Her Serene Highness: A Novel

A young, razor‑sharp collector named Grafton has inherited a treasure‑filled attic in a Michigan Avenue mansion, a legacy of his father’s relentless pursuit of “good taste.” He knows every dealer from New York to Paris, but despises the pretentious plutocrats who treat art as a status badge rather than a living thing. When a disputed painting—a striking, mysterious Spaniard once touted as a Velázquez—appears in a rival’s collection, Grafton senses that the work’s true genius has been hidden behind a name.

Stricken with typhoid, Grafton receives news that the painting is about to be auctioned off as the rival’s desperate liquidation. Ignoring his illness, he races to the sale, determined to wrest the masterpiece from the hands of the smug collector who insists it is an authentic Velázquez. The auction floor becomes a battlefield of wits, pride, and the thin line between obsession and opportunity.

Through brisk dialogue and vivid descriptions of the art world’s underbelly, the opening sets a tone of clever intrigue, promising a clash of intellects and a quest for authenticity that will keep listeners turning their ears toward the next chapter.