CHAPTER FIVE

Ana Maria fainted, sliding from her chair. She would have hit the floor if she had not been caught by Diego and Don Alejandro. Victoria removed a vial of smelling salts from her skirt pocket. Diego looked at her in puzzlement. "I thought this might happen," she stated as she waved the bottle under the unconscious girl's nose, "whether he was found innocent or guilty." Her calm voice was belied by the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Alcalde de la Roca banged his gavel on the table. "The prisoner will be returned to the garrison. His sentence, death by hanging, will be carried out at seven o'clock tomorrow morning." Two lancers immediately cuffed Felipe and removed him from the tavern.

Ana Maria began to come to her senses, murmuring, "No, no," and "It's all my fault". They tried to reassure her but she was inconsolable. The de la Vegas and Victoria watched as she was led away by her mother and Mendoza.

The innkeeper hugged the old don, then grasped Diego's hand. She stared over at de Soto and de la Roca speaking congenially with several of the jurors. "I am so sorry," she said. "If there is anything I can do. . ."

"Gracias," both men replied. Diego looked over at Don Miguel, who had sat silently throughout the proceedings. The expression on his face told Diego he was not a happy man. The Spaniard should have been ecstatic with the trial's outcome. Had he believed the testimony Diego and the others had provided?

Montoya rose, said something to de Soto, then walked out of the building. Diego had the feeling he was going out to visit Alonzo's grave. To celebrate or to ask questions that his son now could never answer?

Z Z Z

Juan Bautista was late coming home that evening. He knew he would probably be in trouble with his wife but that was nothing new. It seemed he was in hot water with her at least once a day.

"Where have you been?" she demanded shrewishly as soon as he entered their crowded home. Children of various ages clamored to greet their father who was much more lenient with them than their mother.

"In the pueblo," he replied, picking up a grubby little boy of about four and kissing him on the head. A girl of six also wanted a kiss which he quickly gave. He avoided his wife as he did not want her to smell the liquor on his breath.

"I need you to talk to Marta," Anita Bautista stated as she placed a large pot on the table. "I don't know what's wrong with her."

"She's a female," her husband grumbled under his breath "That's what's wrong with her." He started filling plates with the stew as thirteen year old Magdalena passed out pieces of bread. Juan looked up as his son Martin led his older sister to the table. There was something amiss with the girl all right. Her eyes were so lifeless it scared him. He turned away before speaking to his wife.

"They had that trial today," he announced, changing the subject. Anita nodded briefly. "The de la Vega boy was found guilty of murdering that Montoya fellow. They're going to hang him in the morning."

"No!" wailed Marta loudly. It was the first word she had uttered in a week. Everyone, including the baby Manuela, stared at her.

"What's with her?" asked eleven year old Miguel between bites as his sister became more lucid.

"I did it, I did it," she sobbed. "I killed him, not Felipe."

"What are you saying?" inquired her father. "You killed Montoya? But why?"

She shook her head and kept repeating that she did it. The terror that now filled her eyes frightened her father even more than the blankness had. He grasped her by the shoulders. "What did he do to you?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"He hurt me," she whispered, leaving no doubt as to her meaning.

Husband and wife stared at each other in amazement. Their daughter had been violated and they hadn't even noticed something was the matter with her until that moment.

"We have to tell the authorities," declared Juan. "We cannot let them hang an innocent man."

"No," Anita replied sharply. "We can tell no one. The fewer people who know about this the better."

"Anita, see reason," her husband pleaded. "We can't let the boy die just to protect Marta's honor."

"That is exactly what we are going to do," his wife stated in a tone that said the discussion was over. She silenced him with her eyes as she finished putting supper on the table for their hungry and wide-eyed children.

Z Z Z

A dark clad figure moved furtively toward the cuartel. It entered quietly through a side door, making sure it was not seen. Once inside, the person removed the hood of the midnight blue cloak, revealing the black curls and wan face of Ana Maria Ortega.

She knew she would burn in hell for what she was about to do but she did not care. Placing the cape on Mendoza's bed, she waited patiently for his arrival.

The door handle jiggled open and a confused Felipe was pushed into the room. Then the door was closed and a key could be heard turning the lock from the outside.

Felipe could only stare at Ana Maria. She sat on the bed, dressed only in her nightgown. He tried to protest, but his voice had disappeared again. From shock or anxiety or both, he wasn't sure. He shook his head instead.

She got up and covered the distance between them. "Felipe, please," she pleaded. "I love you so much. Please don't deny us this."

He turned away, not wanting her to see the pain in his eyes, not being able to bear to see it in hers.

"Felipe, this is all my fault. I should have listened to you from the beginning. It's because of me you fought with Don Alonzo and why they think you killed him." She paused to take a deep breath. "Please Felipe, I want to do this. I need to do this. I love you."

She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. He tried to resist her but found he could not. An eternity later, they drew apart. Felipe made two simple gestures that needed no interpretation.

"I want a baby," she whispered fervently. "I want your baby. This is our only chance, Felipe. Please." Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

'I love you,' he mouthed then cradled her in his arms. He kissed her tears then her lips. It was hard to tell who pulled whom to the bed but once they were there it did not matter. Their garments were discarded quickly and scattered on the floor.

Felipe looked into Ana Maria's liquid brown eyes. 'Are you sure?' he asked silently. She nodded a little nervously. They had been this far once before; although almost fully clothed at the time; giving each other pleasure without actually losing their virginity.

"Please," she whispered. And they took the final step that made them one.

Z Z Z

A light rap on the door caused both Felipe and Ana Maria to stir from their sleep. Both were a little disoriented, not recognizing the room they were in at first. Then both smiled shyly as they remembered where they were and why.

"Ana Maria," Mendoza hissed loudly. "Please hurry. Felipe needs to be back in his cell, pronto."

"All right, Sergeant," she answered, reaching for her nightgown and cloak. Felipe searched for his own garments and they hastily dressed.

They embraced, not wanting to let the other go. "Gracias, Felipe," she whispered. "I will always love you." Her eyes were brimming with tears as she placed her hand on her stomach as she was unable to speak of what she hoped had occurred. His eyes were damp as well as he put his hand on top of hers.

"No regrets?" she murmured. He shook his head.

'I love you', he mouthed then touched his lips to hers.

"Señorita, hurry." One could hear the agitation in the sergeant's voice as he interrupted them. Ana Maria knocked on the door, signaling for the soldier to open it. "Come on, Felipe," Mendoza said, reaching for his arm.

The young man stretched out his hand to touch Ana Maria's face, then kissed her again. He soundlessly told her he loved her one more time before the sergeant dragged him away. She stood in the doorway, the tears falling unchecked onto her beautiful cheeks. Ana Maria donned her cape and stole out into the still dark morning.

Z Z Z

Diego had spent the night in Felipe's bedroom. Of course he did not sleep, but agonized over where they had gone wrong during the trial. There was no proof that the alcalde had tampered with the jury and the judge, even though it was very unlikely that he hadn't.

He was tempted to ride out as Zorro, gallantly rescuing Felipe from hanging and disposing of de Soto once and for all. But all he would accomplish would be to make his son a fugitive and his conscience even more burdened than it already was.

Zorro had done a lot of good deeds for the people of Los Angeles, but he had also done a lot of harm to his own soul. All the deception and all the lies were weighing heavily upon him. They were the same sins that also filled Felipe's soul. Even though he had been a bystander to Zorro's masquerade, the young man had not been an innocent one.

Diego touched the few objects his son kept in his room. Several books, including his legal texts, a comb, a small mirror and a rosary adorned the bureau top. On the walls hung two pictures; a painting Diego had given him as a birthday present one year and a sketch of Ana Maria the younger de la Vega had done when the young couple had first met.

He realized then he had dominated the young man's life, not really allowing him to develop his own tastes and make his own mistakes. Felipe had been eager to please his foster family, it was true. But Diego wished now he hadn't held the leash so tightly. They both had been so wrapped up in keeping Zorro a secret the last eight years that other things the young man might have wanted to do were shoved aside. Felipe had decided on his own to become a lawyer, but Diego had taken that over too, forcing his son to study on many occasions.

It was still dark outside when Diego saddled his horse and headed toward Los Angeles. He arrived at the garrison in time to see a caped figure exit a side door and walk swiftly toward the dressmaking shop.

Ana Maria must not have been able to sleep either and decided to see Felipe just as he was doing. . . Dios mio, he thought. Suddenly he was very sure it had not simply been an innocent visit. He closed his eyes in contemplation.

He made up his mind then and there that the señorita would always be a part of their family, whether she bore Felipe's child or not. He could not condemn the young lovers for what they had done. In their place he would have done the same thing. Diego then turned his eyes toward the tavern. He was certain Victoria would be awake and right now he needed her. Dismounting Esperanza, he strode purposefully across the plaza.

The beautiful tavern owner was indeed up and in her kitchen, preparing food for the day ahead. She imagined it would be busy at the inn today, what with the execution. . . Victoria had to set down her knife as tears filled her eyes.

Dios, they couldn't hang Felipe, they just couldn't. She remembered back to when he had been a small boy, not too long after Diego had brought him to Los Angeles to live. Victoria had been eleven at the time. Felipe had been very shy around everyone except Diego but for some reason he always let her hug him as he mouthed the word 'pretty'. She wondered now if she had somehow reminded him of his mother.

She also recalled the way Diego had looked at her in those days. She may have been young but already she had been receiving second glances from boys and a few men too. What she saw in their faces was not what she had seen in Diego's though. Something more like devotion is what she noticed in his eyes.

And now that she thought about it, that devotion had still been there when he had returned from Spain seven years later. But there had also been desire, of that she was sure. That day he had defended her honor and had almost challenged Ramón was one she had puzzled over for years. Something had happened to him after that afternoon. He had started treating her as nothing more than a friend and was always sticking his nose in a book.

Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the front door. Her first instinct was to ignore it but the caller was persistent and rapped again. Wiping her hands on her apron, she went to answer it.

A very tormented looking Diego stood on her front porch. "What's wrong?" she queried apprehensively. "Is it Felipe?"

"Yes. No," he contradicted himself. He gazed deeply into her eyes as he took a deep breath. "I just need you to hold me."

Without a word she stepped forward and opened her arms.

Z Z Z

"Martin."

The youth opened his eyes to see his sister Marta standing beside his bed. She was fully clothed and wrapped in her rebozo. It appeared as though she was planning to go out.

"I want you to come with me," she said quietly, not wishing to wake the other four boys in the room and confirming his suspicion.

"Where are you going?" he asked. He found his answer in her expression. "Mama said we were not to go to the authorities."

"I don't care what Mama said," the young woman declared, her eyes blazing. "I will not allow them to hang Felipe for what I did."

Martin rose from the bed and gave his sister a big hug. She looked at him curiously after he released her. "What was that for?" she inquired.

"You're back," he replied, a broad grin on his face. "Wait outside. I'll get dressed."

She nodded and stepped out of the room as Martin scrambled to find his clothes.

Z Z Z

Felipe opened his eyes as he heard keys rattling in the door lock. He could not fall back to sleep after returning to his cell. Images of what had occurred between him and Ana Maria filled his mind, crowding out thoughts of anything else. She had been so sweet. And even though he had caused her pain the first time, he had also given her pleasure. It all had been so beautiful.

He sat up and cleared his head as Padre Benitez entered the room followed by Mendoza. Madre de Dios. He closed his eyes and gulped for air as he realized what the priest was there to do.

"You have an hour, Padre," the sergeant announced. He gave Felipe a look of sorrow as he exited through the door.

The priest glanced at the young man behind the iron bars. "I am truly sorry, Felipe," he began. "I don't believe for a minute you killed a man in cold blood. Don Diego and Don Alejandro raised you to believe in the sanctity of life." He paused to shake his head. "But the court in all its wisdom has condemned you to die and now we must prepare your soul to meet God."

Felipe was trembling as the padre removed items from a cloth bundle in preparation of administering the last rites.

Z Z Z