standing concorso, Donetta climbed into the limo with Enrico and they were driven back to the palace, where she could change out of her suit.
He walked her to the door of her suite. “I’ll come by for you in an hour. Does that give you enough time?”
“An hour is perfect. Enrico?”
“Yes?”
“Before you go, I just wanted to say that because you’re the crown prince, you gave all of today’s winners a great thrill presenting them with their cups. That one young girl from Spain looked so excited to meet you she reminded me of myself when Queen Anne handed me my trophy. This day will stand out in all their minds.”
His black eyes gleamed, leaving her breathless. “As long as it has been memorable for you, that’s all I ask.”
The second he left, she closed the door and removed her pink suit, but her body was trembling. She took a shower and washed her hair. It didn’t take long to dry and style.
Ten minutes later Donetta heard the knock on the door. She gathered her suitcase and purse and hurried to open it, coming face-to-face with Enrico. He had to be the most dashing male on the planet. She swallowed hard as she took in his rock-solid physique.
No longer in his whites, he wore khaki pants and a matching short-sleeved khaki shirt open at the neck. His black eyes and hair, combined with such a burnished complexion, made her joints go weak.
She felt his eyes wander over her, causing her pulse to race. “You should always wear green,” he said in his deep voice. “Have you forgotten anything? We won’t be coming back until tomorrow. I hope you won’t mind that we miss dinner and the fireworks. I have other plans for us.” Her pulse flew off the charts. “Does your pilot know you won’t be flying home until late in the day?”
“I’ll let him know. Enrico? What about your mother? Is she aware you’re with me tonight? I didn’t come to Vallefiore to cause more discord between our two countries.”
“I have no doubts she knows what we’re doing. She has her spies. If I’m not wrong, she’s supervising the help putting my father to bed and complaining to him about any number of things she can’t change. She believes he understands, even if he doesn’t talk. Sadly, I don’t think he does, but it helps her to let off steam.”
Donetta moaned. “She must be upset that you’re entertaining a Rossiano.”
“Could be, but I don’t care.”
Neither did she. Being with him like this tonight was all she could think about.
CHAPTER THREE
ENRICO HELPED DONETTA into the Land Rover. Surrounded by heavy security, he drove them toward the mountains in the distance. They still had two hours of daylight left. Time for her to take in the scenery while he set up camp for them.
It wasn’t long before she exclaimed, “The landscape is so green and fertile! Do you get a lot more rain here than I had supposed?”
He chuckled. “I’m glad you’ve noticed. It means my work since returning from England hasn’t been in vain.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not rain but irrigation. Let me explain. Since agriculture forms the basis of Vallefiore’s economy, Giovanni and I have studied the agricultural challenges of our country. Between us we developed a system of piping and pumps to cover the huge island with fresh water converted from sea water.
“This innovation has brought whole new possibilities for more jobs for our young people, more money for infrastructure, increased production of our pipe manufacturing plants as well as a profusion of farm implements.
“Our farmers are growing three times as much produce, which means enriching the economy and exports. We’re building timber assets now in demand internationally and contributing to the country’s prosperity.”
“I’m so impressed I don’t know where to start.”
Enrico chuckled. “Even though there’s much work to be done yet, we’re satisfied about the progress made so far. But the agricultural problems are only part of my responsibilities and worries. My other important work stretches further to oversee national security in order to establish law and order. We have a lot of problems right now.”
“What kind?”
“Well, I’ve stopped the construction of most new renewable energy projects. I’m trying to ensure that the corruptive elements of society are rooted out of the industry before allowing fresh projects to go forward.
“Though my father has worked on the problem, he hadn’t been aggressive enough. I’ve seen that their influence in the country has to be wiped out by vetting those businesses affected and jailing the heads, no matter the consequences. Between that and our water needs, I’ve been busy.”
Her eyes widened. “You’ve managed to put in pipelines all over this huge island to pump in the sea water and make it potable?”
Enrico nodded. “We’ve a long way to go to cover the whole island, but in the last three years we’ve seen some success and are encouraged by what is happening.”