Victoria was glad it was time to close the tavern. It had been a long day, and not exactly a good one. A fight had broken out around lunch time, and it took a squad of lancers, the alcalde, and Ramon Palos to break it up. The result cost her a table, two benches, six plates and five cups. DeSoto promised the peasants who started it would reimburse her for the damage, but she had little hope they would ever be able to pay more than a few pesos.
For a few moments the young señorita lingered on the porch of her establishment, enjoying the relatively cool night breeze. Briefly she thought she heard the sound of a horse approaching, but she could see no one and she heard nothing else. With a sigh, she locked herself in for the night.
"Buenas noches, Victoria," came the quiet male voice behind her as she walked toward the stairs. She did not need to turn around to recognize him.
"Zorro!" she exclaimed, standing her ground. "How do you do that?"
He smiled and shrugged. "It is just that you weren't expecting me."
She nodded in agreement. "I was beginning to think you were gone for good."
"I apologize," he murmured quietly. "I have been... otherwise occupied."
Victoria nodded again, looking somewhat unconvinced. She knew why he had come. There was no use in beating around the bush. "You're here because of Ramon, aren't you?"
"Yes." He could not help but notice how she was standing with arms folded, unsmiling, not attempting to draw near. The silence lengthened. When Victoria did not offer any information, Zorro asked, "Is he a good man?"
"Good enough," the señorita replied defensively.
Since Victoria was being enigmatic, Zorro was forced to come to the point. "Are you going to accept his proposal?"
For a long time Victoria did not answer, suddenly turning away and climbing the stairs to her rooms. "You may be seen if you stay down there," she finally said. It did not sound like anything other than ordinary concern.
The man in black followed her to her quarters and closed the door. Taking off his hat and gloves, he took the only chair and waited for her response.
Victoria sat down on the bed and pulled her knees up under her chin. "You have given me no reason not to accept it," she finally said.
"If I could, Victoria, I would marry you right now. I would give you everything you want. I want to give you everything, badly... you must know that. But I cannot. Not yet."
"I have waited for you, Zorro," Victoria said with sudden bitterness. "I have waited a long time. I have never complained, either..."
"I know," he replied softly. "Your patience has given me the strength to keep fighting."
"How much longer must I wait?" she demanded. "I can't wait forever!"
He nodded sadly. "I know that, too."
"Yet I am just supposed to sit by and wait?"
"I can't make you, Victoria. I would not want to make you."
The bitterness in her voice growing rapidly more caustic, she shot back, "You have never even told me you love me!" Tears were suddenly running down her face, and though they hurt Zorro greatly, he knew she was too angry to approach. "Ramon gives me flowers, he writes me letters, he has told me a hundred times he loves me!"
Zorro sighed. "I'm sorry, Victoria. You know I love you..."
"Do I?" she snapped angrily. "You have never said it. You have rarely ever given me anything..."
"Don't you think it hurts me, too?" Zorro retorted. "I have wanted to do all those things, but..."
"But what?"
"If I did... if I did, I knew I would not be able to keep going as Zorro..."
"And in the meantime I am just supposed to wait patiently!"
"Victoria..." He stopped suddenly and took a deep breath. "I want you to be happy," he said in a quieter voice, trying to keep his grief from being obvious. "If Ramon will make you happy, then marry him. Are you sure you know him?"
"I know him better than I know you," Victoria said as she wiped her eyes.
Zorro persisted, needing to make sure. "Do you love him? Do you really want him?"
Victoria glanced sharply at him. "Who else is there?" Before Zorro could respond, she laughed bitterly and said, "Don't even volunteer Don Diego like you did once! He is not even remotely a possibility! He's got his nose stuck in books so that he does not have a clue what the real world is! Ramon is certainly a much better choice than he is!"
Angry, hurt, Zorro replied, "I wasn't trying to suggest..."
"Ramon offers me everything you haven't, Zorro," Victoria bitterly said. "He offers me a nice home, a family... Maria is right. I can't afford to keep waiting for you. Who knows if you will even live long enough to keep your promises?"
"I want to... for you," he whispered. Then in a stronger voice, he said, "I cannot make a promise I don't know that I can keep, Victoria, as much as I would like to. God knows how much I want to be done with Zorro, but... you know I am still needed. Marry Ramon, if that is what you want. I will not stop you. You deserve every happiness, and if he can give it to you, then take it."
For a long time Victoria was silent, tears still trickling down her cheeks. She did not look at Zorro, staring instead at some point far away that did not exist.
"Why does it have to be this way?" she suddenly demanded in a bitter tone.
"I wish I could change things," Zorro replied, his tone earnest, longing, "but I can't. I am trapped behind this mask, Victoria! I have fought for years, but I am not getting anywhere!"
The señorita nodded, silent again for some time. Finally she sighed. "You will always be my first love, Zorro..." her voice fell away, and Zorro knew he had lost her. "I'm sorry it came to this... I know I promised to never give you cause to doubt my love, but... I can't wait any longer."
Fighting back his grief, he stood and picked up his hat. "I wish you every happiness," he whispered, turning to leave.
"Wait," Victoria said. She got off the bed and hurried to her dresser. For a moment she paused, fighting her tears, then she retrieved something and held it out to him. It was the ring he had given her.
"I can't keep it," she murmured, her voice breaking, her tears falling harder again.
He shook his head. "It is yours. Keep it if you want. I won't need it again," he said, opening the door abruptly and closing it between them. He was gone.