Page 160

For the first time since she came back into my life, I've said something I should have said years ago. It doesn't repair anything. But she at least heard me.

The Trust counsel occupies two floors of a narrow Georgian building several streets away, and by the time Blaire and I are shown into a conference room upstairs, whatever passed between us in the car has been packed away behind professional faces.

Clara is already there with another attorney from the Trust office, a man named Edward Shaw, and Helena joins us a few minutes later by video from the archive.

Edward waits until everyone is settled before opening the folder in front of him.

“We have two developments,” he says.

“Neither is catastrophic, but both affect the timetable.”

Blaire glances toward him.

“What changed?” she asks.

“First, Mrs. Whitcombe has delayed her arrival in London by several days,” Edward says.

“Her office contacted us this morning.”

Blaire’s expression barely shifts.

“That alone shouldn’t affect the review,” she says.

“It wouldn’t,” Edward replies. “The second issue will.”

He slides a document across the table toward Clara.

“We’ve located references to an additional transfer file from the late thirties that was never incorporated into the central provenance record,” Edward says.

“The Trust committee wants it obtained and reviewed before they consider deaccession.”

Blaire looks down at the document.

“Where is the file?”

“Geneva,” Edward replies. “Part of an older family-office archive.”

“How quickly can it be transferred?”

“We can request it immediately,” Edward says. “The problem is review. There are several linked records, and counsel wants all of them examined together before anything goes to the committee.”

Blaire’s attention sharpens.

“How much time are we talking about?”

Clara answers before Edward does.

“At least another two weeks for the documentation alone,” she says. “Possibly longer depending on what the Geneva material contains.”

Blaire leans back slightly.

“And the committee?”

“The next full review window after that is three weeks later,” Edward says.

“We may be able to accelerate it, but I wouldn’t promise that yet.”

Silence settles across the table.