The Last of the Stanfields(96)
“My God . . . the Hopper?” George-Harrison sputtered. I gasped.
“Right you are! Girl by the Window. You cannot imagine how shocked Hanna was at the discovery, stumbling upon her father’s favorite painting in Glover’s safe. If Glover—her partner, her mentor, her confidant—had acquired it through legitimate means, why would he have chosen to keep it hidden from her? There was no coincidence here, no fluke or mere act of chance. It was impossible to think that the one secret he kept from Hanna happened to be the piece that meant more than anything to her. She burst into his office in a rage. Glover had seen her upset before, but never like this. His health ailing, the poor man had a hard time making sense of her accusations and found himself completely caught off guard. The fact that Hanna suspected him of wrongdoing upset Glover quite a bit, but he was far too weary to tell her off. Instead, he unleashed the signature British stiff upper lip with a simple question of his own. How could she be so surprised, he had asked, considering it was her own husband who had entrusted the painting to Glover in the first place? The look in her eyes was enough for the art dealer to see that the answer was a lot more complicated than he had thought.
“He explained everything, racked with the guilt of unknowingly betraying her trust. A few years earlier, Robert had come to Glover in need of a favor. He desperately needed capital to start his liquor business. While Glover had immediately assured him he would help out in any way, Robert wished to leave something as collateral to prove he would keep his word and repay the loan. The object he chose was Girl by the Window. When Robert had paid back the loan in full, naturally Glover wished to return the painting. But for reasons he never fully understood, Robert asked Glover to keep the Hopper in the safe with his collection. Glover didn’t ask any further questions, adhering to the third cardinal rule: always be discreet. Glover suggested selling the painting, knowing Robert could have his pick of prospective buyers, but Robert insisted, ‘Hanna and I do not wish to sell the painting, not for any price. Not now, not ever.’ ‘Hanna and I,’ Glover insisted adamantly, longing for Hanna to believe that he never knowingly deceived her. Dumbfounded by the revelations, Hanna lied and apologized, claiming the sight of the painting had so shattered her emotionally that she briefly lost sight of reality.
“That was how they left it. Glover was so crushed by the episode, he couldn’t bear keeping any more secrets. He revealed his illness to Hanna then and there. It was pointless for her to actually buy his collection; he was leaving everything to her, and any sum she paid would just come right back to her after his death, which was rapidly approaching. Glover assured Hanna he had more than enough money to attend to all his needs until he passed. Hanna was so overcome with emotion at this latest revelation, she cast aside any lingering questions about the Girl by the Window. She paid Glover several more visits over the following months and remained faithfully at his bedside from the very moment he entered hospice care. He died just six days later. Hanna took care of all the arrangements herself. Glover had been like a second father to her, and this new loss affected her deeply. His collection was shipped to the States. The sign in front of the New York gallery was changed in accordance with Glover’s last wishes, which he conveyed to Hanna in a letter.
“Only art matters, for each work of art is eternal. Those who claim ownership of art are of little importance in the end, since no one can outlive it. Don’t you find that to be a delicious little slice of humility? One of the reasons I love and admire you so deeply is that you have never shown even the smallest amount of pride in having works of art within your possession. Like me, you have nothing but love and respect for art and art alone, so it is high time that you reap the rewards for all you have given.
“In no way should you feel indebted to me, Hanna. You have been a source of light and joy in my life, not to mention an ample source of amusement, as I’ve always delighted in your many moods—the good and the bad, your uncontrollable laughter and your fits of rage alike. One could say I’ve led a charmed life. I’ve met scores of art dealers in my time, but none have ever measured up to you, my dear. From this point forward, I wish to have your name and your name only adorning our New York gallery. The pride I have in my pupil far eclipses how proud I am to have once been her teacher. May your life always be full of all the happiness and beauty that you deserve, my dearest Hanna. Yours sincerely, John Glover.
“Only an Englishman could write something so dignified and restrained. And don’t be shocked that I’ve committed it to memory; I am a historian, after all! Retaining exact quotes is part of my craft.
“But, alas, the hour grows late and there are still many questions to be answered. After Hanna had laid Glover to rest and settled his affairs, it was time for the full consequences of her fateful discovery to come to light. It never crossed Hanna’s mind that Robert was in it for money; he would have had countless opportunities to make a fortune off the Hopper. The fact that he had forbidden Glover from ever selling it proved that was never his intention. No, something far more troublesome was at play. Hanna remembered one moment from the night they fled the hunting lodge that had always bothered her: before they set out for Spain, Robert had insisted on going back to the lodge. It now made sense. It wasn’t for clothes, or that so-called secret map of weapon depots. No. It was the Hopper painting all along. Hanna could still picture the satchel Robert kept by his side for the entire escape, how he never let it out of his sight, not once during the crossing into Spain or aboard the ship. This led her to one inevitable conclusion: Sam had revealed the hiding place to Robert, and her husband had been lying about everything all along. But that wasn’t all. Remember back at the cemetery, when Jorge said that he himself had been suspected of betraying the others? Hanna had asked for news of Titon, Robert’s partner on the tandem for that ill-fated mission. She thought of him because of a lingering doubt still gnawing at her, one glaring discrepancy Hanna had observed as they first fled. An important part of Robert’s story made no sense. He claimed to have snapped the driver’s neck en route to the Germans, which would have left him stranded in the middle of a country road. So, how then had Robert managed to recover that tandem?”