Dear Jo Brady,

Thank you for considering this mission, solely on the word of our mutual friend, Eddie.

Firstly, some ground rules before you agree to anything.

You may think letter writing to be passé but I believe the act or art of writing to be more truthful; it focuses the mind more than typing on a key board and pressing send.

I admit to being a technophobe. This stems from my reluctant adoption of paranoia; an extreme form of awareness. I trust the word but not the type. I believe in the post but not email. Phones, be they landline or mobile are tricky; I don’t want to hear that Eve’s dropping in (pardon the pun) with her Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It may be slow, but the forgotten grandparent of communication is my bag.

I have tried and tested my theory that our future correspondence will not be tampered with if we follow certain rules. Use tradition letter writing stationery; keep it light weight, (standard stationary weight 80gsm will do), bulky mail could be tempting a rogue sorter to seek out money. Also, extra stamps have implications other than cost.  Use C6 envelopes with one A4 paper folded twice. Write on one side only and no A5’s please. Follow this and we’ll have a nice, neat postcard size, unassuming letter.

We MUST use the designated PO Box addresses to avoid OTHERS accidently opening our mail or becoming suspicious, and of course it will appease any worries I may have about the security of this mission.

Who am I? I sound like an advert for Debrett’s. I will introduce myself next time. As you can see, I’ve run out of space.

Yours

Swan

Dear Eddie,

Thanks for your reply. I’m glad you’re up for this, though I am a little disappointed that you can’t assist immediately. I take it, the contact you mentioned is reliable. Of course he is. I trust you. It’s just, I thought we would work together from the offset. No worries. Honestly, I can’t wait till you’re on board with this.

I shall write to Jo Brady and fill him in with some details; see what he thinks and ensure he’s committed.

I’ll keep you posted with details of my new mission.

Yours

Swan 

Dear Eddie,

Surprised to hear from me?

I know it’s been a year but things have been pretty wild. Involving you in all this is a big ask, but I can’t think of anyone I can trust more with the things I have discovered.

Do you need persuading? What if I said, ‘Aunt Mable’s hatpin,’ would that draw you in?

Reply to me at the PO Box number and then I’ll fill you in with the details. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Yours

Swan