"Well, hija?" Doña Antonia asked her daughter.

"He is quite charming. And rather certain of himself." Diana replied.

"Oh? What did he say?"

"Amongst other things… I believe he insinuated that he'd like to marry me."

"Really? So soon? He must be quite smitten with you!"

"I believe so…"

"And you? Do you like him?"

"He's certainly not what I had imagined, Mother. He seems kind… Thoughtful… Understanding."

"And he's also brave and quite dashing. You have been given a winning hand, my child. Don't let him get away! Get him to propose as soon as your father comes back."

Diana glanced at her mother with an unconvinced look on her face. "I hardly know him, Mother. He might want me as his wife, but I have yet to decide how to feel about him."

"Ay, hija! That is why they say that youth is wasted on the young. Because it takes you forever to see what's right in front of you!"

Diana laughed and started for their room, a smile on her face.

That smile faded when she noticed Emmanuel talking to a woman in the doorway of one of the mission's rooms. From where she was standing, she could not see her face, nor hear what they were talking about, yet she did see him kissing the woman's hand as they parted.

It was the second time in her life that Diana felt jealous.

She was silent during the dinner; at least, more silent than during the afternoon walk. The kiss Emmanuel placed on her hand as they parted a while later seemed to have lost its charm as she remembered him kissing that other woman's hand.

"Señora Dolores told me earlier today that her husband is doing much better. The doctor is optimistic about his chances." Doña Antonia said a while later, as they were each holding a book in their hands, neither one reading, as they were both deep in thought.

"Dolores? You mean the woman who was with us on the carriage?" Diana asked, awakened form her reverie.

"Precisely."

"I'm glad to hear it." The young woman replied, then instantly forgot all about the couple. "Mother, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, my dear! You can ask me anything."

"Do you remember Lucia?"

"Of course, I do."

"Do you remember, right before we left, how much she suffered due to that young man she had fallen for?"

"Oh, dear… Don't tell me you're afraid of love because of what happened to her! Señor Dos Santos is nothing like the young man who broke your cousin's heart."

"And what if he's more like him than you think?"

"Trust me! I know the type, and he is certainly not like that. Besides, in Lucia's case, it all turned out for the best after all! She has a good husband, who loves her, and five daughters. Her mother constantly tells me how lovely they are. I think she's trying to make me jealous because I do not yet have any grandchild to write about."

"Yes… But do you think my cousin is happy? She had to settle for a man she doesn't love…"

"Who says she doesn't love him? They have five children together."

"What has that got to do with it?"

"Everything!"

Diana considered her words, then shook her head. "I remember how much everyone worried about how Lucia reacted at finding out that young man had left her." She said. "I had never before seen my uncle so worried."

"That was… It was complicated, my dear. What's important to remember is that Lucia's husband loves her very much. So it all turned out for the best."

"You don't think she still regrets falling for him? For that young man?"

"I doubt she spared him another thought since she married. Besides, her mother assured me it was nothing but an infatuation."

It was about an hour later, after her mother had gone to bed, that, unable to fall asleep, Diana wrapped herself in a mantilla and headed outside, hoping to clear her head.

As she rounded the corner leading from her room to the small inner garden of the Mission, she noticed that the door to one of the rooms opened. It was the same before which she had seen Emmanuel a few hours earlier, so she hid behind one of the nearby pols and curiously watched what was happening. The dim light reflecting from the room allowed her to recognize the young Dos Santos and her heart sank as she saw another woman's hand grab his arm and pull him inside before the door closed again.

ZZZ

"Good morning, Señora! Señorita!" Emmanuel greeted them the following day as he joined the two women for breakfast.

"Good morning, Don Emmanuel." Doña Antonia greeted.

"You seem in a good mood!" Diana remarked.

"Indeed, I am. It's such a beautiful day, after all." He answered.

"It surely is." Doña Antonia agreed.

"I was thinking of inviting you for a ride. The new horses we acquired are in need of some exercise." He addressed both women as he poured himself some coffee.

"I'm hardly a good rider, Señor!" The doña said. "But my daughter has always loved horses."

"Quite true." Diana agreed with a candid smile. "I will be more than happy to accompany you."

"Excellent!" He replied. "We can leave after breakfast. The view from the southern hills is quite magnificent. On a clear day like this, one can even see the ocean."

Diana smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad you finally decided to be wise, my daughter." Doña Antonia said as she helped the young woman get into her riding dress.

ZZZ

The following two days, till Don Janos' return, cemented Emmanuel's certainty that Diana was the woman for him.

She was charming, witty, a very good rider, and had the face of an angel. Besides that, she also seemed to share his feelings, which was quite ideal, considering that the young man had every intention to propose as soon as he'd be certain that she'd accept him, and marry her as soon as possible after that.

"My wife told me that you seem to have serious intentions about my daughter," Don Janos said upon his return, as he and Emmanuel were having a glass of wine on the terrace the evening before they departed for Los Angeles.

"I can assure you of that, Señor." The young man replied.

"So I have some thinking to do… Though it's in your favor that both Doña Alma and her husband, my good friend Nicolás, are convinced that you'd be an ideal candidate for my daughter's hand. But, of course, I will have to know you better to be certain of that."

"If there is anything about me you want to know, I'll be more than happy to reply to any question you have," Emmanuel said.

"Very well, then." The don agreed. "In that case, I wish to know if you have the means to offer her a good life. Don't get me wrong, Señor. My daughter shall have a fine dowry, so your fortune doesn't concern me much. What I wish to know is whether you have the skills to be a good haciendado."

"I do believe so. Don Alejandro taught me himself to make sure that I learned everything he knows."

"And he trusts you?"

"He certainly does. I keep the books whenever he is away."

"Really? Excellent! Excellent. But, tell me, doesn't Don Alejandro de la Vega have two sons? Twins, I believe…"

"Indeed, he does."

"Then what is your place in that house, if I may ask?"

"I wondered the same thing at times," Emmanuel replied. "I came here to help Diego. I remained because both he and his father made me feel like a member of the family."

"Really?"

"Yes… Diego and I have been like brothers from the first day we met, back in university. As for Don Alejandro, short of trying to legally adopt me, he's done all he could to make me feel like his third-born." Emmanuel uttered with a slight chuckle, remembering the elderly De la Vaga had, suggested adopting him a few years earlier.

"I see… But why? I mean, you must admit it's a rather strange situation…"

"Perhaps. For those who don't know the whole story, I can see why it might seem that way."

"The whole story? Sounds promising. And I'd like to think that I am a good listener."

"It's also a very long story. Long and rather sad… most of it…"

"Not all of it, I hope."

Emmanuel nodded with a smile, wondering how much to share with the man who might soon become his father-in-law. After all, some secrets were for the family only, and for no one else to know. Some, on the other hand…

"Well," he uttered, "it all started with the death of Don Alejandro's twin brother, Alfonso, over thirty years ago."

"Thirty years ago? But were you even born?"

"As I said, it's a very long story."

"Yes… Yes… Please, go on!"

"The soldier who had shot his Lieutenant Alfonso de la Vega, a certain man by the name of Cordoba, had a sweetheart in Spain. And, having deserted after shooting his commander, he wrote to her, lying in his letter by accusing Don Alejandro of the murder. And, presumably, because she was in love, the woman believed him. So, she devised a plan to get revenge on the man she considered responsible for Cordoba's fate. She put it into motion by drugging his wife and stealing his firstborn son, when his twins first saw the light of day. For over 25 years, neither one of the De la Vegas knew about the other son's existence. His own mother died without knowing she had given birth to two children instead of just one."

"Good God! How did they find him?"

"Janos! You should go to bed, my dear, otherwise you'll be tired tomorrow." Doña Antonia interrupted Emmanuel just as he was about to go on recounting the story.

"I'll go in ten minutes," he said.

"Ten minutes for you are usually an hour or more for the rest of the world." His wife pointed out.

"Perhaps we can leave the rest of the story for another evening," Emmanuel said.

"Alright. But you promise! I am already captivated," the don uttered. "I'm going, my dear! I'm going."

Emmanuel remained, looking at the sky before he stood up, stretched his arms, and headed for his room. On the way, he knocked on a door, and a young woman answered.

"How is your husband, Doña Dolores?" He asked.

"Is that Señor Dos Santos?" A man's voice was heard from inside the room at that point.

"Yes, it's me," Emmanuel answered.

"Please, come in!" The woman said, and the young man entered.

"I wanted to see how you're doing and to say my goodbye. We'll be leaving at sunrise, tomorrow." Dos Santos said as he sat on a chair by the injured man's cot.

"I've been better, and I have you to thank for it! You and you willow bark tea. May God bless you, and protect you on your journey!" The man uttered, reaching to take his hand. "We will never forget all you have done for us."

"I'm glad I could be of service., Emmanuel said, standing up. "By the way, I almost forgot to tell you: Don Janos brought news that a contingent of 20 soldiers shall come this way next week, on their way north from San Diego. Should you be feeling well enough to travel, I suggest you join them in Monterey. In case there are more bandits on the way, you'll be far safer."

"We will certainly do that, Señor. Thank you for letting us know." The man said. "My dear, give him what you made for him!" He then addressed his wife.

She hurried to comply, handing Emmanuel a beautifully-embroided dark-green sash. "It's not much, but I hope it will bring you good fortune." She said.

He smiled and gratefully accepted it. "Muchas gracias!" He uttered admiring it. "I might just wear it on my wedding day."

"You're getting married?" The couple asked at the same time.

"I do hope so… If the Señorita in question agrees to wed me."

"I am certain she will! After all, whoever she is, she'd be foolish not to!" The young woman declared.

Emmanuel smiled his appreciation of her words. "I should go." He said next, standing up. "Have a good night, and do write me at the De la Vega Hacienda in Los Angeles, as soon as you arrive in Monterey."

"We will do so, Don Emmanuel. Thank you for everything!" The man said, shaking his hand.

"We'll keep you in our prayers. Always!" His wife added as he left their room.

After a short stop at a nearby door to take his goodbyes from the injured coach driver, Dos Santos slowly headed for his room.

ZZZ

The following day's journey went on rather fast, considering the good company and the easy flow of the conversation between the four travelers.

"May I inquire about your parents, Don Emmanuel?" Doña Antonia asked at one point.

"My parents?"

"Yes. We don't know anything about them…" Diana realized.

"That is because I hardly knew them myself. They both perished in an accident when I was 13."

"I'm sorry to hear." The doña uttered, regretful to have stirred up such painful memories.

"So am I. I would have surely liked to have more time with them. They were very good parents. Well educated, kind, loving… My mother was the daughter of a merchant. My father was a soldier. A colonel in the king's army."

"Who took care of you after your poor parents died?" Don Janos inquired.

"My uncle. He was my father's brother, also a soldier, though almost twenty years older than my father. He never had children of his own, so, after my parents passed away, he did his best to be a real parent to me. In truth, it was only when he died that I truly felt an orphan."

"I can imagine it must have been very hard for you." The doña uttered, feeling for the young man.

"Yes…" Emmanuel said. "But perhaps we should change the subject."

The conversation continued moving to stories of the Gamboa family's travels through South America. The next day, Emmanuel shared with his companions memories from his travels and, the more they found out about the young man, the more the don and doña liked the idea of having him as a son-in-law.

In Santa Barbara, the Gamboas descended the coach to find themselves in front of the townhouse Emmanuel had once bought, as Rafael, for the Count of Dragonera. The house had since passed on to become Dos Santo's property at Diego's insistence, years earlier, when the young don divided the properties they had in California. He had only done so as part of an effort by him and his father to convince Emmanuel to settle down there, an effort the De la Vegas were glad had succeeded.

"Are we in the right place? This doesn't look like the Mission." Diana asked.

"It's certainly not..." Her father agreed.

"It's my house here." Emmanuel baffled them by saying. "I thought it would be far more comfortable than the Mission." He explained as the servants hurried to carry their luggage to the guestrooms.

"Your house?" The doña inquired, impressed.

"Yes. One of them." He replied, satisfied to dispel her initial assumption that he was not a man of means.

The two women exchanged dumbfounded glances as they entered to admire the high ceiling and the beautiful staircase leading to the second floor.

"This is a palace!" Doña Antonia uttered impressed.

"Hardly," Emmanuel answered. "But it will be comfortable enough. And, here, there are no restrictions when it comes to a married couple sharing a room." Saying that, he glanced at Don Janos, who had been complaining for days about the Californian monks' stubbornness in forcing couples to spend the night apart while under their roof.

"But I thought you were not a man of means…" Don Janos said. "I didn't imagine you were wealthy enough to have such a property…"

"I suspected as much. But I can assure you it's not for lack of means that I live at the De la Vega Hacienda. I certainly have the means to buy or build one of my own. But money cannot buy one a happy life. Family"

"Quite true… Quite true…" Don Janos uttered as he was studying the painted ceiling.

"Dinner is ready, Don Emmanuel." A servant came to say.

"Perfect! We're starving." He replied, indicating his guests the way to the dining room.

Thunder roared through the sky a moment later, followed by a flash of light, and Emmanuel glanced through the window to see the rain starting to pour.

ZZZ

"I fear we'll need to stay here for a couple more days." Emmanuel informed the Gamboas the following morning. "Last night's rain made the road unsafe for the coach."

"How much farther do we have left?" Diana asked.

"About a hundred miles. Two full days."

"We stop at San Buenaventura, I believe…" Don Janos said confidently.

"Actually, near it…" Emmanuel uttered.

"Near it? Don't tell me you also have a house in Buenaventura?" Diana inquired.

"There's a rather large De la Vega farmhouse we use when moving cattle up north. It's mainly for the vaqueros to have a place to rest in some comfort. But there's always someone there, and the rooms are kept clean and comfortable."

"God was generous to put you in our path, Don Emmanuel." Doña Antonia said.

"Indeed," her husband confirmed. "Hija, I understand the port is just down the street. Why don't you take our host with you to help you select some nice telas for a couple of new dresses? You'll surely need them in Los Angeles." He said next.

"It would be my pleasure, Señorita." Emmanuel hurried to assure her.

Diana smiled as her father tried to offer the young man a pouch filled with coins, which he refused, offering to pay for whatever she'd choose. About an hour later, they headed for the port.

ZZZ

Two ships had recently arrived from the Philippines to Santa Barbara, and the shops by the port were filled with customers, glad about the abundance of produce.

"Is there a certain color you prefer on me?" She asked as they were examining the exquisite fabrics brought there all the way from China.

"Ah… You look quite beautiful in all your dresses." He replied, inwardly wondering how she'd react, should he tell her that he was certain she'd look even better without a dress.

Diana smiled coyly at him, then glanced at a burgundy embroidered fabric. "I think I'll have this one. And the emerald green one there." She said. "How about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes…" She uttered, glancing at the fabrics meant for the men's suits. "You would look even more dashing in… dark grey, perhaps?"

"Hmm…" He said, glancing between her and the fabric she was pointing at. "More dashing? Am I to understand you find me dashing now?"

"Did I say that?" She asked, smiling wickedly as she headed for the counter.

Emmanuel paid for the fabrics she had chosen for herself, as well as a few more he was going to take to Los Angeles for Victoria and Elena. Then, considering the young woman's words, he decided to also buy the grey one she had admired for him. Leaving everything with the servants accompanying them, they next headed towards a nearby store, this time, one displaying already-made dresses in the latest European fashion.

Diana stopped before one, clearly admiring it. He could easily see why. The dress was exquisitely made, from the mixture of materials to the design.

"Will you try it on?" Emmanuel asked.

"Should I?"

"I'll be happy to buy it for you, if you like it." He said.

"Well, then… Let's see how it looks on me…"

Emmanuel could hardly find his words as she came to show him the dress. It didn't just look good. She looked absolutely gorgeous in it. Smiling like an idiot, he realized that he had, somehow, finally, given his heart away and it was the wonderful creature before him who now owned it.

"How does it look?" Diana asked when he said nothing.

"Like it had always been meant for you." He replied. "We'll take it!" He then informed the shop owner and delighted in the young woman's chuckle as she returned to the back of the store to get changed.

Aware it was going to take some time, Emmanuel stood up at that point, and left, heading back to the house. Once there, he entered his room and, opening a secret compartment in the wall behind his bed, he took out a box and started searching through it. He only knew what he had been looking for when he found it: a gold ring brandishing a rather large diamond. It was simple yet gorgeous, and Emmanuel had noticed it since first he and Diego had made an inventory of their treasure.

Placing it into the inner pocket of his jacket, he headed back to the shop, getting there just moments before Diana appeared from behind the door leading to the changing room, accompanied by the wife of the shop owner, who was carrying the dress.

"I'd very much like you to wear it tonight," Emmanuel said as the dress was being packed.

"Tonight? Is there a special occasion?" Diana inquired.

"You'll have to wait and find out." He replied as she exited the store.

"Alright…" She replied with a charming smile. "In the meantime, would you mind if I quickly go to the post office while you finish here? There's a letter I want to send."

"Of course not. I'll follow you there." He said before paying a small fortune for the dress.

"Señor!" The owner's wife uttered, just as he was about to exit the store, offering Emmanuel what looked like a letter. "I believe that your fiancée lost this when she changed into her dress."

Emmanuel didn't bother to correct the woman's assumption, simply accepting the letter. Glancing at the name on the letter, however, he became curious. "Lucia Vargas de Monclada, Madrid." He read, then stopped in place. The name sounded familiar to him. After handing the package with the dress to the servant accompanying them, and instructing him to take the packages to the house, he glanced down the road towards the post office, then, noticing the seal had already been broken, he opened the letter and read it. When he finished it, he glanced up to notice Diana heading towards him.

"I think I might have lost my letter here. I'll just be a minute to ask the owner if he's seen it." She said entering the store.

Emmanuel didn't say a thing. As in a trance, he just wadded up the paper in his hand, then let it fall before he walked away.

"Emmanuel? Emmanuel, where are you going?" Diana came out of the store to ask, then stopped at noticing the letter that had fallen into a puddle. Reaching to take it, she glanced at the broken seal, then at the young man heading down the busy street.