There was a loud knock at Victoria's door.
Victoria was surprised. The tavern didn't open for another two hours.
Or was it the soldiers again, demanding alcohol at this early hour? DeSoto had forbidden his men to drink in the barracks because of bad experiences. So, he had his peace and Victoria had the trouble.
"Victoria, would you please open the door? It's me," she heard a familiar voice from outside.
"Don Alejandro," she called out, relieved and happy at the same time. She quickly unlocked the door and let the visitor in.
"Victoria, my dear," the older caballero said with a friendly smile and gave her a quick, friendly hug. "I hope I'm not intruding?"
"You are never intruding, Don Alejandro," she countered vigorously, looking at him. Was she mistaken or did he really look a little tired and exhausted?
"Why don't you sit down? Would you like some refreshments?" she offered him.
"Thank you, Victoria, of course. Even though that's not why I came. We just have to wait for Felipe. He should be here shortly."
She looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you go to the pueblo with him?"
"No, he was with Pablo today, checking the fences and repairing them if necessary. My vaquero came back with the boy just as I was leaving. The two of them are going to clean up and take care of the horses before Felipe and his 'Diabolo' ride up."
"Yes, the stallion is his pride and joy," the woman added with a grin. "But why didn't you want to wait? What's so urgent?"
"Don't worry, no bad news. For once," Alejandro reassured her as he placed his hat on one of the chairs and sat down. Victoria took the opportunity to disappear into the kitchen. After a few minutes, she returned with a pitcher of her ever-popular lemonade - though heavily diluted, just the way the older man liked it. Wordlessly, she placed the pitcher and two cups on the table before taking a seat across from him.
"Gracias, Victoria."
"How does Felipe get along with Pablo? I've always found your vaquero a bit taciturn and reserved."
"That's true. Pablo is a good guy, but he has a hard time with people - especially if they talk too much. That's not the case with Felipe, of course. The two of them get along well and I hope for both of their sakes that they get a little closer. Some kind of father figure would be good for the boy."
The woman smiled. "Felipe is lucky to have you. You take good care of him."
"Well, I was never allowed to have a son of my own. With Felipe I have at least a grandson of sorts," he explained in a calm voice. "I also hope that working with Pablo will take his mind off things and that he won't go on and on about Zorro."
Victoria laughed. "You don't have to worry about that. Many people here in the Pueblo admire this bandit. Openly or secretly."
The older man sighed. "Perhaps. But Felipe's handicap means he has little contact with others. That's why I'm afraid he might get too involved."
"Actually, I think he's too sensible for that," she disagreed.
"He usually is," the man admitted. "Just not in this case. If it was anyone else, but this masked bandit of all people..."
"You don't think much of Zorro, do you?"
"I honestly don't know, Victoria. This outlaw appears every few weeks and makes a name for himself with a successful raid. Then he disappears, only to reappear after a while. What am I to make of it?"
"He promised to use the stolen money for the Pueblo," she said. "And bring back justice."
"Fine words, that's true. But what has he done so far? Fulfilled his promises?"
"Maybe he just needs more time."
"Do you really believe that?" Don Alejandro's expression showed his doubt. "Well, maybe you're right and I'm too suspicious. In any case, so far, we've only suffered from the actions of this Zorro. They give DeSoto a welcome excuse to raise taxes or introduce new ones," he grumbled indignantly.
"But that's not his fault. And our 'dear' Alcalde would find another excuse to raise taxes. But maybe I'm deluding myself and seeing Zorro more positively than he really is, and he really is nothing more than a normal bandit. But for now, I just want to hope that he's sincere and will help us."
"Time will tell, Victoria. Felipe admires Zorro very much and I hope he won't be disappointed. It would be a hard blow for him if my fears came true."
"I like the boy." She thought for a moment before continuing: "He could help me a little in the tavern, that would distract him and take his mind off things. He's a very pleasant boy, so it wouldn't be a problem for me. And I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little spending money. What do you think, Don Alejandro?"
"That's a good suggestion. I'll think about it. Thank you, Victoria."
"You're welcome." They were both silent for a moment.
It was the senorita who spoke again: "Is there anything else I can do for you? You seem a little tired, Alejandro."
"I'm fine. There's been some trouble at the hacienda in the last few weeks. Then there was the failed deal in Monterey. Not to mention the difficult situation here in Los Angeles. All in all, just too many things coming together at the moment."
Victoria remained silent. But she knew the story the Don was referring to.
.
The older man had traveled with Felipe to the Monterey Livestock and Horse Fair. There, a local dealer had offered for sale a black mustang, a magnificent horse that was second to none. Unfortunately, the animal was as wild as it was beautiful, and a moment of carelessness on the part of the seller was all it took for the stallion to break free and run away. Much to the chagrin of Alejandro, who was eager to add the horse to his breeding program and had already agreed on a price with the dealer.
And didn't the horse have a name?
She was about to ask the man when there was another knock at the door.
.
"That must be Felipe," the caballero guessed. "Then we can start unloading the wine casks."
"Wine barrels?"
"We discussed a few weeks ago that I'd bring you four barrels when I went back to the winegrower Alvarez. They're outside on my wagon. That's actually why I'm here."
"I remember, we talked about this," Victoria confirmed as she got up and made her way to the door.
"Señorita Escalante?" a voice could be heard now.
"Not Felipe," Alejandro recognized, "it's Mendoza."
"Then let's hurry and get the barrels to safety," she joked, calling out loudly, "Mendoza, un momento."
She had already opened the door and let the guest in.
"A sigh of relief was heard as the sergeant entered the room.
"Ah, señorita. It's nice and cool in your room. Surely you have something for me to eat and drink? Hola, Señor de la Vega."
"Buenas dias, Sergeant. I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. My tavern is still closed."
"Oh, Señorita Escalante, have mercy," the soldier pleaded. "My stomach here hasn't eaten in ages. You know how much I enjoy your food. And right now, our alkalde is giving me no rest."
"Has deSoto come up with something new again?" Alejandro muttered indignantly.
"Some kind of pueblo entrance fee," Mendoza explained with a shrug. "But I already told you about that."
"Yes, indeed," the old don replied sourly. "After all, Zorro stole the money from the lottery, so he needs new income."
"Don't forget, it was a fraud," Victoria reminded him.
"That was a moment of happiness when I thought I'd won. I was so looking forward to having a house of my own," the s6ergeant sighed. "And now it belongs to a stranger from Madrid."
"That's the Conde, isn't it? Wasn't his name Bolea or something like that?" asked old de la Vega.
"Diego Sebastian Roman Lopez de Bolea," said the soldier. "He has bought a lot of free land, especially the areas adjacent to your property. The alcalde is already very curious about him."
"He probably hopes to gain an advantage by getting on well with him," Alejandro surmised.
Mendoza shrugged. It was obvious that he didn't want to speak ill of his superior. "How are you, señorita? Do you have anything for me? Please, you know how bad the food is in the barracks."
"Actually, we're still closed. But..."
"Si?"
"If you help Don Alejandro move the barrels to my tavern, I'll give you a pitcher of my lemonade on the house," she offered. "And I can get the food ready in the kitchen before my helpers arrive."
.
.
A/N:
Lottery: of course I'm referring to the show here, but in my story, things happened a little differently. This will be addressed in later chapters.
Don Alejandro doesn't know he has a son, so his bond with Felipe is closer. The first meeting between the two was similar to the one between Diego and Felipe in the original serial.
Thank you for your reviews. I had hoped to publish this chapter earlier, but I was on vacation and then sick.