The Bandido's wife

Six - The Joining of the Senorita and the Bandido in Wedlock

Alise sat by her father's bedside, holding his hand. His fever had finally abated and he seemed to be sleeping more peacefully much to her relief. She had been informed by the physician on his latest visit, that the wound to his shoulder was starting to heal well without any further infection. Knowing her father had a good chance of recovery was the only reason Alise had survived these last few days to keep going without falling apart.

The distant sound of music and singing and the raucous shouting of many of Diego's men drifted up from down below, where they were still celebrating their leader's marriage to Alise earlier that afternoon.

For Alise the whole day still seemed unreal, and part of her was hoping it was just all a bad dream, that she would finally wake up from.

Padre Mendez, forced to go through with conducting the marriage ceremony, which Diego had insisted had to be the shortest version possible, had briefly spoken with almost cold disapproval about the sanctity of marriage in the sight of God, and that the vows were not to be taken lightly, whilst his eyes had been shooting daggers at Diego in particular.

If Diego noticed, he had remained unfazed, and had mostly smirked in self-satisfaction.

Even though she had been glad the ceremony had been short and brief, when it came time for Alise to say her part in the vows, the hardest part had been saying, "I do" it had come out of her mouth just above a whisper. In truth, all she had wanted to do was turn and run away as far as possible from Diego and this sham of a marriage. But thinking of her father lying upstairs still injured, she had remained standing her ground when Padre Mendez finally, and rather reluctantly pronounced them man and wife.

In the background she heard her maid, Marie, trying to stifle a sob as she along with the rest of her father's employees and men, had been forced to attend the spectacle, and Alise had just about managed to keep it together herself, without breaking down in front of them, and Diego's men.

Diego had organised a huge feast in celebration, Alise had found herself stiffly sitting at the head of the table next to him, whilst barely eating, or drinking, and had tried to ignore the crude innuendo his men kept implying, about their forthcoming wedding night together. She forced herself to sit there for almost an hour before deciding she could take no more, and had turned to him, asking him permission to go to see her father, and find out how he was doing, just so she could escape.

Diego had taken his time replying, he had obviously been enjoying tormenting her, but in the end, he had knocked back his drink and given her his full attention "Such a shame your papa had to miss our wedding, he never got the chance to give you away" he had drawled tauntingly, "But I suppose I can allow you to visit him, and you can let him know he has finally acquired a son-in-law. Besides later, I intend to claim your company all to myself in our bedroom," he had reminded her huskily his hand had reached up to caress her face, and she had flinched and moved away, getting up from her seat and excusing herself, to go and be with her father, doing her hardest not to think about what might happen later that evening. But even recalling the way Diego had looked at her, and the feel of his hand against her skin, made her shudder slightly.

She didn't realise in trying to blank out the recollection, how hard she had squeezed her father's hand. The pressure was enough to make him stir and open his eyes, to see her sitting next to him looking a little fraught.

"Alise," he spoke her name in concern, his mind was still a little muddled about the events since he had been shot, drifting in and out of consciousness, but somewhere in the background he had been aware of a sense of danger to himself and his daughter, that things were not right, and he needed to survive whatever had happened to him, because Alise needed him, "What has happened? are you alright?"