“Thank you for coming to the opening of Caldwell Fine Arts Gallery. All the paintings displayed here are original art. Some may be known to you. Others are from local artists, chosen by their paintings’ appropriateness to the room and, of course, by the artist’s use of color and light which is part of what makes a painting superb. The talent in each work of art will be obvious to all of you.
“Each painting here has gone through an entire panel of expert opinions with ample discussions, and in some cases, a splash of argument. This committee, who mainly wish to be anonymous, or I’d be introducing them, came to a consensus about which pieces would be shown first. Other paintings wait for their chance to shine. Those pieces will be rotated a room at a time, probably monthly.
All of these paintings were approved by Danny Franco, who you’ve all met. He will be the manager of this institution. Penelope, myself, Danny and others feel that the quality of the pieces needs no further explanations. I know you will enjoy your tour of the Caldwell Fine Arts Gallery.
“But before you go on your way, I must remind you, that all food and drink must remain in this room only.”
That was the announcement they’d been waiting for. No one rushed, but the general feeling is that the crowd heaved forward, placing drinks and semi-empty plates down on a vacant table set up for that purpose.
I smiled at Timothy. “You were marvelous,” I said, “and all this is amazing. Thank you for dragging me here. I’m glad I got to see you in action.”
Despite the fact that there were a few guests still finishing their drinks and snacks, not ready to join the eager herd, Timothy pulled me close and touched his lips to mine.
“This is the highlight, my darling Penelope. This.” He kissed me again, more lingeringly. Then he sighed. “I own a castle in Ireland, which I’ve restored most pleasingly and several flats in other cities, but this gallery was a yearning fulfilled. Your assistance made it a true labor of love.”
“A castle?” I sputtered. “You own a castle? Wow.”
“And a flat in London and one in Paris. I will take you there when you agree to marry me.”
I chuckled. I wasn’t sure if he was teasing me or not. Was he really that rich? If so, what was he doing with me?