Destiny Unleashed by Sherryl Woods Page B

“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. Lineup 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