Correction

Despite the somewhat misleading name of the company, The

Hallswell Design Consultancy

had expanded over the years, enabling it to extend the range of services that it offered significantly. In fact, one of Jennifer Carmall's first responsibilities following her appointment to executive level had been to oversee incorporation of

International Conference Management Services

into the Hallswell portfolio. ICMS was a small-sized company of a self-explanatory nature with a relatively short client list, but one that featured some of the planet's leading international organisations. ICMS's attention to detail and overall organisational skill was rated as second to none and this was one of the main reasons why

Hallswell

had recognised the value of integrating ICMS into its corporate structure.

As is the way with such matters when highly efficient and dynamic organisations are involved, the administrative and legal processes were completed swiftly, without complication. As part of this project, it had been decided that, in order to eliminate any risk of confusion of identity, The

Hallswell Design Consultancy

should be re-established under the simpler, less specific title of

Hallswell International

.

Under the skilled leadership of the Senior Management Team, which had been expanded to include the brightest managers from ICMS, the new organisation made rapid progress in its first year of trading, with the result that its reputation had now spread even farther afield.

For Jennifer, the project had not been without its challenges, but such was the professional diet of a woman of her skill and ability. Over that 12-month period, she demonstrated time and time again why her appointment had been such a good move.

One of the interesting events for Jennifer had been the very healthy rapport that she had developed with Simon Garfield, former Senior Project Manager at ICMS. They had worked well together and, for the first time, Jennifer had found herself in the company of a man whom she had come to trust, to respect and to like. Their relationship had been strictly platonic, but their friendship had flourished, to the point of enjoying very occasional social activities together, such as attending concerts and going to the theatre. Whilst their tastes did not overlap, they proved to be compatible by virtue of the natural instinct in each of them to expand their knowledge and experience.

***

It was late in the autumn of the year of Jennifer's memorable visit to Kaylar with her friends when a letter bearing a very colourful stamp featuring Government House in Kerata found its way into Jennifer's mailbox at her riverside apartment block. The envelope bore a coat-of-arms and the words "Vanalata Seraka / Official Notice", with the Department of Justice, Kingdom of Vengari, shown as the return address.

Not for the first time in her life, Jennifer felt a distinct shiver run down her spine and a strange but not altogether unpleasant sensation in her bottom as she recalled her visit to Kaylar. She took her mail up to her apartment and placed it on the coffee table in her lounge, overlooking a wide curve in the River Steen, which ran through the centre of Carlingham. Her mind was full of curiosity as she first set her coffee-maker to deliver a cup of her breakfast beverage, then poured herself a glass of chilled grapefruit juice, opened the pack of fresh croissants delivered to her that morning and set the grill to 'warming'.

Returning to the mail, she picked up the letter from Kerata and took it into the small bedroom, which had been converted into a home office. She took the letter-opener from her desk and slowly slid the blade along the top, taking care not to damage the stamp, which was bound to be of great interest to her 9-year old nephew, who had developed a surprising passion for philately.

After taking her seat at her desk, she sipped from the glass of fruit juice, took the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it. She then donned her reading glasses and read slowly down the text:

"Dear Ms. Carmall

In the name of His Majesty the King and of the People of Vengari

re. Case No. 2014/ POCR 201-JAR - Summary Judgment, Port of Jaralam (Kaylar), 21 April 2014

With reference to the above case, I am writing to inform you that investigations carried out following concerns raised over the above summary judgment at the Port of Jaralam on 21 April 2014 led to the arrest and trial of a group of 4 persons. They were subsequently convicted, at the Central Criminal Court in Kerata, of conspiring to promote the export of unauthorised items within the meaning of the Export of Antiquities (Unlawful Materials) Order dated April 1984 and of sundry other related offences.

As a result of those investigations and of a case review requested by Officer A. Essalta of the Public Office for Customs and Revenue at Jaralam (Kaylar), the High Court of Appeal has ruled that the sentence imposed upon you was unduly harsh and that, having regard to the fact that you are a foreign national, the status of your offence must be reduced retrospectively to that of Minor Administrative Misdemeanour, since you had clearly been misled by a citizen of this country who has since been convicted and sentenced for far more serious crimes.

Notice is hereby given that your summary conviction has been overturned and that the Department of Justice has ordered that you be awarded compensation for wrongful conviction and punishment.

You are, therefore, invited to contact Ms Rana Eleri, Compensation Adjudicator at the Department of Justice, to make the necessary arrangements to ensure that the order of the High Court of Appeal is carried out with due swiftness and thoroughness.

Ms Eleri may be contacted at your convenience either by e-mail or by telephone, between 10:00 and 16:00 hrs. on weekdays. Contact details are provided on the attached sheet.

On behalf of His Majesty the King and of the People of Vengari, I extend sentiments of deep regret that you should have suffered injustice at the hands of the State.

Yours sincerely

Edward Smythe, Senior Clerk (Foreign Nationals Division)

for and on behalf of

Rana Eleri, Compensation Adjudicator"

A warm smile spread across Jennifer's face as she read words that suggested that at least some of the wrong that had been done could now be put right. She had no idea as to what the Vengari Department of Justice had in mind in terms of compensation, but the fact that such a letter, of a type that would be unlikely ever to emerge from such an official body anywhere else on the planet, had even been sent endorsed the feelings that she had developed during her brief stay on Kaylar, where she had found the great majority of people to be kind, warm-hearted, honest and hospitable. She had particularly fond recollections of Alari Essalta, the young woman who, despite having laid stripes across her bottom that had taken several days to disappear, had come across not only as lovely in her appearance but also as most comfortingly attractive in her personality. Instinctively, Jennifer shifted her position on her chair as she recalled that unforgettable experience, her recollections of which might have proven more than surprising to anyone capable of reading her well-protected mind!

***

If the official letter had left Jennifer's mind in a slightly bewildered but agreeable state, the arrival, just two days later, of a second letter bearing a Vengari postage stamp raised her eyebrows even higher, all the more so inasmuch as the envelope containing this letter was handwritten, clearly by somebody who took great care and, most likely, by somebody for whom Latin characters were not their native script.

In an almost identical re-run of the arrival of the first letter, Jennifer again found herself in her home office, looking at a letter from a place that stirred up such vivid memories. When she turned the envelope round to see the return address, her heart nearly leapt out of her mouth, for it had been posted from Kaylar.

Slowly, Jennifer unfolded the single sheet of paper and read the beautifully-written message:

"Dear Jennifer

I hope you are not cross that I write to you like this, I know I am not supposed to, but I have been thinking of you ever since you left Kaylar after what I always thought was unfair and hard punishment.

Anyway, I do not know if you have already heard, but I asked for your case to be sent to the High Court of Appeal, because what happened to you was so wrong and is not the way we should treat people like you.

Well, I got a letter from the Director of Revenue & Customs today telling me that your conviction had been overturned and that you would be getting compensation. I am really so happy about this and wanted to tell you without delay. I hope you do not mind.

Just so you know, Mr Batar was working for a gang of three people, two men and a woman, who got convicted for a whole lot of offences. They were all caned (I didn't cane the men, but I did cane the woman - extra hard!) and they have all been sent to prison on the mainland for a minimum of 12 years. I hope this makes you feel a bit better about Kaylar and that you might come back and really enjoy a longer holiday some time.

You are a nice lady and you did not deserve to be caned by me. I hope you will forgive me and my country.

Yours sincerely

Alari.

PS I'm sending you a pic in case you don't remember me.

"

Jennifer was tempted there and then to write reams of words of forgiveness to the girl who had obviously gone to a lot of trouble, even to the point of breaching official protocols, to write to her. Such a reply would, at the very least, demand a lot of thought so that she could express herself without creating any sense of alarm in Alari, for this girl had, in fact, been lurking in the back of Jennifer's mind ever since she had caressed Jennifer's face and looked so tenderly at her before administering the caning in Room CR19. In view of all the facts, Jennifer decided to send a quick e-mail acknowledgment to Alari, then to write her a proper letter. Somehow, she felt initially that it would not be necessary for her to send a photo, since hers was already in the "Import and Export Offences Register", but then she realised that it was now more likely than not that her details would be removed. Thus it was that she decided to attach an image file to the e-mail, containing a studio portrait photograph. Eventually, when she found time to write her letter to Alari, she set out her thoughts in plain but, for the most part, positive language. Emulating Alari's writing, she used her best fountain pen on her personal stationery:

"

Dear Alari

First of all, thank you so much for your kindness in writing to me so quickly after the appeal ruling. I already knew you were kind and caring, but it was still good to have even more evidence of that. As for breaching protocols... well we can talk about that another time! (I have to say that writing that made me smile!)

Second, I have NEVER thought badly of you, not even when you caned me, because I know you didn't act out of cruelty. Your nature comes across very clearly, at least it did to me.

Third, I was so happy in Kaylar that I didn't want to come home again. I think someone must put something in the water there to keep people on the magical island. My experience will not in any way affect my decision to come back there as soon as possible.

There is one thing you need to know, Alari, and that is that I and, indirectly, you, were victims of a plot hatched by a woman who works for my company and who was not happy that I got the job that she had wanted. Somehow, knowing what I do now, I think that I am going to have to close this affair once and for all.

Lastly, where did you learn to speak and write my language perfectly? You put me (and most of my fellow-citizens) to shame. I am definitely going to try to find a book to help me learn at least a few words of Imenar for the next time we meet, because I really hope that we do, as friends.

You are a credit to your country and your people, Alari. Thank you!

Your friend

Jennifer "

***

Jennifer returned to work the following Monday with renewed energy, trying very hard not to think about returning to Kaylar and to focus on the more immediate matter of business. When she arrived at her desk, there were just two letters that her secretary had singled out from the enormous pile of correspondence addressed to Jennifer in her capacity as Executive Director (Business Development). The first was a routine letter from Garlam Mynott, Solicitors, the second from the Ministry for Territorial Security. Leaving aside the expected letter from the solicitors, she read through the official letter with growing interest and delight, as it transpired that

Hallswell International

had been selected to organise the 2015 International Conference on Border Security, to be held over a period of two weeks in late September and to which delegates from around the planet would be invited. Sponsored by a very successful security equipment manufacturer, this event was reputed to be the most important of its kind in the entire industry. Jennifer smiled to herself and immediately decided that work on the conference itself should be handled by the team operated by her former colleagues, with Joanna (Jo) Welland as Team Leader, working with Katrina Mintoff and Samantha Kerryland, whilst accommodation and catering would be delegated to Judith Maynard and her team, who had been appointed to the newly-created Hospitality Division.

Jennifer suppressed any residual feelings of antipathy towards Judith, particularly now that the possibility of closure seemed more realistic than ever where the conspiracy was concerned. All that remained for Jennifer to do was to find the best way of making sure that no loose ends or unnecessary residual bitterness were left behind once it had all been settled. Judith had been less than pleased to hear that the item that she had asked Jennifer to purchase on Kaylar had not been available and seemed almost reluctant to accept the money that Jennifer returned to her. Jennifer had been sure that the look of disappointment on Judith's face had far deeper reasons than failure to take possession of the coveted item. Jennifer had assured her that she would do everything possible as some future stage to make sure that Judith did not feel that her efforts had been in vain and that she received what she deserved.

***

By January 2015, all the groundwork for the security conference had been completed. The state-of-the-art Regency Conference Centre would be the venue, royal charter-holders

Goldstar Gourmet

were to take care of the catering and all the necessary accommodation had been earmarked at the best hotels in Carlingham. All that was needed now was the list of attendees, which the Ministry had promised by the beginning of March. True to plan, on 3rd March an internal memo appeared on Jennifer's screen with a file attachment containing a list of attendees.

Normally, Jennifer would not have read through the background material but, this being the first such event organised and run by

Hallswell

, she felt that she should look closely at the list, to see if there were likely to be any special arrangements that needed to be discussed with the two teams.

Slowly, she worked her way down the list of 276 delegates, four each from 69 countries, nominated to attend the conference. Carefully she typed notes into her diary file as she progressed. Suddenly, she stopped and gazed open-mouthed at the screen, for the final entry on the list read:

"Vengari, Kingdom of. Delegates: Osulam Banataya, Chief Security Officer, Vengari Office for Border Protection; Commissioner Zuba Alikati, Vengari Border Police; Eleni Vintra, Inspector, Public Office for Customs and Revenue, Malira and there, right at the end of the list, Alari Essalta, Inspector, Public Office for Customs and Revenue, Kaylar."

Jennifer could barely contain her delight that the conference might provide her with an opportunity both to show Alari in tangible form that she bore absolutely no ill-will towards her and to get to know the intriguing young woman better. A smile began to spread across Jennifer's face as she thought through the options for entertaining Alari during the 10-day conference. Her mental tastebuds began to detect hints of a very delicate and fine chilled champagne in her thoughts.

***

There had, inevitably, been moments of uncertainty during preparations for the conference. Panic was officially outlawed at

Hallswell

, at least in name! Nonetheless, by the Friday preceding the event, everything was in place, checked, double-checked, tested and re-tested. All the security and safety exercises had been completed, inspectors from the Office for Public Safety, Security and Welfare had not singled out a single problem for rectification, a fact worthy of being recorded in the annals of bureaucratic marvels! All the reservations had been re-confirmed by the various delegations, by transport organisations and by hotel proprietors.

Just before the end of business on that Friday, Jennifer sent text messages to Jo, Katrina and Sam, asking if they would meet her at

The Antelope

for 'a quick drink' before making their way home that evening. All three invitees knew that 'a quick drink' was simply a coded means of letting them know that Jennifer had important information to pass on to them. Finally, Jennifer sent out an internal memorandum to all four of her former team colleagues, including Judith, to remind them of the after-hours meeting scheduled for 19:30 hrs. in her office, to review the events of the week and see what, if anything, needed to be tweaked to ensure that the second week ran smoothly.

At

The Antelope

, that same evening, three astonished-looking ladies listened intently as Jennifer finally described the events of that last day on Kaylar and told them of their colleague's mischief and deceit. The consensus was that something definitely needed to be done, but Jennifer simply smiled at them all and assured them that this champagne had been chilling on ice for quite a while!

***

Alari's face lit up when she learned of her nomination to attend the Conference in Farra. Seeing the address for the hotel where she would be staying and for the conference centre at which she would be attending for nine working days, her thoughts immediately turned to Jennifer, but this time she was not about to breach any formal protocols and she did not tell anyone outside of the Office for Revenue and Customs of her arrangements. She had decided that she would simply send an e-mail message to Jennifer from an anonymous internet café, since she knew that all of her personal correspondence from her laptop would be scrutinised by the Vengari security authorities. She was so aching to see Jennifer again, to repeat her apologies in person and to continue with the deepening friendship that had developed slowly between them in occasional e-mail exchanges.

***

Unusually dense fog in Kerata meant that there was a 2-hour delay in the flight on which the Vengari delegation was booked to fly to Farra. This simply served to heighten the level of anticipation in two women who had been hoping for a long time to see one another, but only one of whom was aware of the other's arrangements. Jennifer had told herself that she must be very cool, politely formal and friendly when greeting the four delegates, whom she had volunteered to meet at Sanderson Airport on a September evening that proved warm by Farra standards, but distinctly cold to visitors from warmer climates.