Hepburn's Necklace

by Jan Moran

  However, Nancy had tipped the scales into the prohibited area. The doctor prescribed a medication that made Nancy even more nervous than before. The poor young woman barely slept, but Ruby had to focus on her job and not be swept into Nancy’s drama.

  After the success of her movies, Ruby was working nonstop now. She’d wrapped a film on location in San Diego, shot several commercials in Los Angeles, and was currently working on this movie in Laguna Beach. And the year was barely a quarter gone.

  Ruby rushed into her trailer and fiddled with the lock on the door. It was temperamental; she’d even been locked in her trailer one day. She’d crawled out the window to make it to the set on time.

  Safely inside, Ruby pulled out the shopping bags she’d hidden in the cupboards and behind the sofa. She’d been buying gifts for Mariangela and had to wrap them and pack before she left in the morning.

  Ruby unfurled pink wrapping paper and placed a stuffed bear in the center. Just as she was cutting the paper, the door burst open. Ruby whirled around, trying to hide the gifts.

  “Why didn’t you stop when I called you?” Nancy said, stepping inside. “How do you think I did today? And I have to know why you chose to deliver that last monologue as you did.” She tapped her fingers anxiously. The nails were bitten to the quick.

  The director wouldn’t be happy about that.

  “Nancy, I told you I couldn’t talk. I’m busy.” Ruby was horrified. Of all the people to interrupt her. She’d heard that Nancy was jealous because she’d wanted Ruby’s lead role but had been cast in a smaller supporting role.

  Leaning around her, Nancy’s eyes widened. “Baby gifts! Whose baby?”

  “My sister’s,” Ruby said smoothly. “I’m catching the train tomorrow, and I have to wrap these for my niece.” She wanted to make that point very clear.

  “You’re taking time off for your niece’s birthday?”

  “We’re very close.” Ruby turned around to hide her flushed face from Nancy. “Now, please go. You should catch up on your rest.”

  Nancy hesitated, her eyes roving over the toys Ruby had bought. “See you when you get back.”

  Ruby expelled a sigh of frustration.

  * * *

  Eager to see Mariangela, Ruby burst through the front door of Patricia and Michael’s home. “Where’s my little sweetheart?” she called out.

  “Patricia is probably in the nursery with Mary,” Michael said, following her inside. “She was bathing her when I left for the train station.”

  “Mary?” Ruby hadn’t heard her daughter called that name before, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. A birthday cake on the kitchen table caught Ruby’s eye. Patricia must have made it, which was thoughtful, except that Ruby had planned to make Mariangela’s first cake. She hid her disappointment, but still, it was there.

  Her high-heel pumps clicked across the pine floors as she hurried toward the nursery. Having just stepped off the train, Ruby still wore her light gray traveling suit with a burgundy silk blouse. Since she was becoming well-known, Joseph insisted she maintain her appearance wherever she went. Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary on the ranch. When Ruby walked into the nursery filled with stuffed animals and toys that she’d sent to Mariangela, Patricia looked up.

  “Aren’t you fancy today?” Patricia said. She was holding Mariangela, who wore a soft pink sweater with a matching bow. Strands of reddish-brown hair framed her little face. “Mary is pretty fancy, too. I dressed her up for you.”

  “I heard you just had a bath,” Ruby said, cooing to her daughter, whose bright blue eyes gleamed with life—just as her father’s had. A lump formed in her throat at the memories.

  “And lunch,” Patricia said. “Be careful.”

  Ruby held out her arms, but her daughter began crying and turned back to Patricia, burying her face.

  “There, there, it’s your mommy,” Patricia said, but the child wailed each time she tried to pass her to Ruby. “I guess she’s just a little fussy now.”

  “How long has she been this way?” Ruby asked. Mariangela had grown so much since she’d seen her at Christmas.

  “Well, she just started, but don’t let that worry you.”

  It did, though. Ruby ached to hold her child, but the little girl simply refused to go to her, clutching at Patricia’s blouse and wailing as if her mother didn’t love her. But oh, she did, and so very, very much. Disappointment flooded Ruby. The train had taken three days’ travel from Laguna Beach in California, and she’d spent that time anxiously waiting to hold Mariangela. She had a suitcase full of birthday presents, too.

  Patricia tickled Mariangela’s chin until the baby giggled. “That’s better, Mary.” To Ruby, she added, “We’ll try again in a minute.”

  Ruby shrugged off her jacket and sat on a bench at the foot of the bed. “Why are you calling her ‘Mary’ now?”

  “Michael was having a hard time saying Mariangela. It’s so foreign-sounding. He thinks Mary with a ‘y’ is cute. It’s more American, too.”

  Ruby was perturbed. “But that’s exactly the point. Her name is Italian. It’s to honor her father.” She pressed her lips together in a thin line. “It’s not that hard to say.”

  “I think it’s a lovely name, but you know how people are in these parts. They like simple names. Joe, Bud, Jane. See?”

  Crossing her arms, Ruby said, “If I’d wanted to name her Mary, I would have. Her name is Mariangela.”

  “Of course, it is,” Patricia said in a soothing voice. “You’ve had a long trip, and I know you’re tired. Please don’t get upset over a silly nickname. Kids grow up with all sorts of nicknames. Like you did.”

  “Mari with an ‘i,’ then. But not Mary with a ‘y.’” Ruby had to give in a little, but she still wanted her daughter to have a connection to her heritage. Yet, Michael meant no harm. Maybe his tongue did get twisted on Mariangela.

  Finally, Mari settled down again, and Patricia sat beside Ruby, sliding the child into her arms. Mari seemed happy now, and Ruby sighed with relief.

  “I’ll get a clean towel for you to throw over that beautiful blouse.” She stood to open a bureau draw. “Real silk, is it?”

  “A gift from David, who supervised the wardrobe in my last film.” Ruby nuzzled her face against Mariangela’s face and hair, reveling in her sweet baby scent. Her hair had grown, and it was feather-soft.

  “Is David someone special in your life?”

  “He is, but not that way. I don’t think he’s available.” Ruby didn’t say exactly why, but she’d heard that David had a secret boyfriend. It didn’t bother her, and maybe not Patricia, but their father would disapprove of such a friendship.

  As Patricia opened a drawer, it fell forward, spilling its contents. She knelt to scoop up Mari’s clothes and cloth diapers. “Maybe there’s someone nice for you around here. As a matter of fact, I met a nice young man at church. He’s the new assistant pastor.”

  “And poor as a church mouse, I’ll bet.” When Patricia nodded, Ruby added, “I couldn’t afford him.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Patricia said. “We’ve had so many expenses this past year. It’s hard to get ahead, but we’re so grateful to you and what you’re doing. If it weren’t for you, our parents would have surely lost the ranch. We would’ve had a hard time, too.” Patricia tucked the clothing into the drawer and then handed a soft baby towel to her.

  As Ruby reached for the towel, Mari spit up on her shoulder, a second before Ruby could drape the fabric over her blouse.

  “Oh, dear,” Patricia said. “That silk is a magnet for spit-up.”

  “I don’t really care.” Ruby dabbed her silk blouse. She just wanted to be with her baby.

  “It happens.” Patricia reached for Mari. “I’ll take her while you clean up.”

  “It’s okay,” Ruby insisted. “I just want to hold her. I’ve been waiting so long to do this.”

  Patricia smiled. “I understand.”

  The two sisters chatted for a while,
and Patricia told her all about Mari’s progress. Mari seemed to grow used to Ruby again—almost as if she remembered the months spent cuddled next to her mother in a sling. After a while, the baby fell asleep, and Ruby put her down for a nap.

  After tiptoeing from the nursery, Patricia said, “Mama and Daddy will be here soon. I told them you might want to freshen up first.”

  “I would like to change,” Ruby said.

  “Spring has come early this year, so we’ll have the party on the back porch,” Patricia said. “Michael screened in the downstairs porch and added electricity so that when Mari starts walking, she can play there. It’ll keep the mosquitos away. Last year she got itchy red welts on her tender skin.”

  “Thanks,” Ruby said. She hadn’t heard about that. It must have happened when she’d been in New York.

  “I hate to mention it, but the porch is for Mari,” Patricia said. “Once we began building, it cost more than we thought it would.” Patricia fidgeted with the edge of her collar. “Do you think—”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Ruby said. “Let me know how much you’ll need.”

  After Ruby changed into a blue-checked cotton dress, she set up Mari’s birthday party on the new back porch. Ruby had brought a pink tablecloth and party napkins and a banner that read Happy Birthday. She piled wrapped toys beside the yellow, vinyl-covered high chair.

  The rear screen-door banged. Mercy and Harrison arrived with their arms filled with packages.

  “Oh, my Ruby,” her mother cried. “Look at how you’ve changed.” After placing her packages on the table, she held her arms open to Ruby.

  “I’ve missed you, Mama,” Ruby said, hugging her mother, who seemed thinner than she’d recalled.

  “Welcome back,” her father said, approaching her with awkward open arms under her mother’s watchful eye.

  As her parents exchanged a look, it was apparent to Ruby that her mother had engineered his forgiveness. She wondered what kind of force Mercy had exerted. Sometimes her mother stopped cooking for Harrison or sent him to sleep on the couch. Or worse. Had her mother threatened to leave him?

  Ruby hadn’t spoken to her father since before Mari was born. Mercy had been pleading with her to forgive her father for his anger. Ruby was trying, but she couldn’t forget what he’d called her or how he’d threatened her mother. Although Ruby couldn’t change the past, she hoped their future would be amicable, especially for Mari. She let her father give her a brief hug, and she played her part as well, stifling her anger and discomfort and trying to recall better times. Yet she would remain forever on guard.

  A small sigh of relief escaped Mercy’s lips.

  Harrison shifted from one foot to another, his eyes downcast. “We sure appreciate what you’re doing for us,” he said, his ego deflated.

  Mercy grasped her hands. “I don’t know what we would’ve done, especially with your father so sick. Running a ranch is hard work at his age.”

  Her father frowned. “I’m not that old, Mercy. I’ll be better soon.”

  Ruby squeezed her mother’s hands. “Don’t worry. I’m working a lot this year.” Sensing the tension, Ruby said, “Can we wake Mari for her party yet?”

  “Let’s go get her,” Patricia said.

  Ruby propped up Mari in the high chair, and the little girl giggled and waved her arms. They sang to her, and Ruby helped her blow out a single candle. Patricia cut the cake and gave Mari a small piece, which the little girl smashed into her mouth, smearing frosting on her cheeks and laughing hysterically.

  “Isn’t she precious?” Mercy clapped her hands at Mari’s antics. “It’s so wonderful to have a little one around again.”

  Michael slid his arm around Patricia. They both looked so proud of Mari. “I can’t believe she’s a year old already,” he said. “She’s made us so happy, especially my beautiful wife.”

  Ruby watched them, thinking how fulfilled her sister seemed. Patricia looked serene, and Michael doted on her. They tended to Mari together, and Ruby was so touched. Even though the separation from her daughter hurt, she’d made the right decision for them.

  Ruby took photographs and then wiped Mari’s face and hands. She helped her little girl unwrap her first present, a set of brightly colored wooden building blocks in red, blue, and green. “I hope she likes them,” Ruby said.

  “Oh, she does,” Mercy said. “Michael just made some blocks for her.”

  Patricia quickly added, “They’re perfect. A child can never have too many blocks.”

  Yet another thing I’ve missed, Ruby thought, feeling left out of Mari’s young life. She reached for another gift.

  While Ruby helped Mari unwrap her presents, the telephone rang. Michael went to answer it.

  “That was your agent,” Michael said when he returned. “He wants you to call him at once. An emergency of some sort. But I told him this was a special day, and you shouldn’t be bothered.”

  “Is he still on the phone?”

  “No, I hung up.”

  Though she was concerned about the call, Ruby appreciated her brother-in-law’s thoughtfulness. “Thank you, Michael. But I’ll need to telephone Joseph today. After the party.”

  An emergency. Ruby wondered what that could mean. As soon as she could slip away, she dialed the operator from the telephone she’d had installed in her bedroom.

  Ruby heard several clicks on the line as the long-distance call went through. “Hello, Joseph?”

  “Ruby! Thank heavens you called.” Joseph’s frantic words tumbled out. “A gossip magazine is running a story tomorrow about a teen star’s illegitimate baby.”

  A chill coursed through Ruby. “Not about me?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. We must respond to this story right away. It’s a publicity disaster. I told you not to let anything about your little issue get out. What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Ruby cried. “I haven’t said a word to anyone.”

  Suddenly, Ruby remembered. Nancy. Could the actress have betrayed her to the press?

  Yes. Nancy must have called a tabloid right away. With a sinking feeling, Ruby remembered an interview she’d given last year. She had mentioned her sister and her husband. The reporter had asked if they had children. Ruby had told her they didn’t. Could Nancy have remembered and leapt to a conclusion? Or maybe she was trying to steal Ruby’s part.

  Angry tears sprang to Ruby’s eyes. “But it’s not true.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Joseph said. “It’s going to hit the newsstands. And I got a call from the studio. They’re threatening to invoke the morals clause of your contract.”

  Ruby flopped onto the bed. “What does that mean?”

  “Essentially, you’re fired.”

  Panic gripped Ruby. “They can’t do that,” she cried. “The film is almost finished.”

  “They’ll hire another actress and reshoot your part,” Joseph said. “Not the first time this has happened.”

  “And my next film?”

  “Kiss your career good-bye. Unless you can disprove this, no one will touch you, even after the scandal dies.”

  Ruby shot up on the bed. “But there is no scandal! Niccolò and I were married in Italy. My baby has a father.”

  “Well, where is he?” Joseph asked. “Now would be a good time for him to make an entrance.”

  “I don’t know. I think…he might have died,” Ruby managed to say, her voice cracking with a gut-wrenching sob. Reflexively, she wrapped her fingers around her silver pendant.

  “Great,” Joseph said, huffing in exasperation. “The guy’s dead. What about proof? Like a marriage certificate?”

  “I don’t know. Niccolò took care of all that.”

  “Was anyone else at your wedding? Were any pictures taken?”

  Ruby had used up the film her mother had sent with her in Rome. “I’m sorry, no. It was just us.”

  “And a priest from Central Casting, no doubt.” Joseph cursed on the line.

  Ruby d
rew a hand over her face. And two elderly witnesses. She had no idea how to contact any of them. Her heart was pounding. What will I do?

  Ruby gripped the telephone. “Joseph, please, I can’t lose this contract. I have to keep working. For my family, please. I’ll return to the set on the next train and go right to work.” Her parents still needed help, as did Mari and Patricia and Michael. Feeling like her head was about to explode, Ruby pressed fingers to her throbbing temple. She had to keep working, now more than ever.

  “Okay, okay, okay,” Joseph said. “We need to explain this away. We need some kind of proof that the baby isn’t yours.”

  “But she is!”

  “You’re not listening to me. There are two parts to this issue. First, an illegitimate baby. Second, your age. You’re a teenager. You’re barely eighteen years old now, and you were seventeen when this occurred.”

  “But my passport says—”

  “Vivienne confirmed your real birth date to a Modern Screen gossip columnist. She’ll probably cash a tidy check.”

  “My aunt did that?” Anger shot through Ruby, and she twisted the telephone cord in her fist.

  Joseph sighed. “Don’t act so shocked. Vivienne hears a lot at that beauty shop. She trades in gossip. So, who’s taking care of the kid now?”

  “My sister.”

  “Please tell me she’s older.”

  “Patricia’s twenty-five.”

  “Is she married?”

  “To a sweet guy. A rancher.” Ruby feared where this conversation was going.

  “We have to save your reputation,” Joseph said. “If they claim her, this might work. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll call you right back.”

  Ruby clutched the phone, yelling into it. “No, Joseph, no, no, no—”