That notorious roué Rupert Mountjoy, having beavered enthusiastically through his studies at Oxford, is now free to enjoy the delights of London Society. And he doesn't beat about the bush - he just gets straight in there . At the throbbing heart of Edwardian London he encounters many an old friend and makes many a new conquest. Whether jousting alone or hunting in packs, he is always ready to play the oldest game in the world with the exotic American Nancy Carrington, his old but ever ready flame Diana, and droves of devilish parlour maids. And when a grand reception in York is organised for the king, what better way to travel than by train, thundering through tunnels and letting off more than a little bit of steam?.