“Today was my last time to ride in a concorso.”
She blinked. “What are you talking about? We can ride in competitions until we’re a lot older. I don’t understand.”
He gripped her hand across the table. “Next week I’m leaving for England to attend university at Cambridge. Giovanni will be going with me. I won’t be riding in any competitions from now on. There’s no time. During the next four years I’ll be spending most of my time studying. There’ll be a few visits to see my family.”
Donetta had been so drunk with happiness the import of his statement took a minute to sink in. “I see,” she said in a quiet voice. “What will you study?”
“Business, law enforcement, finance, economics, agriculture.”
“I’m envious.”
“Aren’t you going to be attending college, too?”
“Yes. Next month, but it won’t be in England. My parents insist I get my education at Domodossola University. They don’t want me going far away.”
“I wish you could come to Cambridge, where we could spend all our free time together after our classes are over, to study and do other things...” His words caught at her heart. “Will you be competing in more concorsos while you’re at university?”
By now they’d been served dessert, but she couldn’t touch hers. “Maybe some of them.”
“After the performance you put on today, I have no doubt you’ll continue to win everything. I heard what the head of the Austrian federation said to you after your win. Your ability on a horse is breathtaking.”
“Thank you,” she said, trying to smile, but her heart was heavy.
“It’s killing me that I won’t see you again.”
Enrico squeezed her hand harder. “I know I’ve upset you. Now you have some idea of what the separation’s going to do to me.”
Tears flooded her eyes. “The thought of not seeing you again... I can’t handle it. Your presence has always made the competitions more exciting for me. Everyone asks, is Prince Enrico going to win again? They think I know. And I do,” she said with a teasing smile.
“Now you’re really flattering me. I’ll watch for your name in the competitions coming up on the lists in the next few years and try to get away to see you.”
“Oh, please come!”
“I don’t want to lose you, Donetta. In the meantime let’s write to each other. I’ll send you letters through your equestrian foundation and ask Giovanni to mail them.”
She brightened. “I’ll do the same through your organization and put Prince Giovanni’s name on the envelope so he’ll send them on to you. No one will be able to monitor them. Our families will be incensed if they find out that a Montedoro and a Rossiano have been carrying on a forbidden relationship all these years.”
“You’re right. That old ridiculous animosity over trade rights between our two countries is still a sore spot with my family. But I refuse to worry about that right now.”
“I’ve never worried about it,” Donetta said with stunning honesty. Neither of them had talked about the people they were promised to. Both sets of parents would be enraged about what had been going on behind the scenes.
“Much as I don’t want to, I’d better get you back to the hotel. Lorenzo will be looking for you, and Giovanni will be waiting for me at the airport. We’re flying home on the royal jet tonight.”
That revelation brought more pain to her heart as they left the club in the limo.
“Come closer, Donetta. I don’t want to waste one second of the precious time we have left.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed the daylights out of her until the limo pulled up in front of the hotel.
He finally let her go. “I’ll write to you as soon as I’m in England. Stay safe and send me some pictures.”
“I’ll be waiting for your letters and pictures, too.”
They embraced one more time before he helped her out of the limo. She ran inside the hotel, where Lorenzo was waiting for her.
He looked at his watch. “You’re only a half hour late. I can forgive you for that.”
She hugged him hard. “Thank you for being my friend.”
“Why the tears?”