Pressuring Jenny Matheson into helping British Intelligence by romancing a German agent has bothered Clarence Wilkinson for some time. "Himself a confirmed bachelor and sixteen years her senior meant that his measure of guilt was augmented by a feeling of responsibility for her future welfare. Learning that she had suffered a nervous breakdown increased the concern he felt for her and resulted in her being employed as his assistant in the newly formed section he was charged with operating at the War Office. Against all the odds the confirmed bachelor and the fragile younger woman find a mutual attraction that will not only enhance their personal lives but prove crucial in resolving their first joint investigation."