Morning-Noon-and-Night - By Sidney Sheldon Page 0,22

she kept learning. She modeled the clothes of famous designers and thought about the changes she would make if she were the designer. She learned how clothes were supposed to fit, and how fabric was supposed to move and swing around the body. She learned about cuts and drapes and tailoring, and what body parts women wanted to hide, and what parts they wanted to show. She made sketches at home, and the ideas seemed to. flow. One day, she took a portfolio of her sketches to the head buyer at I Magnin's. The buyer was impressed. ' designed theset she asked. , did! ''hey're good. They're very good! Two weeks later, Kendall went to work for Donna Karan as an Issistant and began to learn the business side of the garment trade. At home, she kept designing clothes. One year later, she had her first fashion show. It was a disaster. The designs were ordin4ry and nobody cared. She gave a second show, and no one came. I'm in the wrong profession, Kendall thought. One day you're going to be a very famous designer. What am I doing wrong?

Kendall wondered. The epiphany came in the middle of the night. Kendall awakened and lay in bed, thinking, I'm designing dresses for models -to wear. I should be designing for real women with realjobs and realfamilies. Smari, but comfortable. Chic, but practical. 87 It took Kendall about a year to get her next show on, but it was an instant success. Kendall rarely returned to Rose Hill, and when she did, the visits were dreadful. Her father had not changed. If anything, he had gotten worse. ''t hooked anybody yet,, eh? Probably never will.' It was at a charity ball that Kendall met Marc Renaud. He worked at the international desk of a New York brokerage house, where he dealt with foreign currencies. Five years younger than Kendall, he was an attractive Frenchman, tall and lean. He was charming and attentive, and Kendall was immediately attracted to him. He asked her to dine the next evening, and that night Kendall went to bed with him. They were together every night after that. - One evening, Marc said,'Kendall, I'm madly in love with you, you know.' She said softly, ''ve been looking for you all my life, Marc." is a serious problem. You are a big success.

I don't make anywhere near as much money as you. Perhaps one day -" Kendall had put her finger to his lips. ' it. You've given me more than I could ever have hoped for.' On Christmas Day, Kendall took Marc to Rose Hill to meet her father. ''re going to marry him?' Harry Stanford exploded. ''s a nobody! He's marrying you for the money he thinks you're going to get.' If Kendall had needed any further reason to marry Marc, that would have been it. They got married in Connecticut the following day. And Kendall's marriage to Marc gave her happiness she had never known before. ' mustn't let your father bully you,' he had told Kendall. ' his life, he has used his money as a weapon. We don't need his money.' And Kendall had loved him for that. Marc was a wonderful husband - kind, considerate, and caring. I have everything, Kendall thought happily. The past is dead. She had succeeded in spite of her father. In a few hours, the fashion world was going to be focused on her talent. The rain had stopped. It was a good omen. The show was stunning. At its end, with music playing and flash bulbs popping, Kendall walked out onto the runway, took a bow and received an ovation.

Kendall wished that Marc could have been in Paris with her to share her triumph, but his brokerage house had refused to give him the time off.

89 When the crowd had left, Kendall went back to her office, feeling euphoric. Her assistant said, ' letter came for you. It was hand-delivered.' Kendall looked at the brown envelope her assistant handed her, and she felt a sudden chill. She knew what it was about before she opened it. The letter read: Dear Mrs. Renaud, I regret to inform you that the Wild Animal Protection Association is short Of funds again. We will need $100,000 immediately to cover our expenses. The money should be wired to account number 804072-A at the Cr6dit Suisse bank in Zurich. There was no signature. Kendall sat there, staring at it, numb. It's never