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What had begun as a gathering of fifty was quickly reduced to a dozen, Willia them But then he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off the director’s replacement Her neatly cropped auburn hair framed an oval face that didn’t rely on make-up to make you look a second tiure, that he found so captivating It was her infectious enthusiasm as she talked about the Dutch men who surrounded her, adorned in their black pantaloons and ruffled collars Willialanced at her left hand as she pointed to the first picture, delighted to see that there were no rings on that finger Even so, he thought, this vision must surely have a boyfriend But how could he find out?

‘The Fitz as she spoke, ‘was the brainchild of Mrs van Haasen, the wife of the distinguished economist Jacob van Haasen A remarkable woman, who after her husband’s death built up a Dutch and Flemish collection that is considered second only to those of the Rijkse In her will, she bequeathed the entire collection to the nation in memory of her husband, to be displayed in the house they had shared during their forty-three years of married life’ Beth turned and led her little band into the next gallery She ca man

‘Frans Hals,’ she began, ‘was born in Antwerp around 1582 HisCavalier, which you can see in the Wallace Collection’

William tried to concentrate on Hals, but decided he would have to co Thursday, when he was sure Dr Knox wouldn’t have quite the sa effect on him He continued to follow Beth until she stopped in front of a large eend ‘Rembrandt, 1606–1669’ painted on a small plaque below it

‘This,’ she said reverently, ‘is where Rembrandt’s , before it was stolen froo Sadly, it has never been recovered’

‘Did the gallery offer a reward for its return?’ asked a voice that sounded as if it hailed from Boston

‘No Unfortunately it had never crossed Mrs van Haasen’s mind that anyone would steal one of her masterpieces, possibly because she only paid six thousand dollars for the picture at the time’

‘How er voice

‘The painting is priceless,’ said Beth, ‘and irreplaceable Theus believe it’s still out there sohtful home’

A s of applause followed this statement before Beth continued ‘Reht-after artist of the Dutch Golden Age Sadly, he lived beyond histo auction offseveral major canvases, in order to clear his debts He only just avoided bankruptcy and ending his days in prison After his death in 1669 he was buried in a pauper’s grave, and his work fell out of fashion for over a century But Mrs van Haasen was in no doubt about his genius, and did reatest of the Dutch masters Art connoisseurs would travel from all over the world to view The Syndics, which is considered to be one of his greatest works, and Mrs van Haasen neverin the collection’

Beth and her little troupe moved on to the next picture, and she continued to answer all their questions well beyond the appointed hour She finally ca him as ‘the storyteller of artists’ ‘Are there any more questions?’ she asked

Williaroup had departed ‘What a fantastic talk,’ he said

‘Thank you,’ said Beth ‘Did you have a question?’

‘Yes Are you free for dinner?’

She didn’t respond ied, ‘I’m afraid not I already have a date’