Stardust (The Starlight Trilogy #3) (33 page)

“It’s lovely to see you again, Hannah.” A shy grin accompanied Thomas’ words.

Hannah flashed the bright smile Aidan always said reminded him of Beth’s. “Hopefully, we can catch up later.”

Thomas’ grin widened. “I’d like that very much.”

Nicholas glared at Thomas, committed to the role of protective younger brother. “Later, Tom.”

“Later, Nick.” Thomas extended his hand to Aidan. “Mr. Evans, congratulations again, sir.”

“Thank you.” Aidan shook Thomas’ hand, his expression void of knowledge of the young man’s interest in Hannah. Or perhaps he was purposely ignorant.

Thomas and Lydia were soon swallowed up by the crowd, which had grown substantially in the last few minutes.

Nathan, Olivia, Constance, Matthew, and some of their children arrived shortly after. Beth and her family met them in the middle of the lobby.

“Nice of you two fellas to show up.” Aidan shook hands with Matthew and then Nathan. The men shared laughs and good-natured ribbing, as they usually did whenever they were together. At times, it was as though they’d never aged beyond their twenties.

While Hannah and Nicholas greeted the McKenna and Taggart children, Olivia gave Beth a hug. She wore a forest green, sparkling dress and a black satin wrap, and her hair was styled in a classy chignon. No one could pull off trendy and sophisticated as well as Olivia. It was clear why she was in demand for every new play that hit Broadway.

Olivia clutched her hands to her chest. “The turnout tonight is incredible, Beth. You and Aidan must be ecstatic.”

Beth gestured to their friends, children, and godchildren. “If it wasn’t for all of you, everything wouldn’t have come together so nicely.”

Connie embraced Beth. She was dressed in a black, figure hugging gown, which made her permed platinum blonde hair stand out, and stilettos that accentuated her long legs. A real show stopper, as usual.

Connie won her much-deserved Oscar for Best Actress in 1981—a poignant moment in her career, given all she had gone through. As she stated in her acceptance speech, she stood at the podium representing mature actresses everywhere, proving they could be high box office draws like their younger counterparts. Her win also showcased to her critics that her talent stretched beyond the blonde bombshell image from her Starlight Studios contract days.

“The streets around the venue have been cordoned off,” Connie said. “You can only get through by car if you present an invitation to the benefit.”

“A police officer we spoke to earlier said that might happen.” Beth smiled at her husband. “We still cannot believe this is all for GWA.”

Nathan kissed Beth’s cheek and Matthew gave her a hug while Aidan, Connie, and Olivia conversed further about the large turnout.

Over the years, Matthew was able to reach the top of the charts with almost every album release. He also continued to play sold out shows all over the world and lent his name and money to many charitable organizations annually.

Nathan’s continued success was a surprise to no one. After the six of them moved to New York, he was quick to get back on his feet and had enjoyed more triumphs and creative freedom than he ever had working for Luther Mertz. Although he was in high demand, he represented only a select number of clients in order to provide quality management. Beth, Aidan, and Connie were fortunate to still have him as their publicist.

When their friends moved on to Hannah and Nicholas, Beth and Aidan took the opportunity to say hello to their godchildren.

Charlotte McKenna, Matthew and Connie’s only child, was twenty-five years old and an acclaimed actress with beauty queen good looks and a personality void of the pretentiousness people would expect someone as gorgeous as her to possess. Tonight, she wore a slinky silver dress and heels higher than Connie’s.

Charlotte was dating Leonard Dodd, the lead singer of a popular rock band. They met backstage at Matthew’s concert at Madison Square Gardens last year. From what Connie told Beth, they were very smitten with each other and an engagement was imminent. Leonard was in the middle of performing a three-night, sold out concert series at Wembley Stadium in London, England, so he was unable to accompany Charlotte to New York. However, he donated a substantial sum of money to GWA, of which Beth was notified last week. She looked forward to their first meeting so she could thank him in person.

Charlotte’s success as an actress happened quickly, based on her natural talent and the camera’s affinity for her. Her first film,
Stranded
, which she made when she was nineteen, displayed her abilities as a dramatic performer perfectly, and she had acted in many critically praised motion pictures since. Without the restraint of a studio contract, Charlotte was able to make her own career choices and arrive to where she was today through hard work, fortitude, and a sense of self-worth. Connie was extremely proud of her daughter’s independence and the respectable way she’d established herself in the industry. The respect wasn’t one sided, either. Charlotte had mentioned many times that her mother was her idol. Beth knew that meant a lot to Connie.

“I apologize for not joining you and my mother for brunch yesterday,” Charlotte said. “I was jetlagged and wanted to be well rested for tonight.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Beth replied. “You flew in just for this event. Aidan and I are more than grateful. How do you like Spain and the shoot so far?”

Charlotte sighed, but her eyes shimmered with excitement. “The Spanish crew are very professional and a delight to work with. Do you know that we take a break every afternoon for two hours? It’s written in the crews’ contracts! And we start filming midmorning, none of those five o’clock call times like we have here in the States. I like the more relaxed filming pace much better, even though it means we have to work later into the evening. In fact, I hope to film more movies in Europe.”

Aidan slipped his arm around Beth’s waist. “When Beth and I filmed 
Summer Falls 
in Rome, we experienced the same thing. It takes some time to get used to it.”

Beth suppressed a smile. When they filmed their first motion picture abroad, Aidan had definitely struggled with the change of pace. He wasn’t used to the crew’s laxer attitudes and grew impatient easily. Often, a scene that took one day to shoot in the U.S. took two days to film in Europe. Despite the slower pace, the quality of the work never suffered. When the crew was on the clock, they worked efficiently, and Aidan soon relaxed and came to appreciate their dedication.

As Matthew, Connie, and Charlotte stepped aside to speak with a well-known film producer, Beth and Aidan greeted two of Nathan and Olivia’s children, Todd and Clara. Olivia became pregnant with Aaron, the eldest, shortly after her wedding to Nathan. Two years later, Todd followed, and then Clara was born in 1961.

Aaron was a prominent attorney in San Francisco while Todd was a journalist for the 
New York Times
. They were both married, and Nathan and Olivia were grandparents to three grandchildren, soon to be four. Todd’s pregnant wife, Kimberly, was a reporter for NBC in New York. Aaron’s wife, June, was a homemaker.

“Thank you both for coming,” Beth said to Todd and Clara.

“I’m sorry Aaron couldn’t make it,” Olivia said on behalf of her eldest son. “He couldn’t get away from work, but he wishes for me to congratulate you.”

“And Kimberly wanted to be here, but with the baby coming soon, I’m afraid she wasn’t feeling well this evening,” Todd said about his wife of two years.

“Of course.” Beth waved dismissively. “Aidan and I will visit her this week before your new arrival.”

“She’d like that very much.” Todd kissed her cheek, always the gentleman like his father.

When Beth greeted Clara, she caught sight of the modest diamond ring on the young woman’s left hand. Clara was a petite like her mother, with a creamy, flawless complexion and jet-black hair. She also possessed Olivia’s vivaciousness, while her ability to remain calm under pressure had definitely been inherited from Nathan.

Clara had opened her own dress shop on Fifth Avenue last year. Presently, she wore a bright yellow dress in a design unlike anything Beth had ever seen worn by young women these days. But that was nothing new. Clara designed all of her own outfits and was a trendsetter in the fashion industry, always pushing the limits and creating fresh, daring looks.

Clara gestured to her dashing date, who looked as if he’d stepped right out of the 1920s with his slicked back hair and three-button suit. “Beth, Aidan, this is Liam Atley, my fiancé.”

Although Beth and Aidan had never met Liam previously, the buzz about him as a director had introduced them to his work months ago.

Beth offered her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. And congratulations on the engagement.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” His reply held a distinct southern accent.

Aidan shook his hand, too. “Liam, my wife and I saw your last film at a private screening here in Manhattan. It was damn good.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “Thank you, Mr. Evans. It’s only my second time directing in an official capacity. I still have much to learn.”

“Well, you wouldn’t know it,” Beth said. “The film was excellent.”

Clara linked arms with her fiancé. “Isn’t he the greatest?”

Liam placed a kiss on her lips. “I’d be nothing without you, darling.”

Olivia and Nathan exchanged smiles, reflecting their daughter’s happiness.

Following a visit to the coat check, they headed for the auditorium. As they passed the donations table, Nathan stopped and produced a checkbook from his pocket.

Beth touched his shoulder. “Nathan, no. You’ve already done too much.”

With a defiant grin, he removed a ballpoint pen from the fold and filled out the top check.

Nathan had achieved great financial and professional success over the years, but his greatest accomplishment was sitting on the National Mental Health Association’s Board of Directors for the last sixteen years. The public was unaware of his mother’s health issues until after she died in 1967. Nathan decided to reveal the truth in hopes it would raise awareness and help to erase the stigma attached to mental illness. He had been so successful in his endeavor he’d received several humanitarian awards and was regularly invited to give talks on the subject all over the country.

After leaving the donations table, the group entered Avery Fisher Hall. The concert hall had twenty-seven hundred seats, with prime, preferred seating on the floor, three tiers of balconies, and private boxes. It usually hosted visiting orchestras for exclusive performances. Beth was honored the Lincoln Center agreed to host their benefit.

An usher led the group to their seats in the front row. As Beth sat down and looked around, joy filled her heart. In October 1952, she moved to Los Angeles all on her own, when it was uncommon and unacceptable for a young woman to do so. In less than one year, she went from working at Schwab’s Pharmacy to becoming an award-winning actress and meeting lifelong friends as well as her husband. Some might say she was lucky. Yes, Nathan discovering her had been lucky, but luck had nothing to do with why she had become a success when so many others who sought the same dream had failed. Her longevity in the entertainment industry was achieved through love for her craft in addition to perseverance, hard work, and the support of her friends and family.

While writing her memoir, she recognized the mistakes she’d made in the past as well as her weaknesses, but she harbored no regrets. All of her experiences made her the woman she was today. And judging from the large turnout tonight, she had fared well in life.

The lights dimmed and the projection screen at the back of the stage lifted, revealing the emcee, Ed Koch. Polite applause erupted for New York City’s mayor as he walked to a podium decorated with the GWA crest.

Mr. Koch embraced the warm welcome with an appreciative smile, working the crowd like the expert politician he was.

“Welcome, ladies and gentleman.” The applause subsided. “We are gathered here to honor Mr. Aidan Evans and his wife, Elizabeth, for their extraordinary work with the Golden Warriors Association, an organization that brings joy into the lives of children diagnosed with cancer. Aidan and Beth have dedicated much of their time and money to GWA, and tonight, we thank them. Your financial contributions this evening will help ensure that GWA continues to thrive and expand, reaching children all over the world, from our own backyards to remote parts of the globe.”

The audience clapped as Mr. Koch left the stage. Next, a short film on GWA was shown on the projection screen to give tonight’s guests a closer look at the organization. A video message from President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, which shared their appreciation of Beth and Aidan’s work with GWA and hailed the couple as an inspiration to all Americans, followed.

Throughout the evening, many of Beth and Aidan’s friends and colleagues took to the stage. More comfortable with public speaking than her brother, Hannah also shared a speech about her experiences teaching music at the camps and how proud she was of her parents.

Nathan was the last speaker. He approached the podium and put on his reading glasses—though, accustomed to speaking in front of large audiences, he hadn’t written anything down. “I’ve known Elizabeth Evans since the spring of 1953 when she was known only as Marie Bates and worked as a counter girl at Schwab’s Pharmacy in Los Angeles. Normally, it wasn’t my job to scout for new talent for Starlight Studios, but there was something about her I couldn’t ignore. Over the years, Beth has asked what exactly I saw in her that day, why I offered her a screen test when there were hundreds of girls vying for a chance to make it in Hollywood. Usually, I’d reply with a teasing remark about how her uneasiness when serving actor Robert Mitchum set her apart from the typical brash and sassy young women aspiring to be film stars. Tonight, I will share the truth.

“My main reasons for approaching Beth at Schwab’s are similar to those discussed by everyone on this stage tonight. Beth’s outer beauty is as remarkable today as it was over thirty years ago. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to see her work is aware her smile lights up the most prestigious theaters on Broadway and the largest movie screens. But she also possesses inner beauty—in particular, honesty and kindness seldom seen in the entertainment industry—which makes her accessible to audiences and a role model to young women all over the world.