“I’ve known how important you are to him for some time,” Malcolm said. “I figured it out when he went to such lengths to get you back to London. It was never about business for him. It was always about you.”
“Thank you for telling me that. I know your loyalty is to Mr. Harcourt.”
He smiled. “Which is precisely why I told you. I think it’s time you both put your cards on the table and grabbed this second chance, don’t you?”
“I do, but it’s gotten rather complicated.”
“Because of your family?”
She nodded.
“And years ago, it was his family, if I’m not mistaken. Shouldn’t you both have learned a lesson from that?”
Struck by the accuracy of his insight, Destiny regarded Malcolm with surprise. “How did you get to be so wise?”
“I’ve spent a rather long time with the Harcourts,” he said. “You learn to read people, especially those you care about. I believe you have the same knack.”
“I always thought I did. Perhaps it is time I started to trust my instincts again.”
“Past time, I’d say.”
“You wouldn’t object to Mr. Harcourt getting involved with the competition?”
He laughed then. “I’d say he’s been involved for years, wouldn’t you? At least now, perhaps he’ll be happy.”
Outside of the Carlton Industries offices, Destiny impulsively stood on tiptoe and kissed Malcolm’s weathered cheek. “Thank you.”
He blushed furiously. “My pleasure, I’m sure.”
Destiny stared after him as he turned and melted into the crowd. What an absolutely amazing morning!
“You saw that she got back to her office?” William asked Malcolm when he finally returned.
“Of course, sir.”
“Is she okay?”
“I believe so, though she is worried that you might never forgive her for whatever it was she did years ago.”
William sighed. He was struggling with that himself. He had been ever since Destiny had revealed that she’d all but deliberately cut him out of her life to force a reconciliation with his family.
“I can’t imagine what she was thinking,” he admitted to Malcolm. “She ripped our lives apart to get me to come back here.”
“Would you have come otherwise, sir?”
“Probably not,” William admitted. “My parents were being incredibly stubborn about Destiny and about what they expected from me. There seemed to be no room at all for compromise.”
“Your father merely wanted you to take charge of your legacy, sir. It’s not that unusual for a man to want that for his only son. His instincts were exactly right. You’ve done a bang-up job.”
“Business isn’t everything, Malcolm. Far from it.”
“Neither is love,” Malcolm countered. “It seems to me a balance is best all around. Perhaps you can find that now.”
“In other words, forgive Destiny for being as foolish and stubborn as I was, and get on with things,” William summed up.
“Precisely, sir.”
William nodded slowly, seeing the wisdom in that. “What about her family, though?”
“A minor roadblock, sir. I’m sure you can deal with it.”
“Your faith in me is sometimes blinded by affection, Malcolm.”
“I’ll deny it with my dying breath, sir. Now, I think it best if I get back to work and leave you to plan your strategy.”
“I’m not going to war, Malcolm.”
“Sometimes courtship can be just as complicated.”
William chuckled. “I believe you’re right…again. And I believe it’s time I settled things with Fortnum Travel so that can’t stand between us.”
An hour later, William was sitting with David Fortnum and his board of directors. “Here’s my one and only offer, gentlemen,” he said. “I think you’ll find it more than satisfactory and sufficient to put an end to the attempts by Carlton Industries to take over your company.”
“We’ll need time,” David began, but William’s scowl silenced him. He nodded slowly. “Perhaps, if you would give us a few moments, William, we’ll be able to give you an answer.”
William nodded. “I’ll wait outside.”
It took only five minutes for the board to reach its conclusion. David emerged from the meeting and grasped his hand.
“Thank you, old friend,” David said. “I promise you won’t regret this.”
Knowing how infuriated Richard Carlton was likely to be, William wished he were half as certain of that.
Destiny sat in the lounge at Heathrow with Melanie, Beth and Kathleen and wondered if she shouldn’t be getting on a plane with them. Maybe if she had a face-to-face confrontation with Richard they could settle this. But Melanie had promised to get Richard over here so he could meet William and, in the end, that would be the more sensible approach. Nothing she said on her own was likely to make a dent in the stubborn mindset Richard had adopted where William was concerned.
“I wish you weren’t leaving so soon,” she told them. “You’ve barely gotten here. There’s so much left that I want you to see.”
“We’ll be back,” Melanie promised. “Soon.”
“Absolutely,” Beth agreed. “And we’ll drag everyone else with us. Then we won’t need to be on the phone half the time checking on the children and our husbands.”
“We’ll drag them all by the hair, if necessary,” Kathleen added.
Destiny smiled at the image. “Yes, I believe you would. Thank you, darlings. I’m so glad you came. I’ve missed you.”
“You could come back with us,” Beth said. “Just for a visit.”
“I considered that, but I think it would only give Richard false hope that I’m giving up over here. I think it’s best if I stay right where I am and keep trying to get this division on solid footing. It’s important to me to prove to myself that I have what it takes to do the job well. I’d like to hand him Fortnum Travel, if at all possible.”
Just then their flight was announced. Destiny gave them each a fierce hug. “I love you. And despite my current exasperation with them, I love your husbands, too. Tell them that.”
When it was Melanie’s turn to say goodbye, she looked into Destiny’s eyes. “Don’t let them do anything to ruin this for you, okay? Grab every bit of happiness you can. You deserve it.”
And then they were gone.
Destiny stared after the three women, who were so very different, yet uniquely suited to be Carlton wives. They understood the importance of love and family and brought a much-needed balance into their husbands’ lives. She’d done well when she’d chosen them. If only she were half as successful at finding her own fulfillment.
She took a taxi back to her flat, though she dreaded the silence that was going to greet her there. Even with such a short visit, they had brought noise and laughter into the place and made it feel like home. In the months she’d been in London, she’d almost forgotten how important that had become to her. She was no longer used to living on her own as she had so many years ago in Provence.
When she exited the elevator outside her apartment, she found William lounging against the wall. Her heart did a little somersault at the welcome sight of him, but she regarded him warily.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” she said.
“I thought you might be feeling a bit low after seeing everyone off,” he said.
“And that mattered to you because?”
He lifted a brow at her tart tone. “Because I love you, dammit!”
“How lovely of you to express it so sweetly,” she said, barely managing to hide her amusement.
“It’s because you tie me in knots,” he said irritably. “I seldom know if I’m coming or going.”
“Sorry.”
“I doubt that. May I come in or do you intend to keep me standing out here in the hall? For all we know there are photographers lurking about in the shadows.”
“If I let you in, will anything have ch
anged?”
He frowned at the question. “What the devil is that supposed to mean?”
“We seem to keep dancing around the same old topics. I think it’s time we move on or give it up.”
William nodded slowly. “I see your point.”
“And?”
“Let’s talk about getting married,” he proposed.
Destiny’s chin dropped. “What?”
He laughed. “We haven’t had that one on the table in a while. I think it’s time we did.”
“We…I…”
“Had I only known what it would take to render you speechless, I would have asked long ago,” William taunted. “Come to think of it, I did, and you turned me down. Will you say no again?”
Now that the proposal was actually out there, hanging in the air between them, Destiny couldn’t seem to gather her thoughts. It was oh-so-tempting to say yes this time and forget about all of the very real complications. But she couldn’t seem to get the word past the lump in her throat or the fear in her heart.
“Married?” she echoed weakly.
“Is the idea so preposterous? I think we’ve waited long enough, don’t you?”
“Perhaps too long,” she said.
William stared at her. “Too long? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“We’re not young anymore, William. We don’t need to do things the traditional way.”
“We’ve never done anything the traditional way,” he countered impatiently. “I say it’s time we did.” He gave her a piercing look. “Do you love me, Destiny?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation.
“Then I think it’s time we married and said to hell with the consequences. We’ll deal with all the rest in time, but we’ll do it together.”
Destiny could just imagine Richard’s reaction to such an announcement. He would be horrified. She needed time to prepare him, time to figure out if marriage was what she really wanted just when she was discovering what she was capable of accomplishing on her own.
“We can’t do this now, William. Really we can’t. In a few months, perhaps we can talk about it.”
“What will be different in a few months?”
“My family…”
“Your family—and mine—are the reasons we’ve lost more than two decades out of our lives,” he retorted. “I’m not prepared to let them cost us another minute. Years ago your nephews were young. They needed you. I accepted that. They’re grown men now. They should want you to be happy. They need to deal with this.”
“I can’t expect them to do a complete one-eighty overnight,” she said. “Richard, especially. He doesn’t trust you. You saw to that.”
William remained undaunted. “And my parents didn’t trust you. We made the mistake of letting that keep us apart back then. If we hadn’t, we would have been married before your brother and sister-in-law died and we would have raised those boys together. There would have been no question about it.”
“You almost sound as if that’s what you wanted,” Destiny said, stunned.
“I did. It took me too damn long to see it. I admit that, but I would have given anything to be a part of that family you were creating with them.”
“Oh, William,” she said softly. “How foolish we’ve been.”
“Yes, we have. Let’s not make the same mistake now.”
Destiny didn’t know why she wasn’t leaping straight into his arms, but she couldn’t seem to bring herself to do it. She needed time to make everything right. It was her nature to want smooth sailing.
“A few weeks,” she pleaded.
“What will change?” he asked again.
“I’ll make them see how much you matter to me.”
“And if they don’t, if Richard still disapproves, what will you do then?”
She regarded him with dismay. It was something she hadn’t considered, couldn’t even permit herself to consider. Could she go against the wishes of her family, even one of them?
“I don’t know,” she said at last, her heart breaking.
William stared at her, his expression filled with despair. “Well, I assume you’ll let me know when you figure it out.”
“Of course I will,” she said.
He touched her cheek. “I only hope it’s not too late. Just so you know, though, I closed my acquisition of Fortnum Travel earlier today. I wanted you to know before the word got out. I’ve put an end to the competition once and for all, Destiny. Whatever happens now is just between us.”
And then he was gone, leaving her openmouthed and silent with shock. The tears that had been threatening spilled down her cheeks and left her feeling empty inside and more alone than she had ever been in her life. He’d warned her of his intention to close that deal at any cost, but she’d been so sure that he’d relent in the end. Now whatever chance there had been of Richard accepting this man was gone forever.
20
Once again Destiny had chosen her family over him. At least that was how William saw it. And that was before she’d known about Fortnum Travel.
He left her apartment building with his heart heavier than it had been at any moment since the last time he’d set eyes on her in Provence so many years ago. He’d stood watching her plane take off and known in his heart that it was the end, despite her promises to keep in touch and let him know what was happening back in Virginia. He felt the same way now. It was impossible to imagine things changing for them, not for the better at any rate.
He knew she had her own share of regrets over the years they’d lost, but she still felt she’d been right. He was far more skeptical. Even with all he knew now about how conflicted her emotions had been when she’d gone back to the States to be with her family, even understanding why she’d felt it was best for both of them, he thought it had been the biggest, costliest mistake of either of their lives. He couldn’t undo what had happened then, and he was far from certain he could fix things between them now, not with Richard and most likely his brothers standing squarely between them.
With his heart aching as he reached his house and poured himself a stiff drink, he settled in front of the fire and let the memories come as they had on so many other cold and lonely nights. Maybe there was an answer for him in the past, if only he could see it.
Provence, 1983
William hung up the phone slowly, his heart filled with anguish over what the Carlton family housekeeper had just told him. The news was going to devastate Destiny. He was glad in a way that he’d been the one to take the call. Perhaps he could soften the blow, but he doubted it. He knew how close she’d been to her brother, how often she spoke to him even now with years and distance separating them.
The Carlton housekeeper had been sparing with the details, in part because she’d been far too emotional herself. She’d said only that the Carltons’ small plane had crashed in the fog-shrouded Blue Ridge Mountains and that there had been no survivors.
“These precious boys,” she had said between sobs. “What’s to become of them?”
“Don’t worry,” William had told her, knowing how futile the words were. How could anyone not worry under such sad circumstances?
“I’ll speak to Destiny and I’m sure she’ll be there on the first available flight,” he reassured her. “She’ll call you herself with the details.”
By the time Destiny had come back from her morning shopping, laden with bags of fruit, cheese and bread for the picnic they’d planned, he’d already booked her a flight. Seeing her coming up the path, he admired her lithe figure browned by the sun, her brown hair lit with golden streaks. She looked so incredibly happy and carefree. He ached knowing that he was about to destroy that.
She glanced toward the house and caught him watching. A smile broke across her face, lighting her eyes.
“Have you been waiting impatiently at the door all this time?” she called out in her low, musical voice.
William kept silent, not sure he had the strength to break her heart. Moreover
, he was going to have to find the strength to let her go for however long it took to make things right for those three little lost souls, whose school pictures Destiny kept around the house and whom she bragged about constantly. For a woman so far from home, she’d kept up with each of their accomplishments. He almost felt as if he knew them himself, though he’d never set eyes on them.
Now as Destiny went into the kitchen to put away her purchases, she chattered a mile a minute about her trip into town and everyone she’d spoken to. William sat at the table, barely listening, gathering his thoughts, trying to find the right words to break the news. At last, she turned and looked at him.
“So somber,” she said, her brow creasing with worry. “Is something wrong?”
“You need to sit down,” he said quietly.
Caught by his tone, she sat at once. “What?”
He reached for her hand, felt her instinctively cling to him.
“It’s your brother and his wife,” he began, but even before he said the rest, her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
“They were going on a trip today.”
She nodded slowly. “To California on business. My brother mentioned it.”
“It was a foggy morning,” he said. “Your brother insisted on taking off, anyway. He was anxious to get there to close a business deal.”
Her eyes filled with heartbreak even before he’d told her the rest. “Please don’t tell me they’re gone, William. Please don’t say that.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“How…?” she began, but her voice trailed off, caught on a sob. “What happened?”
“Their plane crashed soon after takeoff.”
“Oh, God, no.” Horror washed over her face. “And the boys? Please tell me they weren’t with them. Please tell me they’re okay.”
“They are. They’re safe at home with the housekeeper. They hadn’t even left for school yet, so she’s kept them with her.”
“That’s good, then,” she said, already trying to pull herself together. It was like watching a general prepare for battle, shrugging off all personal concerns to get the job done. “There are things I have to do, arrangements to be made. I have to get home.”
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