Luis Ramone met the De la Vegas about a week later, while he was returning to the pueblo and they were searching for a couple of lost cattle. He saluted them, but was in no mood to talk to the two caballeros, so he hurriedly passed them by.

"Why do you think he is so moody today?" Diego asked his father.

"I suspect he might have gotten some bad news in Monterey." Don Alejandro said with a sly smile.

"What bad news?"

"According to your aunt Alma, we have a new Governor."

"You haven't told me that!" Diego uttered.

"Well, you spent your time in Santa Barbara searching for places where you could hide from the Señoritas invited to attend the wedding, so you were almost never around for me to have a proper conversation with you. Afterwards, it must have slipped my mind, Son! Besides, I'm not absolutely convinced that is a good thing or if it might bring any positive change for our pueblo." The older caballero answered. "But it might mean that the Alcalde will no longer enjoy Monterey's full support."

ZZZ

"Mendoza!" Luis Ramone uttered at entering his office and finding the Sergeant half-asleep in his chair, legs resting on the desk.

The good man almost fell off as he hurriedly stood in attention. "Alcalde, you're back!" He exclaimed.

"There's no need to state the obvious, Mendoza!" Ramone replied with some disgust. "I trust everything went smoothly in my absence?"

"Si! Si, Alcalde." The lancer answered.

"Very well, Sergeant! Carry on!" He dismissed the man, who was more than happy to leave the office. "Oh, Sergeant!" The Alcalde stopped him right as he was about to close the door.

"Si Alcalde?"

"There's a shipment of ammunition due to arrive from Monterey in the morning. Get some lancers and head for San Pedro this afternoon! I want you back by noon tomorrow!" He ordered.

"Si… Si, Alcalde!" The good man uttered as he bowed his head, and crossed the plaza, hoping Victoria had not yet closed the tavern for the siesta, since he needed another good meal, and a cup of ale before spending the entire afternoon driving the supply wagon to the port.

As soon as he was alone, Luis Ramone opened his safe and started counting the money in it, then checking the tax registries, finding he was missing almost 5,000 pesos.

Of course, Luis Ramone knew exactly what he had spent those money on: himself. New jackets and vests weren't cheap, and he needed a new piece of clothing after each of his encounters with Zorro. Then, there were debts he needed to pay, the clothes and sword he had made for that darn swordsman he had hired to pass himself as Zorro… Not to mention the gifts he liked to give himself every time he went to San Pedro after being informed that a merchant ship had just set anchor.

Everything cost money, and the new governor seemed decided to make sure the tax monies were spent according to his own standards and ideas, demanding that every peso be justified. In fact, Luis Ramone only had a few weeks to come up with that justification.

ZZZ

The following morning, as Diego was just returning from a short ride, *José Macias stopped his wagon in front of the De la Vega hacienda, several large baskets filled with beans in the back.

At his sister's wedding, the farmer had promised the don to return the money he had borrowed to give his sister in about a month, when he would have sold his crops, but, just before the two De la Vegas headed for Santa Barbara, he came to ask them for patience, considering that the Alcalde had just asked for the property taxes due to be paid by the end of October, and he already lacked money to pay them.

"Macias, como esta?" Don Alejandro greeted him.

"I brought you some fresh beans." The young man replied a wide smile on his face.

The don climbed up on the wagon to check the merchandise. "Ah, beautiful! I'll buy them all." He informed the farmer with a smile.

"Oh, no… they are not for sale. These are a gift in return for your patience. At the very least, I should have repaid the interest." He informed Don Alejandro.

"Ah, the Alcalde's taxes are outrageous enough without one friend charging another interest." The older man answered.*

"Macias!" Diego also greeted the farmer as he returned from his ride, noticing that the young man was in an even better mood than usual.

"Hola, Don Diego! I was just about to tell your father it won't be long until I repay my loan."

"And I was telling him not to bother." The elderly caballero told his son.

"… because I have something that will make me enough to repay my debts tenfold." Macias continued.

"Tenfold? That would be a lot of beans." Don Alejandro uttered with a chuckle.

"Oh, not beans, amigos. Zeus."*

"Zeus?" Diego wondered.

"I can show him to you if you wish. You'll understand!" The young farmer offered and, after they unloaded the wagon, the two De la Vegas followed him to his house.

There, they made their way towards a small adjacent building, which seemed more like a house than a shelter meant for animals. The young Macias considered it barely proper for his horse, though.

White with a grey mane and tail, almost as tall as Tornado, and seemingly just as strong, Zeus was, indeed, a wonderful stallion.

*"He is beautiful, no?" The farmer asked.

"What's he doing here?" Don Alejandro wondered.

"Two years ago, my corn had failed, and I was helping Don Esteban with a foaling mare." The farmer recounted.

"Don Esteban's foals fetch quite a price." Diego remarked.

"Si, when they are healthy." Macias agreed. "His birth was difficult. The foreleg was broken. Don Esteban handed me a pistol and returned to the hacienda. I knew what I was expected to do. But such a beautiful creature… I couldn't."

"You've kept him all this time?" Don Alejandro asked.

"Si. I worked with the leg, nursed him back to health. When he could stand, I taught him to walk. When he could walk, I taught him to run."

"So why have we never seen him before?" Diego wondered.

"We train at night. He is my secret. Zeus is going to make me a rich man."

"How much you want for him?" Don Alejandro inquired.

"He's not for sale. But I hear there is a caballero in the pueblo, from Monterey, looking for someone to challenge his horse to a race. I'm betting everything I have on Zeus."

"This caballero from Monterey… His name wouldn't happen to be named Señor Herrera by any chance?" Diego asked as he sat down on a bale of hay.

"Well… Yes, that is his name. You've heard of him?" José wondered.

"I'm afraid we have." Diego replied, looking worriedly towards his father.* "And, from what we know of him, he is not exactly a fair man, my friend."

"It hardly matters, Don Diego! Zeus can take any horse in the territory. Perhaps even Tornado! You should see him run!" The farmer uttered, patting his horse. "I'll make enough money on that race to pay you back, and pay the Alcalde's taxes not only for this year, but for the following two years, as well!"

ZZZ

After leaving the farmer's house, unable to convince him he might be making a mistake, the two De la Vegas decided to head for the pueblo, where they found Sergeant Mendoza instructing the men on rebuilding part of the municipal stables, his left hand in a sling.

"Sergeant? You're not well?" Diego wondered.

"Ah! I had a terrible accident, Don Diego. I was driving the military supply wagon, and the horse took the bit in its teeth, and drove straight into the posts." The man answered, although it sounded more like an excuse for a blunder he, not the horse, made.

"The strength of an uncontrolled horse is most impressive." The tall caballero pretended to believe him.

"I hate horses. They are so big and they have such a little brain. They are very dangerous animals." The Sergeant confessed.

The dons just exchanged an amused glance before leaving the lancers to their work and head for the tavern.

"Señorita, please! Nothing can compare to my Arabian." The two De la Vegas heard Herrera say as they entered Victoria's establishment.

"You're entitled to your opinion, of course." Don Alejandro replied.

"Well, if it isn't the De la Vegas. Do I sense a challenge here?" The newcomer asked at recognizing the two.

"Ah, what would be the point? Our horses are the finest in the territory, my son is an excellent rider." The don uttered.

"Father, please!" Diego begged.

"Prove it!" The man demanded.*

Diego turned to look straight at him, remembering how much he resented the man, not only for having behaved as he did towards his uncle's horse and the two of them, but mostly for the way he had won the race against his cousin.

Esperanza was not the fastest of the De la Vega horses, despite being tall and strong. But, Diego thought, should he win a race against the man, he might decide to leave Los Angeles, searching for victims someplace else.

"Very well!" The caballero answered. "I can agree to a friendly race…"

After deciding about the course, both riders began the race from the plaza, where they were also due to return. Some forty people had gathered to watch the De la Vega heir compete against the conceited stranger, all of them hoping Diego would win and cheering when that was exactly what had happened.

For most of the race, the tall caballero had been losing, though, with Esperanza a few feet behind Herrara's horse, Abdullah. Then, just as they were nearing the pueblo, it seemed to him that the man slowed down his stallion, intentionally letting him win.

*"He made it look easy!" Don Alejandro told Victoria, proud of his son, when Mendoza waved a red handkerchief to mark the end of the race and Diego's win.

"Good riding, Son!" The don congratulated his heir.

"Thank you, Father," he answered pensively, "but –"

"I think, Don Diego, Abdullah is a little tired from our journey." Herrera neared the two of them to say.

"Is that why you pulled him up short?" The tall caballero inquired.

"I did no such thing. Maybe you'd like to back your insult up with a serious wager, huh?" The man asked as he dismounted.

"I'm not a gambling man, Señor Herrera." He replied before turning around and entering the tavern.

"Besides, I think Abdullah has had enough, wouldn't you say?" Don Alejandro added, before following his son inside.

"Let's have a serious race, Don Diego, ha? At a greater distance! A real test of horse and rider." Señor Herrera uttered as he followed the two into the tavern, where the De la Vegas were just about to sit at one of the tables.

"Thank you for the offer, but gambling is for the foolish." Diego replied before sitting down, thus ending the conversation with the newcomer.

"Is there not a sporting man amongst you? Are there no challengers to my noble steed?" Herrera asked at finding his own plans to extort more money from the De la Vegas brought to an abrupt end.

"Si, Señor." Macias replied as he just entered the tavern just in time to hear his last words. "I will make that challenge."*

Herrera smiled maliciously. "Only one brave man in the entire Los Angeles." He concluded, looking around defiantly. "Shall we say tomorrow. Midday?" He asked. "A four-mile race?"

"Si, Señor!" The young man answered.

For the rest of the day, the race between José Macias and the man from Monterey was the main subject on everyone's lips. After seeing the farmer's horse and having him make a small demonstration, everybody understood his confidence, as Zeus seemed far superior to Herrera's Arabian.

Herrera also saw that with some well-hidden concern and a plan to prevent the farmer from winning, so he took the rest of the evening to challenge the people to bet against him. Except for the De la Vegas and very few dons, all took the bait, Victoria placing just a small bet to show her support for José, yet others, like Mendoza, betting an entire month's wager, all their savings or, in the case of the Alcalde, all the money he had in his safe.

Despite deciding against making a bet, Don Alejandro allowed himself to be convinced to keep the money safe, and take note of what had each person had bet.

"Remember," Diego told Macias before the race started, "keep yourself and Zeus at a distance from him! He might very well try to push you off the saddle or scare the horse into throwing you off."

*Macias nodded and mounted his horse, then confidently shook Diego's hand before he guided the stallion to the line, where Mendoza was ready to fire his pistol, which was the signal for the race to begin.

The horsemen both started at the same time and, for a while, it seemed like José was destined to easily win. His horse, however, started stowing down and acting out at some point, ending up losing the race.

"To the victor goes the spoils!" Herrera stated as he took the pouch containing the money everyone had bet on Zeus, raising it in the air.

"I can't believe I lost a month's wages on that boy's horse. Horses! Nothing but trouble." Mendoza muttered to himself as he got rid of his sling in frustration and headed for the tavern.

"Are you all right, Macias?" Diego asked as the young man stopped his horse, looking sadly towards the caballero.

"We lost." He answered as he slowly shook his head. "Zeus didn't respond. I don't know what happened." The young man answered as he dismounted.

"Now that you have no hope of paying your back taxes, I hereby confiscate your farm and all your personal property. . . Including this miserable horse!" The Alcalde said as he neared the man and grabbed Zeus' reins, handing them over to one of his lancers.

"Alcalde. . ." Diego tried to intervene.

"You listen to me!" The official interrupted him. "I have lost four thousand pesos. Someone has got to pay."

Macias wanted to reply as the man turned around, but Diego stopped him with a hand on his left shoulder.* "Come inside! Some of Victoria's wine might make you feel better while we consider a plan to get your farm back." The caballero told him, and José agreed, following him inside after glancing once more towards the stallion who was no longer his.

The two young men entered, heading for Don Alejandro's table, on which Victoria had already placed a pitcher of wine and a glass of water for Diego.

The elderly caballero, seeing the young man's depressed face tried to console him while pouring some wine for him. "I'm sorry you lost, Macias! But those beans might still fetch a good enough price to help you for now, and that money you owe –"

"Father, the Alcalde confiscated his farm and the stallion. He said it was a payment for the money he lost." Diego interrupted him to inform.

"That's ridiculous!" His father replied. "Nobody forced him to bet that money, and that's not how bets work."

"Indeed. But our Alcalde seems to think it is…" Diego stated, taking a sip of his water.

"With no farm, no money and no Zeus, how am I supposed to make a living?" José wondered.

"We'll find you work at the hacienda until you get back on your feet. And we can talk to our lawyer to see if he can help us get your properties back from the Alcalde." The older caballero suggested.

"I don't have money to hire a lawyer. Even if I did, I doubt he'd be able to do much to convince the Alcalde..." José uttered as the don looked pensively at the table. *"I want to see Zeus!" The young man stated in the same tone of voice a child would employ when asking to see his dying dog.

"Pretty hard to do now that he's in the Alcalde's stable." The elderly caballero answered.

Diego took a sip of his water and his eyes soon rested on the form of Mendoza, who was eating his lunch and looking quite depressed.

"Come on! I think I know someone who can help us." Diego encouraged José as he stood up and headed for the lancer's table.*

Convincing his friend took little effort, as the Sergeant easily sympathized with the young man who just wanted to say goodbye to his stallion. What they didn't expect, though, was to find the horse sick, laying on the ground.

Asking the Sergeant to get the garrison's blacksmith to have a look at him, Diego and José returned to the tavern.

"I wonder if whatever it was that Zeus ate determined the result of the race." The tall caballero muttered as Victoria came to join them and the farmer recounted for her his more recent reason for concern.

"I only gave him his normal food, Don Diego." José uttered, trying to make sense of the unexpected turn of events.

"Yes… But he stayed in the municipal stables for over an hour before the race and I remember seeing Señor Herrera there." He pointed out.

*"It was something he ate. The blacksmith gave him some herbs to calm his stomach. He's going to be fine!" Mendoza told them as he neared the table, a smile on his lips.

"Ah! Gracias a Dios!" José exclaimed at hearing the news. Having nursed the horse back to health, raised and trained him, he had become extremely attached to the animal. "Do you really think that Señor Herrera would poison my horse?" He, then, asked the tall caballero.

"I don't know what to think." Diego answered, as he focused his attention on the newcomer.

"If only you had the sense to bet on my horse instead. Well… Live and learn, eh?" The man said with an evil chuckle.

"You don't have the fastest horse in California, you know?" Victoria asked as she stood up.

"Really? Then who does, Señorita?" The man wondered, a smug look on his face.

"Zorro." She answered as she neared the man, who was leaning against the bar, a large group of caballeros around him.

"Ah, yes! The legendary 'Fox of the Night'. We have heard of him in Monterey too." The newcomer uttered.

"He also has an incredible horse named Tornado." She stated as she retook her normal place behind the bar.

"Nearly as smart as a man," Mendoza mentioned.

"Hah! And smarter than some!" She added, her remark causing several people there to chuckle, and Mendoza to feel uncomfortable.

"Then where is he? This legend and his wonder horse?" Herrera inquired.

"Zorro is a terribly unpredictable character." Diego explained as he took a sip of water.

"Si, this is true. He has a price on his head, and he only comes out with good reason." Mendoza confirmed his friend's words.

"Then let's give him a good reason!" The newcomer uttered as he headed for the table which Diego, José and Mendoza were occupying at the time. "Another race. If I lose, I return all that money."

"And if you win?" The taverness asked as she placed another cup and a pitcher of wine on her friends' table.

"Then I shall own this incredible horse of Zorro's." Herrera answered with a sly smile. "If Zorro ignores my challenge, then, perhaps, Tornado is not so special after all, and Zorro is not such a hero."

"That's not true at all!" Victoria protested, unsure the masked man would take the challenge, considering it was not his responsibility to get the money back for those who had willingly gambled their savings, especially since it meant him risking capture to do so.

"Put the word out! I hereby challenge Zorro to a match race tomorrow at noon." Herrera said, addressing all those in the room, as he returned to the bar. "Barmaid, drinks for everyone!" He then ordered, putting a few coins on the counter.

"Do you think Zorro will accept such a challenge?" Mendoza asked Diego.

"Why should he?" He wondered.

"Because we lost our money unfairly! Macias's horse was drugged." The Sergeant explained.

"That's right!" The farmer shyly agreed.

"Is that true?" Victoria asked Diego.

"There is no proof." He answered sincerely.

"The money the Alcalde lost was from the Governor's tax fund. He would do anything to get it back." Mendoza whispered after making sure they were not being overheard.

Victoria smiled smugly, convinced Zorro would take the challenge should he learn about that, was most certainly to learn about it as he seemed to know everything, and, thus, he might put Herrera in his place. Macias also laughed at realizing the same.

Diego silently agreed with them, so he pretended to sneeze, then informed everyone that he had not been feeling well lately and believed he was getting a cold, then left for the hacienda.*

"Are you leaving so soon, Diego?" Don Alejandro, who was sat at a table on the terrace, conversing with some of his friends, asked as he passed him by.

"Yes, Father." He answered with another fake sneeze. "I fear I am not feeling very well. Might be a cold."

"I'll come with you, then!" The older man offered.

"No! There's no need. I'm sure I only need some rest, so I'll be heading straight to bed." He answered before mounting Esperanza and wishing his father a 'good night'.

Once he was home, he asked Maria to prepare him a tea, and have Felipe bring it to him.

"Gracias, Felipe!" Diego uttered as he asked his ward to leave it on the nightstand and busied himself with arranging his bed, making it seem as if he was sleeping.

"What are you doing?" The young man signed, preoccupied.

"There is work in store for Zorro and Diego needs an alibi. This way, if anyone checks on me, they'll think I'm fast asleep." He answered as he finished by adding a black, short wig to the pile of pillows covered in his red blanket.

The boy grinned at his work, then, as per the caballero's request, remained to guard the door, while Zorro headed for the pueblo to get Luis Ramone to temporarily lift the bounty from his head in exchange for him taking Herrera's challenge.

Of course, Diego was not foolish enough to believe the official would miss the chance to capture the one man who continued to defy him at every turn, but all he truly needed was to make sure nobody would shoot him in the back before and during the race, as he knew the Alcalde cared too much about the money he had lost to attempt anything before it was returned to him.

His father had arrived home just before nightfall and, after asking Felipe how his son was doing, and, at finding out that he was sleeping, he headed for his room, unwilling to disturb him.

Early the following morning, the boy headed to the pueblo to see the Alcalde's men stacking bales on top of some wagons, then hurried back home to let his guardian know what he had seen.

"He thinks he can create an obstacle too big for Tornado to clear." Diego realized with a smile. "He wants back the money he lost and thinks he can also get Zorro and the reward he, himself put on my head. The Alcalde probably didn't hear that saying about never chasing two rabbits for you will fail to catch either one."

Felipe looked concerned.

"Don't worry!" The caballero added, easily guessing the reasons behind his grimace. "The Alcalde is certain to underestimate Tornado. After all, it's only the two of us who know how high he can jump."

"Son? Are you awake?" They heard Don Alejandro's voice from behind the door.

"Open! Slowly!" Diego instructed the boy while he used his teacup to warm up his forehead and his left hand to make sure his hair looked as bad as he was pretending to feel.

"Son? How are you this morning?" The don wondered.

"Not very well, I fear." The younger man answered, in a hoarse voice.

"So you're not coming to the pueblo, then? This might be a very exciting race."

"I fear not, Father. Besides, personally, I doubt Zorro will accept the challenge. The Alcalde would have him shot before the race would even begin."

"Well… I hope you're wrong. But I'm worried about you, Diego!" The older man said as he touched his son's forehead, only to find it extremely warm. "Should I send for Doctor Hernandez?"

"That's really not necessary. I'm sure some more tea and rest will be helpful enough." He replied.

"All right, Son! You stay and rest. I'll go see if Zorro shows up. He might need someone to watch his back if he does."

Diego nodded and closed his eyes, pretending to be sleepy.

"Felipe," the elderly caballero whispered, as the two of them exited his son's room "make sure he rests and get the doctor if he gets any worse!"

The boy agreed, and the don left, reassured his son was well-taken care of.

ZZZ

*"Don Diego didn't come with you?" Victoria asked Don Alejandro as he was waiting, like all the other people who had gathered in the plaza that day, to see if their masked defender would take the challenge and show up for the race.

"He has a terrible cold, poor boy." The caballero answered.

"He picked a fine time to get sick!" She replied.

"Zorro! This so-called man of courage with a horse I've heard so much about, obviously has no interest in winning your money back." Herrera stated from atop his horse as he made his way towards the tavern, holding the pouch of money in his left hand. "So –" He stopped his little speech at seeing the masked man ride into the pueblo on Tornado.

"Zorro!" Victoria exclaimed.

To everyone's dismay, the black-clad outlaw saluted the Alcalde as he passed by him, and the official saluted him back, ignoring his instinct to have his men fire at him.

"Señorita, if you would be so kind…" Herrera asked, handing Victoria the leather pouch containing the money he had bet on the previous day's race and those he had won from the people of Los Angeles. "My challenge still stands, Señor. My winnings against your horse." He then added, addressing Zorro, who was, at that moment, charmingly smiling at the taverness.

"Let's ride!" He answered confidently.

"Riders to your marks!" Mendoza announced as he held his pistol up. "Ready?"

Herrera spurred his stallion just before the Sergeant made the shot announcing the commencement of the race.

"Once a cheat, always a cheat." Zorro uttered before urging Tornado into a gallop, taking off just a few moments after the other man.

During the first part of the race, thanks to his early departure, Abdullah was several feet in front of Tornado. The black stallion slowly gained on him, though. When Herrera realized he was losing, he tried and failed to hit the black-clad rider with his crop, then to push him with his leg.

During the second half of the race, Tornado slowly gained on the Arabian stallion and, to everyone's delight, headed for a clear victory.

"This money was taken from you under false pretenses!" Zorro state as he took the pouch from Victoria. "Alcalde, I know you'll be relieved to return this." He then addressed the official, throwing him the leather bag.

The man smiled at catching it, then held it up in the air as everyone cheered.

Because he was a sore loser, however, Herrera took advantage of that move and, urging his stallion towards the pueblo's gate, he snatched the pouch from the Alcalde's hands as he passed by him, galloping away.

"Lancers! Stop him!" The official ordered, perplexed at the man's guts.

"I was hoping we'd have more time." The black-clad man told Victoria at realizing his services were still needed.

"And so was I." She replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Zorro steered Tornado forward, just as, obeying the commands the Alcalde had given them that morning, the lancers moved the two wagons to block his passing.

"No horse can clear that, Zorro. Dismount or die!" The Alcalde threatened as the black-clad man turned the horse to face him.

Victoria looked worriedly towards her trapped hero. He smiled and saluted, then turned his horse around, urging him to make the jump. Luis Ramone fired the gun to miss him by a longshot, then watched in disbelief, like everybody else, as the horse landed safely on the other side, then made his way out of the pueblo to the people's cheers.

It took only some ten minutes for Zorro to capture Herrera. He then tied him up and returned with him till they were near the pueblo. From there, with Herrera riding backwards, a Z decorating the back of his jacket, he steered the Arabian stallion towards the plaza, leaving him to make the last couple of hundred yards.*

ZZZ

After making sure the horse had found his way to the pueblo, Zorro was just about to head for the hacienda when he heard shouts, and turned to see Luis Ramone making his way through the gate, mounted on Abdullah. Although, 'mounted' was probably not the term he would have used since the man seemed to be barely able to stay in the saddle.

The horse rode some 500 feet before the Alcalde eventually fell off of his back.

The masked man couldn't help but chuckle heartedly. "I see even that cheater's horse has standards!" He uttered with amusement as he guided Tornado towards Luis Ramone at a slow pace.

"Zorro! You did something to that horse!" The official accused. "I will make you pay for this!"

"It is not my fault that you can't stay in the saddle, Alcalde. I guess you're not as good a horseman as you want everyone to believe." The black-clad man answered before uttering an "Adiós!" at leaving him, just as three lancers sent by Mendoza arrived to recover their leader.

"After him!" Luis Ramon ordered, pointing to the diminishing figure of the black-clad man, and his lancers immediately complied, leaving him to return to the pueblo on foot.

By the time he arrived, Don Alejandro had already distributed the money in the leather pouch among the people who had bet on the previous day's chase, also making sure to give them their share of the winnings, only leaving Luis Ramone's share in the pouch.

"I can pay my taxes now, Alcalde!" Macias stated as the official returned to the pueblo. "And I'll be taking back my horse."

"Fine! But I want them paid in full!" Luis Ramone uttered, raising a gloved finger to point it at the young man, who just nodded with a smile.

ZZZ

After taking the lancers on a scenic tour around the pueblo, and getting rid of them after crossing a chasm, Zorro headed towards the hacienda just in time to notice his father and Victoria were just arriving at the house.

Realizing he didn't have the time to go through the cave, he, thus, steered Tornado towards the back of the hacienda, where his room was situated, and *entered through the window, hiding his hat and weapons under the bed before climbing under the blanket. As he closed his eyes, trying to mimic sleeping at hearing his father calling his name, he remembered that he had forgotten to take off the mask, so he hurriedly did so and made sure he was fully covered, no hint of black material visible from under the covers.

"Don Diego?" Victoria softly called at entering the room. "Don Diego?"

The young man pretended he was just waking up, looking at her from under the blanket.

"How are you feeling?" She wondered.

"Much better." He said in a convincing tone.

"Well, you look much better." The taverness replied.

"Macias paid his taxes. He can keep his farm now." Don Alejandro informed his son, a smile on his face.

"Finally, a bit of justice. We should celebrate." The tall caballero replied.

"There's something else to celebrate," his father informed him as he held a book in his hands. "That 'Life of Hayden' you've been waiting for, just arrived."

"Wonderful!" Diego exclaimed with enthusiasm as he was about to reach it, but soon remembered he was dressed in black.

Pretending the sudden movement made him feel sick, he complained about suddenly feeling awful and in no mood to celebrate at the present time, then turned around, pulling the blanket up on top of his head.

Don Alejandro and Victoria were left to glance at each other, then look puzzled towards Diego.*

ZZZ

It was not until evening that Don Alejandro eventually saw Diego up and about, so, during dinnertime, he recounted for him most of what had happened earlier in the day.

"Oh, Diego…" Don Alejandro added just as he was about to leave the table, "I almost forgot to tell you that on the 29th, we'll be having a dinner party here. Just a few of my caballero friends… and their relatives."

"A dinner party? I think that's a splendid idea!" The younger man answered.

"Excellent. Don Sebastian's sister will be here with her daughter, Rosita. She's about your age, and I already promised my friend you'll show her around the pueblo. I trust you'll be able to keep her entertained, won't you, Son?" The don uttered.

"Father –" Diego immediately protested at realizing his father's plan.

"She likes paintings, so make sure to show her my latest acquisition! I'm sure she'll appreciate it." Don Alejandro muttered before disappearing behind a wall.

Felipe, who was just gathering the dishes to take them to the kitchen gave Diego an amused glance. The caballero frowned. "I believe my father is intent on finding me a wife. But he doesn't know I am already courting someone."

His ward signed, pointing out that Victoria also doesn't know that his guardian is courting her, so, both amused and a bit annoyed, Diego stood up and lovingly ruffled Felipe's hair before heading towards his room.

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AN: The excerpts used for this chapter were taken from the episode "The Sure Thing" written by Robert McCullough.