Wallace - The Second Lady

By Irving Wallace

A Gordian KnotThriller

Gordian Knot is animprint of Crossroad Press

Digital Editionpublished by Crossroad Press

Digital EditionCopyright 2013 by David Wallechinsky

Smashwords Edition published at Smashwords byCrossroad Press

Copy-edited by PatriciaLee Macomber

Cover Design by DavidDodd

This eBook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it,or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should returnto the vendor of your choice and purchase your own copy. Thank youfor respecting the hard work of this author.

The author with hisdaughter, Amy

Irving Wallace was born March 19, 1916 inChicago, Illinois. He began writing for various magazines at age 15and worked as a screenwriter for a number of Hollywoodstudios---Columbia, Fox, Warner Brothers, Universal, and MGM from1950 to 1959, then he turned solely to writing books. His firstmajor bestseller was The Chapman Report in 1960, a fictionalaccount of a sexual research teams investigations of a wealthy LosAngeles suburb. Among other fictional works by Wallace are ThePrize and The Word. His meticulously researched fiction often hasthe flavor of spicy journalism. A great deal of research went intohis novels, which cover a wide variety of subjects, from thepresentation of the Nobel Prize to political scenarios. With theirrecurring dramatic confrontations, his novels lend themselves wellto screenplay adaptation, and most of them have been filmed,including The Chapman Report and The Prize. Wallace also compiledseveral nonfiction works with his family, including The PeoplesAlmanac and The Book of Lists, both of which have spawned sequels.Irving Wallace died June 29, 1990 in Los Angeles, California at theage of 74 from pancreatic cancer.

This book and the other digital editions inthe Irving Wallace collection from Crossroad Press are published incooperation with his heirs.

Crossroad Press Titlesby Irving Wallace

The Almighty

The Celestial Bed

The Chapman Report

The Fabulous Showman:The Life and Times of P.T. Barnum

The Fan Club

The Golden Room

The Guest of Honor

The Man

The Miracle

The Pigeon Project

The Plot

The Prize

The R Document

The Second Lady

The Seven Minutes

The Seventh Secret

The Three Sirens

The Two

The Word

Crossroad Press Titlesby Amy Wallace

Desire

The Prodigy

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My Lady

with

My Love

Irving

Oh, what a tangledweb we weave,

When first we practiceto deceive!

-SIR WALTER SCOTT

Marmion, A Tale of Flodden Field1808

S itting there, shebegan to feel better. The ordeal was almost over.

The Louis XVI furniture in the Yellow OvalRoom had been rearranged. She sat straight, alert, in the middle ofthe striped sofa, her back to the arched window and expanse ofsouth lawn, facing at least twenty female and four male White Housereporters, most of them in folding chairs, all of themrelentless.

She had placed herself between Nora Judson,her press secretary and friend, and Laurel Eakins, her appointmentssecretary, which was supportive and comforting. But the burden hadbeen on her. Since she had become First Lady, she had given onlyfour press conferences in two and-a-half years. This, at the urgingof her husband (more exposure could help us both), was her fifth.Because of her long silence, the press had arrived with an overloadof questions.

Although there had been no respite in thepast hour, the questions had been mostly easy and frivolous. Was ittrue she had been on a low carbohydrate diet? Did she plan toresume her tennis lessons? Would she actively campaign for herhusband in the primaries? Did the President confide in her and askher opinion on matters of state? What novels had she read lately?Did she have an opinion on current womens fashions? Was Ladbury ofLondon still her favorite couturier? What was her reaction to therecent public opinion poll naming her the most popular woman in theworld today? And so on and on, without pause.

Now a corpulent woman with a Texas twang wasposing a serious question. Mrs. Bradford, concerning theannouncement that you will be attending the International WomensMeeting in Moscow this week, before accompanying your husband tothe London Summit

Yes?

have you modified your views on the EqualRights Amendment or on the subject of abortion? And will you speakof these subjects in Moscow?

She felt her press secretary squirm uneasilybeside her, but she ignored the warning and went ahead. I intendto discuss both subjects when I address the Meeting. As to myviews, they have not changed an iota. I still believe equal rightsfor women in the United States have been long overdue, and we arereceiving more and more backing for it every day. On the matter ofabortion, there is much to be said for either side. She paused tohear her press secretarys sigh of relief, heard it, and continued.Nevertheless, I feel there should be no legislation againstabortion. I think it should be a decision of individual choice, onemade by every woman.

You will speak of this in Moscow?

Absolutely. Ill also try to evaluate, basedon statistics made available to me, where the women of the UnitedStates stand on both subjects at the present time.

Another reporter, tall, bony, was standing.She spoke with a modulated Boston accent. Mrs. Bradford, can youtell us what else you expect to discuss at the InternationalWomens Meeting?

Women in the American work force. Women inour armed forces. Oh, endless other topics. Ill have a full reportready when I return.

The womens editor of The New YorkTimes came to her feet. I understand you will be in Moscowthree days. Can you tell us of any other activities, outside themeetings, that you plan to engage in?

Well, since this will be my first visit tothe Soviet Union, I hope to find the time to squeeze in a littlesight-seeingbut I think Nora here is more familiar with myschedule.

She looked at Nora Judson, and her presssecretary took over quickly, efficiently, brightly.

With relief, Billie Bradford sat back for thefirst time. The day, especially from noon until now, had been sobusy, so anxiety-ridden, that she had not realized until thismoment how exhausted she really was.

She felt disheveled. She glanced down at herlight blue cashmere slipover sweater and darker blue pleated skirt.Both were still fresh and neat. It was her hair then. She had wornher long blonde hair pulled back, tied with a silk ribbon aroundher chignon. But as always, some strands of hair had come loose andhung over her forehead. With a characteristic gesture, she brushedthe strands into place.