Love Potion Number Nine – chapter 4
Everyone in the pueblo expected such an ending, although some were still surprised by the rapid pace of events. The well-liked Don Diego, who often helped others regardless of their birth, and the beautiful hot-headed lady fit together much better than Victoria and Zorro. Definitely the elusive bandit could not provide Senorita Escalante with a family and children.
Even with such a quick wedding, a large crowd of well-wishers gathered in the church and in the square in front of it. Everyone else cheered and congratulated the young couple as they left the church. Diego suddenly took his bride in his arms and spun her around, which caused an even greater wave of enthusiasm and wolf-whistles from the crowd.
When he set her down carefully, he did not fail to steal a juicy kiss from his bride. At that moment de Soto approached them. He had surrounded the square with soldiers in the faint hope that Zorro would appear eventually at the last moment and interrupt the ceremony. However, his hopes proved futile.
“Well, well, you are finally done with your courtship. Congratulations and I wish you a long honeymoon far, far away from the pueblo. Very, very far away.”
Despite the whole range of emotions that the groom just felt, all positive and even euphoric, the young de la Vega knew that he had to handle the situation wisely. Otherwise, the moments of happiness with his beloved woman will be very short. And the easiest way was to make a mistake just before the finish.
That’s why Diego reached out for the Alcalde and thanked him with sincerity and joy as if hearing no sarcasm. “Thank you very much, Ignacio. We’re going to Santa Barbara for the honeymoon. And who knows? Maybe soon you will have a new citizen in Los Angeles?”
De Soto snorted and Victoria patted her husband’s shoulder and blushed beautifully.
xxx Zorro xxx
Tables with food were set up on the porch and in front of the tavern, and the pueblo centre was cleaned, creating a place to dance. Everyone had a great time, especially since de Soto, angry with his defeat, pronounced himself tired and left quite early. The dance floor was crowded and the bride and groom hardly ever left it. Despite them both having many partners, they always found their way back to one another every few songs.
The only person who didn’t add humour was Don Alejandro. Of course, he was delighted that Diego was finally married, that his chosen one was Victoria, whom he had long treated as a daughter and a family member.
But all this rush to get married and the foolishness of the love potion’s affair made him uncomfortable. He had mixed feelings about this artificial love. He stood aside sipping wine, lost in thought, and watched the young couple. He was worried that it wasn’t real, that Diego and Victoria would soon regret their marriage.
That was how Padre Benitez found him, sitting quietly. The monk was known for being a good judge of character.
From the beginning of his stay in Los Angeles, the Padre suspected that behind the calm and indolent facade of the young caballero was hiding the cunning fox, the saviour of the pueblo. And for a long time, he saw the young man’s secret looks and mutual feelings of two people, though unaware of the senorita or other citizens. With all his heart, Padre Benitez wished Diego and Victoria a marriage filled with happiness and security, but he had not known how to connect them.
The good padre also knew the thoughts which were racing around old de la Vega’s grey head. He decided the older man needed some Godly counsel. “Don Alejandro, are you not enjoying the happiness of your only child? I thought you have long wanted to see him at the wedding carpet.”
Don smiled politely, though there was no cheerfulness in his eyes. “Yes, I’ve wanted exactly that for a long time, but with the current circumstances, I don’t know if it was a good idea. I caught Diego in a compromising situation and told him to marry immediately, but … What if this love potion stops working and they see things clearly? Until now Diego and Victoria had a friendship, a strong friendship. What if this artificial love destroys their connection, and they start to hate each other or become indifferent? I wanted Diego to marry for love. ”
Padre Benitez put his arm around his friend. “Alejandro, you’ve said it yourself that there is a strong, long-term friendship between them. But I can assure you that both your son and Victoria have felt much more than friendship for the other for years. That potion only brought out hidden feelings to the surface. No artificial love. Think about it. You’ll see I’m right”
The monk patted him on the shoulder and left. “Maybe he is right?” The old don suddenly felt an immense relief, and the uncertainty that had disturbed him for half a day was gone. He said a quiet prayer to his wife and joined the crowd of dancers. “After all, it’s my son’s wedding!”
xxx Zorro xxx
In a cosy inn at the outskirts of Santa Barbara, the newlyweds enjoyed spending time together. During the day they went for long walks on the beach, and at night … well, they did what every young couple does during their honeymoon.
A few days after the wedding, Victoria lay on her husband’s wide chest and drew small circles on his skin with her finger. They were resting after their lovemaking.
Diego started the conversation. “Querida, I promise that I will limit riding as Zorro, I will only intervene if Mendoza absolutely fails. But there will still be situations when Zorro is needed.”
“Diego, I know that. I only ask you to please be more careful. Now you have someone to get back for from your nightly escapades.”
“Any regrets?” he asked.
Victoria rose to meet his eyes. “Only that it took us so long. But the love potion and my plan worked.”
The caballero was surprised. “Honey, I explained to you that it was just the power of suggestion that the potion worked. It’s just coloured water. Besides, I drank it, not Zorro.”
Then he noticed the barely suppressed smile and mischievous flashes in her eyes. “My plan worked. I got married to Zorro. And now that you’ve rested, let’s talk about your punishment for the many years of deception. How you can repay me now.”
When their lips joined, Diego knew that this was the best punishment in the world, and he was going to pay it very willingly every day for the rest of his life.
The end
Author notes:
This is it. I hope you like it 😀
Thanks once again to mjf2468 for correcting all my mistakes and for few sentences herself. It is much more readable after correcting 😀
And thanks for every single feedback and review, it is really inspiring to work for other stories.
Author
- Love Potion Number Nine – chapter 1
- Love Potion Number Nine – chapter 2
- Love Potion Number Nine – chapter 3
- Love Potion Number Nine – chapter 4
