Exposure (46 page)

Authors: Evelyn Anthony

Gloria sipped from the same carafe of iced water he had used and spoke to them. âI'm grateful to all of you for your support,' she said. âIt's been a sad and difficult time for my mother and for me. But it's over and my father is at rest. He's left me a daunting legacy, everything he built up and achieved, his plans for the future of one of the biggest and most powerful communications networks in Europe. And he had already involved me in his plans for the future.

âI want you all to know that I am Harold King's daughter, and I shall do what he would have done if he were still alive. We have the money and the means. We will proceed with the bid for Western International and the
Sunday Herald
. That will be announced at the Extraordinary General Meeting.

âThank you, gentlemen.'

She got up, and one by one they shook hands, and left. She said quietly to the company secretary, âA word with you, Ken,' and he stayed behind. She said, âI want a top-class defence lawyer for Joe Patrick. I owe it out of loyalty for work he did for my father. On condition that my father's name is not mentioned during the trial, and anything he may have said in his statement to the police is withdrawn.'

âThat can be arranged, Miss King. I know just the QC for the job.'

âGood,' Gloria said bleakly. âAnd one more thing. There's a junior minister called Leo Derwent, Department of Trade and Industry. My father didn't trust him. We should bear that in mind when it comes to political editorials.'

He said blandly, âI'll make sure that message gets across. Anything else?'

âNo,' she said. âNothing else. You can go now.'

âGood afternoon, Miss King.'

He paused, but she didn't answer. When a meeting was over, Harold King had never bothered with goodbyes.

About the Author

Evelyn Anthony is the pen name of Evelyn Ward-Thomas, a female British author who began writing in 1949. She gained considerable success with her historical novelsâtwo of which were selected for the American Literary Guildâbefore winning huge acclaim for her espionage thrillers. Her book,
The Occupying Power
, won the Yorkshire Post Fiction Prize, and her 1971 novel,
The Tamarind Seed
, was made into a film starring Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. Anthony's books have been translated into nineteen languages. She lives in Essex, England.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Mimi Bark

ISBN: 978-1-5040-2430-3

This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

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New York, NY 10014

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