Johnny winced and pointed to a man in the crowd. ‘I know him from school. He’ll just want to get what I want to stop me getting it. His family are stinking rich, to use an Aussie expression.’ He smiled slightly. ‘But neither of us will give in. It’s going to be interesting for the auctioneer.’

Grace raised her eyebrows.

Simona was going around asking people to take their seats, so they walked inside. Grace spotted a late arrival, a Chinese-Balinese man, taking a seat a few rows behind Johnny, who did not seem to notice him.

She was fascinated by the crowd and the atmosphere that settled over the room. There were those who were really just spectators, enjoying the occasion; nervous newbies, who probably hoped they might score a bargain; the serious bidders; and the elite who obviously knew exactly what they wanted and what they’d pay, heavyweights like Johnny and possibly his school friend. Grace stood at the back watching the crew unobtrusively filming.

It didn’t take long for her to understand how people could get carried away. The effusive auctioneer drummed up excitement about each piece, focusing on the sheer beauty and fascination of the art, and worked the competitive atmosphere between bidders to his advantage. Rosie Chow stood beside Steve, quietly filling him in on the big-name bidders and their strategies.

There was an intake of breath as the first big sale of the night, a work by internationally in-demand contemporary Indonesian artist Christine Ay Tjoe was knocked down to Madame Pearl.

Grace then saw Johnny straighten in his seat as the first of the Kamasan pieces was put on the easel next to Chang, who began his spiel about its impressive provenance.

The bidding was slow at first; nobody seemed to want to go first. But then Johnny jumped a bid above the first offer and was swiftly followed by the man Johnny had said was his old school friend.

Then the bidding sped up to become a battle between the two of them, the price rising fast. But then a third bidder raised his arm, and as Kevin Chang thanked him by name, Johnny spun around.

A man standing next to Grace muttered to no one in particular, ‘This is going to be interesting.’

She asked in a low voice, ‘Why’s that?’

‘He’s a rep for a large mining company who’ve just built new offices in Jakarta. Apparently the boardroom walls are empty. He has form, as they say in the art world. Mining people are not short of cash.’

Suddenly Johnny’s old school friend raised the mining rep’s bid. The auctioneer looked at Johnny.

Johnny glanced at his phone and shook his head, now looking disinterested. The school friend hesitated and seemed annoyed, and the mining rep leaped in to make the winning bid.