El Casamentero de Los Angeles by JuliaBC
Chapter Six
"Maria, did you pay him again?" The words were weary, spoken by her suegro. Maria looked up from the pot she was stirring, and nodded. Her face was streaked with tears.
Salvio sighed, and sat down heavily. "We cannot afford this much longer," he whispered. "Yet neither can we afford to not pay him, or to let Eugenio find out."
"We mustn't let Eugenio know," Maria agreed, flying to Salvio's side. "There is no telling what he may do, he is too hot tempered!"
"At least he does not notice how often we eat beans now," Salvio said. "You are a good daughter, Maria. I am glad Eugenio was wise enough to pick you."
"As am I," Maria said softly. "But I'm not sure it was wisdom that made Eugenio choose me."
She stood, and walked to the pot to dish it up. Salvio took the plate offered him, and watched as she wound a shawl around her head.
"I am going to take this to Eugenio," she said quietly. "I should be back soon."
On the feast of San Valentin, Diego woke in the morning with a stiff neck, and cold face. He sat up to realize that Magdalena was long gone, though the light coming through the curtains showed that it was still early.
He got out of bed quickly, brushing his hair back and wondering how things between him and Magdalena had so quickly escalated to a full-out quarrel.
Unfortunately, it was not just the conversation in the study. He'd been peeved with her misunderstanding, and she'd been angry with him, until their cold shoulders caught up to them.
They had fought last night, a bitter quarrel that caused Magdalena to sleep on the very edge of the bed, and ignore all of Diego's pleas to listen, until he'd grown angry at her for ignoring him and dropped off to a restless sleep.
This was, of course, not the first time they'd quarreled. Fights weren't common between them, but they weren't unusual. It was unusual for them to last this long, however, and cut as deep.
Dressed in a riding outfit, Diego walked to the balcony, surveyed the empty land below, and, using the vines that climbed up his wall, climbed down.
He had important business, and didn't need any...distractions today.
He rode into the blacksmith's yard as the sun was still warming the earth. He could pounding in the forge, and walked to see who it was.
Eugenio stood beside the fire, looking exhausted and filthy, covered with grime. But in his hand he held a recently repaired shaft for a carriage, and Diego had the feeling the younger blacksmith had been working the whole night to finish it.
Quietly, he turned back around and headed for the house.
The door was open to let in the early morning air, and Diego didn't need to knock since Salvio was exiting as he approached.
"Don Diego! What brings you here?"
"I'd like to talk to you, and Senora Maria, if I may," Diego said. "Are you too busy this morning?"
"No, of course not," Salvio said, ducking back into the house. "Maria! It is Don Diego!"
Maria was crouched by the fire, stirring a pot with an expression of unhappiness on her face.
"This question may come as unexpected, but it may not," Diego said. "Have you two had trouble with a bandito recently?"
"What makes you say that?"
"I spoke to some others," Diego said. "And I have reason to think that you have also been bothered by him."
He didn't miss the quick glances Salvio and Maria traded.
"Si, we have been...bothered," Maria began. "It is not so serious."
"It is a mysterious man, face covered, one person every time, the same person every time?" Diego asked. "Did he somehow find out a weakness of yours and then threaten harm to it if you did not obey him?"
"Si," Salvio said. "Don Diego, I do not wish to insult, but whatever do you propose to do about it?"
"I have my ways," Diego said. "How much has he taken from you?"
"No money," Salvio said. "But he forced me to make him a sword, and he has been taking all the food Maria manages to buy."
"What did he use as leverage?" Diego asked, his voice even softer.
Outside, footsteps approached the house.
Maria's eyes pleaded with him. "Eugenio, of course."
"'Of course', what, corazon?" Eugenio entered the house, looking tired but triumphant. "Don Diego! What a surprise! What brings you here?"
"I was wanting Salvio to check my horse's shoes," DIego said. "I think there is a rock. And I could not pass by without speaking to your wife."
Eugenio's arm slid around Maria, pulled her close.
As Salvio led Diego back outside, Diego glanced back and saw the two share a kiss.
Si, of course Eugenio. There was nothing Maria and Salvio would not do for the young man, and since it concerned him, there was no chance of them telling. Eugenio had much too hot a temper to be told of such things.
"Do you know of anyone else?" Diego asked Salvio, as Salvio checked Torcedor's hooves.
"The coachman," Salvio said. "He was here yesterday, saying that he did not have payment after all."
"He planned to pay for coach repairs from his own pocket?" Diego asked.
"No, it was a gift I'd fashioned for him," Salvio said. "He has never missed a payment before."
"It's worth looking into," Diego assured him. "Muchos gracias. And tell Maria to not worry. This man will be caught before Eugenio knows anything about him!"
Unsure where to look for Diaz, Diego rode into Los Angeles and halted in front of the tavern. Teo would be sure to know where Diaz could be found.
Inside, the tavern was almost empty. Only one person sat at a table, eating a hot breakfast. It was too early for there to be more.
It was not Teo at the counter, but Carlotta. It was obvious she'd stayed up the whole night; dark circles beneath her eyes betrayed her.
Diego walked up, and handed over a peso. "Coffee, por favor."
As she prepared it, he leaned close. "Was there trouble? Why did you stay up all night?"
Carlotta's eyes flashed in surprise. "Don Diego, how could you tell?"
"That doesn't matter. Was there trouble?"
She sighed, lowering her voice. "We had some troublesome guests. Teo was wary, and planned to stay all night but as I was preparing to leave last night, Teo had to go unexpectedly. It seemed to be quite an emergency."
Diego frowned. "What kind of emergency?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "A messenger, just a little boy, came in off the street and said there was someone Teo must speak with."
"Did he use any odd words? Something that would signal to Teo who it was without someone else noticing."
Carlotta, puzzled, started to shake her head. "I don't think so. What kind of words?"
"Unusual ones," Diego said. "Longer words that have the same meaning as short ones."
"Maybe he did," Carlotta said, considering. "He called Teo a dueño."
"Instead of a tavern owner?"
"Si," Carlotta said. "Could that be what you mean?"
Diego shrugged. "Maybe. Muchos gracias."
When he left the tavern, the man who'd been eating stood up abruptly and walked to the counter.
"Senor. Are you finished?" Carlotta asked when he approached.
"Si, I am. Who was that talking with you?"
"Don Diego," she said, then clarified. "Don Diego de la Vega. He is the son of an important haciendado."
"Gracias," the man replied, and gave her a peso.
He'd already left before she realized it was not enough to pay the bill. She momentarily considered running after him, but cast the idea aside.
She was too tired.
Diego walked from the tavern, frowning. Swinging into the saddle, he urged Torcedor south, towards where Teo's family lived.
As he approached the hut, Teo exploded from it in a blur of flour, chickens and shrieking children. Diego halted Torcedor immediately, more than a little afraid that he'd accidentally trample one.
"And stay out, Teo Gonzales!" His wife, Cristina, followed him out. "I cannot believe you would say that to me!"
"It was not meant as an insult," the innkeeper protested, the chickens around him still squawking. Diego watched the scene in complete bewilderment before dismounting and tying Torcedor at the nearest post.
Cristina, having gathered her chickens and children, stormed back inside the hut, slamming the door behind her. Teo sat in the dirt, looking as bewildered as Diego felt.
He extended a hand, and was gratified when Teo accepted it. "An argument?" Diego asked, tipping his head toward the hut.
Teo frowned, wiping his hands on his trousers. "Si, you could call it that. Me, I just think she is insane. And I may have told her that at the exact wrong moment."
"Ah," Diego said, watching as Teo tidied himself. "I need to ask you a question."
"Anything, Don Diego," Teo said. "Can we walk as we speak?"
"Of course," Diego agreed, and looped Torcedor's reins over his hand before catching up to the shorter man.
"Have you had any trouble at the tavern lately?" Diego asked without preamble.
Teo blinked. "We had troublesome guests last night."
"Money trouble, perhaps?" Diego asked. "A man asking for favors with the threat of harm to you or your own promised if he does not receive what he wants."
Teo blinked again, and Diego noticed that the man's hands had started to tremble. "How did you know, Don Diego?"
"I was speaking with others, who have the same problem," Diego said. "May I ask what he threatened?"
"Cristina," Teo said, his voice barely a whisper. "She expects our ninth child. He vowed to end both their lives."
Diego clapped his hand on Teo's shoulder. "I vow to you that it will not happen. I am going to take care of this."
"You? But Don Diego..." Teo trailed off. "Muchos gracias."
Diego watched Teo hurry up the stairs to his tavern, and turned to leave. He was leading Torcedor past the building, they were in the shadow of the alley, when he heard a sound, saw a shadow dart near, and there was a searing pain in his head.
He almost lost himself, he almost sank into unconsciousness. At the last second, he managed to shake the stupor off and swing around. His attacker was dressed in dusty clothes and his face was covered with a handkerchief.
Diego countered the next blow that was aimed, and tried to fit in one of his own.
He caught a punch on the jaw, staggered back, and in that moment, his attacker fled.
More dazed than ever, Diego took off after him, but his head was spinning and he didn't make it past tavern's backdoor.
Carlotta found him on the back steps a few minutes later, and the young don was still clutching his head.
A/N: Next up is the fiesta. Expect an...interesting evening.
Thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed so far.