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The meeting is at the London archive, and the itinerary is tight enough that there should be very little room for anything unexpected. I read through the schedule twice, close the laptop and order room service. Tomorrow starts early. Tonight, I only need to get used to being back.

***

The next morning, I arrive at the Kensington collection archive a few minutes before nine. The building sits behind an understated stone façade in Belgravia, separate from the Kensington residences and estate properties. There is nothing domestic about it. The archive operates like a private institution, with controlled access, secured research rooms and dedicated staff moving between collection storage, administration and legal review.

Security clears me at reception before a woman named Helena Price comes down to meet me.

"I'm Helena Price," she says as she approaches.

"I oversee collection administration here in London."

"Blaire Wilson," I reply as we shake hands.

"It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Helena says.

"I've had the Reinhardt material pulled already. We'll start upstairs, and our provenance consultant and counsel will join us later this morning."

"That works for me," I reply.

Helena leads me through a secured corridor and into the elevators. The upper floors feel more modern than the operation I remember, with glass-fronted offices, digital catalog stations and climate-controlled storage rooms set behind restricted doors. The structure is different, but the rhythm is familiar enough that I settle into it almost immediately.

As we pass one of the administrative offices, I glance inside without thinking.

"Is Amelia still with the collection?" I ask.

"Amelia Hart?" Helena asks.

"Yes," I reply.

"She moved out of the London archive a few years ago," Helena says.

"She still works within the broader collection network from time to time, but she isn't based here anymore."

"I was curious," I say.

"I worked with her when I was here before."

Helena nods. "I know the name. Some of her notes are still in the older files."

That is all I need. We continue down the corridor. The research room is already prepared when we enter. Archival boxes, scanned correspondence, acquisition documents, valuation reports and earlier internal memoranda are arranged across a long table beneath controlled lighting.

Seeing the material laid out in front of me pushes everything else to the side.

This part is familiar.

I put my bag beside the chair, open my laptop and begin with the ownership chronology.

Later that morning, Helena introduces me to Dr. Simon Vale, the provenance specialist assisting with the German records, and Clara Mendel, counsel assigned to the private-sale review.

"Blaire Wilson," I say as Simon offers his hand.

"Simon Vale," he replies.

"I've already pulled the correspondence from the late thirties."

"Good," I say. "That's where I want to start."