“And Nigel didn’t know?”
“Nigel was never involved with any of it, Kate. As a teenager, Peter got hooked on drugs. His parents had him in rehab several times—not cheap. But he continued to get into trouble. When Peter developed an interest in the antiques trade, his father was relieved, took it as a sign the lad was finally going straight and wanted to do anything he could to encourage him. After Peter’s mother died, Nigel sold his estate agency and looked for somewhere to invest his money. Peter introduced him to Martin Ingram—Colin—and Nigel was impressed.”
“So impressed that he agreed to finance the new auction house venture.” My eyes stung. “What will happen to Nigel? Will he lose all his money?”
“I hope not. The tithe barn is worth a fortune, and Nigel still has lots of connections.”
Tom got up to put another log on the fire. He poked the burning embers, sending sparks flying up the chimney.
When he sat back down, I curled up beside him.
“By the way,” Tom said, “we located the Australian nephew—Patrick Allen. After you found him hiding in Hapthorn Lodge, he’d taken to dossing in the rented van, trying to figure out how he was going to raise enough money for a return ticket to Melbourne.”
“Had he visited the woman he thought was his aunt?”
“Tried to. She refused to see him. Actually, he said she seemed confused about who he was.”
“No wonder. She had no idea.”
“When he heard about her death, he decided to lay low. I told Lucy. She wants to see him. I won’t be surprised if she buys him a ticket.”
“Back to the auction house.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “I’m still puzzled about a Chinese vase that sold for far less than it should have.”
“Scotland Yard is looking into that part of it. They’ve been tracking a cabal of dealers who work together to keep prices artificially low.”
“We have that kind of thing in the States. Dealers agree to suppress bidding. One of them buys the item well below estimate, and later they have a private auction among themselves.”
“With the collaboration of the auction house.”
“Of course.”
He put his arm around my shoulders. “Kate, what will you tell Ivor about the shop?”
“I don’t know yet—but I have been thinking.”
“About what?”
“Catching monkeys.”
He laughed. “Tell me you’re not planning to open a pet shop.”
“See my hand?” I made a fist and then slowly uncurled my fingers, one by one. “I’m thinking about what happens when you finally let go.”
“I’m sure you have a brilliant explanation for that, Kate, and I’d love to hear all about it sometime. But right now I want to tell you what I’m thinking.”
He slid down in front of me on one knee. “I want to marry you. As soon as possible.”
I stared at him. “But we’ve never talked about marriage.”
“No, we haven’t.”
“I own an antiques business in Ohio.”
“Yes, you do.”
“We’ve never talked about any of it—where we would live, who would move.”
“You’re right.”
“I’ve never met your daughter. She might not like me.”
“She might not. So will you?”
I pictured the monkey’s fist. Letting go.
“I will.”
Also available by Connie Berry
A Kate Hamilton Mystery
A Legacy of Murder
A Dream of Death
Author Biography
Connie Berry was born in Racine, Wisconsin, to second-generation immigrants from Scandinavia and the British Isles. Like her main character, Connie was raised by charmingly eccentric antique collectors who opened a shop, not because they wanted to sell antiques but because they needed an excuse to keep buying them. Connie adores cute animals, foreign travel, and all things British. She lives in Ohio with her husband and adorable dog Millie.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by Connie Berry
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-594-3
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-64385-595-0
Cover design by Alan Ayers
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Crooked Lane Books
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New York, NY 10001
First Edition: June 2021
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