I spent the rest of the day busying myself with various mundane tasks. I realised that some extra security might not go amiss I phone a Ms Nora on the recommendation of a good friend. She was a woman with tech expertise and we discussed installing CCTV cameras and security alarms. I decided that a mixture of discrete and obvious cameras would be a good idea. Discrete ones above the front and back doors and more obvious ones in the kitchen, slave's bedroom and the bathroom and intruder lights above both the doors. She said that the cameras could be connected to my computer so I could view them easily from my office. The best news was that she could come round within an hour and begin work immediately.
When she arrived we walked round the house and located places to put the cameras. I decided on two each in the kitchen, slave's room and bathroom as that covered the whole room. I also decided to have one in my bedroom only covering the bed. I could have this one disabled if required. She could install the two outside the doors that afternoon as well as the intruder lights and would return the next day to install the others indoors. I left her at work outside the front door just as Ms Rita turned up.
I showed her to the kitchen and the broken pane in the back door. Her reputation was such that I felt safe to leave her to it. Craftswomen quickly lose business if they can't be trusted. I returned to my office and began to type up my diary. I have kept a diary for many years, originally hand-written but, in this modern era, on my computer. It has proved useful in the past as it is doing now in my re-telling of this tale.
I was interrupted after half an hour by Ms Rita telling me she had finished as much as she could for that day. She dutifully followed me into the kitchen so I could inspect her work. A fine job she had done of it as well. It is an old house and the panes of glass in the back door were such that they needed the old-fashioned system of pins and putty to hold them in. Not many women had the skill to do as neat a job as she had done.
"It needs to be left to dry for a day or two, Mistress," she explained, "I can come back in two days time and paint it to match the others. If that is satisfactory, Mistress?"
"That's perfectly fine Rita. It looks to be a very neat job. Where did you learn such skills?" I asked.
"My mother was in the same trade, Mistress."
"By all means return in two days to finish the job and then send the bill to this address. I promise you will be paid promptly."
"Thank you, Mistress."
When she had left I went into the living room and lit the fire before settling into my armchair with a good book. A couple of hours later there was a discrete knock on the door.
"Come in," I called.
Ms Nora came a little way into the room.
"I have installed the first two of the cameras and the two intruder lights, Mistress. I need to install some software on your computer to finish the job."
I rose from my chair and said, "Follow me."
I led her into the office and pointed her towards my computer. I am in no way technically minded but it does fascinate me. I stood and watched as she inserted a disc and admired the way her fingers flew across the keys. Within minutes the screen lit up with an array of squares, most of them black apart from one showing the view from the front and the other the view from the rear.
"The others are for the cameras on the inside, Mistress. I can return tomorrow and install those if you would like."
She showed me how to click on a square to enlarge it to full screen and how to get back to the multi-screen. I could envisage hours of fun watching over the whole house.
"I have one small suggestion if I may, Mistress?"
"And what is that?"
"Have you thought about an upgrade, Mistress? I don't like to say it but your system is fairly old and a little slow. I would recommend a new system, Mistress, possibly a laptop that can be moved from room to room. I mean no offense, Mistress."
"None taken, Nora. It is something to think about and we can discuss it further tomorrow."
"Of course, Mistress. Are you happy about how to operate the new program?"
"I think I can manage it thank you. Please leave the computer switched on."