Chapter 6: The Forger’s Art
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Chapter 6 focuses entirely on Samantha Barnes. Late at night, she drinks gin and tonic while forging Picasso’s signature on pencil drawings of a dove. She reflects on her business model: selling fake antiques yields far greater profit than selling genuine ones. For instance, a forged Arne Vodder desk made for £500 can sell for £7,000, netting £6,500, while a real one gives only £3,800 profit. Similarly, her forged Picasso lithographs cost about £200 in materials and will bring in around £16,000.
Samantha recalls her past with her husband William, when they ran a legitimate antiques shop in Petworth. Boredom led them to play a game: they placed a worthless inkwell in a locked display case with a dubious tag, and a large Canadian man eventually bought it for £750 after haggling. They repeated the trick with other items, donating most of the profit to charity. Then William died while swimming in Crete. Samantha sank into years of grief, functioning mechanically while wishing each day would be her last. Three years later, the Canadian man who bought the inkwell returned to her shop—carrying a gun. That moment changed everything.
Now Samantha lives with Garth, who arrives home late. He sees her studio light on and will soon bring her a whisky and a kiss. She finishes a few more forgeries before calling it a night.
Key Events
- Samantha forges Picasso drawings, adding signatures and edition numbers.
- She calculates the profit margins on fake versus real antiques.
- She remembers William and their bored game: selling a worthless inkwell to a Canadian man by presenting it as possibly antique.
- William dies in Crete, leaving Samantha in deep grief.
- The same Canadian man returns to her shop years later, holding a gun.
- Garth comes home to find Samantha working late.
Character Development
Samantha Barnes emerges as a skilled forger who rationalises her dishonesty through grief and financial incentive. Her transformation from a legitimate antiques dealer to a criminal is shown as a gradual process sparked by boredom and love for William, then accelerated by loss. The chapter reveals her emotional vulnerability: she once hoped every day would be her last. By the end, she is pragmatic and secretive with Garth, but the memory of the Canadian man suggests a pivotal turning point.
William (deceased) appears only in flashback as a playful, loving partner who initiated their dangerous game. His death is the catalyst for Samantha’s descent.
Garth is presented as a protective, non-judgemental companion who lets Samantha have her secrets. He chooses to be noisy when he arrives, perhaps signalling that he accepts her activities.
The Canadian man remains unnamed but serves as a symbol of consequences—his return with a gun disrupted Samantha’s grief-stricken existence and likely forced her deeper into crime.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Forgery and authenticity: The chapter explores how easily value can be manufactured. Samantha’s fake Picassos pass because buyers want the prestige, not the truth.
- Grief and moral erosion: William’s death leaves Samantha unable to care about ethics. Her forgeries begin as a game, but loss turns them into a livelihood.
- The inkwell: This small object represents the first step into deceit. It was a harmless bet that spiralled into a life of large-scale forgery.
- Smoking and ageing paper: Samantha uses cigarette smoke to artificially age the paper, blending two vices into one—another symbol of her deliberate corruption.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is the first deep dive into Samantha’s backstory, explaining her arrival at a point where forgery feels normal. It sets up the unresolved presence of the Canadian man, who will presumably reappear later in the novel. It also establishes that Samantha is not a simple villain; she is a grieving widow who turned to crime partly for fun and partly out of despair. This complexity makes her future choices more resonant.
Study Questions and Answers
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What motivated Samantha and William to start selling fake antiques?
They were bored with the routine of their legitimate antiques shop. They created a game to see if they could sell a worthless inkwell by presenting it as possibly valuable. The thrill of the trick and the modest profit (donated to charity) encouraged them to repeat the behaviour. -
How did William’s death affect Samantha’s life and business?
William’s drowning in Crete plunged Samantha into a years‑long haze of grief. She continued running the shop mechanically, acting cheerful for customers while hoping each day would be her last. This emotional state left her vulnerable when the Canadian man returned, and it likely removed any remaining inhibition about full‑scale forgery. -
What does the return of the Canadian man with a gun suggest about Samantha’s future?
The Canadian man’s reappearance is a direct consequence of their earlier fake inkwell sale. His gun implies a threat or a demand, indicating that Samantha’s past deception has finally caught up with her. This moment likely forced her to abandon her shop and take up forgery as a full‑time, high‑stakes occupation, possibly under Garth’s protection.