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Authors: Danielle Steel
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didn’t care about their age as long as they were interesting, intelligent, and fun.
Phillip left shortly after dinner, and went back to his apartment to catch up on some work. His mother hugged him warmly, and he had a feeling she was going back to work on the painting of the mysterious woman after he left, and he wasn’t wrong. Mother and son knew each other well.
“And good luck with that woman’s estate this week,” she said to him as he was leaving. “It sounds like her jewels would make an impressive auction, particularly if you tell something about her story in the catalog.” She was right, of course, along with using photographs of the countess wearing some of the pieces, if they had any. It would certainly be more interesting than the heading that the jewelry was being sold by the surrogate’s court of New York, which they would have to say too.
“Property of a Noblewoman,” he said to his mother, quoting a typical catalog description, and she smiled.
“I like the sound of it already. Good luck,” she said, and kissed him.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you, thanks for dinner.”
“Any time,” she said, and hugged him again, and a moment later he left. And just as he had suspected, the moment the door closed behind him, she went back to work. She was determined to get further insight into the woman she was painting. Maybe the subject of her canvas was a noblewoman too, she thought to herself, and smiled again. Her work always had a certain mystery to it, and told a story, but sometimes it took her a while to figure out what it was.
Chapter 5
JANE ARRIVED AT the bank before Phillip on Tuesday morning. It was pouring rain, her umbrella had turned inside out as soon as she left the subway, and she was soaked. She felt like a drowned rat. He looked no better when he arrived. He had forgotten his umbrella in the cab he had taken from Christie’s, and he was ten minutes late. Traffic had been awful.
She saw him glancing around the lobby of the bank when he got there, trying to figure out who she was. She was talking to Hal Baker, and had spotted Phillip immediately in a dark suit and a Burberry raincoat. She noticed how tall he was and how businesslike he appeared. He looked more like a banker than an auctioneer. She had forgotten that he would be doing an auction immediately after. She was wearing boots and a down coat that had soaked the water up like a sponge, and black jeans and a heavy sweater. It was windy and cold outside despite the rain. Spring seemed like it was an eternity away, and New York was chilly, wet, and gray.
“Miss Willoughby?” Phillip asked, looking uncertain as she smiled and nodded, shook his hand, and then introduced him to Hal Baker. Phillip seemed personable and polite, as the two men greeted each other.
“Sorry to bring you out in such awful weather,” Jane said apologetically. “I think it might be worth your while, though. The pieces are really beautiful,” she said as they followed Hal downstairs to the safe deposit boxes. They didn’t need the notary this time, as all the official work had been done, and the inventory had been notarized and was complete. Now all they had to do was make a decision about how to dispose of it. They had stopped running the notices that week, and no heirs had appeared. Jane thought it was really a shame that no one had surfaced.
Hal unlocked the box as he had before, and they followed him into the same cubicle where Jane had first seen the pieces and the other contents of the box. He set the box down on the table, and left them there alone. Jane took out the jewelry boxes one by one and set them on the table. Phillip began opening them. The first box he opened held a diamond and sapphire brooch from Van Cleef, and he looked visibly impressed. He saw the ruby ring next. He took a jeweler’s loupe out of his pocket, and held it to his eye.
“This is a ‘pigeon’s blood’ Burmese ruby,” he said to Jane as he looked at it.
Phillip left shortly after dinner, and went back to his apartment to catch up on some work. His mother hugged him warmly, and he had a feeling she was going back to work on the painting of the mysterious woman after he left, and he wasn’t wrong. Mother and son knew each other well.
“And good luck with that woman’s estate this week,” she said to him as he was leaving. “It sounds like her jewels would make an impressive auction, particularly if you tell something about her story in the catalog.” She was right, of course, along with using photographs of the countess wearing some of the pieces, if they had any. It would certainly be more interesting than the heading that the jewelry was being sold by the surrogate’s court of New York, which they would have to say too.
“Property of a Noblewoman,” he said to his mother, quoting a typical catalog description, and she smiled.
“I like the sound of it already. Good luck,” she said, and kissed him.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you, thanks for dinner.”
“Any time,” she said, and hugged him again, and a moment later he left. And just as he had suspected, the moment the door closed behind him, she went back to work. She was determined to get further insight into the woman she was painting. Maybe the subject of her canvas was a noblewoman too, she thought to herself, and smiled again. Her work always had a certain mystery to it, and told a story, but sometimes it took her a while to figure out what it was.
Chapter 5
JANE ARRIVED AT the bank before Phillip on Tuesday morning. It was pouring rain, her umbrella had turned inside out as soon as she left the subway, and she was soaked. She felt like a drowned rat. He looked no better when he arrived. He had forgotten his umbrella in the cab he had taken from Christie’s, and he was ten minutes late. Traffic had been awful.
She saw him glancing around the lobby of the bank when he got there, trying to figure out who she was. She was talking to Hal Baker, and had spotted Phillip immediately in a dark suit and a Burberry raincoat. She noticed how tall he was and how businesslike he appeared. He looked more like a banker than an auctioneer. She had forgotten that he would be doing an auction immediately after. She was wearing boots and a down coat that had soaked the water up like a sponge, and black jeans and a heavy sweater. It was windy and cold outside despite the rain. Spring seemed like it was an eternity away, and New York was chilly, wet, and gray.
“Miss Willoughby?” Phillip asked, looking uncertain as she smiled and nodded, shook his hand, and then introduced him to Hal Baker. Phillip seemed personable and polite, as the two men greeted each other.
“Sorry to bring you out in such awful weather,” Jane said apologetically. “I think it might be worth your while, though. The pieces are really beautiful,” she said as they followed Hal downstairs to the safe deposit boxes. They didn’t need the notary this time, as all the official work had been done, and the inventory had been notarized and was complete. Now all they had to do was make a decision about how to dispose of it. They had stopped running the notices that week, and no heirs had appeared. Jane thought it was really a shame that no one had surfaced.
Hal unlocked the box as he had before, and they followed him into the same cubicle where Jane had first seen the pieces and the other contents of the box. He set the box down on the table, and left them there alone. Jane took out the jewelry boxes one by one and set them on the table. Phillip began opening them. The first box he opened held a diamond and sapphire brooch from Van Cleef, and he looked visibly impressed. He saw the ruby ring next. He took a jeweler’s loupe out of his pocket, and held it to his eye.
“This is a ‘pigeon’s blood’ Burmese ruby,” he said to Jane as he looked at it.
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