In a desperate attempt to use up the remainder of his grant, XY arranged for the repainting of room in which the symposium was to be held. The crumbling white walls of the medieval tower were no longer white, but now gleamed glossy in baby blue.

I wondered what XY would do now that the funding period was over. He surprised me by revealing that he had another £100k in reserve. This came from a successful application that he had kept secret from us all