Robert Urquhart

Jim Hacker is having some problems with decision making at the same time as he sets out to protect people's right to privacy. He meets with stiff resistance from Sir Humphrey and learns that secrecy is as sacred an observance for civil servants as silence is for Trappist monks.

McSteed, writing a book on Black Jamie, the 13th Laird of Castle De'Ath, and Emma, a member of Aborcashata (Advisory Bureau on Refurbishing Castles and Stately Homes as Tourist Attractions), arrive in Scotland at the invitation of a cousin of the 35th Laird. The vibrating brandy in Steed's glass at dinner and the implements of torture that Emma finds in the dungeons give them clues to the mysterious goings-on at Castle De'Ath.

In which Steed wonders where Tara's got to...