Chapter 14

Don Alejandro had been right. Sitting on his bunk, bent forward with his back hunched, his head in his hands, Felipe did not really look like the epitome of hope and confidence in the future, to say the least.

However this seemed to change as soon as he saw Diego, Victoria noticed. He had probably seen some movement out of the corner of his eye because when they entered he raised his head and looked at them to see who was coming in.

The moment he recognised Diego, Victoria could have sworn that something just lighted up in Felipe's eyes. Granted he remained seated, but he straightened his back and shoulders somewhat, the weight of whatever seemed to bear down on these suddenly appearing to be slightly less heavy, less crushing. As if through his mere presence here, Diego was taking some of it on himself? Was helping him carry it, helping him bear it?

Sure enough, since the morning Victoria had noticed the invisible burden weighing upon Don Diego, smothering his usual joviality and carefree attitude. As though within the space of one day he had changed, had been transformed. Undeniably, with this story his transition to his new role as a father was unfolding in a rather harsh context.

Now, if she had expected that for a while things would be a bit… awkward… between the two of them, each one trying to find his footing and groping for his new role regarding the other and in the meantime not quite knowing where they stood, she however couldn't fail to notice that it was obviously not the case. Felipe was looking at Diego as if he held the solution to every problem – and particularly to the one that worried him at this precise moment – and it was very naturally that he had sought and found his eyes, seeming to instantly calm down somewhat.

Then he got up and got closer to the bars when Diego reached the railings of his cell. Without uttering a word, the two men joined their hands through the bars, Diego's large hands wrapping Felipe's in a protective gesture. Fatherly, already.

He still hadn't uttered a word, but after all was it necessary? They were gazing intently at each other, and so much seemed to pass through these two looks that Victoria felt confusedly in the way, like an outsider witnessing a private, intimate family scene. And for that matter, she remained discreetly in the background.

Of course she already knew that Felipe could express himself through signs, but never before had she realised that he could also do it without any gesture, without speaking, without even moving. Nor that Diego was capable of it too.

And even less that they could both 'read' such a silent and motionless language in someone else. And what exactly were Felipe and Diego able to read in other people's eyes, then? In her own eyes? But, by doing so, weren't they 'undressing' the others a bit, in a certain way, without their knowledge nor their full consent?

Those two seemed to come out of their silent conversation when Felipe turned his gaze on Victoria, seemingly noticing her only then. He looked at her, the beginning of a sad smile blooming on his lips, and greeted her with a slight nod.

Releasing his hands, Diego told him:

"Victoria insisted on bringing you something to eat. Her cooking is far better tasting than that of the garrison's canteen…"

While saying this, Diego half turned toward her, slightly unblocking the way to the cell as a silent invitation for her to get closer.

She did so with a hint of hesitation, and handed Felipe the basket handle. But of course the bars were too narrowly spaced for the basket to pass through the railings.

"We will ask Sergeant Mendoza to give it to you," Diego told him.

A small and uncertain smile played on Victoria's lips, who didn't know what to tell Felipe given the circumstances, given her own awkwardness towards Diego and her shame concerning all that he didn't tell Felipe about. To spare him, of course, but thereby sparing herself too.

Felipe was looking at her, with gratitude, with a bit of joy in the midst of this ocean of worry spread in his eyes, with... relief? He laid his hands on hers and squeezed them slightly.

Victoria, as for her, was still niggled at by her guilty conscience for having not immediately believed in her young friend's innocence. But now, facing him and his intense and acute gaze, she had no doubt left. Which further increased her own feelings of retrospective guilt and discomfort at seeing such a trust in the young man's eyes.

A shadow then probably passed in her own look, as Felipe's appeared to turn a little cloudy, a slight mist of uncertainty seeming to float in the depths of his eyes. Did he thus always see everything? Was he able to see up to the depths of her soul, to guess what she was feeling, what she was thinking? What she had thought?

This idea made her quite uncomfortable. Had Felipe always been this observant? She had never thought about it, but now she felt that almost nothing seemed to escape him, to escape this discreet but searching gaze. Had it always been so? Undoubtedly a consequence of not being able to hear, of having to rely only on what he saw to understand the world around him, the people around him.

She had never really thought about it, but what if rather than having one sense fewer, Felipe had actually one sense more than ordinary people?

Thinking back at what she was trying to conceal from Felipe – for his own good, she tried to convince herself of that – a very slight shudder ran through her at the idea that he could guess it. A shudder that of course did not escape the young man's perceptiveness. He peered at her even more intensely, a jot of questioning in his eyes.

And of course, she stiffened even more and the smile she wanted to offer him to cover her discomfort was a bit strained, which resulted in an increase of Felipe's suspicion.

Diego seemed to sense – or see? or understand? – what was going on and he took Victoria's place near his son, trying all at once to divert his attention from her and perhaps also to serve as a "shield" to protect her from the young man's decidedly disturbing perceptiveness. For which she was grateful to Diego.

She put the basket on the floor.

"You'll see," Diego told Felipe, nodding his head toward the basket, "I'm sure Victoria's cooking will bring back a smile on these lips."

While saying this, he pointed a mischievous finger at his son's face while forcing a smile on his own, then he grasped his hands once again through the bars.

But Felipe's face was wearing again the dejected expression he had when they came in, and which his whole body reflected. His shoulders slumped, his back hunched slightly, his look faded and died out; then, removing one hand from his father's gentle grasp he gestured vaguely toward the basket on the ground, adding to this an almost imperceptible shake of his head and a brief frown.

"You have to eat, Felipe!" Diego gently admonished him.

Victoria didn't know whether he had just said that he was not hungry or that he did not want her basket – which would have hurt her more, but wouldn't have been totally undeserved – yet she got the gist of it. And agreed with Diego, he should not let himself waste away. And anyway, good food was a real morale boost... eating whets the appetite, they say.

"Promise me you'll eat something," Diego insisted, pointing to the basket. "Victoria is worried about you, about your well-being. And so is Father."

Felipe looked at Victoria with a mix of questioning and gratitude in his eyes, but then he gave a pretty weary and disheartened shrug, after what he went back to his bunk and sat down – or rather slumped – onto it.

"Felipe, you must not give up hope!" Victoria finally stepped into the conversation. "Nothing is lost…"

Was she trying to convince herself? Things were looking pretty bad for him, unless the stranger finally regained consciousness. And indeed, hadn't Victoria herself... She shook her head slightly to get this oh-so unpleasant thought out of her mind.

Felipe signed a quick question that Victoria didn't understand but which meaning Diego grasped apparently perfectly.

"Nothing new so far," he replied. "But her condition does not worsen. I'm confident."

He accompanied this answer with a slightly strained smile, a bit forced. To Victoria, who had seen his concern of these past hours, it was obvious that Diego was mostly trying to reassure Felipe, or at least not to aggravate his anxiety.

"And Victoria is right," Diego went on, "nothing is lost. I'm confident," he repeated as if to convince himself. "The alcalde has decided to be more careful and measured this time. An official preliminary inquiry in being set up and the case is still currently under examination. He seems to have learned his lesson over José Riva's case as well as Jacinto Santana's, and is willing to take his time before setting a lawsuit and getting legal proceedings in gear. That will give us time to hear what the victim has to say about this incident if– when she wakes up, and also in the meantime to call upon our–"

But Felipe interrupted him with a quite dejected gesture of his arms, along with a weary shake of his head. A sign that Victoria would interpret as "drop it". Obviously he did not believe in it anymore and was on the verge of giving up hope. Don Alejandro had been right, his sprits were very low.

"Felipe..." Diego adjured him.

There was in his voice such a mix of urging, scolding, tenderness, frustration, worry, gentleness… of fatherly love, all in all, that Victoria regretted Felipe couldn't hear it to appreciate all these nuances to the full. The vibrato Diego just had in his voice when he uttered this simple name moved and stirred Victoria to the depths of herself. This man loved his son more than himself, no one could doubt it when hearing this. Even though he hadn't officially become his father yet. Diego had already been loving Felipe in such a fatherly manner for years and would get himself chopped into tiny pieces for him if need be, she was now sure of it.

And she began to envy Diego. Having someone to love to such a point... unconditionally... irrationally... To be transformed by it...

She could not imagine anyone else but Felipe or Don Alejandro for whom Don Diego would come out of his usual stillness, would disrupt his quiet routine, and even risk his life.

And suddenly, without fully understanding why, she started to envy also Felipe and Don Alejandro. Being able to bring about such a change in Diego, and especially such dedication and such self-denial was not given to just anyone, according to the general opinion about him: kind and generous beyond possible but not exactly known for boldly facing adversity and standing up to it, nor for immoderate bravery or a tendency to willingly put himself at risk.

But there, it was plainly obvious that for Felipe, he would throw himself to the lions if it could save him.

She had never seen Don Diego driven by so much passion, so much determination, so much vivacity. Nor by so much energy.

"Felipe…" Diego repeated.

He held out his hands through the bars, as a call accompanying the one he had just spoken aloud but which Felipe couldn't hear, and the latter finally got up and came slowly closer to grasp his father's proffered hands. Again, Diego squeezed Felipe's hands with his own as a sign of the unreserved support he was giving him.

"I promise you that I'll do everything I can to get you out of this. And so will Father. You're not alone. You won't be alone ever again."

Once again, Victoria felt almost amiss. This was a very intimate family scene she was witnessing here, with Don Diego having a heart to heart talk with Felipe, almost baring his soul. And yet he did not seem embarrassed to do so before her. In a way she had always felt that Felipe was the one person in the world with whom Diego talked in the most free and most sincere manner. To whom he opened up the most? Was it because of the boy's silence? Or because he had partly raised him?

Once again, she felt a little touch of envy, even though she couldn't fully explain it. There was however absolutely nothing enviable about Felipe's current position!

"Be patient, Felipe," Diego exhorted him. "I know it's not easy for you to remain locked up in there, not being able to do anything, feeling powerless, but thus far the alcalde has not taken any decision. Which is a rather good thing, after all; so far so good. I assure you we are doing everything we can to get you out of here lawfully, through legal channels, and thus restore your honour so that you get it back as unsullied as before."

Letting go of Felipe's hands and slipping his arms through the bars, he encircled his shoulders and hugged him as best he could in spite of the railings between them. From her observation point in the background, Victoria saw Felipe respond in the same way by enfolding Diego in his own arms, hugging him tight like a shipwreck victim clinging to a buoy.

After some very long seconds the two men released their grip on each other but didn't let go completely of the soothing touch, Diego's hands slowly sliding along Felipe's arms.

"But don't worry," he told him slowly, gazing at him right in the eyes. "I'm ready to swear that if things don't unfold as we hope they will, Zorro wouldn't let anything unfortunate happen to you and would risk everything to come to your rescue. He would not allow anyone to touch a hair on your head. Have faith. Zorro will not let you down."

Victoria saw Felipe nod very slowly, his eyes never breaking away from Diego's even for a split second.

Yes, Victoria thought. Don Diego is right. Zorro will not allow a young man to be wrongfully convicted. He'd save Felipe.