FicWad

"Uh... err... Paco?" Leonor's childish voice suggested hesitantly. Standing in the courtyard at the front of her father's hacienda, she was blindfolded and with her hands only she was trying to recognise who was in front of her.

"Nooo!" a concert of voices and giggles answered her. The circle of people surrounding her turned again and then stopped again. Around her were Paco, a nine years-old Indian indenture servant working for the Séguras and who had initially come to the de la Vegas to deliver an invitation from his patrons Don Virgilio and Doña Juana; Rosita, the eleven years-old daughter of one of the de la Vegas' tenants who had just brought eggs and milk from her parent's farm; her younger brother Jacinto; Felipe, who was happy not to be the youngest one around for once; and finally Concepcion and Araceli.

All this merry lot was joyfully playing blind's man buff, and the adults weren't the last to laugh and enjoy themselves, under the apparent pretext of entertaining the children of course.

"Mamá!" the little girl now said, easily recognising her mother's figure, her features – and her dress, probably.

So now it was Araceli's turn to be put at the centre of the circle and to be blindfolded with Concepcion's dark brown scarf. The round dance started again and when it stopped, Felipe noticed Diego come out from the hacienda, probably wondering what the merry laughs outside were about.

He made a sign to the others to tell them not to say a thing and silently went to Diego, repeated his sign to him, took him by the elbow and dragged him to the circle, just in front of a still blindfolded Araceli.

Leonor and Jacinto hardly stifled a giggle, but otherwise all the others remained silent, waiting for Señora Valdès's confusion.

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Victoria had nearly reached the de la Vega hacienda when she saw, away in the distance, a group of people in the front courtyard, with Don Diego standing tall in the middle of it.

But... but... What did that woman think she was doing, groping him like that? Feeling his chest, and his shoulders, and now his neck and lower face...!

She got closer. Blind man's buff? Pshaw, what a good and convenient excuse!

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Araceli touched and felt what – or rather who – was in front of her, and soon excluded the children from the list. Which left only the deaf-mute servant and Concepcion on her list.

No, not Concepcion: definitely not a feminine figure...

She frowned under the blindfold, but not for long: it was soon replaced with a sly little lopsided smile:

"Ooh!" she said as her hands were creeping up to his neck, "there's only so many people that tall around here, isn't there?" She now had her hands cupping his jaw and cheeks. "I think I don't even need to let my fingers go to the upper half of your face or to your hair to know who I'm currently dealing with... What do you think, Don Diego?"

A thunder of laughs and claps erupted and Araceli removed the scarf from her eyes.

"Bravo Mamá!" Leonor exclaimed, delighted. "She unmasked you, Diego!" she then told her big brother. "Now you must play! Your turn!"

"But I hadn't come here to play! I was just–" he tried to protest.

"No no, that's the rule Don Diego," Jacinto shyly told him. "You've been identified, you must put the blindfold on and try to recognise someone!"

"Jacinto, leave Don Diego alone if he doesn't want to play..." his older sister berated him.

"Oh please, Diego..." Leonor begged him.

"Yes, please Don Diego..." Paco echoed timidly.

Diego couldn't resist three pairs of childish eyes begging him and nodded, allowing Araceli to put the dark scarf over his eyes and tie it behind his head.

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Really, Victoria humphed inwardly, did that woman have to press herself that much against him just to tie this scarf! Couldn't she just ask him to turn round to make it easier for her?

Victoria had arrived at the gates and was watching the scene when Felipe spotted her out of the corner of his eye. Again, he signed to everyone – well, to everyone who could see – not to say anything and he went to the newcomer. With an impish grin, he took her hand and led her in the circle, pushing her right in front of Diego.

Victoria held her breath, sure that he would mistake her either for Señora Valdès or for her maid. He advanced to her with his arms held out forward and she raised her eyes to his face.

Just like earlier, she felt something strange at seeing it partially hidden, with his eyes and part of his cheeks and of his forehead concealed behind the dark material of a scarf. By contrast, it enhanced his lower face, his manly jaw, his nicely trimmed moustache... and his lovely dimples. And again this sight tickled something in her mind, without her being able to know what exactly: something which felt familiar to her, pleasant even, but she confusedly felt that she didn't directly relate it with Don Diego...

Meanwhile, Diego had started touching the outline of her arms and waist and shoulders, and when his palms brushed the soft mounds on her chest he took a sharp breath in and a sudden step back, realising not only that he had a grown woman in front of him but also that he accidentally touched her breasts. Awkward at the idea that he involuntarily copped a feel of his father's... whatever, or of her very respectable middle-aged maid, he hesitantly took a step forward and raised his hands to the woman's face. He felt the caress of wavy half-long hair free of any bun or ribbon or clip or hairpin. Oh? His thumbs lightly stroke round cheeks and then went down her face in featherlike touches to her jaw and lips.

It felt... surprisingly nice. Victoria was starting to really enjoy these light touches of his and regretted to feel it stop when he withdrew his hands with a bright smile on his face and a delighted expression on his face. Delighted, but also amused and even rather pleased with himself, she thought.

"Victoria!" he exclaimed to her utmost surprise, "welcome here!"

Victoria was stunned at his recognition of her, since he didn't even see her arrive at the hacienda. Around them, everyone was clapping and giggling, either amused or appreciative at Don Diego's unsuspected skill. Felipe, particularly, was sporting a facetious grin on his face and he too looked really pleased with himself. Even more than Diego did.

The latter, for his part, had quickly removed his blindfold and was now greeting Victoria more properly and more accordingly with social unwritten rules.

"Come, please," Diego told her, inviting her to get inside with a gesture of his arm, "Father will be delighted to have you here. As we all are, of course!"

And as he followed her through the threshold, he quickly glanced at Felipe out of the corner of his eye trying to look stern, but happy as he was for Victoria's presence, he failed lamentably at scolding the young man for the trick he had just played on him.

Felipe, as for him, plastered the most innocent expression he could muster on his face – and Lord knows he was good at pretending! – so much that Diego suddenly doubted it was his young friend's doing. But then Felipe winked at him and sent him a lopsided smile, and Diego knew: the young man was the most mischievous friend in the world; and he too was as sly as a fox!