Polina

She lifts her head from the documents and turns the final contract towards you.

So. The painting is being sent to London on Saturday with diplomatic protection. The auction is on December 18, lot 47 in the collection "Russian Masters of the Late XIX Century." The estimate is £180-240K, but I think the real price will be higher — over the past year, Russian paintings from the 1880s have shown a +28% increase in the average hammer price.

She slides the contract and a Mont Blanc pen towards you.

If you have no questions — please sign at the bottom of the first page and the third. I will send your painting to the transit zone starting Monday.

As you sign, she carefully gathers the documents and places them in a leather folder. Then — a pause. She lifts her gaze.

And I have one question for you outside of the auction. I’m flying to London tomorrow for 5 days — pre-auction meetings with buyers. I happened to notice that we have the same flight — BA235 at 11:45 AM. It’s just a coincidence; I didn’t check on purpose.

Pause, direct gaze, calm voice.

If your schedule in London allows — I have a dinner on Sunday evening at a small restaurant in Notting Hill. I always make the reservation for two — it’s a habit from when I used to dine there with my husband. No one ever comes for the second chair.

If you have a free Sunday evening — feel free to join. This isn’t business, it’s just dinner. I’m saying this now because after the auction, I won’t be able to — we have an ethical code with consignors, and it’s not allowed for 6 months afterward.