Along Came A Prince (6 page)

“When I was
milking cows, I never imagined I could do anything that would gross me $30
million. Thank you for getting that much money for me.”

“Well, your $10
million paychecks weren’t bad either,” Hal said. “Anyway, I still think you should
see
London Affair
before you sign your contract, in case you want to
back out. I’ve reserved the projection room at the studio for a private
screening tomorrow at two, so you can watch it on an actual movie screen. I’ve
asked my mother to come, although I’m not sure if she will or not. Also,
Farrell, Nathan and Arthur. Did I miss anyone?”

“How about the
mystery man who’s backing the film?”

“I doubt if we’ll
ever find out who he is, but then again, sometimes slips are made and secrets
jump out. At any rate, the limo will pick you up tomorrow at noon. You’re
taking this news about Farrell well. Just remember, if he drinks, he’s off the
project.”

 “Well, no matter
how sober he is, I couldn’t be like Mae West and ask him, ‘Why don’t you come
up and see me sometime?’”

“Good one.” Hal
laughed, then adopted a serious tone. “Who knows, when he dries out, he may
change back into the likeable person he once was. There’s always a reason why
people drink, and if you knew his life story, you might change your mind about him.”

She shook her head
in denial. “This hasn’t been about liking Farrell. I dislike the person he
becomes when he drinks, all womanizing and slobbery, and I haven’t seen him any
other way. I actually feel sorry for him.”

“Me too. It should
be all right, though. He won’t be around you that much.”

“Well, I guess if
he’s my only problem, I should get along fine.”

“Okay, Stace, then
I’ll see –”

“Wait, Hal. I have
something to tell you. I got a call from Clay. He asked me to come to London
right after I sign my contract. He’s sending a plane for me so I can see his
new ice show.”

“Clay? Not Prince
Clayton Alexander? London? I’m surprised. Sounds like you made quite an
impression on him.”

“I’m more
surprised than you are, Hal. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.” 

♥♥

“I guess we’re all
here,” Hal said. He called the projectionist to start the movie.

Stacia looked
around the room before the lights went out.
All
seemed to refer to Nathan,
Arthur, Hal and herself. She was grateful Farrell wasn’t there – he probably
wasn’t even sober yet. She did wonder why Hal’s mother hadn’t come. But when the
room darkened and the movie began, Stacia directed her concentration on the
World War II epic,
London Affair
. A haunting melody, played with full
orchestration, was heard as the first words, “Audra Parker and Mark Bennett in”
flashed onto the screen in brilliant Technicolor. Next, the title appeared –
London
Affair
. The movie credits displayed in the 1949 format followed, along with
the name, Helen Ashley Shores. When the producer’s name appeared, Farrell
Fontaine was listed alone.

Darkness, with
only patches of filtered light, dominated the opening scene of war-torn London.

All was still when the blare of ear-splitting air-raid sirens spit out
their “take cover” warnings. The destruction rampages of past bombings was
apparent everywhere. Partially-standing buildings contained only one or two
remaining walls, and in some instances, the buildings were reduced to piles of
rubble. Windows displayed jagged glass or were see-through empty. Cars and
buses were overturned or on their sides, their windows smashed among the
twisted heaps of metal. Smoke billows lifted skyward from the still-burning
fires and ashes of the recent bombing. Another bomb would follow shortly, as evidenced
by the piercing air-raid sirens.

Chaos controlled the mood of the people who were all running in the
same direction – toward the underground subway, the refuge that held their best
chance for survival. Screams of terror and the cries of women and children were
heard.

A father, mother and child ran frantically and almost reached the
underground’s steps when the father seemed to sense another bomb was about to
hit. He grabbed for his wife and daughter, pulled them to the ground with him,
and threw himself on top of his daughter in order to save her life. He reached
out to gather his wife closer...Boom! The bomb hit nearby and the family was
killed. The father and mother lay sprawled out on the sidewalk, silenced by
death and covered with blood. Their daughter was nowhere in sight.

A young woman,
played by Audra Parker, ran amid the bombed devastation. In her arms a small
puppy whimpered and struggled to get free. She held him tightly to her and kept
running, her head moving from side to side searching for her loved ones. With
each dead body she was forced to see, her face contorted even more until it was
scrunched up so much, her eyes were barely visible. Tears ran down her face,
and she sobbed as she ran toward the destruction.

The
underground’s steps came into sight, their railings torn away or bent beyond
repair. She headed for them, and the hope on her face that her family had made
it to the shelter was evident. Once there, she found her parents’ bodies. But
her sister, where was she?

The young woman
squatted down next to her mother, leaned over and kissed her blood-soaked face
softly. She was about to do the same to her father when his body shifted
slightly. Could he possibly be alive? The moving continued and grew stronger,
until the small, dirt-filled face of nine-year-old Helen Ashley Shores finally
managed to pop out from under him.

“Is it safe to
come out now, Victoria?” she asked.

♥♥

As the lights
flashed on after the movie ended, Stacia was embarrassed for the others to see
the tears covering her face. She wiped the bottom of her eyes with her fingers
and erased the moisture gathered there, but she couldn’t control the emotions
raging through her. The trials Victoria had endured. The love she had for Dean.
The happiness and the sadness throughout the film. She wished she knew how
Audra Parker felt acting in
London Affair
. She was superb in the lead
role, and Stacia wondered how she could follow such an accomplished actress.

Hal seemed to
sense how emotional she was and told the others Stacia and he had to leave
immediately. He guided her out the door and walked with her to her limo parked
in the studio lot, where he climbed in next to her. He sat silently, waiting
for her to regain control of herself.

“Your mother was
great in that movie. Winning an Academy Award must have been a thrill for her,”
she said, exhaling a large sigh and making one last swipe at her eyes.

Hal frowned. “It
was a difficult time in her life, definitely the most traumatic thing that has
happened to her. I believe she has never fully recovered and probably never
will.”

“I don’t
understand,” Stacia said.

“Sorry, Stace, but
I‘m sworn to secrecy. Maybe someday she’ll tell you herself.”

“I learned a long
time ago to respect another’s privacy, and I do respect hers.”

“I’ll tell you
this much because it’s public knowledge. Audra Parker was killed in an accident
shortly before the film’s premiere. Her co-star, Mark Bennett, who she was set
to marry in two weeks, died later.”

Stacia wondered
how their deaths affected Mrs. Shores when she was nine years old. It was understandable
how traumatized Helen, at such an early age, must have been having to face the
deaths of two people she’d been close to.

Hal reached for
the door handle and started to turn it.

“Wait a second,”
Stacia said. “There’s something else I want to discuss with you. Besides seeing
Clay, I’m hoping London will also help me with my character.”

“How will today’s city
help you with a movie that took place during World War II?”

“There might be
something that will. I don’t know. The original actors filmed part of the movie
in London.”

“When will you be
back?”

“I’m not sure. I
have no other commitments until filming starts, except I would like to talk
with your mother before I leave. Possibly tomorrow, if she’s free?”

“Let’s find out
right now…if I can.” He took his cell phone from his jacket pocket and punched
in a number. He drummed his fingers on his knee while he waited for an answer. “Good,
you’re home. I’m sitting here with Stacia. She wants to know if you’ll have lunch
with her tomorrow to discuss her character.” He waited for a moment, and then
he spoke again. “The rush is she’s leaving for London in a couple days. She
seems to think you can teach her something about acting.” He winked at Stacia.
“You’re free tomorrow? Perfect. Thanks, Mom. Here, I’ll put her on, and you two
can make your plans.” Hal handed the phone to Stacia to confirm their luncheon
date.

“Sounds like
everything’s settled then with you two,” Hal remarked when Stacia handed him
back his phone.

“One more thing…could
I not wait until Friday, but sign my contract tomorrow also?”

“Let’s find out.”

A short time later,
her contract date was scheduled for late afternoon the next day. “If there’s
nothing else you need, I’m out of here. I’ve got an appointment at my office in
exactly...” He checked his watch. “Thirty-three minutes.”

“Thanks, Hal. For
everything. Are you coming to lunch with us?”

“And horn in on
all your girl talk?” He shook his head and grinned. “Maybe next time.”

He exited the
vehicle and waved back at her as he climbed into his own limo. 

Stacia told her
driver to take her home. Once there, she realized she was thirsty and headed
for the bar off the living room. Grabbing a bottle of water from the
refrigerator, she went to her bedroom closet and started pulling out clothes
and tossing them on the bed. Shoes. Dresses. Jeans. Pants and blouses. Purses
and a warm coat. London might be cold this time of year, she remembered someone
telling her once. In the middle of packing, she thought about her passport and
removed it from the wall safe.

When she had
everything in order, she started filling her suitcase. Stacia always enjoyed
getting ready for a trip. She hadn’t traveled much when she was younger, so the
anticipation of going somewhere was exciting to her, and packing seemed to make
her forthcoming trip a reality.

At last her work
was completed. She plopped on the sofa with the remote and turned on
Entertainment
Tonight
just as their entertainment reporter, Nancy O’Dell, was making an
announcement.

“Starlit Studios
released information today about a new idea for an old movie. It seems that the
producer-director team of Nathan Sterling and Arthur Keyes will begin shooting
a remake of 1950's Academy Award winning movie,
London Affair
. This remake
will be unique because the duo will use the entire movie as it was originally
shot – all the actors, settings, costumes, scenes will be intact except for
Audra Parker’s role. With the computer magic of the film’s screen editor –
another hat producer Keyes wears – actress Stacia Saunders’s image will replace
Audra’s in the movie.”

Photos of Audra
and Stacia flashed side-by-side on the screen. “Look how they resemble each
other,” Nancy continued. “Does this all sound intriguing? Or maybe just
confusing? Well, we’ll show you the first pictures of this new movie as soon as
Starlit Studios releases them to us, hopefully in about three weeks. We’ll also
try to include an interview with Stacia, and perhaps screen legend, Helen
Ashley Shores, who was nine years old at the time and took home an Oscar for
her role. Good luck, Stacia, on this new remake venture. Now, Rob Marciano will
tell you about the tragedies that occurred right after the original film’s
shooting.”

“There have always
been mysteries and secrets concerning the stars of the original movie,” Rob
began. “In 1949, unlike today, studios had power and influence over the media.
If they didn’t want an event to be known to the public, they could stop it
dead, and this was what happened in the case of Audra Parker and Mark Bennett,
the stars of
London Affair
.

“Little has been
written about their deaths. Audra supposedly was killed in a car accident when
she lost control of her car in a canyon near Hollywood. The details of her
accident were never revealed, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation and
rumors about what really happened.

“Off screen, Audra
and Mark were deeply in love, and their wedding was planned. I’ve researched
interviews made when they were alive, and it seems everyone thought they were born
to be with each other. Rather like the way people viewed the relationship
between Clark Gable and his actress wife, Carole Lombard.

“When Audra died
though, unlike Clark Gable after Carole was killed in an airplane crash, Mark
Bennett couldn’t handle Audra’s death. He moved to their cabin retreat in
Northern California near the infamous Donner’s Pass. He stayed there over the
winter season, snowed in and cut off from everyone and everything. In the
spring, sheriff’s deputies found his body after being notified by Bennett’s
grounds’ caretaker. Mark reportedly kept a journal during the last weeks of his
life. The contents of this journal were not made public, nor is it known if
this journal actually exists.

“Another person
who figures into this mystery puzzle is Farrell Fontaine, who was the producer
on this movie. Rumors circulated back then said he, too, was deeply in love
with Audra and also was a very good friend of Mark Bennett. However this has
never been substantiated by any credible source.

“Enough time has
passed now, over sixty years to be exact, and many of the original participants
of this mystery are gone, so Audra Parker and Mark Bennett’s deaths will
probably continue to be a mystery, except maybe to just a few.”