Chapter 3
Diego heard the whispers inside the crowded tavern as he approached Ramon and Aria's table. The citizens were undoubtedly curious about the newcomer who was a guest in his home. She would be a topic of many conversations for some time...Victoria greeted Diego warmly as he seated himself beside Aria and Ramon. "Good day, Diego. What would like for lunch?"
"I will have the arroz con pollo, por favor."
"And what would you like, Aria?" The taverness would be gracious to Aria for Don Alejandro and Diego's sake.
"What Diego is having sounds delicious, Victoria."
"And you, Ramon?"
"The paella valenciana, por favor."
"Your orders will be back shortly." Victoria was not pleased that Aria had spent part of the morning with Ramon but at least, she had not spent the morning with Diego. The woman was taken with Diego but she was much too experienced for a man like him…Being seen with such a woman would not be good for the caballero's reputation...Life in the military had allowed her brother to meet various kinds of people but Victoria did not want Aria to use her brother to get to Diego. She prepared their meals intent on banishing the worrisome thoughts that plagued her...
ZZZ
"Ramon gave me a delightful tour of the mission. Padre Benitez is a good man and Los Angeles is certainly filled with activity…"
"Even though Los Angeles doesn't have great libraries or galleries but I love this pueblo a great deal," the de la Vega heir remarked.
"Don Diego, you are an educated man with an enquiring mind that could be used for much more! Don't you want to travel? See the world?"
"Publishing the Guardian is enough for me right now. I have my experiments, my books…"
"Isn't there a woman you are 'interested' in?" Aria hoped that the young don would say no but if he said yes, then she hoped that it was a woman worthy of him.
"There is someone but she doesn't even know that I exist. She is in love with someone else."
The women in this pueblo must be blind to ignore a man like you. "What about you, Ramon?"
"I have not met the right woman."
"That is a shame. It seems like such a waste..."
"Ramon and I are destined to be bachelors…"
"Speak for yourself, Diego."
"I am grateful for your generosity and hospitality, Don Diego, you and your father are risking your reputations by having me in your home."
"My father taught me to respect a man for what he is, and not who he is." Diego motioned for Victoria to join them for the remainder of their meal. The foursome chatted for quite some time on a variety of subjects.
Aria admired the relationship between the Escalante's and the de la Vegas. Their easy camaraderie was wonderful to see and rare in this day and time... "Ramon, what were you and Diego like as children? I can imagine that you were quite a handful!" Aria pictured Diego as a boy. He was probably taller than most of the boys and she could imagine his blue eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Diego and I used to get into quite a bit of trouble. We got into Don Pablo's seed melons one time."
"God punished us for that, Ramon. We were visited by the father of all bellyaches."
"Diego always seemed so well behaved...the perfect caballero..."
"Not really, I was smart enough not to get caught."
"If our fathers had found out about some of the things we did children…"
"Like jumping canyons on our horses."
"They would have stopped us and we didn't want to miss out on the fun." Reminiscing about the past reminded Ramon of how bold and daring Diego had been. The old Diego is somewhere underneath this mask. What is he hiding and why? "Victoria liked to follow us around Diego, always making a nuisance of herself."" Ramon teased as an irritated blush rose to his sister's face.
"Ramon, you shouldn't tease Victoria. I didn't mind her tagging along."
"Gracias, Diego," Victoria smiled. Diego often exasperated her but she was genuinely fond of him.
"My little sister had the biggest crush on you, before you went to Madrid. She and Maria Delgado thought that they were in love with you."
"Ramon!" Victoria blushed, "That was a long time ago." By the time Diego had left to attend the university in Spain, she had a crush on the young don, and she suspected he felt the same way about her. Her brother's remarks hit a little too close to home.
"Ramon…" Diego had planned to make his feelings known after he returned from Spain but the appearance of his alter ego had put a crimp into his plans. If only….
"Alright, you two. I will stop my teasing for now," he smirked, "Everyone knows you have feelings for Zorro."
Aria looked at the tall caballero. Don Diego is handsome, kind and compassionate and the fact that he would inherit a large hacienda was an added bonus…Are the woman in this pueblo complete idiots? Zorro must really be special for Victoria to refuse such a man as Diego.