Southend U3A

October 2022

Tea Shop Treasure - Lynn Gale

Charles Sinclair Barrington was feeling very pleased with himself indeed. He had just procured a Regency Mahogany military chest for two hundred pounds, knowing the actual value was somewhere in the region of One and a half thousand. The widow he bought it from was so grateful to get rid of that old thing cluttering up her cottage off her hands, especially as he had only come to price up the dining table and chairs she no longer needed.

Charles smiled as he checked out his reflection in the shop windows. ‘Looking sharp.’ he mused, in his white long grey trench coat and white fedora sitting at an angle on his head. As he passed a small café, he suddenly stopped dead and took a step backwards, forcing a young mother to pull her toddler son out of the way. She gave him an angry look.

‘That can't be real.’ Charles stared in amazement at the window display. The centrepiece, to be precise. A two-foot-tall blue and gold vase filled with an array of plastic flowers and standing on a grey plinth. Doilies and handwritten menus were scattered haphazardly around the base, offering today's specials. He opened the door and stepped inside.

'Tessa's Teacakes' was a typical old-world tea shop, all gingham tablecloths, mismatched china tea sets and framed photos of royalty around the walls.

‘Good afternoon, my lovely,’ a rosy-cheeked woman in a green apron and matching hat smiled at him. ‘I'm Tessa. Have you come for today's special? Pot of tea, sandwich and a choice of muffin for two pounds fifty.’

‘Just tea, please,’ Charles replied.

‘Sit down, and I'll bring a pot over for you.’

Choosing a table nearest the window, Charles took out a pair of glasses, placing them on his head; he leaned towards the vase.’ Oh my, this is the real thing.’

‘Here you are, Deary.’ Tessa placed a small tray on the table. ‘I've added a couple of biscuits,’ she whispered conspiratorially, looking over her shoulder at two elderly ladies in the corner.

‘I was just admiring this vase.’ Charles smiled. ‘Do you know the history?

‘Oh yes, dear, my great-grandfather was an avid traveller. He picked up this old vase in Peking. My grandmother found it in the loft after he died. She said it would give my new tea shop a touch of class, so I stuck it on the plinth in the window, and that's where it has remained for twenty-two years.’

‘Would you be willing to sell?’ Charles asked, ‘I have a small family antique shop, and it would look perfect in my Chinese section.’

‘Well, I was thinking of redecorating, giving the shop a bit of a makeover,’ Tessa said. ‘Bearing in mind, it's a family heirloom. What would you offer?

Charles knew he had to play this carefully. Too little and she will refuse; too much and she might get another valuation. ‘In perfect condition. I do believe it could be worth around eight thousand pounds.’

‘How much!’ Tessa sat down heavily at the table. ‘I can't believe it.’

‘Of course,’ Charles said, ‘discolouration has reduced the price . . .’

Tessa peered closely at the vase. ‘I can't see any damage.’

‘It should be a lot brighter. Unfortunately, all those years in a shop window have made the colours fade.

‘I see.’ Tessa's face fell. ‘So, what sort of value could I expect?’

‘I still like it.’ Charles knew he had her, ‘I'll give you five thousand.’

‘Really!’ Tessa beamed. ‘We have a deal Mr . . .’

‘Charles Sinclair Barrington.’ Charles gave her his most charming smile, and he knew he would make twenty times that with his contacts. ‘If you give me your bank details, I'll transfer the money today.’

Charles whistled as he headed to the car park to pick up his Range Rover. A phone call to a dealer and a promise of eighty thousand pounds for the intact Qing dynasty vase. This had been a very profitable day indeed. He drove back to the high street and parked outside Tessa's Teacakes. The plastic flowers, doilies and menus had now been removed from the window, leaving only the vase on its plinth.

‘All ready for you, Mr Barrington.’ Tessa rushed out to greet him. ‘Would you like another cuppa before you go?’

‘Not for me, Tessa; I have another appointment this afternoon.’

‘What about a hand getting it into your vehicle?’

Charles laughed, ‘No, thank you, I think I can manage a vase.’

‘That base is quite heavy.’

‘Oh, I don't need the plinth; you can keep that.’

‘But I did tell you, Mr Barrington, ‘the vase was stuck on that base twenty-two years ago. I don't think you can remove it without causing damage.’