Chapter 10

Victoria stood bent over the dishes, her thoughts immersed in a sea of worries. She had gone to the market this morning to buy fresh vegetables for the tavern's meals. There, she had inadvertently witnessed something that made her blood boil in anger.

Don Diego had also been at the market. His walk had displayed an arrogance that she found repulsive. He had disdainfully surveyed the wares at the various stalls. Most merchants had their goods displayed on hand carts, but an elderly woman was selling woven baskets, and she had laid them out on a cloth on the ground. Don Diego had knocked over some of her baskets. Victoria had expected him to apologize and help the woman set the baskets right. However, don Diego had snapped at the woman to keep her mess to herself and had walked away without sparing her another glance. Victoria had confronted him, asking why he was so rude and stating that his father would be furious if he heard what his son had done. Don Diego had scoffed and said he didn't give a damn what his father thought. Then he had called her a tavern wench and walked away. Flabbergasted, she had seen him enter the office of the alcalde. A place he visited multiple times a week.

Victoria had helped the woman and had shamefully apologized for the don's improper behaviour. She knew soon as don Alejandro heard about this, he would get furious. If there was one thing you couldn't accuse the don of, it was looking down on people who had less than him. And Victoria wondered, since when don Diego had changed so much that the same couldn't be said for don Alejandro's son.

Victoria picked up some clean cups and placed them on the shelf behind the bar. She was doing this when she saw Don Alejandro come in. He stood at the bar and tapped on the countertop to get her attention.

"Victoria, buenos días. I was actually hoping you knew when you wanted to go to Santa Paula?"

Victoria had already forgotten what she had arranged with the don. She looked at him strangely, wondering why he wanted to accompany her. "I'm not sure yet. Sometime next month, I suppose."

Alejandro nodded, tapping his fingers at the top of the counter. "That's fine. Just let me know."

She now noticed something different about his demeanour. It was as if something inside him had broken, and he was carrying all the worries of the world on his shoulders. However, the don had already turned around and walked out of the tavern.

Victoria continued what she had been doing before he came in. She paused, shook her head, and muttered to herself. "You're imagining the wildest things. Don Alejandro barely escaped death a few days ago. Of course, he's upset."

Victoria bit her lip, threw the dishcloth that had hung over her shoulder onto the table, loosened her apron, threw it into a corner of the counter, and walked outside. She couldn't see the don anywhere. Instead, she saw Paco walking with his donkey. "Paco, did you see which way don Alejandro went?"

The man pointed to the cemetery.

"Gracias." Victoria jumped off the porch and walked in the direction Paco had indicated.

Behind the church, at the edge of the pueblo, Victoria saw don Alejandro standing in front of his wife's grave. She approached the don cautiously. She didn't know how to begin. Hesitant she carefully asked, "Is there something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?"

The don snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"I want to know what's bothering you. Does it... does it have anything to do with don Diego?"

The don nodded, the wrinkles of old age deeper than usual on his face. "Unfortunately, yes. You see, I think Diego is dead."

"What!" Shocked, Victoria turned to the don. "I saw him this morning! What happened? Is he sick? Should I fetch the doctor?"

Alejandro turned around and sat on a tree stump. With a gesture, he invited Victoria to sit beside him. "That man you're talking about, I don't know who he is, but he's not my son."

Victoria laughed, thinking the don was joking. "How can you say that? Of course, he is." Victoria took the don's hand. "He just changed in Spain. He grew up, as you said."

"Don't be naive, Victoria. You must notice something is amiss. That man is an impostor and not my son."

Victoria had often wondered how much don Diego had changed in comparison to the man she remembered. But to say that he was a completely different person was too much for her.

"You think I've gone mad, don't you? I've been doubting it since his so-called return. Since yesterday, I'm certain."

Victoria asked softly. "What happened then?"

"We argued. It's been happening more often lately. He remarked me never caring for the needy. I replied that everyone in the De la Vega family has always cared for others. Then he said he knew his mother wouldn't agree with me. He had heard something about me in Spain. That's when I knew for sure."

"I don't understand." Don Alejandro looked at Victoria with tears in his eyes. "My Felicidad was the most generous, kind-hearted, compassionate woman imaginable. She had a heart bigger than all of California."

"Doña Felicidad was indeed kind, as far as I remember. And concerned about the less fortunate. But that doesn't have to mean...," Victoria stammered in shock.

"That impostor called her his mother. My son always called her amá. Diego would never say 'mother' when referring to her."

Victoria looked at the Don in surprise. "But that doesn't mean anything. Does it? I used to call my mother 'máma'."

"Yes, it does. Because there's more. This man wears the ring I gave Diego for his 18th birthday. Diego would never willingly take off that ring. And there are other small things only a parent would notice. Before he left, Diego and I used to enjoy playing chess together. Since his return, he refused to play. And when I finally pursued him into a game, he barely knew the difference between a pawn and a bishop.

And yesterday, he didn't correct me when I called the Andalusian gambit a castling. Victoria, I taught him to play chess, and he was good at it."

"I don't play chess." Victoria apologised, not having a clue what he was talking about.

Alejandro had a bitter smile on his face. "It's like saying you're making apple pie and then serving stew. You know how well he played the piano. That impostor hasn't touched the instrument once. In appearance, this man is a spitting image of my son. And he's keen on deceiving me. I believe he knows he has nothing to fear from Diego. That can only happen if Diego sees no way to come home or contact me. The last letter he wrote to me is over a year old."

Victoria was speechless. Alejandro pulled out two letters from his vest pocket. "Look. This one is from Diego, he wrote it after he arrived in Spain. And this one is the message saying he had arrived in San Diego and was in quarantine. At first glance, the handwriting is identical, but if you look closely, you'll see more and more differences."

Victoria squinted her eyes and stared intently at the words. She couldn't see any difference.

Alejandro pointed to the word 'father' at the top. "That F. The dash is slanted. And the R at the end is less rounded. I could go on like this."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything."

Don Alejandro stood up. "Yes, it does. It means someone is pretending to be my son. Let me know when you're going to Santa Paula. I will tell that impostor I plan to go with you. He'll surely believe it. I can then ask my notary to meet me there. I need to change my will and appoint Felipe as my heir. That's what Diego would have wanted." His eyes were wet when he gazed at Victoria. "Victoria, I have to face the truth. My son, the child of me and Felicidad, is dead."

"You don't really believe that...", stammered Victoria, too shocked but vaguely aware that the don might be right and what it would mean.

The don's voice was full of suppressed emotions. "Victoria, in the end, it is better to face the harsh truth over living in false hope."

Victoria felt tears beginning to burn in her eyes. She wanted to reassure don Alejandro and tell him he had to be wrong. Diego couldn't be dead. To tell him it wasn't true.

Deep down, however, it felt like she was getting confirmation of what she had suspected for weeks and consciously ignored. "Let your notary come to Santa Paula. We'll go whenever you want."

The Don nodded briefly. "Monday? Thank you, Victoria." He turned around and stared for a long time at the simple white stone where his wife was buried.

.

Five days later, the sun was just peeking over the horizon and Los Angeles was still shrouded in silence when a pair of horses, driven by don Alejandro, rode through the deserted plaza under the entrance gate. Don Alejandro had insisted on travelling to Santa Paula in his carriage. His carriage was better sprung, and drawn by two of his finest draft horses would make the journey considerably faster and more comfortable.

Victoria was already waiting for him. She had a woollen shawl around her shoulders. The days in California might be warm, but the nights and early mornings were often ice cold.

"You're right on time, don Alejandro." The Don reached out to take Victoria's basket and placed it at his feet on the carriage. Then he reached out again, this time to take Victoria's hand and help her climb aboard.

"Unfortunately, we still have to go back to the hacienda. I forgot my pocket watch." apologized the Don. "Do you mind taking a small detour?"

Victoria started to laugh. "It's not far, fortunately."

.

Diego stood rooted in the hallway as the front door suddenly swung open. The temptation to sneak through his home had been too great after Felipe assured him his father would leave early and be out all day.

The entrance to the cave was not only too far away but also on the other side of the open door. Diego wanted to flee further into the hallway, but it was too late. His father had seen him.

"Diego!" called the Don, slightly surprised. "I didn't expect you to be up and about this early. I didn't even hear you come home last night."

"Uh, yes. Good morning, father. Weren't you supposed to go to Santa Paula?"

"I even was on my way. When I realised that I had forgotten my pocket watch. It's still on my bedside table." The don walked past Diego into the hallway to the family wing. Half-turning as he walked to his room, Alejandro asked, "Any plans now that the day is so young?"

Diego cleared his throat. "I think I'll go to the pueblo later."

Alejandro returned, looking slightly disapproving. "I would appreciate it if you gambled and drank less."

Diego forced himself to stay in character of his imposter and not hug his father, as much as his heart itched to do so.

Felipe came walking from the kitchen and stopped in shock, his eyes as wide as saucers when he saw Diego in the hallway and Alejandro heading towards the front door.

"Ah, Felipe, another early riser, I see. Are you sure you don't want to come to Santa Paula with us?"

Felipe shook his head. "Then I'll accompany Victoria on my own. We should be back before dark. Adios."

Diego waved his hand at his father. "Adios, safe travels."

Alejandro walked back to the wagon, but after closing the front door, he stood still for a brief moment. He shook his head before he went back to the wagon. Sitting next to Victoria, he stared at the hacienda and shook his head again.

"Have you got your watch? " she asked.

"Si." Alejandro composed himself, took the reins, and uttered to Victoria, "Let's go."

.

Diego went back into the cave and cursed his own stupidity in silence. The temptation had been too great, and the risk had seemed small.

Felipe had told Diego that his father had promised to accompany Victoria to Santa Paula because she wanted to pay off part of her mortgage and stock up on new supplies. He was pleased his father refused to allow a woman to undertake this journey alone. Coincidentally, Inez had her day off, and Felipe had, by now, discovered that the housekeeper had no plans to get up before noon on her free day. Not only was the woman a mediocre cook, but she also preferred to do as little as possible.

And since G.R. had stumbled into the hacienda well after midnight last night, it would take him a few hours to sleep off his hangover. After making sure his father had left, he had waited another twenty minutes before slipping into the library through the hidden door.

The cave had no daylight, and despite being dressed as Zorro, he often enjoyed the fresh air and warm sunshine besides catching bandits and thwarting the alcalde, he still missed having daylight around him.

|Although the cave had been furnished as comfortably as possible, it paled in comparison to the daylight streaming in through a window.

Facing his father had stirred up many emotions in Diego.

He and his father had always been very close, and Diego hated the idea that his father thought G.R. was him. However, no one, especially G.R., could suspect the real Diego had returned to Los Angeles. And so he couldn't confide in his father, no matter how much it hurt him.

And he would have to be even more careful from now on. The hacienda became off-limits.

What had just happened must not happen again.

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