Chapter 6
True to his word, Diego was up with the sun, readying himself for the day ahead. He moved around the house quietly, careful not to wake Victoria. But, as he knew she was used to rising early at the tavern, he realized she wouldn't be asleep for much longer.
He resisted the urge to simply sit and stare at her beautiful face as she slept. She looked so peaceful, and so young and innocent lying beneath the thin blanket, her hair spread around her head like a silken wave. The urge to reach out and touch the curled strands was so strong, Diego had to move to the other side of the room and busy himself with menial tasks to take his mind off her.
When Victoria stirred, Diego turned away politely, giving her some measure of privacy in the small house. He busied himself with starting a fire in the fire pit and set some water to boil over the flames as Victoria stood and stretched the stiffness out of her body.
In the light of day, Victoria smiled at her friend. The suspicions from the previous night all but disappeared when he turned and looked at her, that familiar friendly smile that he always wore spreading across his face. She flushed, embarrassed as she remembered their closeness from last evening.
"Good morning." He turned from the fire pit and stepped away, knowing she would instantly move to the fire to begin breakfast.
"Morning, Diego," Victoria smiled somewhat shyly as she moved toward the table and began to slice some food for a small breakfast.
"I'm going to check on the horses." Diego reached for the door as Victoria indicated she would send José out when he woke. As he pulled open the door, he cast a look filled with such longing emotion that had she turned and said goodbye to him at that moment, she would have instantly known of his hidden love.
Not long after breakfast, José and Diego were riding along the now very muddy ground, looking expectantly toward the no longer dry riverbed. They rode closer to the mine, hoping that they would see the familiar gleam of metal once again.
A steady rush of water now filled the riverbed and Diego dismounted a fair distance away in case the soggy ground gave way and pulled him toward the rapidly moving water.
Diego glanced up toward the mine and was encouraged by the damage it appeared to have sustained by the rains. "Well, the rain certainly dislodged a lot of something," Diego walked closer and bent to pick up one of the dark stones that littered the area.
"Diego!" José had moved on ahead of Diego, further up the small incline that led to the mine entrance. "Look at this!"
Diego glanced up at the man's apparent elation. "What is it?" Diego moved to his side and glanced down at the sparkling piece of rock he held in his hand. His eyes narrowed as he took the stone and examined it more closely. "This is –" Diego examined the piece and then searched around for others. "See if you can find some more. I'll take them home and run some tests."
"Tests?" José asked, confused.
"Yes, there are chemicals that I can pour over this to tell me what kind of metal is contained within the rock." Diego looked around but couldn't really see anything else that was similar to the rock he held.
At José's skeptical look, Diego grinned. "Stones like this react very differently to specific chemicals and thankfully, someone has taken the time to write down the reactions of the different metals to these chemicals."
"Oh," José said, not clearly understanding everything Diego said. Instead, he climbed further toward the mine, searching for more. An hour of looking only produced a small handful of additional pieces but Diego seemed satisfied with what they'd found.
As they trotted back toward the house, Diego said, "I'll escort Victoria home and then return in a few hours."
Once the men returned, Diego stood outside while Victoria hugged Malinda and kissed the little one goodbye.
"I'll see you again soon," Victoria kissed the rosy cheeks and smiled lovingly at the cooing baby who simply gurgled in response.
"You would be such a wonderful mother, Victoria," Malinda observed with a large smile and a quick glance toward Diego. She shared her husband's suspicions that there was some unexplained closeness between Victoria and Diego.
"Oh!" Victoria noticed the glance but chose to ignore it. Discussing Diego when her mind simply refused to forget about their conversation last night was not something she really wanted to do. Instead, she simply said, "I can't wait to have children of my own someday."
Malinda leaned toward Victoria a conspiratorial smile on her face, "Well, Don Diego certainly is a very handsome man. You couldn't do much better."
Victoria's eyes widened and she shook her head, quickly correcting the young woman's misconception, "Oh, no. We're just friends."
Malinda smiled kindly. Of course they were. Everyone knew of the young tavern owner's romance with the legendary Zorro. But there was something in the young woman's demeanor when she was around the caballero. "I know," Malinda glanced at Diego's back. "But if things don't work out with Zorro, I think Don Diego is –"
"Ready?" Diego smiled as he and José approached the women.
"Oh!" Victoria jumped, startled by his sudden appearance at her side. "Yes, I am."
As Victoria moved to mount her mare, with José's help, Diego bent and pressed a tiny kiss to the baby's forehead. "Goodbye, little one. We'll see you again soon."
Malinda smiled warmly at Diego as he bowed slightly and swung himself into Esperanza's saddle.
Felipe gestured at the stone on the table, to Diego and then to a few vials Diego was carefully measuring.
"What am I doing?" Diego repeated the boy's silent question, pouring a clear substance into a small decanter and swirling it gently.
Felipe nodded.
"Well, this rock, and the others like it, were found outside of a mine not far from the Perez home. Since the alcalde has been quite vigilant in his attempt to acquire this property, I deduced there had to be a compelling reason for his interest."
Felipe gestured to the golden yellow rock with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Yes, well I am about to test just how rich José's land truly is. If it is what I suspect –" Diego set one of the stones into a short decanter and poured liquid from a nearby vial over the top of it. It fizzled loudly and gave off a rather nauseating smell.
Felipe gestured, wrinkling his nose.
Diego simply smiled and tilted the vial he held. "This is nitric acid. Among other things, it is used to test the purity of gold." He replaced the cork on the vial and lifted the decanter containing the stone and the acid. "As I suspected. This is nothing more than iron pyrite."
Felipe gestured, recognizing the name.
"Yes, or iron pyrite. Fool's gold."
Diego glanced at the handful of stones sitting to one side of the laboratory table. "The alcalde is trying to obtain land filled with fool's gold." He chuckled loudly at the irony.
"It's too bad we didn't find this before the house was rebuilt or I would suggest to José that he renegotiate a price with the alcalde and sell the land far above market value."
Felipe smiled at Diego's deceptive thinking.
"Well, it would teach him a lesson," Diego shrugged. "If one such as Ignacio de Soto has retained the ability to learn after all this time."
Felipe gestured, asking what he was going to do with the stones.
"Ah, I need to get back to speak with José. I told him I would return in a few hours after I'd finished my tests."
Felipe made the sign of the Z.
"No, I don't think Zorro is needed. Although I would dearly love to know if the alcalde was involved in burning the Perez home."
Felipe shrugged and held out his arms.
"Short of finding those who set the fire, and I don't think he would do it himself if he was involved, I don't think we will ever know." Diego sighed. "For the first time, I'm afraid, Zorro is unable to solve a mystery."
Felipe gestured and Diego grinned wryly.
"Yes, I'm not perfect. But I try to be." With a wink, Diego scooped up the stones, checked the viewing hole and returned to the hacienda.
Victoria looked up just in time to see Diego walk through the tavern door. She greeted him with a smile, as always, and was thrilled for some unexplainable reason when his eyes found her and returned her gaze with an answering smile that reached into his eyes.
She waited for him to approach, but he was interrupted by a few caballeros reaching out to shake his hand in greeting. He politely said a few words to the men, his eyes shifting between them and Victoria standing behind the bar, already pouring him a glass of juice.
"Is it true?" She heard one of the men ask Diego, but he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he excused himself and made his way over to the bar.
"Thank you," Diego said softly to Victoria, his warm voice descending around her like a comforting blanket.
Unconsciously, she trembled, her thoughts centering on their nighttime conversation. If he hadn't turned away to answer the approaching caballero's question, he would have wondered at the flush that crept along her neck.
"Is what true?" Diego asked Don Estaban, who approached with a glass of wine in his hand.
"That you found fool's gold on José Perez's land."
"Ah, yes," Diego's eyes shifted toward the alcalde sitting not far away, pretending to have his attention buried in his meal. "We found several stones that I tested for impurities."
"Not a single ounce of gold on that land, hmm?"
Diego hid a smile in his juice as he noticed de Soto's fork pause halfway to his mouth, waiting for Diego's answer.
Diego turned his complete attention toward Don Estaban and quietly answered his question, but his voice dropped and no one but the man to whom he was addressing heard his answer. Diego covered this sly move by ordering some of Victoria's delicious tamales and in the same movement, excused himself from Don Estaban and walked to the alcalde's table.
De Soto, who had been clearly eavesdropping on Diego's exchange with Don Estaban, quickly shoved his fork into his mouth and raised his glass, tipping it in acknowledgement of Diego's presence.
"Interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say?" Diego innocently took a seat across from the alcalde and this time it was Victoria who eavesdropped on the conversation as she prepared a plate for her friend.
"Hmm?" De Soto pretended not to know what Diego was talking about as he took a slow sip of his wine.
"Oh, José Perez." Diego shrugged broad shoulders and began as if the alcalde honestly knew nothing about the situation. "We found some curious looking ore on his land that looked very much like gold. I ran a very simple, common test on a few pieces to see just how pure this gold was."
"Ah." De Soto pretended not to be interested as he took another sip of his wine. "So there is a benefit to burying your nose in books."
Diego ignored the obvious insult and had he glanced up, he would have seen the incredible scowl that spread across Victoria's face.
"Unfortunately," Diego watched the alcalde carefully, "everything I tested proved that the ore was nothing but iron pyrite – fool's gold." Diego leaned back in his seat. "Imagine that. José even mentioned that someone had been making very insistent inquiries about the purchase of his land. No doubt that person thought he had discovered a way to increase his wealth tenfold at his family's expense."
De Soto choked on his wine and the expression on Diego's face instantly flickered to one of concern. "Are you all right, Ignacio?"
"Fine, Diego." De Soto scowled at Diego before quickly shoveling another bite of food into his mouth.
"Well, I only mention it to you in case it might be useful in your investigation of the fire." Diego adopted his most bland expression. "I think I will offer to help test any similar looking ore anyone else finds on their land." Diego said, more to himself than to de Soto. "Yes, I think I will write an announcement to publish in the next edition of the Guardian."
"You do that," de Soto said, standing. "If you will excuse me, I have a desk full of work ahead of me." Without a look back, the alcalde deposited a few coins in front of Victoria for the meal and walked quickly out of the tavern.
A knowing smirk spread across Diego's face as Victoria slowly made her way over to him, tray in hand.
"That was very sly, Diego." Victoria set the lunch tray down in front of him and stared at her friend with a most curious expression. Her friend had played the alcalde for a veritable fool. Perhaps Diego was not truly what he appeared. "I didn't realize you could be so – devious."
Diego hid a smile as he lifted his glass to his lips. His eyes brightened over it, however, despite how he tried to suppress the thrill that she had noticed his subtle manipulation of the alcalde.
"Words can sometimes be a far more effective means of battle than a meter of toledo steel," he answered, smiling warmly at her before burying his attention in his meal.
"Oh, Diego! Are you comparing yourself to Zorro?"
He leveled an unwavering gaze at her. "I wouldn't dream of it," he replied with an enigmatic smile. "Everyone knows I'm nothing like Zorro."
Victoria blinked; somehow she felt that she was missing something. The way he looked at her, it was – strange. Perhaps because it was a rare thing for him to meet her eyes when they spoke. But even that had been changing more and more lately, since the fire, and she found herself disgusted with him when he laughed at himself. He put himself and his abilities and interests down nearly as much as everyone else did.
A customer called for service, and she filed the thought away to examine later.
"Well, Zorro would be impressed by what you just did, Diego!" Giving him her warmest smile, she left him to his meal.
Later that evening, as a deep weariness settled over Victoria, she climbed the stairs to her room, looking forward to a good night's sleep.
When she pushed open the door to her room, she was surprised to see a single candle lit. She glanced around inside before taking another step. A large shadow sat beneath her window, unmoving.
"Zorro?" Victoria called excitedly and entered the room quickly, closing the door behind her so that none of her overnight guests would hear.
The shadow didn't move and she lifted the candle off her dresser and stalked closer. Her breath caught when she noticed what sat so still was not the form of her masked love, but the most beautiful, ornately carved rocking chair she had ever seen.
A note rested on the seat and Victoria bent slowly to remove it. Opening it, her breath caught.
My Victoria,
Something to one day pass on to our own children.
Yours Forever
Victoria didn't find it odd that the letter was unsigned. It was for her safety that he more often than not as of late did not sign the letters he'd left for her. She kept them all, of course, knowing from whom they had come.
She brushed her hand reverently across the arm of the chair, thinking of his words. Our own children. How she longed for that day. She sighed and sank wearily in the chair, leaning back and closing her eyes. She didn't notice the clear blue eyes watching from their hidden place outside her window. Didn't hear the whispered, "Soon, Querida," that fell from his lips.
As she fell asleep, unconsciously rocking back and forth as she had done as a child, her intelligent mind floated back to a conversation Diego had had with José Perez about his incredible woodworking talent.
Victoria's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright.
Diego!
The End
Thanks for the feedback thethirdtroll. It is greatly appreciated! I hope you enjoyed this story even though I stopped in evil places. What turned you onto Zorro fic if you've never seen the NWZ series? Makes me wonder if you'd hate the fic after you saw the series or you'd hate the series after reading all the fic! laugh
My muse seems to have run away so this will be my last story until the muse gets sent back to me from wherever she has run off to. I want to try and finish the stories I've already started rather than starting news ones, so I'll have to concentrate on forcing myself to finish some stuff. No, thethirdtroll, sorry, that does not mean I plan to work on the LOTR stuff. I've got about 10 NWZ fic's started and I'm determined to finish them before my muse runs away for good!