Hold the Dream

Hold the Dream
Barbara Taylor Bradford

From the internationally bestselling author of A Woman of Substance comes the continuing story of indomitable heroine, Emma HarteEmma Harte was the heroine of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s multi-million copy bestseller, A Woman of Substance.Now she is eighty years old and ready to hand over the reins of the vast business empire she has created.To her favourite grandchild, Paula McGill Fairley, Emma bequeaths her mighty retailing empire with these heartfelt words: ‘I charge you to hold my dream.’A towering international success, this is the powerfully moving tale of one woman’s determination to ‘hold the dream’ which was entrusted to her, and in so doing find the happiness and passion which is her legacy.

BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

Hold the Dream

Copyright (#ulink_1e4c5e5f-147a-553d-8feb-f5c3ae41fc52)

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

This paperback edition 2004

First published in paperback by Grafton 1986

First published in Great Britain by Granada Publishing 1985

Copyright © Barbara Taylor Bradford 1985

Barbara Taylor Bradford asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780586058497

Ebook Edition © OCTOBER 2014 ISBN: 9780007363698

Version: 2018-11-08

Dedication (#ulink_c7376d52-21dd-5adf-b348-48342bdab4b0)

For Bob – who makes everything possible

for me, with my love.

Epigraph (#ulink_0d0142fc-f59c-585a-af56-7ec68a31990d)

‘She possessed, in the highest degree,

all the qualities which were required in a

great Prince.’

GIOVANNI SCARAMELLI,

Venetian Ambassador

to the Court of Elizabeth Tudor,

Queen of England

‘I would have you know that this kingdom

of mine is not so scant of men but there be

a rogue or two among them.’

ELIZABETH TUDOR, Queen of England

Contents

Cover (#ubde91d91-5d28-5ab5-88fa-ef5bc227d72b)

Title Page (#ue2e4e0a6-c6d4-5bf9-b86b-5ad8b89d2130)

Copyright (#ulink_ad341617-5097-5cd2-8b5d-a76287066c90)

Dedication (#ulink_63b33d4a-b36f-5e31-8d12-a165c27f295f)

Epigraph (#ulink_5f3e0a4f-d62a-5b61-ae8d-754a566856c0)

Family Tree (#ulink_82e849ff-4bdb-5ee7-8ed7-24a7b221d379)

Book One: Matriarch (#ulink_3e628d36-68aa-500f-ac45-7d829bcb9f25)

Chapter 1 (#ulink_6db092c3-d461-5d50-9c94-4af40e908a76)

Chapter 2 (#ulink_0061436b-1fda-5387-a8db-7beda0c08fde)

Chapter 3 (#ulink_c6501a25-5638-57d3-b4bc-b39776dd92c9)

Chapter 4 (#ulink_c9fc463f-8328-5dc7-bd24-8800a4724175)

Chapter 5 (#ulink_a2f85c69-d9b8-5d13-b64c-bdb4be0bf27b)

Chapter 6 (#ulink_a08a207f-278a-5438-a327-8e3d29ddf1bf)