Destiny smiled at the memory. “So we did.” Sometimes those quiet, late-night postmortems on the parties had been the best part. They’d shared gossip they’d picked up, laughed at the often drunken foibles of some of their guests, and a time or two commented on the vibes they’d gotten about a marriage in trouble or an affair about to begin.
She glanced at him. “Have you ever been back?”
He shook his head, his expression sad. “Not since I closed up the house for you. Have you?”
“Never.”
“Why? Somehow I envisioned you taking your nephews there for summer vacations. I almost went in August one year in hopes of running into you by chance.”
“I never took them,” she told him.
“Not even once?”
“Never.”
“But why? You loved it so.”
“I suppose I was afraid they’d see how sad it made me and blame themselves.”
William smiled. “Boys are rarely as intuitive as that.”
“You’re right, of course. But there was another reason,” she admitted.
“Oh?”
“I didn’t want to be there without you. I think that would have been the most painful thing of all. Even though I’d lived there on my own before we met, once you became a part of it, it would never have been the same. I would have felt your presence in every room, seen you every place I turned in town. I’ve actually thought of selling it in recent years just to avoid all those haunting memories.”
“But you haven’t?” he asked.
She gave him a rueful look. “No. I couldn’t bring myself to do that, either. I’ve paid for the upkeep on the house and for the gallery. It seemed important to me to know they’d be ready if I ever chose to go back.”
“Perhaps we can go back together one day,” he said. “I’d like that.”
Destiny hesitated, conditioned not to bare her soul, but at last she took the risk. “I’d like that, too,” she said softly. “Someday.”
Back in London, William considered the trip from every angle and pronounced it a success. Destiny’s attitude was softening, no question about it. And she now had an ally within Carlton to help in the hunt for whoever was intent on betraying her. He wanted her to succeed at that, to discover for herself that he was in no way involved. Perhaps then she could make the final leap of faith toward trusting him enough to let him back into her life in the intimate way he wanted.
Of course, he could not ignore the power of Richard Carlton’s objections, which would only become more strenuous once William succeeded in taking over Fortnum Travel as he intended to do. Destiny, he suspected would not be able to overlook those objections, even as she resented her nephew’s interference. William couldn’t help wondering if it wasn’t time he made some sort of overture in that direction.
He was still pondering that when Malcolm knocked on his door and came in, his expression glum.
“Not another photograph?” William asked.
“No, sir, nothing like that. But I met with my source inside Carlton Industries last night. There are some rumors about a more aggressive campaign to compete with us.”
William scowled. “Good grief, man. We’re no competition for them. It would be a waste of their time to bother with any more of our enterprises.”
“They’ve been making inquiries about haberdasheries for sale,” Malcolm said. “Why else would they do that, if not to challenge Harcourt & Sons?”
“Let them,” William said. “A little healthy competition never hurt anyone.”
Malcolm looked scandalized. “But, sir, you can’t just give them the field and let them run all over it. Their resources are far greater than ours. They’ll bury us.”
“No,” William said with certainty. “They’ll tire of the game eventually and get back to chasing after the kind of mergers and acquisitions that are their real strength.”
“Are you still prepared to annoy them on that front, at least?” Malcolm asked. “Perhaps if they’re distracted with all these petty games, we can steal some desirable firm right out from under their noses.”
“We could,” William agreed. “But with the exception of Fortnum Travel, I made a promise not to try.”
“A promise to whom?”
“Destiny, of course. I’ve sworn to her that the games are over beyond that one situation in which I gave my word to an old friend.”
Malcolm’s frown deepened. “Is that wise, sir, especially in light of the evidence that she doesn’t seem inclined to return the favor?”
“Calm down, man. I’ll point that out to her and that will be that.”
“You think so?” his assistant asked doubtfully. “I would have thought that photograph I brought you would have hardened her resolve.”
“It might have, if the wound had been allowed to fester, but I took care of that.”
“How, sir, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“She’s going after the real culprit, someone who’s most likely inside her own company. I pity the poor soul when she finds him. She’s not happy, Malcolm. Not happy at all. And when the full fury of Destiny’s temper is unleashed, all hell is likely to break loose.”
For the first time since he’d come into William’s office, Malcolm’s lips twitched. “I believe I’d like to see that, sir.”
“It’ll be a show, all right,” William said. He had to admit, he was looking forward to it himself.
Before he could say anything more, his intercom buzzed. “Sir, it’s Richard Carlton on line two,” his secretary announced. “He’s been calling since yesterday.”
“Thanks,” William said. He glanced at his assistant. “I think I’ll need some privacy for this, Malcolm.”
“Certainly. If you need me for anything, let me know.”
“Right. And thanks for passing along the latest information on Carlton Industries.”
When Malcolm had gone and closed the door securely behind him, William picked up the phone. “Harcourt here.”
“About damn time,” Richard said angrily.
William tamped down his own temper. “I’ve been expecting your call,” he said mildly. “I’m surprised it took so long.”
“What will it take to get you to stay away from Carlton Industries?” Richard asked bluntly.
“Your aunt’s already seen to that,” William responded. “Perhaps you should have checked with her before you called.”
“Excuse me?” Richard said, as if William had presented him with some impossibly complicated scenario rather than a simple declaration that the war between their companies was over.
“With one exception, the game’s ended, at least on my side,” William explained. “It’s your company that seems intent on extending it, if the rumors I hear are to be believed. Don’t get the idea that I won’t change my mind and come after you again, if attacked.”
“What the devil are you talking about?”
“Again, I think I’ll refer you to Destiny. She’s the one you should be talking to.”
“She’ll only tell me to butt out,” Richard muttered, sounding exasperated.
William couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up. “Yes, I imagine she will. She seems quite capable of running things on her own, if you want my opinion.”
“Actually, I don’t give a damn about your opinion,” Richard retorted.
“Perhaps you should. It seems there are certain aspects about your aunt that I understand better than you do.”
“Not possible,” Richard stated flatly.
“If you go on believing that, it will only harm your relationship with her in the long run. Now, I believe I’ve given you something to think about, so I’ll say goodbye.”
He hung up before Richard could respond, then leaned back in his chair, well satisfied with the way the conversation had gone. First he’d gotten Destiny’s attention and drawn her over here. Now it appeared he had the attention of her oldest nephew. The only thing left was luring the whole lot of them to London, so he c
ould move forward with his master plan to win Destiny’s heart. Without their blessing, she would never agree to the future he had in mind for the two of them.
“And then he had the audacity to tell me that I was about to spoil my relationship with Destiny if I didn’t leave her alone and let her run things,” Richard grumbled, pacing from one end of Ben’s study to the other. Ben and Mack were both observing him with a certain amount of undisguised amusement.
“Which part of that annoyed you the most?” Ben inquired lightly. “The implication that Destiny is capable of running things without your input or the fact that Harcourt seems to understand her better than you do?”
“Don’t be absurd,” Richard responded. “Harcourt doesn’t know a damn thing about Destiny. We lived with her for more than twenty years. He was with her how long? A year or two, maybe?”
Mack nodded. “Just a year or two? Say, about the length of time Ben and Kathleen have been together? Not much less than the time I’ve been with Beth or you’ve been with Melanie?”
Richard paused in his pacing and glared at his brother. “Okay, I see your point. You’re taking into account the whole love factor.”
Ben bit back a grin. “Yeah, that love factor is a killer, all right. Teaches you all sorts of things.”
“Do you have to enjoy this so damn much?” Richard asked.
Ben and Mack nodded.
“Yep. It’s the most fun we’ve had at your expense in years,” Mack said. “The only thing more fun would be having our wives around to add in their two cents.”
“Which is precisely why I didn’t tell them about this little meeting,” Richard said.
“Maybe you should have,” Ben said. “I think a woman’s perspective might be in order, don’t you?”
“So now you’re saying that, not only does Harcourt understand Destiny better than I do, but our wives do also?” Richard asked, beginning to feel besieged from every direction.
“That’s about it,” Mack agreed.
Richard sighed. “I still say it’s time for me to fly over there and straighten this whole mess out once and for all, face-to-face.”
“No,” Mack said emphatically.
“Absolutely not,” Ben added. “That’s the worst thing you could do.”
Richard scowled at the pair of them. There had been a time when they’d both paid a lot more attention to his opinions. Now they didn’t hesitate to criticize and question him at every turn. “What do you suggest, then?”
“Sit tight. Let it play itself out,” Mack advised. “Let Destiny get her feet under her and run the division. She’s obviously craving the sense of accomplishment that will give her.”
“And that’s what you would do if some part of your football franchise was in trouble?” Richard demanded.
“No, of course not,” Mack said, grinning. “But I wouldn’t have put Destiny in charge of any part of the franchise in the first place.”
“Oh, really? How would you have stopped her, once she got the notion in her head?”
Ben laughed. “I’d like to hear the answer to that one myself.”
Mack frowned, clearly unhappy at having the tables turned. “She’s a reasonable woman.”
“Ha!” Richard and Ben said in unison.
“I would have told her no,” Mack said emphatically.
“Oh, yeah, that would have done it,” Richard said. “She’d be coaching the offense by now.”
Mack sighed heavily. “You’re probably right.” A grin tugged at his lips. “I guess it’s a good thing she has a better head for business than she does for football, then.”
“That remains to be seen,” Richard responded. “Are you sure going over there is a bad move?”
“Oh, yes,” Ben told him.
“But,” Mack began, his expression thoughtful, “that doesn’t mean we couldn’t send our wives over.”
Richard opened his mouth to dismiss the idea out of hand, but the logic of it finally hit him. Destiny wouldn’t be nearly as defensive with Melanie, Beth and Kathleen. And the three of them could get a good, unbiased read on Harcourt and his intentions.
“I like it,” he said finally. “How soon could they go?”
“A week from now? Two weeks?” Mack suggested. “As soon as they’re certain the nannies can take care of the kids to their satisfaction. Right now, Beth’s not likely to let the baby out of her sight for more than a couple of days, though.”
“Hold on,” Ben said quietly, putting a damper on their enthusiasm. “Destiny’s not stupid. She’ll see through it in a minute if they turn up right now with virtually no warning. Nobody drops everything and goes to London on the spur of the moment, not with kids to worry about, anyway. It’ll take some planning.”
“Then let’s start making those plans,” Richard said at once.
“No,” Ben said. “That’s the thing. We can’t make the plans. We have to get Melanie, Beth and Kathleen to make the plans. They have to think it’s their idea. They’re no happier about our meddling than Destiny is, so the trip definitely has to be something they devise completely on their own.”
Ben’s strategy was a little convoluted and sneaky for Richard, but it made a weird kind of sense. Still, it would take time, time he didn’t want to waste.
“How the devil do we make them think it’s their idea?” he asked.
“The same way they get us to do stuff. Drop a few hints about Destiny sounding lonely,” Mack suggested.
“Mention that things seem to be heating up with Harcourt and we’re worried that she’s going to get her heart broken,” Ben said. “It shouldn’t take much. Take home a copy of one of the London papers with the theater and gallery schedules. That’ll get Kathleen’s attention, I know.”
Richard regarded his brothers with renewed admiration. “You guys are as sneaky as Destiny.”
They laughed.
“Hey, we learned from a master,” Mack reminded him. “I’m sure if you dig through that stuffy, straightforward philosophy that guides you, you’ll find a sneaky gene or two buried in you, as well.”
Richard shrugged. “Maybe so, but who has time to go digging right now? I’ll just follow your lead. We ought to be able to get them over there by when? February?”
“March,” Ben said. “We don’t want to seem too anxious. Besides, you need to let things simmer down on Destiny’s end. If they arrive too soon, she’ll see straight through it, too, and trust me, bro, none of our lives will be worth living after that.”
Richard nodded, reluctantly accepting the fact that Ben had a valid point. “I suppose I can stave off disaster till March. This Fortnum Travel deal should be decided in April. Once our wives report back, I can go over there and see that it goes our way.”
“Not your job,” Mack reminded him. “It’s Destiny’s.”
Richard grimaced. “Don’t remind me. That’s precisely why we’re in this mess.”
“Hey, don’t look so glum,” Ben told him. “The way your wife tells it, there’s no such thing as bad PR, as long as the papers get the name right. Destiny’s keeping Carlton Industries in the news.”
“Oh, that’s a real comfort,” Richard responded. “Did you see that picture? Destiny was in her bathrobe, for God’s sake. Her old one.”
Mack chuckled. “Would you have been happier if it had been some slinky silk robe?”
Ben fought a grin.
Richard stared from one to the other. “If you two aren’t going to take this seriously, I’m going home to start working on Melanie.”
“Subtly,” Ben reminded him. “Remember, bro, you have to be subtle.”
Richard frowned. “I can be subtle.”
His brothers hooted.
Richard stalked out of the house without a backward glance. He was beginning to get the distinct impression that not one damn soul in his whole family had a shred of respect for him anymore. If the voters in Alexandria got wind of that, his career in politics was going to be the shortest on record.
1
4
William had been careful to stay away from the Carlton Industries offices since he and Destiny had returned from Devon. He figured the internal gossip was bound to be active enough after he’d attended her party. And following that revealing photo in the paper, if anyone found out they’d gone chasing after Chester together, it would only double the speculation about their relationship. He had too much respect for her to put her in that position when she was trying so hard to establish herself as a capable businesswoman.
But after his conversation with Richard and Malcolm’s announcement that Carlton was looking at making other forays against Harcourt & Sons, he decided it was time to break the rule he’d set for himself. He needed to get a few things straight with the chairman of Carlton Industries’ European division. He just had to do it without offending Destiny in the process. The fact that they were the same person was beginning to muddy things up a bit.
He found Destiny closeted in her office with Chester. Miriam had put up token resistance to William barging in, but he was in no mood to follow orders.
“William!” Destiny exclaimed when she saw him. She cast a worried look toward Chester and quickly added, “I had no idea you were coming by.”
“Really?” William asked. “Then you thought I wouldn’t find out about your attempts to acquire a haberdashery to go head to head with my company? What’s next? Will you take over the woolen manufacturing company with which I deal exclusively?”
She paled at that and again looked toward Chester. “I thought I told you to call off that purchase. It’s time to stop escalating the tensions between our companies.”
Chester gave her a stubborn look. “I thought it best not to be too hasty.”
Destiny frowned at him. “William and I have come to an agreement, Chester. He won’t interfere in our business as long as we leave his alone. We need to honor that agreement. I’m sure there’s enough business in Europe that we needn’t compete for the same markets.”
“And Fortnum Travel?” Chester asked. “Have you made an agreement on that, as well?”
Destiny Unleashed Page 17
