, Victoria's voice was merely a whisper and she had to repeat her agreement for the padre to hear.

Diego thought that he had never seen Victoria so unhappy as the moment he kissed her lightly on the cheek. She must feel betrayed, forced into marriage with Diego when she loves Zorro.

Back on the plaza, he arranged for Victoria's things to be transported to the hacienda. Then he joined her on the cart to drive her home.

"Victoria, " he started, once they were alone, but Victoria turned away from him, hiding her face behind the handkerchief. Sighing, he decided to wait until they arrived at their destination.

Z Z Z

He helped her down from the wagon and ordered the servants to unload the cart. Before she could anything, he swooped her up in his arms and carried her over the threshold.

"What are you doing, Diego?" Victoria protested. "You know that this wedding wasn't my idea!"

"No matter what you think about it, I will do it right, Dona Victoria!" he grinned and he could see the surprised faces of the servants who had listened. The news of their wedding would be all over the hacienda in no time.

"Just let me down now!" Victoria demanded, as soon as they were inside. Diego acquiesced, putting her back on her feet and led her into the library.

"Victoria, I know you're very angry with me at the moment. I know you think that I have betrayed you, but please let me explain."

"How can you explain? Why did you force me to marry you, when I needed your help?" Hurt, she looked at him.

"Victoria, I need to show you something. And if you're still angry with me, then I will set you free with an annulment. I'll do everything I possibly can as your friend, to help you get through this. Please, just give me one chance to explain!" He looked at her pleadingly.

"You'll agree to an annulment, and you'll still help me find Zorro and try to get my tavern back?" Hope flowed into her eyes. She would be free again to fulfill her promise to Zorro, and she would find her way out of this mess with his support and the help of her friends.

"Yes!" Diego swallowed.

"And all I have to do is to listen to you?"

"Yes, Victoria, give me one chance to explain."

"Very well, I'll listen." Impatiently, she waited for him to begin.

"It isn't so easy, Victoria." Diego began. "It's best if I show you, but you have to be patient for a moment." He took another handkerchief out of his pocket and put it over her eyes. "Wait here a minute, Victoria!" He ordered her. "And don't take off the blindfold!" Diego made her sit down, before he quietly slipped into the cave.

Hastily, he stripped off his clothes and put on his Zorro outfit. From the library, he could hear Victoria calling for him.

"Diego? How long is this going to take? What do you want to achieve by this? Why can't you simply tell me?"

Moments later a gloved hand took hers and helped her up. A gloved hand? While she tried to figure out what it meant, she let herself be led through the room. One hand made her duck her head, slightly, before she moved up some steps. A few more steps on uneven ground, and she was made to stop.

"You can take off the blindfold now," a voice said, and she recognized it even before she opened her eyes.

"Zorro?" She looked around. "This is your cave! How did we get here?"

Zorro made a move toward her, opening his arms, but she stepped back.

"Why are you here now? Why didn't you come earlier?" Victoria accused him. "I wanted to keep my promise to you, but Diego made me marry him. It's too late for us now." Desperately, she looked at him as he leaned against the desk.

"Querida," Zorro said softly, "I'm sorry." Victoria displayed little resistance when he removed his gloves to take her hand and draw her closer. She stepped forward, but kept a distance between them.

"I want you to take off my mask," he whispered.

"Why now, Zorro, when it is too late?" Victoria held back the tears.

He sat on the desk so that she would be standing at eye level. "Just do it, Victoria." He pleaded.

With shaking hands, she reached behind his head, almost embracing him, and opened the knot that held the mask in place. "You!" Shocked, she looked into Diego's face and let the black cloth fall from her hands.

"Forgive me?" He took both her hands. "I wanted to explain everything to you, but there wasn't a moment when we wouldn't be overheard." He had moved his head closer, with his lips almost touching hers.

For a moment she hesitated. Looking into his blue eyes, she saw the love in them and the fear that she would reject him. But she knew she needed his love more than everything else.

"You know I could never deny you anything." Victoria whispered, closing the distance between them, meeting his lips for a kiss. Diego closed his arms behind her, drawing her into his embrace.

"Then you'll be my wife, Victoria?" Diego held her tightly. "Or do you still want an annulment?"

Victoria shook her head. "All I wanted was to marry the man I love. I didn't know it was you behind the mask, Diego."

"Disappointed that it's me?" he inquired.

"No, but it hurt when you were so cold to me today in the plaza."

"I know, Victoria, and I'm sorry for that. I made you a very unhappy bride. It wasn't how I imagined our wedding." With one hand he tenderly caressed her cheek while the other arm was wrapped tightly around her waist.

"You will have to make up for that, Diego," she demanded. "Promise that you will never treat me like that again."

"Anything that you want, Querida, as long as I have your love," he whispered softly.

"Always!" She melted into his arms and he kissed her again to show her how much he loved her.

Finally, the tension left her and she began to cry as she realized that the nightmare was over. She didn't have the tavern, but she was married to the man she loved. Leaning against him her arms around his neck, she let him comfort her, stroking her back and kissing her face. "I must look terrible," she said, after she had finally calmed down, wiping the tears from her face with the handkerchief he had used as blindfold earlier.

"You look much better now, with that smile on your face." He grinned at her, before he became serious again. "I think I must ask you one more thing."

"What else, Diego?" She eyed him suspiciously. "When you ask me something, it always comes with a price. I found that out today."

"You need to play the unhappy bride for a while longer. Nobody must suspect that you actually married me!" In his black outfit, he didn't need to explain more.

"I understand, Diego." Victoria nodded. "Then I won't need to hide that I have been crying. It should be sufficient enough."

"We need to go back into the hacienda." Diego reminded her, after another long kiss.

"Yes, we should." Victoria agreed, while she was busy opening his shirt. When Zorro had visited her before, they had heated up fast and got very close to making love to each other. Now that they were married, there was no reason to hold back.

"Victoria, I love you so." He whispered, kissing her passionately.

"I love you too, Diego." She wanted to feel more of him…to feel his hot skin under her fingers… and to feel the touch of his fingers on her body.

"Victoria," Diego wanted to stop her, but she wouldn't let him. "Not here." He needed to get them into his room, before he couldn't stop himself and they made love on his desk. Having Felipe interrupt them was not what he had planned for his wedding night. Hastily, he grabbed his white caballero shirt, while his black one lay discarded next to the mask on the floor. He only closed a few shirt buttons and didn't bother with changing his pants. Victoria slipped into his jacket to cover the open front of her dress. Taking her by the hand, he led her out of the cave. They made it to Diego's room and quickly locked the door behind them.