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I haven’t had to deal with over the years. We’ve managed most of it rather well.”
    “It’s Jameson’s Booksellers this time, sir,” Malcolm said. “It’s been sold.”
    William was obviously missing why this spelled catastrophe. “The old man has to be nearing ninety,” he said. “Where’s the shock in him selling now? In fact, if I’d known he was thinking of retiring, I’d have made an offer myself. It would be a nice fit for us, but it’s no loss if someone else is taking over. Jameson’s is very small potatoes in the world of London bookselling.”
    Malcolm took a devilishly long time replying. “That’s the thing, you see. He sold it to Carlton Industries.”
    William choked on his whisky. That was the very last thing he’d anticipated. No wonder Malcolm looked so grim. There could be only one reason for Carlton to take an interest in such a small bookstore. The company intended to go after H&S Books.
    “You’re sure of that?” he asked Malcolm, though he already knew that Malcolm’s information was always reliable.
    “No question about it, sir.” Malcolm handed over an item clipped from a London newspaper, one William had obviously missed. “It’s all right here in black and white. I couldn’t believe my eyes, frankly, so I called and checked it out myself.”
    “You didn’t let on that you were calling on my behalf, did you?” William asked, frowning. He’d hate it getting around that this acquisition worried him in any way. It was never good business to show any hint of weakness.
    Malcolm regarded him with a chiding expression. “Of course not. Just said I’d read about it in the newsand wanted to offer congratulations. Told Jameson I was a long-time customer and hoped things wouldn’t change too much.” He shook his head sadly. “You should have heard the gloating in the old man’s voice. Sounded like a boy again, he was so eager to tell me the details. He says they’re planning a huge expansion, a catalog business as well as stores all over Great Britain. For a man once so set in his ways, he’s embracing all the changes with astonishing enthusiasm.”
    William mulled that over. “I can see why he’s glad to be rid of it, and probably at a tidy profit, but why the dickens would Carlton Industries be interested in books?” he muttered. But the answer dawned on him almost immediately. “This is Destiny’s work, no question about it. She’s the only one who would know how I’d feel about an attack on H&S Books, which is obviously what she intends to do.”
    For the first time since his game had begun, William started to wonder if he hadn’t carried it too far. It was one thing to try to grab Destiny’s attention. It was quite another to make an enemy of her.
    Malcolm nodded. “I would say that has to be the case, sir, though her name never came up. It was all handled through a Carlton solicitor.”
    “And the papers are signed?”
    “The deal is airtight, sir. Jameson was happy to tell me the money is in his bank and that he’d be leaving for his little stone cottage in Cornwall, once he’s spent a few weeks consulting with the new company.”
    William sighed. So that was the way Destiny intended to play the game. This was meant as his wakeup call, a little greeting to let him know that she was on her way and that she didn’t intend to sit idly bywhile he wreaked havoc on her family’s business. He glanced at his assistant and saw that, if anything, Malcolm was taking the news even harder than he was.
    “It’s nothing to worry about,” William reassured him. “Jameson’s has always been more like a gnat than any real threat.”
    “Because he didn’t have Carlton capital behind him, sir. I know that you can handle whatever they’re up to, but I also know how much H&S Books means to you. I’d have to say this particular strategy was personal, wouldn’t you?”
    “Definitely,” William agreed. In fact, it was the one bright aspect of the entire mess.