Twenty-Two
In this chapter, readers are again given an intimate look at Barbara’s romantic life. Most notably, her ill-fated affair with openly homosexual actor William Haines and her whirlwind marriage to action star Virgil Ashley (“Jack”) Daugherty—coming on the heels of her split from Haines—are expounded. The chapter then follows Barbara as she attempts to settle into married life and is implicated in two scandals: one involving her ex-husband Philip Ainsworth and the other involving an allegation of adulterous conduct. Film contracts Arthur Sawyer has been negotiating on her behalf are then discussed, mainly insofar as they are threatened by a third widely broadcasted incident. The chapter concludes with the disclosure of one contract that survives the hubbub: Barbara’s most extraordinary opportunity yet.