His black gaze impaled her. “I thought you knew exactly.”
Donetta put a hand to her throat. “But how could I?”
“Maybe this will help. Her royal name is Louisa Regina Donetta Rossiano.”
* * *
Giovanni sat across from Enrico, eyeing him with avid curiosity. “Out with it, cousin. I want to know one thing. Was the concorso a winner? You know what I mean.”
Enrico rested his head against the back of the seat. “It was, until I found out she’s planning to marry Arnaud. The gossip you heard about her never planning to marry was wrong.”
“Then something has changed,” Giovanni exclaimed. “You weren’t there when Mia conveyed that info to me.”
“Arnaud found a way to break through, because she’s going to accept his proposal.”
“I’m sorry, cousin. Your mother called me after the competition last evening and wanted to know what I knew about you and Princess Donetta. She was livid over the attention you were giving her. I told her Donetta was simply a guest, but when she found out you’d left the city with her in the Land Rover, she was visibly upset.”
“She would be,” Enrico muttered.
“When is Donetta’s wedding?”
“They haven’t planned anything yet.”
Giovanni whistled.
“I had to spring my plan on her at the last minute.”
“How did that turn out?”
“It didn’t.”
“Don’t be cryptic. I want details,” Giovanni pressed.
For the rest of the drive, Enrico filled him in. “She admitted she’d once had a crush on me, but Donetta is an honorable woman who’s now planning marriage.”
“It goes against everything I heard about her from Mia.”
“You’re right. It appears that somewhere along the way she abandoned her dream to stay single.”
“Well, it would make sense when she’s not going to be able to change the law to be queen.”
“I should have gone after her when college was over.”
“But your hands were full taking over for your father and implementing all the plans for the kingdom. It was a rough time to plan a marriage knowing how your mother felt.”
“None of that matters now. I’ve got to put her out of my mind.”
“Good luck on that.” Giovanni shook his head. “With the king so much worse, I’m afraid Zia Teodora will be pushing you to marry Valentina.”
“It’s not going to happen. Unless I meet a woman who could matter to me more than Donetta, I have no plans for marriage.”
“Enrico—”
“Like I said, I waited too long to propose to her. As for your help, I haven’t thanked you for all you did to make the concorso a huge success. I know how hard you’ve worked and I’m indebted to you for being my friend all my life. Promise you won’t leave when you get married.”
“Do you know something I don’t?”
Enrico looked out at the lake. Its light green color would be the constant reminder of Donetta’s incredible eyes. This morning he’d held her in his arms. Her breathtaking response as a prelude before he made love to her for the first time had transformed him. He’d never be the same.