“And since then?”
“He assures me he’s never found anyone else as special to him as I was.” She managed to say it in an offhand tone, as if it weren’t something she was beginning to believe, much less count on.
Melanie’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“Sounds romantic.” Beth’s comment drew a scowl from the others. “What did I say? It does. Here he is a duke, isn’t that right?”
Destiny nodded.
“That must make him quite a catch, yet all these years he’s been pining for Destiny,” Beth continued.
“So he says.” Melanie sounded as unrelentingly skeptical as Richard would under the same circumstances.
Destiny gave her a hug. “Darling, you’re beginning to sound far too much like your husband.”
“Uh-oh,” Kathleen said, grinning. “I think Destiny’s gotten to you just in time, Melanie. One Richard in the family is enough.”
Melanie frowned, then laughed. “Okay, okay. You’re right. Enough of the doubts. I’ll reserve judgment. Besides, we’re supposed to concentrate on prying business secrets out of the man, not passing judgment on his suitability for Destiny.”
“A refreshing change,” Destiny told her. “Now, unless you need me to do something, I’ll go and freshen up a bit.”
Beth winked at her. “Go along. Wouldn’t want you to have to face William at anything less than your absolute best, though it was clear in that newspaper photo that he wasn’t put off by your old robe and slippers. Not that any of that matters to you, of course.”
Destiny frowned at her. “Barely here and you’re already starting to get on my nerves,” she said lightly.
Kathleen stared at her. “I almost think she means that.”
Destiny nodded in satisfaction. “Good. I wanted to give you something to think about. When William arrives, I expect all three of you to mind your manners.”
Melanie gave her a fierce hug. “Best behavior, we promise.”
“That will do, then.”
But just in case they forgot their promise, when the doorbell rang at precisely five, Destiny intended to be there first.
Even had he not been forewarned, William would have known he was under a microscope the instant he set foot inside Destiny’s flat. All three nieces by marriage regarded him with caution. Their greetings were polite, but distinctly cool. They were definitely withholding judgment, but one misstep on his part could easily swing the pendulum against him.
There were a few pleasantries exchanged before they ushered him to the living room, where tea with a formal silver service had been set up on an antique tea cart. Once he’d accepted a cup of tea from Destiny, he gazed at each woman in turn. Even without introductions, he would have recognized each of them from what Destiny had told him about them and their husbands.
He turned first to Melanie. As Richard’s wife, she was most likely the one who’d require the most convincing that his intentions toward Destiny were honorable. “I understand you’re quite a talented public relations expert,” he said.
She seemed vaguely startled that he knew that. “My business has done nicely,” she agreed, “though I have less time for it now that Richard and I have a little one at home. I still consult for Carlton Industries.”
“Have anything to do with the Jameson’s campaign over here before Christmas?” he asked with a pointed look toward Destiny. “It was rather clever.”
Destiny chuckled. “That was my doing, William. Don’t blame Melanie for cutting into your business and causing your holiday profits to fall below expectations.”
He grinned at her. “Actually, we had our best season ever, thanks to you. Curiosity drove a lot more people into the store.”
Melanie gave them each a piercing look. “What’s he talking about, Destiny?”
Destiny waved her off before William could respond. “Let’s not get bogged down in business talk.”
William laughed. “Probably a good idea. Sorry I brought it up.” He turned to Beth, who had the quiet demeanor he would have expected from a dedicated physician and scientist. “How is your pediatric-cancer research progressing?”
Beth gave him a startled look. “You know about that?”
“I made it my business to learn everything I could about the people who are important to Destiny,” he said.
Melanie’s gaze narrowed. “So you could use us against her?”
Destiny scowled. “Melanie!”
“Sorry,” Melanie apologized, without much sincerity.
William chuckled. “Destiny, you can’t blame her for being suspicious. She is Richard’s wife, after all, and it’s plain what he thinks of me. Can’t really blame her for taking sides.” He met Melanie’s gaze. “But I do hope you’ll give me a fair chance for Destiny’s sake.”
Melanie’s expression softened a bit. “I can try.”
“That’s all I ask,” William told her. “It’s all I ask of any of you.”
“They’re usually quite open-minded,” Destiny claimed, giving them each a chiding look. “Right now they’ve been influenced by Richard, and he obviously doesn’t believe me when I tell him that the competition between our two companies has ended.”
“Except in one instance,” William reminded her. “I don’t want you to forget that I’ve given you fair warning on Fortnum Travel. I intend to have it.”
“Oh?” Melanie queried. “Will you throw all your resources on the line to get it?”
William gave her an admiring look. “Nice try, my dear, but I think I’ll keep my approach to myself for now.”
“So, William, why don’t you tell us how you and Destiny met?” Kathleen suggested, clearly anxious to make peace. She’d apparently concluded that the past was a safer topic than the present.
William smiled. “Now, that’s a story that should appeal to you especially, since you run an art gallery, right, Destiny?”
Destiny’s expression turned nostalgic. “Yes, absolutely.”
“Do you want to tell them?” he asked, wondering what spin she would put on the evening that had forever changed his life.
“No, I believe you should,” she said at once.
William set his tea aside and reached for Destiny’s hand. It was icy enough to tell him that she was far more nervous about this meeting than she’d let on. “It was a lovely spring night in Paris and I had been lured to this very prestigious gallery on the Left Bank for a showing by a young American artist,” he began. “Violetta Grégorie, the gallery owner, was a dear friend and she was insistent that I would adore her latest discovery.” He winked at Destiny. “Naturally, I was just as determined to avoid falling into that particular trap, so I ducked into a corner to hide out. I explained my sad plight to a young woman also hiding from the other guests.”
Destiny grinned at him. “And then he had the audacity to insult my art.”
“Oh, no,” Kathleen said. “You didn’t.”
“I’m afraid so. I said it was…what was it, Destiny? I know you remember every word.”
“You said it was too saccharine,” she said tartly. “But you graciously conceded that you could see how it might appeal to a woman’s romantic sensibilities.”
“And yet you lived to tell the story,” Kathleen said. “You must have done some fancy footwork.”
“How could I with my foot planted squarely in my mouth?” William asked. “Fortunately, Destiny has a very forgiving nature.”
“Humph!” she said. “Not forgiving at all, just far too infatuated to let your bad artistic judgment interfere with getting to know the most fascinating man I’d ever met.”
William smiled at her, enjoying the sparks flashing in her eyes at the memory of that night even after all these years. “We spent the rest of the evening together, talking about art, our families, our travels. I fell head over heels for her on the spot and then I followed her back to Provence. We were inseparable from that moment on.”
“Love at first sight,” Kathleen said dreamily. “How ro
mantic!”
“Yes, it was,” Destiny said quietly, her gaze locked with his, her hand in his much warmer now. “But some things were never meant to be.”
“We were,” he responded.
She shook her head. “Not us. Even if my brother and sister-in-law hadn’t died, it wouldn’t have lasted, William. You know that.”
“I know no such thing,” he said fiercely. “How can you possibly say that?”
“Because it’s true.” She regarded him with a sorrowful expression. “If it hadn’t been for fate intervening, I would have ended it.”
William couldn’t have been more shocked if she’d told him that the sky was green and the moon made of tinfoil. But one look into her eyes told him she meant every word. How the hell had he missed that all those years ago?
Provence, 1982
From the moment she and William had returned from London, Destiny had felt they were living on borrowed time. It was a feeling she couldn’t seem to shake. She knew what she had to do. She simply wasn’t quite courageous enough to do it.
“Why so pensive?” William asked, joining her in the garden just before sunset.
Destiny had been weeding for the past hour, trying to find the words to explain to William why they had to break things off, why she couldn’t live with herself if she kept him from his family for a moment longer. She gazed up at him, her hands deep in the dark, warm earth she loved, and felt her heart swell at the sight of him.
He was lean and tanned from all their walks by the sea. Laugh lines were forming at the corners of his brilliant blue eyes. Even at thirty, there was so much character in his face. Anyone who met him knew he was a man of honor, integrity and abiding love. That’s why it was all the more impossible to keep him from doing what he knew was right, what they both knew was right.
“I love you,” she said, tears damp on her cheeks. She hoped he wouldn’t notice, that he’d attribute the moisture to the late afternoon heat.
He hunkered down beside her and took her filthy hands in his, studying her with a worried frown. “Darling, what’s wrong? You’re crying.”
“No, I’m not,” she insisted, swiping at the telltale dampness and, no doubt, leaving streaks of dirt in her wake.
He gave her a look of tolerant amusement. “Let’s not argue over that, since it’s hardly the point. Tell me what has you so upset.”
This was her opening, her chance to say that it was over between them. Of course, coming right on the heels of having said she loved him, she doubted he’d understand. Quite honestly, she wasn’t sure she understood it herself. She was not the least bit noble. In fact, she’d often been accused of being quite the opposite, of being a bit selfish and spoiled, always insistent on getting her own way. She was living in France, on her own, after all, having abandoned her own family and the obligations back home.
It was different for her, though. She wasn’t the only son, as William was. If her father had hoped she would play a role in the family business, he hadn’t been relying on it. He’d been perfectly content to pass on the reins to her brother. He’d died content, knowing the company would be in excellent hands. William’s father had no such reassurance.
“Destiny?” William said worriedly. “Talk to me. You know there’s nothing we can’t discuss.”
“I know.”
“Then what is it?” He studied her, as if trying to puzzle it out for himself. “Are you pregnant?”
“Good heavens, no!” she said. Even as the shocked disclaimer left her lips, though, she knew she would have given anything for the opposite to be true. Having William’s child would have ended this torment. There would be no question of her letting him go, then. He would never have allowed it and she wouldn’t have argued.
But there was no baby. There was no reason at all for not ending it between them right this second, except for her own cowardice, her own reluctance to put an end to the most important relationship of her life.
She touched his cheek. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” she apologized. “Having your child would be amazing, but I’m not pregnant.”
“Maybe we should consider doing something about that,” he suggested. “But in the proper order. Marry me, Destiny.”
“What?”
“Marry me. You know I love you with all my heart. We’ll have a good life together, complete with a houseful of gorgeous, suntanned babies who’ll romp in this garden and play havoc with your flowers.”
Once again, her eyes turned watery as she envisioned the idyllic scene he’d described. Oh, how she wanted just that, but it couldn’t be. One look at his hopeful expression, though, and she couldn’t tell him no.
“Oh, darling, nothing would make me happier, but are you sure? There are so many things to think about.”
“What’s more important than the fact that we love each other?”
She regarded him sadly. “There’s your family to consider.”
“They don’t matter.”
“Yes, they do. Inevitably, it would become a problem. You’d resent me for coming between you.”
“How could I, when they’re the ones who are being impossible? You’ve done more than your share to make things right with them and they rebuffed you. You endured that tedious visit with a smile on your face every moment.”
“I know how it would work out between us eventually,” she insisted, then sighed because she knew she couldn’t counter his proposal with a rejection that would sever all ties. Not tonight. “Let’s go on as we are.”
“It’s not enough. You deserve more.”
“I have everything I need,” she said. “Honestly, William. I never expected any more than this. What we have has been a gift. Let’s not spoil it by asking for more.”
Eventually he nodded. “For now, I’ll let you have your way, as always. But the topic’s far from done.”
But it was, Destiny thought wearily. She might not have gotten out the words, but her mind was made up. She would let him go…as soon as she found the strength.
17
Destiny had forgotten all about the fateful decision she’d made all those years ago until just recently. It had been a few more months before the tragedy in Virginia had intervened, taking the decision of whether to stay with William or leave him out of her hands.
At that point, separation had been inevitable, but she’d been so grief-stricken at the time, had needed William so desperately, that she’d turned things completely upside down. She’d blamed him for not being at her side, when she herself had believed it was right to end their relationship only a few weeks earlier.
Perhaps on some subconscious level, she’d used her brother’s death as the excuse to do what she knew she had to do without ever being responsible for the decision. Considering that possibility put an entirely new spin on what had happened. Perhaps William had never abandoned her at all but had been inadvertently driven away, responding to signals she hadn’t even realized she was sending. It was something she needed to consider. Perhaps she’d been struggling all these years to forgive something that hadn’t in fact required forgiveness from him, but rather an apology from her.
“Destiny?”
The concern in Melanie’s voice caught her attention and brought her back from the long-ago past. Destiny faced her, faced all of them with a smile firmly plastered on her face.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “How rude of me. William, would you like more tea?”
“Love some,” he said, regarding her curiously.
As she handed it to him, he murmured, “I think there are some things we need to discuss privately.”
“Another time,” she said firmly.
“Of course, but I won’t forget.”
She gave him a wry look. “Believe me, I’m aware of that. You always did have a memory like an elephant.”
He laughed. “It made it hard for you to put me off, didn’t it? I always brought the topic you were intent on avoiding around again.”
“Yes.
It was a most annoying habit.”
“Better than most men, who can’t remember so much as a birthday,” he countered.
“Amen to that,” Kathleen said, proving that most likely all three women had been listening intently to every word of Destiny’s exchange with William. “Ben can’t recall anything five seconds after I’ve told him.”
“Neither can Richard,” Melanie agreed. “Unless it has to do with business. Then he can recall every detail of the fine print in a contract.”
“Mack must be the best of the lot, then,” Beth said. “He usually remembers things I’d prefer he forget.”
Destiny noticed that William seemed fascinated by the talk of her nephews.
“I’m anxious to meet your husbands,” he told the women.
Melanie regarded him with obvious surprise. “Really? I would have thought you’d prefer to avoid them at all costs. Richard, especially.”
William laughed. “Because of the adversarial business relationship we’ve had in recent years?” He waved it off. “With that one notable exception, it’s a thing of the past. Destiny’s seen to that.”
Kathleen regarded him with curiosity. “You didn’t stir up all of that merely to bring Destiny rushing over here to save the day, did you?”
Destiny waited to see if he’d own up to it. It was one thing to confide in her. It was quite another to admit the tactic to virtual strangers, especially to these women he was so obviously trying to win over.
He gave them a rueful grin. “I’ve already told Destiny as much, so I might as well admit it to you. It seemed my best bet at the time,” he conceded. “Of course, I hadn’t counted on it making an enemy out of Richard. That does complicate matters. He’ll never believe that my efforts to get Fortnum Travel are based on a promise to an old friend and have nothing to do with Carlton Industries. I’d do the same if any company were trying a hostile takeover of Fortnum.”
“What exactly does it complicate?” Melanie asked suspiciously. “Your negotiations for Fortnum?”
“No,” William said at once. He glanced at Destiny, heat in his eyes. “I think that’s something I should be discussing with Destiny before I get into it with the rest of you.”
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