Gregory had seen Variety. But he was looking at Women’s Wear. Judith’s picture was on the front page. He stared at it fondly. He shuddered every time he recalled her picture on the front pages of the Los Angeles newspapers. Oddly enough, it had made her a celebrity again when she returned. She had worn an eye patch for a week. And the fact that Robin Stone had gone off the deep end over her gave her new glamour among her friends. It just proved you could never figure women. Judith was right back in the swim. God, every night this week there was a party or an opening. He suddenly remembered that he had a five o’clock fitting for his new dress suit. And of course Judith insisted on his ordering a new velvet smoking jacket for their eggnog party. It was going to be bigger than ever this year. He stared at her picture and smiled. She had never looked better, and she had never seemed happier… .
They all read Variety, but none of them read the “Literati” section, and none of them noticed the small paragraph that said, “Robin Stone, former IBC Network President, has just completed a book which Essandess will publish in the late spring.”
Maggie Stewart boarded the BOAC plane for London. She was also carrying Variety. The big headline on the front page was a lead story about her walkout from the new Alfie Knight picture. But when the plane was airborne she wasn’t reading Variety—she kept reading and rereading a cable:
DORCHESTER HOTEL LONDON ENGLAND
MISS MAGGIE STEWART MELTON TOWERS
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.
I NEED YOU.
ROBIN
The Love Machine Page 55