Chapter 11. Objection.
Victoria met with the de la Vega's to enter the church together. It was the third Sunday that the banns would be read, and so far everything had gone well. The alcalde still thought that she and Zorro had broken up and that she had agreed to marry Diego out of spite. She had also heard rumors that Diego would not remain faithful, but she knew they were unfounded.
During the mass a large group entered the church, consisting of a middle-aged couple and a young woman wearing elegant clothes, two maids, one of them also young and carrying a baby in her arms, and finally a young man with the appearance of a gentleman and a haughty demeanor followed by three servants. At the suggestion of the youngest gentleman, they all remained on one of the benches in the back.
Padre Benitez finished the mass, and was about to add something more when the older man stood up and spoke in a clear voice. "I have seen that the banns of Don Diego de la Vega have been published, and I have an objection."
He had not said it shouting, but in a tone of voice loud enough for all to hear. The church fell silent.
"And what is that objection?" asked the priest.
"He gave his word of marriage to my niece, and abandoned her when she was expecting a baby."
Many turned to Diego, among them Victoria and her father. Diego shook his head. "I swear I don't know her at all." he whispered after glancing at the group.
The priest approached the girl.
"My daughter, come closer. I need you to tell me when you met Don Diego and what he told you."
The girl blushed and walked toward the front of the church, followed by her uncles. "I met don Diego when he was visiting San Rafael and I was staying at my uncles' house. He said he wanted to court me and I accepted. He visited me several times, and told me we would get married and go live in Spain when he had enough money to start a new life there, but a few weeks later he stopped coming and I never saw him again." she put on a sad look. "He took advantage of me and abandoned me." she added taking a handkerchief out of her pocket to wipe her tears. "He left my little boy and me." she whimpered.
"And why didn't you come sooner to demand that he keep his promise?"
"Because he wouldn't tell me where he lived." She replied in the same tone with which one explains something to a small child.
"But you knew who he was, couldn't you find out?" The priest indicated with the utmost patience.
"Well, I only knew his first name, he didn't give me his last name, and he told me that he didn't need me to give him mine, because then we wouldn't be a caballero and a señorita, but two souls who know each other without the ties of society's expectations." she said with a deep sigh. The tone with which she said the last sentence denoted how deeply those words had penetrated her.
Padre Benitez was surprised by such a strange story. While Victoria whispered. "She's dumb as hell." Diego and his father nodded.
"You took the word of a man who wouldn't even tell you what his last name was?"
She looked offended. "You could tell he was quite the gentleman. He was so tall, with those fancy clothes and the way he spoke, like the gentlemen who come from Madrid."
"Did he abandon you knowing you were expecting a child?"
"Not really, I learned that later. Look how beautiful he is. He has blue eyes, like his father." she said pointing to the baby and then burst into tears again.
Victoria looked at Diego with an angry face. He shook his head. "Really, he's not mine."
"And if he didn't tell you who it was, how do you know it's Don Diego de la Vega?" the priest continued to ask.
The girl's uncle interjected. "The name matches, and rumors have reached us that he is a known seducer, so we have come to demand that he do the honorable thing and marry her."
All eyes turned to Diego, except that of the girl, who continued to sob into her embroidered handkerchief. Diego for his part remained calm. Padre Benitez looked directly at him and he held his gaze, shaking his head, which surprised the older man. Diego did not look guilty at all.
"Can you describe that man?" the priest asked the girl, trying to get to the bottom of the matter.
"Of course, as I said he is tall, with the bearing of a gentleman, blue eyes and white hair, although he is not an old man. He also sports a very distinguished beard." she said rapt.
The glances that had previously been directed at Diego turned unanimously to the alcalde. This time the movement did not go unnoticed by the young mother, who followed the gaze of the others and saw de Soto trying to pass unnoticed.
"Diego! At last I find you! Look at our son. Don't you think he's the most handsome boy in the world?"
"Sseñora, I think you're mistaken. My name is not Diego."
Victoria had to hold back her laughter. Diego whispered back. "I told you, I don't know her."
She looked confused. "I'm sure it's you. You told me we were getting married and going to live in Madrid, at court, where you have influential friends." she insisted.
"If that man is not Don Diego de la Vega, who is he?" asked the girl's uncle.
"He is our alcalde, Don Ignacio de Soto." replied Victoria suspecting what was going on. "A trickster who seems to go around making promises and seducing young girls while using my fiancé's name."
The girl was puzzled. "Your name is Ignacio? But if we have already baptized the child, we have named him Diego. What do we do now?" she asked puzzled, looking alternately at de Soto, the priest and her uncle, while twisting the handkerchief between her hands.
"Señorita. are you sure that man is the father of your child?" said Padre Benitez pointing to the alcalde again.
"Of course I am sure. What do you take me for?" she said offended. Doña Maria, who was standing near her snorted in an inelegant manner. She turned indignantly. "Have you anything to say?" she snapped at her.
Doña María drew herself upright and shook her head, though without changing her expression of disdain.
"Señor de Soto. Do you intend to do the right thing and keep your word?" the priest asked very seriously.
"I don't know this woman." he said coldly.
She began to sob again over the crumpled handkerchief. Her uncle put a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her and exclaimed. "I demand satisfaction!"
"Señor alcalde, come to your senses. If you are responsible for this baby you should give him your last name." insisted the priest.
"I will do no such thing, and neither will I fight a duel over such a thing, you only have the word of a young lady who didn't even know my name."
The baby began to pout. Diego walked over to him and saw that he did indeed have blue eyes. "The truth is, the boy looks a lot like him." The comment was clearly heard throughout the church.
And the mother knew that the baby's father wanted to return to Madrid to hobnob with influential people. She has described you very well, Señor de Soto."
"That's enough." said with an authoritative tone the other gentleman who until then had not intervened. "Señor de Soto, if that is your real name, I am the señorita's brother, and I would like to speak with you privately to see if we can settle this matter like gentlemen."
Meanwhile the girl turned to her uncle. "If he doesn't take care of us. Do you think Emiliano will still want to marry me? Perhaps I can convince him not to send my Diego away."
"Of course he will, my child. With your dowry he will be happy to take care of you and the baby."
The word dowry piqued the alcalde's curiosity, who thought it best to talk to the younger gentleman before making a final decision.
"I'm sure that by talking like civilized people we can resolve this misunderstanding." said de Soto pointing to the church door. "If you will accompany me to my office we can talk there. Please follow me."
They both walked out, and as they did so de Soto noticed a gray-haired man at the back of the church beckon to a younger one, who nodded and stayed where he was, while he and a third man with broad shoulders walked out behind them.
In the church some of the attendants began to turn toward the exit, then Victoria intervened.
"Padre Benitez, you have to read us the banns for the third time."
"That's right my daughter. Well, if no one has any objection to the marriage between Don Diego de la Vega and señorita Victoria Escalante you can say so now or communicate it to me in the parish office." said the father looking around and wishing there were no more surprises.
They all looked at the girl, who was with a face of not knowing what to do next to her baby while the wet nurse cradled him, but when she said nothing they began to leave while whispering among themselves.