Digging up Secrets by Guideposts & Elizabeth Penney

Author:Guideposts & Elizabeth Penney [Guideposts & Penney, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Guideposts
Published: 2024-04-25T00:00:00+00:00

As dusk fell, Harriet crossed the garden to the gallery. Olivia’s question had pushed the issue to the top of her mind. She hadn’t even been inside the building beyond one quick peek when she first arrived. The roof hadn’t leaked, and all had seemed well, so she’d locked the door again and gone away.

Despite everything else on her plate, Harriet really wanted to take the first steps to either reopen or dismantle her grandfather’s studio. The problem was that she had absolutely no idea which course to take. On one hand, she had zero experience in the art realm. On the other, she couldn’t bring herself to squelch her grandfather’s legacy.

Although many of his original paintings had already been sold—and there wouldn’t be any more—prints were popular, according to Aunt Jinny. Some artists were more famous for prints and posters than their original paintings. With prints, sales were theoretically unlimited. They also tended to be much more affordable for the average art lover.

The gallery was housed in a former outbuilding constructed of local stone and with a thatched roof. Flower beds and bushes gave it a charming cottage air, as did the twenty-pane windows set with hand-blown glass.

Harriet inserted the heavy key in the door and twisted it with some difficulty. Her first repair would be to oil the lock.

Once she had the door open, Harriet flipped the light on and stood in the doorway. The air was musty and close. She opened the window next to the door, hoping it would help air the place out. She also left the door open.

Then she slowly took in the gallery, struck by the color and richness that flooded her vision. Harold Bailey had loved animals, and never was that more evident than in the talent and care he put into each painting.

Kittens playing in a shaft of sunlight inside a barn. A wider view of cattle cooling off in a brook. A close-up portrait of a black-and-white Shetland sheepdog.

A deep certainty took root as she strolled through the gallery, flipping through racks of prints and stopping to study paintings on the wall.

She couldn’t lock this all away. The world should see her grandfather’s genius. She should also select a painting for herself. Something she could hang in the study and gaze upon when she needed inspiration. When she was tired and cranky and wondering why she had gone into this challenging profession. The obvious love in Grandad’s work would remind her and reawaken her own.

The painting she chose was small but beautiful, depicting a little girl hugging a spaniel with floppy brown ears. Harriet wondered if Aunt Jinny had modeled for it. In any case, it was heartwarming, reminding Harriet of the boxer she had saved and his young owners.

A scraping sound outside the open window caught Harriet’s ear. What was that?

She held her breath, listening. Beside her, Maxwell tensed with a growl, the hackles rising on the back of his neck. “Hush,” she told him.

There it was again, this time followed by a muffled exclamation.

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