"Señorita Escalante," the Count greeted at entering the tavern, a few days after the abduction.
Victoria was just at the bar, dusting some bottles. "Your Excellency," she greeted back, a smile instantly creeping on her face. "Are you here for lunch?"
"Just for a drink. I can't stay long but I hear you make a wonderful lemonade," he replied with a wink.
"You're in luck! I just made a fresh jar," she said. "Is Fariz also with you?"
"No. I sent him to San Pedro early this morning and he has yet to return, so I am currently deprived of his company."
"A shame. I rather like him," she replied.
"I am happy to hear that. I suspect he also enjoys your cooking, seeing how, since you have kindly invited us to dinner, he has been finding excuses to come to the pueblo around noon almost every day; and he never asks for any food upon returning to the hacienda."
"I can`t just let a boy starve to death, can I?" she asked.
"Of course, not. But I do insist on you telling me how much you are owed for the lunches you have been providing him with."
"I don't need any money for that, Your Excellency," she uttered.
"Please, call me Sebastian. We are friends, are we not?"
Seeing how the entire tavern was listening in on their conversations, it was obvious to Victoria that she could not refuse in public to do as the nobleman had asked her.
"Alright… Don Sebastian," she replied.
"Much better," he said, then took out several large gold coins, and gave them to the innkeeper. "This, I believe, should cover Fariz`s expenses as well as serve for you to open a tap on my name. And, before you deny payment, know that I insist, and it`s quite impolite to refuse a count."
She smiled and took the money, a grateful look in her eyes. "If you put it that way, Don Sebastian, I would not dare insult you in any way."
"Excellent. Now, about my lemonade…"
Again she smiled at him and, heading for the kitchen, she soon returned with a glass, offering it to him.
He thanked her and, taking the glass, headed for one of the tables occupied by several of Don Alejandro's friends, greeting them politely as he sat down next to one of the younger men.
"Ah, Your Excellency, I was hoping to see you. There's a matter I wish to discuss with you," Don Antonio hurried to say.
"Oh?"
"I have just acquired two very good mares from Santa Paula, and I was hoping I might convince you to sell me one of the Andalusian steeds you have acquired from Don Alejandro."
"I am afraid I do not deal with the affairs of the ranch." The Count answered. "If Don Alejandro agrees to the sell, I will be happy to sign the documents, but, as manager of my estate, he is the one who decides on such matters."
The nobleman's answer left everyone there baffled.
"So… You trust him to settle such issues for you?" the same caballero asked.
"Don Alejandro has my complete confidence in all matters regarding the administration of my estate here."
The men exchanged a glance, then refocused on the count.
"If you don't mind me asking, Your Excellency," one of them, Don Niguel said, "do you really think it wise to leave your fortune in the hands of a man you've just met?"
The Count smiled, trying to be polite. Don Niguel had always done his best to pass for Don Alejandro's loyal friend, and Diego had always suspected he was just pretending. And, sure enough, as he had found out since returning to Los Angeles, Don Niguel and a couple of other caballeros had even tried to buy the De la Vega lands when the deed was not found at the Devil's Fortress, and, while he pretended it was just so that he might be certain the hacienda would be in good hands, the young caballero suspected things were not as they seemed. In truth, it was only by luck that Don Alejandro had been able to save his estate at that time, and only because he had a large amount of cash in the bank, and true friends ready to offer him a credit.
"Are you suggesting Don Alejandro is not a good manager?" the young nobleman asked.
"No… No! It's not that… But the man did own the property you now own… If I were you, I'd at least check his work to make sure it's all done to my benefit. Especially now, that he has lost all his money…" Don Niguel answered, just as Risendo was entering the tavern.
Seeing the Count, but instinctively disliking the other dons with him, Gilberto nodded his salute, and sat at a different table, just close enough to overhear his conversation with the other men there.
"Then you are suggesting he might be cheating me?" the Count replied.
"Of course, not! We all know Don Alejandro is not that kind of a man…"
"Though he did turn out to lack the proper ownership documents…" another of the haciendados, Don Emilio, said.
The Count made an effort not to slap the man. "That doesn't mean they never existed…" he replied.
"Perhaps. But if they should be found…" the same don uttered.
"The alcalde will have to compensate Don Alejandro for his losses." The nobleman continued his idea.
"I wouldn't count on that. But, if I were you, I would worry that I might end up losing the hacienda," the same man stated.
The Count chuckled. "You are forgetting, Don Emilio, that Don Alejandro sold his hacienda. Had it been taken from him, then sold to me, perhaps I would worry. As things are, however…" he said, then noticed De Soto exiting his office enraged, and calling for Mendoza. "If you'll excuse me, Señores," he uttered standing up and heading for the door.
"He can't be so naïve as to think anyone has his best interest in mind, can he?" Don Niguel asked his friends as they watched the Count leave.
That did not serve their cause but did give Risendo, who was listening in, an idea about how he could do some more progress in ensuring Don Alejandro's downfall.
With the bandits escaped, the elderly caballero was – as far as he knew – fully at the count's mercy. All he had to do was make sure the man had no more mercy for him.
"What are you doing here?" Victoria asked the man while contemplating his new ideas.
Gilberto raised his eyes to stare at her. "Excuse me?" he inquired.
"You are not welcomed here. Get out! Get out and don't come back!" She replied.
"But…"
"Get out, Gilberto Risendo!" She said again, this time in such a tone that several other of her patrons hurriedly stood out and left, unwilling to find out what would happen if the young woman became even more aggravated.
"But, Victoria…" Gilberto uttered, surprised to find himself also intimidated by her.
"Don't you dare call me Victoria!" She said. "Now, get out, or I will go to the kitchen and return with the broom!"
At that threat, Risendo stood up. "As you wish, Señorita!" he said, then hurried to leave.
ZZZ
"I must find a way to turn the Count against Don Alejandro." Gilberto mused a while later, in De Soto's office, while watching Victoria through the small window to the plaza.
"That might be hard, seeing how they share a house," Ignacio pointed out.
"Perhaps not." The younger man said, turning around and heading for the desk behind which the Alcalde was sitting. "I need a sample of Don Alejandro's handwriting. Find me one, and I will make sure the Count kicks him out by the end of the week."
"Well, then, you are in luck," De Soto said, heading for his files. "Here!" He uttered, taking out a paper. "It's a letter he sent me a while back, committing to pay the taxes for some farmers I had arrested."
Gilberto took the paper and glanced at it, smiling. "This will do nicely," he said, soon leaving Ignacio's office.
ZZZ
Risendo`s chance to put his plan into motion came that very Saturday, when Don Alejandro again accompanied the Count to town.
Sitting at a table already partly occupied by two other dons on the tavern's terrace, they spent over two hours discussing cattle and horse breeding. The Count pretended to be just learning the intricacies of being a true haciendado, while Don Alejandro and his friends were by no means pretending to teach him.
"Perhaps, I might also benefit from your lessons," Gilberto said, nearing them at one point. He had spent some ten minutes sitting with some lancers at the table next to theirs and only approached them at finding the right opportunity to interrupt their conversation without seeming impolite.
The dons remained somewhat baffled as the young man sat right next to the elderly De la Vega. "I do hope you won`t mind adding me to this very interesting class. I am certainly in need of your wisdom." Risendo pretended to be polite, though nobody there saw him as such.
Don Alejandro frowned, remembering Zorro's conviction that Risendo was the one behind the entire abduction plot, yet, considering the lack of proof about the incident, he continued the conversation, even politely replying to the questions he came up with.
Then, at one point, when only Risendo, Don Alejandro and the Count were left at the table, the other two dons having headed for their respective homes, Mendoza came to ask the elderly De la Vega to follow him to the alcalde`s office, claiming the official had something important to discuss with him.
It was just as Don Alejandro was entering Ignacio's office, that Gilberto let a folded paper fall, then pretended to just notice it on the ground. "I believe Don Alejandro might have lost this," he said, handing it to the Count.
The young man took it with some curiosity and opened it. "It is, indeed, signed by him," he said as he glanced at the page. "I will be sure to give it to him," he then promised, folding it back.
"Oh…" Gilberto said, "and did you have a look at what it says? It might be important…"
"Perhaps. But I do not find it polite to read other people`s correspondence," the Count replied as he slipped the paper into his sash.
Gilberto was visibly irritated at that point but thought it best not to insist, seeing how, by doing so, he risked his plot being uncovered. As things were, there was still a chance that it might succeed.
"Well, then," the Count uttered, standing up. "I fear I must leave you, Don Gilberto. I have an appointment with the tailor at 1 p.m. sharp, and I am never late." With a nod of his head, the nobleman thus took his goodbye and headed away, leaving Risendo to stare after him.
In truth, Diego had diagonally read the entire letter, recognizing his father's handwriting. At the same time, he had also seen through Gilberto's plot quite clearly, which is why he decided it was more cruel to leave him hoping his plan might still succeed than confronting him head-on. Not to mention, Diego did not feel the time was yet right for a confrontation with the man.
"You came back?" Victoria interrupted Gilberto's reverie.
The young man glanced at her in confusion as she entered the tavern, only to return a few moments later with a broom in her hands.
"I did warn you of what would happen should you return!" She said as she prepared to hit him.
Gilberto stood up at once, in an attempt to get out of her way, then tripped over the edge of the terrace and fell on his bottom in the plaza.
"If I see you back here, you will feel my broom!" Victoria threatened. A satisfied look on her face at noticing the embarrassment on his, she turned on her heel and headed back inside.
A vaquero helped the young man up. The few people who had gathered to look at him dispersed as soon as he threw them his most intimidating glance. Dusting himself off, he stared after Victoria for a few moments. Inwardly cursing Zorro, he then headed towards De Soto's office, just as Don Alejandro was exiting, displeased with his conversation with the Alcalde.
ZZZ
On their way home, after the don recounted for his younger companion that Ignacio had tried to convince him that Zorro needed to be eliminated, and all caballeros had a duty to make sure of it, the Count took out the paper Gilberto had "found", and handed it over to Don Alejandro. "Don Gilberto said this belongs to you," he uttered as the baffled don took the paper and started reading it. He became redder and redder as he progressed, to the point to which his son started worrying that smoke might soon come out of his ears.
"This… This," the elderly caballero stuttered
"Is clearly a forgery," the Count answered unfazed. "And, seeing how he did put quite some effort into it, perhaps you might decide to finally tell me why is Risendo so keen on causing your downfall, Don Alejandro. You must have some idea by now…"
The caballero stared at him, unsure what to think. "So you don't believe it to be true," he said, relieved.
"I was not born yesterday, despite what some around here might think. I can recognize a grudge when I see one. It`s the reason behind it I am wondering about."
"I don't know it, Señor. But it is true that, since he put foot in this pueblo the man has done all in his power to harm me. His reasons, however, escape me, as well."
"I see," the Count answered. "Perhaps I should have someone look into him, in that case."
"I doubt you will find out anything. The man only has one friend here, and that friend is the Alcalde. They support each other, and I doubt he would betray him."
"Something tells me the Alcalde would betray his own mother for the right price… But, it is true that De Soto might not know the true reasons for Risendo's actions, either," the count muttered. "Though, perhaps, you might assume he has also been acting under the same orders to hurt you, Don Alejandro. Haven't most of your troubles truly started with De Soto's arrival in Los Angeles?"
"They started the day I allowed my son to leave, and the black horse I was supposed to give him as a wedding present got stolen," the don said, clearly upset, then seemed pensive for a few moments. "However, now that you point it out…" he muttered.
"And you are certain you have never had anything to do with Risendo? Before he arrived here, that is…"
"I do believe I would have remembered, had I met him before."
"How about his family? His mother's name is, I believe, Inez Risendo. You had never before met her?"
"I still haven't. No, I…" Don Alejandro stopped as he realized the woman's name did seem quite familiar. "Wait a second… Inez Risendo… Inez Risendo… I do remember…" he said, "I had once hired a woman by that name to assist my wife in giving birth. She was our midwife… Before Diego was born, my wife started having these suspicions about her. She could not have any children of her own, and my Felicidad used to say she had the strange feeling that she was up to something. Then, just after delivering Diego, she disappeared without a trace. One of my father-in-law's maids also disappeared that same day, if I remember correctly… But it must be just a coincidence… Surely there must be other women called Inez Risendo…"
"And what if it isn't? What if the woman had a grudge against you, and she is using Gilberto to take her revenge?"
The don looked baffled. "Revenge? Revenge on what? We paid her generously, we treated her with kindness and respect… What reason would she have to seek revenge against me?"
"Indeed…What reason might she have?" the Count also wondered, becoming pensive.
Don Alejandro slightly shook his head. "Besides, if anyone did anything against me, it was Gilberto, not her."
"Yes… But she might have put him up to it… Something you said does strike me, though… You mentioned this midwife you had hired could not have any children of her own… yet Gilberto, I was informed, was De Soto's colleague in the Academy of Segovia. Even being a few years younger, he must have been born in 1787 or1788 at the latest…"
"There you have it, then! It can't be the same woman. She was not a mother, nor was she with child, and I remember distinctly that the midwife told us that she could not have any children."
"On the other hand, Giberto could be adopted… Well, I suppose we could pay them a visit and find out…"
"After what he just did, I wouldn't mind teaching that man a lesson…"
"I don't mean right now. And, no offense, Don Alejandro… You may have once been a good swordsman, but I doubt you are currently a match for a Colonel..."
"I was also a Colonel while in the Army. And, while I haven't practiced with the sword in many years, I assure you that I am still a pretty good shot!"
"Perhaps. But, should you challenge the man, we'd either risk never finding out the reasons for his actions, or I would risk losing you. I'd rather not," the Count said, and noticed the elderly caballero gaping at him. "Besides," he, thus, continued, "the best would be for us to ignore the whole incident, at least as far as he is concerned. With men such as Risendo, the best one can do is grant them no attention… no power. Make them feel…"
"Powerless?"
"Yes… Though, that was not the word I was going for… Still, the best in this case is to let him realize his plot has simply failed despite all the work he had put into it. It will drive him mad!"
"You're more wicked than you seem, Don Sebastian!" Don Alejandro remarked.
The young man chuckled. "I do so wonder what he might come up with next…" the count said with undisguised curiosity in his voice. "Because he will come up with something…"
Don Alejandro stared at him for a while. "You know, I wasn't born yesterday, either, Your Excellency. I do believe I now know enough to be certain of something. Something I have suspected for a while. Do tell me, Don Sebastian, if I may be so bold as to ask you, why do you go out of your way to help me?"
"I don't. But I do trust you, Don Alejandro. Just as I trust several of your friends, and distrust the rest of them. I do have the habit of informing myself about those I am to interact with beforehand, you see. That way, I avoid the danger of placing my trust in the wrong person."
"That is quite smart of someone as young as yourself, Your Excellency." Don Alejandro said, though he had the strange feeling the Count was hiding something very important from him, a feeling that had nagged at him since he had first laid eyes on the man, and only grew as he got to know him.
"I had to learn it the hard way, unfortunately. But, then, wisdom is usually a matter of experience…"
"Indeed it is. You never did tell me about the experiences that caused you to reach such wisdom, though."
"One day, I will. You can count on it."
The elderly caballero just nodded, deciding to respect the nobleman's decision not to share more with him until he felt time was right for him to do so.
ZZZ
"How long are you planning on keeping the money here?" Emmanuel asked a little over a week later, as he stood in the cave, looking at the corner occupied by Don Alejandro's fortune.
He had been gone for almost a fortnight at that point, and had just found out about what had happened in the meantime.
"That depends. Did you do what I had asked?" Diego answered as he was testing several minerals he had extracted from some rocks he had found in the vicinity of the pueblo.
"Yes. The banks in San Diego and Santa Barbara now belong to us. Señor de Amo will make sure that the ones in Monterey and San Francisco join our portfolio soon enough."
"Excellent."
"Are you sure we shouldn't also buy the one in Los Angeles?"
"No. From what I found out, the bank here used to belong to the former alcalde, who had siphoned money from it since it first opened. De Soto pretends not to know, despite having surely read about it in Ramone's diary, just like I did, meaning he has found the money and appropriated it. Perhaps he even continued the fraud. I don't intend to associate the Count's name with it, and I doubt we could even find the rightful owner to buy it from him, seeing how nobody has yet claimed the former alcalde's inheritance."
"I see… So you want to deposit your father's money in one of the banks we just bought or in the ones we are soon to buy?"
"In all of them, actually. That way, it will be better guarded in case one of the banks is attacked. We'll start sending the money tomorrow with the funds due to be deposited in each bank by the Count." Diego told him.