Next in Line (William Warwick, #5)(44)

‘So sorry, old chap,’ said Roach, clearly unrepentant. ‘I simply meant to point out that we don’t have any women in our branch of the service. But after working with Jackie, I’m bound to say more’s the pity, because I’d like to sign her up.’

‘You can forget that,’ said William. ‘Once she’s back on her feet Jackie’s got an equally challenging task to deal with, and what makes it worse is that this time the suspect is one of our own.’

‘Anything I can do to help?’

‘I’m afraid not. We’re going to have to be a little more subtle than you lot. All I can tell you is that my next meeting with a member of the Royal Family may not be quite as pleasant.’

? ? ?

‘Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news?’ Beth asked when William arrived home later that evening.

‘Why don’t you start with the bad news?’ said William, closing the door behind him.

‘Tim Knox is leaving the Fitzmolean. He’s been offered the position as Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that. He’ll be difficult to replace. What’s the good news?’

‘He’s suggested I apply for the position,’ said Beth as they walked into the kitchen, where the twins and Jojo were tucking into a large pizza under Sarah’s watchful eye.

‘Do they ever stop eating?’ asked William, joining them at the table.

‘He thinks I have a fair chance of being offered the job as director, as several members of the board have made it clear they’d support me, and he’d certainly back me if it came to a vote.’

‘They’d be lucky to get you,’ said William, eyeing the last slice of pizza, but he wasn’t fast enough on the draw.

‘The board will have to advertise the post, so I’d be facing some stiff opposition.’

‘God help the person who dares to stand against you.’

‘Naughty Daddy,’ said Artemisia between mouthfuls. ‘My Sunday School teacher says you should never take the Lord’s name in vain.’

‘Never,’ said Peter.

‘Never,’ repeated Jojo.

‘Quite right. What I meant to say was, heaven help anyone who dares to stand against your mother.’

‘Bath time, children,’ said Sarah firmly.

‘Will you read to us before we go to sleep, Daddy?’ asked Peter as he got down from the table.

‘Of course. Is it still The Wind in the Willows?’

‘No, we finished that ages ago,’ said Artemisia. ‘We’re now reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.’ William felt guilty about how many times he’d failed to get home before the children fell asleep. His father had warned him often enough how quickly these years would slip by.

‘I may be able to pull off a little coup,’ said Beth as Sarah took the children up for their bath, ‘which wouldn’t do my chances of getting the job any harm.’

‘You’re planning to bribe the selection committee.’

‘I don’t have enough money to do that,’ said Beth. ‘However, I’ve spotted a painting by Jan Steen that’s coming up for sale at an auction in Pittsburgh, which I might be able to pick up for a reasonable price, although it’s quite possible we’ll be outbid, as it’s on the cover of the catalogue.’

‘How would that help you land the job?’

‘It won’t. But in the same catalogue I came across a pencil drawing by an unknown artist that I’m convinced is a preliminary sketch for the lamp in The Night Watch.’

‘What’s the estimate?’

‘Two hundred dollars. It may be a copy by one of Rembrandt’s contemporaries but, at that price, it’s a risk worth taking.’

‘And if it’s actually by Rembrandt?’

‘It could be worth as much as forty thousand pounds.’

‘So selling it would make a welcome contribution to the museum’s impoverished coffers.’

‘Not a chance. The board would never agree to sell a Rembrandt drawing. They’d put it on permanent display, even though it would cover the cost of the director’s salary for a year.’

‘I’m sure you’ll find a subtle way of letting them know that.’

‘Only if I turn out to be right.’

‘Having been the only one who spotted it,’ said William, before pointing upstairs. ‘But now for higher things. Time for me to go and join the Mad Hatter and find out why he’s having tea with the Queen of Hearts.’

‘What would you like for supper?’ Beth asked as he got up from the table.

‘Any chance of a pizza?’ he said, staring down at the empty plate.

‘You got lucky, caveman. I’ve accepted for some time that there are four children in this family, so I ordered an extra one. When you come back down, you can tell me all about your day.’

‘Just another day at the office,’ said William. ‘Though I did have an interesting chat to the Queen …’

? ? ?

William turned up late for work at Buckingham Gate the following morning, and was back home in time to read the next chapter before the children fell asleep. By the end of the month, they’d finished Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and had reached Chapter 5 of Through the Looking Glass, only because his more relaxed attitude to timekeeping fitted in with the team’s long-term plan to convince Milner they were only too happy to climb on board his gravy train as first-class passengers.