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Back The Daughter Save as PDF
Contents (71)
  1. THE
  2. DAUGHTER
  3. MICHELLE FRANCES
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. ONE
  6. TWO
  7. THREE
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. THIRTY-NINE
  44. FORTY
  45. FORTY-ONE
  46. FORTY-TWO
  47. FORTY-THREE
  48. FORTY-FOUR
  49. FORTY-FIVE
  50. FORTY-SIX
  51. FORTY-SEVEN
  52. FORTY-EIGHT
  53. FORTY-NINE
  54. FIFTY
  55. FIFTY-ONE
  56. FIFTY-TWO
  57. FIFTY-THREE
  58. FIFTY-FOUR
  59. FIFTY-FIVE
  60. FIFTY-SIX
  61. FIFTY-SEVEN
  62. FIFTY-EIGHT
  63. FIFTY-NINE
  64. SIXTY
  65. SIXTY-ONE
  66. SIXTY-TWO
  67. SIXTY-THREE
  68. SIXTY-FOUR
  69. EPILOGUE
  70. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  71. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

At the coffee break she did her best to avoid everyone, not feeling in the mood for small talk as her nerves were growing as the morning wore on. She saw another woman – older – catch her eye; she was about to come over, but Kate couldn’t face speaking to anyone and, in a panic, she turned her back, silently apologizing for her rudeness. She escaped to the ladies’ and waited in there a full ten minutes until she knew it was time they were all back in their seats, then she slipped into the room and found her place.

At last it came. The Company Secretary stood and, in a slightly cautious voice, asked if there was any other business.

It was her chance. This was what she’d been waiting for.

No one else said anything. Kate found she was shaking. What was the matter with her? Now! You have to speak now! Was it the men? The fact she was one of only two women in a roomful of suits? She could handle men – she did all the time. She’d lost count of the times she’d had to explain that they were speaking to the DIY advisor. And only last week, seemingly unable to cope with this revelation, some idiot had made a comment about the size of her breasts and she’d been so annoyed she’d looked down and then screamed as if she’d never seen them before.

She could do this. She had earned her place here.

‘Hello, yes, I have something to say,’ she said. She stood up so quickly, her chair scraped back noisily on the floor. The sound rang out around the room.

‘Yes?’ prompted the Company Secretary.

‘Last February, a girl – a young woman called Becky Ellis – was cycling in central London when she was knocked off her bike by someone driving one of your trucks. She was killed. Despite the coroner’s verdict at the inquest, I don’t believe in calling it an accidental death. It was avoidable. I’m convinced by this. I would like to ask you, all of you sitting up there, to look at ways of modifying your lorries so that it never happens again.’ She paused and then remembered to add: ‘My name is Kate Ellis and I am Becky’s mum.’

ELEVEN

Silence. Should she sit or remain standing? Dozens of eyes were on her, but some were too awkward to meet her gaze. The sleeping man had woken up and was looking right at her. One of the directors was whispering in the Company Secretary’s ear. Another looked deeply uncomfortable. Then one person started to clap, a spasm of noise in the room. The woman she’d snubbed. A rush of gratitude.

The Chairman – Gregory – stood. ‘First of all, I would like to say how sorry I am for what happened. It was a great shock to all of us and we’d never had any accident before, nor have we since. That’s not my way of dismissing your request,’ he added quickly, ‘on the contrary, I second your fellow shareholder’s sentiment.’ He indicated the lady who’d clapped. ‘I think it would be very helpful for us to meet separately. Would you agree?’