Denver picked up some papers he’d set before him. ‘Yes. The second issue. I’ve just been perusing some of the proposed articles. Most of them are outstanding.’
‘That’s what I wanted to discuss,’ Keira got in promptly. ‘One of the articles we’d planned to use seems to have been omitted.’
He adjusted his glasses on his nose. ‘I did have a slight problem with one of them. Let me see, the piece on pollution in the state’s rivers submitted by your friend, Gail Rosten.’
Keira sat up in her chair. ‘That’s the one I’m talking about and I thought it was absolutely wonderful.’
Gail’s passion had always been to right wrongs and she was an objective and reliable investigative reporter. Keira knew Gail had been working on that particular article for months before anyone had considered reissuing
‘Did you authorise its withdrawal?’ she demanded.
‘Well, yes, I did. Oh, it’s well written,’ Denver was quick to assure her. ‘But I thought it was just a little too provocative for our trial period. We need to step lightly in the initial stages. Maybe we could use it later.’
‘I would have thought we’d be far better off displaying our integrity in our inaugural issues,’ Keira put in. ‘The aim of the magazine is to inform.’
‘So it is. So it is. However, this article could tread on some very important and influential toes.’ Denver paused and gave a nervous cough. ‘A lot of Eden’s contemporaries-well, it may not look good…’
Keira fumed at his implication and the words tumbled out before she could diplomatically rephrase them. ‘You mean we can’t run the article for fear of offending members of Eden Cassidy’s exclusive club?’
‘Well, I wouldn’t put it quite like that.’
‘What you’re saying is we can go so far and no further,’ Keira finished for him, throwing discretion to the wind, and Denver sat back and smiled.
‘I see no problem with that.’
‘I’m afraid I do,’ Keira stood up as the smile faded from Denver Clarkson’s face. ‘I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but when I accepted this position I did so on the condition that I had editorial independence. That doesn’t mean my decisions on the content of the magazine can be vetoed.’
‘I think you’re over-reacting. Life is unfortunately made up of compromises. I’m simply trying to point out some small pitfalls you may, in your inexperience, be unaware of, Mrs Strong.’
‘Pitfalls? Meaning don’t antagonise anyone considered to be above scrutiny? That’s censorship. And apart from that I would have thought it was common courtesy for you to come and discuss it with us.’
‘And so I intended to do, Mrs Strong. But you preempted me,’ he said appeasingly.
‘Your orders to have this, or any other article for that matter, dropped from the magazine were high-handed in the extreme and entirely without justification,’ Keira persisted.
‘You may not be aware that one of the companies referred to in that article buys a considerable amount of advertising in our publications. And not just in
‘No company was mentioned by name,’ Keira told him tersely. ‘If there are any complaints it will be because someone has a guilty conscience.’
‘I still feel the article is too inflammatory.’
‘The subject matter dictates that it should be provocative. It’s designed to make the readers aware and perhaps encourage them to demand action.’
‘Mrs Strong,’ Denver appealed with his hands held palms upwards. ‘You’re new to this and, if you’ll forgive me saying so, just a little naive. There are some matters better left to those of us who have more experience.’
Keira drew a deeply steadying breath at his condescending tone. ‘I followed regulations. The article has already been passed by the legal eagles.’
‘Yes. Well, I feel I must pull rank here.’ Denver smiled with feigned obsequiousness and Keira turned angrily on her heel.
‘Then I think I’ll have to take this one step higher and consult Mr Cassidy about this personally.’
Denver stood up and hurried around his desk. ‘Now, don’t you think you’re being a trifle hasty? I don’t think you need to bother Eden with this, Mrs Strong. And it may not be advisable to, shall we say, pester him just yet.’
‘Just yet?’ Keira stopped and turned back to him, her eyebrows raised. ‘What exactly do you mean?’
He shrugged. ‘As I said before, one good issue doesn’t mean the magazine is out of the wood. And even though you may feel Eden has made you his-’ Denver paused ‘-protegee…’
A dull flush coloured Keira’s cheeks as her anger surged. ‘Look, Mr Clarkson, I’m getting more than a little tired of defending my integrity. There is nothing professionally untoward between Eden Cassidy and myself,’ she said between clenched teeth, and he rushed to reassure her.
‘No, of course there isn’t. But there have been certain rumours…’ He let the word hang momentarily. ‘I don’t think it would be sensible to bother Eden with this. If you go running to him, especially at this early stage, well, people may be inclined to talk.’
Keira’s stormy grey eyes held his. ‘People, it appears, are going to talk anyway,’ she said cynically as she left him.
Keira returned to her office to regather her composure, but her anger at Denver refused to abate. His actions meant she was caught between a rock and a hard place. She knew her staff would expect her to deal with Denver’s unwarranted interference. But her only option was, for her, even more unacceptable. She would have to face Eden Cassidy.
Unless Eden had instructed Denver Clarkson to keep close tabs on her. Perhaps he was just covering his bets.
She frowned. Would Eden have done that? Keira wondered. He’d given her the job supposedly on her merits, but if he was unsure of her ability to perform he might have instructed Denver to keep an eye on her. Keira’s anger simmered again, stretching to encompass Eden with Denver Clarkson.
Well, she’d simply have to find out, wouldn’t she? she told herself firmly as she collected a copy of Gail’s byline for reference. With that clutched in her hand she marched across towards the bank of lifts before she allowed herself time to think about what she was doing.
And she was left without the chance to change her mind, for the lift arrived immediately and she strode resolutely into the cubicle. The doors silently imprisoned her and in seconds she was stepping out into the wide expanse that was the plushly carpeted reception area of the head office of Cassidy-Ford Publishing.
Behind a polished wooden desk sat a perfectly groomed woman who looked up from her computer terminal as Keira approached.
The woman smiled a welcome. ‘May I help you?’
‘I’d like to see Mr Cassidy,’ Keira stated brusquely, her still-smouldering anger causing her to dispense with the pleasantries.
The woman slid graciously to her feet, her smile barely flickering. ‘May I ask if you have an appointment?’ she asked with placating ease.
That this efficient woman would know exactly who had an appointment with her boss and who didn’t Keira knew all too well, and the competent conciliation perversely fuelled her ire.
‘No. I don’t.’ Keira forced herself to be civil. ‘But it’s extremely important that I see him at once.’
‘I’m afraid Mr Cassidy is rather busy right now. Perhaps if you’d like to ring through on Monday morning and make an appointment I’m sure he’ll be able to fit you in.’
‘I’d prefer to see him right now. If you wouldn’t mind telling him I’m here.’
‘As he’s not long arrived from the airport-’
‘I know his flight was due in at one o’clock,’ Keira cut in. ‘He’s had four hours to get back into the swing of things,’ she added caustically.
‘Mr Cassidy’s plane was delayed,’ the receptionist said with just a trace of matching sarcasm. ‘He’s only just arrived at the office.’
Keira sighed heavily, knowing she was behaving badly. It wasn’t like her to take out her annoyance on a fellow employee. ‘Look, I’m sorry I’ve been giving you a hard time. Could you just tell Mr Cassidy that I’m here, that Keira Strong would like to see him?’
The woman hesitated and Keira wondered if she had imagined the slight change of expression on the receptionist’s face when she mentioned her name.
