Becoming the Prince's Wife (Princes of Europe) by Rebecca Winters Read Free Book Online Page B

relationships with knew nothing about his life.
    He’d called ahead to one of the center’s pilots who would be taking them up. The helicopter was waiting for them when they touched down.
    “Dante Serrano, meet Signorina CarolenaBaretti from Arancia. She’s the best friend of my brother-in-law’s wife. They’re staying at the palace with me for a few days. I thought she might like to see Etna at closer range.”
    The pilot’s eyes flared in male admiration and surprise before he shook Carolena’s hand and welcomed her aboard. This was a first for Valentino, let alone for Dante, who’d never known Valentino to fly a female with him unless she happened to be a geologist doing work.
    He helped her into the seat behind the pilot, then took the copilot’s seat. While the rotors whined, he turned to her. “Your first volcano experience should be from the air.”
    “I’m so excited to be seeing this up close, I can hardly stand it.” Her enthusiasm was contagious. “Why does it constantly smoke?”
    “That’s because it’s continually being reshaped by seismic activity. There are four distinct craters at the summit and more than three hundred vents on the flanks. Some are small holes, others are large craters. You’ll see things that are invisible or look completely different from the surface.”
    “You’re so right!” she cried after they took off. Once they left Catania, they passed over the fertile hillsides and lush pines. “The vistas are breathtaking, Val. With the Mediterranean for a background, these snow-topped mountains are fabulous. I didn’t expect to see so much green and blue.”
    Her reaction, on top of her beautiful face, made it impossible for Valentino to look anywhere else. “It’s a universe all its own.”
    ‘I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
    The landscape changed as they flew higher and higher. “We’re coming up on some black lava deserts. Take a good look. Mount Etna is spitting lava more violently than it has in years, baffling us. Not only is it unpredictable, the volcano is raging, erupting in rapid succession.”
    He loved her awestruck squeals of delight. “I suppose you’ve walked across those deserts.”
    “I’ve climbed all over this volcano with Uncle Stefano.”
    “No wonder you love your work so much! I would, too!”
    “The range of ash fall is much wider than usual. That’s why I always come home dirty.”
    “Now I understand. Come to think of it, you did look like you’d been putting out a fire.”
    Dante shared a grin with Valentino. “Signorina Baretti,” He spoke over his shoulder. “Even in ancient times, the locals marveled at the forces capable of shooting fountains of lava into the sky. In Greek and Roman mythology, the volcano is represented by a limping blacksmith swinging his hammer as sparks fly.
    “Legend has it that the natural philosopher Empedocles jumped into the crater two thousand five hundred years ago. What he found there remained his secret because he never returned. All that remained of him were his iron shoes, which the mountain later spat out.”
    “That’s a wonderful story, if not frightening.”
    All three of them laughed.
    “The really fascinating part is coming up. We’re headed for the Bove Valley, Etna’s huge caldera. You’re going to get a bird’s-eye view of the eastern slope.” They flew on with Dante giving her the full treatment of the famous volcano that produced more stunned cries from Carolena.
    “How big is it?”
    “Seven kilometers from east to west, six kilometers from north to south.”
    She was glued to the window, mesmerized. Valentino knew how she felt. He signaled Dante to fly them to Bocca Nuova.
    “When we set down on the side of the pit, you’ll see a new fumarole in the saddle between the old and new southeast crater. I want you to stay by me. This is where I was working the other day. You won’t need a gas mask at this distance, but you can understand why I want every citizen of