“Then I’ll see all of you at dinner tonight.”
Fausta shook her head. “I’ll be eating in town with Mia.”
Her best friend, Mia, a nurse at the Hospital of the Three Crosses, was on Fausta’s fund-raising committee. But Fausta was spending more and more time in town with her. Donetta figured there was a compelling reason why she hadn’t been around much lately. Fausta continued to meet new men along with Mia, and Donetta had promised to keep it a secret from their parents.
In turmoil over Enrico’s disappearance from her life and now her parents’ insistence that she marry Arnaud, Donetta gave her parents a kiss and left the dining room.
Dispirited, she headed to the south wing of the fifteenth-century palace, where all the offices were located. She had her own office next to the room where their legislature met. But she was often away from the palace doing fund-raising and goodwill tours.
When she was gone, she relied on her secretary, Talia, to run the daily business, bring in the mail and do odd jobs in her absence. Talia, a married brunette in her thirties with two children, nodded to her as she entered the room.
“You’ve received something important in the mail this morning. It’s stamped top priority and it’s from the country of Vallefiore, Your Highness.”
CHAPTER TWO
JUST HEARING THE name Vallefiore brought Donetta close to a faint. Since seeing her last month, had Enrico decided to write to her anyway? Why? After his cruel silence over the years, did he think she’d welcome a letter at this late date?
But her curiosity got the best of her and her hand trembled as she reached for the envelope. It took a moment before the pounding of her heart calmed down. After sitting in her swivel chair, she noticed it had been addressed to Princess Donetta Rossiano of the Domodossola National Equestrian Association. Donetta had been in charge of it since she’d stopped performing at twenty-one.
Inside was an official invitation from Prince Giovanni di Montedoro, head of the Vallefiore National Equestrian Association.
Not Enrico?
Her heart fell.
Prince Giovanni was always at the concorsos with their federation, but until last month she’d never seen Enrico with him since their competitive days. This invitation was announcing an international concorso covering the last two days of August, a month from now.
She, along with other invited royals, was to be a special guest of King Nuncio and Queen Teodora, and sit in their box for the events, followed by dinner and a spectacular fireworks presentation by the lake.
Donetta was absolutely amazed. Their country had never sponsored a concorso before. Once again her heart pounded unnaturally hard as she took in the information. Entrants from ten to twenty-one years of age would be competing in the capital city of Saracene, the location of the royal palace.
Her thoughts went back to her first competition in England at the age of ten. Donetta had won all the events in her age group on her British thoroughbred, Luna, a young mare her father had purchased for her. Luna’s pedigree dated back to Eclipse, the famous race horse from the Windsor Great Park era. How she’d loved that horse and Enrico’s!
She’d found out Enrico rode a fabulous Sanfratellano horse from his country, a breed that had existed in some form for centuries. In the Middle Ages the Arabian breed became popular among the Norman nobility, having been preferred by the Saracens who ruled Sicily and other nearby islands like Vallefiore until the eleventh century.
Enrico rode a high-spirited horse from that breed, which in past times could bear the weight of a fully armored knight. In the mountainous islands of the Ionian Sea region, he’d told her, a battle horse’s strength was often more important than a lighter horse’s speed.
Receiving this invitation from Enrico just after leaving the dining room where her parents had begged her to give Arnaud a chance to settle on an official engagement pained her terribly. Did Enrico want to apologize to her this badly? She didn’t get it.
Memories ran through her mind. That day when he’d helped her down from her horse because they’d been riding bareback, he’d pulled her into his arms and kissed her so thoroughly she’d never wanted him to stop.
It had been the thrill of her young life and his image had been burned into her heart and memory. But apparently that moment hadn’t meant the same thing to him. Kiss the lovesick girl and sow his wild oats before settling down with Valentina, was that it?
Maybe he’d fallen for someone else he’d met at the university. Or possibly some beauty he’d come across during his travels. Or maybe the answer lay in the simple fact that his youthful, heated feelings for her had abated and he hadn’t wanted to take that two-week vacation with her after all.
Donetta would always have questions that would eat her alive if she didn’t learn the truth. Maybe she’d get the answers if she attended this concorso.
“Talia? Will you please send a message to Prince Giovanni that our equestrian association plans to accept. There’s no time like today to start contacting the association staff and participants from around the country to make travel and lodging arrangements.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Donetta’s thoughts were running wild. While she was in Vallefiore, she would purchase a Sanfratellano horse for herself and have it shipped home. Besides the king and queen, some of the Montedoro royal family would probably be present at the events. She knew they had two married daughters. Would Enrico also be there to explain his behavior?
He was twenty-seven now. She was surprised he hadn’t married Valentina yet. Donetta had always thought he was the most attractive man in the world. No male of her acquaintance ever sat a horse as magnificently. She appreciated beauty in any form.
Before seeing him in Spain she’d lodged some unkind thoughts about him. He’d fallen off the pedestal she’d put him on. But she’d had to scratch her negative thoughts when he’d said he’d come to Spain expressly to see her and apologize.
To make things harder for her, he’d dressed in chinos and a silky brown sports shirt, leaving her breathless. How on earth was she ever going to get him out of her system?
She decided it was a good thing Arnaud would be coming to dinner tomorrow evening to help her deal with what she’d only been able to consider as Enrico’s rejection of her.
Her mom was right that Arnaud was handsome in that certain French way. It was long past time she put thoughts of Enrico away for good and accepted the inevitability of marrying Arnaud, who’d been actively pursuing her.
“Talia? I have some shopping to do, but I’ll check back with you later.” Donetta decided to buy a new dress and shoes. It had been a while.
Apparently her effort didn’t go unappreciated. At dinner the next night, Arnaud whispered, “I’ve never seen you look so incroyable. That lovely green dress matches your eyes. I can’t stop looking at you, ma belle.”
“Thank you, Arnaud. You’re quite a sight yourself.”
He did look pretty amazing in his evening clothes. They wandered out on the terrace off the large dining room after dessert and talked several hours. “You have to know why I’m here. Will you marry me, Donetta?”
She lifted her head. The time for truth had come. “Can you look me in the eye and tell me you’re in love with me? You know what I mean. The kind of heart-wrenching love that leaves you breathless and aching inside until nothing else matters in this world?”
He searched her eyes for a long moment before he said, “Why do I get the feeling you’ve known a love like that?”
She fought not to look away while her guilty heart pounded with sickening speed. “I get the feeling you haven’t known a love like that yet, or you would have married her without your parents’ consent.”
The silence convicted both of them.
“Thank you for being honest with me, Arnaud. I do love you for that. Maybe we can make a go of an arranged mar
riage and children based on a mutual liking and fondness for each other.”
“Donetta—”
“Let me finish. I know you like me, and I care for you. But this is the problem of being born to royal parents. They are pressuring you to marry and they’ve picked me. My parents want me to marry you and have wanted it for a long time. This has been planned and wished for on both sides for years. Though I’ve liked you better than any of the men who’ve made proposals, it isn’t love.”
Up to the point that Enrico’s letters had stopped coming, Donetta had remained resolute in her determination that the two of them had been in love. To her consternation, she feared she’d been deluding herself.
“It can grow into love,” Arnaud murmured, breaking into her painful thoughts. “I want you to come to Haute Vienne next weekend. There’s so much to show you, and we’ll talk. Hopefully you’ll fall in love with my home and like me better. Let’s find out if we can see our way clear to announce our engagement.”
Donetta had to admit she was touched. He was sincere and truly a wonderful man. If she broke her own rule and decided to marry since her desire to be queen of Domodossola was hopeless, Arnaud would be the perfect choice for a husband and father of her children. Forget Enrico.
He gripped her hand tighter. “Donetta? Will you come next weekend?”
She closed her eyes. Why not? “Yes, I’ll be happy to come. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Ma chère,” he said in an unsteady voice and pulled her into his arms to kiss her.
She responded to him, waiting for the magic she’d felt when Enrico had hungrily kissed her. But there was no comparison and never could be. She wasn’t in love with Arnaud, nor he with her.
Donetta was now a grown woman who’d become somewhat distrustful and cynical after seeing Enrico’s picture in the media with other women. She’d also heard rumors of a possible marriage with Valentina.
As for Donetta, she’d been a starry-eyed twenty-one-year-old whose heart had been full of Enrico. But she shouldn’t expect to be in that insane condition ever again.
* * *
A month later, Enrico rode out early on Friday morning to the Vallefiore National Airport in one limo, Giovanni in another. His staff from the palace were meeting the planes flying in with the contestants and their horses from Domodossola and other countries. They would take them to their lodgings so that Enrico and his cousin were free to meet the royal jet.
He hadn’t slept all night in his excitement to see Donetta again. The August concorso hadn’t come soon enough for him. After installing her at the palace, he wouldn’t leave her side during the day’s events. Tonight after dinner and fireworks for everyone along the lake’s waterfront, he would whisk her away for an overnight campout on the island in his Land Rover.
Enrico had done all the packing and preparations ahead of time. Her associates would take care of Domodossola’s participation in the competition, while he enjoyed all day today and tomorrow with her in private.
As the jet taxied to a stop, Giovanni got out of his limo and greeted the two male staff deplaning first. Donetta would be next.
In his official capacity as crown prince, Enrico exited the limo in his white royal summer suit with the blue sash from shoulder to waist. He watched at the bottom of the stairs as she started to descend. But when she saw him, she faltered for an instant before coming all the way.
Between her pale pink three-piece skirt suit and her hair, he was dazzled. Talk about a vision. His hope that she’d come had been realized.
“Donetta? May I be the first to welcome you to my country.”
“Thank you, Enrico.” She smiled. “I didn’t expect to see you again. On behalf of my country, we’re happy to be here for this concorso.”
He reached for her hand to kiss the back of it. “If you’ll come with me, we’ll drive to the palace, where you can freshen up before the first events in dressage begin at ten a.m.”
“My secretary said that my staff and I were booked at the Montedoro Lake Front Hotel.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I had you installed at the palace. This is the first time I’ve been able to show you around. In truth I’ve wanted this opportunity since I finished my university studies, but my father’s poor health changed my world.
“I couldn’t tell you about it in my letters because I’d made a promise to my mother to keep silent. She feared word would get out about him. I’m sure it has, but there’s been no mention of it in the press yet. She has wanted him protected for as long as possible. Seeing you again, I know I can trust you not to say anything to your staff.”
They walked to the limo where the chauffeur helped both of them inside and shut the door. He sat next to her as they drove off.
“I had no idea your father was ill. What’s wrong with him?”
He glanced at her lovely profile. “He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s right before my graduation.”
“Oh, no—”
“No one except our personal staff knew the truth at the time. Since my return, I’ve been running the country more and more. Sadly, his condition is now severe.”
A small gasp escaped her throat. “Is he bedridden?”
“No. His caregiver gets him dressed and sees that he’s fed. Mostly he sits in a wheelchair near Mamma. He has a total lack of awareness and can’t take care of his daily activities. Besides agitation, he occasionally has a hallucination and even wanders at times. His paranoia is worse and he doesn’t know the family.”
Donetta turned to him. “How horrible. I’m so sorry, Enrico.”
Her sincerity tugged on his emotions. “My mother and sisters can hardly bear it. He’s Mamma’s whole life.”
“So she’s been totally dependent on you since you came home?”
He nodded.
Donetta bowed her head. “The people in my country don’t know about my father’s heart trouble, either. Our family is worried about him, but at least he knows us and still has help from Stefano in running things. How do you handle it?”
“A day at a time. After seeing you in Madrid, I talked it over with my cousin Giovanni to host a concorso here. I’d hoped you’d come so I could explain certain things to you. I’ve needed to take a few days off for some real enjoyment.”
She smoothed her suit skirt. “I’ll admit I was surprised when my office received your invitation.”
“I, for one, am very glad you decided to accept it. When we were younger, you asked me a lot of questions about the Sanfratellano horses. I thought I’d take you to some places where they run wild and you can see them for yourself.”
“I’d love it!” She’d said it without hesitation.
“After this evening’s fireworks we’ll drive to that part of the island and camp out so you can watch them at first light.”
“In tents?” He felt her excitement, which was contagious.
“Or in sleeping bags under the stars. I’ll bring food for us. What do you think?”
“You’ve made it impossible for me to turn you down.”
That was the idea.
* * *
Donetta’s eyes widened as they came in sight of the fabulous Montedoro palace, which was reflective of the Mudejar and Renaissance décors of former times. An enchanting garden and pools lined in beautiful azulejos tiles took her breath away. The Moors and Romans had left traces of their cultures behind.
Enrico accompanied her up the steps into the south wing and walked her to her apartment on the second floor, where her luggage had been placed. He left her at the door. “There’s a tray of food for you if you’re hungry. I’ll be back for you in twenty minutes and we’ll leave for the stand at the exhibition grounds.”
“Thank you, Enrico.”
When he left, she rested against the closed door, trying to get a grip on her emotions. Hearing some of the details of his life s
ince college had told her how wrong she’d been in her thinking about him, and it had left her shaken.
She looked up at the intricate fretwork ceiling reminiscent of those at the Alhambra in Spain, where she’d been recently. Awestruck by such beauty, she wandered over to the arched Moorish windows that overlooked a pool in the inner courtyard. This was Enrico’s home.
Seeing such a gorgeous man standing at the foot of the stairs outside her plane a little while ago, dressed in royal whites, had almost given her a heart attack. When she’d decided to come to Vallefiore, she hadn’t been sure she would even see him.
From the moment she’d caught sight of his black hair and tall, fit physique, nothing had unfolded the way she’d imagined. For one thing, she’d learned he was acting king now. All the power and authority rested on his shoulders, but if anyone could handle it, he could.
To think he’d spent the last five years supporting his father and family at a time of great sorrow for all of them had changed her thinking.
Confused and conflicted by some of her earlier negative thoughts about him not being sincere, she freshened up and then walked into the Moorish-inspired sitting room to eat. There was juice, coffee, mint tea, rolls and pastries, sugared almonds, anything you could want.
Enrico had gone all out for her. Why would he do this now and stage a concorso to see her? Did he think she was so angry that only an invitation like this could bring her here? But to go to so much trouble didn’t make sense. In truth, she didn’t understand his motives.
A knock on the outer door caused her to jump. She finished her last bite of roll, reached for her purse and hurried to let him in.
His black eyes played over her in the same way they’d done before, when they’d stayed in the rental car, wanting to hold on to each other the night before having to say goodbye. It had sent heat through her body then, too. “Are you ready, or do you need more time?”
Donetta couldn’t get over how devastatingly attractive he was. It was hard to breathe. “I’d like to go so we won’t be late for the entrants in the ten-year-olds’ division. I’ll never forget my first performance and how nervous I was.”
The Prince's Forbidden Bride (The Princess Brides Book 2) Page 4