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needing your accountancy degree.’

      ‘What would you want me to do then?’

      Peter Haskins turned to Jade, and spread his arms wide.

      ‘What I need, is someone to help me go through all this.’

      ‘All of it?’

      ‘All this and more. What we have here is the result of bargain buying, by my partner, over the past few years. Much of it came to us as bulk lots of goods, either from deceased or bankrupt estates. I spend all my day sifting through, sorting the dross from the treasures. Most of the time Doug picks his product well. He makes sure the family were well-connected, or wealthy, so the chances of picking up something worthwhile are better than even money.’

      ‘I don’t know if even my art education will be of help. I could probably recognise a work of art, but most of the items I see around me don’t come under that heading.’

      ‘Excellent! You pass the test!’

      ‘What?’

      ‘You’re not expected to know; I’m going to teach you. If you stay here as long as I have, you might be able to call yourself mildly able. Even I get it wrong sometimes. I’ve thrown out things that have turned out to be precious, and put things up for auction that proved to be worthless, or worse — fake. I’ll teach you what to look out for, your education in art will help you develop an eye for quality, and when you find something, you’ll bring it to me for a second opinion, and gradually, we’ll work our way through the clutter.’

      Jade looked around. ‘It looks like I’ve got a job for life.’

      ‘So you’ll help me? You won’t mind the dust and dirt?’

      ‘I’d like to give it a try. It could be interesting.’

      ‘Good girl. Let’s get started.’

      Peter Haskins explained that when Doug Green called on estate sales, he made a habit of dealing directly with the executors, sometimes offering them a reasonable sum for the entire contents of the estate. Buying that way, he was often able to obtain a sizable reduction in price for the purchase of the entire estate, because they were able to get rid of items that would normally not be worthy of sale, and by selling it in a single sale, they were saving themselves the time, and effort, of selling the items individually. Once purchased, it was up to Peter Haskins to assess the contents of their purchase.

      Jade was shown a large formal dining setting.

      ‘What do you make of this?’ asked Peter.

      Jade regarded the setting. The chairs had stuffing hanging out of the worn covering of their seats, the polish showed many scratches, and scrapes. It looked old, and tired.

      ‘It looks old enough to be antique, but no one will buy it in that condition.’

      ‘And what about this one over here?’ he indicated another setting.

      ‘It looks the same as the other one. They’re both in bad condition.’

      ‘Yes they are. The first one is oak, and we may be able to sell the wood to a wood yard. The second is mahogany, and, with a little loving care, will be able to be restored. Not as good as new, but better, as an antique, and therefore, much more expensive than new.’

      ‘How will I know?’

      ‘First, I’ll teach you the different woods, and then second, I’ll show you what to look for in the way it’s constructed. That will give you a hint to its age, and maker, and once we know who made it, and when, then we can set a possible price to it. Once we know what it should be worth, we’ll be able decide if it’s worth spending the money to restore it. There’s no point in spending money on an object if we can’t recover our costs at the time of sale.’

      ‘Do you do the restorations?’

      ‘No. We send it away to be done by experts. A bad restoration is worse than no restoration at all. And when you go over a piece of furniture, make sure you do it thoroughly, I’ll show you how to look for secret drawers in desks, wardrobes, and all sorts of things. Grandfather clocks are a particularly good place to find hidden goods.’

      ‘What sort of things are we looking for?’

      ‘It could be anything from a coin, to a piece of jewellery, to a letter. Whatever someone thought was worth hiding.’

      And so, Jade’s education moved into its third stage.

      Walter and Jade had dined well, spent a delightful evening listening to the jazz at the Golden Stag, and finally retired to Jade’s bedroom for leisurely sex.

      Sated, the pair lay naked, wrapped in each other’s arms, enjoying the afterglow of the physical exercise. Jade’s head rested on Walter’s chest, as she leisurely ran her fingers through the hair on his chest, and circled his nipples. She enjoyed watching them react to her touch, not unlike her own.

      Slowly, Jade filled the silence between them, talking about her new job, and the things that Peter Haskins had been teaching her. She spoke of how to tell a good piece from an ordinary piece, and what to look for. ‘Would you like to know what I found in a secret compartment today?’

      Jade waited, expecting a reply. When none came, she thought Walter had fallen asleep, and raised her head from his chest. She was surprised that Walter lay there, his eyes open, his mind elsewhere.

      ‘A penny for your thoughts.’

      Walter turned his head, slowly, in Jade’s direction. ‘I was just enjoying the moment, savouring it.’

      Jade gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘Why thank you. That’s a lovely compliment. I enjoyed it too.’

      ‘No. You don’t understand. I’m savouring it because, in the future, there won’t be any more times like this for us,’ he said, as he raised himself on one elbow, and looked Jade in the eye. ‘You see, I’m getting married.’

      Jade studied Walter’s face, trying to detect some sign that he may just be playing games with her, but she could see that he was serious. Strangely, she felt the sudden loss, and was unsure of her emotions.

      All that came to her mind was to ask, who.

      ‘You know her; Millicent Lloyd-Jones.’

      Somehow, the name explained it all to Jade. ‘You don’t love her,’ she said flatly.

      ‘I think you’re the only person I’ve come close to loving.’

      ‘But you don’t love me either. You just love the idea of my money.’

      ‘True. It should be you that I’m marrying.’

      ‘That would be impossible. I like you, but, if we were to marry, you would spend the rest of your life plotting to get your hands on my money, and I’d have to spend my life keeping you away from it. We’d destroy each other.’

      Walter nodded in agreement. ‘Millicent’s parents are very happy for me to take over the family fortune, especially if Millicent and I can produce lots of healthy offspring. They’re most anxious to ensure they have someone to pass it all down to, especially as they are getting to be rather elderly.’

      ‘So you’re going to become a stud bull.’

      Walter grinned. ‘A very wealthy stud bull.’

      ‘It doesn’t trouble your conscience?’

      ‘Not in the least. They’ll have the grandchildren, and I’ll have the money. We all win.’

      ‘What about Millicent?’

      ‘I dare say she’ll do whatever her parents want her to. She such a devoted daughter. Then, when she’s done her duty by the family, she’ll be able to go off and pursue whatever interests her. In Millicent’s case, I believe that will be horse shows, and shopping.’

      ‘What does your father think

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