Destiny Unleashed (25 page)

“From a man who’s loved her forever and wants to marry her?” Melanie scoffed. “Why am I sure that she won’t thank us?”

“She’s not thinking clearly at the moment,” Richard said. “Harcourt has her believing they’re some kind of star-crossed lovers. Hell, he almost had me believing it.”

“Really?” Ben said. “What did he say?”

Richard repeated the conversation he’d had with William.

“Oh, my,” Beth and Kathleen whispered in unison. “How sad.”

Richard scowled at them.

“I think we need to give it up and start listening to Destiny,” Mack said, casting a pointed look at Richard. “If she was able to look into our hearts and see exactly who and what we needed in our lives, then why should we think she’s incapable of seeing what she wants for herself?”

“Amen,” Melanie said, glowering at Richard.

“You want to just give up and accept this?” Richard asked, feeling the first stirring of defeat.

“If we don’t want to lose Destiny, then yes, that’s exactly what we need to do,” Ben said. “We’ve fought this for months now and nothing’s changed, except that she and Harcourt are closer than ever. If it turns out our doubts are right and he hurts her, then we can be there to pick up the pieces, but preventing her from marrying him doesn’t seem to be in the cards.”

Richard stared from him to Mack and back again.
“Traitors,” he said, but it was only a mildly muttered accusation.

“Pragmatists,” Ben insisted. “We’ve lost, bro. Let’s cut our losses before it’s too late.”

Richard sank down on the sofa beside his wife. She took his hand and brought it to her lips.

“It’s going to be okay, Richard,” Melanie soothed. “Look at how right Destiny was about us.”

“And us,” Mack said, winking at Beth.

“And us,” Ben added, his hand on Kathleen’s gently rounded belly. “I want Destiny to be a part of my baby’s life.”

Richard knew it was over then. There was a whole new generation of Carltons that deserved to have Destiny’s magnificent influence. If accepting Harcourt was necessary to accomplish that, he supposed he could swallow his pride and keep his doubts to himself.

“But I’m going to keep my eye on him,” he vowed.

Mack and Ben laughed. “Never thought otherwise.”

The entire Carlton clan was holed up in a London hotel plotting and scheming against her. Destiny knew they thought otherwise. She knew they’d come because they loved her, but their lack of faith in her judgment was beyond annoying.

What had she done since coming to London, after all? She’d shored up the European division so that it was healthier than it had been in decades. She’d fought off one assault after another from William’s company and others. She’d discovered that she not
only had the Carlton genes for business, but the social and diplomatic skills necessary to turn deals into a win-win situation for all parties. Her employees—even Chester—were happy and highly motivated. Her tenure at the helm had been a raging success by all standards.

“I think it’s clear what they’ve decided. They’re not going to be happy until I’ve been replaced and come back home,” she told William glumly when they hadn’t heard from them two days after William’s visit to Richard and a full day after the others had arrived en masse. “I hate making them so unhappy.”

“They’re unhappy because they think I’m going to take advantage of you sooner or later,” William said.

“Oh, fiddle, you’re not going to do that,” she said with certainty. “Not that you could, anyway. I’m not young and naive.”

He regarded her with amusement. “You never were. You had the upper hand from the moment we met, and you knew it. I believe I mentioned that to Richard, but he might not have passed it on. Shall I tell the rest of them that?”

“I doubt they’d listen. I’m not sure even I believe that.”

“Perhaps this will help.” He held out a small jeweler’s box. “I was going to wait until things were more settled with your family, but maybe this is the time.”

Destiny stared at it warily. “What’s that?”

“Wouldn’t you rather open it and see for yourself than listen to my inadequate description?”

“I’m not sure,” she said honestly, her heart pounding.

“You’re not a coward, Destiny. Just look at how you faced the overwhelming responsibility of raising those three boys without batting an eye.”

She sighed. “If only that were true. I was terrified.”

“But you didn’t run away like I half expected you to do. You didn’t beg me or anyone else to step in and share the burden. You’re a strong woman, Destiny. I loved you then. I still do. But I also admire you more than I can say.”

She was genuinely surprised and touched by his admission. She was humbled by it. She’d never felt she had done anything extraordinary. She’d simply done what she’d had to do.

She studied his dear face. “You do?”

“Surely you know that there’s nothing ordinary about you,” he chided. “I was counting on that when I started going after bits and pieces of Carlton Industries. I knew you’d come to fight me to protect what was yours.”

She sat back, stunned. “I knew all along that you’d planned this, but I’m still surprised that you went to such lengths. Are you still plotting and scheming?”

He nodded. “Of course. I had to say a few provocative things to Richard to assure he would call those protective nephews of yours to congregate over here to save you,” he said.

“You don’t feel as if they’re here to gang up on us?”

“No. I prefer to view it as a smart way to save time when we plan the wedding. I think Melanie, Beth and Kathleen intend to finish the job I’d begun.”

She wanted to be angry about the scheming, but how could she be? Wasn’t this exactly what she had
hoped for when she’d come barreling over to London to save the day? She could have left the whole business crisis for Richard to handle, if some part of her hadn’t wanted to see William again to see if he was the man she’d remembered or merely a foolish fantasy that had lingered in her heart for far too long.

“Will you open this now?” he asked, again holding out the small velvet box. “I’ve had it for a long time.”

She opened the box and stared at the square-cut emerald.

“Diamonds are too tame for you,” he told her. “I wanted something that captured your light, your fire.”

She noted the name of a famous French jeweler inside the box. “When did you buy this?”

“The day after you left France. I’d planned to give it to you the moment you came back.” He touched her cheek. “I’ll have to work at forgiving you for making me wait so long.”

Her eyes shimmered with tears. “But it’s been worth the wait, hasn’t it, to be here now, older and wiser and more certain of what we have?”

“And with half a dozen Carltons nipping at my heels to make sure I do the right thing,” he said with a grin. “Yes, it’s been worth it. So, Destiny, will you marry me?”

“I should make you ask Richard for my hand,” she teased, envisioning the scene with some enjoyment.

“I’ve already done that,” he reminded her. “He’s been withholding his approval.”

She laughed. “In that case I think a quick elopement might be our wisest course of action. Let them sit around at the hotel and stew, wondering where we’ve gone. A Paris wedding would be lovely this
time of year. Violetta could be there,” she added, warming to the idea.

“Never,” he said. “I kept a safe distance between myself and your family once. I’ll never do it again. We’ll tell them together, my darling, and damn the consequences. They can’t stop us. They can only slow us down a bit. And if you want a Paris wedding, we’ll take them all along with us.”

Destiny thought of the formidable group waiting across town. They would accept this—eventually, anyway—because they loved her and because William made her happy.

And if they didn’t? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d run away from family and followed her heart.

But she would do everything in her power to see that it didn’t come to that. She’d postponed her own happiness for a lot of years. Now she intended to grab it and hang on with everything in her, and that meant keeping her nephews—her beloved
children
—in her life, along with this man who meant the world to her.

She regarded William with shining eyes. “I think two excellent negotiators like us should be able to convince them that this merger is in our best interests, don’t you?”

He grinned. “You bet, but if you don’t mind, I think I’ll let you do most of the talking. You seem to have developed a fine knack for getting your way.”

“Not really. I wanted a fascinating liaison with you. You were the one dead-set on marriage from the beginning.”

He laughed. “You have to let me win one once in a while. Otherwise, where’s the sport in arguing?”

“Do you think we’ll bring this much passion to our relationship when we’re eighty?” she asked wistfully.

“And longer,” he said confidently. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”

F
eeling rather smug, all things considered, Richard left the fancy dining room where they’d all had dinner with William and Destiny. Ben and Mack stepped into place beside him as they strolled back toward their hotel.

“Why the devil didn’t you just tell them that you approved of this wedding?” Mack asked.

Richard grinned. “I wanted to make the old man sweat a bit longer, just to see what he’s made of.”

“And?” Ben prodded. “What was your conclusion?”

“No question that he loves Destiny,” Richard conceded. “Not that I’m convinced he’s not some sort of business shark, but the prenup he agreed to sign even over Destiny’s objections pretty much settled that worry.”

“I still say you gave him a rough time for no reason,” Ben scolded mildly. “It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if they decided to elope and leave us out of it.”

Richard regarded his brother with alarm. “You don’t really think they’d do that, do you?”

“I’m with Ben. I think they might,” Mack said. “You were awfully tough on him.”

“But I relented in the end,” Richard protested. “Did you miss that?”

“Oh, I caught your grudging concession that you wouldn’t stand in their way,” Mack agreed. “Made me feel all warm and fluttery inside.”

Richard stared from one to the other. “Hell, you can’t be serious. We can’t let them elope. Destiny deserves better than that from us.”

“I agree,” Ben said. “Mack?”

Mack nodded at once. “Let’s head back over there and smooth this out once and for all.”

Richard turned to find that Melanie, Beth and Kathleen were grinning.

“What?” he demanded.

“It’s about time the three of you came to your senses. Now, let’s go plan a wedding,” Melanie said, tucking her arm through Richard’s. “Just try to remember one thing.”

“What’s that?” Richard asked.

“It is Destiny’s wedding. You don’t get to micromanage it.”

“Me?” Richard asked indignantly.

“Yes, you!” five voices chorused emphatically.

He laughed. “Okay, okay.” He turned to his brothers. “Think our wives can keep their noses out of it, too?”

“Not a chance,” Mack said.

“No way,” Ben agreed.

Melanie, Beth and Kathleen merely shrugged. “Destiny already asked for our help,” Melanie said.

Richard frowned. “They were never going to elope?”

“Well, they would have if you hadn’t come around,” Melanie told him. “But I convinced them to give us five or ten minutes to work on you.”

He stared hard at his brothers. “And you were in on this scheme, too?”

“Scheming and manipulation,” Mack said cheerfully. “It’s the Carlton way.”

Richard tried to maintain his indignation, but he couldn’t pull it off. “Damn straight,” he said at last.

In the end, the wedding was held in Provence in the middle of a field of poppies. All of the Carltons attended, as did Violetta and most of the people from the village, old friends it seemed to Destiny that she’d left only days, rather than decades, ago.

There was no aisle for Destiny to walk down, but when the minister asked who was giving her away, Richard, Mack and Ben stepped forward. “We do,” they said in unison. “With our love and our blessing.”

Tears streamed down Destiny’s face as she kissed each one of them in turn, then faced William, her heart lighter than it had been in years.

The vows came easily. She’d loved and cherished William for most of her life now. Never again would they have to face whatever challenges came along alone. He would be her strength and, as she’d only recently realized, she was capable of being his. Together they were a formidable team.

In fact, if she had her way, there would be a Carlton Industries and Harcourt & Sons merger one of these days that would be just as invincible as the two of them.

But that was getting ahead of herself, she thought as she gazed into her new husband’s eyes. Right now there was a honeymoon to savor, right here in the farmhouse where it had all begun. All she had to do
was get this meddlesome family of hers out from underfoot by sunset. Given the way they’d fallen in love with the farmhouse and with Provence, that didn’t seem likely.

Ah, well, a honeymoon with the family she adored wasn’t such a bad way to begin her new life, either. After all, very little on earth meant more to her than family…and now William was a part of hers. Sometimes fate simply couldn’t be ignored, no matter how long it took.