Chapter 51

“I love you. With all my heart and al my soul.”

Will went into the office early on Wednesday so he could set up Amy’s meeting with his partner at the head office in respect of John’s estate and he also arranged to swap cars with Jeremy for the day. Then he, Amy and Sophie spent the morning visiting car showrooms. Despite Amy’s enthusiasm for the whole Mercedes range, Will’s experience of the firm’s large partner meetings and the golf club led him to associate the three-pointed star with old men. And as much as he liked the Lexus hybrid SUV that they looked at, Sophie’s face told him it was a non-starter. In the end, Sophie got her way. All three of them liked the Jaguar XF and Will was able to talk the sales manager into letting him have a car to test drive until the weekend. He had to leave the girls at the showroom while he returned Jeremy’s car and fetched his Audi for the showroom to hold as deposit, and the insurance they insisted he arrange wasn’t cheap, but as soon as he’d driven the car back to Meadowview Cottage, he knew he’d be ordering one when he got back from London.

After Amy had cooked them another fantastic lunch, Sophie packed the clothes she’d brought with her and Will and Amy prepared an overnight bag each. Then it was up the motorway to London. They dropped Sophie back at her mother’s and Will had a long conversation with Lynn about how unhappy he was with the way the school had dealt with Sophie’s suspension while Sophie, Amy and Jenni sat in the lounge talking.

Will and Amy stayed in a hotel overlooking the Thames and he drove her to his firm’s head office in the morning so that he could introduce her to his partner before he went to his meeting with Sophie’s headmistress. They stayed in the hotel again that night and picked Sophie up on Friday morning to take her to the auction. After his meeting at the school, Will decided that missing one more day wouldn’t do her any harm. In fact, the meeting made his mind up about taking Maurice’s position on the board of governors at Westmouth Grammar. Although he would have one condition.

“So what are you selling?” Sophie asked as they entered the auction room.

“A painting,” Will answered. “And we are here to sell, not buy. So whatever you do, keep your hands by your sides. If you accidentally bid thousands of pounds for something then it’s coming out of your trust accounts.”

“But auctions are, like, fun.”

“Yes, well, this isn’t eBay. This is serious. And these items will go for serious money.”

The Vertmont painting would be the fifth lot. The paintings before it were also estate sales, but none of them had attracted the attention that the Vertmont had. None of them sold for more than five thousand pounds.

“So where did you, like, get it, anyway?”

“It’s a long story. Now be quiet. Here it comes.”

“That’s it? It’s, like, nothing special, really, is it?”

“Shh!”

The auctioneer spoke as the painting was placed on an easel to his right. “Next we have lot number five. Oil over pencil by Gilles Vertmont as confirmed by renowned Vertmont expert Monsieur Jean Pascal of Le Louvre, this is believed to be only the second cityscape of London painted by Monsieur Vertmont.

“I already have advance bids so who will start me at five hundred thousand?”

A hand rose calmly into the air at the front of the room.

“Five hundred thousand I have. Looking for Five hundred and ten. Thank you, gentleman at the back. Five hundred and twenty. Five thrity. Five forty. Five fifty. Five seventy-five. Six hundred thousand.”

“That was quick,” Amy whispered.

“He’s just warming up,” Will replied.

“New bidder, seven hundred thousand. Seven-twenty-five. Seven-fifty. Eight hundred thousand. Eight-fifty. Do we have ... nine hundred thousand? Thank you, Sir. New bidder. Do I see nine-fifty. Nine-fifty, I have.”