House of Gold by Natasha Solomons

Author:Natasha Solomons
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2018-10-22T16:00:00+00:00

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• • •

Otto enjoyed that evening’s dinner at the Esther Château immensely. Perhaps it was the relief of being surrounded by noise and children and chatter, after the stillness of Claire’s apartment. The new partnership agreements between the Houses had been signed. The House of Goldbaum was ready for a new generation of European collaboration, and there was an air of celebration. He was able to forget Claire’s ghostly existence, the way it felt as though she came to life only when Henri appeared, while the rest of the time she waited, suspended. There were no guests, only the family, but even that was nearly fifty people, including the assorted children. Wine was spilled, custard dropped, and the tablecloths were sometimes beyond laundering. Everyone laughed at all the jokes, not caring if they were funny or not. Henri and Lord Goldbaum were engaged in a jovial spat across the table.

“That space behind your head, Lord Goldbaum, was where I was going to hang the Rubens.”

“The winsome Rubens Andromeda that is now in my study?”

“The very same. I did ask you not to buy it. I wrote you a letter.”

“I remember the letter. But, my dear young cousin, you asked me not to buy a painting that you were hoping to purchase. However, and this I’m afraid is key, you declined to give the specifics of the picture.”

“Because I knew that then you’d buy it yourself.”

“Well, it was an honest mistake. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Sorry enough to sell it back to me?”

Lord Goldbaum laughed, his shoulders shaking. “No. Afraid not. It looks splendid in my study. Or, rather, she looks splendid. Andromeda is just the kind of comfortable woman I like to look at while doing my accounts.”

Otto chuckled. Lord Goldbaum was making it quite clear to the others that, even after settling his son’s debts, he could still add treasures to his collections. The rivalry between the Houses extended beyond business to beautiful things. Each Goldbaum wanted a rarer, more remarkable item in his possession than his cousins. Outsiders believed that the Goldbaums wanted to surpass the legendary collections at Chatsworth or Blenheim, but they were mistaken. The Goldbaum rivalry was an internal affair; they wished only to outdo one another. Otto was not interested in this game; it amused him to watch the others, but he had little interest in objects without function. He was confident that he had the greatest array of telescopes in the family, but he was equally confident that the others would not be interested in besting him. His sister similarly was unconcerned about the smiling family rivalries. She had broken with tradition and built the smallest house among the Goldbaums, but in Otto’s view, it was easily the loveliest.

The following day there was a downpour, waterfalls sluicing from the roof and turning the paths into streams. No one left the château; they talked and they ate, and the rabbi hurried over from the synagogue to recite the morning service—there already being a minyan among the men.

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