Read Online Morning Noon & Night by Sidney Sheldon - Free Book Online

chic. Her face, if stripped of its careful makeup, was actually plain, but Kendall took pains to see that no one ever realized this, and no one ever did.
    She was everywhere at once.
    “Who lit that runway, Ray Charles?”
    “I want a blue backdrop.…”
    “The lining is showing. Fix it!”
    “I don’t want the models doing their hair and makeup in the holding area. Have Lulu find them a dressing room!”
    Kendall’s venue manager came hurrying up to her. “Kendall, thirty minutes is too long! Too long! The show should be no more than twenty-five minutes.…”
    She stopped what she was doing. “What do you suggest, Scott?”
    “We could cut a few of the designs and—”
    “No. I’ll have the models move faster.”
    She heard her name called again, and turned.
    “Kendall, we can’t locate Pia. Do you want Tami to switch to the charcoal gray jacket with the trousers?”
    “No. Give that to Dana. Give the cat suit and tunic to Tami.”
    “What about the dark gray jersey?”
    “Monique. And make sure she wears the dark gray stockings.”
    Kendall looked at the board holding a set of Polaroid pictures of the models in a variety of gowns. When they were set, the pictures would be placed in a precise order. She ran a practiced eye over the board. “Let’s change this. I want the beige cardigan out first, then the separates, followed by the strapless silk jersey, then the taffeta evening gown, the afternoon dresses with matching jackets.…”
    Two of her assistants hurried up to her.
    “Kendall, we’re having an argument about the seating. Do you want the retailers together, or do you want to mix them with the celebrities?”
    The other assistant spoke up. “Or we could mix the celebrities and press together.”
    Kendall was hardly listening. She had been up for two nights, checking everything to make sure nothing would go wrong. “Work it out yourselves,” she said.
    She looked around at all the activity and thought about the show that was about to begin, and the famous names from all over the world who would be there to applaud what she had created. I should thank my father for all this. He told me I would never succeed .…
    She had always known that she wanted to be a designer. From the time she was a little girl, she had had a natural sense of style. Her dolls had the trendiest outfits in town. She would show off her latest creations for her mother’s approval. Her mother would hug her and say, “You’re very talented, darling. Someday you’re going to be a very important designer.”
    And Kendall was sure of it.
    In school, Kendall studied graphic design, structural drawing, spatial conceptions, and color coordination.
    “The best way to begin,” one of her teachers had advised her, “is to become a model yourself. That way, you will meet all the top designers, and if you keep your eyes open, you will learn from them.”
    When Kendall had mentioned her dream to her father, he had looked at her and said, “You? A model! You must be joking!”
    When Kendall finished school, she returned to Rose Hill. Father needs me to run the house , she thought. There were a dozen servants, but no one was really in charge. Since Harry Stanford was away a good deal of the time, the staff was left to its own devices. Kendall tried to organize things. She scheduled the household activities, served as hostess for her father’s parties, and did everything she could to make him comfortable. She was longing for his approval. Instead, she suffered a barrage of criticisms.
    “Who hired that damned chef? Get rid of him.…”
    “I don’t like the new dishes you bought. Where the hell is your taste…?”
    “Who told you you could redecorate my bedroom? Keep the hell out of there.…”
    No matter what Kendall did, it was never good enough.
    It was her father’s domineering cruelty that finally drove her out of the house. It had always been a loveless household, and her father had paid no attention to his children,