"So it's getting serious?" Manuel asked, watching Diego. The conde was about to put a sword into a heavy chest.
"Si, amigo. Nine months was long enough. I didn't think the preparations would take so long."
"As always, well organized and planned. I know you. You've always been the smarter of the two of us," the young Spaniard mused with a slight smile on his face.
"Well, yes. I don't know. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. In any case, the reports about the situation in Los Angeles don't sound good."
"But you know you're not going to war, right? Look at the arsenal of weapons you plan to take with you? Two whips, six knives, five swords, three pistols, a saber, two rifles and a shotgun. At least what I saw you pack. Or is there more?"
"Kendall's sword is still missing," the conde explained and went to one of the walls. There were several weapons hanging on the right side, mostly for show.
He picked up a saber of remarkable quality that had been hung separately with ornate hooks. Unlike the other weapons on the wall, it showed slight signs of wear and appeared less delicate.
"The best Toledo steel. My fencing instructor's weapon might come in handy if the going gets tough. I hope I don't have to use it, but it can't hurt to have it with me."
"It will make you stand out. Well, you probably will anyway," Manuel guessed.
"That's quite possible. But I won't carry this saber in public for the time being. Weapons like that could attract envious people, and I don't want to get into fights just because of the sword. This Zorro might even try to steal it from me. As a bandit, he'll probably recognize a good weapon and either want to use it himself or sell it to a fence. Outlaws are not known to take kindly to people like me."
"All understandable, but why so many weapons? I thought you might want to observe and think things through before you tell Don Alejandro the truth? DeSoto is hardly going to mess with a conde."
"I don't think I can get good weapons so easily in this remote area, I'll probably have to go all the way to Mexico City. And swords break sometimes, amigo. Except Kendall's, which is really excellent quality."
Diego looked down at his weapon, which he still held in his right hand. He carefully placed it in the chest with the others and closed the lid.
"What does Sir Edmund do these days? I heard he doesn't teach at the university anymore?" Manuel inquired.
"Si," Diego confirmed. "There were problems because he was teaching fencing to some young men outside the university. These young men are considered a bit rebellious. The university administration didn't like them very much and asked him to stop teaching."
"Suspended, you were going to say."
"Yes, that's probably it. Fortunately, Sir Edmund doesn't need the money. I suppose he'll continue to give private fencing lessons."
"A man like that doesn't let anything get him down."
"Oh yes. He has clear convictions and can't be bought. That's not to be taken for granted. I've admired him for that for a long time, long before I beat him in a duel and he gave me his saber as a token of his appreciation," Diego revealed. "But come to the table, I want to show you something else."
"I'm curious."
The friends walked over to an oversized desk on the other side of the room. Diego slowly opened one of the large drawers and pulled out a rolled, large-format piece of paper. He carefully smoothed it out on the tabletop.
Manuel looked at the drawing with curiosity.
"What is this? A hacienda?"
"That's right. Actually, it's my home while I'm living in Los Angeles. I asked the architect to find someone to draw a picture of it. This one came by ship and was delivered to me last week."
"Very nice. But a little oversized for this remote area, don't you think?"
Diego nodded. "Maybe. But money doesn't matter. I expect to be in California for several weeks. I wouldn't feel comfortable in a small house. And the servants I'm taking with me need space."
His friend leaned over the drawing. "Almost too big for a hacienda, it's more like a mansion. And that addition on the right? Are those the retreat rooms you told me about?"
"Yes, they are. I don't need to be surrounded by servants all the time. You know I need time and space for my music, my painting, or my experiments. A separate annex was the easiest option here."
Manuel laughed. "Above all, you won't endanger anyone if your experiments cause another small explosion."
Diego joined in the laughter. "You're right - even if it hasn't happened for a while. But that's not the only reason. These rooms seem like a good place to invite Don Alejandro and tell him the truth. I don't know how he will react, but I don't want us to be disturbed by the servants during this emotional conversation. After all, no one else has access without my express permission - except in emergencies, of course."
"You've thought of everything, haven't you? And then what? You certainly won't want to stay in Los Angeles. What about your father? I don't think he'll feel at home here in Madrid. This man may be of noble descent, but he lives very modestly and is not used to our luxuries."
The conde sighed. "Yes, unfortunately that's true. To be honest, I don't know myself. This hacienda is a compromise - acceptable to me and, except for the size, similar in construction to my father's. If he doesn't want to come back to Madrid with me, he can live in my hacienda as long as he wants. The architect had the plans for my father's hacienda and used them as a model. I thought it would be more comfortable for him."
"You haven't told me that yet."
""Oh, there are some things I haven't told you." Diego's face took on a mysterious expression. "My father's hacienda has a special feature that I really like."
"And what else?"
"Nothing else. I'll tell you about it some other time. Or when you come to visit me in the New World. Then you'll at least have a reason."
"Mysterious man. Do I really need a reason to visit you?"
"No, of course not," replied the young conde, now serious again. "I will certainly feel strange in my new surroundings and miss you. You are always welcome. I'll probably be terribly bored and brood a lot, especially now, after what happened with Zafira."
"Hm. She still doesn't like to your move, I guess?"
"No, not at all, she really resents it," Diego replied with a sour face. "I can understand that too, because I didn't tell her why."
"Why not? She's your fiancée. She has a right to know your motives, don't you think?"
"We broke off our engagement. Amicably." The man's voice sounded somber.
"Madre de Dios, why? Just like that!" said the young Spaniard uncomprehendingly.
"Let's sit down again and I'll tell you everything."
The conde carefully rolled up the paper and put it back in the drawer. The two men then returned to their sitting area, their favorite place to talk. Two upholstered, velvet-covered armchairs stood next to an oval glass table with a half-full decanter of expensive red wine and two full glasses on top.
They both sat down and took a drink.
"Now tell me - what happened?" Manuel pressed after his friend remained silent.
"I want to give Alejandro a choice," Diego explained after a moment of hesitation. "We live in different worlds. Maybe he can't imagine being around people like me, even though I'm his biological son. Maybe we don't even understand each other."
"You worry too much. This Don Alejandro lives in the belief that his son died at birth. And you're a good man, Diego. You can only make him happy."
"Still, he should be free to decide. And he can't do that if Zafira knows. I've known her long enough, Manuel. She would insist on coming with me and introducing me to my father as his son. She couldn't keep this secret. Zafira is a good person, but she's too direct about things like this. She would take Alejandro's breath away and present him with a fait accompli. And, of course, demand that he comes with us to Madrid."
"You might be right. Was it still not possible for you to talk to each other in peace? There must be a way to explain to her that you can't tell her the reason for your departure right now?"
"Not with Zafira. To make matters worse, I'm not just going on a short trip, I'm going to be in Los Angeles for an indefinite period of time. Until I know Don Alejandro well enough to have this not-so-easy conversation. Because I didn't tell her more, even though she asked me several times, she feels left out and disappointed in me. Her comment on this was remarkable."
"What did she say?"
"She said to me yesterday that I had no confidence in her and that I was acting as if we had already stood at the altar together and that she had left me sitting there alone."
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A/N:
For now, I'm still sticking to posting new chapters once a month. This is the one for the month of September and it comes to you readers a few days earlier than announced. If I see that I can do more, I may increase the interval in the future. But for now, I'd rather do it less regularly. I'm writing a bit ahead of schedule at the moment, as I'm sure I'll have less time in the coming months. The next update will be in October.
As you can see from this chapter, there are definitely similarities to the original.
Diego's basic features and character are the same as Diego from the series. Of course, he grew up differently, he is extremely wealthy (not to say rich) - which is why he has reservations about people who are outside the law. That includes bandits, of course, and that includes Zorro.
I don't want to give too much away yet, but what's interesting for me is the possibility to describe the characters in a less static way and also to incorporate changes in the characters into the story. "My" Diego will experience some surprises and will have to question some of his beliefs. He will face new problems that didn't exist in the series. In any case, things will turn out differently than Diego had planned. I'm looking forward to writing it all down.
Also, in this story there is no relationship with the other main characters of the series (Victoria, Don Alejandro, Felipe, Mendoza...) at the beginning. Developing them and writing them down is what makes writing this story so appealing to me.