The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly: a Novel

Contents Cover Title Page Dedication Part I 1948: Los Angeles Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven 1975: New York Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen 1950: Los Angeles Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two 1975: New York Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Part II Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Author’s Note Acknowledgments About the Author Copyright Guide Cover Start of Content Title Page Dedication Acknowledgments About the Author Copyright III V VI 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 
 
 “Infinitely readable, atmospheric and emotionally charged.”
 —Brooke Lea Foster, Author of On Gin Lane
 The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly
 A Novel
 Katherine A. Sherbrooke
 Author of Leaving Coy’s Hill
 
 
 ALSO BY KATHERINE A. SHERBROOKE
 Leaving Coy’s Hill
 Fill the Sky
 Finding Home
 
 
 
 
 
 THE HIDDEN LIFE OF ASTER KELLY
 Pegasus Books, Ltd.
 148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor
 New York, NY 10018
 Copyright © 2023 by Katherine A. Sherbrooke
 First Pegasus Books edition April 2023
 Interior design by Maria Fernandez
 Cover design: Faceout Studio, Jeff Miller
 Imagery: Shutterstock
 Author photo credit: Melissa Bomeisler
 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.
 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
 ISBN: 978-1-63936-353-7
 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63936-354-4
 Distributed by Simon & Schuster
 www.pegasusbooks.com
 
 
 To my mother, Sandy,
 and my sister, Barbara
 This is for you
 
 
 
 
 
 1948 LOS ANGELES
 
 
 CHAPTER ONE
 Standing outside Fernando’s Boutique on Wilshire Boulevard, Aster took a moment to compose herself before adjusting her glasses and opening the door. A saleswoman, wearing a luxurious silk and organza dress with pumps so pointy they pinched Aster’s feet with the thought of them, glanced up hopefully and then with confusion when she noticed the worn suitcase Aster carried.
 “I’m here to see Fernando Tivoli?” Aster clutched her purse, the train ticket inside a niggling reminder of just how far she’d come and how little she had to show for it.
 “I’m not sure he’s available.” The woman eyed Aster with suspicion.
 “He’s expecting me. Aster Kelly.”
 The woman told her to wait and disappeared behind a long panel of green velvet.
 Aster tucked her suitcase out of the way and surveyed the limited yet stunning selection of gowns for women and dinner jackets for men on display. To the uninitiated, Fernando’s looked like any other small boutique, but Fernando was a couturier, and Aster knew well how the system worked. Anyone who lingered after taking in the jaw-dropping prices, inquired about different sizes, or asked to try something on, would be whisked away to a back room—likely behind that green curtain—offered a glass of champagne, and seated around a runway. There, models would take turns walking, turning, and twirling various dresses down the runway, hoping the customer would find something to her liking and place an order. Fernando was one of the youngest designers in Beverly Hills but was already a darling among LA fashion critics. He was also Aster’s last chance to break into the world of design. If she didn’t land an apprenticeship with him, she’d be forced to make the long trip back to New York, the first Fashion Guild Contest winner not to secure a promising position in the industry.
 The velvet shimmered as the woman stepped back into the room.
 “He’ll see you, but he has a client coming at three o’clock.”
 Aster glanced at