This Was a Man (The Clifton Chronicles #7)(34)

‘No, thank you.’ She raised a gloved hand to stop the traffic as she made her way across the Brompton Road, wondering if she could pick up another two or three hundred pounds for Mrs Mellor’s old pictures. As she entered the gallery a bell rang and a short man with thick, wiry hair bustled up to her.

‘Can I help you, madam?’ he asked, unable to hide his mid-European accent.

‘I was recently in Salford, and—’

‘Ah, yes, you must be Lady Virginia Fenwick. Mr Wilks rang to say you might come in if you were interested in selling the late Mrs Mellor’s art collection.’

‘How much are you willing to offer?’ asked Virginia, who didn’t have a moment to waste.

‘Over the years,’ said Mr Kalman, who didn’t appear to be in any hurry, ‘Mrs Mellor acquired eleven oils, and twenty-three drawings from the local rent collector. Perhaps you were unaware that she was a close friend of the artist? And I have reason to believe—’

‘How much?’ Virginia repeated, aware of how little time she had before she needed to leave for Heathrow.

‘I consider one eighty would be a fair price.’

‘Two hundred, and you have a deal.’

Kalman hesitated for a moment before saying, ‘I would agree to that, my lady, and even go to two thirty, if you were able to tell me where the missing painting was.’

‘The missing painting?’

‘I’m in possession of an inventory of all the works the artist sold or gave to Mrs Mellor, but I haven’t been able to locate the Mill Lane Industrial Estate, which she gave to her son, and wondered if you had any idea where it is.’

Virginia knew exactly where it was but she didn’t have the time to travel down to Bristol and pick it up from Mellor’s office. However, one phone call to his secretary and it could be dispatched to the gallery immediately.

‘I accept your offer of two hundred and thirty, and will make sure that the painting is delivered to you in the next few days.’

‘Thank you, my lady,’ said Kalman, who returned to his desk, wrote out a cheque and handed it over.

Virginia folded it, dropped it in her handbag and gave the gallery owner an ingratiating smile, before turning and walking back out on to the Brompton Road and hailing a taxi.

‘Coutts in the Strand,’ she instructed the driver.

She was considering how she would spend her last night in London – Bofie had suggested Annabel’s – when the taxi drew up outside the bank.

‘Wait here,’ she said, ‘this shouldn’t take long.’

She entered the banking hall, hurried across to one of the tellers, took out the cheque and passed it across the counter.

‘I’d like to cash this.’

‘Certainly, madam,’ said the cashier before catching his breath. ‘I presume you mean you’d like to deposit the full amount in your account?’

‘No, I’ll take it in cash,’ said Virginia, ‘preferably fives.’

‘I’m not sure that will be possible,’ stammered the cashier.

‘Why not?’ demanded Virginia.

‘I don’t have ￡230,000 in cash, my lady.’





‘She’s willing to make an offer?’ said Ellie May. ‘But I thought she was penniless?’

‘So did I,’ admitted Lord Goodman. ‘I have it on good authority that she was cut out of her father’s will and her only income is a modest monthly allowance supplied by her brother.’

‘How much is she offering?’

‘One million pounds, to be paid in ten equal instalments of one hundred thousand pounds over the next ten years.’

‘But she stole two million from my husband!’ said Ellie May. ‘She can go to hell.’

‘I sympathize with your feelings, Mrs Grant, but when I received the letter I decided to have an off-the-record conversation with Sir Edward Makepeace QC, who has represented the Fenwick family for many years. He made it clear that this offer represents a full and final settlement, and there is, to quote him, no wiggle room. He added that were you to turn it down, he has been instructed to receive the writ on Lady Virginia’s behalf.’

‘He’s bluffing.’

‘I can assure you, Mrs Grant, Sir Edward does not bluff.’

‘So what do you think I should do?’

‘I can appreciate why you would want to be repaid in full. However, if we were to go down that path, it might take several years to reach a settlement, and as we now know, Lady Virginia has enough money to cover her legal costs, so you might end up with nothing to show for it other than a large legal bill of your own. I’m not convinced it’s her own money she’s putting up – I suspect she’s got her brother, the tenth earl, to bail her out. However, even Lord Fenwick will have his limits.’ Goodman hesitated. ‘And then we must consider all the other aspects of this case.’

‘Like what?’ asked Ellie May.

‘Were the action to come to court, Lady Virginia would be ruined financially, and might possibly end up in prison.’

‘Nothing would please me more.’

‘At the same time, your husband’s reputation would also suffer.’

‘How could that be possible, when he’s the innocent party?’