Destiny had changed. William had recognized it the moment he’d looked into her eyes and seen not the shyness and vulnerability of the girl he’d first met, but the steely resolve of a woman who’d matured, a woman who was icily furious with him.
He’d fallen in love with the girl all those years ago, but the woman excited him in a whole new way. He’d anticipated winning her back with a first glance, perhaps a touch. Instead, she was going to be a challenge, perhaps an impossible one, but he’d never avoided something merely because of the uncertainty of the outcome. Seemingly insurmountable odds were his favorite kind.
No question, this was going to take some cunning on his part. He refused to consider that it might also take time. They’d wasted enough of that, thanks to his own foolishness. He didn’t intend to lose a moment more than necessary. It was a good thing he had an excellent head for strategic planning. He’d gotten Destiny over here, hadn’t he?
Of course, that, too, had taken time and patience and an ever-escalating campaign against Carlton Industries. Now, with the Fortnum Travel acquisition on the horizon, the fight continued. He could give up as a gesture of good will, but more than any of the other companies he’d sought to steal out from under Carlton, Fortnum was a perfect match for Harcourt & Sons. Destiny wouldn’t be pleased when she discovered he was dead serious about this one.
“How was your first meeting with Ms. Carlton?” Malcolm asked when he joined William in his office the next morning. “Did things go as you’d expected?”
Had they? William gave the question some real thought. In some ways they’d gone better. There had been a lively spark in Destiny’s eyes that had given lie to all of her claims to have forgotten what they’d once meant to each other. But there had also been a hard, unforgiving edge he hadn’t entirely anticipated.
Not only had Destiny revised history and blamed him solely for their separation all those years ago, but she’d apparently taken his attacks on Carlton Industry to heart, even though he’d been deliberately unsuccessful in most cases. He’d succeeded from time to time, only to keep the threat legitimate and to raise the stakes in the hope of getting her to London to retaliate. He should have guessed that the mother-hen protectiveness that had taken her back to the States all those years ago would be more powerful than ever by now. Perhaps he should reconsider the Fortnum acquisition, but that would be a risky business, as well. How much respect would Destiny have for him if he gave up suddenly or too easily?
Returning to Malcolm’s question, he said finally, “It was an interesting evening.” It was the best he could do.
“Any idea why you were included in a Carlton event?”
William laughed. “Oh, I think that was clear enough. Destiny wants me to know she’s keeping an eye on me. In fact, she had Sandhurst watching me all evening long in case I gave away my inside contact.”
Malcolm permitted himself a rare smile. “Then it’s a very good thing that you don’t have one, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. And just as well you haven’t told me yours,” William replied. “There was no way either of us was likely to give ourselves away.”
“What’s your next step, sir?”
“I’m thinking about that right now.”
Malcolm studied him soberly. “Sir, if you don’t mind my asking, what exactly is your goal? I’ve never been entirely clear on that.”
“To be honest, there have been a few moments when I’ve lost track of it myself,” William admitted.
“And now?”
William smiled. “Now that I’ve seen her again, it’s all perfectly clear. I want Destiny Carlton back in my life. And this time, I don’t intend to let anything stand in my way until she’s my wife.” Not even Fortnum Travel, if it came down to that.
Malcolm nodded slowly. “I thought it was something like that. If there’s anything I can do to help, it will be my pleasure.”
“You’ve done more than enough,” William told him. “I think the rest is up to me.”
“Will you be needing more inside information, sir?”
“Quite likely,” William said. “I can’t have Destiny thinking that she’s scared me out of the game merely by showing up. We need to keep the pressure on. Line up another meeting for me with the Fortnum executives so I can press our case.”
Malcolm nodded. “Things will be quiet during the holidays, but I’ll schedule it for the first of the year. And I’ll get back to my source at Carlton then, as well, and see if there’s any indication what Ms. Carlton’s strategy will be now that she’s in charge.”
“And meantime, why don’t we get together with Langley as soon as possible? Perhaps he’ll have some ideas about how H&S Books can make Ms. Carlton rue the day she decided to buy Jameson’s Booksellers.”
“There are only a few days left before Christmas, sir. I doubt we can have much impact on their holiday sales,” Malcolm said.
“We can if we increase advertising and undercut their prices,” William suggested, his expression thoughtful. “And I believe it’s time to announce our own mail-order catalog, don’t you? Should have done it years ago.”
“Isn’t slashing prices a rather shortsighted strategy, sir?” Malcolm asked, clearly scandalized by the thought of taking losses. “We can’t go on in such a way, not without destroying our own business. And won’t a catalog cost a pretty penny?”
“Not if we do it on the Internet, rather than printing and mailing it. As for the holiday sale, I’ll discuss it with Langley, of course, but it seems to me we only have to slash the prices on certain books to get people through our doors and away from Jameson’s. And it will send a clear message to Ms. Carlton that we intend not only to stay in the fight, but to up the ante.”
Malcolm’s aristocratic brow rose slightly. “Poker, sir?”
William hadn’t thought of the connection himself, but it was accurate. “Yes, it is a bit like poker,” he said. “But in this case, we’re not bluffing, Malcolm. We have the hand it takes to win.”
Malcolm still looked distressed and unsettled. “If you say so.”
William laughed at his sour expression. “Buck up, man. I have no intention of driving us into bankruptcy simply to win Ms. Carlton’s heart.”
“Good to know, sir,” Malcolm responded, though he didn’t look entirely convinced.
“Will you get Langley in here? We have to put this plan into motion at once. Even a few days of eating into their sales at this time of year can have a huge impact.”
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
As William waited for the head of his book division, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He felt more energized than he had in years. He’d always thought attending to business was a rather mundane necessity, but he was discovering it could be intellectually stimulating with Destiny now a factor.
A gentlemanly attempt to win Destiny back would probably allow her her little victory with Jameson’s, but he knew her too well to play it that way. She would relish the challenge and, in the end, would respect him for it. At least, he hoped he wasn’t misreading the situation as he’d misread things so badly years ago.
Time would tell.
* * *
Two days after her party, Destiny opened her paper as she drank her morning tea and very nearly choked. Running a full-page ad this close to Christmas had to have cost H&S Books a fortune. It featured the latest bestsellers at prices with which Jameson’s couldn’t possibly compete, something William had obviously known when he’d devised the sneaky strategy.
He’d taken his own sweet time coming up with a response to her purchase of Jameson’s, but she was forced to concede it had been a good one. The clever little line on the bottom of the ad about watching for their new online ordering service was brilliant, as well. He’d gotten a jump on her plan to open a catalog business. Now H&S Books would look as if they’d thought up an entirely fresh idea for expanding sales and taken it a step further by utilizing the Internet and saving on printing and mailing costs. Her own plans would seem old-fashioned at best and a weak counterstrategy at worst.
After allowing herself a moment to admire William’s audacity, she picked up the phone and buzzed for Chester.
“I need to see you in my office at once,” she said tersely.
“Is there a problem?”
“I’ll explain when you get here.”
Chester arrived within minutes. He saw the paper on her desk and paled. “What is it?”
She shoved the advertisement toward him. “What do you think?”
Chester scanned the paper, then sank onto a chair. “He’s one step ahead of us, isn’t he?”
“The question is, how did he know about the catalog plans? We’ve discussed them with no one.”
“Perhaps it’s coincidence,” Chester suggested.
Destiny scowled at him. “Don’t be ridiculous. William knows. It’s obvious. We have to find the leak. It’s more critical than ever.”
“But as you just said, we’ve discussed those plans with no one inside the company. Only you and I were aware that it was part of the strategy when we acquired Jameson’s. I certainly haven’t spoken to Harcourt or anyone else about it. Have you?”
Destiny watched him closely and sighed. If he had given away the secret, he was covering it well. He sounded totally sincere.
“No, I’ve spoken to no one since we concluded the negotiations,” she said. “It certainly did not come up when I spoke with William at my party.”
Chester’s expression turned thoughtful. “One of the solicitors, perhaps?”
“In violation of their ethics?”
“No, no, of course not. Can’t imagine what I was thinking.”
“Who else is there?” Destiny asked.
Chester’s expression turned thoughtful. “It could be Jameson himself, I suppose. I never thought to speak to him about confidentiality, and he was awfully excited at the prospect of our expanding his business. It’s entirely possible he’s told all of his customers by now, including someone close to Harcourt.”
Destiny nodded slowly. “That has to be it. Well, it’s spilt milk now. What do we do about the price cuts?”
“Nothing,” Chester advised. “If they want to incur huge losses in these last days before Christmas, let them.”
“I suppose, but it doesn’t feel right to sit by and do nothing.” She considered the problem from several angles, while Chester regarded her with obvious dismay. It seemed to her that it was essential to act quickly and decisively. She didn’t want William to have the upper hand, even for a minute. He needed to know she was as skillful as he at adjusting to changing circumstances.
Suddenly inspiration struck.
“Find me a wholesale source of fine tea, Chester.”
He regarded her with a totally perplexed expression. “Tea?”
“Yes. Those tea shops of William’s must do a booming business this time of year.”
“I don’t understand,” Chester said.
“We’ll have a campaign in the paper starting tomorrow, something along the lines of relaxing with a cup of tea and a good book during the holidays. We’ll give away a gift packet of tea with every purchase, something everyone will want for themselves or as a treat to go along with a present. We’ll serve tea, as well. We’ll make Jameson’s the place to go to get away from holiday stress.”
“You can’t mean it,” he said, clearly stunned. “You want to do this by tomorrow?”
“Yes. How difficult can it be? It’s not as if we have an entire chain of stores. We have just the one, and it shouldn’t be any more difficult to stock it with tea than it was to start bringing in new books,” Destiny said blithely, eager to get on with it. “I’ll set up the advertising and I’ll call and speak to the manager about getting the tea brewed and ordering cups. China, I think, so the atmosphere is right. Jameson’s has such a traditional feel to it, doesn’t it? Those throwaway cups would never do.”
“You’re making a snap decision, one you’re likely to regret,” Chester warned her. “It can’t possibly be wise to make such an investment on the spur of the moment. There are procedures. This venture is too new to be pouring resources into it without thorough consideration.”
“Procedures be damned,” Destiny said. “We have to be innovative and responsive. We can’t do that if we’re worrying about dotting every i and crossing every t.”
“Perhaps you should speak to Richard. See what he thinks about all this,” Chester said.
Destiny sent him a piercing look. “I imagine if I don’t, you will.”
“I feel it’s necessary,” Chester said stubbornly.
She met his gaze. “Do whatever you feel is necessary, by all means,” she said coldly. “But market situations call for quick thinking, Chester. You won’t be doing yourself any favors by turning to my nephew every time you doubt one of my decisions.”
Chester blanched at that. “No, of course not. It’s your call.”
“Thank you. Now, can you arrange to have the teas delivered this afternoon?”
“You can’t possibly expect to do something like this in a day,” Chester protested. “We’ll manage it in two, if we’re lucky.”
“I’d like to know why we can’t do it in one,” Destiny responded. “A defeatist attitude isn’t acceptable, Chester. Nor are we going to be complacent or traditional. From now on, we both need to think outside the box.”
“Outside the box,” he echoed weakly. “I’ll do my best.”
Destiny beamed at him. “I knew you would. Now, let’s get busy. As you said, we don’t have much time if we intend to pull this off. If worse comes to worst, we’ll simply buy the tea at the market and pay full price until we can arrange for a wholesale delivery.”
An hour later, Destiny had done her part. She’d scheduled the advertising in several papers, spoken to Jameson’s manager—a bright young woman who was refreshingly eager to try something innovative—and Destiny had ordered some simple but elegant china cups to be delivered before the end of the day.
Satisfied with her morning’s work, she picked up the phone and dialed William’s number.
“It’s not going to work, you know,” she said cheerfully when he got on the line.
He laughed. “Is that so? I understand people are coming into our stores in droves today. Best holiday business we’ve done in years.”
“Then I suppose you should thank me. Obviously it took a bit of a challenge from me to get you out of your stodgy ways.”
“Thank you,” he said dutifully.
“I hope you enjoy today’s success,” she said. “Tomorrow’s another day.”
“Oh? What have you got up your sleeve now, Destiny?”
“Something rather clever, if I do say so myself.”
“No hints?”
“No. I don’t want to give you enough time to try to counter my strategy. You’ll see in the morning. Hope it doesn’t spoil your breakfast.”
“Why not join me and you can judge my reaction for yourself?” he suggested.
Destiny considered the invitation and decided it might be fun to watch William’s face when he realized she was after not just one of his key businesses, but two of them now. Maybe that would be enough to convince him to stay away from Carlton Industries projects.
“A triumph might be just the thing to whet my appetite,” she said. “Will seven be too early? I like to be in the office early.”
“Seven will be fine. Where shall we go?”
“Your choice. After so many years away, I don’t know London as well as you do.”
He suggested a small restaurant in her neighborhood.
“That will be perfect,” she said at once. “And William, don’t spoil this for me by looking at your morning paper before you come.”
He laughed. “I promise. Shall I bring one with me?”
“If you wish.”
“Any particular paper?”
“No, any paper will do.”
“Gone all out, have you?”
“And then some,” she assured him breezily. “After all, when you’re doing something brilliant, you want everyone to know about it.”
“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” he asked, his tone more serious.
“Actually I’m having the time of my life,” she agreed. “And in a way, I have you to thank.”
“How so?”
She considered her response thoughtfully. From the moment this plan of hers to compete with William and save her family business had been formulated months and months ago, she’d been making new discoveries about herself and her abilities. To realize that she’d had hidden talents all these years was remarkable at her age. She was thriving on the excitement and challenge. She woke up each morning eager to begin the day. Since Ben’s marriage, she’d been far too bored. It wasn’t a state that was good for anyone, especially someone with her energy.
“Intentional or not, you provided the incentive for me to get into business,” she said eventually. “Until now, I’d had no idea how much fun it could be. No wonder my grandfather, father and brother loved it so much.”
“And your nephew? Does Richard love it, too?”
“Of course. He also loves to win. And just so you know, that’s a trait we share.”
“Warning duly noted,” he said solemnly. “But just so you know, I don’t intend to lose.”
He’d hung up before she could come up with an adequate response to his very confident declaration. Just as well, Destiny concluded. Maybe by morning when she saw him, she’d have one.
* * *
William strolled to the restaurant in the morning, eager to get on with things with Destiny. Whatever plot she had up her sleeve wasn’t nearly as important to him as the fact that she’d agreed to meet him for breakfast. He remembered a time when they’d shared rich coffee, croissants and fresh fruit every morning at a sidewalk café near the sea. They’d lingered long after their food was gone, caught up in some lively debate or another to the amusement of the waiters.
They’d rarely agreed on anything, not art, certainly, nor books or films or world affairs. Even when they had, William had always taken an opposing point of view just to see the quick rise of color in Destiny’s cheeks and the fire in her eyes. She’d never ceased to enchant him with her lively mind and tart tongue. And everyone at their favorite restaurant had enjoyed their passionate exchanges as if they were witnesses to some sort of live theater.
William could already tell that in that regard, at least, she hadn’t changed. There was still nothing she enjoyed more than a good battle of wits.
When he walked into the restaurant, she was already waiting for him, engaged in a conversation with the waiter, whom she’d clearly charmed.
“Ah, here is my guest now,” she said when she spotted him.
William bent down and kissed her cheek, then grinned at the waiter. “Nice to see you, George. And just so there’s no mistake, Ms. Carlton is my guest this morning.”
Destiny began to protest, but George nodded. “As you wish, sir.”
William sat down as George went off to get his coffee. “It pays to know the staff,” he told Destiny. “And you need to know that not everything is going to go your way this morning.”
She gave him a serene smile. “Then I shall give in gracefully on that point, since everything else is so obviously going to go my way.” She glanced pointedly at the paper he was carrying. “Have you looked?”
“I told you I wouldn’t. Shall I scan through it now?”
“Perhaps we should wait till after you’ve eaten. I’d hate to spoil your breakfast.”
“I doubt whatever scheme you’ve come up with is going to destroy my appetite, despite your very apparent hope for that.” In fact, he found her eagerness delightful.
“Then by all means, have a look,” she said. “I think the ad turned out rather well. It’s on page—”
William cut her off before she could say it. “The only way to judge an ad’s true effectiveness is to see if it catches a person’s attention, don’t you think? Let me put yours to that test.”
He opened the paper and slowly turned the pages. It didn’t take long for the ad to pop out at him with its picture of a stack of books topped by a steaming cup of tea. Tea, dammit! He recognized the ploy at once, even before he read the details. She was going after two businesses now, no more than an annoyance in either case, but clever, just the same. She was good at this, better than he’d expected, in fact. It would keep things between them lively, no question about it.
He worked to keep his expression neutral as he lowered the paper and faced her expectant look. “You’re going into the tea business now?”
“As an experiment,” she said happily. “If it’s as successful as I anticipate, then it could make quite a nice expansion for Jameson’s, don’t you agree? We’ll provide a lovely, cozy place for people to enjoy a good book and a refreshing cup of tea. I can see it becoming a gathering place for those who love literature.”
“You’ll never know for sure, if you begin by giving the stuff away,” he said more testily than he’d meant to.
“But it’s the perfect way to get people to form a habit that will bring them back into the store,” she said. “Just as cutting the cost of your books is something I’m sure you have no intention of sustaining forever.”
“Not necessarily,” William said. “If it’s successful, we’ll certainly keep it going after the New Year, and based on yesterday’s sales, I’d have to say it looks like a winner.”
“Perhaps you should wait till you see how things go today,” Destiny responded.
He heard the challenge in her voice and looked into her flashing eyes. “We can always walk over to one of the shops after breakfast and you can see for yourself,” he countered. “We’re opening at eight so people can shop on their way to work.”
She paled a bit at that, but rallied quickly. “What a marvelous idea!”
He bit back a grin. “I imagine you’ll be opening at seven starting tomorrow.”
“No need,” she said at once. “We believe most people would rather shop on their lunch hours or after work, so we’ve added more extended hours till Christmas. Wander by on your way home tonight and see for yourself how successful it is. Our customers have been wildly enthusiastic, and now that they’ll be able to get a cup of tea and perhaps a bite to eat, as well, I’m sure it will go over better than before.”
William regarded her with new respect. “You really do have a knack for this sort of thing, don’t you?”
“I like to think I come by it naturally,” she said.
“Have you worked for Carlton Industries all these years?”
“Heavens, no,” she said at once. “Raising Richard, Mack and Ben was more than enough to keep me occupied. Now, though, I’m eager for new challenges.”
“It wouldn’t have been enough for you to take up your painting again?” he asked.
For an instant, he thought he detected a trace of sadness in her eyes, but she shook her head.
“I haven’t picked up a brush in years except to dabble a bit,” she said.
“You can’t be serious!” he said, genuinely taken aback by that. “Your art always meant so much to you.”
“It was part of the life I gave up when I went home,” she told him. “There was no room for that kind of self-indulgence once I became a surrogate mother to those boys. That was a full-time job. They required all of my attention to make up at least a little for what they’d lost.”
“Oh, Destiny, I’m so sorry,” he said with total sincerity. It made his heart ache to think that she’d felt the need to give up something that had once brought her joy. “I should have been there to help.”
Her gaze met his. “But you weren’t,” she said quietly. “So I had to do what was necessary on my own.”
There was no hint of self-pity in her voice. Indeed, what he heard was the kind of strength and determination that must have gotten her through the turmoil of those days when her life had been turned upside down. His admiration for her grew.
“You’re a remarkable woman,” he told her quietly. “But then I always knew that.”
She frowned at that. “Did you really?”
“Well, of course I did,” he said, surprised that she needed to ask. “Why would you say such a thing?”
“Because you let me go,” she said, her eyes filled with emotion. Then she looked away, and when she turned back, her face was as expressionless as if they’d been discussing the weather. “Well, that’s neither here nor there.”
“Destiny, please, let me explain,” he began. They’d each played a role in the way things had turned out. The fault wasn’t only his, though he bore the lion’s share of it. That made it his duty to set things right between them.
“There’s nothing to explain,” she said curtly. “We can’t change the past. Rehashing it is a waste of time. I made a choice back then. So did you. All either of us can do is live with the decisions we made.”
“But I want you to understand,” he said, feeling helpless and frustrated because he knew that no matter what he said, no matter how sincere the explanation he offered, it would never be enough to change what had happened.
She looked him in the eye, her own gaze steady and unyielding. “I do understand,” she said quietly. “I really do, William. I just can’t forgive you.”