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‘No way,’ said Wilbur as they drew up outside the Fitzmolean. ‘Your dark blue Armani suit is just perfect for the occasion. Makes you look every bit a board chair.’

‘What do I say if they ask me if I will be happy to remain on the board and serve under Ms Bates, should I fail to be elected?’

‘You must be magnanimous and tell the board you’ll be happy to remain on the committee, as you consider the Fitzmolean bigger than any individual, but it’s not relevant,’ said Wilbur, ‘as I’ve no doubt you’re going to win.’

‘I’m not so sure,’ said Christina. ‘Only one thing’s certain, it’s going to be a close-run thing. Three of the board, including the chair, have already told me I can count on their votes, but I know at least three others who still haven’t made up their minds, and I’m sure Ms Bates is being briefed by Booth Watson.’

‘I’d rather have Sir Nicholas on my side than Miles Faulkner,’said Wilbur. ‘All you’ll need is a couple of the undecideds to back you and you’ll be home and dry.’

‘Do I show them the letter?’ she asked.

‘Only if the question arises,’ said Wilbur. ‘And even then, you’ll have to gauge the feeling of the meeting before you make that decision.’

‘It should be you, not me, who’s standing for chair,’ said Christina.

‘Certainly not, my darling. They couldn’t get anyone better for the job.’ Wilbur leant across and gave his wife a gentle kiss. ‘Better get going. Can’t afford to be late.’

When Christina got out of the car, her legs felt so weak she wondered if she’d make it up the steps to the front door, let alone to the boardroom. She somehow managed to push her way through the revolving door and get as far as the lift.

She stepped out onto the first floor and headed for the boardroom, to see the chairman walking towards her. The selection committee were clearly waiting for her.

‘I’ll do everything I can to assist,’ whispered Nicholas.

Christina followed him into the boardroom and took her place in the only empty chair at the top of the table. Several board members smiled, but just as many didn’t.

‘Welcome, Christina,’ said the chair once he’d taken his seat at the other end of the table. ‘I’ll begin by running through the procedure I intend to adopt while conducting this interview. I will start by asking the first couple of questions, and my colleagues will then follow up with any supplementaries.’ Sir Nicholas checked his notes before he began. ‘Having played a leading role in the Fitzmolean’s success over so many years, I wonder if there are changes you would make as chair that you feel might benefit the museum in the future?’

‘Let me begin by thanking you, Chairman, for your un-wavering support during those years, and say how difficult it will be for anyone to fill your shoes.’

No one could have missed Ms Bates’s eyes rolling like a toy dog in the back of a moving car.

‘But to answer your question, Sir Nicholas,’ said Christina, ‘as you know, I have always been a passionate advocate of free entry to the main gallery. However, I do feel that when we mount a special exhibition at some considerable cost, we should perhaps consider charging a one-off entry fee. Our current Rembrandt exhibition, for example, has attracted over three hundred thousand visitors, and if we had levied a five-pound ticket charge, we could have raised well in excess of a million pounds, which would not only have covered our costs but shown us a modest profit.’

‘Would students and old-age pensioners also be expected to contribute?’ asked the chair.

‘Absolutely not,’ said Christina. ‘They, along with any children accompanying their parents, would be exempt.’

‘Certainly worthy of serious consideration,’ said the chair, ‘and while we’re on that subject, what is your view on the government’s new tax incentive scheme?’

‘I welcome it,’ said Christina without hesitation. ‘It’s another opportunity for us to raise some extra, much-needed revenue, which we should take advantage of. I would also suggest that we replicate what the Americans call “see-through guilt boxes”, where visitors who can afford to pay are encouraged to contribute a fiver, possibly more. The Victoria and Albert are raising an extra million a year this way, and I feel we should be following their example.’

‘Thank you, Christina. I shall now—’

Ms Bates immediately raised her hand, leaving the chairwith little choice but to select her. ‘How can the board be confident of your loyalty to the Fitzmolean while you remain a close friend of Beth Warwick, our former director, who left in – to say the least – unfortunate circumstances?’

‘Beth is one of my closest friends, and always will be, but both of us are first and foremost loyal supporters of the Fitzmolean. As chair, I would always put the museum first, as Beth did when she resigned. However, I can tell the board that she deeply regrets no longer being our director.’

‘How convenient,’ said Ms Bates. ‘Does that mean if you became chair, you would ask her to return as director?’

‘Most certainly I would,’ said Christina without hesitation. ‘I don’t always agree with Beth, but I’ve never doubted that she always had the best interests of the museum at heart.’

‘Have you discussed the possibility with her?’

‘Yes, I have,’ admitted Christina. Another question she was well prepared for.

‘And what was her response?’

‘She could not have been more positive about the whole idea, and even wrote me a letter to confirm her position.’ One sentence too many, she could hear Wilbur saying.