Enrico had no intention of marrying Valentina, but the visits had been captured in the news, creating the excitement of a coming royal wedding for the country. To end this nightmare, he’d told his mother there would be no wedding in the foreseeable future while he was attempting to run the affairs of the kingdom.
His desire to take Donetta on a two-week trip had been thwarted by circumstances beyond his control. In his next letter to her, he told her the vacation would have to be put off and he wouldn’t be writing any letters for a while.
Without giving away the secret about his father, he explained his work for the country had become too involved. When the time came, he would get in touch with her again.
He’d received a response that said she understood how busy he must be and hoped to see him again soon. “I miss you, Enrico.” He could hear her voice that tugged on his heart. That was the last letter from her.
Now it was five years later and he still couldn’t stop thinking about her and wishing they could meet again. Did she still miss him? How would they really feel about each oth
er after such a long absence?
At the age of eighteen Enrico had already made up his mind over the woman he wanted in his life. In his wildest fantasy he’d even dreamed of Donetta becoming his bride, despite knowing such a marriage would raise a furor with their families.
Because of the two-hundred-year-old dispute that had made their countries enemies, Enrico had never told anyone about her except his cousin. But not even Giovanni knew the extent of Enrico’s feelings.
Enrico needed to find out how much of their relationship had been driven by rebellion, and how much had been based on a genuine and deep love for the each other. Ever since he’d competed on one of his special horses in an international concorso ippico held in England, he’d admired Princess Donetta Rossiano’s ability in the dressage event.
For a ten-year-old she was a marvel, much better than any of the guys on all the teams represented from around the world. He’d approached to tell her so and was struck by the shimmering green color of her eyes, which had grown fierier as she’d matured.
She, in turn, had complimented him and had admired his horse. As they’d talked, she’d asked lots of questions about the breed he’d chosen, revealing her exceptional intelligence.
Enjoying her company, he’d spent time with her at the various tracks after each concorso. He liked being with her when she trained before an event. Drawn to her like crazy, he’d laughed and flirted. Her discipline and composure made Donetta stand out from the others. He’d been fascinated.
Over the years Enrico had watched the beautiful princess from Domodossola with the long, flowing silvery gold hair compete in dozens of concorsos just as he had. By the age of twenty-one she was all grown up, with a keen intellect and opinions on subjects that kept him riveted. On top of everything else she was the best jumper and by far the most stunning young woman he’d ever seen or known.
There was no woman like her and he had to see her again. Although she no longer competed in concorsos, she now ran the equestrian organization for her country’s entrants.
A month ago Giovanni had suggested Enrico travel with him to Madrid, Spain, to watch their country’s participants and horses perform in the day’s events. Though Donetta might not be there, Enrico made the decision to go anyway.
It was late in the day when he finally caught sight of her near the stable. At least he thought it was Donetta, but wasn’t sure until she turned around to talk to someone. To his shock she’d cut her long, diaphanous hair. It had been styled to form a feather cut that framed her beautiful face.
One look and he knew his attraction for the five-foot-seven blonde beauty had only intensified over the years. His pulse rate accelerated. When she saw him, her fabulous green eyes darkened with emotion.
“Enrico—”
“It’s been five years, Donetta.” Thank heaven there was no ring on her finger.
She smiled, but the element of excitement was missing in her eyes. “Now we’re all grown up.”
Yes, they were. Her womanly figure took his breath away.
“Your Sanfratellano horses are still making winners out of your riders.”
He cocked his dark head. “It appears your country is celebrating another champion, too, but she didn’t ride like you did at the concorso in Aix. I’ll never forget our time together.” Nor the way she’d filled his arms during those two days in France. “How long are you going to be in Madrid?”
“I should have left five minutes ago. The limo is waiting to take me to the airport as we speak.”
Her answer came as a huge disappointment. “You have to leave right now? When I saw your country’s name on the list for this competition, I came specifically to see you.”
By the way she held herself taut, he knew this meeting had shaken her as much as it had him. “Knowing how busy you’ve been helping your father run the country, I’m surprised you could get away.”
He sucked in his breath. “I deserved that, Donetta. If we could go out to dinner and have some private time together, I need to apologize to you for so many things.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t say that to be mean-spirited. You don’t owe me anything, Enrico. We were young, we had our fling behind our parents’ backs. Those years were magical for me, but we both knew our real destiny was still out there waiting for us. But I have to admit I was shocked when you stopped writing. It hurt more than you know to realize that day had come for you.”
“There were reasons,” he whispered.
“You think I don’t know that?” She let out an audible sigh. “I’m glad to see you again. It’s such a surprise. You look wonderful.”