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 ch
eek. “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.
Three months later
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?”
The Prince's Forbidden Bride (The Princess Brides Book 2) Page 14
