Her smile lit up a spot inside him he didn’t know was there. “It’s a miracle what you’ve done so far. I can’t tell you how in awe I am.”
“Enough to forgive me for ending the letter writing? I didn’t mean for it to be permanent, but when I reached home, between the concerns of the government and the needs of my mother, I barely had time to put one foot in front of the other.”
“Of course I forgive you.”
“Then you’re a saint.”
“Hardly. Look what you’ve done for your country so far! To think what could be done for some of the countries of East Africa suffering from drought.”
“I think about it all the time.”
Talking to Donetta had always stimulated him, but never more than now. While they were talking, he’d driven them into the mountains. “Before dark there’s a sight I want you to see. It’s around this next curve.” A minute later he pulled his Land Rover to the side of the road.
When a cry escaped her lips, it was the most satisfying sound he’d heard in a long time. With the sun getting ready to set, its last reflection was captured by the spectacular waterfall, the longest one on the island.
“The locals call it Percorso al Cielo.”
“The pathway to heaven,” she murmured. “How absolutely beautiful.”
He glanced at her. “When I first saw you perform on your horse, the hair cascading a silvery gold almost to your waist beneath your helmet reminded me of this waterfall. When I saw you last month, I was surprised to see you looked a lot different from my boyhood memory of you.”
She turned to him. “Do you know your hair was one of the first things I noticed about you when you were just ten?”
He smiled. “I hope to keep it for a while.”
“I can’t imagine you losing it.”
“That day will come.”
“Maybe when you’re eighty.”
“I like your vote of confidence.” They laughed as he drove back on the road.
“Where are we going?”
“To our campsite to eat and get ready for bed. It’s about ten minutes from here, on a bluff that overlooks part of the plain.”
“I can’t wait to see the wild horses.”
“When you’ve had your fill tomorrow, we’ll come back and swim in the pool beneath the waterfall.”
Her eyes met his. “That sounds like heaven, but I didn’t bring a swimming suit.”
“No problem. We keep spares at the palace for visitors. I brought one for you in my knapsack.”
Before long they reached the bluff. He found a spot beyond the trees to park the car next to the pit he’d dug years ago and always used when he cooked out. “Do you want me to set up a tent tonight?”
“Oh, no. It’s a warm evening and I love sleeping out in the open.” Donetta was a woman after his own heart, which was pounding unhealthily fast. “Let me help you.”
She opened the door of the
Land Rover and walked around to the rear to get the sleeping bags. They worked in harmony. Enrico set up a small camping table and chairs, aware the bodyguards were somewhere around. Then he got out a cooler along with his flashlight and a liter of water.
While she made coffee and cut the bread to make fried bruschetta with the ingredients he’d brought, Enrico got a fire going and put down the grill to cook their steaks, potatoes and the bread for the bruschetta. Soon they sat on the chairs to eat their food with the greatest enjoyment. Enrico hadn’t had this much fun in his whole life.
He slanted her a glance. “How did you learn to be such an excellent cook?”
“The palace chef took my sisters and me under her wing. She once said, ‘Princess or pauper, you need to learn how to prepare food. You never know when it will come in handy.’ When I get back to the palace I’m going to thank her for all those lessons.”