I leave her to leaf through, eager to check out my hair and my face for signs of paint in the mirror above the sink. I’m also conscious I need to pop the lid on my palette, so it takes a few minutes, which is enough time to compose myself.

‘Can I take a picture?’ She holds up her phone and points towards one of the canvases.

‘Yes, please do.’

Snapping away at several of them in turn, I try not to watch her every move, but she’s one of those glamorous people who mesmerise you because they look so flawless, it’s jaw-dropping. If I saw her photo in a magazine, I’d swear she’d been airbrushed. No one should look that good.

‘This is exactly what I was hoping for, thank you. The man I’ve been talking to is a big investor, always looking for a new artist. He loves to make money and that’s why I need to keep discovering new talent.’

I don’t quite know what to say to that, so I smile.

‘He thinks you are a good investment. We must make sure we price you correctly. It must be win-win, no?’

I nod. I can’t even believe someone would hand over money for something I’ve painted when I’m still learning. I’m hardly an artist, more of a trainee.

‘So, you keep Nico company here when he paints late?’

‘Yes. It’s peaceful when everyone else is asleep.’

She inclines her head. ‘And how long are you here, Fern?’

I have no idea why she’s asking that question, but I feel uneasy.

‘Another seventeen weeks. The time has flown.’

‘Ah. And things have changed, yes? Nico, he worked hard to build this, but he is a painter first. And you? What happens after you go home?’

She doesn’t seem edgy about my being here as I’d feared for a moment, but she is curious.

‘I will still paint, but my family will be surprised. It will be nice to all be together again, as we’re rather spread out at the moment.’

Did she want to hear that, or not? I wonder.

She’s glancing around and now her eyes are on Nico’s work. She saunters off, lifting the corner of the muslin covering the painting of the woman by the lake.

‘Ah, still not finished,’ she exclaims, sounding frustrated. ‘He must focus. This is his past and it will haunt him until it is done. He never listens to me, so why I bother, I do not know.’ She isn’t talking to me but out loud to herself and I watch as she wanders down the room.

Nico has his current work in progress and two others drying, although they could probably be put away now.