Picture You Dead

15

Tuesday, 24 September

‘Finished!’ Harry Kipling announced, carrying the painting down into the conservatory for Freya’s inspection. ‘Take a look at this beaut!’

He’d been working on it all last night and tonight, obediently following Daniel Hegarty’s instructions of bit by bit, with cotton buds and nail polish remover.

And he could see from Freya’s expression, as she yawned, putting down the bunch of essays she was reading through, that she was impressed.

As was he.

The painting was quite stunningly beautiful, and from the small cracks all over, it certainly appeared to be genuinely very old. The canvas depicted two elegantly dressed lovers picnicking in a forest, with the sun breaking through a swirl of tree branches above them, an idyllic lake behind them, the woman holding up a pink parasol. To their left was a Doric plinth on which sat a winged statue of Cupid.

‘Wow!’ she said.

‘Couldn’t have put it better myself,’ he replied.

‘Is there a signature?’

‘I’ve looked and can’t see one.’

She studied it carefully. ‘I can’t either. What about taking it to an auction house to see what they say? Gorringe’s in Lewes are meant to be the best around here.’

‘That’s a good thought, but I’ve had another. I’ve just googled and there’s an Antiques Roadshow coming to Sussex next weekend!’

It was one of their favourite TV shows.

‘Really?’

He nodded. ‘At Lancing College.’

‘What do we have to do to get an entry?’

‘Nothing! I looked on the website. It seems you just turn up and join the queue for the specialist in what you have!’

‘That’s all?’

‘That’s all. That’s how they do it. What do you reckon? We could take it along and show it to the paintings expert.’

Freya shrugged. ‘Let’s go for it, why not? If it’s a fake or a copy or just a piece of tat they’ll tell us, right?’

‘My thoughts exactly.’