The storm lashed out with a fury and the wind shut the door behind them. Diego had seen to the horses, sheltering them in a shed attached to the building and had barely enough time to gather an armload of wood before the rain began in earnest. It was now pouring, with lightning slashing the sky and thunder shaking the very ground.
He should have seen this coming. Victoria was never going to let him hear the end of this. She had warned they'd be caught in the storm, but he had thought they could make it home before it hit. Now, he had a very embarrassing situation on his hands. On one hand, he had always longed to get Victoria alone with him as simply Diego. But, on the other hand, it presented a problem as to just how he must act. One small slip and he could give away his identity to her. And wasn't he dying to do just that anyway?
So it was that a small war was raging beneath the calm exterior of Diego de la Vega as he fueled the fire in the middle of the room.
Victoria was also experiencing some unease. She had seen a different side of Diego today. His impassioned pleas before the Royal Emissary from Spain at Santa Paulo had stunned her. She had never seen Diego so animated, so full of …fire. His speech had burned as bright as the flames he now tended so carefully before her. She was confident that he had persuaded the Emissary on every point he had made. But just where had such passion come from? Diego was always so lifeless. So boring. It didn't make sense! She watched him carefully. There had to be an explanation and she was determined to find it. Tonight might be just the time to do it.
"There!" He turned to see her with arms hugging her sides, trying to keep warm, and silently cursed himself once more for bringing her with him in the first place. He'd only done so when he had seen those men riding toward the pueblo. They had stopped at the hacienda to ask directions and one had made a derogatory remark about her. What could he do but take her with him? He couldn't very well have left her there while he was away with such men in town. Even the Alcalde would not have been there to protect her. No, he had no choice but to saddle her a horse and bring her with him, for safety's sake.
Now, it wasn't her safety he was thinking about. It was her reputation. He said a terse "Excuse me." And moved her out of the way. Then he set about preparing a divided place to sleep for the two of them. He used the bench as a low wall between the two blankets he had spread on the floor, and he found some grain sacks for pillows. While Victoria protested, he explained the need to spend the night. And within minutes, he laid down on one of the blankets and feigned sleep.
But Victoria wanted to talk. She had noticed the difference in his manner today, and she was delving for answers.
Why couldn't he just tell her, here and now? As she kept pressing him, the urge grew even stronger. And when she asked him if there was anything …anything in the whole world he wanted more than life itself…that he just had to have, his answer, "He wanted her!" was on the tip of his tongue..
The door flew open from a violent gust of wind. Rain and cold filled the small space. Diego jumped to his feet and had the door closed in moments. When he turned back around, he saw Victoria shivering from the cold.
"Here." He took off his jacket and placed it about her shoulders. Then he gave his attention to the dying fire.
Victoria drew the jacket close, feeling slightly guilty that it left Diego with only that thin, silk shirt. Or was it cotton? She watched his back and wondered dreamily which fabric would keep him warmer. And slowly she became aware that she was seeing a very muscular man. She blinked several times. Diego? Her eyes narrowed as she looked more closely. With every movement he made, a different muscle in his shoulders or arms became more evident. He turned once to say something to her and she never even heard the question. His chest was the same. Muscled and taunt.
She made herself look away and her chin rested against her own shoulder. Then slowly, she became aware of something else. The jacket. She inhaled deeply and the very smell of the jacket permeated her senses. It held the scent of a man.
It was Diego's jacket, but it was the scent of Zorro.
Her mind clouded. Her knees grew week and she fought to keep her feet. She couldn't keep the gasp inside.
"What is it? Victoria? Is something wrong?" Diego had turned around and was coming toward her. 'You look…Do you feel all right?" He was concerned. She looked as pale as he'd ever seen her.
"No, I'm fine. Just tired." At first, she couldn't meet his eyes. Then she forced herself to. "Diego?"
"Yes?" He pulled the jacket closer around her, trying to help it warm her.
She searched his eyes, his mouth, his mustache. Why had she not seen the resemblance before? "Maybe if we helped each other keep warm?" She wanted nothing more than to fell his arms around her. It was a need.
He looked at the two blankets on the floor doubtfully. This was not a good idea. But the thought of being able to hold her held sway over his own good sense. Before long, they had settled back down on the floor, now lying on top of one blanket and using the other for cover. Victoria lay against Diego's chest and his arms were around her. It was very comfortable.
But Victoria still wanted to talk.
"Diego, do you remember when we were children…? You were always the leader in our games. You were quite reckless!" She giggled at the memories.
"Reckless? Me? Are you sure you have that right?" He smiled at the top of her head.
"Yes. Reckless. I can still see a picture of you in my mind, climbing up the side of Seńor Fuente's barn just to show us how you could fall from that high up and not get hurt!"
Diego laughed. "I remember! And it's a wonder I didn't break my neck! What was I? Seven? Surely no more than eight years old? Not one of my finer moments of good judgement or leadership. What brought that to mind?"
"Oh, I was just wondering how such a brave, daring young boy could grow into such a careful, serious-minded man." She looked up at him to see his reaction, but his face was as passive as ever.
"Perhaps we become whatever we need to be in order to do what it is we need to do."
She heaved an irritated sigh. "Oh! That is so like something you'd say!" She jabbed him lightly with her elbow and heard his surprised reaction to it. "But what if what you need to do is fight?"
"Victoria. I don't know what you're getting at with this." He sighed. "But I suppose the answer is that you fight. Is that what you want me to say?"
"Yes." She smiled at herself in satisfaction.
"But there are many ways of fighting besides in a physical sense. I fight with words, with knowledge of the law. These can be just as important as a sabre."
"But sometimes it comes down to the sabre, doesn't it?" She turned her head to smile up at him. "When your father sent you to Spain, he arranged for you to learn swordsmanship from Sir Edmund Kendal. And years later, Sir Edmund came here to visit you. Now, why would a world champion swordmaster like that choose to visit a student, halfway around the world from Spain, that didn't spend much time in his classes? Tell me, Diego, just how did you manage to spend all those years there and not learn swordplay? Hmm?"
"Well, I-" Diego's brain was racing, trying to choose his words carefully, but she was already going on to another probing topic.
"And when you came back from Spain…. Isn't it funny? I would swear that it was only a few days later that Zorro made his first appearance." She watched his face carefully and could see him start to grit his teeth. "Then there's also the fact that whenever Zorro appears, you-"
"Victoria, there are simple explanations that-" If he could only think of them right now! His face held a look of pure panic.
"-you disappear." She continued with as accusing a tone as she could muster. "I've never once seen you and Zorro in the same room. And all the flimsy excuses I've heard you make-"
"All right! I get the idea!" He sat up abruptly, forcing her into a sitting position also. "I knew I'd never make it through this night safely." He was shaking his head from side to side. "What gave me away?" He smiled over at her.
"Diego, I've been in Zorro's arms. I've felt his kisses and I've kept one of his masks that still carries his scent. Whenever I wanted to feel close to him when he wasn't there, I had only to smell that piece of black silk." She saw Diego's mouth fall open. "Diego, your jacket smells of Zorro."
He just looked at her incredulously.
"Well, don't get too upset!" She chuckled. "I don't think you have to worry about anyone else figuring it out like I did." She flashed an indignant smile at him. "At least, I hope not!"
A slow smile stole across his face. "Hounds can catch a fox from their scent. I just never thought a woman could do the same thing!" They both laughed.
Then she was in his arms. The secret would now be shared by two. The bond between them would grow stronger, even as the danger still lay all around them. The night's revelations would change many things, but still others would remain the same. For Zorro's work was unfinished.