AFTER LEAVING HIS parents’ apartment, Enrico raced to his in the other part of the palace. He needed to talk to Donetta. On his way, he got a phone call from his cousin. He clicked on, trying to keep his emotions under control after the long, disturbing talk with his mother and Leopold.
“Giovanni? I presume you know everything.”
“I’m afraid I know more than you do.”
“What do you mean?”
“The guard outside the entrance to your wing of the palace phoned to let me know Donetta left the palace in the middle of the night in a taxi.”
No! His body broke out in a cold sweat.
“Her bodyguards followed her to the airport and confirmed she flew out on the royal jet from Domodossola. I contacted their country’s police to put a bodyguard on her the moment she landed. A few minutes ago they confirmed that she had arrived and was picked up by Princess Fausta, who also has security.”
Enrico reeled. That was all he needed to hear. “Thank you for all you’ve done. I should never have left her while I tried to talk sense to Leopold and Mamma. It accomplished nothing.”
“Hold on. I’m coming to your apartment now so we can talk without anyone listening in on our phone conversation.”
By the time his cousin burst into the apartment, Enrico was in agony. The two stared at each other.
“I should never have told Donetta she could share the throne with me, Giovanni. After what I learned tonight, Leo said that the leaders of the cabinet would give me a no-confidence vote if I had her rule with me. It could be the end of my rule, too, and throw our country into utter chaos.”
“You’ll have to listen to them, Enrico. Our country needs you at the helm. The problem is, they’re not ready for a modern world.”
“Apparently not. It isn’t as if I’d proposed changing the rules of succession!”
“The problem is, no wife of a sovereign of Vallefiore has ever shared the throne. It’s never been done.”
“Then something needs to change, Giovanni. We no longer live in the age of dinosaurs.”
“Not changing the rules has kept the monarchy strong.”
“So strong that the cabinet’s rejection and Mamma’s have done irreparable personal damage to my wife. Mamma’s insisting on a divorce, which is out of the question. Donetta married me after I made her the promise that she would rule as queen in her own right.
“It’s something she’s wanted all her life. I thought I could make her dream a reality. As your informant once told you, Donetta stayed single all these years because she wanted to change the laws of Domodossola and be queen.
“When she realized she could never do away with the rules of succession in her country, she grabbed the chance I offered her. I believed I could work a miracle. Donetta trusted me enough that she walked out on Arnaud because of what I could do for her.
“I have to be honest with myself. It may have not been a lie, but my marriage proposal was made on shaky ground and now I’m paying for it. But I’m not about to lose her, because I love her too much. I told Mamma I would never divorce her.”
“How can I help?”
“Giovanni, will you fly to Domodossola right now in the jet and bring her back? I know how her mind works. She’ll tell me she’ll agree to a divorce. Say whatever you have to in order to bring her back with you.”
“I’m on my way, but don’t you want to go?”
“I can’t if I’m going to get everything ready in time. I’ve made plans that I pray will convince her I can’t live without her. When you reach the airport, drive her as far as the road leading down to the waterfall where we had our honeymoon.”
“Good news, cousin. The tent is still there, being guarded. I haven’t had time to see about dismantling it yet. Now I’m glad I haven’t.”
“That makes two of us. I’ll be there waiting.”
“Now you’re talking.”
“When this is over, I’m going to repay you for being the best friend a man could ever hope to have and give you the long vacation you deserve and anything else your heart desires.”
* * *
When the limo reached the palace, Fausta asked the driver to take her around to the side entrance closest to her apartment. Donetta hurried inside with her and they closeted themselves in her bedroom. Before long their parents would hear that Donetta had arrived, but for the time being they were free to talk.
She checked her phone. By now Enrico had to know she’d flown here, but he hadn’t phoned or texted her yet. Still, it was early in the day. All she could do was hope that by her leaving Vallefiore, he’d be free to do what he had to do as crown prince.
“Sit down and talk to me, Donetta. Was it really so terrible with his mother?”
“You can’t imagine. She was unfriendly the first time I was introduced to her at the concorso. It grew worse from that time on. After Lia told me about his talk with her last night, I had to leave.
“I was afraid that the very sight of me was too much for his mother to handle. She was taken by surprise from the very beginning. I love Enrico so terribly and can’t bear it that I’ve come between them.”
“From what you’ve told me, she was already upset because he never wanted to marry Valentina.”
“The whole thing’s a nightmare, Fausta. I’ll give him a divorce if that’s what is needed.” While Donetta stood there with tears gushing down her cheeks, her cell phone rang. “Maybe that’s Enrico—”
She pulled it out of her purse and checked the caller ID. “It’s Giovanni. At least he’s calling me.”
Fausta watched her as she answered. “Put it on speaker.”
Donetta nodded. “Giovanni?”
“Can you talk?” He sounded so anxious her heart plunged to the floor.
“Yes! I guess you know I just arrived here in Domodossola. My sister Fausta is with me. Is Enrico all right? I love him so much and have been hoping, waiting for him to call.”
She heard him expel a deep sigh. “I have a better idea. I’m on my way in the jet right now to bring you back on Enrico’s orders. Then you can talk to him yourself. Be at the airport in an hour.”
“But Giovanni—”
“There’s no time to talk.”
She heard the click and looked at Fausta.
Her sister was smiling. “You ran out on your husband and it didn’t fix anything. Now he’s searching for you. If I were you, I’d take a quick shower, grab a bite to eat and let me drive you back to the airport with your bags.”
“I’m frightened, Fausta.”
“Have a little faith, sister. I’m afraid if you don’t show up with Giovanni, your husband will send reinforcements and it could get uglier than even you dreamed.”
* * *
Enrico checked his watch. Eleven o’clock in the morning. He’d arrived at the camp behind the guys who’d trailed the horses and would take care of them. He waited on his stallion for the sight of Giovanni’s car on the mountain road.
Donetta’s saddled mare stood next to them with the reins in Enrico’s hands. After Donetta arrived, they would ride down to the camp together. It would give him the chance he needed to tell her he would choose her above his kingdom. She was all he wanted.
Earlier this morning, with the help of his sisters, he’d prevailed on his mother to accept his marriage to Donetta, but there’d be no more talk of her ruling equally with him. In his heart Enrico planned that one day he could give Donetta the prize she’d always hoped for. That time would come.
His heart leaped when he saw the blue car round the bend. Giovanni pulled up to the side of the road where Enrico was waiting. Donetta got out of the car. The first thing he saw were those shimmering light green eyes clapped on him in stunned surprise.
“I don’t blame you for wanting to run away, amata. Thank heaven you came back.” He waved to Giovanni, who reciprocated before returning to the city. “Mahbouba is waiting for you.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. Giovanni was so mysterious about where we were going.”
“My cousin was only carrying out my wishes. I couldn’t believe it when you weren’t in our apartment earlier, but all our troubles are over now. Let’s ride.”
Enrico watched her mount with a grace that was thrilling to watch. They started to make their way through the trees. “Tell me something, bellissima. Why didn’t you wait for me?”
His question stunned her. “Surely you must know! I wanted to ease the tension with your mother and decided that getting away from the palace was the only thing to do. I’ve come between you and her in the most terrible way possible and thought it best to give you the space to work things out with her.”
A groan came out of him. “Lia told me what she told you. Don’t you know I couldn’t handle it if you ever left me?”
“But your mother despises me.”
“My mother isn’t your problem, Donetta. Our marriage is all we need to worry about.”
She gripped the reins so tight it hurt her hand. “That’s not true. She’s been hurt so badly it’s killing me.”
“I think we’re talking at cross-purposes here.”
Donetta frowned. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Answer me one question. Why did you marry me?”
“Do you really have to ask me that?” she cried.
“Just tell me.”
“Because I loved you from the moment we met years ago. When you told me you were planning to get married, too, and then admitted that I was the woman, I almost died from happiness.”
“So it didn’t have anything to do with my telling you that I would make you queen in your own right after we were married?”
What? “Of course it didn’t! I wanted to be your wife, period! That’s the only reason I flew here the next day! Why would you say such a thing?”
“Because a friend of Giovanni’s, who happens to be friend of your sister Fausta’s, told him that you never intended to marry. He said it was because you wanted to be queen of Domodossola one day and didn’t want a husband.”
Donetta let out a cry. “It wouldn’t have been Mia Giancarlo, would it?”
“She’s the one. After I saw you in Madrid, I told my cousin I was in love with you and wanted to marry you. He told me I was out of luck. He said that the only reason you were still single was because you wanted to be queen in your own right. You didn’t want a husband. When I heard that, I loved you so much I didn’t let that stop me and I vowed to find a way to get you to marry me.”
Right now Donetta’s heart was pounding so hard it actually hurt. “That’s why you told me you would make me queen?”
“The only reason! But when I invited you to Vallefiore and you said you were going to marry Arnaud, I was devastated. Still, I refused to give up. When you were getting on the jet to fly home, I gave it one last stab, hoping you would be persuaded to marry me and not leave.”
“I almost didn’t!” she cried.
“After you flew off, I never dreamed you’d change your mind. I’m surprised I didn’t go into cardiac arrest when Giovanni phoned and told me you’d returned to Vallefiore.”
“Oh, Enrico—” Now she understood why he’d talked about what a great leader she would make. Fausta had been right. Enrico had been saying everything he could to show her he loved her!
“Tell me the truth, amata. Are you hurt because I can’t make you a queen after all?”
They’d reached the camp. Donetta jumped off her horse and tied it to a tree before wheeling around. She looked at Enrico, who’d started to dismount.
“I gave up the dream of being a queen a long time ago. It was a foolish, stupid, unrealistic idea I developed as a girl that could never have happened. When you told me I could reign equally with you, I had trouble believing it. But I was so thrilled you wanted to marry me that I was happy to do anything I could to help you, if that’s what you wanted.”
Enrico let out a groan and hurried over to her, wrapping her in his arms. “This whole misunderstanding is my fault for believing the gossip about you, Donetta.”
She shook her head. “If anyone is to blame, it’s I. Fausta grew up with me and knew my feelings when I was young. She didn’t mean to tell Mia. I’m the one who should never have said anything so foolish.
“But Mia has a brother who had a crush on me and knew I’d never give him the time of day. I know that’s why she told her brother about my vow so he’d stop hoping for a chance with me.”
“Donetta—” The revelations were flying fast and furious. “This news changes everything.” He kissed her every feature. “Do you hear me, my love?”
“Yes. Oh, yes! But, darling, your mother needs to know that I’ve never tried to manipulate you. The only thing I plan to do is love you and our babies, if we’re so lucky to have them. If she’ll let me, I’ll love her, too.”
“You’ll win her over, Donetta. I know you will.”
“When I tell my parents that you tried to make my childhood dream come true, they’ll love you all the more. But no one could love you the way I do. It’s not possible.”
Once again he picked her up in his arms and carried her inside the tent. For the next two hours they tried without success to assuage their desire, renewing their vows in the most elemental way.
He pulled her on top of him. “Promise me you’ll never leave me again.”
“I promise.”
“Much as I want to have another long honeymoon with you, we need to get back to the palace. Mamma needs to know we have a solid marriage and nothing will hurt us.”
“I love you so much, Enrico, and need to let her know how I feel.”
Two hours later they were back in their apartment at the palace where she could shower and change into her pink suit. She wanted to look her best for Queen Teodora.
Enrico had arranged for them and Giovanni to eat an early dinner in the small dining room. He felt that the element of surprise when the three of them showed up would work in their favor.
The queen was already seated at the table, dressed in a lovely blue suit. Her dark brown eyes flashed in anger when she saw Donetta and Giovanni enter the room at Enrico’s side. There was no sign of the king.
“Your Majesty.” Donetta curtsied before Enrico helped her to a seat around the other side. “Is the king not well today?”
“He’s never well and doesn’t have his dinner until later.”
“Zia Teodora?” Giovanni began. “We have something of vital importance to share with you. So does Princess Donetta.”
Her jaw hardened. “I heard you’d flown to Domodossola during the night.”
“I did.”
“But I brought her back on the royal jet,” Giovanni explained. “The drastic situation required drastic measures in order to restore peace and understanding.”
Donetta was holding her breath. Enrico gripped her hand.
“Thank you for accommodating us, Zia. What I have to tell you will change your perspective on everything.”
After they were served dinner and coffee, Giovanni began. “My story starts when Enrico confided that he’d been in love with Donetta ever since their first concorso in England seventeen years ago. He kept his secret until we came home from Madrid about six weeks ago. That’s the first time I’d heard that he’d been wanting to marry her since college. But I’m afraid I said something to him that presented a challenge.”
In the next instant Donetta listened while Giovanni laid everything out for his aunt so there could be no misunderstanding. “When Enrico made his speech to the cabinet, he was fulfilling his promise to Donetta, who never wanted to rule equally with him.”
The queen’s expression underwent a fundamental change. “I still don’t understand.”
Donetta broke in and told her about her childhood dream to be queen of Domodossola one day. “My sister knew how I felt and shared it with her friend, who happens to be a friend of Giovanni’s.”
He nodded. “I told Enrico he would never be able to marry Donetta because she didn’t intend to marry. She wanted to be queen in her own right.”
“It was a ridiculous, foolish dream I gave up on a long time ago,” Donetta explained. “When Arnaud pursued me and wanted to marry me, I knew I didn’t love him. But if we had children, I knew it would bring me happiness. The trouble was, I had always loved Enrico and had waited in vain for a proposal from him.”
Enrico spoke up. “When she came to our concorso, she let me know she planned to go home and tell Arnaud she would marry him. I proposed anyway. To influence her even more, I told her she could rule equally with me. Until this morning when I told her the truth, Donetta had no idea I had ever heard the gossip about her.”
“You can’t imagine my joy that Enrico loved me, Your Majesty,” Donetta cried. “I told Arnaud it was over with us. Even if Enrico changed his mind about me, I knew I would never love anyone but him.”
The queen sat back in the chair, her eyes dim with thoughts. “This explains why you could never get interested in Valentina, my son. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me and your father.”
Donetta broke in. “I didn’t tell my parents about him, either. I would have if he’d kept on writing and wanted to see me. But there was never a word. My sister Fausta knew how I felt, but she never said anything.”
Enrico’s mother looked at her with sadness. “My husband was struggling so much at the time. When Enrico came home and took over, it was like a godsend. I can see now that I leaned on him too much and had too many expectations that didn’t give him any free time.”
Donetta smiled at her. “I just want you to know that I would have done whatever he asked. But now that I know everything, I have no plan to run the government with him, even if you and the cabinet were to allow it. Please convey that message to them.
“The truth is, I’m just so happy to be Enrico’s wife that it’s all I want, except to hope that one day you will learn to accept me a little bit. He loves you and his father more than you know.”
The queen sat straighter in her chair. “It’s very evident he’s found the love of his life. I hope that one day you’ll be able to forgive me for the ungracious way I have treated you.”
Donetta felt her eyes smart. “There’s nothing to forgive. My biggest worry is that Enrico will not forgive me for leaving.”
“You know I have.” Enrico kissed her cheek. “And my gratitude to Giovanni for helping us knows no bounds.”
Queen Teodora patted Giovanni’s arm. “He’s my second son and I love him like my own. When his parents lost their lives in a plane accident, he became one of the family and has been a blessing.”
Donetta smiled. “I can believe that. I love him, too.”
After they’d finished their meal, Enrico got up and walked over to his mother. “Why don’t we go check on Papà?”
“I’d like that.”
“Donetta? I’ll see you back at our apartment in a little while.”
“Take all the time you need.” Both Giovanni and Donetta got to their feet. “Thank you for letting me talk to you, Your Majesty.”
The queen actually smiled at her. “Call me Mamma.”
Donetta left the dining room with Giovanni, who looked over at her. “I hope you realize my aunt just welcomed you to the family.”
She nodded. “I’m still overcome that she has forgiven me.”
“Beneath that exterior she has a heart of gold. But where Valentina was concerned, she had a soft spot. However, I’m afraid the princess no longer holds first place in her heart.”
Donetta smiled at him. “Have you ever been interested in Valentina?”
“No, but there is one woman I’ve had my eye on for a couple of years. It’s hopeless, of course.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because it’s your sister.”
“Fausta?” she cried out in surprise.
“I met her in Paris. But I gave up on pursuing her when I heard the gossip about her.” He flashed Donetta a glance. “Is it possible that by now she has given up the dream of marrying a commoner?”
What she’d give to have Giovanni for a brother-in-law! “I’m afraid not, or I’d throw her at you.” He laughed that rich laugh, sounding so much like Enrico her heart hurt. “We’re going to have to find you a woman you can’t live without.”
“Please do.”
It was her turn to laugh.
“Do you know my cousin went through a period where he wished he hadn’t been born royal? He eventually got over it.”
“He told me about that. Would it surprise you to know my brother-in-law Stefano disliked being royal and was legally exempt for a decade? But that changed when his brother died and he married Lanza.”
“Are they happy?”
“Ecstatic. But Fausta is different. She likes being royal and believes that if she marries a commoner, they’ll have such an unusual, interesting marriage they’ll always be in love. It’s that unknown element separating the classes she believes is missing from many marriages, royal or otherwise.”
“Her mind is as fascinating as yours.”
“Mine doesn’t match hers. When we were little, Mamma would read fairy tales to us. After she turned out the light and left the room, the three of us would discuss them for hours.
“Lanza loved Cinderella the most, where life would be perfect. Fausta loved The Twelve Dancing Princesses. She would speculate that instead of meeting a dumb prince, she would meet a commoner, which was much more exciting and dangerous.”
He laughed. “What was your favorite?”
“I didn’t have one because something was missing in all of them. So I wrote my own about a good queen who ran her country beautifully without any help.”
“You’re an original, Donetta Rossiano. So is Enrico.”
She gave him a hug. “You’re the best, Giovanni. Marrying Enrico, I’ve gained a brother. There isn’t anything we wouldn’t do for you.”
“I’ll remember that.” He hugged her back.
They parted and went different ways. She returned to the apartment to wait for Enrico. He came in two minutes after.
“Donetta?” He swung her around. “We’re going back to our camp. I need time alone with you away from the palace. Pack what you need and let’s get going.”
Life with Enrico was one of total excitement. She threw a few things together and they left in the Jaguar. She looked up at the sky. It was semi-cloudy and she could tell the clouds were gathering. Donetta wouldn’t be surprised if there was a rainstorm by dark.
* * *
After they reached the mountains, there was still some sun. They changed into their swimming gear and walked out on the sandbar. So much had happened since the moment Enrico had left their apartment last evening that she could hardly believe it.
He leaned over her to give her a long, sensuous kiss. “This afternoon we achieved détente.”
“Incredible, isn’t it? She told me to call her Mamma.”
“I knew she would in time.”
“Did you honestly think that dangling the ‘queen’ carrot in front of me was what it took for me to say yes to you?”
Enrico let out a deep sigh. “I didn’t know, but I wasn’t about to take the chance of losing you if it would convince you to say yes to me.”
“When you kissed me the first time, my sixteen-year-old heart knew I wanted to marry you. If you’d asked me to visit you at Cambridge, I would have been on the next plane and never gone home.”
“Donetta—”
“It’s true. Yesterday was a revelation to me when you introduced me to the leadership in your office. In my naivety growing up, I thought that changing the law of succession in Domodossola would be a snap and all I had to do was get my father to present it to the legislature.
“But with every word of that speech you gave your legislature, I saw their shock and consternation, not just your mother’s. For the first time I understood for myself that you don’t change a law that has run a country like yours or my family’s for centuries without bringing on a civil war. That’s what would have happened with your cabinet.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you for trying to do that for me? But I don’t want to run your country with you. I never did! What I want to do is be there with you and for you when you need me.
“I’ll always help you in any way I can, but you’re the acting king. Your people love and respect you like I do. The only reason I married you is because I love you. Can we start over again, amore mio?”
At this point Enrico was having trouble taking this all in. He had no words, only love he needed to lavish on her. He took her inside and followed her down on the bed where he could devour her. His sweet, passionate wife showed him so much love that by the time they became aware of their surroundings hours later, the rain had started.
“It’s a good thing we came in when we did and missed the cloudburst,” he whispered against her throat.
She burrowed against him. “There’s been another kind of burst in here. I’m so in love with you. There’s no one like you in this whole world and I can’t do enough to show you how I feel.”
He crushed her to him. “I owe Giovanni for bringing us together so fast.”
“I love him. We have to do something wonderful for him.”
“Tomorrow we’ll go back and free him of all responsibilities for a good month. We have an apartment in London where he can stay. He has friends there he enjoys.”
“Girls, too, I hope.”
“Of course. There was one I know he liked. What he needs is the chance to get something going with her.”
“I agree.”
“Right now I need the rest of the night to believe that you’ve come back to me. Give me a minute to raid the cooler. We need something to eat before I have my way with you again.”
Her laughter was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
Donetta was in their apartment getting ready when Lanza and Fausta knocked on the door and came in.
“Oh—” They both gasped in awe at the same time.
“Your coronation gown is perfection itself,” Lanza cried out.
“It’s the same gown I was married in. Enrico asked me to wear it, but we had it altered to add the train.”
“You look like Cinderella at the ball.”
The reference to Cinderella made her smile, reminding her of a certain conversation with Giovanni. “Do you have any idea how much I envy you? You look adorable pregnant. I bet Stefano can’t keep his hands off you.”
“Donetta—”
Fausta laughed. “I was just about to say the same thing. This is one exciting day.” She turned to Donetta. “You do look incredible, sister dear. Enrico will be speechless when he sees you. Only a woman with your coloring and figure could possibly carry it off. Forgive me if I say you look like a queen?”
They all laughed at the insider joke. “Thank you, but I’m the one who’ll lose it when we walk down the aisle and Enrico is crowned king. Honestly, he’s so gorgeous in his ceremonial suit I die every time I look at him. I’m just thankful his mother decided the coronation could take place.”
Lanza eyed her with concern. “Is his father worse?”
“He’s slowly failing physically, but I believe she’s trying to make up for the way she treated Enrico when we first got married.”
Fausta smiled. “I take it all is well now.”
“Things couldn’t be better. Guess what? Giovanni told me a secret. He said Enrico made another speech to his cabinet that he was so in love with me that he’d wanted to impress me and give me power I didn’t have. They all laughed, thinking it was a great joke. They’ll never know what we’ve been through, but that’s all right because everything is running beautifully.”
Lanza opened the door of the apartment for her. “We’d better go downstairs to the limo, Donetta. Your husband will be waiting for you at the cathedral.”
As the three of them left, Fausta said, “To think there was a time when you didn’t want to get married.”
“Don’t remind me. I can’t believe I was ever that stupid. While this subject is under discussion, maybe you should reexamine your desire to marry a commoner.”
“Why did you just say that?”
“I don’t know. Remember the old adage? Be careful what you wish for.”
“Donetta—”
“Don’t mind me. I’m so happy I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“Shall we go?”
Within minutes the limo whisked them away to the cathedral.
Donetta was stunned by its beauty. She could hear the organ and choir as they entered the doors. While her sisters joined their mother inside, Donetta joined her father.
He wore his ceremonial dress suit and sash, looking kingly and splendid as always. She was afraid he was worn out, but he seemed to be handling all the festivities very well.
They walked arm in arm down the aisle toward the cardinal in his red robes. The grandeur of these surroundings made the experience surreal.
Their families were seated on carved chairs on one side, facing the aisle. Queen Teodora wore a cream-colored gown. Next to her, King Nuncio sat in his wheelchair. He was dressed in his ceremonial finery and no longer wore a cast. Enrico’s sisters sat by him, along with their husbands and Prince Giovanni.
Donetta’s mother wore blue chiffon. Her sisters were dressed in their lavender gowns. Lanza sat close to her handsome husband, Stefano. They all looked spectacular.
Holding on to her father, Donetta walked to the front, where King Victor helped her to sit in the carved chair next to the one Enrico would occupy. Then he took his seat next to her mother.
Enrico came in through a side door at the front to join her. He was dressed in his ceremonial navy blue suit with gold epaulets on the shoulders and his light blue sash. If Donetta were the type to swoon from such unmatchable male beauty—an old-fashioned word—she would have fallen at his feet in a white lace heap.
Today her husband was being proclaimed king. He looked so handsome and splendid she could hardly breathe. How blessed was she to be his wife and lover. No woman could be as insanely in love as she was.
Enrico’s black eyes met hers and flashed. He knew exactly what was running through her private thoughts, and she blushed.
Like in everything he did, Enrico had been thoughtful, asking the cardinal to keep the coronation short enough to accommodate both their fathers, who shouldn’t have to endure anything lengthy.
She’d learned that the cardinal was an old friend of their family, eager to comply with Enrico’s wishes. The speech about anointing the king didn’t take long. After his solemn talk, they were instructed to pray, and the choir sang a gorgeous piece of music.
Donetta was overjoyed when the cardinal picked up the crown and placed it on Enrico’s head. No man in existence could match her husband for his striking presence or inner goodness.
Her heart turned over on itself when Enrico reached for her hand so she could stand next to him. “Just wait until later,” he whispered in her ear, sending darts of awareness to the tips of her fingers.
The cardinal blessed both of them before the organ burst forth and they heard bells ringing. Donetta was excited beyond belief when they walked down the aisle to the enclosed carriage waiting outside. Their ride would end at the palace with a feast awaiting everyone in the main dining room.
Once he released her, they turned to their families. To her everlasting gratitude, everyone showed a surfeit of love today. As for Enrico’s mother, her decision to allow the coronation to proceed made Donetta love her more than ever.
Back at the palace, Enrico removed the crown and the festivities began. Their coronation dinner included champagne toasts from everyone, including Enrico’s sisters. Donetta loved all the tributes, especially the ones from Fausta and Giovanni, who’d sat together and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. They stood at the same time and revealed secrets back and forth to everyone’s amusement.
“To my cousin Enrico, whom I’ve never seen so happy in my life. Every time he had a date with a girl, I’d ask him if he was going to see her again, but he’d say he wasn’t interested. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until he finally told me about Donetta. And then we planned the concorso here so she’d come.”
“That explains everything,” Fausta blurted. “To Donetta! If you’ve all noticed, she’s glowing. When she returned home from that competition, I never saw anyone so happy. She told me Enrico had taken her on a picnic. I knew she was crazy about him.
“She reminds me of Lanza who came back from their last trip to Argentina and told us she and Stefano were expecting a baby.”
Everyone laughed and clapped in delight. Knowing Lanza was going to have a son very soon made this coronation day extra special for Donetta.
Her father made the last toast. “To my beloved daughter Donetta. I couldn’t agree with your sister more. I’ve never known you to be this happy, which means you’ve met the right man in Enrico. May you always feel this same joy through the years and know the contentment I’ve had with my bride.”
His toast brought tears to Donetta’s eyes and her mother’s. She glanced at Enrico’s mother. How hard this had to be for her because of her husband’s illness. Enrico had to be thinking the same thing. He squeezed Donetta’s hip before leaving her side to go hug his mother and father.
His devotion to them made Donetta love her new husband with a fierceness she didn’t know herself capable of. Later in the day he stole her away and they hurried to their apartment where they could be alone at last.
He kissed her long and hard. “Let’s hurry and get changed. I have a surprise for you.”
“You do too much for me already,” Donetta murmured against his lips.
“This is a small thing, but I know you’ll enjoy it. Wear something casual.”
“Life is always exciting with you.”
She rushed to get out of the gown she’d worn to the coronation, wondering if he wanted to go on a horseback ride or some such thing.
In a few minutes they were both ready. He’d dressed in cargo pants and a sports shirt. From king to sailor, he was equally gorgeous.
Donetta smiled at him. “Before we leave, I have two surprises for you.”
“You do?” He looked excited.
“One is in here. Come into the living room.” She reached for his hand and walked him out of their bedroom. “Look over on the far wall.”
Those black eyes swerved in that direction. She felt his body quicken as he pulled her with him to the oil painting of his latest horse.
She knew she’d given him something he would cherish. He crushed her to him. “It’s fabulous.”
“Just like you.”
“I adore you, bellissima.”
After another lengthy kiss they left the apartment and hurried down the staircase to the entrance where he kept his Jaguar. Was he taking them back to their camp?
But her question was answered quickly when he drove down to the lake and parked at a pier, where she saw a gleaming white sailboat moored.
She squealed when she noticed the name on the side and turned to him. “You’ve named it the Luna!”
“That’s right. When I decided to buy this sailboat, I had you in mind. But I didn’t want to give away my secret and call it Donetta. Your horse’s name was the next best choice.
“The day you won that championship on Luna was years ago, but I recognized there was something special about you even back then. You have no idea how excited I am to be sleeping on board with my wife who was once a girl with hair like a silvery gold waterfall.”
She launched herself in his arms. This was love beyond imagining. He walked her down the pier and helped her onto the boat.
The sun was about to disappear below the horizon. She looked into his eyes. “Now it’s time to tell you about my second gift. I haven’t seen a doctor yet, but I did a home test and—”
“I’ve made you pregnant already?” he cried. The elation in his voice told her everything she wanted to know. “Donetta!”
“Won’t it be fun to see if we have a boy with my color of hair or a girl with yours? You’ll make the most wonderful father in the whole world.”
Enrico rocked her in his arms, apparently too overcome to talk, and they lay together, looking forward to their wonderful future.
* * * * *