Free Property of a Noblewoman by Danielle Steel Page B

hoped their paths would cross again.
    And the next day, as he had promised Ed he would, he called Harriet, per Jane’s suggestion, had a frank discussion with her, said they were interested in selling the pieces, and quoted their fees of ten percent from the seller on the hammer price, with the rest of the proceeds going to the state. And the cost of photography for the catalog would have to be paid for by the surrogate’s court, which didn’t surprise Harriet, she was used to it, since they put items up for auction all the time. He told her they would want to use some of the photographs of the countess in the catalog, to help hype the sale, if Harriet didn’t mind. She didn’t care, it was fine with her. And she promised to get back to him with a decision by the end of the week. He told her that they were a little pressed for time, to get the items into the catalog for the May sale. She said she’d see what she could do, and Phillip wondered if she’d shop it around and get quotes from Sotheby’s too, but Jane had said it would be unlikely, since Harriet had suggested Christie’s herself. So all he could do now was wait for their answer, and hope the surrogate’s court placed the items with them. They’d be a fabulous addition to any sale.
    He still hadn’t heard from them on Friday, but didn’t want to push, and he decided to wait until Monday to call Harriet again, although Ed inquired about it on Friday afternoon.
    Phillip spent the weekend on his boat, as usual, and dropped by his mother’s apartment on Sunday afternoon on his way home. He wasn’t staying for dinner, since Valerie had told him she was going to dinner with friends. Someone else had invited her to the ballet, and she’d declined.
    She poured tea for both of them, and they spent a few minutes together before she had to leave. She was already dressed for the evening, and looked very nice in jeans and a heavy black sweater, with heels, and she was wearing makeup.
    “How did your week go?” she asked him with interest, and he told her about the jewelry he had seen, and Christie’s wanting to include it in a sale. He told her he hadn’t had an answer from the clerk of the surrogate’s court yet, but was planning to pursue it again the next day.
    “The jewelry must be impressive if Christie’s wants to sell it,” Valerie said, finishing her tea. And then he remembered the coincidence of names.
    “The woman’s maiden name is the same as yours, by the way,” he said with amusement, “though I doubt we’re related to this woman,” he added, and she nodded.
    “It’s a pretty common name. I’m afraid we don’t have any relatives who’d own that kind of jewelry, although it would be nice if we did.” She smiled at him, but they both knew that she wasn’t dazzled by it, and money was never a strong motivating force to her, particularly other people’s. His mother had never been a greedy woman, and had always been satisfied with what she had.
    “I think the prices on this sale will go through the roof. The pieces are incredibly beautiful, with big stones of high quality. It’s going to be an exciting sale, if the court lets us have it.”
    “I’m sure they will. Why wouldn’t they?” Valerie said reassuringly as she stood up. “Now I have to go.”
    “You never know. They might get a better deal from another auction house.”
    “I hope not,” she said loyally.
    He thought for a second about telling her about meeting Jane, but he felt stupid doing it. He’d probably never see Jane again. So he stood up, hugged his mother and kissed her good-bye, and promised to call her soon.
    “Have fun tonight,” he said as she closed the door and he got in the elevator.
    The next morning he called Harriet Fine again. She apologized for not getting back to him. She had been waiting for clearance from her own supervisors to proceed with the sale, and she had just gotten it an hour before.
    “It’s a go,” she said quietly.