Chapter Summaries

Michael Viner and Deborah Raffin pitched Audrey Hepburn an audiobook built around fairy tales and music by Maurice Ravel, and she responded favorably to their script. Hepburn left contract negotiations to her agent and asked him to investigate the ASPCA as a possible recipient of the audiobook’s proceeds.

• An agency representative introduced Michael Viner and Deborah Raffin to Audrey Hepburn, and Michael presented their audiobook proposal.
• Michael explained that the audiobook would frame adapted fairy tales as stories recalled by a Frenchwoman who had met Maurice Ravel as a child, with Hepburn playing herself.
• Hepburn read the script, discussed revisions and the planned use of Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, and showed interest in collaborating.
• Hepburn said the proceeds after costs should go to charity and asked her agent to consider the ASPCA alongside UNICEF.
• Hepburn left the contract negotiations to her agent and departed with Henry following behind.

Henry took Audrey Hepburn to Dov Recording Books Company's New York studio, where she recorded children's stories with Deborah Raffin producing. While discussing sound engineering with Kiger, Henry learned about the engineer's self-taught background and helped investigate a faulty mixer.

• Henry drove Audrey Hepburn to the recording studio, where she and Deborah Raffin greeted each other and chose four stories to record.
• Deborah produced Audrey's readings by offering listener-focused feedback, while Henry and Kiger discussed recording techniques over breakfast.
• Kiger explained that he had taught himself sound engineering while serving as a submarine sonar operator and played Henry a recording of whale calls.
• Kiger's mixer malfunctioned, so Henry opened its base and inspected the wiring with a flashlight.

Henry repaired the recording console and learned that production was progressing smoothly, with Audrey Hepburn’s treatment approaching. A conversation about religion led him to question his own beliefs and convictions.

• Henry repaired the antique mixing console, and Kiger tested it successfully.
• Audrey Hepburn began recording while Deborah Raffin listened closely and discussed her performance with her.
• Henry asked Kiger how Michael’s recording work was going, and Kiger said both teams were nearing completion.
• Henry explained that Audrey would go to the West Coast for treatment in early November and that Michael and Deborah already knew.
• After Kiger asked whether Henry was religious, Henry reflected on what he believed and what convictions guided him.

At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, doctors diagnosed Audrey Hepburn with early-stage pseudomyxoma peritonei and recommended surgery followed by chemotherapy. Audrey agreed to the operation, and her sons prepared to travel to Los Angeles.

• A Cedars-Sinai physician explained Audrey Hepburn’s cancer diagnosis and recommended surgery and chemotherapy.
• Audrey Hepburn calmly agreed to undergo surgery, which the doctors scheduled for two days later.
• Audrey told Henry to notify her sons, Sean Ferrier and Luca Dotti, but not others.
• Henry called Audrey’s close friends with limited information and told Sean Ferrier and Luca Dotti that she would have surgery.
• Sean Ferrier and Luca Dotti decided to book the earliest flights they could to reach Los Angeles.

After Audrey Hepburn’s successful surgery, Henry fielded calls from people concerned about her and told Givenchy the truth about her condition. Givenchy arrived at Cedars-Sinai the next day to visit Audrey, who reassured him that she was recovering well.

• Henry left Audrey Hepburn’s bedside, listened to doctors discuss cases, and wondered whether he needed clinical experience to become a physician.
• Henry called back an unfamiliar pager number and told Givenchy that Audrey’s surgery had succeeded and she was recovering in a regular ward.
• Henry answered more calls, keeping Audrey’s hospitalization private from most callers and refusing to share information with reporters.
• Givenchy arrived at Cedars-Sinai with flowers and visited Audrey, who told him she was doing well and had not wanted him to worry.

Givenchy arranged to seek help from Rachel Lambert Mellon in borrowing a private plane to take Audrey Hepburn back to Switzerland for recovery and treatment. He and Henry left the hospital for Oak Spring Farm, where Givenchy planned to introduce Henry to the prominent Mellon family.

• Robert explained that Audrey could receive chemotherapy in Switzerland and return to Los Angeles for follow-up examinations, while Audrey hoped to fly home once she had recovered enough.
• Givenchy offered to arrange a private medical flight and asked Audrey to lend him Henry as an assistant; Audrey agreed, and Henry went with him.
• Givenchy called around and learned that Rachel Lambert Mellon and her family were staying at Oak Spring Farm in Upperville, Virginia.
• Henry mapped out the fastest route to Oak Spring Farm, and Givenchy chose to stay overnight and enjoy dinner there.
• Givenchy told Henry that Rachel was a renowned gardener and philanthropist, and said Henry could meet her because he represented Audrey Hepburn.

Henry accompanied Givenchy to Oak Spring Farm to visit Paul Mellon and Rachel Lambert Mellon, where Henry saw how their household treated even an assistant as a guest. Rachel asked about Audrey Hepburn, and Henry explained that her surgery for a rare form of appendiceal cancer had gone well, leaving the reason for their visit still to be addressed.

• Henry arranged the flight and rental car in advance, making the trip to Oak Spring Farm run smoothly.
• Henry arrived with Givenchy and noticed that the attendant who took the car had scales on his arms and hands.
• Givenchy introduced Henry to Paul Mellon and Rachel Lambert Mellon, who welcomed him into their home.
• Rachel linked her arm through Henry's and asked how Audrey Hepburn was doing.
• Henry told Rachel that Audrey had undergone surgery for a rare appendiceal cancer and was recovering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Henry visited Oak Spring Farm and learned that the Mellon family's Renaissance paintings were replicas used to fool first-time guests. He smelled something unusual about a Lady with an Ermine, leaving Paul Mellon and Rachel Lambert questioning whether it might be genuine.

• Henry arrived at Oak Spring Farm and admired Rachel Lambert's gardens and the artworks displayed throughout the house.
• Givenchy and Paul Mellon explained that the Renaissance paintings on the entrance wall were high-quality replicas, part of a prank on new visitors.
• Henry asked to inspect the paintings and identified the Lady with an Ermine as lacking the cigarette-smoke scent he expected from an artificially aged replica.
• Paul Mellon frowned and asked whether Henry was sure, and Henry said his sense of smell was reliable.

Givenchy asked Paul Mellon and Rachel Lambert to lend Audrey Hepburn their private jet so she could recover from surgery at her home in Switzerland. The Mellons agreed to pay for medical modifications and the flight, and Givenchy and Henry stayed overnight at Oak Springs.

• Henry kept quiet after questioning a painting at the Mellons' home and attended the meal as Audrey Hepburn's representative.
• Givenchy asked Paul Mellon to lend Audrey a private jet for her trip to Switzerland after surgery.
• Henry explained that Audrey had undergone successful surgery for stage-two appendiceal cancer and described her recovery and follow-up care.
• Paul Mellon and Rachel Lambert agreed to lend the jet, cover the flight and medical modifications, and invited Audrey to visit once she recovered.
• Rachel Lambert persuaded Givenchy to stay the night, and Givenchy told Henry they would leave the next day.

Paul Mellon invited Henry Brown to tour his stables and showed him Ocean Hero, then offered him a job. Henry accepted Mellon’s card but remained committed to working for Audrey Hepburn and wary of a life under the wealthy.

• Paul Mellon found Henry Brown in the courtyard and invited him to see his horses.
• Paul Mellon took Henry to the stables and enthusiastically explained the Thoroughbreds and their racing records.
• Paul Mellon introduced Ocean Hero, the horse he admired most, while Henry watched it train.
• Paul Mellon offered Henry a job and said he could provide protection in exchange for Henry’s abilities.
• Henry said Audrey Hepburn needed his help and accepted Paul Mellon’s business card for possible future use.

Henry arranged Audrey Hepburn’s medical transport from Cedars-Sinai to Switzerland aboard the Mellon family’s modified Gulfstream. He used a decoy van to draw reporters away as her party departed Los Angeles for Santa Monica Airport.

• The Mellons had Gulfstream technicians modify their jet with a secured hospital bed and monitoring equipment for Audrey Hepburn.
• While Audrey recovered at Cedars-Sinai, Robert Wolders cared for her, Luca returned to Europe, Sean resumed work, and Henry handled errands for Givenchy.
• After three more weeks of recovery, Audrey decided to return to her home in Switzerland, and Henry arranged a medical van for her journey.
• When reporters learned Audrey was being discharged, Henry hired actors and sent them away in a matching decoy van.
• Audrey’s vehicle drove to Santa Monica Airport, where the modified Gulfstream was waiting to take her to Switzerland.

Henry traveled with Audrey Hepburn, Robert, and Givenchy aboard the Mellon family's private jet as they headed to Europe. After helping Audrey settle comfortably, he debated the United States' proposed intervention in Somalia with the others, leaving Audrey puzzled by their laughter.

• Givenchy greeted Audrey Hepburn and Robert while Henry completed customs formalities at the plane.
• Henry helped Audrey onto a hospital bed aboard the jet and used homemade noise-canceling headphones to ease her discomfort from the engines.
• Henry explained the headphones' technology and drawbacks to Givenchy and Robert, who declined his offer to make them a pair.
• The jet took off for Europe, and Henry played chess with Givenchy while Robert brought up a rumor about U.S. intervention in Somalia.
• Henry criticized U.S. military interventions, prompting Robert and Givenchy to laugh while Audrey watched them in confusion.

Henry spent the winter recuperating at Ms. Hepburn's home in Tolochenaz, clearing garden paths, making snow sculptures, practicing piano, and reading with Ms. Hepburn and Robert. While discussing Natsume Soseki's The Poppy, he shared a supposedly romantic anecdote about the author and explained that it was likely invented after Soseki's death.

• Henry cleared snow from the garden paths each morning so Ms. Hepburn could walk safely, and he built snowmen and sculptures while the five Jack Russell Terriers played nearby.
• Henry practiced piano on the home's secondhand instrument, and Robert advised him that his playing followed the score faithfully but lacked personality.
• Henry, Ms. Hepburn, and Robert spent afternoons reading near the windows and sometimes discussed books from the house or town library.
• Henry told Ms. Hepburn about Natsume Soseki's The Poppy, describing its symbolism and criticizing its moralizing.
• Henry recounted the story that Soseki translated “I love you” as “The moon is beautiful,” then told Ms. Hepburn that evidence suggested the anecdote was fabricated after Soseki's death.

Henry explained to Audrey Hepburn how Eastern cultures expressed romantic feelings and wrote Chinese lines about endless sorrow for her. At Audrey’s request, he spent several days translating Bai Juyi’s The Song of Everlasting Sorrow into English, leaving three notebooks of revised verses, sketches, and explanations.

• Ms. Hepburn asked Henry why Eastern cultures used the word “love” less freely, and he explained the different degrees and expressions of affection.
• Audrey Hepburn asked Henry for a metaphor expressing intense romantic feeling, so he wrote, “Even heaven and earth will one day end; this sorrow stretches on without end,” and explained its meaning.
• Audrey Hepburn asked about the poem’s source, and Henry identified The Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Bai Juyi and began explaining its story and allusions.
• Henry translated the poem into English over several days, revising lines and drawing sketches to convey its imagery and meaning to Audrey Hepburn.
• Robert occasionally offered suggestions, and Henry and Audrey Hepburn filled three notebooks with revised verses, sketches, and explanations.

Henry gave Audrey Hepburn three notebooks of love stories, then promised to tell her one more each day. On Christmas Eve, he prepared an extravagant dinner as Audrey’s sons and Sean’s girlfriend arrived for a family gathering.

• Audrey asked Henry for more love stories, and he agreed to tell her one per day after the holiday dinner.
• Audrey asked Henry for an early Christmas present, but he insisted the notebooks she had requested were enough.
• Henry prepared Audrey’s long list of Christmas dishes and chased five Jack Russell Terriers out of the kitchen.
• Sean arrived with his girlfriend, Lila, who gave Audrey a hand-knitted scarf and received a warm welcome.
• Luca came home, and Henry observed the distance among Audrey’s family members as they gathered for dinner.

Audrey Hepburn’s condition worsened after chemotherapy, leaving her unconscious and near death as her sons argued over whether to use life support. Henry proposed asking a telepathic mutant to learn Audrey’s wishes and called the X-Men for help.

• Audrey Hepburn collapsed from chemotherapy’s side effects and was admitted to the hospital with dangerously low vital signs.
• Robert and Henry waited for Audrey’s sons, Sean and Luca, to decide whether she should receive life support.
• Sean wanted every possible measure taken to save Audrey, while Luca favored letting her die with dignity, and Robert sided with Luca.
• Henry suggested consulting a telepathic mutant, and Sean and Luca agreed to his offer to find one.
• Henry called the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning and asked to speak with Hank McCoy.

Henry called Mystique to ask for a telepath to help a comatose woman’s family in Geneva decide whether to resuscitate her. Mystique sent Jean Grey, who arrived at the hospital, and Henry prepared to take her inside without drawing attention.

• Henry repeatedly called Mystique, who agreed to help find a telepath in exchange for another favor.
• Mystique told Henry to wait at Geneva University Hospital’s main entrance and said someone might arrive within half an hour.
• Jean Grey descended from the sky and told Henry she was excited to see him and wanted to hit him.
• Henry asked Jean Grey to change her appearance before entering the hospital because she might be wanted and the building had surveillance cameras.

Henry brought Jean Grey to Audrey Hepburn’s hospital room so Jean could help her family communicate with her while she was unconscious. Jean linked Audrey’s consciousness with her sons’, and Audrey awakened in their shared mental space, leaving them embracing as she smiled toward Jean and Phoenix.

• Jean Grey altered how others perceived her and went with Henry to Audrey Hepburn’s hospital room.
• Henry introduced Jean as Phoenix, an X-Men reserve member with telepathic abilities, and Sean Ferrier questioned whether she could reliably convey his mother’s wishes.
• Jean offered to link Audrey’s consciousness with Sean and Luca Dotti’s, warning that she had never performed such a connection before.
• Jean held Audrey’s hand as Sean and Luca placed their hands on hers, drawing all three brothers’ and Audrey’s consciousnesses into a strange mental space.
• Sean and Luca encountered Audrey as a little girl, watched her life pass before their eyes, and embraced her as she smiled toward Jean and Phoenix.

After Jean Grey helped awaken Audrey Hepburn, Audrey chose to stop curative treatment and return home for hospice care. Henry brought her home with her family, and Audrey invited Jean to stay the night, leaving Jean with a temporary place to belong.

• Sean woke from the mental world in tears and asked Luca to take him home.
• Audrey Hepburn awakened, held Jean Grey’s hand, and thanked her for helping.
• Audrey told Luca, Robert, and Henry that she wanted to return to Tolochenaz and spend her final days at home.
• Henry completed Audrey’s discharge, learned about hospice care, and helped bring her home.
• Jean stayed to help at the house, and Audrey invited her to sleep in a guest room.
• Jean accepted the invitation after months without a fixed home and after feeling useful while helping Audrey.

Henry and Jean Grey cared for Ms. Hepburn through her final days, and her family gathered at her bedside when her condition worsened. After Ms. Hepburn died, her loved ones and friends attended her funeral, and she was buried in Tolochenaz Cemetery at age sixty-three.

• Jean Grey stayed to help Henry care for Ms. Hepburn while Henry read love stories to her each day.
• On January 19, Ms. Hepburn fell into an abnormal sleep, and Henry called Sean Ferrier and Luca Dotti to return.
• Sean Ferrier and Luca Dotti came back with a family physician and nurses, who monitored Ms. Hepburn as her family and household gathered at her bedside.
• On the evening of January 20, the family physician pronounced Ms. Hepburn dead and shut down the machines as Robert, her sons, Henry, Jean Grey, and the maids grieved.
• On January 24, Reverend Maurice Eindigel officiated Ms. Hepburn's funeral in Tolochenaz, attended by family, friends, and colleagues.
• Givenchy, Mel Ferrer, André Dotti, Robert Wolders, Sean Ferrier, and Luca Dotti carried Ms. Hepburn's coffin, and she was buried at Tolochenaz Cemetery.