Free Daughters of Fortune: A Novel by Tara Hyland Page B

became all the rage, reflecting the fun and excitement of the streets. Mary Quant and Ossie Clark; the King’s Road and Carnaby Street . . . subversive, Swinging Sixties London had ousted Paris as the fashion capital.
    For Rosalind, it was the perfect time to launch Melville Apparel. Although she never managed to attract the hip young talent to make it truly cool, the buzz around the rest of Melville goods—particularly its exquisite handbags and shoes—meant demand was still there. Shirts, dresses, and trousers emblazoned with the Melville logo were splashed across
Vogue
and
Vanity Fair
. The world had an insatiable appetite for Melville.
    In a bid to capitalize on this popularity, Rosalind opened stores across Europe and North America. To finance these expansion plans, it was suggested that she sell part of the company on the London Stock Exchange. At first she resisted, not wanting Melville to pass out of the family’s control. But her advisers reassured her that she could sell just part of the company and retain the majority voting rights.
    On January 25, 1964, 40 percent of Melville was floated on the London Stock Exchange, with the remaining 60 percent split between the family: 45 percent for William, a nominal 10 percent for Rosalind and the remaining 5 percent to Piers. The money funded her dream of taking the company international. When the New York store opened on Fifth Avenue in 1965, Melville became a truly global brand.
    By 1970 Melville was at the peak of its popularity. The name had become synonymous with glamour and status, a luxury English brand sought after by movie stars and jetsetters. Rosalind could be proud. She had grown Melville into a much greater business than Oliver had left, and it was a legacy she felt proud to hand on to her eldest son, William.
    Of course, the rise of Melville hadn’t been without its sacrifices for Rosalind. With her efforts concentrated on the business, raising her two sons had been left mainly to nannies and boarding schools. But she felt it was worth it to secure such a wonderful legacy for them both. And it hadn’t seemed to do them any harm. They were still a close family; no sons thought more of their mother; and they had grown into bright, handsome boys. Perhaps Piers was a little shy and quiet, more a follower than a leader. But while he’d grown up in the shadow of his successful older brother, he never seemed to resent his lesser role. Rosalind had seen to that. “William might be the figurehead of Melville, but you are the heart,” she’d told him time and again as he grew up. “You must watch over your brother. It’s up to you to help preserve the family name.”
    So, as had always been Rosalind’s wish, her sons had both come to work at Melville. When she’d decided to reduce her duties, William had taken over from her as Chief Executive, although she had continued to advise him, along with Piers. The business remained prosperous and successful.
    In fact, everything had been perfect until a few months ago, when this O’Dwyer business had come to light.
    Rosalind had made it clear from the beginning that she didn’t like the idea of William bringing his illegitimate child to live with the family. “It isn’t fair to your wife—nor the girls,’ she’d said at the time. “If this woman Nuala is prepared to look after her, then why not let her? Provide for Caitlin, by all means, but don’t disrupt her life. And don’t disrupt your family.”
    William had looked her straight in the eye and said, “Caitlin
is
my family, Mother.”
    It was all he’d said on the subject, but it had told Rosalind everything she needed to know. William intended to treat the girl as part of his family, whereas to Rosalind, she would always be an outsider, nothing to do with her. And the old lady didn’t like the idea of an outsider getting her hands on any of the Melville business. Originally, she had planned to leave her entire 10 percent holding to William, but