Page 96 of A Scottish Highland Surprise

Raymond Curtis gave his gavel another thump. “Right, ladies and gents, let’s get this show on the road.” He nodded to a young man on his right, who stepped forward and tugged away the red cloth. The tea set glowed in its open case in all its rainbow greens and golds.

I shuffled to the edge of my chair. Even though I had looked at the tea set countless times, it seemed more regal now somehow, more mysterious, as it sat there, presented in all its porcelain glory.

I couldn’t help wondering what Briar and Ernest would have made of all this. The cluster of reporters and photographers outside; the heavy security to gain access to the gallery; the buzz from the potential buyers. It was quite surreal for me, so goodness knows what they would have thought.

Mum, Dad, Cass and Ophelia delivered encouraging smiles down the row of seats to Carson as Raymond Curtis beamed. “Let’s begin with a bid of £5,000. Come on, ladies and gents. Don’t be shy. Ah, thank you, Sir.”

I peered down over the edge of the balcony, catching a glimpse of a tall, thin man in round spectacles putting forward the first bid with a sharp nod.

And so, it carried on. Nods; blinks; flicks of hands. I sat rigid, clutching Xander’s hand as the bids grew larger and more ambitious.

When the amount climbed to £25,000, I couldn’t help letting out an audible gasp. A couple of heads down in the auction seats jerked up to frown. Xander stifled a laugh. “Be careful, otherwise you’ll find yourself putting in a bid.”

I craned my neck to have a look at the bold bidder. She was a hard-faced older woman, with bright red lipstick and severe black hair skimming her shoulders. “Who is she?” I asked Xander under my breath.

He frowned and narrowed his eyes. “I’ve no idea. I’ve never seen her before.”

“New money?” hissed my dad down our row.

Mum rolled her eyes beside him.” You’ve been watching too many repeats of Upstairs, Downstairs.”

Xander grinned and angled his body more towards the balcony edge to get a better view of the mystery bidder. “She’s talking to someone on her mobile. She must be representing someone and bidding on their behalf.”

There was a ripple of surprise as the woman put in a further bid of £30,000.

Xander continued to study the woman in silence, before shooting me an unreadable look. He jumped out of his seat as the murmurings of the auction played out down below. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”

“Where are you going?”

He tilted up my face to his and kissed me, but didn’t answer.

While Xander was gone, the rest of us watched with fascination as the stranger with the bright red lips batted away counter bids for the tea set, like they were annoying flies interrupting her picnic.

Heads turned to stare, gasps rose and whispers ensued.

“She seems very intent on buying the tea set,” I whispered across Xander’s vacant seat to Mum, Dad, Cass, Ophelia, Hal and Ivy. Behind me, Carson and his wife let out murmurs of agreement. The bid amount had now reached the dizzying heights of £45,000.

“Whoever she is, she must be loaded,” observed Dad, smoothing down his stripy tie.

“Or her client is. She must be receiving instructions from someone.” Mum shrugged her shoulders casually. “I’ve watched so many episodes of Bargain Hunt, you get to know these things.”

Cass and I swapped smiles.

There was a sudden flurry at my shoulder. It was Xander returning.

“The bid has increased to £45,000,” I burbled to him, unable to conceal my excitement. “Isn’t that great?”

I peered back down at the woman, who had her coat collar up and her mobile clamped to her ear. I dragged my attention away from the dramatic scenes playing out downstairs.

Xander’s expression was thunderous.

“Xander? What is it? Where have you been?”

He didn’t answer. He just sat there, grim-faced, on the edge of his chair. “Xander? Are you okay?”

His attention was locked on the black-haired woman. I followed his gaze. “Xander. What’s going on?”

The voice of Raymond Curtis rang out like a rusty church bell. “So, we now have a bid of £45,000. Do I hear £50,000?”