'The Property of a Lady' (1965) by Ian Fleming

'The Property of a Lady' is a story from the story collection book, 'Octopussy'. It is the fourteenth and final James Bond book written by Ian Fleming in the Bond series. The book is a collection of four short stories published posthumously.

The Secret Service learns that Maria Freudenstein, an employee known to be a double agent working for the Soviet Union, has just received a valuable item of jewellery crafted by Peter Carl Fabergé and is planning to auction it at Sotheby's.

Bond suspects that the resident director of the KGB in London will attend the auction and underbid for the item, to drive the price up to the value needed to pay Maria for her services. Bond attends the auction, spots the man, and leaves to make arrangements for his expulsion from London as persona non grata.