Chapter 6

As soon as possible Diego and Victoria sneaked away separately from the dancing without bothering to say goodbye to the guests. They knew that the dancing and feasting would continue into the night.

Relieved to have escaped the party, Victoria sat down in the chair waiting for Diego who had followed her when he saw her making her escape. Relieved to be alone with him again, she walked into his arms as he entered.

"What do you think about leaving this mess behind us for a few days?" Diego smiled at her.

"That would be wonderful, Diego. Do you think we can?" she asked, doubtfully.

"I want to go to our lawyer in Santa Barbara and ask him about the ownership of your tavern. It would be a good excuse to stay there for a few days."

"Do you think there is a chance for me to get it back?" she asked, hopefully.

"I don't know, Victoria. Don't set your hopes too high. We have at least to check our options before we give up."

"Thank you, Diego."

"I want you to pack what you'll need for the next days while I ask Felipe to take care of Toronado during our absence."

"You want to leave today?" Victoria asked, surprised and relieved.

"If we hurry a bit, we can get there shortly after sunset. I know a nice tavern where we can stay for a few days."

"I like that prospect very much, even if the lawyer can't help us."

"And maybe you will have warmed up a bit for your husband after we return and won't look so unhappy any more." Diego grinned mischievously.

"Warmed up like this?" Victoria began to kiss him passionately until they both were heated up and panting.

"Like that," Diego grinned. "But only when we're alone."

On his way to the cave he took his father to the side to talk to him in private. "Father, Victoria and I are leaving for Santa Barbara today to talk the lawyer there about Victoria's tavern. We will stay there for a few days."

"Has Victoria agreed to a honeymoon or is this plain business?" Alejandro asked surprised. "If you talk with the lawyer you may ask him about an annulment too. It's not too late to undo the mistake you made."

"Marrying Victoria wasn't a mistake and will never be one. She is my wife and will remain so. There won't be an annulment. You have known her all her life, Father. You must reevaluate your recent opinion of her because she is your daughter-in-law now, whether you like it or not," Diego said with steel in his voice. "There is no turning back."

Alejandro rose his eyebrows at that statement but didn't comment. He remembered the direction Victoria had come from earlier. Down that hallway lay only Diego's room. Had Diego really lost no time? He shook his head disbelievingly. He had always thought that he had raised his son as a caballero, but where were his manners now?

Z Z Z

After Diego had arranged everything for his absence they were on their way to Santa Barbara. As soon as they were on the road he felt Victoria relax beside him in the carriage. She leaned against him and lulled by the monotonous sound of the hoof beats and the constant swinging of the seat she fell asleep. Diego drew his arm around her and concentrated on driving the carriage. Happily he looked at her, still unable to grasp how much his life had changed today. When he had returned from Santa Barbara last night, he couldn't have imagined that he would be driving the same road less than a day later with Victoria as his wife. It was all he had ever dreamed of and he was sure that the gossip would stop once there was another topic to talk about.

Z Z Z

The tavern in Santa Barbara was as nice as Diego had promised her and she looked forward to spending some time there all alone with Diego, her husband. She looked at his handsome form and still couldn't believe her luck. Finally she was married to the man she loved so much and at whom she had been waiting for so long. The love in his eyes made her forget the unfortunate circumstances of their marriage, the loss of her tavern and her ruined reputation.

The next day they visited the lawyer, Don Cristobal, and explained him their problem.

"I'm sorry, Doña Victoria, but I can't help you with that. It is the law that women can't own property, so the tavern belonged to your brothers and they had a right to sell it."

"Is there nothing we can do?" Diego asked, not wanting to give up.

"The only way I see is to contact your brothers. They are the only ones who can bring light into the whole affair."

"Yes, I need to contact them. I don't understand how this could have happened," Victoria said. "I know them. They don't gamble and they wouldn't give away my tavern."

"You will need to prove that the signature is not that of your brothers, or that they were cheated in some way. In any case we need one or both of your brothers to come here and make a statement," Don Cristobal explained.

Victoria was disappointed. It wasn't what she had expected from the meeting. "It will take months for them to get here from Venezuela. First they have to get my letter and then they have to take leave to travel here."

"I recommend you write them immediately. In the meantime there is nothing to be done except adjusting to the reality of the situation," Don Cristobal said sympathetically.

"Thank you, Don Cristobal." Disappointed, they left the lawyer.

When they were alone again, Victoria threw herself in Diego's arms, letting the tears flow that she hadn't wanted the lawyer to see.

"This is so unfair, Diego. I have worked so hard in that tavern and now I have no right to it, because I'm a woman. And my brothers, how could they give it away like this? They had no right to do that. First they left me to cope on my own and now they hand over the tavern to someone else."

"I understand your frustration and your anger, Victoria," Diego felt for her. "If it would help I would ride out as Zorro and have Gonzalez sign it back to you."

"Could you do that?" Victoria asked hopefully.

"Forcing Gonzalez with my sword and taking away the tavern from him would make me a real thief and an outlaw. Do you want that, Victoria?" Diego asked softly.

Victoria shook her head. "No, of course not. I didn't think it through. Zorro always fought for the people and not for personal gain. That's what he's acclaimed for."

"Then you agree that we wait for your brothers to sort it all out?"

"Yes, even if I don't like it."

"I don't like it either, Victoria, but we'll have to make the best of it. Let's try to enjoy our time here despite everything else. It's our honeymoon after all and I want to see my wife happy."

"I am happy, Diego. It's almost too good to be true." Diego believed her, and he had never been so happy as this moment, seeing the way she looked as him as he kissed her.

They stayed for a week before they returned to Los Angeles, wishing their honeymoon didn't have to end.