Chapter 40: Fred makes a dubious friend in Paris
Later that summer Fred decided to take a trip to Paris. Some months before, he had met a Liverpool art dealer called Thomas Oldham at a gallery in the West End. This gentleman had taken to Fred and befriended him. He was a very useful contact and his knowledge of modern artists and the market in general was highly instructive for Fred, who still felt himself a bit of an amateur.
Thomas Oldham was a tall, thin man in his forties with a wispy reddish beard and moustache and penetrating pale blue eyes. He had a slight limp but otherwise bore himself well and dressed elegantly, a characteristic that appealed to Fred who was always a bit of a dandy. There was something knowing, something slightly mocking in Oldham's expression that made Fred feel uneasy but he was also immensely charming and amusing. He seemed to have met everyone worth knowing, had copious adventures all over the world and survived the Battle of Alma.