Alina arrived home with a video she had picked up from Rogers. As it was an Oscar winner, the two women decided to have a quick meal, make popcorn in the microwave, and settle down to enjoy the film.
By the end of it, both were pleasantly tired and after some desultory discussion about the movie’s characters, they headed for their respective bedrooms. When Anna was almost asleep she remembered the conversation with Lawren Drake that she had meant to tell Alina about. She rolled over in bed and drew the covers up to her neck thinking she would try to find out more about the strange artist before she ventured to reveal to Alina what had been said and done in the house earlier that day.
In the light of day, Anna wondered what she had been thinking. The chance of ever seeing the man again was minimal at best. Why should she care to know more about him? She should be spending time on a new search for a more congenial artist.
She went about the daily household tasks and planned to check on the A Plus website later in the day to see if more orders had arrived from a store in the States that was taking a keen interest in their hand-crafted knitwear.
Alina was having a rest day. She rose late and shuffled around the kitchen in her robe and slippers while surveying a huge pile of recent magazines and newspaper supplements. It was her assigned task to keep up to date with fashion trends in knitwear and she had one of these catch-up days every two or three weeks. Her scissors, scrapbook and magnifying glass were set out on the dining room table and Anna knew not to interrupt until the job was done.
As silence settled over the house, Anna found herself drawn to the computer in the living room. She thought it would do no harm to investigate Drake Designs on Google. It would be one sure way to find out if such a person as Lawren Drake actually existed and might help to explain his remote attitude.
Two seconds after typing in the name of his business, Anna was startled to see a page of entries appear, including one for a website.
Leaving the latter aside for now, she accessed the business logo and found the picture of a sign and an address in London. The location looked to be near the University in north London and the sign hung in front of a Victorian home. Beneath the Drake Designs lettering was a sketch of a mallard duck with a paintbrush in its mouth.
Anna was more surprised to see this illustration than anything else she had found. The whimsical nature seemed totally at odds with the man she had met. No evidence of humour had revealed itself to her during their brief encounter. Had she misinterpreted his nature? And if so, had she done something to discourage him from accepting the assignment?
As doubt flooded through her she decided to check out the website and see if any examples of his work were displayed there. This might give her an idea of the quality he produced and determine whether or not she would pursue the matter further.
The website revealed a brief biographical note and only three samples of work. There was a painting of a prominent London politician, a family portrait with two children and their parents, and a formal study of an older gentleman seated on an elaborate armchair. The caption under this painting caught Anna’s attention. The name of the gentleman’s company was familiar. It took a moment’s concentration then Anna knew why she had recognized the name. This was the legal firm where her friend Susan had worked for many years.
Anna immediately called Susan to ask for more information. Fortunately, she was at home and answered on the second ring.
“Susan, it’s Anna, I have a strange request for you. Do you remember seeing a painting in your old offices of an elderly gentleman sitting on an armchair?”
“Well, hello to you too, Anna!” she replied, with a touch of sarcasm.
“Oh, my apologies, Susan! You are quite right. That was not the most polite enquiry I ever made. May I start again?”
“Don’t bother, my dear. I am only teasing. What has got you in such a rush? It must be something important surely?”
“Truth is I don’t know if it is important yet. I am investigating a local artist who might be a candidate for an oil painting I have in mind for the Oban house and I noticed he had done some work for your legal firm. I need to see his work up close to get a better idea of his potential.”
“Sounds serious, Anna!”
“Not really; just urgent. I need to get this started if it is to be completed before I return to Scotland.”
“I see.” There was a pause on the phone line and Anna could imagine her friend deliberating in her conscientious way. “Well, there used to be a series of portraits of the firm’s partners in the boardroom upstairs. I can’t tell which of them you are describing but if you send me the name and the artist’s name, I can ask if it is still there. Would you like me to request a viewing when the room is unoccupied?”
“That would be perfect, Susan. Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I have to contact the right people first. Send me the names. Don’t give up. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
Anna had put down the phone when she realized that Susan had used the exact same phrase as Lawren Drake.
Don’t give up.
She was no closer to understanding what he had meant by it, but at least in Susan’s case she knew there was a good chance that some information would be forthcoming.
How long would it take?
What could she do in the meantime to speed things along?
As soon as she had sent off an email to Susan with the two names she had requested, Anna took a deep breath and examined her feelings.
What was this urgency she was caught up in? Was it the mystery of the artist himself? He was certainly an unusual type. Perhaps that was because she had never had any previous contact with artists?
Was the anxiety to pursue more about Lawren Drake only a reflection of her need to complete the painting idea that had seemed such a perfect addition to Aunt Helen’s house? Or was it something else entirely?
“I am just going around in circles, here,” she mumbled angrily.
“What’s that?”
Anna had not realized she had spoken aloud and disturbed Alina. “Sorry! It’s nothing!”
And it should be nothing, she decided. She was just about to return to the computer when the phone rang.
“I’ll get it!” she called out.
Susan’s voice cut into Anna’s negative thoughts and restored her interest in an instant.
“Look, Anna, I don’t know how much time you have today but I think we are in luck. I just talked to the woman who took over my place as legal secretary and she says the lawyers are at a one-day conference in the courthouse and the place is empty. She says the portraits are still there and none has ever been removed from the boardroom as far as she knows. If you can come now, we can spend as much time there as you want. Margaret will let us in before she goes out for lunch and I can close up when we leave.”
Anna was too stunned to reply at first.
“Well?” Susan insisted.
“Right! I am on my way, Susan. You really do work fast. I’ll be at your door in 15 minutes.”
The drive took only ten minutes. Anna tried to concentrate on the road but she barely remembered any of it, her head was in such a spin from the rapid speed of events. Was she rushing headlong into something or would the sight of this portrait settle the whole issue?
Susan’s car was waiting in her driveway with the engine running, so Anna automatically parked to one side and got out to see what Susan had planned.
“I’ll drive,” she announced succinctly. “I know where to park.”
It was soon evident that Susan knew the shortcuts to her old office in the centre of town. She pulled into the parking lot and chose a spot close to the side entrance where Margaret was waiting. They exchanged hugs and greetings then Margaret left for a lunch date and Susan led the way upstairs to the boardroom.
“This is very good of you, Susan,” Anna whispered. “I hope I haven’t wasted your time with this.”
“Not at all! Any excuse to get back here and see what has changed is a bonus for me!”
Susan grinned as she opened a double door with a flourish and revealed a large room with windows facing the street. It was furnished with an impressive polished wood table and matching chairs but Anna immediately looked at the paintings arranged on the left wall and between the windows.
“Which one is it?” she asked.
“He is one of the founding partners of the firm so it’s over here on the left.”
Anna followed Susan and they stopped in front of a large painting in an elaborate frame which matched those of the other portraits.
At first she could not distinguish anything remarkable about the elderly gentleman with his dark suit and tie over a white shirt, sitting at ease in the armchair which obviously was the same one Anna had just seen at the head of the table.
When she began to concentrate on the features, however, she was astonished to discover a wave of emotions welling up in her. What was happening? She had no connection to this man at all and yet she was feeling as if she knew him in some way. It must be the skill of the artist to evoke such a reaction.
It was all in the eyes, she thought. There was an expression there that drew the observer into a conspiracy of affection. There was a hint of laughter in these eyes and the sense that this man of power and prestige had, nonetheless, the ability to look at life in a more humorous way than his profession of lawyer might lead one to expect.
Anna took a step back and noticed the signature on the right side, close to the portrait’s frame.
It was the work of Lawren Drake all right, and it was remarkable.
Susan had been sitting at the boardroom table watching Anna’s reactions.
“Well, what do you think?”
“I think it is good work, as far as I can tell, of course.”
“I can add something to your opinion, I believe, if you want to know more.”
“Of course, I do. What do you mean, Susan?”
“When I started here, Mr. Tomlinson was the first lawyer to request my services. He was working on a computer program to codify the firm’s client base and he was less than proficient with the technology. He wanted someone who could devote attention to the process and report back to him at regular intervals maintaining complete secrecy at all stages.”
“So you had quite a lot of contact with the gentleman, Susan?”
“Yes, I did and gentleman is the correct term to describe him. He has retired now, of course, but he was the most charming and pleasant person I have ever worked for. He still sends me a Christmas card each year and reminds me of the hours I devoted to the project.”
Anna had to ask. “Did he happen to have a good sense of humour?”
“So you caught that! I wondered if you would. Indeed, He was quite a joker at times. He would leave a cartoon on my desk some mornings and ask me about it later in the day. I kept an album of the cartoons as they were always about lawyers and politicians, the majority of our clients in those days.”
Anna’s opinion of Lawren Drake’s skill was confirmed by Susan’s comments. She thought to ask another question. “Did you see the artist while the painting was done?”
“No, I had left the firm by then.”
Anna knew Susan had been retired for several years. She began to wonder at what age Lawren Drake had completed the commission. This drew her back to the portrait and a plaque on the wall which named the chairman, the dates and the artist. It appeared the portrait was done some ten years before.
“But, that can’t be right!” she blurted out. “He couldn’t have done this work so long ago.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just that there must be some mistake. The Lawren Drake I met would have been a very young man at the time this was done. The artistry I see here would require years of study to achieve this standard.”
“Oh! Did his father paint perhaps?”
“No, no! Nothing, like artwork at this level, in any case. Lawren described him as ‘a hobby painter’.”
“Well then, what age is the man you met, Anna?”
She stopped to consider her answer. “I really don’t know, Susan. He was hard to judge. He was dressed like a hippy, if you know what I mean; simple clothes, long hair and with very casual manners. I thought he was quite small until I took off my heeled boots and found we were the same height. I couldn’t tell much from his conversation. We were together only a short time and he left without making a commitment to the project.”
“But that doesn’t tell me how old you thought he was. What did his face tell you about his age?”
Susan was becoming exasperated with Anna’s lack of detail about this man she had gone to the trouble of pursuing further.
“I don’t know! He had that smooth kind of look some men have. I suppose I thought he was much younger. Men don’t seem to develop the wrinkles we get. Maybe his painting work gave him the satisfaction that makes a person look mellow.”
“Well, let’s see what we can derive from the plaque here. We’ll presume an artist can’t do work like this until his late forties at the earliest. Now add to the date and we can assume this Lawren must be
close to sixty? Is that possible?”
“Good grief! I am so shocked! I never imagined he was that age!”
“Oh, I could be quite wrong. You can find out when you meet him again, Anna.”
“If I meet him again. He didn’t want to risk a commission when he had no hope of sitting with a live subject and now I can see why. Obviously, a great deal depends on the sense the artist gets about the personality of his subject. I can’t provide that input. He would probably fear damaging his reputation by producing work of an inferior standard.”
“Possibly! Only time will tell. Don’t give up yet, Anna. Didn’t your mother always say, “if it’s meant to be, it will be’?”
Anna laughed. “What she actually said was, ‘If it’s for ye, it’ll no go by ye,’ but you certainly have the meaning right, Susan.”
With that, the two friends exited from the boardroom and descended the stairs. Susan had a good look around at the various offices she passed and stood by Margaret’s desk for a minute.
“Huh! I told them this was a better position for the reception area desk. I’m glad to see someone paid attention, eventually.”
Anna stopped for ten minutes or so at Susan’s house on the way home. She greeted the two Labradors and spoke for a while with Jake who was finishing his daily exercises with a weighted medicine ball.
“It’s great to see you looking so well, Jake,” she enthused. “How are you feeling this spring?”
“Thanks to you, Anna, I have Angela to support me in my new routine. We talk often and she demonstrates technique for me on an internet link. I’m holding my own for now and glad to be able to say that.”
He walked carefully over to Susan with only a stick for balance, and gave his wife a lopsided smile.
“What have you two been cooking up now?”
“Oh, Jake, you know us too well!” Anna said jokingly. “I’ll let Susan explain it all to you. She’s helped me out again as she always does.”
“Yes,” agreed Jake. “She does seem to have that helping gene firmly in her DNA, as I can attest.”
Anna left them in the kitchen and let herself out of the front door. They hardly noticed her absence and Anna wondered for a moment what it must be like to be devoted to a partner in such a way that, no matter what life threw at either of you, one could always rely on the other.
Strangely, this thought made her think of Richard. Since their meeting in Egypt she had not had any contact with him. How had he coped with another round of chemo? Was he still with his Egyptian wife in Ottawa? She realized she had no way to answer these questions and wondered if she would ever find out. If Richard did not choose to get in touch with her she might never know.
On the drive home she decided to put aside all questions and concerns for now. She was not exactly giving up, it was just that she needed a break from the uncertainties.
“What’s meant for me, will not pass me by,” she repeated cheerfully, as she watched the streetlights come on, signalling the end of the eventful afternoon.