Author's note. The waitresses at the tavern usually appear in the fanfics as Pilar and Alicia because Victoria mentions those names in the series.
Chapter 4. What's wrong with her. - Pilar.
Victoria had left me in charge of the tavern, as she always did when she went to Santa Paula or Monterrey to make a deal with a supplier, but this time it was to help Don Alejandro with his son Don Diego.
The alcalde had been around asking questions, trying to find out if Zorro had been hurt or not, but no one had seen anything unusual, and to tell the truth, if he had, I don't think anyone would have confirmed the alcalde's suspicions. It is strange that Zorro, who helps people without asking for anything in return, is a criminal while the alcalde, who is supposed to be the authority, charges us a lot of taxes without any benefit for us; it is something I have never understood. The soldiers get their salaries but then they are not able to stop the bandits and Zorro has to come and do their job for them. It's a good thing Zorro doesn't get hit when they shoot at him either, because that would be the last straw. Of course, the alcalde can't count on me to help him capture him. The señora whom Zorro saved in the square repeated over and over again that Zorro was not wounded, and I do not know if it is because it is true or because she did not want to agree with the alcalde. It would be logical after what he did for her and her son.
I was glad when I saw Victoria come into the kitchen when I had just started making dinner, but when I noticed her face I wasn't so sure it was a good sign. She looked angry, or confused, I couldn't quite tell. I decided to ask.
"How are the de la Vega's, is Don Diego feeling better?"
She looked so puzzled that for a moment I feared the worst and added, worried. "He's going to be all right, isn't he? Around here they were saying that the wound is not very serious, and that when he recovers from the blood loss he'll be fine."
Victoria nodded and took quite a while to respond. "The doctor thinks he will recover, but the wound is deep and it may take quite a while for it to heal. He hopes it doesn't get infected."
"Just as well, with that look on your face for a moment I thought something serious was going on."
She looked at me with a frightened face. "No, I hope not. I'm sure everything will be fine." and she tried to smile, but the truth is that I could still tell that something wasn't right.
Dinner time was approaching, and Victoria stayed in the kitchen to finish making the lentils while I served those who were spending the evening having a few wines or a lemonade. When I came in carrying a few glasses I realized that the fire was too hot.
"Victoria, you're going to burn the food."
She startled and snapped back to reality from wherever she was at the time. "Sure, you're right." she said pushing the cauldron away to avoid burning its contents as she removed one of the logs with tongs.
"Are you well?" I asked her, and then something occurred to me, but before I asked I moved closer to her so that I could talk without anyone hearing us. "What about Zorro, do you know if anything has happened to him? The alcalde has been asking questions about him, he seemed to think he was hurt, but no one has confirmed anything to him." I whispered.
She looked at me for a moment and then shook her head. "No, don't tell anyone, but I've seen him in passing and he's fine, I'm sure he'll be here the next time we need him."
She seemed pretty convinced of that, so I was relieved. "Just as well, I hope nothing bad ever happens to him or we'd have to rely on soldiers to protect us." said I then laughed. "Can you imagine?"
She smiled, though at the same time she looked a little sad. "It would be terrible, but luckily Zorro always escapes."
I found it curious that a while later she offered to dump the dirty sink water out the back door. Before she came in she seemed to look intently at the door, but I assumed she was simply distracted again.
Dinner time arrived with an unexpected visitor. Doña María. I don't know why I was surprised, with the whole town talking about the last bandit attack, it was strange that she didn't show up looking for gossip. Maybe Don Diego should hire her for the newspaper, although it might not be a good idea, because she makes up half of what she tells and repeats whatever she is told, whether it is true or sounds completely false.
Victoria seemed not quite right and I insisted that she stayed in the kitchen while Alicia and I waited on the tables. She resisted a bit, because if there are problems she wants to be the one to solve them, but luckily everyone has long since known that they don't have to bother us while we work. Occasionally we have to remind some vaquero or soldier new in town that we are not that kind of tavern and that we only offer food, drink and unaccompanied lodging here, but that happens very seldom. With the previous alcalde at first we had some trouble, as if he would have been glad with us providing entertainment, but since Zorro arrived everyone knows that the tavern girls are to be respected.
Doña Maria seemed to be stalling for time, until she got bored with waiting and went on the attack.
"Has señorita Escalante returned from the hacienda de la Vega? I understand she slept there last night."
Victoria had told me dozens of times that it was not right to respond badly to clients, not even to Doña Maria. After repeating to myself for the third time that I couldn't call her a gossip to her face I decided to respond. "Right now she's in the kitchen."
The señora (not to call her anything else uglier) started craning her neck to follow Alicia with her eyes, and when she opened the kitchen curtain to pass I guess she could see Victoria handing her some dishes and was more satisfied, or maybe not, with that milk curdling expression she has, it's hard to tell.
"Well, it's a shame for a young unmarried woman to spend the nights at a caballero's house without a hostess present."
I don't give a damn about the niceties of good society, I think Victoria can sleep wherever she wants, she's old enough to know what she's doing, so I didn't answer.
"Can I get you anything else? For dessert we have peach in syrup."
"Yes, that's fine," she said somewhat dryly. What a sourpuss, enough that I don't tell her what I really think of her, I have no obligation to put up with her nonsense. I went to the kitchen to get her dessert.
"Do you know if Don Diego is well?" she asked me when I got back. What an interrogation, for God's sake.
"Victoria says the wound is not serious, it will take time for him to recover, but the doctor expects him to be fine unless it gets infected."
She squinted a little, and went back to the load. "I'm glad, señorita Victoria seemed very worried about him."
Finally, something I could understand, she was sniffing around to see if there was something going on between Don Diego and Victoria. I thought there was nothing at all there, unfortunately, because in my opinion that one would make a good husband. He doesn't hang from chandeliers, but that's a plus. I decided to give the woman the runaround, because in any case Victoria's private life is none of her business.
"Don Diego has helped the whole village in some way, we all care about him."
"But she seemed very upset."
"She's a lifelong friend of the family."
"Yes, a friend, of course." she replied with a tone that made me want to stick my tongue out at her, but since I'm not ten years old I had to leave it at that.
The rest of the day went pretty much as usual, until that night I went to say goodbye to Victoria.
"Good night, shall I close up front and go out through the kitchen?"
"Yes, thank you." she replied more...well, like herself, it seemed the scare was wearing off.
"Do I have to come in early tomorrow morning?"
"Why?" she said without stopping kneading the dough she was preparing to make empanada the next day. The truth is that empanadas come out great if you leave the dough overnight to rest.
"In case you go to see Don Diego in the morning."
She raised her head as if what I had said was something very strange. The one who was acting weird was definitely her. I wondered what was wrong with her.
"Sure, he'll be at the hacienda." she told me.
"Well yes, with his leg the way he has it, where would the poor guy be? But just know that if you go to see him very often Doña María will ask again if there is something going on between the two of you."
She opened her eyes and her mouth dropped open. "Doña Maria?"
"Well, it seems that lately she doesn't have enough gossip and has taken it out on you, you know how she is."
"I see, and she's taken it into her head to set me up with Diego." she said thoughtfully.
"It wouldn't be as exciting as being Zorro's girlfriend, but at least it has the advantage that you know where he is most of the time."
"Yes, that would be an advantage." she said despondently.
"Well, then. What do I do?"
"If you'll do me the favor, come over first thing."
"All right, I'll see you tomorrow."