Each word was a blow. “Did you ever love Woody?”
Peggy shrugged. “He was good-looking and fun, but then he had that bad fall during the polo game, and everything changed. The hospital gave him drugs, and when he got out, they expected him to stop taking them. One night, he was in pain, and I said, ‘I have a little treat for you.’ And after that, whenever he was in pain, I gave him his little treat. Pretty soon he needed it, whether he was in pain or not. My brother is a pusher, and I was able to get all the heroin I needed. I made Woody beg me for it. And sometimes I’d tell him I was out of it just to watch him sweat and cry—oh, how Mr. Woodrow Stanford needed me! He wasn’t so high and mighty then! I goaded him into hitting me, and then he’d feel terrible about what he had done, and he’d come crawling back to me with gifts. You see, when Woody is off dope, I’m nothing. When he’s on it, I’m the one who has the power. He may be a Stanford, and maybe I was only a waitress, but I control him.”
Kendall was staring at her in horror.
“Your brother’s tried to quit, all right. When it got real bad, his friends would get him into a detox center, and I’d go visit him and watch the great Stanford suffer the agonies of hell. And each time he came out, I’d be waiting for him with my little treat. It was payback time.”
Kendall was finding it hard to breathe. “You’re a monster,” she said slowly. “I want you to leave.”
“You bet! I can’t wait to get out of this place.” She grinned. “Of course, I’m not leaving for nothing. How much of a settlement will I get?”
“Whatever it is,” Kendall said, “it will be too much. Now get out of here.”
“Right.” Then she added with an affected tone, “I’ll have my lawyer call your lawyer.”
“She’s really leaving me?
“Yes.”
“That means…”
“I know what it means, Woody. Can you handle it?”
He looked at his sister and smiled. “I think so. Yes. I think I can.”
“I’m sure of it.”
He took a deep breath. “Thanks, Kendall. I would never have had the courage to get rid of her.”
She smiled. “What are sisters for?”
That afternoon, Kendall left for New York. The fashion showing would be in one week.
Clothing is the single biggest business in New York. A successful fashion designer can have an effect on the economy all around the world. A designer’s whim has a far-flung impact on everyone from cotton pickers in India to Scottish weavers to silkworms in China and Japan. It has an effect on the wool industry and the silk industry. The Donna Kar-ans and Calvin Kleins and Ralph Laurens are a major economic influence, and Kendall had arrived in that category. It was rumored that she was about to be named the Women’s Wear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the most prestigious award a designer could receive.
Kendall Stanford Renaud led a busy life. In September, she looked at large assortments of fabrics, and in October, she selected the ones she wanted for her new designs. December and January were devoted to designing the new fashions, and in February, to refining them. In April, she was ready to show her fall collection.
Kendall Stanford Designs was located at 550 Seventh Avenue, sharing the building with Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta. Her next showing was going to be at the Bryant Park tent, which could seat up to a thousand people.
When Kendall arrived at her office, Nadine said, “I’ve got good news. The showing is completely booked!”
“Thank you,” Kendall said absently. Her mind was on other things.
“By the way, there’s a letter marked URGENT for you on your desk. It was just delivered by messenger.”
The words sent a jolt through Kendall’s body. She walked over to her desk and looked at the envelope. The return address was Wild Animal Protection Association, 3000 Park Avenue, New York, New York. She stared at it for a long time. There was no 3000 Park Avenue.