The Betrayal by Anne Allen

Author:Anne Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sarnia Press

chapter twenty-six

London 2011

As they walked to Christie’s, Michael’s heart and brain were full of anticipation, matching his full stomach. One object of anticipation was walking quietly beside him, and he sneaked a glance while she gazed at a window display. Her profile showed him one of her blue eyes, the neat, small nose, full lips and light brown curly hair. Together with her slim figure, he thought she was perfect, and he wanted to get to know her better. The air of sadness she projected added to her attraction for him, but also told him she was, for the near future at least, off limits. He was happy to wait. Although he’d had no ulterior motive when he said he wanted to visit Guernsey, Michael was pleased with the outcome. Staying in her house would allow him to find out more about Fiona, and if he could help bring her brother’s killer to justice, that would be even better. Might even earn him a few brownie points, he smiled to himself.

The other object of anticipation, the valuation, came closer as they approached Christie’s entrance and Michael turned to her, saying, ‘Fingers crossed.’ She grinned, holding up her crossed fingers as they entered the building. The receptionist announced their arrival and moments later a thin, middle-aged man wearing heavy black-rimmed glasses came through to greet them.

‘Roger Baines. And you must be Miss Torode and Mr Collins. Please, come along to my office. Charles has gone to collect your painting, which I haven’t seen yet, but I gather he’s rather excited about.’ He led the way to a beautiful panelled room with a large antique desk and leather chairs. They had just taken their seats when Charles arrived with the painting wrapped in its grey blanket. With a quick grin of acknowledgement, he pulled back the material with a flourish, presenting the picture to Roger.

‘Hmm, I see. Let me have a closer look.’ He took out a magnifying glass and studied the picture inch by inch while Michael held his breath. Roger’s face remained inscrutable as he asked about provenance. Fiona handed over Teresa’s statement and explained about Sam’s validation. His eyebrows raised a fraction before he read Teresa’s story. Michael noticed Charles shifting from foot to foot in barely concealed anticipation. Fiona, on the other hand, looked composed, leaning back in the chair, legs crossed.

Finally, Roger looked at Michael, a faint smile hovering around his mouth.

‘Well, I have to agree with our esteemed Professor Wright’s conclusion. This is a genuine Renoir, no question. And we would be more than happy to act on your behalf in a sale.’

Michael sagged with relief.

‘Thanks. And your valuation?’

‘At auction, it might fetch around four and a half million, if we catch enough interest. Which, be assured, we would. At the very least it wouldn’t go below three million.’ The smile grew a little.

‘That’s even better than I’d hoped, thank you.’ He glanced at Fiona, whose smile stretched from ear to ear, probably matching his own, he thought.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.