‘As far as I know, Sir Harry simply set up a standing order on one of his charitable funds for Mr MacCleod. I knew nothing more about it and Sir Harry never discussed it with me.’

‘OK, thank you. Now, I see that one of the paintings, the Matisse of Collioure, no longer appears on the inventory.’

‘No, it doesn’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘Sir Harry gave it to me.’

‘He gave it to you? Under what circumstances?’

‘He saw that I had looked after him and he wanted, I am assuming, to show his appreciation.’

Amanda is staring at her. She is transfixed.

‘Do you know what that fucking painting is worth?’

‘I do, but I am never going to sell it, so it’s irrelevant.’

‘Are you serious? He was struck by a major stroke, he couldn’t utter a single intelligible word for eleven months, and you say he gave you a painting conservatively worth £20m. at the time. Are you out of your mind? You will find yourself in terrible trouble if you are shown to have stolen this picture, which seems to be the only logical conclusion. You will spend years in Holloway where, I am told, older women suffer appalling mistreatment.’

‘I have a note from him bequeathing it to me.’

‘The deathbed will. Oh wow, now I’ve heard it all. I suggest you hand over the picture today, before I get on to my friends at the Met. This isn’t some fucking colour-by-numbers picture of spaniels, you know, it’s a national treasure. The French want it, the Met – not our boys in blue, but a gallery in New York – would kill for it, and you are saying a dying man, who couldn’t speak, gave it to you.’

‘I have a letter in a safe-box and with it I have a copy of the deeds that authorised £250m. to be taken from the family trust and another £150m. from the Koopman Foundation, with the dying man’s signature granting a power of attorney. Postdated. I was a witness. They brought the papers from Liechtenstein for a little work. I wasn’t happy, but I had no choice.’

‘Are you saying that you are prepared to blackmail the family? I can’t believe it, after all they did for you for years.’

‘No, all I am saying is that Sir Harry gave me the Matisse. I looked after Sir Harry, he spoke to me every day until the end, and I tried to make him happy. He appreciated it.’

‘He was out of his mind. I’ll get Abbott to testify.’