Victoria worriedly glanced across the plaza, a look her fiancé easily recognized for what it was.

"It will be alright," he said, causing her to glance at him.

She hadn't even noticed him come out of The Guardian's office. In her defense, the newspaper's office was in the building next to the tavern, and Diego, who had given it its name when he offered to become its editor, didn't always use the main door to visit her establishment. And then, of course, there was also the fact that Victoria was still a little overwhelmed since Diego came back, especially due to all the revelations surrounding his return.

"Your father is a strong man, but he's getting old," She answered.

"You're afraid for him?"

"Gilberto has hurt him very much. What if he tries to do so again?"

"I don't believe he will. He truly seems repentant, Victoria."

"I know you think so. But you always see the best in people... What if it's all an act? What if he hasn't change one bit?" She retorted. "Don't you have some way of making sure everything is alright in there?"

"You want me to spy on their conversation?"

"Yes! No… I don't know…" She said, confused.

Diego smiled at that, and took her by the hand. "Come!" he said, as he started towards the cuartel, dragging her with him.

Rounding the building after saluting the men on guard, they ended up in a partly-closed courtyard that offered direct access to the back windows of the jail cells. Pressing a finger to his lips to indicate that Victoria needed to keep quiet, the tall caballero pressed himself against the wall, near the closest barred window, and the young woman imitated him.

"I can't even look you in the eyes," was the first thing they heard Gilberto tell the man who was his father.

"I wish I had known who you were from the start. Had you told me…" Don Alejandro replied.

"I was convinced you wanted nothing to do with me… That you had rejected me at birth… Had I even suspected that my… that the woman who raised me was lying… I was so wrong, and I wronged you in so many ways! I will not hold it against you if you came to tell me that you want nothing to do with me."

"No! That is not why I am here… I am sorry that it took me so long to come, but it never even crossed my mind to reject you. A parent can forgive his child anything… or almost… Truth be told, I am not sure I could forgive you, had Diego perished in prison…"

"I don't deserve your forgiveness anymore than I deserve his. But he always struck me as being quite stubborn…"

"That is a fair assessment. He inherited the stubbornness from me, though he tries not to show it. The kind heart and willingness to only see the best in people, he inherited from his mother."

A few moments of silence followed that statement.

"What was she like?" Gilberto eventually wondered.

Victoria peeked from behind the bars to see Don Alejandro sitting on the bed, next to him.

"Felicidad… I called her that. Everyone else called her Elena. But to me she was happiness." Don Alejandro recounted for the young man. "She was the most wonderful woman I have even met. She was beautiful like an angel. She had black, curly hair, dark brown eyes, and a slender figure. She wasn't very tall, but she wasn't short, either. Just a few inches or so shorter than me. And she was very accomplished. A wonderful singer, piano player, painter, embroiderer… Everything she did came out perfect. And she was kind to others. Smart, too… And fierce…"

"Diego was lucky to be raised by her…"

"Yes… I am sorry I allowed for you to be stolen, Gilberto. It was my duty to protect you, and I failed…"

"It was not your fault. You weren't there. I know that now." Gilberto said. "I don't think I ever deserved being a De la Vega. Maybe it's why God decided I should not be raised as one."

"Nonsense! You were not raised as one because you were stolen! Whatever your past, your path led you back home. God brought you back to us. And, considering all the circumstances that led to this moment, I must trust it was so that, while we were robbed of a past, we might still have a future."

"You truly mean it?" Gilberto asked. "You truly think you might one day forgive me?"

"I always wanted you… I just didn't know you existed… But you are my blood; and that matters more than anything else. It might take some time for me to truly forgive you, I won't deny that. But I will get there…"

It was a whimper the two spies heard next, and, as they both looked inside the cell, they saw that the two men were embracing and crying on each other's shoulder. Victoria was also crying at that point, so Diego signed for her to follow him, leading her to the newspaper's office, where they could have some privacy.

"Are you alright?" He asked, worriedly.

"Yes… I don't know what came over me…" She replied, trying to wipe her tears. "Your father always wanted another child…"

"True… And I am happy he found him, despite the circumstances." Diego replied.

"Really? I mean… You told me all you've been through because of him. I can still hardly imagine. I can't even begin to guess how hard it must have been for you. How lonely and deserted you must have felt… Are you sure you can truly forgive him, Diego?"

He didn't answer right away, but started pacing the floor, wondering how to answer her. "I came back as the Count hoping to get vengeance." He eventually said. "I wanted the two men who had caused me so much harm to suffer and pay for their deeds. But, when I watched De Soto die, things changed. You see, Victoria, despite all the harm he had caused me, I never wanted him dead. I wanted him to repent. I wanted him to ask for forgiveness; to become a different man; not to die. It did nothing to ease the pain of my incarceration, of all the injustice I have suffered. Gilberto's change of heart, however, his repentance, strange as it may seem, does more to heal that pain inside of me than all the pain and humiliation I put him through.

"Besides… Giving him a second chance is the right thing to do. And if you wonder how I know that, it's because it was what the abbot who saved me had asked me to do. Be merciful and show kindness, even to my enemies. In those moments before he entrusted his soul to God, he somehow saw what I needed in order to heal… Not revenge, but mercy.

"So, yes… I truly believe I can forgive him."

ZZZ

"I hear Gilberto is going to attend the wedding…" Emmanuel uttered one evening, as he and Diego played chess, while Felipe finished his math assignment.

"My father insists on it."

"And Mendoza?"

"He has no objection as long as the Governor agrees."

"No objection… Except on the matter of your Best Man, you mean…"

"Actually, I solved that matter with him, as well…"

"So, he agreed that I should be your Best Man."

"Not exactly…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that he agreed that Felipe should be my Best Man."

The boy smiled innocently at the two young men.

Emmanuel chuckled. "I have to agree with Sergeant Mendoza in that case… I stand no chance against your boy!" He said before becoming serious. "Have you talked to Juliana lately?" He then asked as Diego declared check.

"My father has." He answered, while Emmanuel moved his king. "He believes she's starting to consider Gilberto's offer to wed her, but she still has certain… reservations. Checkmate."

"I can certainly understand why." Emmanuel replied, slightly pushing his king to fall on the board. "But I find myself hoping she accepts him. For her child, if not for any other reason."

"I certainly share your hope. Though I wonder as to the true reason for her hesitance."

"What do you mean?"

"Gilberto is not indifferent to her. I know that much."

"Perhaps it's a matter of honor? He is a convicted man at this point… Perhaps she does not want her fate linked to that of such a man?"

"That is not the reason," they suddenly heard a woman's voice, and both turned to notice Juliana was standing at the entrance to the library. "I know that marrying the father of my child would make an honest woman out of me, and I am grateful for his offer, despite the circumstances…"

"What is it, then?" Diego asked.

She shook her head, then glanced at the floor. "I… I may have fancied myself in love with him once, but I now know he never shared my feelings. He proposed because your father forced him, Don Diego… I know he did. But, as one who has never felt loved, I'm afraid that, should I link my life to that of your brother's, I will never find love… I know it's silly of me to believe I still have a chance to find true love… especially seeing how I am already carrying a child, and no honest man would want me now… And I know you deserve better from me… But…"

Diego stood up a little hesitantly, and headed towards her. "Everyone has the right to be loved," he said, "and I certainly understand why you fear Gilberto might not be the husband you deserve. If you decide against accepting his offer, we will understand. Nothing will change for you as far as this family is concerned. Your baby will be my nephew or my niece. But, please, consider carefully your decision."

The young woman stared briefly at him, then nodded pensively as she turned and headed for the kitchen.

ZZZ

The weeks until the De la Vega-Escalante wedding flew by quickly. Victoria's brothers were too far away to attend, but Diego's relatives from Santa Barbara and Monterey were close enough to make the trip, especially seeing how they were also very much looking forward to seeing the young caballero, who had somehow managed to return from the realm of the dead, and to meet the woman for whom he had made said journey.

The Governor, who was also invited as protocol demanded, headed south from Monterey with Diego's aunt, her husband, their three daughters, and their husbands, in addition to their servants. Their group comprised 18 people.

The Santa Barbara party included Don Rodrigo, his wife, along with his son, Rafael and his wife, Marguerita. Together with their children and servants, there were eight of them.

"It's days like this, Diego, when I am extremely glad that the Count decided to enlarge the house…" Don Alejandro confessed the day before the wedding, just after the servants escorted the Santa Barbara De la Vegas and the Governor to the rooms they had been assigned, leaving the two masters of the house to see about the preparations for the lunch they were to offer all the guests who had already arrived.

"Strange…" Diego uttered.

"What?"

"I was just thinking… When you refer to the Count, I almost feel like you are talking about another person. It's strange…"

"Not only for you, Son! Not only for you…" his father replied, then headed for the kitchen.

"Don Diego," he heard a woman's voice just as he was pondering his own recent past.

"Juliana," he uttered with a smile. Her belly was becoming noticeable, though she was still able to hide the pregnancy. What she couldn't hide, however, was a certain radiance she emanated. Looking at her, Diego silently noted that his brother, at least, had good taste in women.

"I was wondering… What should I do… I mean, do you want me to help the servants? Or should I just stay in my room? Or, perhaps, you need my room? I could move with one of the servants for a few days. I don't mind…"

"What? No!" Diego uttered, slightly smiling. "Juliana, you are part of this family. You are not to hide away, or move from your quarters."

"But… I… What will you tell people when they ask who I am?"

"I will tell them the truth: that you are my brother's fiancée."

"Your brother… these people don't even know he exists. You'll have to tell them he's in jail… And you'll also have to tell them why! Then they might ask why I am marrying him despite all he has done. Wouldn't it be easier if I remained in my room, and all of it would be avoided? It's your and Victoria's wedding. It should be about the two of you!"

The caballero shook his head. "This wedding, any wedding, is about family." He corrected. "And despite the complicated ways we took to get here, at this very moment, you and Gilberto are also our family."

ZZZ

Diego and Victoria had never been happier than they were the day when they united their destinies. The weather was beautiful, and both of them rose that morning with huge, happy smiles on their lips.

Victoria's friends helped her and one another get ready, fussing around the young innkeeper for over two hours. Meanwhile, Don Alejandro, Emmanuel and Felipe, set on helping Diego, knocked on his room's door that morning to find him fully dressed and ready to go. In the end, he was the one who had to wait for them to get ready, but they still made it to the pueblo with time to spare.

Since the elderly don was the groom's father, Mendoza offered to give away the bride, and the young woman wholeheartedly agreed.

And, as expected, neither she nor Diego hesitated for a moment when the padre asked them if they agreed to the marriage. They took their vows smiling at each other, then kissed so passionately that, had any of those present harbored any doubts about their love at the beginning of the ceremony, there was no doubt left about it at its end.

When it was all done and they were heading for the exit as husband and wife, Emmanuel and Felipe rushed towards the two front corners of the church, pulled some strings, and flower petals began falling on all those present there. Looking up, the newlyweds chucked at the increasingly strong rain of petals heading towards them, while everyone else began applauding.

Taking advantage of the momentarily distraction, Diego then took Victoria's hand and guided her towards the carriage waiting for them outside.

"I need you for myself for at least a while before the fiesta starts!" He declared as the driver started towards the hacienda.

"Oh? And may I ask why?" Victoria wondered suggestively.

He waited till they passed the town's main gate, then leaned in to kiss his new wife.

ZZZ

Watching Victoria in her beautiful, white and red dress unite her destiny with Diego's under the tearful eyes of all those in the audience, Juliana couldn't avoid feeling like an impostor who had forced her way into that family. A family she never deserved and should never love her – the woman who had given herself, outside of matrimony, to a man who had spent his life harming his own flesh and blood. A man who had almost prevented that wedding from taking place.

"They look very much in love." Gilberto remarked as they watched the newly-married couple's carriage exiting the pueblo.

"They are…" she answered, melancholy clear in her voice.

"I am sorry I can't offer you a similar wedding… Had things been different…"

"I do not expect a similar wedding… I know you didn't really choose to marry me…"

"But I did. I didn't ask because I felt obliged…" He replied.

"What?"

"Diego told me why you hesitated in accepting my proposal." He uttered. "I didn't realize that you had assumed that I only asked because of your pregnancy. True, I want our child to have a father. But I genuinely like you, Juliana. I may not love you, I won't lie about that. We hardly know each other… But I have often thought about you after I left San Diego; many times, even imagining waking up with you by my side every morning. So -"

"That won't happen!" She interrupted him to say. "I know it was your pretend mother who rejected me, but, the truth is, I still resent you for how she treated me. And for how you treated me. I agreed to marry you for the sake of our child, and for no other reason.

"So, know that, if you marry me, I will never be your wife. Not in the true sense of the word. I can't…"

"I see…" he replied.

"If you want to change your mind, it is your right to do so… I will not hold it against you."

"You say that, yet you hold Inez's actions against me, actions I wasn't even aware of." He pointed out.

"Would things have been different if you had been there?" She asked defiantly. "All you wanted back then was revenge, and I would have been only an obstacle in your path. You would have never considered marrying me had things gone your way; had the Count not interfered with your plans."

Gilberto didn't say a thing in reply, his eyes just wandered around the plaza, where people were getting into their coaches and carriages, before heading for the De la Vega Hacienda. He wasn't sure Juliana was wrong.

"I'm afraid I need to take you back to prison now," Mendoza uttered as he neared the young man, putting an end to their conversation.

"Now? But the fiesta is just getting started!" Don Alejandro protested from behind the lancer.

"I'm afraid the Governor only allowed him out for the ceremony," Mendoza replied.

"But, Sergeant, I'm sure that if I speak to him -"

"No! It's alright," Gilberto interrupted the elderly don to say. "I think the Sergeant is right. The Governor was more than generous to allow me to be here, and I am ready to return to prison."

Don Alejandro nodded, and, with a heavy heart, allowed the lancers to escort his newly-found son to jail before offering his arm to Juliana, and escorting her to a nearby coach, where his cousins from Monterey were already waiting for them.

ZZZ

The wedding party at the De la Vega Hacienda was far beyond what the guests had expected. The entire courtyard, where the tables and chairs had been installed, was full of flowers. On the outskirts of the main yard, torches were prepared to be lit at nightfall.

As for the food and drinks, Diego had thought it best to have them inside, where they were protected from the insects and the midday sun. Thus, the ballroom boasted some twenty tables filled with the delicious courses Maria and the other servants had taken two days to cook, as well as glasses of water, wine, bourbon, lemonade and champagne.

As the guests started to arrive, the bride and groom greeted them, gratefully accepting their good wishes.

For several hours, the guests admired the decorations, discussed the ceremony and the De la Vegas, tasted the food and the drinks offered, enjoying the fiesta. Then, around 5 pm, the clouds gathered in the sky and, just as the newlyweds started their dance, rain began to fall. Slowly, at first, then harder and harder, chasing everyone onto the terrace.

"Rain is a good sign!" Doña Alma, Diego's aunt from Monterey, uttered. "It means they will be very rich!"

"They already have something more important than money, my dear!" Her husband pointed out as everyone turned to see the young couple continuing their waltz, as if the sun was still shining. "They are in love."

In truth, Diego and Victoria could hardly feel the rain, lost as they were in each other's eyes. They didn't stop even when the musicians finished the music and decided to head inside, fearing for their instruments. The rain had its own hidden melody, and the young couple danced to its rhythm.

"You two need to get changed!" Don Alejandro said when they finally entered the hacienda, dripping wet, yet chuckling happily.

"That's exactly what we were planning on doing!" Diego answered as he lifted Victoria into his arms and headed upstairs, where all their possessions had already been moved into what used to be the Count's quarters.

Nobody asked about them for the remaining of the fiesta, and they never even considered returning downstairs. After all, Don Alejandro had asked for grandchildren, and they were already a few years behind on delivering them.