Destiny Unleashed (14 page)

“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 sce
nario 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 could 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, straight
forward 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.

W
illiam 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 gave William a sour look. “No, that’s still up for grabs, apparently.”

“What other exceptions might come along?” Chester demanded, scowling at William with suspicion. “Do you actually trust him to stick to this so-called agreement?”

“I do,” Destiny said firmly.

“Is it in writing?” Chester asked.

“William’s word is enough for me,” she replied.

Chester looked resigned. “You are far too naive, my dear.”

William waited for an explosion. Destiny surprised him by going the icy-disdain route, rather than fiery
fury. He watched as she regarded Chester like a queen about to order a subject’s head to be chopped off.

“I would advise you against declaring something like that again,” she told him coldly.

“We can only work together if I’m permitted to be honest,” Chester said, undaunted.

Destiny seemed surprised by his refusal to back down. She nodded slowly. “A valid point. Next time, try to inject a diplomatic note into the criticism, though, will you? It will make things go much more smoothly. I get enough of the other from Richard.”

Chester laughed and the tension was broken. “I suppose I can do that much at least. I’ll speak to you later about the rest of this. I think we’re making excellent progress, Destiny. You’ve done a fine job of streamlining things throughout the division.”

William waited until he had gone, then turned to Destiny. “You two seem to have formed some sort of mutual-admiration pact all of a sudden.”

She regarded him with curiosity, then laughed. “My goodness, William, don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

“Of Chester? Hardly.”

“Really? It sounded that way to me.”

He tried to contain his amusement at her interpretation of his reaction. “Perhaps I might be, if I thought you were his type.”

A touch of purely female indignation flared in her eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re a woman.”

She stared at him blankly, then gasped. “Oh, my. Chester’s gay?”

William nodded. “Well-known around town. He’s been with the same man for some years now.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how I missed that one. Why on earth didn’t Chester bring his partner to my party?”

“Perhaps he didn’t want to offend you, in case you objected.”

“I’m far more broadminded than that,” she said. “Unorthodox relationships are nothing new to me.”

William barely contained a smile, knowing that she was lumping their relationship in with Chester’s in an odd sort of way. “I’m aware of that,” he said agreeably. “But he didn’t know that, did he? That could also explain his panic when you turned up in Devon. I’m sure they were on holiday there together.”

Destiny frowned. “I’m not sure I like the fact that you seem to know more about my personnel than I do.”

“Have lunch with me and you can pick my brain for any other tidbits I know. You might find it illuminating.”

“You didn’t come over here to ask me to lunch,” she reminded him. “You came to accuse me of going back on our deal.”

“True enough, but we’ve taken care of that, and now that I’m here, I find I haven’t seen quite enough of you yet. Are you free?”

She regarded him thoughtfully, then finally nodded. “I can be. Give me a couple of moments to rearrange a few things.”

After she’d spoken to Miriam, she grabbed her coat and allowed William to help her into it. He let his hands rest on her shoulders when he was done.

“I’ve missed being able to do this,” he told her quietly.

She turned and faced him, her expression quizzical. “What? Helping me on with my coat?”

“No, being able to touch you, smelling that wonderful, sexy scent you wear.”

“You remember my perfume?” she asked incredulously.

He laughed. “Wasn’t it Proust who wrote an entire book based on the memories that are stirred by aromas that once meant something to us? Nothing is more evocative than scent.” He winked at her. “Besides, I must have bought you gallons of the stuff. How could I possibly forget it? At the time it was the most expensive perfume on the market, I’m sure.”

“But surely you’ve bought perfume for many women since then,” she said.

He shook his head. “Never.”

Again, surprise lit her eyes. “Please don’t try to convince me that you’ve lived a celibate life since we parted, William. You’re far too attractive and virile to have gotten away with that. I suspect women were falling all over you from the moment you returned to London.”

“Well, of course,” he teased, knowing it would bring a flash of annoyance to her eyes. He wasn’t disappointed. Satisfied, he changed his tack. “But there have been far fewer women than you might imagine, and none of them ever touched my heart or lingered in my memory.”

She blinked back the sudden dampness he could see in her eyes.

“Oh, William, you mustn’t say things like that.”

“Even if they’re true?”

“Even then,” she said fiercely.

“Why? Because they might soften your heart toward me?”

“Yes, that’s precisely the reason.”

He searched her face, wanting her to admit the truth, that she still cared for him, as well. “Would that be so awful, Destiny?”

“Not awful,” she said. “Dangerous.”

“I won’t hurt you,” he promised.

She regarded him sadly. “You can’t be sure of that. You did once. And if me being with you threatens to cause a rift for me with my family, I’m afraid we’ll face the same fate a second time, only this time with me to blame.”

“We both had our hearts broken, Destiny. I’d say we’re even and it’s time to think of starting over with the slate clean. I’m going to keep telling you that till I’ve convinced you. In the end, this will be your decision, not Richard’s.”

She looked torn. “If only that were true,” she began, then shook her head. “But it’s not. Let’s not discuss this again, William. It’s pointless.”

“Love is never pointless,” he said. “Didn’t you once tell me it’s the most important thing of all? I imagine that’s what you taught your nephews, too.”

She laughed, her eyes suddenly alight with some memory. “Indeed, I did. Come, let’s go to lunch and I’ll explain.”

The moment was broken now, so William relented. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Italian, I think. Something robust.”

“Then I know the perfect place,” he said, tucking
her arm through his. “I hope you cleared the entire afternoon, because once we’re there, you won’t want to leave.”

She frowned at him. “I do have work to do, you know. I’m not idle, as I once was.”

“But you’re the boss now. You can indulge yourself from time to time.”

“Why, so I am.” Her expression brightened. “The boss,” she echoed with a shake of her head. “Amazing. Who would have thought it?”

“I would,” William said at once. “I always knew you could do anything you set your mind to.”

“But to take on such a challenge at such a late date,” she said. “It’s really rather astonishing.”

“Late date? Oh, my dear, don’t you know that the best years are yet to come?”

Excitement sparkled in her eyes when she met his gaze. “You know, William, I do believe you’re right.”

A bottle of excellent red wine and a huge plate of a spicy vodka penne left Destiny feeling pleasantly full and quite mellow.

“That was delicious,” she told William. “But now I think I need a brisk walk in the cold air if I’m to get any work at all done this afternoon. I’ve some hard decisions to make about staffing in one of our departments. I can’t put off meeting with the people involved.”

“No dessert? No coffee?” he asked.

“We have an outstanding crême brûlée, ma’am,” the waiter said. “And excellent espresso.”

Destiny laughed. “I don’t know,” she protested.

“Just a taste,” William taunted. “I know crême brûlée is your favorite.”

“Next to chocolate mousse,” she said.

The waiter’s expression brightened. “We have that, as well.”

“We’ll have one of each and two espressos,” William said, taking the decision out of her hands. “Let me indulge you just this once.”

“Just this once,” she agreed. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to fit into that new wardrobe of suits I bought for work.”

She met William’s gaze and thought she spotted a shadow in his eyes. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“There’s something I’ve been debating telling you,” he admitted eventually.

“Just say it.”

“I think I will. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us, but I worry that it will upset you.”

“William!”

“I spoke to Richard earlier today.”

She frowned at him. “You spoke to my nephew? Why?”

“Actually, he called me to warn me away from Carlton Industries.”

Destiny felt her heart begin to pound. She was going to wring Richard’s neck the first chance she got. “How dare he!” she muttered. “What did you tell him?”

“That the game was over and that he should be talking to you. I said you’d handled the situation.”

She regarded him with surprise. “You said that?”

“Of course. It’s the truth. The situation is in hand,
at least as far as Harcourt & Sons is concerned. The only competition between us now is the travel company. I don’t expect you to give in on that and I think I’ve made it clear to you why I cannot.”

She was surprised that he’d given her the credit for settling most of the differences between the two companies, though she doubted that Richard had been convinced. “Thank you. Did he believe you?”

“Hard to say. Since he obviously didn’t call you straight away, I’d say he’s probably still miffed at my suggestion that I understand you and respect you far more than he does.”

Destiny bit back a chuckle. “Yes, that would annoy him. Since he hasn’t called, I wonder what he’s plotting over there.”

“You don’t think he’ll just take my word that there’s no longer anything for him to worry about and let it drop?”

“Now who’s being naive?” she said. “No, Richard won’t let this drop. He doesn’t trust you, and to be perfectly honest, he’s not too sure about me.”

“Don’t you find that vaguely insulting?”

“
Vaguely
insulting? I find it infuriating,” she said tightly. “But I’m prepared for anything now. Thank you for telling me he’s now going behind my back to take care of things. I believe dealing with Richard will be my next challenge, and frankly, I’m looking forward to it.”

“A little too eagerly, if that glint in your eyes is any indication.”

She grinned. “You read me so well.”

“Perhaps we should change the subject,” William
said. “I didn’t want to upset you and yet that’s precisely what I’ve done.”

“No, you’ve forewarned me. That’s something else entirely,” she said as the waiter set their desserts on the table.