Sitting at my desk, I consider my learnings: bravery is one thing, but what if it was a burglar, armed with a weapon, would it have been wise to have continued? The note for Grace, our Office Secretary, is written, ‘Find the best locksmith, ensure our building is impregnable and then repeat the process at my home’.
Significant improvement has been made in security by Robert Barron, Jeremiah Chubb and Linus Yale, Senior and Junior. Once installed, we will see if Mary can beat our new lock system.
I stand up, pull the blinds and face my large map, which I know Mary hasn’t beaten. I reset the map, push ten countries in sequence, starting with Oman, taking my trip across the world and finish in Ecuador. The large map hinges backwards and I head down the spiral staircase into the vault.
My mahogany desk is inlaid with a green writing cushion, a glass globe on the left and my writing implements on the right. I sit down, update my diary with the highlights from the previous six weeks of excursions; giving me time to reflect, digest, store and learn the lessons and the information provided by Mary.
I take a deep breath, close the diary and head back upstairs. The working day for everyone else is about to begin.
The Hampden Collection 