Anna turned towards the doorway. Matthew hurried into the room. His face changed from one of anger to worry. +I've been looking all over! Where have you been?!+"
+*I'm sorry. I got lost, but Don Diego, Felipe, Rosa, and now you have found me. I was fine.*+ Anna signed as she spoke.
At the mention of Felipe, Matthew looked over at the young man with a hostile glance. +I told you not to talk to him-+
+*Oh!*+ Anna exclaimed, ignoring Matthew's comment, "+*Rosa said that she has to have a different gown for tomorrow. I need to ride back to the town and get it tonight. Can you saddle Lady for me?*+"
"+Tonight? You shouldn't be out there on the road at night. There are animals and bandits and who knows what else. I'll go.+"
"+*You wouldn't know which gown to get and shoes and hats and everything that goes with it.*+"
"+Then I will go with you.+"
Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall. Don Martinez turned into the room. He surveyed the room with a glance and turned to address Felipe. "Son, where is your master?" the man asked Felipe.
Felipe signed, *He has already gone to bed.*
The Don looked confused. “+He has already gone to bed.+" Anna said. The Don looked confused.
"'e has alrea'y gone t' be'." Matthew said.
"I will speak with him tomorrow then." He turned to Matthew, "Prepare my room. I will turn in in a few minutes." And with that, the Don left the room.
"+*I'll have to go alone then*+." Anna said so that both men could understand.
"+No.+" Matthew said, shaking his head.
Felipe stepped forward and pointed to himself.
"+*Felipe says that he will go with me.*+"
"+No! Just go to the stables. I'll be there in a minute to saddle Lady. I'll think of something.+"
"+*Matthew—*+"
"+I said go!+" Anna looked over at Felipe, signed good-bye, and left to go to the stables. Both men watched her leave, then turned back to each other.
"I wan' t' speak t' you t'morrow." Matthew said and then left the room.
Matthew walked through the yard outside the hacienda. Carriages and horses were everywhere as guests prepared to return home. He walked toward the barn where Anna was supposed to be.
What am I going to do about her? He thought. And what of this Felipe character? Matthew didn't like the idea of a man in Anna's life, especially a Spanish one. Matthew had always assumed that his sister would marry an Englishman, hopefully a gentleman with generous means to provide for her.
Now, here in the Spanish colonies, of all places, that seemed impossible. It was dangerous here; no place for his sister. She certainly didn't belong in the service of Martinez. But how would he get them, or at least her, home? The task seemed overwhelming. The man sighed and walked into the stables where Anna had Lady already bridled.
"+I really don't like the idea of you going alone+" he said.
Anna turned to him. "+I don't either, Matthew, but what other option do we have, if you won't let anyone besides you go with me?+"
Matthew walked to the back of the barn. The vaqueros had all gone home, and they were alone. He leaned over and grasped his own saddlebag, walked back to the horse, and placed it on Lady's back. Anna gave him a questioning look.
"+Why did you give me your bag?+" Matthew lifted the flap to reveal the butt of a pistol.
"+Matthew! Where did you get that?+" exclaimed Anna, her eyes wide.
"+Don't worry about it. You remember how to shoot it?+"
"+Of course. Matthew, where did you get it?+" she asked again.
"+I traded for it. From one of the vaqueros.+"
"+With what?+" then she knew. "+Not your pocket watch. Oh, Matthew, that's all you had left+."
"+Anna, I had to,+" he said. Anna's eyes glistened as she looked up into his face. "+I have to keep you safe. Come,+" he took her hand and led her into the yard. Matthew pointed to the road. "+Follow this road all the way into town. You don't have to turn off.+"
A carriage rolled noisily out of the yard and clattered down the road. "+There will be a lot of carriages on the road tonight. Try and stay close to them, but hurry back as fast as you can. Remember to watch for the bandit that Martinez is after; he sounds like bad news.+" They turned and walked back to the stable.
"+What is his name?+"
"+Zorro, I think.+" Matthew finished preparing Lady and helped Anna into the saddle. "+Watch your back+." Matthew said.
"+I will+." She answered and galloped down the road towards the pueblo. A barely perceptible figure followed in the distance.
Anna raced through the night toward the town. The moon was nearly full and lit her way. She felt the breeze on her face and soon relaxed into the saddle. The girl had very few moments alone to herself; the ride would be a nice change.
Anna thought about her brother. Poor Matthew. He tried so hard to make life good for her—he always had, even back home in England. Of course, it was a lot easier there. Lord Wyclithe saw to that. But here… Here it was different. It was hot, sandy, strange. She longed for the moor. Oh, for fog, mist, rain!
Anna smiled to herself—she never would have thought that she would want to see poor weather again. She wanted to see heather and eat shepherd's pie and shortbread.
Ah, well. It's not to be, she supposed. She thought back to the fiesta at the hacienda. The dancing had been so much fun! Just listening to the music made her feel better.
Martinez had been making his political rounds, Roberto was gone, and Rosa had been occupied with flirting with Diego, so she had been able to catch her breath for a while. She wondered what Persuasion was about; it seemed interesting enough in the first few pages.
Her thoughts turned to Felipe, and butterflies immediately sprung to life in her stomach. He seemed so kind and gentle. Anna liked him and wondered what he thought of her, whether he even thought of her. Matthew did not like him, that was sure, but Anna wondered why. He was probably just being overprotective again.
Yes, that must be it. Anna smiled. She closed her eyes and pictured Felipe— his brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, broad shoulders, the way he spoke with his hands. Anna opened her eyes. It was somehow odd the way he acted; not like the deaf servant at Lord Wyclithe's manor. Something was different, but she couldn't place it.
Her thoughts turned to Diego. What an interesting man he seemed to be! He also seemed kind, yet there was something lurking under the surface. Anna remembered how very tall he was and how funny his mustache looked. His eyes were almost as blue as her own. She thought that odd; Anna had always heard that Spaniards had brown eyes. His voice had been deep.
Anna wondered why he had even spoken to her. She was just a servant; she didn't matter to most in this society. And why had he tried to give her that book? Martinez never would have done anything like that. In fact, she would have hated to suffer the consequences if she had been found with it in her possession.
The lamplights from the pueblo appeared on the horizon. Anna sped Lady forward; glad to be close to the town. The English girl was growing tired. Anna slowed Lady to a trot as they entered Los Angeles. She rode through the streets until she came upon the tavern.
Quickly, she dismounted and wrapped the reins around the hitching post. Anna pulled the saddlebag off and threw it over her shoulder. Lifting her skirts slightly, she stepped onto the porch and walked inside the inn. The tavern was empty except for a group of men in the back corner. None of the waitresses were around; Anna assumed that they were in the kitchen or the storeroom.
As quickly as she could, the girl hurried through the tavern proper and up the stairs. She glanced through the banister railing down to the group of men. Roberto was in the center of a group of six or seven grungy-looking hombres. They were not soldiers. All of the soldiers had returned to the cuartel before curfew. The men were laughing and talking at once. Roberto lifted his gaze up to meet hers.
Anna looked away and ran up the remaining steps. The girl walked quietly into her mistress' room. She walked to the armoire and opened the door. Yellow gown. Yellow gown. Ah! There it is! She pulled the silk gown from the closet and closed the doors. She neatly folded the dress, wrapped it in a cloth, and placed it carefully in the saddlebag. She also put in Rosa's yellow ribbons, jewelry, and other things she would need to go with the yellow outfit. Anna closed the bag, secured the latch, and carried it downstairs.
As Anna watched her feet walk down the steps, she heard the men carousing in the tavern below. They had such loud voices that the girl's ears began to ring and she hurried out the door as fast as she could. Anna swung the bag onto Lady and began to fasten it.
Oh, bother! Anna thought. I forgot the mending. She wondered if she should go back and get the bag of socks, shirts, and unmentionables that needed mending. She sighed. It had to be done and there was no telling when they would be getting back to the tavern.
Anna turned and walked back into the tavern. Strange. It was so quiet. She glanced over her shoulder as she walked toward the stairs. The men were crouched around the table with Roberto, whispering. Anna placed her hand on the railing to begin ascending the stairs.
"Anna!" she heard one of the men call. The girl stopped in her tracks. She turned to face the group. All of the men were looking at her. She glanced from the man who had called her name, to Roberto, and back to the man.
"Anna! Vamos!" the man called again. Anna didn't know what to do; she needed to get back to the de la Vega hacienda. There wasn't time for this. She looked back to Roberto, locking eyes—he would make the decision. Roberto nodded and motioned her forward.
Anna crossed the floor toward them until she stood in front of the table. The stench of cheap alcohol filled her nose. She wanted to be sick. All the men began to talk at once again, gesturing to each other and to Anna. She didn't understand anything that was going on. The girl looked imploringly back to Roberto. His face was impassive, except for a slightly smug smile.
Another man spoke to Roberto in a loud, drunken voice. Roberto gave a nonchalant shrug. "Senorita," the inebriated man began and reached for her hand. At his touch, the girl shrank back causing the men to roar in laughter.
"Roberto?" she whimpered. Roberto gave his characteristic shrug. The man grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him at the table. Anna tried to pull away. The drunk man pulled back roughly, the men cheering him on. He caught her off balance and yanked her into his lap.
"Roberto!" Anna cried, struggling hard to get away. The man pawed at her and pressed his face to her neck. She gagged at the smell and her stomach wrenched at the feeling of his prickly beard on her skin. Suddenly, the man tensed.
"Let her go," a new strong voice said.
"El Zorro!" the men cried, scrambling away from the table. Anna continued to struggle, until the man threw her away from him. She collapsed to the floor in tears. She looked up to see her rescuer and gasped. A man in black towered over her and the men.
"Zorro! You ruin my fun!" the drunk man groaned.
"Pedro, you are drunk. Go home!" Pedro and his friends hurried out the door of the tavern into the night. The man in black turned to Anna.
"Are you okay?" he asked. She looked confused; he knew she didn't understand. He hoped that the kindness in his tone let her know that he meant her no harm. Zorro helped her to her feet and brushed a tendril of brown hair away from her face. She looked up into his face. He had kind blue eyes and a mustache that showed beneath his black satin mask.
"Senor, stand away from her." Roberto commanded from his seat at the table.
Zorro turned to face him. "You have no right to treat this girl as you have."
Roberto stood so quickly his chair turned over with a bang.
"She is my servant! I will do with her as I please!"
"She is a person, not an object!"
"Anna is my possession! Stand away from her!" Roberto drew his sword. Zorro gently pushed the trembling English girl toward the door. Without a backward glance, she ran out of the tavern. Anna climbed onto Lady and bolted towards the hacienda, her body shaking with sobs.
Inside the cantina, the two men circled each other, en garde. A few thrusts and parries and Roberto's sword clattered to the floor— a very uneventful dual. Zorro grabbed the impetuous young man by the collar and brought him face to face.
"You will go to your room, and remain there until morning. You will emerge acting as a gentleman and not the swine you really are." He released Roberto. "Remember, I am always one step behind you." With that Zorro swept from the room.
END CHAPTER FOUR
